Ganlin the Tontatta King, and the Outbreak of War

Once Ganlin had left the two humans behind, his innocent manner vanished. He became grave and thoughtful.

After a long look back at the forest, he hurried away and headed underground.

He soon returned to the Tontatta Kingdom, where an anxious dwarf rushed to meet him.

"Your Majesty, where have you been?"

"The whole kingdom nearly rose up while you were gone. We thought Dressrosa had attacked you!"

Lexi regarded Ganlin with lingering alarm.

The king had disappeared without warning, just as the Donquixote family was pressing them harder than ever. It had taken considerable restraint not to go looking for a fight already.

If anything really happened to Ganlin, the entire kingdom would rise up.

His return settled that fear. They could not defeat Dressrosa as things stood. Rushing into war might erase their kingdom from the world.

The dwarves would become the Donquixotes' slaves forever. There would be no way back from that.

"Don't worry, Lexi. I only went out for a look. Nothing happened. Go and reassure everyone. There's no need to be so nervous."

Ganlin sounded a little helpless.

He knew Lexi was right. If something happened to him, the kingdom would...

But if he had not gone out, how would he have discovered the extraordinary fighter who had arrived? Ganlin understood life energy. One look had told him how astonishing the man called Caius was, in both strength and lifespan.

Given the chance, he would have liked to recruit him to the Tontatta Kingdom. Their being dwarves made that impractical, however. Building a good relationship would have to do.

Lexi accepted the explanation and soon departed. Alone, Ganlin continued slowly along the path through the palace.

Was the arrival of someone so powerful a blessing or a disaster at a time like this?

A few days earlier, he had learned that the Donquixote family intended to attack. When that happened, no one could predict where Caius would stand.

Too much depended on what he might choose.

"Enough. No use worrying about it now. As if we didn't have enough trouble already."

...

Caius and Toki continued exploring the island, killing a number of its great beasts along the way. Creatures that others considered formidable were, to Caius, simply delicious meat.

When exploring lost its appeal, they settled down to enjoy the food.

The first bite immediately caught Caius's interest.

'Damn!'

Meat from this era was incredible. Nothing eight hundred years later could compare. Had Imu and the others changed something? Otherwise, how could the difference be so great?

What he had overlooked was that this was Tontatta territory. Abundant life energy suffused the island. Naturally, the meat of its beasts tasted far better.

"My first meal eight hundred years in the past, and it's excellent. Is this place special, or does meat taste this good everywhere?"

He shared his surprise with Toki.

"It's this place, dear. The beasts outside are no different from the ones eight hundred years from now."

Toki gave him a rare, exasperated look.

Having grown up in this era, she knew what the world outside was like. This was peculiar to the island, probably because of the concentration of life energy here.

"Then we'll have to bring some with us when we leave. I don't see why not."

"We won't find this meat elsewhere, and we've got nothing pressing to do. Let's hunt for a few days. There are more beasts here than anyone could count."

His Observation Haki swept across the island's abundant wildlife as he spoke.

"Of course. Whatever you like."

They hunted for three days. Caius did not slaughter indiscriminately; he chose beasts from the more plentiful groups.

When he encountered animals with young, he left them alone as well. There would be more to hunt the next time he visited.

Once they had finished, they prepared to leave.

Caius remembered that around this time, Joy Boy had made a promise to Fish-Man Island's princess. The great ship Noah was part of that promise. He had failed to keep it, leaving a Poneglyph on Fish-Man Island with an apology inscribed upon it.

Zunesha had also been punished around this period, condemned to wander the seas in atonement.

These events belonged to this stretch of history, so Caius needed to plan carefully. He could interfere with Poseidon too. Joy Boy was going to die. All these things he left behind were nothing more than hopes for the future.

The original course of history had unfolded without Caius. Now that he was here, Joy Boy would never get what he wanted.

For the moment, they intended to follow their original plan and visit the capital. Just as they were about to leave, however, an explosion sounded from the edge of Green Bit.

Caius and Toki stopped. Something interesting was happening. They could spare the time to watch before heading back.

They quickly reached the edge of the forest and settled in to enjoy the spectacle.

Below, Ganlin was furiously berating a man seated on a throne opposite him.

"Duflamingo, Dressrosa has gone too far! We're not helpless. You provoke us again and again. If that's what you want, then we'll fight!"

The man had pushed them beyond endurance. Otherwise, the dwarves would never have hated him so fiercely.

"Heh. Then fight, Ganlin, if you have the strength. I never truly wanted to attack you. But Dressrosa must develop, and we can no longer manage it on our own. I'm afraid that leaves us looking to you."

"Don't blame me. I gave the order for the sake of my country's stability."

Duflamingo addressed Ganlin with an easy smile.

The strong preyed on the weak. Dressrosa needed to grow, and the dwarves would help it succeed. That was all there was to it.

He still cared a little about appearances. Otherwise, he would simply have sent his army to destroy the Tontatta Kingdom.

His strength was far beyond anything Ganlin and his people could imagine.

"You have no shame!"