Calm Belt.
Thud!
"That sounded like a solid hit."
Doflamingo watched as Weevil was sent flying by a Sea King and gave his assessment.
Unbothered by the scratches from the Sea King's attack, Weevil roared excitedly.
"Godfather, I did it!!!"
"Well done, my good boy."
With a flick of his finger, Doflamingo manipulated his strings.
Roooaaaar!
The massive sea creature that had just swatted Weevil away let out a howl. Before it could retreat back into the ocean, its tail was severed cleanly, left hanging in midair.
"Enel."
Crackle!
Lightning arced across the sky.
The searing heat of the electricity roasted the tail instantly, filling the air with a rich, mouthwatering aroma.
A web of strings caught Weevil midair and dropped him directly onto the roasted meat.
"This is yours."
"Thank you, Godfather!!!"
Ignoring the scalding heat, Weevil eagerly dug in.
"Doflamingo-sama!"
Buffalo's figure approached from a distance.
"We found an island ahead!"
An island?
Doflamingo raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
Islands in the Calm Belt were valuable—potential waystations for future trade routes. Not to mention the unique flora and fauna that could serve as research material.
Glancing at Weevil, who was still stuffing his face, Doflamingo casually asked,
"Any signs of human habitation?"
Buffalo, who had just made it back to the deck, lowered his head.
"I didn't explore further, Do—"
"We haven't even landed on the island!" a voice interrupted angrily.
"This isn't your fault. In fact, you did well."
Doflamingo shifted his gaze to Yamato, who was still fuming. A smirk curled his lips.
"Tonight, let's have an adventure."
Yamato's eyes lit up instantly.
"Weevil, time to go."
"One last biiiiite, Godfather!"
...
Mock Town
"Boss, this time, I'll definitely be useful to you!"
Baccarat wiped her hands after seeing off the last batch of winners.
Taking out a silk handkerchief from her chest, she gazed toward the East Blue.
After absorbing the luck from these gamblers, she was at an all-time high.
For a long moment, she remained lost in thought, until one of her guards reminded her,
"Baccarat-sama, you need to head to Sabaody as well."
"I know."
A small smile played on her lips.
There were still more people waiting for her. This time, she would surely be of help to the Boss.
...
Green Bit
For a long time, no normal humans had set foot on this land.
With their exceptional talent in cultivating and tending to plants, the Tontatta Tribe—also known as the Tontatta—had transformed the island into a lush paradise.
Giant tree roots twisted together, completely obscuring the ground.
Vines, mushrooms, and colorful flowers dotted the landscape, creating an almost magical scene.
However, for the group making their way through, the thick vegetation was a challenge.
"Hold on!"
Smoothie stopped abruptly, staring at a mark she had just carved into a tree ahead.
She turned to the crew and ordered, "We're going in circles. Stop moving forward."
The pirates exchanged confused glances, murmuring among themselves.
"That's strange. This island is small. We should've reached the center by now."
"Not just that. Based on how much ground we've covered, we've practically circled the entire island."
"There's nothing here but jungle and trees—no signs of human habitation."
"Maybe this isn't where the fairies are hiding..."
A pirate elbowed Cricket and asked,
"Captain, what do you think?"
Cricket frowned. He was sure he hadn't made a mistake, but maybe he had overlooked something.
"The Tontatta might be small, but they should've left some traces of their existence."
From within a tiny, mouse-sized burrow, a pair of eyes watched them closely.
Intruders!
"Sometimes, when we have guests, we need to give them a grand welcome."
Frustrated, Smoothie drew her spiral blade.
"Wait! The Tontatta are known as the guardians of greenery! These trees—"
BOOM!
A spiraling shockwave cleaved through the dense jungle, toppling massive ancient trees.
Sunlight streamed down for the first time in ages.
"What were you saying?" Smoothie turned to the pirate who had spoken.
"Uh... nothing. Maybe you were right." He swallowed nervously.
...
Deep underground, the Tontatta Kingdom trembled from the impact.
"WAHHHH!"
A young girl, barely three years old, burst into tears.
Dressed in a tiny pumpkin helmet, King Gancho of the Tontatta Kingdom cradled Princess Mansherry as he hurried out of the miniature palace.
"What's going on?!"
"King Gancho! Intruders have detected the Hallucination Flowers!"
A large hornet emerged from one of the tunnels.
"They're destroying the forest!"
The Hallucination Flowers—plants that disrupted a person's sense of direction—were once cultivated by a former Bug-Bug Fruit user from the Tontatta tribe.
"Mobilize the troops! Let's see what these outsiders want."
...
A short while later, a group of pirates sat around, eating wild berries.
Smoothie was the first to sense something stirring beneath them.
She drew her weapon and scanned the surroundings warily.
"Enemies incoming!"
Whiz!
Tiny warriors, no more than 20 cm tall, rode atop giant insects, appearing from all directions. They wielded miniature spears and quickly surrounded the group.
Like ants preparing to carry away a feast.
The pirates, completely oblivious to the threat, were ecstatic.
"FAIRIES!!!"
"Tontatta—real, live Tontatta!"
"Kawaii!!! They look like living dolls!"
"..."
"Outsiders, leave this place at once!"
King Gancho tapped his scepter against the ground.
The guards raised their spears, ready for battle.
Sensing hostility, Smoothie immediately discarded any lingering thoughts of admiration. She moved swiftly, positioning herself to protect her crew.
Cricket, who had been keeping a close eye on the situation, noticed the rising tension and quickly intervened.
"I am Mont Blanc Cricket, descendant of Mont Blanc Noland! We mean no harm!"
"I came to see the land my ancestor once visited, to prove to the world that he was not a liar!"
"Did my ancestor ever meet your people?"
King Gancho removed his tiny sunglasses and squinted at Cricket.
He took a closer look at the chestnut-shaped hat on Cricket's head.
It was identical to the one worn by the statue of Mont Blanc Noland in their underground city.
His expression softened.
"Ah! A descendant of the great hero, Noland!"
"Cricket-dono!"
"Please, come with us. Four hundred years ago, your ancestor visited our kingdom..."
...
As night fell, the island's wild beasts began their hunt.
Land-dwelling octopuses, ancient triceratops, and giant giraffes roamed their respective territories.
Under the cover of darkness, an unassuming small sailboat silently approached the shore.
Doflamingo observed the island's eerie landscape.
Then, he glanced at Yamato.
He had to admit...
These hot-blooded idiots really did have the luck of the gods.
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