Chapter 726: The Riku Family

Arc: Dressrosa · Saga: Dressrosa · Released: 2013-09-23

Summary

In the scrap-heap undercity beneath Dressrosa, gladiators and the Happo Navy keep falling through from the colosseum onto the trash and broken toys. The old former-gladiator “Ricky” is recognized by Dressrosa’s ex-soldiers and by neighbouring kings as King Riku Doldo III — the deposed king believed dead or mad — and the former soldiers (led by Military Commander Tank Lepanto) and even the discarded living toys bow to him. King Elizabello II of Prodence and his tactician Dagama, plus the Happo Navy at the bequest of the King of Kano, recall how the regional balance collapsed after Riku’s fall: the underworld broker “Joker” — Doflamingo — sells weapons to every side and reaps the profit. A Tontatta dwarf then narrates the 900-year history: long ago the Donquixote kings of Dressrosa enslaved the Tontatta to build the country in secret, but ~800 years ago King Riku took the throne, made tearful reparations, and invented the “Fairies of Dressrosa” legend so the dwarves could take what they needed unseen — the famed “fairies” were the dwarves all along. Now Doflamingo, “the latest of the Don Quixote line,” has returned, seized the Tontatta princess Mansherry and 500 of her people, and is recreating the old cycle of suffering — so the dwarves (worshipping Usopp as “Uso-land”) swear to fight. Finally, the one-legged toy soldier confesses to the assembled rebels: he pulled Rebecca from Doflamingo’s grasp years ago, could not save her mother, and — “I am Rebecca’s father.”

New reveals

• The former gladiator “Ricky” is King Riku Doldo III, the deposed king of Dressrosa (Rebecca’s grandfather), alive in the undercity (pp. 4–5). Former Dressrosa soldiers — incl. Tank Lepanto — and the discarded living toys bow to him (pp. 8–9).
• 900 years ago the Donquixote family were the kings of Dressrosa and enslaved the Tontatta dwarves to toil underground while the surface lived in luxury — “the darkest period of Tontatta history” (pp. 14–15).
• ~800 years ago a new king — King Riku — took the throne, wept and apologized for the enslavement, and enacted reparations; the dwarves date their bond with the Riku family to this point (pp. 15, 17). The narration explicitly brackets this against the Void Century: “we don’t know what happened in the Void Century” (p. 15).
• King Riku invented the “Fairies of Dressrosa” legend so the Tontatta could take whatever they needed from the country unseen and call it “the deeds of fairies” — the dwarves are the “fairies” (p. 16). The Riku Dynasty was never wealthy but “always happy and full of smiles” (p. 16).
• Doflamingo is “the latest of the Don Quixote line,” returned after 900 years; he has seized the Tontatta princess Mansherry and holds 500 Tontatta hostage, recreating the old cycle of suffering (p. 17).
• Doflamingo is confirmed as “Joker,” the underworld arms broker who sells weapons to all sides; his trade is driving the wars devastating Dressrosa’s neighbours Prodence and Kano (pp. 6–7). The Happo Navy works to stem the smuggling at the bequest of the King of Kano (p. 7).
• Ten years ago an “incident” made the people of Dressrosa lose all faith in King Riku overnight; the truth is hidden, and Rebecca (booed on the colosseum monitors as the king’s granddaughter) is the surviving Riku bloodline (pp. 18–19).
• The one-legged toy soldier reveals he took Rebecca from Doflamingo’s grasp after a long flight, could not save her mother’s life, was turned into a toy, and is “Rebecca’s father” (pp. 19).

Mentions / appearances

King Riku · Tank Lepanto · Elizabello II · Dagama · Sai · Boo · Den · Usopp · Rebecca · Violet · Thunder Soldier · Doflamingo · Mansherry · Riku · Donquixote · Donquixote Pirates · Chin Jao Family · Dwarves · Living Toys of Dressrosa · Dressrosa · Dressrosa Underground Trade Port · Corrida Colosseum · Prodence · Kano Kingdom · Greenbit · Void Century and Ancient Kingdom

Notable panels

• Pages 1–2 — Double-page color spread (title page): the Straw Hat crew in casual summer outfits, caption “…we can live how we w[ant]…”; chapter title “The Riku Family.” Decorative/thematic (freedom motif) — no cover-story strip this chapter.
• Page 3 — The undercity: gladiators and the Happo Navy fall through onto piles of toys and garbage (“Are these piles of toys and garbage?!”). Boo named.
• Pages 4–5 — “Ricky” recognized as King Riku Doldo III (FORMER KING OF DRESSROSA — RIKU DOLDO III, Rebecca’s grandfather); ex-soldiers cry “Your Majesty!! You are alive and well!!”
• Pages 6–7 — Kings of Prodence (Elizabello II) and the Happo Navy describe “Joker”/Doflamingo the arms broker; Kano and Prodence at war.
• Pages 8–9 — Dagama silenced for slandering Riku’s name; the discarded living toys reactivate and bow to King Riku.
• Pages 14–17 — Tontatta dwarf history: 900-yr Donquixote enslavement, 800-yr Riku reparations, the “Fairies of Dressrosa” legend; Mansherry seized, 500 hostage; dwarves vow to fight.
• Page 18 — Dwarves worship Usopp as “Uso-land” (“We’re not bugs!!!”).
• Page 19 — The toy soldier: ”…I am Rebecca’s father.”
• Page 20 — SBS Question Corner page (Vol. 73 SBS continues; “S·B·S” spelled in foot-soles gag art; Rebecca-outfit / Wapol / men’s-groins Q&A). → SBS specialist.
• Page 21 — Tail capture of the next chapter’s title page: “Chapter 727: The Hero’s Ambush” with cover-story “Caribou’s New World Kee Hee Hee, Vol. 42: ‘Crush all who resist! The captain is arrested.’” → belongs to 0727 (cover-tracker).

Open questions raised

• What is the “deeper darkness” / hidden lower structure beneath the trade-port undercity?
• What exactly happened in the ten-years-ago “incident” that turned Dressrosa against King Riku, and how was it engineered?
• How did the toy soldier (Rebecca’s father) come to be turned into a toy, and how does he relate to the Kyros legend? **
• Why did the Donquixotes leave Dressrosa ~800 years ago, and what fuels Doflamingo’s claim to “return” to the throne?
• Where is Mansherry held, and where are the SMILE/weapons manufactured (the thing the kings “do not know”)?