The "Calamity of Arms" X Drake had retreated. As Tashigi returned to her human form, she instructed the Marines to shackle the unconscious Monet with Seastone cuffs and tend to her wounds. Only then did she approach Fujitora.
"Fujitora-san…"
Fujitora was holding a box—an item Doflamingo had referred to as his "treasure"—his expression grave.
"Tashigi, leave Dressrosa to wait for now. This box... open it."
Tashigi nodded. Drawing her sword, she slashed through the lock with a single clean stroke.
"This… this is—!"
As the chest opened, Tashigi froze in astonishment.
"Fujitora-san! Inside is—!"
Fujitora's face remained solemn. The moment the box was unlocked, he had already sensed the presence within.
"Quick, unbind her!"
Tashigi responded at once. Inside the chest was a tiny figure—no more than twenty centimeters tall.
It was a delicate girl, tiny in stature, with a pointed nose and long, golden curls adorned with two little flowers. She wore a pink princess dress, and her mouth had been taped shut, her limbs tightly bound. Her large, glistening eyes were filled with tears, though she was clearly trying her best not to let them fall.
"You're free now! You… Are you a member of the Tontatta Tribe?"
Moved with compassion, Tashigi gently untied the ropes and carefully removed the tape from the little girl's mouth.
"So the story Fleet Admiral Wright told us… was true!"
She's just so—adorable!
"Sniff… mm…"
The little girl looked frightened, but she sniffled bravely, doing her best not to cry. She could tell that these giant humans who had freed her weren't the same as the ones who had imprisoned her.
"What's your name, little one?"
Tashigi cradled her in her palm. Before coming to Dressrosa, Fleet Admiral Wright had told them of the island's "Fairy Legend."
The Tontatta Tribe was a race of little people with deep roots in Dressrosa, dating back centuries. Though only twenty centimeters tall, they possessed incredible strength and blinding speed.
They were known for being pure-hearted and exceptionally trusting—traits that sadly made them easy to deceive.
"Ah! You know about the Tontatta Tribe!"
The girl finally stopped frowning. She stood up, looked around at the well-uniformed, armed humans, and seemed to relax a bit.
"Who are you people?"
"We're Marines," Tashigi answered with a soft smile. "Protectors of justice across the seas. You were captured by Doflamingo, weren't you? He planned to offer you to some wicked pirate… but we saved you. I'm Tashigi, and this man is my commanding officer, Admiral 'Fujitora'."
"Ah, thank you so much~!"
The little girl beamed with relief. She knew what the Marines were.
"So you're the Navy! Thank you for saving me! I'm Princess Mansherry of the Tontatta Tribe. That awful Doflamingo—he's just the worst!"
Mansherry fumed as she recounted her story.
"He lied to my people, saying I had some strange illness. He told them that to cure me, they had to work tirelessly for him… and now he was going to give me away to some pirate! That's unforgivable!"
"Doflamingo…"
Fujitora's face darkened, and he slowly clenched the hilt of his cane-sword.
"So that bastard's stooped to kidnapping now?"
"Which means… your people are still working for Doflamingo under false pretenses?!"
"That's right!"
Mansherry suddenly looked around excitedly, realizing something.
"This is it! This is Green Bit—our Tontatta homeland! There are others here too… people who want to fight back against Doflamingo!"
"The Resistance?!"
Tashigi gasped. They had been searching for Dressrosa's resistance force—this was unexpected good fortune.
"Mansherry, can you take us to them? We came to take Doflamingo down, but more importantly, to rescue King Riku from captivity."
"If we can find the resistance, our mission will be that much smoother."
"Of course! I'll take you right to them—their leader, Princess Scarlett, is in the Tontatta Kingdom!"
Fujitora nodded.
"Tashigi, I'll head to Dressrosa ahead of you. You stay here—once you've found the resistance, protect the civilians with our forces."
"Understood, Fujitora-san!"
"Fujitora-san!"
Just as Fujitora was about to depart, Mansherry called out.
"Um… before they stuffed me into the box, I'm pretty sure I was being held in the royal palace. King Riku and Princess Viola were also brought there!"
"They were still there when I was taken away… they might still be nearby!"
"Princess Viola is a Devil Fruit user. Doflamingo wanted to use her powers, so he kept her imprisoned rather than harmed—it was she who told me how to find the resistance."
Mansherry's voice, though delicate, carried an unexpected strength.
"The Donquixote Family enslaved our tribe for nearly nine hundred years. Eight hundred years ago, they abandoned Dressrosa, and the Riku royal line took the throne and freed us. We owe them everything!"
"That's why we'll do whatever we can to help save them!"
Fujitora and Tashigi listened in astonishment as Princess Mansherry shared the hidden history—the connection between the Tontatta Tribe, the Donquixote Family, and the Riku royal bloodline.
"Eight hundred years ago… Dressrosa's royal family was the Donquixote Clan?"
Fujitora suddenly understood why.
"So that's it… Dressrosa…"
"I understand now, Princess Mansherry. Don't worry—Marines will not stand idly by. We'll rescue King Riku, and Doflamingo will face justice!"
With a nod to Tashigi, Fujitora brought his foot down hard—the ground rumbled, and a chunk of earth rose beneath him. He stepped onto the floating mass and soared into the sky, heading south toward Dressrosa.
"Don't worry, Princess Mansherry. Fujitora-san is incredibly powerful. What we need to do now is find the resistance. With their help, we'll be able to protect everyone much more effectively."
"Okay! I'll take you to them right away!"
...
Dressrosa – King's Plateau.
"Fufufufufu…"
Descending from the sky into the royal garden, Doflamingo landed with a smirk. Baby-5, now back in human form, leapt off his back, a worried look on her face.
"Young Master… is Miss Monet going to be alright? That's an Admiral she's facing…"
"Monet's a Logia user. With Drake's help, she should be able to escape. Her only job was to delay the Navy."
Doflamingo clearly didn't anticipate that Drake—who he had tempted with rich rewards—would betray him so thoroughly.
"But still… it's an Admiral. Drake won't be able to hold them off for long. He's not going to risk getting caught by an Admiral just to buy us more time. We need to act now."
"Baby-5, alert the officers. Prepare to engage the Marines. And begin evacuating the civilians to the inner city. We just need to hold out until Kaido arrives!"
"Yes, Young Master!"
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