Chapter 142: Chapter 99.2 : Deceiving Little People!!
Eight hundred years ago, when the Donquixote family ruled Dressrosa, the Tontatta Kingdom had been deceived and enslaved by them.
But after the Riku family took power, they changed this situation.
The dwarves were liberated, and for generations, the Riku royal family kings had secretly hidden the existence of the Tontatta Kingdom to prevent the dwarves from being persecuted. This also led to the creation of a romantic legend of the little people in Dressrosa.
But now, this young man before him, Ian from the Beasts Pirates, was about to make a move on the dwarves.
"You don't need to worry about so much," Ian said casually, "Now, gather your army."
"Or would you prefer me to gather the Beasts Pirates' fleet?"
King Riku froze for a moment.
Ian and his companions returned to find the Little People once again.
"Ian, what exactly are you planning to do?"
Law couldn't help but ask.
Sending troops to attack this forest—it didn't seem like something done to repay the Little People.
"I'm going to take the Tontatta tribe back to Wano Country."
Ian wasn't hiding anything, speaking calmly.
"You bastard!"
Law instantly became angry. "Princess Mansherry saved my life!"
"Exactly. That's why I want to bring them back to Wano."
Ian replied. "Doflamingo has his eyes on Dressrosa. If we don't care for the Tontatta Kingdom, Doflamingo won't be merciful."
"Then why not just stop Doflamingo directly?"
Law said irritably. "Does that guy still dare to defy your orders?"
Though he was once part of the Donquixote family, after witnessing the strength of the Beast Pirates, Law knew he could never go back.
Donquixote? That trash organization wasn't even familiar to him anymore.
"Doflamingo is my friend. Dressrosa has nothing to do with me, and I have no reason to stop him."
Ian said confidently. "But you know what kind of person Doflamingo is. If he learns about the Tontatta tribe's existence, even if I order him not to, do you think he'll do nothing?"
Law immediately furrowed his brows.
Yeah, Doflamingo was a complete scumbag.
The innocent, somewhat powerful Tontatta tribe—Doflamingo would be crazy not to take an interest in them.
"You know, Law," Ian continued, "the Tontatta people are naive, kind-hearted, and innocent. If they are exposed to the world, they will undoubtedly face a disaster."
Ian patted Law on the shoulder. "That's why only Wano can protect them."
"If you're worried, I can appoint you as the Tontatta tribe's affairs officer, and you'll be responsible for all matters concerning the Little People."
Law pursed his lips.
That actually made sense, didn't it?
Ian smiled.
Still too young…
The group arrived at the gathering place of the Little People once again.
"They're back! The humans are back!"
"They're bringing gifts!"
"What kind of gifts?"
There were even more Little People here, all cheering and welcoming Ian and his companions.
Ian smiled and said, "Jack, bring the gifts over."
"Got it, Big Brother Ian!"
The muscular Jack stepped forward and placed a massive box in front of the little people.
He opened the box lid, and the sweet fragrance that hit them immediately made their mouths water.
Inside was a cake—huge, like a little mountain.
It was made in a rush by the ship's cook earlier.
"Oh! It's cake!"
"I've seen one like this in Dressrosa!"
"Such a big cake! It's like a mountain!"
The little people cheered again.
"Please enjoy."
Ian said with a smile.
"Yay!"
One by one, the little people cheered and rushed toward the cake.
The several-meter-high cake was indeed a towering mountain for them. They swarmed it like bees in a hive, crawling all over the cake.
"So sweet! So delicious!"
Little Leo's face was covered in cake, and he looked up joyfully.
"Mm!"
The little princess next to him was the same, "This is the best gift ever!"
The best gift?
It's just a cake.
They sure are easily pleased.
"Humans, you are such good people!"
The little people gave their evaluation of Ian and the others.
Good people?
Ian's face remained expressionless.
Boom!
A loud crash suddenly came from the distance in the forest.
"Huh?"
The little Princess Mansherry raised her head in confusion.
Then, another series of loud explosions echoed. At the edge of the distant forest, flames had already begun to spread.
"Attack! This is an attack!" Ian said with certainty.
"An attack?"
King Gancho of the Tontatta Kingdom, a man with a long beard, looked completely confused.
The Little People had been living peacefully for eight hundred years!
"Let's go take a look!" Ian said.
"We'll go with you, alongside the Humans!" Leo, full of energy, raised his hand high.
With that, Ian and the others, along with a group of Little People, quickly made their way toward the direction of the explosions.
As they neared, all the Little People couldn't help but gasp.
"It's burning! It's burning!"
King Gancho screamed.
The flames had ignited the jungle and were now spreading uncontrollably!
The intense heat made all the Little People too afraid to get any closer, and they panicked, shouting in fear.
This forest was their home!
"Yamato!" Ian shouted loudly.
"Leave it to me!"
The girl leaped into the air, immediately switching to her Human-Beast Form. Her wolf fang club swung fiercely behind her, "Phantom Blade!"
A white mist surged out in an instant, covering the entire area where the flames had spread.
In the blink of an eye, the extreme cold stopped the fire completely. Or rather, the entire forest was frozen into ice.
"Oh! It's all frozen!"
The little people had already started exclaiming, surrounding Yamato with chatter.
"Wow, amazing, Lord Yamato!"
"Hehe!"
Yamato smiled proudly. "It's a piece of cake!"
"Let's go, let's see what's going on."
Ian took a step forward and walked out.
Law rolled his eyes. What's with all the show?
The group walked out of the Ice Forest, and in front of them were the soldiers lined up along the coast.
King Gancho suddenly shouted, "It's King Riku!"
King Riku sat atop a tall warhorse, coldly staring at the people walking out from the forest.
"Get out of my country!"
King Riku roared loudly, "Greenbit is part of our Dressrosa territory! Tontatta Kingdom! Your time here is up! Get out of my country!"
"If you don't leave, I'll set this forest on fire!"
Along with his roar, the soldiers behind him raised their weapons, and heavy cannons were ready to fire.
Kyros stood beside King Riku, his head lowered, hiding his expression.
"Eh!!"
Faced with King Riku's threat, King Gancho's beard seemed to explode in anger. "What do we do now?! King Riku says Greenbit is his territory, where are we supposed to go?"
He believed it immediately. They didn't even think about resisting or arguing at all?
At that moment, Law fully agreed with Ian's words.
Leaving the Tontatta Kingdom here, when Doflamingo arrives, they will definitely face utter destruction.
Ian said seriously at this moment, "Since that's the case, how about going to Wano Country? I am the king of that nation, and it's quite vast. It also has many forests, which would be perfect for your people to live in."
"Really?"
The little king looked up in surprise,
"Lord Ian, you really are a good person!"
"Yeah, yeah! Lord Ian is really a great person!"
"Then let's go to Wano Country!"
"When do we leave?"
The little people began chattering excitedly.
So easy?
Law's mouth twitched slightly.
Ian really did a great job.
"I'm so glad you all agree."
Ian smiled lightly and nodded, "Well then, I'll go talk to King Riku. I'll ask him for a little more time so I can send someone to pick you up."
"Lord Ian, you are so reliable!"
Leo sniffed, jumping onto Ian's shoulder, his eyes full of admiration.
Ian gently patted his little head, then took a few steps forward.
"We've got the situation clear. The Tontatta Kingdom is willing to leave, but King Riku..."
Ian looked at King Riku and shouted, "Give us a few more days! Moving requires time, doesn't it?"
"I'll give you a few more days!"
King Riku snorted coldly, "If you're not gone by the time the deadline arrives, don't blame me for being rude!"
After saying this, he turned his horse around, and as his back was to the Tontatta people, his expression became incredibly heavy.
In the end, for the sake of his own country, he had sacrificed the Tontatta tribe.
"Alright."
Ian turned back with a smile, "Just a few more days. I'll send someone over soon."
"Yay!"
The little people cheered happily, "Lord Ian is a hero!"
"A hero! Just like Roland!"
The great hero Roland, he was the one who once taught the little people the art of farming.
"Hero!!"
A crowd of small folk surrounded Ian, continuously cheering.
Ah, the feeling of guilt surged up suddenly.
"Ian."
Ian said, "My name is Ian. You don't need to call me 'Hero,' just call me Ian."
"Ianland!!"
The small folk called Ian this way.
They believed Ian was the second Roland.
Ian let out a slow breath. So, who would take care of the Little People?
It seemed there was only one choice, and only one.
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