[~1500 Words]
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Amid the thunderous cheers of the Divine Soldiers, Nami personally guided the Floating Cloud, steering it into a rapid descent.
Inside the Dressrosa Royal Palace, Doflamingo abruptly rose from his seat the moment the sky-shattering explosion echoed across the island.
He stared toward the distant port, where thick smoke now billowed into the sky. His expression darkened as he murmured quietly,
"Violet…"
Leaving behind a clone made of strings to maintain appearances, he leapt from the palace and flew toward the port, his face grim and foreboding.
Elsewhere, King Riku's hidden army concealed within the flower fields also heard the deafening blast.
After a brief discussion, Tank Lepanto—the captain of the former Riku Army's Self-Defense Forces—decided to dispatch several men to the port to investigate what had happened.
Meanwhile, in another part of the flower field, Kyros—the one-legged toy soldier—remained still. He could not leave his post.
Rebecca was here.
Protecting his daughter was far more important than chasing uncertain developments elsewhere.
Inside the Corrida Colosseum, the gladiator Riku Doldo III, disguised under the name "Ricky," scanned the surroundings with sharp, vigilant eyes.
Years of humiliation and loss had drained the light from them.
Only the burning vow of revenge kept him standing.
Perhaps only when true hope for vengeance appeared would those eyes regain their former brilliance.
Meanwhile, James carried Violet through the sky before landing atop a tall, open building.
From here, the view of Dressrosa stretched far into the distance.
With Violet's Glare-Glare Fruit, he could easily observe the entire kingdom without wasting time searching.
After landing, James made no move to release her.
Instead, he leaned closer and whispered softly near her ear,
"Little Miss Violet… could you tell me where Sugar of the Donquixote Family is?"
"And while you're at it, where is the princess of the Tontatta Kingdom?"
His closeness immediately caused Violet's ears to flush pink.
She muttered under her breath with faint annoyance,
"Hmph… I'm not little…"
Then another thought surfaced in her mind.
So the rumors about the God Emperor James being lustful… weren't just Marine propaganda after all.
I thought they were exaggerated.
But… the photo on his bounty poster really does look like he deliberately posed for it.
If she truly intended to rely on James to overthrow the Donquixote Pirates…
Would that mean she would have to offer herself to him as well?
Originally, she had planned to wait for his arrival and carefully confirm his intentions first.
But now…
She let out a faint sigh.
Was she truly about to lose the "most precious thing" she still possessed?
Strangely enough, even after she had been forced into the Donquixote Family, Doflamingo had never touched her.
At the time, she believed it was because he valued the Glare-Glare Fruit and feared she might commit suicide if he crossed that line.
The truth, however, was much simpler.
As a former Celestial Dragon, Doflamingo viewed himself as a noble being far above ordinary humans.
Women like her were merely mortal women in his eyes—beneath his interest.
Now, however…
She still possessed that most precious thing.
Perhaps she could use it to gain some measure of importance in James's eyes.
After all, he had already invaded deep into Dressrosa.
Events had progressed far beyond her ability to control.
No…
From the very beginning, this situation had never been something she could control.
In the span of just a few breaths, Violet's mind had already imagined countless possibilities for her future.
As expected of the user of the Glare-Glare Fruit.
Her vision truly extended far into the future.
James noticed the faint tremble of her ears and the blush spreading across her cheeks.
Clearly, she was embarrassed.
He was in no hurry.
Leaning casually against the railing, he waited patiently for Violet to gather herself, quietly admiring her beautiful eyes—clear and shimmering like autumn waves.
Finally, Violet gently grasped the lapel of his coat with one hand.
With the other, she formed a small circle with her thumb and index finger, placing it over her left eye.
Through her power, her gaze pierced across Dressrosa.
After scanning the island, she quickly located Sugar.
However, Mansherry was nowhere to be seen.
She frowned slightly.
Carefully recalling every corner of Dressrosa she had known in her youth, she mentally searched through every hidden location she could remember.
Then a possibility surfaced.
A place deep within the Royal Palace chapel.
A place she had never personally entered before.
Her vision shifted there.
And finally—
A tiny figure appeared within her sight.
Mansherry.
The little princess sat alone, her expression full of grievance and loneliness.
"Mansherry… so you were here…"
Violet exhaled in relief.
Then she turned toward James and spoke in a soft, graceful voice.
"I'm sorry, Emperor James. I kept you waiting."
"Suger is currently inside the underground factory beneath the Corrida Colosseum."
"She is guarded by Trebol, one of the Donquixote Family's highest executives."
Being held so closely still made her feel somewhat awkward.
She released a small, delicate sigh before continuing.
"As for Mansherry…"
"She's imprisoned alone in a small room deep within the Royal Palace chapel."
"She's being kept in solitary confinement."
James raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? No guards?"
Violet shook her head.
"Normally, Doflamingo himself stays within the Royal Palace…"
She paused slightly before continuing.
"But right now…"
Her eyes drifted toward James, and a faint warmth appeared in her expression.
"Well…"
"You've certainly kept him busy today."
James chuckled softly before finally releasing her.
Her shy reactions had been far too genuine.
The awkwardness, the subtle trembling, the flushed cheeks—
These things couldn't be faked easily.
Even the best actress would eventually reveal flaws.
But Violet's reactions were completely natural.
The charm in her eyes during those moments of embarrassment was unmistakable.
With his experienced eye, James could easily tell.
Violet was still untouched.
A treasure worth cherishing.
After all, if he couldn't even recognize something like that, then all the Divine Concubines he had captured before would have been for nothing.
Still…
Winning Violet's body was easy.
Winning her heart was another matter entirely.
If he wanted her loyalty to surpass even her devotion to the former Kingdom of Dressrosa…
He would need to be more strategic.
James glanced first toward the King's Plateau.
Then his gaze shifted toward the Corrida Colosseum.
Sugar.
Mansherry.
Which one should he capture first?
Both possessed Devil Fruits that could easily be considered bug-level abilities.
The most infamous one was Sugar's Hobi Hobi no Mi.
Its power allowed the user to turn any living creature they touched into a toy—regardless of whether the target was conscious or not.
Even more terrifying…
The moment someone was turned into a toy, all memories of that person vanished from everyone else in the world.
However, physical records—such as photos, written documents, or statues—remained unaffected.
Sugar could also form contracts with the transformed toys.
Once bound by a contract, those toys were forced to obey her commands and could no longer act according to their own will.
Despite that, the victims still retained their original consciousness, emotions, and memories.
As long as Sugar remained conscious, the transformation would last forever.
Later on, however, Oda seemed to realize that this Devil Fruit ability was far too overpowered.
So he gradually strengthened the importance of Haki.
And that's when some rather… amusing contradictions began to appear.
Rational discussion:
Everyone's opinions are technically correct.
After all, whether it's Haki, Devil Fruits, or which character is stronger—
Isn't it ultimately decided by Oda himself?
For example:
Law once said that Big Mom and Kaido's Haki was so powerful that his Ope-Ope Fruit couldn't affect them.
Yet later, Kid managed to magnetize Big Mom, turning her body into a giant magnet.
And Law still stabbed her directly using his Devil Fruit ability.
So first we're told strong Haki prevents Devil Fruit powers from working…
And then immediately afterward, those powers work anyway.
A truly unbeatable contradiction.
Then came Law's battle with Blackbeard.
Law stated:
"Devil Fruit abilities cannot affect someone with excessively strong Haki!"
And yet…
Moments later, he broke free from the effect of the Sickness-Sickness Fruit, which had turned him into a woman.
Using his Haki, he reverted back to a man.
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