One Piece - Heaven Defying Comprehension!

In a small hut in Dressrosa, a young girl with sakura-colored hair wielded a massive sword, strikingly at odds with her gentle appearance.

"Boom!"

"Haah… haah…" Exhausted, Rebecca, the sweet girl with vibrant hair, could no longer hold the giant sword, letting it fall heavily to the ground. She dropped to her knees, gasping for breath as sweat traced down her pale cheeks and dripped to the floor.

"Get up, Rebecca! You're not strong enough to survive in this land yet!" came a stern voice from a toy soldier with one leg, standing nearby. His gaze fixed on her with unrelenting expectation.

"Soldier… Soldier-san… I… I'm too tired," Rebecca whispered, lowering her head, biting her lip to stifle the tremble in her voice.

The toy soldier, Cyrus, gazed at her with both fierce determination and deep anguish. Unknown to her, he was actually her father. Rebecca was the daughter of Cyrus and Scarlet, the princess of Dressrosa. Yet, when Doflamingo seized control of Dressrosa in a brutal coup, Cyrus had tried to protect King Riku, even sacrificing his left leg in battle. But at the very moment he'd lunged to strike Doflamingo, he'd been touched by Sugar, a member of the Donquixote family wielding the power of the Childlike Fruit.

This seemingly innocent Devil Fruit, misleadingly named after a child's fantasy, held an unspeakable horror. Its power turned anyone touched by the user into a toy, erasing all memories of them from the minds of everyone they loved.

For Cyrus, it meant that his own wife and daughter no longer remembered him. His wife, even in her final moments as she lay dying at the hands of Diamante, a top Donquixote officer, had looked upon him as nothing more than a strange toy. Even as he held her close, she had no memory of him—and as a toy, he couldn't even feel her warmth, nor could he shed tears.

This was despair beyond words. A hellish fate.

Every toy in Dressrosa had once been a person, transformed and forgotten by loved ones. The tragedy was unending, but Cyrus endured for one reason: his daughter. Watching Rebecca, his heart ached with compassion, but his expression remained cold and emotionless, as toys were stripped of the ability to convey emotions through their faces.

Unable to show his feelings, he pushed Rebecca to train harder, sparring tirelessly with her. He couldn't allow her to know the depth of his suffering or to bear the burden of his past. She had to survive—because in this ruthless land governed by Doflamingo's power and tyranny, only the strong survived.

"Pick up your sword again, Rebecca. You must get stronger!" Cyrus commanded, his voice clipped and mechanical.

"You have to live…" he murmured, the words escaping softly, unheard by Rebecca.

"Boom! Boom!!!"

A deafening sound suddenly tore through the sky. Rebecca and Cyrus hurried outside, their faces filled with alarm as they looked upward.

"A meteorite?!" Rebecca gasped, her mouth falling open as she watched the enormous, flaming mass descend toward the ground, fear etched on her face.

"It's falling… in the direction of…!"

Cyrus's gaze followed its trajectory, his voice rising in panic. The meteorite was heading toward the former palace of King Riku—now occupied by Doflamingo as the headquarters of his pirate crew.

"Whoosh! Booom!"

With a thunderous crash, a jet-black pillar sliced through the meteorite in midair. In moments, the Donquixote officers, working together, shattered the massive rock into fragments that scattered across the sky in pieces.

Pica, a high-ranking officer in the Donquixote family, had transformed into a towering stone giant, thanks to the powers of his Stone-Stone Fruit. The sight filled Cyrus with a creeping despair—could nothing bring down Doflamingo, not even a meteorite from the sky?

"Shwoosh!"

"Ah la la, looks like your move didn't quite do the trick, Issho-san."

In Cyrus's stunned gaze, a man partially encased in ice walked toward them from across the frozen sea, chilling air billowing from him and lowering the temperature drastically. Behind him, the ocean lay completely frozen.

"There are civilians nearby, after all. If a meteor's too big, it'd affect them too. This was just this old man saying hello to the youngsters."

Not far from him, a tall, blind man with a cane ambled calmly down the street.

"Hmm. I sense a Devil Fruit user's presence nearby… The gaze must be from a Stare-Stare Fruit, if it can reach us at this distance. Quite a useful ability. Let's take it back to the captain."

Kuzan's Observation Haki expanded around him, and a fierce, cold light glinted in his eyes.

"And the ability to assimilate that meteorite... it must be the Paramecia-type Stone-Stone Fruit. Not very impressive. I heard from Captain that Doflamingo also has the Logia-type Snow-Snow and Gas-Gas Fruits. Not sure if they're here, but if so, we'll collect them for the Captain too."

Issho's Observation Haki pulsed with intensity, and he wore a resolute expression. This was their first mission assigned directly by Ace, and they had to see it through flawlessly.

"Our main targets, though, are the String-String Fruit and the Childlike Fruit of Sugar's. If we can't recover everything, that's fine—the captain can gather Devil Fruits like these at will," Kuzan added, his tone calm and unhurried.

"The Childlike Fruit? Quite a troublesome power. Anyone here affected by it?"

While talking, Issho began to approach Cyrus and Rebecca, who watched him with wide-eyed shock.

"You… you're…" Cyrus and Rebecca's voices quivered as they recognized the blind middle-aged man. These two figures had become widely known across the seas after the Flame Emperor Incident, the event that had revealed the strength of the true elites of the ocean.

"The second division commander of the Entei Pirates… and former Admiral of the Headquarters, Aokiji!"

"Why… why are they here?" Cyrus stammered, barely able to speak.

Each of these men was a high-ranking figure among the sea's mightiest. The world-shaking actions of the Flame Emperor had made it clear just how immense the gap was between ordinary pirates and the true powerhouses of the world. Doflamingo, despite ruling this kingdom, wasn't even on the level to enter such a battlefield.

Any one of the two standing before them had more than enough strength to completely eradicate Doflamingo and his family. These were, without question, individuals of absolute power.

"Aokiji? Well, I'm not an admiral anymore," Kuzan said, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth. "Let me introduce myself properly: under Flame Emperor's command, I'm now the first division commander of the Entei Pirates, Kuzan."

"!!!"

Rebecca and Cyrus's faces paled with horror. An admiral—one of the World Government's most formidable—now under Entei's command? 

Flame Emperor!

Cyrus and Rebecca were speechless with fear. 

For all the suffering Doflamingo had unleashed on this country, for all the despair he caused, in the eyes of the Flame Emperor, he wasn't even fit to stand.

The name "Entei" alone was enough to make even the mighty Shichibukai tremble in fear.

"Flame Emperor… why…?"

Cyrus felt his very soul quaking at that moment.

Why would this man, whose name alone could make Doflamingo kneel, send two of his most powerful figures to Dressrosa?

And why, of all people, did they seek him and Rebecca?

Cyrus was no fool; there was no way these two giants would appear here without a purpose.

Especially with the man behind them, a man who could reshape the entire world with a mere stomp of his foot.

Why did he send them for him and Rebecca?

Although the two men showed no signs of malice toward them at the moment, Cyrus felt an undeniable chill of fear.

The gap between himself, Rebecca, and the Flame Emperor was like that between heaven and earth.

"Well, Soldier-san, you're sharper than I expected."

Kuzan spread his hands casually.

"And Rebecca, granddaughter of King Riku, correct?"

His gaze shifted to Rebecca, making both Cyrus and Rebecca's hands shake slightly.

"Don't worry, Soldier-san; this is for you."

Kuzan handed Cyrus a flag.

"This… this is…"

Cyrus looked down at the flag, stunned.

Encircling a skull were flames, fierce and all-consuming, seemingly able to incinerate anything in their path.

This was the banner of the Entei Pirates.

A flag that, by reputation alone, had driven countless pirates into retreat.

"What we need from you is this: when Doflamingo is defeated, plant this flag in the most visible place in this country, letting the Entei Pirates' banner fly over Dressrosa.

Then, use your standing to calm the people and maintain order here, to prevent chaos in the aftermath.

Well? Are you both willing to serve the Flame Emperor?"

Kuzan asked, a faint smile crossing his face.

"Let the Entei Pirates' flag fly in Dressrosa…"

Cyrus murmured.

In this world, when a country hoists a pirate's flag, it signifies only one thing:

That the country belongs to the pirate crew represented by that flag.

Did the Flame Emperor intend to bring Dressrosa under his dominion?

"Above all," Kuzan continued, "it's crucial to reassure the people and clarify the events that took place to prevent chaos and bloodshed.

That is also the Flame Emperor's command."

Beside him, Issho let a warm smile slip. Serving Ace was an honor that stirred pride from the depths of his heart.

Because Ace's order aligned perfectly with his ideals.

Cyrus remained silent.

Could they even pull this off?

Rebecca, seeing his hesitation, took the flag from his hands and raised her head confidently.

"I will!"

Her voice rang with resolve, unwavering.

"Rebecca?!"

Cyrus stared at Rebecca in shock.

"Soldier-san, isn't this our only chance to save the country from Doflamingo?" Rebecca asked, her voice steady yet intense. "And is it really necessary for a great man like the Flame Emperor to have his division captains tell lies, pretending to care for the people?"

She turned toward Cyrus, her face—a sweet, pretty visage—now resolute and fierce.

"Rebecca..." Cyrus murmured, moved by the fire in her eyes.

"We're part of the World Government! But because Doflamingo holds the title of Shichibukai, no one has come to help us. Dressrosa has been turned into his 'Pirate Kingdom.' Instead of suffering under this, wouldn't it be better to follow the Flame Emperor?"

Rebecca's voice rang out, filled with determination.

"Smart and strong girl," Kuzan remarked approvingly.

"I-I understand, Rebecca," Cyrus replied, fighting the urge to cry. His daughter had truly grown up.

"We'll raise the Entei Pirates' flag over Dressrosa!" he declared, looking at Kuzan with newfound conviction.

"Well done. This is a gift from the Flame Emperor," Issho said, pulling a talisman from his robe and holding it out to Cyrus.

"Swoosh!"

With a strange flash, a crimson glow met the toy soldier's body. Instantly, Suzaku flames blazed to life.

"Soldier-san?!" Rebecca cried out in alarm, but soon her expression softened, her eyes full of tears.

Gradually, the flames died down, and the curse of the Childlike Fruit was purged.

The talisman had been crafted by Ace, containing a sliver of his insight—an understanding that could activate Devil Fruit abilities when combined with a Devil Factor.

Cyrus stared at his hand, now restored, and finally, he embraced his daughter.

"Father!" Rebecca sobbed, clinging to him as he held her close, unable to contain his tears. The warmth of her embrace reminded him of all he'd lost and regained.

"What a grievous crime, Doflamingo," Issho muttered, his gaze sharp as he watched the reunion. Dressrosa had suffered such tragedies countless times.

"Let's go," Kuzan said, his eyes fixed on the palace. "We'll pave the way for our captain to take the throne."

After Cyrus and Rebecca hugged each other and cried for a moment, they also stood up and held the flag of the Entei Pirates tightly in their hands.

The time had come to reclaim Dressrosa!

——

Dressrosa, Royal Palace.

"My… my powers!"

At this time, Sugar suddenly rushed out from her hiding place, her face pale as she staggered toward Doflamingo.

Doflamingo's eyes narrowed, sensing disaster. Sugar's Childlike Fruit ability was the keystone of his control over Dressrosa.

"Something… one of my powers has been undone," Sugar stammered.

"What?!" Doflamingo began, but he was cut off as a crushing force bore down.

"Boom! Boom!!!!"

Terrifying gravity pressed upon the Donquixote family. The weight was paralyzing, pinning Doflamingo's forces to the ground as he looked up in dread, beads of sweat forming on his brow.