Summary
From Arlong who terrorized Nami’s hometown, to Enel who ruled over the Skypiea with an iron fist. From the King of Drum Kingdom who found joy in the suffering of his own people to the World Government who will eradicate anybody who dares to look up the truth regarding the Void Century. There are countless tales of people abusing their power inOne Piece.
One of the most intriguing stories on this topic is about a ruthless tyrant who usurped the long-standing royal family and manipulated the entire population of that kingdom to despise their benevolent king and hail the criminal as the savior. This is the story ofDoflamingo and how he takes over Dressrosa in one night.
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An Absurd Request
Although Dressrosa used to be a kingdomruled by the Donquixote family hundreds of years ago,they relinquished their right to become one of the Celestial Dragons in Marie Geoise during the formation of the World Government 800 years ago. Since then, the Riku family has taken over as the Royal Family of the Kingdom. They ruled Dressrosa magnanimously and turned it into a prosperous kingdom. The people love the royal family and their benevolent king. That is especially true for the latest ruler of Dressrosa, King Riku Doldo III, who is known for his kindness and generosity.
Unfortunately for them,the newly elected Warlord of the Seaand the captain of the Donquixote Pirates, Donquixote Doflamingo, wants to reclaim his birthright as the original royalty of Dressrosa and turn it into the headquarters for his illegal arms trade operation. But even Doflamingo knows that waging war with an entire nation is a stupid thing to do. After all, not only will he have to face the full might of Dressrosa’s military, but allied countries will likely join the frays as well. Full-frontal attacks will only result in his loss.
That is when he comes up with a brilliant yet sinister idea. On that fateful night, Doflamingo alone infiltrates the castle and enters King Riku’s chamber. The wise king immediately recognizes who Doflamingo is and asks him the reason behind his visit. “I am Donquixote Doflamingo. And I have just returned to my rightful place as Ruler of this kingdom!”, he said. And with an evil grin on his face,Doflamingo uttered an absurd requestthat was crazier than anything that King Riku ever thought of before.
“King Riku, I’ll sell you this Kingdom for 10 Billion Berries! You have until sunrise. No help from outside the country. I’m testing your ability as king. Do not tell the people about me!”
The Puppeteer of Destruction
Upon hearing that ridiculous request, King Riku made the greatest mistake of his life. He complies. Rather than engage ina full-blown war against the Donquixote pirates,a battle so devastating that it might take the lives of his innocent citizens, the King chose to oblige. However, the royal palace doesn’t have that kind of money lying around and with just around six hours to the deadline, it’s practically impossible to gather that amount of money. Thankfully, King Riku comes up with a desperate solution. He orders the royal guards to visit every corner of the kingdom and ask the people to give up their wealth.
Sincethey can’t talk about Doflamingo’s sinister request,the guards can only ask the confused citizens to trust their beloved king. The people are reluctant at first, but once they see the King himself kneel before them, asking them to trust him without question, the people finally begin to empty their houses and give up their precious belongings. A testament to how much they love King Riku. Unfortunately, just when everything seems to go smoothly for them, that’s when Doflamingo begins the second phase of his plan.
Doflamingo has the power of the String String Fruits.One of his abilities is creating transparent threads that can be used to control other people’s bodies, effectively turning him into a puppet master. With this terrifying ability, Doflamingo takes control of King Riku’s body and forces him to kill his innocent subjects. Losing control of his body, King Riku pleads to Doflamingo to stop this madness as tears stream down his cheeks and the blood of innocent people drips down his sword. Amused by the chaotic sight in front of him, Doflamingo doubles down and takes control of the royal guards, forcing them to massacre the people they are sworn to protect. In an instant, the Benevolent King turns into the Mad King.
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The Fake Hero
The feelings of grief, confusion, and disbelief fill the air as the people of Dressrosa flee the raging andindiscriminate swords of King Riku and his royal guards.They feel betrayed, scared, and disappointed by the man whom they always consider to be the greatest king of all time. At the same time, King Riku and his royal guards scream their hearts out, begging forgiveness from the citizens as they helplessly cut those innocent people to the ground.
As the terror reaches its crescendo, a group of people suddenly appears on the horizon. They areDoflamingo and his executives,along with hundreds of people who belong to the Doflamingo Pirates. They immediately stop the royal guards on their track, help the wounded citizens, and apprehend King Riku who has drowned in tremendous grief and guilt over what he has done to his people. Doflamingo introduces himself to the people of Dressrosa. “My name is Donquixote Doflamingo,” he said, “I’ve come to save this kingdom.”
To the people of Dressrosa, those words are the gospels of a messiah who comes down from heaven to save them. A savior who vanquishes evil and protects the common people. In that instance, everybody in Dressrosa unanimously agrees to place their fate on Doflamingo. To name him their new leader. And just like that, the criminal becomes the hero. The pirate becomes the King. In just one night,Doflamingo has completely taken overthe proud Kingdom of Dressrosa.
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