「By the way, I haven't introduced myself-less. I'm Rampao, a soldier of the Tontatta tribe-less!」
The dwarf who had been assigned to lead us by the elder tipped his deep-brimmed hat. Since he'd offered his name, I figured I'd return the favor.
「I see. I'm Krieg. I have to say, this is my first time seeing a dwarf. You're all this small?」
「To me, you big-humans are the ones who are too big-less! Are there no dwarves in the outside world-less?」
「The only official records we have are from the journals of the explorer Mont Blanc Noland.」
「Noland! He's our hero-less! I know him too-less!」
Should I tell him the truth about Noland's execution? I wondered. No, there's no need. It wouldn't change anything for them now.
「So Noland actually had contact with the Tontatta tribe?」
「That's right-less! We even have a statue of him-less!」
「Interesting. I'll have to see it later. But more importantly, what about the dwarves watching us from the buildings?」
I pointed toward a building where a female dwarf with purple hair covering one eye and a white hat was peering down at us.
「Maybe they're just curious about big-humans-less? We don't get visitors often... Oh, actually, those are sentries-less! Since we don't know if you're good or bad, the scout units are keeping an eye on you so you don't do anything wicked-less.」
Rampao started with "curiosity" but immediately corrected himself to "sentries." I decided to test something that had been nagging at me.
「Well, you did say that... but what if I told you we were actually very good people?」
「What! Is that true-less?!」
「Yes, it is.」
「Oh! Then we don't need sentries-less! Hey everyone! These people are good people, so you don't need to watch them anymore-less!」
Rampao shouted at the purple-haired scout with such earnestness that I had to resist the urge to facepalm.
Their kindness is almost a liability, I thought, sighing as I remembered the Tontatta from the original story. They are pathologically honest and gullible, believing any lie without a second thought. I suppose it comes from a society where no one ever betrays one another, which is noble in its own way, but...
While I was lost in thought, we arrived at our destination.
「We're here-less! All the weapons my friends found are gathered here-less.」
「...That's a lot of steel.」
「We need weapons for hunting-less! We've been collecting them since King Riku's family first came to this country, so there are many-less!」
「Major, take the left side,」 I ordered. 「We'll split up and find our gear.」
The Major looked like he wanted to groan at the mountain of junk, but he got to work. I started on the right, shifting piles of iron.
「I'll wait here-less! Tell me when you find them-less!」
I looked at the variety of flintlocks, sabers, spears, and hammers—all sized for "big-humans"—and then looked back at Rampao.
「By the way, how do you all carry these things with such small bodies? Are you actually incredibly strong?」
I recalled from the canon that they were supposedly blindingly fast and possessed superhuman strength.
「These? They're light as feathers-less!」
As I suspected, the biological difference was massive. Despite their size, their tails—which looked soft and fluffy—were actually packed with bone and muscle, serving as both powerful weapons and aids for high-speed movement.
After a few more minutes of searching...
「Rear Admiral, found them! The rods and the sabers!」
I went over to check. 「Let's see... four rods and two sabers. That's everything. Alright, Rampao, we found our stuff. We'll be taking these back now, if that's okay?」
I was ready to make a quick exit, but Rampao shook his head.
「Wait-less! Before that, come with me-less! You have to meet the Tontachief-less!」
There's more? I thought. 「The Tontachief...?」
「The Tontachief is the Tontachief-less! The most important person in this country-less!」
Right, the King.
I remembered that the Tontatta princess was the user of the Heal-Heal Fruit (Chiyu Chiyu no Mi). If I was lucky, I might be able to confirm her existence while I was at it. With a nod, I followed Rampao deeper into the subterranean kingdom.
The King of Fairies:
「I am Gancho! The Tontachief, the greatest among all in the Tontatta Kingdom-less!」
Rampao led us to the central plaza of the town to meet the "Chief." In the center stood a statue of a man with a very distinctive chestnut-shaped head, the word "HERO" carved into its base.
Around the plaza, I spotted several familiar faces from the original story: the scout who had been watching us, a fierce-looking warrior with a two-pronged hat, and a small girl in a white dress who was being protectively flanked by the others.
「Pleasure to meet you, Lord Gancho. If I may ask—is that a statue of Mont Blanc Noland?」
I addressed the Tontachief—the leader of this tiny nation. He wore sunglasses and a hat far grander than the others, his long, flowing beard a testament to his age.
「Oh! You know of our hero-less?!」 Gancho exclaimed, clearly delighted.
I'd seen the name in the Marine archives, but most of my "knowledge" came from the original timeline. 「Only the name. I'm not entirely sure of the details.」
In the original story, the connection between Noland and the Tontatta was explained, but the specifics were a bit fuzzy in my memory.
「Then let me tell you the tale of our hero, Noland-less!」
What followed was a dramatic recitation of the kingdom's ancient history, stretching back even before the Void Century.
Long ago, the Tontatta set out to sea in search of resources they lacked. However, they were discovered by "big-humans"—ordinary humans like us—and were hunted by cruel poachers until they were on the brink of extinction.
It was then that the explorer Mont Blanc Noland saved them. Because of his bravery, he was hailed as their hero, and this statue was built in his honor.
Later, the Tontatta struck a deal with the Donquixote family, the rulers of Dressrosa at the time. The treaty promised "resources and safety" in exchange for "a little labor." In reality, it was a dark age of slavery.
When the Donquixote family departed for Mary Geoise 900 years ago, the incoming Riku Dynasty discovered the truth, apologized profusely, and established the current covenant of mutual support as restitution.
I watched the dwarves around us weeping and cheering along with Gancho's story. They were certainly an emotional bunch. Now I understood why Noland was so revered here.
「I see. So that is why the explorer is held in such high regard.」 I kept the part about his tragic execution to myself.
「That is right-less! That is why Noland is our hero, and why our bond with the Riku family has lasted over 800 years-less!」
「Right. And as it happens, I have a letter here from King Riku asking you to negotiate with us.」 I decided it was time to get back to the matter at hand.
「I heard about that-less. But we didn't know if you were good or bad, so I had the scouts watch you-less.」
Gancho turned to the purple-haired scout watching from a distance. She hopped down and reported, 「No suspicious movements-less! Also, he says he is a good person-less!」
I seized the opportunity. 「Exactly. And since I'm a good person, I'd like our weapons back. I spoke with King Riku about your covenant, so I'm not asking for a freebie. I've brought food to trade. How does that sound?」
「That's perfect-less! The rule is that if you're a good person, you give us food or weapons-less! As long as you follow the rules, there's no problem-less!」
With the exchange complete, I successfully recovered the stolen gear. But I wasn't quite ready to leave yet. I looked at the Tontachief and decided to push my luck.
「By the way, Lord Gancho... have you ever considered sending some of your people to see the outside world?」
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