Trafalgar Law rubbed his temples. A vein throbbed on his forehead.
He knew Monkey D. Luffy was chaos incarnate. He expected things to go wrong. But he did not expect to run a covert operation with four warriors will turn out like this.
"Sneak. We are sneaking," Brogy whispered.
His whisper hit the jungle like a sonic boom. A flock of giant birds shrieked in terror and abandoned their nests, fleeing into the clouds. The trees around them rattled.
"Gegyagyagyagya! Master of shadows!" Dorry laughed quietly. His quiet laugh shattered a nearby boulder.
"Shh!" Oimo hissed, putting a finger to his lips. "The small doctor said to be quiet! We are invisible!"
Kashii nodded solemnly, taking a step forward.
Law gripped the hilt of Kikoku. He stared blankly ahead. "This is a stealth mission. We are supposed to be hiding."
"We are hiding!" Luffy grinned, walking with his hands behind his head. He pointed at the sky. "The giant leaves cover everything! Nobody can see us from the top!"
"They don't cover all the noise, Luffy-ya," Law replied, his voice dead flat.
Zoro walked past them, his hand resting casually on Shusui. "Don't worry about it, Tra-guy. If anyone sees us, I'll just cut their eyes out. Boom. Stealth maintained."
"That is the exact opposite of stealth," Law gritted his teeth. "Where are you even going? The bridge is to the left."
Zoro paused, staring at a solid wall of dirt to his right. "I knew that. I was just checking this dirt for enemies."
Suddenly, the dense brush opened up to reveal the sandy shore of Green Bit. The waves crashed against the beach. Lying on the sand was a massive Marine warship. It was not parked. It was completely wrecked, split down the middle as if a giant hand had snapped it like a twig.
Law stopped walking. His combat instincts flared. "Hold. Everyone, stop."
The giants stopped. Luffy blinked.
"Look at the hull," Law pointed. "It wasn't cannons. It was gravity or pure force. An Admiral might already be on this island. Luffy. Zoro. We need to be on high alert from this point forward."
Luffy punched his fists together. His trademark grin stretched across his face. "Don't worry! If the Navy is here, we'll just send them flying!"
Law sighed, deeply regretting every life choice that led to this alliance.
High above the Green Bit canopy, a different kind of mission was underway.
Vivi drifted silently on her wings, a beacon of radiant, mythical light. Beside her was Usopp, kept aloft by his Falcon wings, his goggles pulled down over his eyes.
And then there was Karoo.
The spot-billed duck was fully encased in a custom red-and-gold iron suit. Repulsor thrusters sputtered blue-white flas from his webbed tal boots.
Karoo attempted to execute a tactical barrel roll. He overcompensated, spun like a washing machine on the highest setting, missed his flight path entirely, and face-planted directly into the mud below.
"Quack," Karoo announced through his external speakers.
"Task failed successfully. Nice landing, Iron Duck," Usopp muttered, hovering down to check his wrist monitor. He pulled Karoo out of the mud. "Vivi, my Observation Haki isn't picking them up. They're too small, and they move too fast. Their presence just blends into the background noise of the bugs."
"What about the drones?" Vivi asked, dusting mud off Karoo's tallic helt.
"Deploying scanners now," Usopp tapped the screen on his wrist.
Usopp switched his visor feed to thermal imaging. The jungle turned blue and purple. He scanned the massive root system of a giant oak tree. Suddenly, the screen lit up like a Christmas tree. Hundreds of tiny, glowing red and orange dots were clustered tightly together in an underground network.
"Bingo. Target acquired," Usopp smirked, adjusting his goggles. "Directly below us. Alright, listen up. This is a delicate operation. If they get spooked, they might scatter. Vivi, you and Karoo hold position here. If they turn out to be hostile and attack , I need you ready to provide cover fire so I can make a tactical retreat."
Vivi nodded, her expression serious. "Understood. We have your back."
Karoo raised a tallic wing and offered a sharp salute. He imdiately lost his balance and fell backward off the branch.
Usopp shook his head, rolled his shoulders, and prepared to make his move.
In the hidden Tontatta Kingdom, the dwarves were going about their daily lives. It was a flurry of motion. Tiny people carried massive berries. Warriors sharpened needles into spears. A group of children chased a beetle.
Suddenly, a massive shadow fell over the central plaza.
The dwarves stopped. They looked up.
The clouds parted, and a blinding column of sunlight broke through the canopy. Frad perfectly by the light, a figure began to descend.
Usopp descended with absolute, agonizing slowness. His massive falcon wings beat in slow, hypnotic strokes, shedding a few stray feathers that drifted lazily through the air.
Because of his angle of descent, the blinding tropical sun was positioned directly behind his head. To the tiny dwarves looking up, Usopp's face was completely cast in shadow, while the sun flared around his skull like a brilliant, golden halo of divine fire.
The Tontatta stared in unblinking awe. A pin drop could be heard.
Usopp ntally prepared himself. He kept his descent steady, hoping he looked imposing enough to prevent an imdiate spear attack. Okay, here we go. They might attack. They might throw needles. Get ready to dodge.
"Wings..." Leo whispered, his tiny jaw hitting the floor. He dropped his sewing threads. "He... he has the wings of a sky beast! He cos from the heavens!"
"Look at his nose!" another dwarf pointed, trembling with religious fervor. "It is a divine spear that points directly to the gods!"
"And look at his head! He wears the sun as a crown!" a third dwarf scread, throwing his hands up. "He is the ssiah!"
Instantly, relying on a level of gullibility that defied all logic, physics, and basic common sense, the entire village dropped to their knees. Hundreds of dwarves kowtowed simultaneously, slamming their faces into the dirt in reverence.
Usopp's boots touched the ground with a soft pat. He blinked behind his goggles. His falcon wings folded neatly against his back, tucking away like a royal cape.
Wait. What? Usopp thought, staring at the sea of bowing backs. I didn't even say anything yet! I haven't even told a single lie! Is this what it feels like to be God?
Usopp looked at the worshipping dwarves. His fear instantly evaporated, replaced by a massive, arrogant grin. He puffed out his chest, struck a dramatic, wide-stanced pose, and crossed his arms.
"I am a generous god," Usopp declared, quoting a movie Ben showed them on movie night.
An elder dwarf, wearing a crown and using a needle as a walking cane, hobbled forward. He looked up with tears streaming down his face. "Oh, winged deity... we have waited for your arrival! What is your na?"
Usopp cleared his throat. He pitched his voice an octave lower to sound booming, ancient, and deeply mysterious. "I am the commander of the skies and seas. I have eight million followers who answer my every call! You may call ... God Usopp!"
"All hail God Usopp!" the dwarves cheered, throwing wild herbs and flower petals into the air.
"Please, God Usopp!" the elder cried, gripping Usopp's boot. "Our beloved Princess Mansherry has been kidnapped by the evil warlord Doflamingo! You must use your divine power to save her!"
Usopp waved a hand dismissively, acting as if taking down a Warlord was the equivalent of taking out the trash. "Worry not, my small subjects. My people has already set the plan in motion. Doflamingo will no more after today. Your princess will return before tomorrow's sunrise."
The Tontatta erupted into chaotic dancing. They hugged each other. They cheered.
"However!" Usopp shouted, raising a single finger.
The village went dead silent. The dancing stopped mid-step. One dwarf froze while holding a grape over his head.
"Before the rescue can happen, you are all in terrible danger," Usopp warned, his voice turning gravely serious.
The elder gasped, clutching his chest. "Danger? Why?"
"A great catastrophe is coming to this island," Usopp preached, pacing back and forth on a giant pumpkin. "The Marines, the Warlords, and my friends are going to clash. The earth will split. The sky will rain fire. Giant n will step on this forest. This island is going to beco a warzone. You must evacuate your ho imdiately."
Panic exploded. The dwarves lost their minds. They ran in circles, screaming, bumping into each other, and throwing their hands in the air like panicked cartoon characters.
"We are too small!" Leo cried, shaking another dwarf by the shoulders. "How do we outrun fire?! My legs are tiny!"
"Is this a scam?!" a skeptical dwarf yelled from the back of the crowd. "What is your source, God?! Did you read this in a prophecy?!"
Usopp didn't even blink. "My source is that I made it up—I an! My source is my divine intuition! But fear not! I have a solution!"
Usopp reached into his magically expanded spatial pouch. He rummaged around for a second, pushed past a spare dial, a sandwich, and a spare set of goggles, and pulled out a vintage, worn leather suitcase.
He slamd it onto the ground with a heavy thud. To the dwarves, the suitcase looked like a skyscraper laid on its side. Usopp popped the brass latches. They clicked loudly. He opened the lid. It revealed a pitch-black, seemingly bottomless square of darkness.
"Go inside the suitcase," Usopp commanded, pointing into the void. "You will find safety there."
The Tontatta stopped panicking. They stared at the dark opening. Then they looked at Usopp. Then back at the opening.
"Inside a box?" Leo asked, squinting suspiciously. "But we won't fit! There are thousands of us! This is definitely a sche! You're trying to traffic us!"
"Yeah! He's a cheating us just like doflamingo!" another dwarf yelled. "Don't listen to him!"
Usopp rolled his eyes. "Do you lack faith in your God? This isn't a normal box. It's bigger on the inside. Fine. Don't take my word for it. Send a scouting party. A few brave warriors go in, check it out, and report back to the rest of you."
The elder nodded slowly. "A fair test! We must verify the divine real estate! Leo, Flapper, Bian! Enter the box of God!"
The three nad dwarves swallowed hard. They looked at each other, nodded, and marched toward the suitcase. They climbed up the leather side, stood on the edge of the rim, and peered into the darkness.
"For the kingdom!" Leo yelled, and jumped in.
The other two followed.
Inside the suitcase was a massive, magical pocket dinsion Ben had crafted using a combination of Dumbledore's Undetectable Extension Charms and dea's Bounded Field magic. It wasn't a dark void.
Instead, the three dwarves fell through a soft, shimring portal and landed gently on lush green grass. They looked around in shock. Before them lay a vast, beautiful indoor garden filled with glowing flowers, miniature trees, and a massive, modern wooden building.
On a long wooden table outside the building sat stacks of fresh fruit, miniature cakes, tiny pizzas, and barrels of sweet juice.
"No way..." Leo gasped, his eyes wide.
Ten minutes later, the three dwarves climbed back out of the suitcase. Leo was holding a slice of pizza that was three tis his size. Flapper was covered in cake frosting.
"IT'S A PARADISE!" Leo scread to the crowd, shoving a piece of pepperoni into his mouth. "There is a buffet! There is a huge forest! There are infinite berries!"
"ALL HAIL GOD USOPP!" the village roared.
Instantly, the panic turned into a massive stampede. Thousands of dwarves ran to their houses, packed up their tiny suitcases, grabbed their pets, and began marching in an organized line straight into the leather suitcase.
Usopp stood by the suitcase, hands on his hips, nodding approvingly as an entire civilization willingly packed themselves into his luggage.
From the brush, Vivi and Karoo watched the entire scene play out.
Vivi blinked, completely speechless.
Karoo: Quack Quack Quack (I don't believe this)
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