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3389 Words
Chapter 8: Swept Away to an Island... Sabaody
After escaping the hellscape of Mary Geoise, throwing myself off the towering, cloud-piercing cliff of the Red Line, and drifting endlessly on the unforgiving ocean for dozens of hours... I was at my absolute physical limit.
Well, to say I simply "drifted" would be a massive understatement. During that agonizing expanse of time, I was violently swallowed by churning whirlpools, nearly swallowed whole by monstrous fish with teeth the size of my entire body, and tossed around relentlessly by freezing, crashing waves. My tiny Tontatta muscles screamed in protest, but survival instinct kept my tail spinning.
I had nearly died countless times, my vision going black more than once, but by some sheer, miraculous stroke of luck, I finally managed to wash up onto the shores of actual land.
Pant, pant... "I-I finally made it... the ground... solid earth..." hah, hah...
I dragged my soaked, shivering body out of the surf, collapsing face-first onto the surface.
Solid earth. ...Hm? No, wait. As I pressed my cheek against it, I realized this wasn't earth. Are these... massive, interwoven tree roots? I weakly lifted my head, my eyes widening at the bizarre landscape. Enormous trees stretching up into the sky like pillars holding up the heavens, and floating lazily all around me were giant, iridescent soap bubbles rising directly from the ground itself.
What a mysterious, fantastical island...
...Well, whatever... I can marvel at the scenery later. For now, my body is just completely, utterly exhausted. I had been swimming at maximum capacity for over a full day.
...Anyway... my stomach is eating itself. I want something to eat... I want to drink something that isn't bitter saltwater... and I want to sleep for a week...
My stomach felt like a hollow cavern, and my throat was so parched it burned with every breath.
Having officially landed on the island, I stumbled unsteadily across the damp, slightly sticky bark of the roots, my legs wobbling like those of a newly born fawn. ...I want food... and something cold to drink... isn't there something, somewhere? A fruit tree? A careless tourist dropping a sandwich?
After walking aimlessly for a while, dragging my heavy tail behind me, the dense roots gave way to a quiet, shady street. There, nestled comfortably between the roots, I saw what looked like a rustic, charmingly worn-down cafe or tavern in the distance.
"Shakky's... Rip-off Bar...?" I squinted, reading the wooden sign hanging above the door.
What is up with this place? Who names their establishment with the clear, upfront intention of ripping people off...? But still, beggars can't be choosers. Since it calls itself a bar, it should at least have some leftover food and fresh water inside. Pushing the door open just a crack, I slipped into the dimly lit store without making a single sound. The interior smelled faintly of aged rum, old wood, and sweet tobacco smoke.
"...No one's here?" I whispered, my voice echoing slightly in the empty room.
Had the owner gone out shopping or something? There were no boisterous customers, no staff wiping the tables, not even a bartender behind the counter.
As I crept forward, looking around the stylish, retro interior, my gaze locked onto one specific, glorious appliance sitting behind the counter.
A refrigerator... An actual, working refrigerator!!
Drawn to it as if possessed by a magnetic force, I scrambled over the wooden countertop, jumped up to the heavy metal handle and used my entire body weight to pull the door open.
A wave of cold, beautiful air washed over my face. Inside... was a literal mountain of treasure.
"Gulp...!"
Thick cuts of meat, fresh fish, crisp vegetables, and sweet boiled beans! And right there on the middle shelf, there were even bright red apples, my absolute favorite! Plenty of chilled alcohol and juice too! It's a paradise!
"T-T-Time to... dig in!!"
Abandoning all sense of manners or restraint, I dove headfirst into the feast.
Chomp! Munch, munch, crunch, gulp! Glug, glug... guh. Gobble, chomp, munch, munch...
"Fwheeee, so gooood, I'm alive again~...!" I cried tears of joy, hugging a half-eaten apple to my chest.
Even including my past life as a human on Earth, I had almost never felt a hunger so intense and primal that my life genuinely felt in danger. The sweet juices coated my throat, and I could feel my half-dead, shivering body rapidly generating heat and coming back to life. Being able to eat delicious food in peace is truly such a miraculous, happy thing.
Crunch, chomp, munch, munch, gulp, gulp... chomp. Crunch, crunch, crunch, gulp, gulp...
I worked my way through a plate of beans, demolished two apples, and chugged a glass of sweet juice that was the size of my entire torso.
"Phew... I'm stuffed, I'm so incredibly stuffed..." I burped loudly, patting my visibly round, distended belly. "Thanks for the meal, whoever owns this place."
It might not be an exaggeration to say I had just eaten the most food in a single sitting in Tontatta history. Even so, compared to when I was an adult human in my past life, it was probably less than half a normal serving.
Just as I thought I could finally take a breather and maybe construct a small bed out of the napkins, my peace was shattered.
"Ufufufu... What an adorable little customer we have here. Welcome to my bar..."
"Hah!?" I gasped, nearly choking on my own spit.
A smooth, sultry voice suddenly called out from directly behind me.
I fearfully turned around, my tail puffing up in alarm, to find an incredibly sexy, tall black-haired woman leaning against the counter frame. She was taking a slow drag from a long cigarette, her sharp, calculating eyes staring directly at me through the thin veil of smoke.
"H-Hello there..." I squeaked, offering a nervous wave.
"It's almost 'good evening' by now," she corrected with a knowing smile, blowing a ring of smoke. "Anyway, it looks like you were enjoying yourself quite a bit inside my refrigerator. Tell me, do you have the money to pay for all that?"
"!!"
This is bad... As you can probably tell just by looking at my soaking wet, shirtless state, I am currently completely, unequivocally broke. The only thing of any remote value I have on me is the necklace I got from Mansherry, but the stones used for this necklace aren't precious gems, they're literally just pretty pebbles we found near the river! It's probably not even worth 10 Berries...
"..."
"..."
We stared at each other in total silence—me, sweating profusely on the counter, and the cool older woman, smiling sweetly with the cigarette resting between her lips.
Alright, let's run. I'll come back to pay the bill someday, if I remember and if I ever get rich.
"Hehehehe! See ya later, beautiful lady! Thanks for the grub!"
Now that my stomach was full of food, I was bursting with energy.
I put all my strength into my powerful legs and prepared to escape out the front door at my usual, eye-blurring Tontatta super speed—
"Oh my, calling an old lady like me beautiful. You're quite the flatterer, little dwarf boy," she chuckled, her voice suddenly sounding right next to my ear.
"!!??"
Just as I leaped forward to escape—my forward momentum abruptly halted. I found myself effortlessly trapped inside the woman's slender hand, suspended mid-air.
What? What just happened? I didn't even see her move! Did she use some kind of overpowered Devil Fruit ability like that pirate captain from before?
"Uwoooohh!? L-Let me go! Let me gooo!!" I flailed my arms and legs wildly.
Her grip strength is insane!? I can't break free!? Me, a Tontatta warrior!? How does a woman with such thin, elegant arms have this much raw, terrifying physical power!? Dammit, if it's come to this... I'll have to use my ultimate negotiation tactic.
"I-I won't run! I swear on my tail I won't run away, so please let me go! I'm begging you!" I pleaded, giving her the most pitiful, teary-eyed look I could muster.
"You really won't run?" she asked, raising an eyebrow playfully. "Then I'll let you go."
The woman's hand slowly opened, releasing my body.
Hehehe! You absolute fool! To think this fake-crying trick I've used on Leo so many times would actually work on an adult human! The moment my feet touched the wood, I instantly jumped up, bouncing off the walls, and scrambled onto the very top of the store's highest liquor shelves, hiding in the shadows near the ceiling.
"Hehehehe! You can't reach me all the way up here with your human size!" I taunted, sticking my tongue out.
"Oh my, did you lie to me? What a bad boy," she sighed, taking another puff of her cigarette, not looking annoyed in the slightest.
"Sorry, but I'll be making my getaway through the rafters now. The boiled beans were delicious by the way!"
"...Can't be helped. Ray-san, could you catch that energetic child for me?" she asked casually, looking toward the corner of the room.
"Huh? Ray-san?"
I followed the woman's gaze through the gloom and saw a white-haired, bespectacled old man sitting quietly at a corner table. He was casually drinking alcohol from a small glass with a newspaper in one hand.
Eh? Was someone like that sitting there this entire time? Since when... Wait, that doesn't matter! Also, lady, why are you asking an old man like that to catch me? He obviously can't even reach the second shelf!
The old man sighed softly, lowered his newspaper, and turned his sharp, scarred right eye toward me.
...And in the very next moment—
Vwoom.
"Tss—!?"
It felt as though a massive, invisible boulder had just been dropped directly onto my chest. The very air in the room suddenly solidified, becoming suffocatingly heavy. The blood drained from my entire body in an instant. It felt as if my heart had been grabbed by a giant hand and violently squeezed. My vision tunneled, and my consciousness began to slip away into darkness.
What? What is this terrifying pressure!? What did he just do to me?
"Ho, you managed to stay conscious and withstand that... It seems you aren't just an ordinary dwarf," the old man muttered, sounding mildly impressed.
"...? ??"
My knees gave out completely, buckling under the sheer weight of his aura, and I couldn't stand on my feet anymore. I collapsed onto the dusty shelf.
...Ah, wait, no good. I barely managed to keep my consciousness from his attack, but the adrenaline just crashed. On top of that, the accumulated physical fatigue from swimming the ocean and a belly full of heavy food suddenly hit me all at once. In other words, I've reached my absolute limit...
"Sleep...y... zzz."
Whether you're an ambitious human or a tiny dwarf, becoming overwhelmingly sleepy after a full, heavy meal is a universal law of nature.
Unable to fight it, I promptly fell fast asleep, snoring softly right there on top of the liquor shelf.
"Oh my, Ray-san. He fell asleep instead of passing out."
"Wahahaha," the old man chuckled warmly. "He managed to withstand my Haki, but he couldn't beat his own bodily sleepiness. Ah, youth is a wonderful thing."
—————
When I finally woke up, blinking groggily against the warm light, I was lying on top of a soft bed.
No, wait, sitting up and looking around, this isn't a real bed... It was a makeshift futon lovingly crafted out of a folded, fluffy bar towel, with a clean silk handkerchief for a sheet and another rolled-up handkerchief serving as a tiny pillow.
It was incredibly comfortable, and since it was my first deep, safe sleep in days, I woke up feeling immensely refreshed and completely healed.
...Come to think of it, where am I again...
"Morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Uwoaah!?" I shrieked, scrambling backward until I hit a massive coffee mug.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, looked up, and saw the gorgeous, black-haired lady smoking a cigarette at the counter, watching me with amusement.
"I-I remember now...! I drifted in the sea, nearly died, ended up sneaking into this shop, pulled a massive dine-and-dash... and then, um, got caught... right?"
"Fufu, something exactly like that," she smiled, tapping her ashes into an ashtray. "Though, this is the first time I'm hearing about you drifting in the sea."
"...Uuu..."
I nervously averted my eyes from the woman and checked the corner table. The old man reading the newspaper was still sitting there, nursing a flask.
That old man was the monster who had intimidated me with some terrifying, unknown power. ...Probably the power of a highly advanced Devil Fruit... As long as he has that power and is sitting right there by the door, it'll be impossible for me to escape from this shop.
...What's going to happen to me now...
The pirate captain I ran into earlier explicitly said he was going to sell me to the Sabaody slave market for a massive profit the moment he saw my rare appearance. Could it be that this smiling woman is also planning to sell me off to the slave market to recoup her losses?
The horrifying, blood-soaked events I had just witnessed in Mary Geoise immediately came rushing back to my memory with terrifying clarity. The agonizing screams, the metallic clinking of collars, the horrific, casual treatment of slaves by the Celestial Dragons that had permanently traumatized me...
Violent goosebumps covered my entire body. I'd rather drown in the ocean than be put through a life like that. Trembling with sheer desperation, I threw myself forward, desperately prostrating myself right there on the counter in front of the woman.
"I'm s-so sorrrrry!! It was just a momentary impulse driven by starvation!! I promise, I swear on my life I'll pay back every single Berry for the food I ruined! S-So please, I'm begging you, don't sell me to the human auction house!! I don't want to be a Celestial Dragon's slave!!"
"..." Shakky blinked, slightly taken aback by the sheer intensity of my panic.
I bowed my head over and over again, rubbing my forehead against the polished wood. To hell with pride. I'll do anything. I'll lick your shoes, your feet, your boobs, anything, as long as you forgive me and don't sell me! ...Actually, please let me lick them. Eh? You don't want me to? Oh, okay... focus, Line!
"Sigh... Calm down, little dwarf boy. What's your name?" she asked, her voice softening slightly.
"...It's Line..." I sniffled, peeking up at her.
"Line-chan, is it. I'm Shakky, the owner of this bar, and that's Ray-san over there."
"Shakky, and Ray-san..." I repeated, committing the names to memory.
"That's right. So, Line-chan. Let's talk business. You so passionately said you'll absolutely pay me back for the damages, but do you actually have a reliable way to get the money?"
"...No..." I admitted, my shoulders slumping.
"It's better not to tell bold lies just to get yourself out of a tight spot, you know. It makes negotiations messy," she scolded gently.
G-Guh, she saw right through me... I don't have a single word in response...!!
Seeing me slump my tiny shoulders in utter defeat, Ray-san, sitting comfortably at the table over there, chuckled in amusement. What's his deal? Acting like it's someone else's problem while I'm fighting for my freedom over here.
"...By the way, regarding the final bill I'll be charging you, Line-chan..." Shakky pulled out a small notepad and a pen.
"Y-Yes... how much was the food...?" I gulped.
"Let's see. The fee for entering a closed store without permission, the fee for opening my refrigerator without asking, the fee for eating and ruining various expensive ingredients, the fee for trying to run away from the owner, the emotional distress fee... and the fee for being so cute... altogether... it comes to exactly 4 million Berries."
"F-F-Four!? Four million BERRIES!?" my jaw dropped so hard it nearly hit the counter.
What is with that blatantly outrageous, extortionate amount!?
"Wait, wait, wait, wait! 4 million!? You're joking, right!? I know it's incredibly bad that I came in and ate everything without permission, but isn't 4 million a little too absurd~~!!?"
The standard currency of this world is called "Berries." The basic idea is that 1 Berry is roughly equivalent to 1 Yen from my past life. In other words, 4 million Berries is equivalent to 4 million Yen! The amount I actually dine-and-dashed this time was, frankly speaking, not even enough to make a full serving for a regular human adult. So I think even 40,000 Berries would be a ridiculously expensive premium, but a hundred times that amount... I think this is just way too unreasonable!
"Oh? Didn't you see our store's sign outside before you broke in?" Shakky tilted her head, a wicked glint in her eye.
"...S-Shakky's Rip-off Bar..." I whispered, the realization dawning on me.
"Exactly. Our store operates on the strict premise of charging outrageous prices and ripping people off. You just happened to become a customer," she smiled pleasantly.
"B-But still, 4 million is just too..."
"Come to think of it, Ray-san, I believe there was a very wealthy slave shop operating just a few groves down from here, wasn't there?" she mused aloud, looking at the ceiling.
"I shall respectfully pay the full amount without further complaint...!!"
I stood up perfectly straight and offered a crisp, military salute. It was a flawlessly stiff gesture worthy of the Marines. Shakky giggled behind her hand as she watched me.
This isn't a laughing matter. My life is on the line.
"But still, 4 million, huh... 4 million..." I muttered, pacing back and forth on the counter.
I wonder if Princess Viola would pay it for me if I called her... Nah, that's impossible. She'd probably laugh at me. First of all, how far apart are Dressrosa and this island anyway? Gununuuu~... I'm trapped.
"Ahaha, don't look so gloomy. If you don't have a way to get the money out there, how about working at my store to pay it off, Line-chan?" Shakky suggested, leaning over the counter.
"...Eh?"
"Let's see, how about a salary of 2 million Berries a year? If you work diligently here for two years, your massive debt will be exactly paid off."
Working safely at this store to pay off my debt... huh. I see. I hadn't thought of that. Plus, an annual salary of 2 million Berries! Thinking of it as a part-time job, isn't that a pretty high income for a kid my age? I've never worked a real part-time job before, so I don't really know the market rates, but... it sounds like a lot of money!
"And, if you agree to work here as a live-in employee, I'll even throw in three delicious meals a day for free," she added, sweetening the pot.
Wait, they're even offering me a safe place to live and unlimited food to eat as a bonus!? No Celestial Dragons, no starving in the ocean, and I get to be near a beautiful woman?
"I-I'll do it!!" I shouted, giving an immediate, enthusiastic reply.
"Ufufu, well then, the contract is sealed. I look forward to working with you, Line-chan."
Saying that, Shakky smiled gently, looking genuinely pleased.
Man, I was terrified for a second there about what was going to happen to me in this scary world, but getting introduced to a secure job that pays 2 million Berries a year, plus a place to live and food to eat—Shakky really is a generous, good person! I'm going to work hard for her sake! Good job, me!
—————
Ten minutes later...
While wiping down a dirty table with a damp rag that was half the size of my body, I did the basic math in my head.
After thinking about it carefully and realizing I had just been smoothly tricked into signing a two-year, entirely unpaid indentured labor contract just to pay off a fabricated debt, I slumped my tiny shoulders in absolute defeat once again.
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