Chapter 237: The Straightforward Tontatta Tribe and the Letter
The one who spoke was Leo.
He was a Tontatta no larger than a palm, wearing green-styled overalls, with a somewhat serious expression on his face.
Contrary to his tiny stature, his voice was not soft at all. It could be heard clearly even from a distance.
Behind him, more figures of similar size emerged from the woods.
They were all people of the Tontatta Kingdom.
Axel looked at them and shook his head.
"I didn't find her."
The surrounding Tontatta immediately lowered their heads in dejection.
Although they had expected this answer, having spent a long time searching themselves with no results, they still could not help feeling disappointed when Axel actually said it.
"It seems Mansherry is being held there."
A small old man suddenly popped out from Axel's collar.
He was Gancho, the king of the Tontatta Kingdom.
Axel somewhat impatiently lifted Gancho out of his collar and placed him on his shoulder.
Then he whispered, "Are you talking about Doflamingo's place?"
At the mention of Doflamingo, many Tontatta trembled just from hearing the name.
To them, that name was a nightmare.
Only a year had passed since Doflamingo seized Dressrosa, and the tragedy that happened back then was still fresh in their minds.
"Yes. Doflamingo's place."
Gancho nodded.
"The Corrida Colosseum and Doflamingo's palace are the only two places in Dressrosa that have not been explored. Since you found nothing at the Colosseum, Mansherry must be with Doflamingo."
Axel frowned.
Indeed, that was the most likely possibility.
In his memory, Doflamingo had imprisoned Mansherry in the royal palace of Dressrosa.
But conversely, Axel was not confident in defeating Doflamingo on land.
His previous victory had only been achieved by relying on the advantage of seawater.
Without seawater, his chances of winning were low.
Doflamingo's residence, the Dressrosa Royal Palace, was located at the center of the island.
Even at Axel's maximum speed, reaching the sea from there would take dozens of seconds.
That was enough time for Doflamingo to deploy the Birdcage and trap him.
So he could not simply charge in.
Once discovered, escaping would be difficult.
Axel did not believe miracles would happen to him.
Most of the time, strength was the foundation of everything in this world, not some vague protagonist's luck.
He had already experienced this deeply.
Because of his lack of strength, he had often done bad things with good intentions.
Although he did not want to admit it, many of the results brought about by his decisions had been bad.
Many people had lost their lives because of them.
"It seems we can only take things slowly and plan carefully," Gancho said.
However, Leo immediately opposed this.
"Your Majesty, the princess is in the hands of that devil."
His expression was serious.
"Although she has a bad temper, does things her own way, and is very willful, we still need to rescue her from that demon Doflamingo as soon as possible."
Leo spoke very bluntly.
He did not hesitate just because Mansherry was the king's daughter.
This was also one of the traits of the Tontatta Tribe.
They were not good at lying, and they were simple to the point of being painfully straightforward.
Gancho was not angry.
"I also want to save my daughter," he said. "But if she is inside Dressrosa's royal palace, then even if we mobilize the entire tribe, it will be difficult to rescue Mansherry."
His voice grew heavier.
"I cannot endanger everyone's lives for Mansherry alone."
Leo lowered his head.
That was true.
But he still did not want to give up.
"How about I sneak in?" Leo suggested. "I'm small, so it'll be hard for them to spot me."
"Do you know the way?" Axel asked.
"I don't," Leo answered bluntly.
Axel nodded.
He was not surprised by that answer.
Then he raised one finger and suggested, "Then you can consider asking someone for directions after reaching the castle."
After hearing this, Leo looked as though he had received some profound teaching and hurriedly recorded the suggestion.
But after a moment, he paused and continued, "Axel-land, that won't work! The castle is full of their people. If I ask for directions, won't I expose myself?"
The others also felt it was a pity after hearing Leo's words.
Axel was stunned.
You actually took that as a real suggestion?
That was clearly a joke.
He decided to test the Tontatta Tribe's straightforwardness again.
He pointed toward the sky and said, "Look, there's a fat pig flying."
This was a lie any normal person could recognize at once.
But the Tontatta all turned their heads together, looking in the direction Axel pointed.
"Where?"
"Where is it?"
Everyone clearly believed this nonsense.
Leo even thought his vision was being blocked by the jungle leaves, so he laboriously climbed from the trunk to the treetop.
After looking around and finding nothing in the sky, he slowly climbed back down.
"Axel-land, I didn't see the flying pig."
The other Tontatta echoed him.
"We didn't see it either."
Axel nodded with satisfaction.
At this point, they should surely realize he had been lying.
Unexpectedly, the Tontatta Tribe came to a completely different conclusion.
"It seems that pig flew away."
Axel froze.
His cheek twitched slightly before he slowly said, "Yes. It flew away."
Immediately, all the Tontatta lowered their heads in dejection, seemingly regretting that they had missed the flying pig.
Looking at them, Axel sighed deeply.
He did not dislike the Tontatta Tribe's character.
But with this kind of personality, if they clashed with Doflamingo, it would be no different from delivering themselves on a platter.
No matter how many went, that was how many would be lost.
At this moment, Gancho reacted a beat late and asked, "Where is the flying pig? Where?"
Then he paused.
"Ah, it flew away."
"..."
Axel was speechless.
After a moment, he said, "I'll find out where your princess is. But in return, I need your help."
"Really?"
Leo's expression immediately became firm.
"Just say what help you need. We Tontatta won't be stingy when it comes to helping a friend."
The others responded the same way.
"It's nothing much," Axel said. "I just want you to help me send a letter."
"A letter?"
"Yes."
Axel nodded.
"Once you help me send this letter, it won't be long before I can go there and find your princess."
When did sending a letter become a way to find their princess?
The Tontatta felt it was a little strange, but none of them doubted Axel's words.
It must be because their own experience was lacking, so they could not think as thoroughly as him.
That was what they believed.
"Then when should we help you send this letter?" Gancho asked.
He also felt puzzled by Axel's words, but still chose to believe him.
The only question was when they could send the letter and rescue his daughter.
Axel once again marveled at the Tontatta Tribe's straightforwardness.
If anyone else encountered this situation, would they really choose to believe him?
They would probably find it utterly absurd.
Some more suspicious people might even think Axel planned to send the letter to Doflamingo in exchange for Mansherry, essentially selling them out.
"Now is not the time."
Axel looked up through the dense leaves toward the sky.
"When a seagull appears that can carry this letter to a distant place, that will be the time."
.....
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