Kael stirred awake to the sting of disinfectant and pain shooting up his shoulder. Dim lanterns flickered in a crude medical tent hidden beneath the Dressrosa Coliseum. His fight wounds had been treated, his coat hung to the side, soaked with blood and sweat.
"You're lucky they didn't kill you," a gruff voice said. The medic's hands were swift but not gentle. "They don't take kindly to losers."
Kael winced but remained silent, his mind tangled in thoughts. Why am I still alive?
He soon found out.
Without warning, burly guards appeared and dragged him by the arms. His protests were ignored. He was thrown—literally—into a dark, echoing tunnel. He fell hard, landing on something surprisingly soft.
"Oof!"
It wasn't a mattress. It was a pile of discarded toys. Shattered, silent, unmoving.
Kael staggered upright, only to see dozens of living toys—blinking, whispering, moving with fear and sorrow in their hollow eyes. One stepped forward.
"Another victim..."
Before Kael could speak, two familiar voices caught his ear.
"Careful. We don't know who else they threw down here," came a voice with the crisp tone of nobility.
"You're not a soldier, but you carry yourself like one," said another, older, wiser.
Kael turned to see two figures.
One was Kin'emon, recognizable by his samurai robes and wild hairstyle, clutching his sword with rigid calm. The other was an older man dressed in a tattered royal cloak—King Riku.
Kael blinked, genuinely surprised. "Kin'emon? How the hell did you end up here?"
Kin'emon frowned. "I could ask you the same."
Kael glanced around at the eerie collection of toys. "Last I checked, you were on the surface with the others."
Kin'emon sighed. "I was tracking my comrade, Kanjuro. One moment I was searching near the factory, and the next I was ambushed by strange guards—powerful ones. They threw me down here like trash."
King Riku nodded. "Doflamingo disposes of anyone who might learn too much."
Kael crossed his arms, still wincing from his bruises. "I joined the coliseum fight. Got patched up, then dumped down here. Guess I wasn't entertaining enough."
Kin'emon grunted. "You fight well. I saw you spar briefly with Straw Hat."
Kael's expression twitched. He looked away. "He's... not what I expected."
Riku raised an eyebrow. "You knew him before?"
"No. But he's... different. He's a fool and yet... someone you want to believe in."
Riku studied him. "You're struggling. Between who you were and who you might become."
Kael said nothing.
Kin'emon changed the topic. "We've been trapped here with the discarded. Failed toys, victims of Doflamingo's twisted world. We've only survived because we keep to ourselves."
Kael looked around at the broken dolls, clockwork limbs, glassy eyes. "What is this place?"
"The toy pit," Riku replied. "A prison for those who know too much or lost too much. And now we're all just... pieces."
Kael sat down on a broken crate. His back ached. His thoughts were heavier.
"So what now?"
"We wait," Kin'emon said. "And search. I must find Kanjuro. He's close. I know it."
As if fate had been listening, a voice echoed down the dark hallway. "Kin'emon?"
All three stood up quickly.
From the corridor emerged a tall, lanky figure with shaggy black hair and a peculiar ink brush tucked behind one ear. His eyes lit up when he saw the samurai.
"Kanjuro!" Kin'emon exclaimed.
The two rushed forward and embraced tightly.
Kael, however, narrowed his eyes. He stepped forward slowly, arms crossed. "You were captured, weren't you? How'd you get out?"
Kanjuro gave an easygoing smile. "With some luck. I hid in the walls until the guards passed, then followed the tunnels."
Kael didn't look satisfied. "Too easy. You're awfully clean for someone who's been crawling through sewers."
Riku placed a calming hand on Kael's shoulder. "He's been through his own trials. Let's give him a moment."
Kael said nothing but kept his eyes on Kanjuro.
Kanjuro chuckled awkwardly. "I'm really glad to see you, Kin'emon. And... I see you've made some new friends."
"More like allies by circumstance," Kin'emon replied. "We're in this mess together."
Riku stepped forward. "Kanjuro, is it? Tell me—what have you seen of the factory? Of the royal palace?"
Kael listened carefully as Kanjuro spoke, his unease growing with every passing word.
Then Riku turned to Kael, his tone solemn. "You deserve to know. All of you."
He sat beside the shattered toys and began, his voice heavy with sorrow.
"Dressrosa was once a kingdom of peace and laughter. My family ruled for generations with kindness. My daughter, Violet—now called Viola—was a noblewoman who could see into hearts. My granddaughter Rebecca... a sweet child with no malice in her."
His hands trembled. "Then Donquixote Doflamingo came. A pirate. A demon wearing the title of king. He bought the throne through the law of the world and turned my people against me using his string powers to manipulate minds."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "He bought the throne?"
"Yes," Riku spat. "Because the World Government allowed it. My army was forced to slaughter innocents that night. Everyone thought I betrayed them. I lost everything. Violet joined Doflamingo to protect Rebecca. She acts loyal to him, but inside... she's still one of us."
"What about the toys?"
Riku gestured to the pit. "These... are the forgotten. Citizens turned into toys by Sugar, a child with a devil fruit power. No one remembers them. Families forget. Lovers vanish. They suffer in silence."
Kin'emon growled. "Monstrous."
Kanjuro added, "And now we know the factory is tied to this. If we are to defeat Doflamingo... it must be exposed."
Kael finally nodded. "Then we start planning. We find a way out of this pit. We expose the factory. And we end this lie."
Riku smiled faintly. "You speak like a soldier. Or a leader."
Kael's eyes glinted. "I speak like a man tired of running."