Rikuo King.
No, at this moment, he should be the gladiator "Riku".
He was not captured and brought here like the other pirates; he came of his own volition.
After being stripped of his throne by Doflamingo, his retainers were successively hunted down by members of the Donquixote Family.
Filled with hatred for Doflamingo, he vowed revenge. With nowhere else to go, he eventually came to the Corrida Colosseum, adopting the alias "Riku" to serve as a gladiator.
To prevent the citizens from recognizing him, he always fought with a mask covering everything below his eyes.
And so, time passed.
Rikuo King knew that with his own strength, it was wishful thinking to even dream of revenge against Doflamingo, let alone to meet him and get close.
Yet, the flame of hatred prevented him from leaving this world.
Thus, he could only numb himself through countless battles.
Of course, there was also the hope of breaking the colosseum's record and making Doflamingo notice him, much like he used to see Kyros.
"Hmm..."
"Kyros."
As if remembering something, Rikuo King's expression drastically changed.
"Kyros, Kyros, Kyros..."
He muttered the name repeatedly, an unprecedented terror appearing on his face.
"I, I, I actually forgot Kyros."
*Clang—!*
The helmet in his hand fell to the ground. He reached for his white hair, which resembled that of a Super Saiyan, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.
"Damn it, how could I forget you!"
To make someone forget another, to erase them from memory and history – this reminded him of the toys on the island.
"Damn it, are the toys on this island those whose past has been erased!"
At this moment, he understood many things.
Why did so many toys suddenly appear on the island? Why did he have no recollection of these toys in his memory?
Why did he have memories of his daughter and granddaughter, but not a single memory of his son-in-law?
He had been puzzled before, but after a long period of being on the run, he gradually forgot these matters, eventually ceasing to care altogether.
However, the sudden surge of memories in his mind now made him recall many things.
"No, I must leave. Leave this place."
He was not captured, so he could leave the arena without anyone stopping him.
Now, all he wanted to know was why Kyros suddenly appeared in his mind. Did this mean Kyros had broken the seal imposed by Doflamingo's family?
Furthermore, now that he understood what the toys represented?
As the former king of Dressrosa, he could no longer allow Doflamingo to manipulate his people so wantonly.
He hadn't considered this before because it was Dressrosa's own affair, but now…
He would seek help from other countries, from the Marines, and even, humbling himself, from the World Government.
He couldn't believe that the World Government, the Marines, or other countries would turn a blind eye to such a dark matter. Today it was Dressrosa, but tomorrow it could be any nation.
With this thought, he bent down, picked up the helmet from the ground, stood up, and placed it on his head, concealing his face – a face that, though aged, would be recognized by anyone who appeared in Dressrosa.
"Huh?"
Just then, he noticed a row of shadows on the ground. Based on their shape, they were people.
"At this time, the arena guards shouldn't be here. Who could it be?"
He looked up, and through the eyeholes of the helmet, he saw several figures standing outside his room.
Against the light, he couldn't see clearly for a moment.
When his eyes adjusted to the light, he finally saw them clearly.
They were two very young boys and girls, with several tall figures standing behind them.
"That's..."
His body trembled violently. Amidst the group, he saw the figure that had vanished from his memory and suddenly reappeared today.
And beside that figure, the little girl felt so familiar yet so strange to his senses.
"Is that Rebecca?"
He hadn't seen his granddaughter or his daughter since Doflamingo seized Dressrosa.
He had assumed they were all killed by the Donquixote Family's pursuit.
He never imagined, never imagined, that he would be reunited with them today.
Tears immediately broke through the confines of his eyes. Though hidden by the steel helmet, his reddened eyes could be seen through the empty eyeholes.
As if sensing something, perhaps the familiarity of family, perhaps the shared blood of close kin.
As Rikuo King looked at the father and daughter, they also simultaneously looked towards the man in the room whose head was completely covered by a helmet.
Without a word, they could recognize the man in the room from his familiar aura.
"Father, Grandfather."
The father and daughter quickly stepped forward, pushed open the iron gate, which, unlike the other cage rooms, was not locked, and entered the room.
"Good, good, good."
Rikuo King said "good" three times in a row, then reached up and removed his helmet, embracing the father and daughter.
"Let's go! We'll go see other places. There's a very interesting place here!"
Kota glanced at the three people in the room, knowing they had much to discuss. Giving them time and space, he turned and walked further inside.
"An interesting place?"
Everyone turned their gazes away from Rikuo King and the other two, following Kota and Kuina.
"Hey! Who are you? Haven't seen you before!"
"Could you be new gladiators!"
"Looking at the age of the two kids leading the way, they're too young!"
"Exactly, exactly."
"Hey! Kid, I won't go easy on you later!"
"..."
Clearly, the pirates in the rooms they passed mistook Kota and his group for people participating in the gladiatorial combat.
Kota and his group ignored the restless pirates locked in their cages.
Disregarding their shouts, they continued deeper inside.
Finally, they stood before a completely sealed iron door.
Looking at the iron door, curiosity appeared in everyone's eyes.
"What's inside?"
Without making them wait long, Kota slowly drew out Zankou with his right hand, then raised Zankou high and swung it gently to the right towards the iron door.
A cold glint flashed.
The thick iron door, with a "swish," was easily cut open by the blade of light, like jelly.
Without support, the two halves of the iron door slammed backward.
The ground trembled.
The rumbling sound was exceptionally clear in the corridor, causing the pirates behind them to immediately cease their chatter.
At this point, they realized that Kota's group might not be who they imagined.
For so long, they hadn't seen a single guard, and now, hearing the noise, this group must be here to cause trouble.
"Hey! Kid, let us out! I have treasure at sea. If you let me out, I'll tell you the location."
As if seeing a glimmer of hope for escape, a pirate fiercely clung to the iron bars, trying to force his head through the gaps. He tilted his head, his eyes wide, shouting into the depths of the corridor.
More pirates now understood the situation.
Some, like this pirate, tried to lure them with riches, while others resorted to threats and loud demands.
Kota and his group paid no attention to the voices behind them.
While Doflamingo was not a good person, the pirates captured and brought here by Doflamingo were not good people either.
It was best to let them fend for themselves here.