Dressrosa, located in the first half of the New World, was a nation surrounded by massive rock formations, famously known across the seas as the "Country of Love and Passion."
Later on, when Donquixote Doflamingo took over the kingdom, he would use Sugar's Devil Fruit powers to turn his political enemies into toys, forcing them into eternal labor and changing the nation's title to the "Country of Love, Passion, and Toys." After Doflamingo was eventually defeated and King Riku reclaimed his throne, the Tontatta tribe—close allies to the Riku Royal Family—would become known to the public as "fairies," shifting the moniker once again to the "Country of Love, Passion, and Fairies."
In short, this country was inextricably linked to love and unbridled passion.
Bardock and Hancock were currently dining at a local restaurant. The clientele mostly consisted of couples, and their passionate, uninhibited public displays of affection were making Hancock incredibly uncomfortable.
"Bardock, getting an audience with the king probably won't be easy, right?" she asked, keeping her eyes glued to her plate.
"Hard to say," Bardock replied through a mouthful of food. "Rumor has it that King Riku deeply cares for his citizens, so we should be able to get a meeting. If not, we'll just have to try our luck at the Sunflower Field."
"The Sunflower Field?"
"Yeah. Wait... what is it?"
Noticing Hancock glaring warily toward the restaurant entrance, Bardock turned around. Two people were marching straight toward their table—a muscular man carrying a broadsword on his back, acting as a bodyguard for the beautiful young woman walking ahead of him. It was Kyros and Violet.
In the next second, the young woman formed an 'OK' sign with her fingers, flipped her hand upside down, and peered through the circle made by her thumb and index finger, staring directly at Bardock and Hancock.
"Quick, Hancock! It's a mind-reading ability!" Bardock panicked. "Think of something perverted! Hurry!"
Did this ability only read surface thoughts, or could it dig into actual memories? He absolutely could not let anyone peek into his reincarnated past! Fortunately, he instantly remembered Sanji's foolproof countermeasure against mind-readers and shouted it out without a second thought.
"Go to hell, you creep!"
Hancock lashed out, planting her boot squarely in Bardock's chest and kicking him straight out the restaurant window. The sudden crash of shattering glass drew the attention of the surrounding diners, but most of them just offered knowing, amused smiles. After all, in Dressrosa, it wasn't exactly uncommon to see a passionate woman stab a man over a lovers' quarrel.
Violet frowned deeply, marching up to the table. "Who are you people? Are you here to bring harm to this country? And more importantly... how do you know about my ability?"
She had used her Glare-Glare Fruit powers on Hancock first, but found absolutely nothing. The woman seemed to have completely emptied her mind, focusing on nothing but keeping her guard up against Kyros. Violet then shifted her gaze to the boy outside the window, only to immediately snap her fingers apart in utter disgust a second later. The little bastard was actually thinking about perverted things!
"Are you pirates?" Kyros demanded, stepping forward to shield the princess.
"We're just here to find someone!" Bardock yelled, pulling himself up onto the window sill. He answered before Hancock could, terrified she might proudly declare herself the Empress of the Kuja Pirates and trigger an instant bloodbath.
"I saw you two fly in," Violet said, her anger still simmering. "Who exactly are you looking for? Don't even think about causing trouble. Nothing you do can escape my eyes."
"Is that so?" Bardock dusted himself off. "We're here to see King Riku. We want him to introduce us to the Tontatta tribe."
"My father would never help you—wait, how do you know about them?!" Violet gasped, her eyes widening.
Hancock's eyes lit up. The Tontatta tribe was real! That meant the rumors about a dwarven princess who could heal any scar were likely true as well.
"We mean you no harm," Hancock stepped in, her tone surprisingly patient. "We simply have something we need to discuss with them."
"The dwarves don't interact with outsiders! You should just give up!" Violet retorted.
"I have some crucial information for them. Once they hear it, they'll definitely agree to meet us," Bardock said calmly, fully confident in his ability to persuade the gullible dwarves. "How about it? Care to pass along a message? Or maybe we don't even need King Riku. You'll do just fine, Princess Violet."
"Absolutely not. I will never take you to them," Violet flatly refused. The Tontatta were absurdly naive; they would believe literally anything a stranger told them. She couldn't risk bringing this sly kid to them—they would be conned in a heartbeat.
"Princess Violet, I need you to understand that we come in peace," Bardock reasoned, leaning against the window frame. "I know the dwarves live on Green Bit. Since I have the ability to fly, I could just head over there myself at any time. Approaching you first is our way of showing goodwill. Secondly... uh, what was the second reason, Hancock?"
Hancock rolled her eyes, her expression screaming, I don't know this idiot.
Honestly, Bardock was just trying to lighten the suffocating tension in the air. Seriously, couldn't they see Kyros was half a second away from drawing his sword?
Violet bit her lip, weighing her options. "My father isn't here right now. I can take you to them, but Kyros and I must be present for the entire meeting. Otherwise, no deal!"
Hancock shot Bardock a questioning look. She didn't know what his 'information' was, and wondered if having outsiders present would ruin the plan.
"Princess, I'm pretty familiar with your Devil Fruit," Bardock smiled easily. "Even if I told you to stay behind, you'd just watch us from afar anyway. So, by all means, tag along. And Mr. Kyros here is obviously your bodyguard, so he's more than welcome to join us."
Bardock's sheer magnanimity caught Violet off guard. Did they really not have any malicious intentions?
"Mr. Kyros!" Bardock suddenly perked up, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I've heard you hold a flawless three-thousand-win streak in the Colosseum! How about a quick sparring match? I'd love to get some pointers on my swordsmanship."
"I accept challenges at any time," Kyros replied stoically, keeping his hand near his hilt. "And just Kyros is fine."
"There's no time like the present! Today works perfectly for me. By the way, I'm Bardock, and she's Hancock."
"Very well. We can spar near the Sunflower Field. There shouldn't be anyone else around at this hour, so we won't disturb the public."
"I know of the Sunflower Field! I heard it's beautiful," Bardock grinned. "Kyros, aren't you worried we'll completely destroy it?"
Kyros gave him a weird look. "We're going to duel near the field, not right in the middle of it. Why would we destroy it?"
Bardock chuckled internally. 'Alright then. I was an absolute menace to the canola fields back when I was a kid. Seeing a massive field of sunflowers while holding a sword... do you have any idea how badly my hands are itching right now?'
A short while later, Bardock and Kyros stood facing each other on a grassy clearing bordering the vibrant sea of yellow sunflowers.
Without a word, they simultaneously lunged at each other. This time, Bardock decided to rely purely on his enhanced kinetic vision. The moment their blades clashed, a tremendous, bone-rattling force traveled down his arms.
Thankfully, Bardock spent all of his free time mentally dissecting the duel between Hawkeye and Shanks, calculating counters for various sword styles. Using Kyros's heavy impact to smoothly slide backward, he refused to engage in a battle of raw strength. Instead, relying on the microscopic openings exposed by his Fiery Golden Eyes and the explosive mobility of his Soru technique, he fought a relentless hit-and-run battle, constantly trying to disrupt the gladiator's rhythm.
Yet, as expected of a man with three thousand victories, Kyros was a flawless combatant. Every time Bardock thought he had seized a fatal opening, Kyros parried and countered with airtight precision.
Inwardly, Kyros was just as surprised. Based on pure swordsmanship, Bardock still had a long way to go before becoming a Master Swordsman; he was merely highly proficient. But the flow of the battle was incredibly tense. In both technique and raw power, the boy was at a clear disadvantage, yet he somehow managed to exploit the microscopic gaps in Kyros's attacks, forcing the seasoned gladiator into a highly restrictive, defensive fight.
The two exchanged a flurry of sparks and steel for quite a while until Kyros eventually parried a heavy strike and stepped back, signaling the end of the spar.
Standard sword techniques weren't making any headway, and unleashing massive, destructive finishing moves wasn't exactly appropriate for a friendly bout. Calling it a draw was the most logical conclusion.
Bardock, having finally encountered a truly formidable swordsman, was still buzzing with adrenaline and wished they could keep going. Still, the duel had been a humbling reality check: his foundational sword skills were far from perfect. He needed to double down on his basic training.
Standing on the sidelines, Violet was genuinely stunned. Bardock was so young, yet he was actually holding his own against Kyros—the undisputed strongest warrior in all of Dressrosa.
Bardock sheathed his blade, his chest heaving as he flashed a wide grin. "Princess Violet, please lead the way. Next stop: Green Bit!"