Chapter 252: It Seems Like You're Showing Off Something
"That kill count doesn't even compare to Chloe's. Just now, when we dealt with those pirates, the number of them incinerated by her flames was definitely more than two."
There were indeed many in the New World who played with fire. Aside from Devil Fruit abilities, technological weapons, racial traits, or even generating sparks through sheer friction were commonplace.
But not everyone possessed the ability to be immune to fire. Especially for pirate crews padded with large numbers of fodder, a massive blaze resulted in catastrophic casualties.
Never mind Nanamo; Kyros's kill count of two was merely a fraction of Chloe's.
Although the context depended entirely on who was killed, from an outsider's objective perspective, there seemed to be a significant misunderstanding here.
"Are you sure there isn't some kind of misunderstanding between you two?" Nanamo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You... why are you speaking up for him?!" Scarlett protested defensively. "Don't be fooled by his appearance; it's all an act!"
Scarlett's focus wasn't on the possibility of a misunderstanding, but rather the shocking fact that her friend, whom she had specifically called over for help, was actually taking Kyros's side.
Dressrosa had its own unique customs. Having achieved a legendary three thousand consecutive victories in the Colosseum, Kyros had become a national idol with an impeccable reputation among the citizens.
Coupled with King Riku's extremely favorable attitude toward the man, Scarlett always felt that Kyros had masterfully deceived the entire country.
And now, even her best friend was being bewitched by him.
"Ahem, it's not really about that..." Nanamo spread her hands helplessly. "You should know how I grew up. I was raised dealing with pirates, human traffickers, and the scum of the underworld alongside my dad, so..."
From her perspective, Nanamo genuinely couldn't grasp Scarlett's sheltered mindset.
"But those were pirates and slavers! This guy is different! I heard all about his reputation as a violent street thug back in the day..."
"I'm guessing you never actually read the official case files regarding his crime, did you?" Nanamo interrupted.
"How did you know? Father really doesn't let me get involved in those kinds of matters..."
If viewed purely from a protective standpoint, King Riku shielded Scarlett incredibly thoroughly. He didn't want her burdening herself with the darker aspects of state affairs; he simply wanted her to grow up happy and safe.
"Because I know you," Nanamo sighed. "But that doesn't matter. You just want him to suffer a bit so he'll back off, right? Leave it to me."
If Kyros truly harbored malicious intentions, Nanamo wouldn't mind helping Scarlett clean house permanently.
However, based on the current situation, there was a high probability of a massive misunderstanding. For now, Nanamo just wanted to fulfill Scarlett's request to teach the man a lesson.
"By the way, let me introduce you. This is my little sister, Chloe. Oh, and as a side note, she just slaughtered twelve pirates on our way here."
"It seems His Majesty Nereus's educational philosophy is quite... different from ours..." Scarlett muttered, slightly pale.
Scarlett had known this for a long time. Although King Riku treated her exceptionally well, their family dynamics were still bound by standard royal formalities like "Royal Father" or "Royal Sister."
But Nereus's family didn't care about any of that. Unless it was a highly formal social occasion like the Reverie, they interacted as casually as they pleased.
"It can't be helped; our circumstances are entirely different," Nanamo explained. "Pirates entering the New World might not visit Dressrosa, but all pirates wanting to enter the New World are practically guaranteed to pass through Fish-Man Island.
"For us, overwhelming martial force is the only reliable guarantee of peace.
"But if you really just want to teach him a lesson, I think even Chloe could handle it."
"Although I despise that guy, he genuinely has some skills," Scarlett cautioned. "He even defeated a Fish-Man warrior underwater! And your sister... I remember she's a year younger than Viola, right?"
Kyros's three thousand victories were absolutely legitimate. Some of those battles had even been fought in highly disadvantageous environments. Defeating a Fish-Man underwater was no easy feat, though naturally, a significantly weaker Fish-Man would still lose.
"You're severely underestimating things. The physical disparity between different races of 'humans' can be astronomically massive," Nanamo smirked. "Chloe, show her!"
Seemingly wanting to show off her sister's prowess, Nanamo pulled an ordinary-looking steel dagger from their recent spoils and handed it to Chloe.
Scarlett instinctively flinched, feeling that a young child shouldn't be playing with such a dangerously sharp weapon.
But when she saw the steel dagger instantly melt into glowing liquid iron in Chloe's bare hands—and watched Chloe casually play with the molten metal as if she were simply washing her hands in a sink—the warning completely died in her throat.
"I thought... the flames on your sister's back were just a trendy new style of hair accessory..." Scarlett stammered.
"Racial trait. You get used to it."
Simultaneously, at the Royal Palace on the King's Plateau, King Riku was observing the situation at the port through a rather special method.
Beside him, a little girl was striking a peculiar pose with her hands, creating circles over her eyes with her fingers as she looked toward the coast.
"Viola, how are things going with your sister?" King Riku asked gently.
"Um... I think someone is performing acrobatics."
Viola, the second daughter of King Riku Dold III, was the user of the Paramecia-type Glare-Glare Fruit (Giro Giro no Mi). This fruit's foundational ability granted her clairvoyance with a staggering 4,000-kilometer radius, along with the terrifying ability to read a person's inner thoughts.
"Acrobatics?" King Riku chuckled. "Has Scarlett met up with Nanamo?"
"They've met. Kyros is following closely behind them too..."
"Then leave them be. Let them do as they please."
King Riku knew full well that his old friend and his daughters were absolute, literal monsters. With Kyros dutifully trailing behind them, there was absolutely nothing to worry about.
However, King Riku was entirely unaware that shortly after Viola stopped observing them, Kyros would find himself facing a highly unconventional dilemma.
"Princess Scarlett, this... is putting me in a very difficult position..."
"How is this difficult?!" Scarlett demanded. "Haven't you been constantly harping on about obeying my father's orders to protect me? Well, I'm telling you right now that my friends can protect my safety perfectly fine!
"If you want to prove your strength, then try challenging her! If you win, I'll stop complaining about you. But if you lose, you have to stay far away from me!"
Scarlett knew perfectly well that despite Nanamo's strength and their personal friendship, Nanamo didn't live in Dressrosa. She certainly couldn't provide twenty-four-hour protection.
But right now, she purely wanted Kyros to keep his distance, so she completely ignored the logistical flaws in her argument.
Meanwhile, Chloe was standing to the side, enthusiastically rubbing her hands together. She seemed incredibly eager for this so-called duel.
Over the years, Fish-Man Island had cultivated a highly martial culture. Combined with her mother Amphelite's fiercely combative educational style, Chloe had been heavily influenced.
Rumor had it that Jack, the most prodigious talent among the Kingdom's youth, had already defeated several adult warriors in spars. Chloe had been itching to test her own limits.
For Kyros, this situation was incredibly awkward. But thinking of his immense debt of gratitude to King Riku, and the enticing condition Scarlett had offered, he finally stepped forward.
"I apologize, little girl," Kyros said gently, raising his fists. "I promise I won't hurt you."
The moment those words left his mouth, Kyros noticed the strange cloud floating next to Nanamo suddenly shrink into a tight, trembling ball, seemingly trying desperately to hold back its laughter.
He didn't quite understand it at the moment.
But just a few minutes later, he would suddenly come to truly understand what the phrase "the physical disparity between humans" actually meant...
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