Chapter 116 - King Riku And Viola
Dressrosa is one of the Twenty Kingdoms that were responsible for founding the World Government after the defeat of the Great Kingdom.
Originally, it was ruled by Donquixote Family but as they moved to Marie Geoise, the Riku family replaced them.
Under their rule, the kingdom flourished while the Dwarves were freed. After some time, the country became known for its unparalleled peace.
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As Sun began to set, Blaize and his group saw the outline of Dressrosa that looked beautiful surrounded by huge rock formations. The luxurious, Spanish-styled buildings amazed everyone.
To not alert the Donquixote pirates, Blaize canceled the dragon form when they were some distance away from the Dressrosa.
It doesn't mean he's afraid of Doflamingo, he just doesn't want the upcoming battle to impact the ordinary civilians. If not for that, he would have directly acted.
Furthermore, the number of devil fruit users in Donquixote pirates is high. Especially, Pica and Sugar need to be handled carefully as their devil fruit powers are quite dangerous.
In fact, Blaize plans to take care of them before confronting Doflamnigo. For that, he needs King Riku's help.
So, Blaize, Gion, Regis, and Rosinante headed towards the King's Plateau which is a gigantic, crown-shaped landmark situated in the middle of Dressrosa. The Royal Palace is located at its top!
As soon as they reached the King's plateau, they were stopped and questioned by the guards of Dressrosa. Blaize directly stated his intention and showed his Marine identity.
The guards were skeptical as it's not an everyday occurrence for the Marines to visit the Kingdom, so they directly notified their superior.
In no time, a huge muscular man with a thick dark pointed beard and disproportionately small legs approached them.
Blaize knew this man, Tank Lepanto, who's very loyal to King Riku and also the commander of Dressrosa's Self-Defense Army. In the original timeline, he joined as a gladiator at the Corrida Colosseum to compete for the Mera Mera no Mi.
"What are the Marines doing in the peaceful kingdom of Dressrosa?" Lepanto questioned.
"I am Rear Admiral Blaize, I want to meet King Riku." Blaize directly spoke.
Hearing his words Lepanto was a little angry but before he could lash out, Blaize continued. "It concerns the safety of your kingdom so it's better if you don't waste any time. And, I am not joking."
Lepanto suppressed his anger as he could tell Blaize is serious so he quickly glanced at Gion, Regis, and Rosinante who are behind Blaize, and uttered. "Follow me,"
It didn't take long for them to reach the Royal palace following Lepanto. Blaize saw King Riku in the large luxurious hall along with some other members.
The one who caught his attention is Viola, the current crown princess of the Dressrosa and younger sister of Scarlett who now lives with Kyros.
In the original timeline, Viola is slender, well-endowed, and light olive-skinned woman of average height with a curvaceous figure. But the current her looked different.
She wore a long dress with a black top and light and frilly bottom while her hair was cut to her chin and side-parted with a pink hairband.
She may look weak but her devil fruit ability is very useful. If Blaize gets her help, he will be able to easily locate the Donquixote pirates.
"What brings the Marines to Dressrosa?" King Riku asked in a doubtful tone. Unlike the other Kingdoms, Dressrosa didn't have much contact with the World government.
"Hello, King Riku. Let me first introduce myself, I am Blaize, Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral. And this is Rear Admiral Gion, Regis, and Rosinante.
I believe you heard about the Donquixote pirates before, right?"
King Riku frowned when he heard the name 'Donquixote' but eventually nodded his head. "Yes,"
"Rosinante, explain it!" Blaize gestured while Rosinante stepped forward.
"My name is Donquixote Rosinante and my brother's name is Donquixote Doflamingo..." Rosinante revealed Doflamingo's plan without hiding anything.
Hearing the news, King Riku didn't lose his composure upon Rosinante's revelation but looked at his daughter, Viola, who ate the Glare Glare fruit and can see through any lies.
When Viola authenticated the latter's words, Riku took a deep breath and was silent for a minute. "Does the World Government sent you all to stop Doflamingo?"
"World Government? No. Haven't you heard? The World Government will announce Doflamingo as one of the Warlords tomorrow, then he will become our ally." Blaize shook his head.
"Then why are you helping us?"
"Let's say we have some enmity and Rosinante here also wants to stop his brother from doing any more evil." Blaize chuckled.
Though Riku knows the truth, he still couldn't accept the fact. But, if they confronted the Donquixote pirates head-on, he can't imagine the destruction it may cause to the people.
"Can't we settle this peacefully?"
"King Riku, I think you still don't get Doflamingo's purpose, he doesn't care about money or anything. He wants to become the King of Dressrosa and reclaim his status as World Noble." Gion told the cold truth.
"But, the people..." King Riku rubbed his temples in frustration.
"Don't worry King Riku, I will take care of Doflamingo and his crew. I just need your help to stop some low-level members and your daughter's help.
You are Princess Viola right, help me locate the Doflamingo's hideout." Blaize spoke and showed her the wanted posters of Donquixote pirates.
He couldn't find their whereabouts with his Observation Haki or devil fruit power, meaning they are hiding somewhere underground or concealed by a devil fruit power.
Viola gazed at King Riku who nodded his head in approval. She then used the devil fruit power by putting her hands next to the eyes while forming circles out of her index and thumb finger, like glasses.
"Clairvoyance!"
This aspect of her fruit allows Viola to send out her sight in all directions in a 4000 km radius like a bird.
There was complete silence. Nearly 10 minutes passed, but Viola still couldn't find anyone suspicious. "I searched the entire Dressrosa and didn't find anyone in the wanted posters."
Blaize understood she wasn't using her devil fruit effectively like in the original series so he helped her with some words and ideas.
Hearing it, Viola's face brightened and she once again used her devil fruit power. This time, she combined two of her abilities: Seeing through solid objects and long distances.
Not even a minute passed before she suddenly shouted. "I found them!"