Handling the Aftermath

Yota naturally had no fear whatsoever of such a weak and naive king. If he said he would let him go, then he would let him go.

"And my niece, Rebecca. She is currently living in seclusion here in Dressrosa as well. I hope you can bring her back," Violet continued.

In fact, Rebecca was even wanted by the Doflamingo Pirates. However, Violet had interfered in the beginning, so the Donquixote Family had never put much effort into finding her. After so many years, no one bothered looking for her anymore.

Yet Violet, who possessed the Glint-Glint Fruit, had never forgotten her niece. She often used the Glint-Glint Fruit to watch over her every day, so she knew her current situation very well.

Though the Donquixote Family was currently turning a blind eye to her out of consideration for Violet, Rebecca’s life in Dressrosa was clearly far from pleasant.

The slander Doflamingo had spread about them back then still had not been cleared away. Rebecca’s situation in Dressrosa was much like Uzumaki Naruto’s had been back then. Fortunately, she had some skill and the care of the Toy Soldier. Otherwise, she might have died long ago.

Yota narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment, quickly recalling that pink-haired girl. Mainly because of her revealing outfit, which was considered bold even in the open-minded Pirate World, she had left a deep impression on him.

"Sure. That’s a small matter too." Yota nodded.

"And… I hope you can release the Tontatta Princess and the slaves as well," Violet continued.

"If I remember correctly, the Tontatta produce the raw materials for artificial Devil Fruits, right?" Yota said directly. "I can release them, but they still have to produce artificial Devil Fruit materials for me. I can pay them directly when the time comes. As long as you persuade them, I can let them go."

In truth, even with Doflamingo’s wealth, exploiting these Tontatta would not earn him much money. Using another method to have the Tontatta work for him was hardly impossible.

A major reason he had deceived these Tontatta into becoming slaves was that the relationship between the two sides was extremely poor.

Yota did not care about any of that. As King Riku’s daughter, Violet should still have some standing among the Tontatta. Her concern for them made that clear, so Yota had Violet persuade them.

"By the way, I remember that Tontatta Princess is a Heal-Heal Fruit user, right? I want to meet her when the time comes."

That Tontatta Princess’s healing ability was truly being wasted. Devil Fruit abilities were entirely powered by stamina, and that Tontatta Princess’s stamina…

Well, considering the Tontatta could be considered naturally gifted, she probably possessed the strength of one goose… maybe.

The Heal-Heal Fruit’s ability was quite remarkable. Though it was not especially useful to Yota at present, it still had its merits. For example, it could directly regenerate someone’s severed limb, something Yota could not do. He could only use the Munch-Munch Fruit to attach a new limb to someone else.

As for the strength of that limb, there was no way to guarantee it. It was only because his modification ability was powerful and he possessed a large supply of excellent materials that this flaw had not yet become apparent.

Upon hearing Yota’s words, Violet’s face immediately showed a trace of worry. She knew about the Heal-Heal Fruit’s ability too, and feared that Yota would oppress the Tontatta Princess too harshly.

After all, whenever that Tontatta Princess used her ability to regenerate severed limbs, it cost her lifespan. Of course, that was also related to how abysmal the Tontatta Princess’s stamina was.

But Violet could not possibly refuse now. She could only leave hesitantly.

With nothing better to do, Yota took another stroll around Dressrosa. Both its waterways and natural environment were quite favorable. On top of that, it stood at the entrance to the New World, giving it an excellent location as well.

Yota could not understand why Dressrosa had remained such a poor country under the Riku Royal Family’s rule. Judging from its natural conditions alone, even if it could not become particularly wealthy, it should never have been impoverished.

Only after looking through its history did he learn that while Dressrosa lay at the entrance to the New World, it was also the first stop for pirates entering the New World.

Every one of those pirates entering the New World was brimming with ambition. Having never suffered a beating from the Great Pirates, what they would do upon arriving in Dressrosa went without saying.

Honestly, it was hard to say whether Dressrosa under Doflamingo’s rule or Dressrosa under King Riku’s rule had been better.

Doflamingo was certainly ruthless, but at least under his rule, no pirate dared cause trouble in Dressrosa. During King Riku’s era, however, pirate raids happened almost every year. That was also why Dressrosa’s people were so martial—when the king was unreliable, ordinary people had to protect themselves, didn’t they?

King Riku had actually made many efforts himself. For instance, he had trained for a time, but his fighting ability was only enough to take on a dozen or so ordinary soldiers. Some things could not be achieved through effort alone; talent was needed too.

By the time night had fallen and Yota returned at his leisure, several more visitors had arrived at King’s Heights.

There was a young pink-haired girl whose figure had already begun to develop, a white-haired old man covered in muscles who looked more like a gladiator than a king, and several Tontatta. At the center of the Tontatta stood a cute Tontatta girl with blond hair, a pointed nose, and a princess dress.

Standing in front of the group was Violet.

When they saw Yota, their expressions varied. There was gratitude, as well as wariness, but Yota did not care.

After chatting briefly, King Riku proposed turning a group of Royal Palace Guards under his command back from toys into humans, saying that he could persuade them not to oppose the Donquixote Family.

In theory, Sugar’s Toy-Toy Fruit could erase all memories of a person’s existence. However, King Riku had already been captured back then. Later, because the Donquixote Family did not care much about him, he learned from members of that family that some of his guards had been turned into toys.

Yota did not particularly care about those guards, but neither did he want to leave these people with the impression that he was easy to talk to.

"If you can persuade them, then I can indeed restore those guards. But what can you offer me in return?"

King Riku was now utterly penniless. What could he possibly offer in return? He immediately stammered, unable to speak.

"Then let me pay off the debt!" the pink-haired girl suddenly said. "I can work for you together with my aunt!"