Golden Lion Shiki took a deep drag from his cigar, exhaling a swirling cloud of smoke as he leaned back, completely at ease. Suddenly, a flash of cold steel glinted, and the lit end of his cigar fell cleanly to the ground, sliced with surgical precision.
"Big human, smoking's bad for you! Don't you know it's terrible for your health?"
A tiny Tontatta girl with golden blonde hair stood defiantly on a tree branch, clutching a long spear. Her cheeks puffed out in indignation, giving her a fierce yet adorable scowl as she glared at Shiki.
Shiki's expression froze, his face darkening. Nobody—nobody—had ever dared to mess with his cigar. This was an insult to the proud Golden Lion himself.
He slowly turned his head, his predatory gaze locking onto the Tontatta girl. His golden mane began to float, a wave of menacing aura radiating from him.
The girl froze, her body stiffening as if a top-tier predator had her in its sights. Cold sweat dripped down her face, her lips trembling as terror turned her pale.
"Shiki! A mighty Golden Lion doesn't pick on little kids like that, you know!"
Brook's voice cut through the tension, calm and teasing. With a subtle flex of his own aura, he neutralized Shiki's overwhelming presence, snapping the girl out of her fear.
The Tontatta girl's big eyes welled up with hot tears, streaming down her face like a broken faucet. She stared at Shiki, a mix of fear and grievance, biting her lip to hold back sobs. All she'd wanted was to save this big human from the dangers of smoking—why was he so mad? Her tears flowed freely, her sniffles muffled as she tried not to wail.
Seeing the pitiful, teary-eyed Tontatta, Shiki's anger fizzled out. He opened his mouth to explain, but before he could—whoosh!—three powerful presences hit him like a tidal wave. Six glowing red eyes bored into him, making his hair stand on end.
Redfield, Newgate, and Linlin were glaring daggers at the jerk who'd scared such an adorable little creature. Bullying a Tontatta? That was low, even for a cold-blooded pirate. They looked ready to pummel him!
"Hey, hey! What's with those looks?! She cut my cigar first! Can you guys get the story straight?!"
Shiki squirmed under their glares, his pride stung but his voice defensive. It wasn't his fault, damn it!
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Big Human-san! It's all my fault—please don't be mad! Forgive me for being so rude!"
The Tontatta girl, sobbing hysterically, bowed repeatedly to Shiki. Her pitiful state only ramped up the pressure on him. Redfield, Newgate, and Linlin's glares grew even icier.
"Alright, alright, I forgive you! Stop crying already, or these lunatics are gonna beat me to a pulp!"
Shiki grumbled, exasperated. The girl, true to the Tontatta's trusting nature, instantly believed his forgiveness. Her tears stopped like magic, and a bright smile spread across her face. With a few nimble leaps, she hopped onto Shiki's shoulder.
"Thank you for forgiving me, Big Human-san! You were so scary before—really, I'm super sorry for making you mad! But smoking's really bad, you know! Oh, and my name's Mashue! Nice to meet you!"
Mashue, the golden-haired Tontatta, stood proudly on Shiki's shoulder, chattering away without a hint of fear. Her bubbly demeanor was fearless—or maybe just oblivious.
...
Shiki, still chewing on his now-stubby cigar, turned to eye the tiny girl perched on his shoulder. This kid had some guts, standing on his shoulder like it was no big deal.
Didn't she know he could squash her with a flick? Clearly, she'd never heard of the terrifying Golden Lion Shiki!
Still, there was something kinda cute about this pint-sized, porcelain-doll-like Tontatta.
He plucked Mashue off his shoulder, holding her in his palm as they locked eyes—his massive ones meeting her tiny ones.
"I'm the great pirate Golden Lion Shiki, scourge of the New World! Remember that name, kid, so you don't tremble in fear when you hear it later! Jahaha!"
Shiki burst into laughter, his finger nudging Mashue's tiny spear. With a flicker of his Float-Float Fruit power, he yoinked the spear from her grasp, ready to teach her a lesson about the cruel world.
Mashue gasped as her spear flew out of her hands. She tugged with all her might, but it was no use—she watched helplessly as it danced in the air.
"Oh no, Big Human-san! A monster stole my spear!"
She cried out to Shiki, who nearly choked on her words. Monster?
"Is that so? Guess I'll nab it back for you!"
With a sly grin, Shiki snatched the pen-sized spear, holding it tauntingly. He started a game of "come and get it—if you can!" with the frantic Tontatta.
Redfield, Newgate, and Linlin watched with amused approval as Shiki finally joined the "fun." How could anyone resist playing with such an adorable creature?
...
Meanwhile, Shakky and Brook had tracked down Gandalf, the Tontatta chief and king of the Dongtatta Kingdom, to pitch their bold plan: relocating the Tontatta to the Tree of Knowledge.
"Chief Gandalf, the Tree of Knowledge is a legendary giant, packed with countless books—including tons on plant cultivation!" Brook began, his voice earnest. "I'd love for your people to move there, become its librarians, and keep the tree healthy. No diseases or accidents allowed!"
Brook had no interest in hauling Green Bit Island—a run-of-the-mill jungle island—along with them. The New World was littered with places like it.
"Exactly, Chief Gandalf! I hear you Tontatta are master gardeners, experts at growing all sorts of plants. Help us take care of the Tree of Knowledge!" Shakky chimed in, her chestnut hat tilted charmingly. As a descendant of Noland, her words carried some weight. "Plus, you won't have to hide anymore. You can live openly on the Tree, under our protection!"
Gandalf's eyes clouded with memories of the Tontatta's grim history—enslavement by the Donquixote family 800 years ago.
"Can we really live alongside big humans?"
"Absolutely!" Brook reassured him. "The Tree of Knowledge sits on a sky island, safer than Green Bit. Your people can thrive there, happy and free!"
Brook pressed on, his mind racing with possibilities. The Tontatta were invaluable—maybe they could cultivate miniature Trees of Knowledge or Shandora's massive vines. That'd give New World sky island Baron more living space for rare races. And who knows? Maybe they could even grow artificial Devil Fruits someday.
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+280 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg