In the dense jungle of Green Bit, a few young figures were searching for something. The island was rarely visited by humans, and so far, Law, Baby 5, and Buffalo had found nothing. But guided by the Vivre Card in their hands, they pressed on, determined to find the missing Doflamingo.
"Hey, Law, why do you think the Young Master would be here? There's nobody around," Baby 5 chattered, oblivious to the look of annoyance on Law's face.
Law continued walking in silence, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of movement.
Getting no response for a long time, Baby 5 started to get angry. She stormed up to Law and demanded, "Hey, Law, are you mute? I'm talking to you!"
Law gave her a venomous glare, as if he were about to eat her alive.
"I-I-I'll go check over there," Baby 5 stammered, intimidated by his look, and quickly scurried off in another direction.
Buffalo, who had been watching the whole exchange, rubbed his forehead. He was speechless. That girl is a lost cause, he thought. She's got a big mouth for someone so easily pushed around. She's always getting put in her place by Law, yet she keeps coming back for more.
Law ignored Baby 5, relieved to have some peace and quiet as she moved away.
During their squabble, however, none of them noticed several tiny figures slipping away into the undergrowth. The dwarves quickly departed, intending to report what they had seen to their king, Gancho, and await his decision.
Deep beneath the forest of Green Bit, the Tontatta Tribe lived a carefree life, undisturbed by the outside world. But since they had rescued a "big human" a few days ago, a sense of unease had settled over their kingdom. Their peaceful existence seemed to be a thing of the past. Furthermore, a war had erupted on the neighboring island of Dressrosa, but they wanted no part in it, content to let the big humans sort out their own destructive affairs.
With Wicca as his guide, Doflamingo was granted an audience with the king of the dwarves, Gancho. He was, to be honest, just a little old man with a white beard and hair, wearing a rather heavy-looking crown. He carried himself with an air of authority, but not of arrogance.
"Your Majesty, this is the big human I rescued. He's my good friend," Wicca announced to the king.
Many other dwarves stood guard around them, and despite Wicca's endorsement, they did not lower their guard.
Doflamingo, of course, noticed their cautious movements. He had to suppress a laugh. If it weren't for the Heal-Heal Fruit and his plan to make these dwarves willingly serve him, he would have wiped them out with a single God's Punishment instead of wasting his time telling them stories.
"Greetings, young big human," Gancho said politely, his voice as warm and gentle as a neighborhood grandfather's.
"Your Majesty, it is a pleasure to meet you all," Doflamingo replied with a smile.
"Did you wish to ask me something?"
"I only wished to express my gratitude," Doflamingo said graciously, careful not to arouse their suspicion.
"Haha, no need for that. It was your own good fortune that brought you here," Gancho laughed.
"I heard it was Princess Mansherry who saved me. I would like to thank her in person as well," Doflamingo added. In the first few days, the dwarves had only observed him, giving him simple bandages but no real treatment. It was only after they deemed him docile that they allowed Mansherry to heal him. It was thanks to her powers that he had recovered so quickly. For that, at least, his gratitude was sincere. After all, his own life was more important than anything else.
"My daughter is very shy. Perhaps another time," Gancho declined with a gentle smile.
Doflamingo didn't press the issue, knowing when to back down.
"In that case, I won't insist. But please, if there is anything I can do to help you, I will not hesitate," he offered.
Gancho was about to politely refuse when the scouts who had been monitoring the Green Bit forest returned.
"Your Majesty, we have a problem!"
Hearing this, Gancho grew tense. The power of his people was insignificant. Although they were several times stronger than ordinary humans and incredibly fast, they were still at a disadvantage against the big humans.
"What is it?" he asked, forcing himself to remain calm so as not to appear weak in front of Doflamingo.
"There are people in the Green Bit forest, searching for something. I think they're coming for us," the scout reported.
"Coming for us? What do we do?" Gancho asked, a hint of panic in his voice.
"Your Majesty, leave it to me! I'll take care of them!" a young dwarf shouted, stepping forward confidently. He had several long needles tucked into his belt.
Doflamingo listened to their exchange without interjecting, a calm observer. He recognized the young dwarf as Leo. He looked a bit younger than he would in ten years, but his personality was the same: naive, pure-hearted, and a great admirer of heroes.
"No, Leo! How can you possibly be a match for those big humans?" Wicca cried out.
"Wicca, you underestimate me! I don't believe anyone is a match for me, not even the big humans!"
Who isn't reckless in their youth? As the strongest warrior of the Tontatta Tribe, Leo had the confidence to back up his words, but sometimes, a narrow view of the world can be dangerous.
"You... Leo, I won't allow it!" Wicca said, pouting angrily.
"Your Majesty, please entrust this matter to me. I will handle it," Leo said, ignoring Wicca's objections and addressing the king directly.
"Well..." Gancho hesitated. He knew that his people had once been oppressed by the big humans. It was only when the Riku family liberated them that they regained their freedom. Having tasted freedom, they never wanted to live in shackles again. As the king of his tribe, he had to be cautious.
Hearing this, Doflamingo decided it was time to step in. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity for him?
"Your Majesty, I believe you should let Leo go," Doflamingo's sudden interjection drew the attention of all the dwarves.
"You're not so bad for a big human!" Leo's eyes lit up at Doflamingo's words, and he was the first to voice his approval.
"Hey, hey, hey! You're my friend! How can you take Leo's side?" Wicca grumbled, clearly displeased.
"Every one of the Tontatta is my friend," Doflamingo said, giving Wicca a reassuring thumbs-up before addressing the surrounding dwarves. "But of course, you are my best friend."
"Excuse me, I don't believe I caught your name, our big human friend," Gancho said, his tone now more formal.
"My name is Doflamingo. And I am a pirate," Doflamingo introduced himself.
"A pirate?"
"That's right. A pirate."
The dwarves seemed to hold no prejudice against pirates, accepting his identity with surprising calmness.
"Doflamingolando, why do you think Leo should go?" Wicca asked, having climbed back onto his shoulder.
Doflamingo smiled and pointed to himself.
The dwarves looked at him, confused.
"Don't worry, I'll help you," he reassured them. "I have a bit of strength myself. Dealing with ordinary opponents is no problem for me."
"It's true! Doflamingolando is super strong! Even Leo's powers couldn't hold him!" Wicca said excitedly, losing her balance and tumbling off his shoulder. Doflamingo caught her with a quick hand.
"Is that true?" Leo's eyes shone. He idolized heroes, and anyone who could break free from his restraints must be incredibly powerful.
Doflamingo gave a slight nod in confirmation.
"That's wonderful! Then we'll be counting on you, Doflamingolando," Gancho said, relieved.
With that, Leo, impatient to prove himself, sped off without waiting for anyone.
"Leo, wait for us!" Wicca and the others called after him.
But Leo paid them no mind. He was going to claim all the glory for himself.
In the forest of Green Bit, Law, Baby 5, and Buffalo were searching intently.
Swoosh!
Something zipped past them. All three heard it and exchanged wary glances, their guards instantly up. But before they could react, they found themselves unable to move.
Their expressions changed. They looked down and saw that their feet had been stitched to the ground.
"When did...?" Law was shocked. His senses were on high alert. They hadn't seen anyone, yet they had been pinned down.
He quickly calmed himself and used his Observation Haki to scan the area. In the colorless world of his Haki, he saw a single, tiny life force darting around.
A grin spread across his face. "Found you. Room... Takt."
With that, Leo, who was still busy with his work, was suddenly snatched from the air and found himself in Law's grasp.
"What is this?" Law said, looking at the tiny creature in his hand, unsure of what he was seeing.
Baby 5 and Buffalo, now free, gathered around him, curiously peering at the captured Leo.
"He's so small! Is he a dwarf?" Baby 5 wondered.
"I think so," Buffalo said uncertainly.
"Damn it! Let me go!" Leo never expected to be caught so easily, to be so utterly helpless.
"Heh, let you go? You attacked us without provocation. We haven't even settled the score with you yet," Baby 5 said, hands on her hips.
"Let me go, you despicable fiends!" Leo retorted defiantly.
"Heh, the little guy's got some fight in him," Law commented casually.
Seeing no hope of escape, Leo opened his mouth and put all his faith in his newfound hero.
"Doflamingolando, save me!"
"Hm?"
The three intruders froze, as if they had just heard something impossible.
"The Young Master?"
"Mr. Doflamingo?"