One piece :I open the locks of the heart

As we caught our breath, a soft rustling was heard behind a gnarled tree trunk. A small voice, gentle yet cautious, timidly rose in the air:

"Is it over?"

We turned our heads to see a fragile figure emerging from the shadows of the trees. A young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes hesitated to step forward. She wore a light blue dress with a white apron, her hands nervously clutching the fabric in front of her. She observed us with curious but wary eyes, hesitating to take another step.

But before any of us could respond, another voice—mysterious and filled with an enigmatic amusement—drifted through the air.

"Oh, Alice, it's over… but I don't know if that means you'll be able to leave this place."

The voice seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. Suddenly, two golden eyes appeared above the young girl, floating in the void like two suspended lanterns. Then, a wide crescent-shaped mouth, displaying a mischievous grin, slowly materialized just below.

The body of the violet-striped feline took shape intermittently, appearing and disappearing with a fluidity that was unsettling, as if it obeyed no physical rules. Once fully visible, the cat stretched lazily while floating in the air, circling around us with a carefree, amused expression.

Nami, still on guard, frowned. "Who are you?" she asked, tightening her grip on her staff.

The cat widened its grin even further—if that was even possible—before slowly pivoting in place, its head remaining suspended in the air while its body turned independently.

"Me? I am the Cheshire Cat. I come and go… and sometimes, I disappear completely."

With those words, its body faded entirely, leaving only its grin floating in the void before it too vanished, plunging us into a brief, perplexed silence.

Koby blinked, clearly unsettled. "That was… really weird."

I nodded, crossing my arms. "He's got quite a talent for making people uncomfortable… But he doesn't seem hostile."

Alice, who had been observing us cautiously, dared to step forward a little more. "You… you're not bad people?" she asked, clutching the folds of her dress tightly.

Nami offered her a reassuring smile. "No, we're just… passing through."

The young girl hesitated, glancing around as if expecting danger to appear at any moment. "You won't take me to the wicked woman?"

I crouched slightly to be at her eye level and gave her a soothing smile. "The wicked woman? You mean the Queen of Hearts, right?"

Alice nodded vigorously. "She wants to capture me and have my head cut off! But I didn't do anything wrong… I just want to go home!"

Hearing her words, Luffy clenched his fists. "What's her problem?! That's totally messed up! Don't worry, Alice, we won't let her touch you."

Alice flinched slightly at his tone, but Nami gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, we're not going to hand you over to that old hag. Are you all alone here?"

Alice sighed sadly. "I got lost… and the Cheshire Cat appeared, but all he does is talk in riddles!"

I let out a small chuckle. "That seems to be his thing. But don't worry, Alice. We'll make sure you stay safe."

Koby nodded eagerly. "Yeah! And if that Queen tries to hurt you, we'll fight her off!"

Alice looked at us for a moment, her expression filled with hesitation, then she finally gave a relieved smile. "Thank you… You're much kinder than all the strange people I've met so far."

The Cheshire Cat suddenly reappeared behind Alice, floating upside down. "Oh, what a noble mission. But where do you plan to go?"

His grin widened even more, his eyes sparkling with mischief. I immediately sensed that his next words would be just as cryptic as before.

I sighed, turning to him. "Let me guess… You're going to give us a riddle instead of a straight answer, right?"

The Cheshire Cat chuckled softly before beginning to vanish again, his voice lingering in the air:

"Who knows? Sometimes, the right path is the one never taken…"

Then, he disappeared completely, leaving only a strange sensation behind.

Alice sighed, rolling her eyes. "And there it is… another sentence that doesn't mean anything!"

I gently patted her shoulder with a smile. "Don't worry, we'll find a way out of this forest."

We stopped in front of a dark opening at the edge of the woods. Its outline seemed to waver slightly, as if reality itself hesitated to define its contours.

I cast a glance at my companions and took a step forward. "Wait here, I'll check what's inside." Without waiting for a response, I stepped into the darkness.

The next instant, the sensation of my own weight shifted abruptly. I was no longer standing on the ground but stuck to one of the side walls of the room! My body clung to it as if it had become the new floor. In front of me, a strange room stretched sideways, with furniture and objects suspended in positions that defied all logic.

"Well, that's new," I muttered, taking in my surroundings.

The doorknob—still with a face—was peacefully asleep in the center of the room… or rather, the wall… or whatever surface it was. Two colorful potions rested on a table, but before I could examine anything further, a dozen Sans-cœur emerged from the shadows.

"Not now!!"

I quickly drew my Keyblade and swept through them with ease. They were numerous but hardly a threat to me at my current level. Once the danger was dealt with, I returned to fetch the others.

When Nami, Koby, and Alice entered, their reactions were immediate.

"What the… what the hell is this?!" Nami exclaimed, arms raised as she tried to keep her balance.

Koby nearly tripped, struggling to walk as he realized he too was standing on the sideways wall. "It's… it's like the wall became our floor?!"

Alice, more accustomed to the oddities of this world, looked around with curiosity. "Oh, how curious… I wonder if there's a meaning to this or if it's just another whim of this place."

I nodded. "Nothing here seems to follow the normal laws of gravity, so we might as well roll with it."

We explored the room, taking different passageways. Each route led us to another part of this bizarre space, but always with a more confusing perspective.

Through a trapdoor in our 'ceiling,' we fell into a room where we were now walking on what should have been the ceiling, with tables and chairs hanging upside down above us.

A hidden passage launched us into yet another shift, making us walk on another wall, distorting our sense of direction even further.

After navigating through these ever-changing spaces, we finally found a strange flowerpot at the end of an alcove.

Alice knelt before it, placing a hand on the rim. "This pot feels different from the others…" she murmured, tilting her head.

I raised an eyebrow and placed my hand on the pot's surface. A strange vibration ran through my fingers, and suddenly, we were pulled inside! An overwhelming sensation of falling endlessly consumed us before we finally landed… standing on a normal wooden floor.

"Are we back in the right place?" Koby asked, looking down at his feet, relieved to be back on solid ground.

"Never again!" Nami groaned, rubbing her temples after the vertigo-inducing experience. "This world is a complete headache!"

I smirked, amused by the situation, but an unpleasant chill suddenly ran down my spine.

A metallic clatter echoed through the room.

I immediately lifted my head, and my eyes widened.

A massive Sans-cœur had just appeared at the center of the room.

It was long and thin, resembling a disjointed marionette. Its arms stretched unnaturally, ending in flaming metal batons. Its torso was decorated with strange patterns, and its tiny head, framed by a jester's hat, stared at us blankly.

The Trickmaster.

It spun its torches in its hands before raising its elongated arms in a theatrical motion, ready to attack.

"Great… as if this place wasn't weird enough already," I muttered, gripping my Keyblade.

I took a steady breath, analyzing the Trickmaster before us. Its bizarrely thin body made it seem fragile, as if it could shatter with a single blow, but I knew better than to underestimate it.

"Courage, the potions might have disappeared, but according to my count, this is the last one we need to take down," I declared confidently.

A loud thud echoed behind me.

A shiver ran down my spine as I felt a massive presence materializing in the room. Slowly, I turned around… only to see a Giga-Ombre rising from the shadows of the floor, its yellow eyes glowing in the darkness.

"Alright… the last two," I corrected with a sigh.

I glanced at Nami and Koby, who were both staring at me with amused smiles. Alice, on the other hand, tried to stifle a giggle, hiding behind an armchair.

"You did say 'the last one,' huh, Jordan?" Nami teased, crossing her arms.

Koby chuckled. "I feel like every time we think we're done, there's always something extra."

I threw my hands up dramatically. "Well, excuse me for trying to be optimistic!"

The Trickmaster, apparently offended by being ignored, slammed its torches against the floor, sending out a shower of sparks.

Koby, now fully determined, drew his scimitar and dashed toward the Giga-Ombre. "I'll handle the big one! You guys be careful over there!"

"Alright, just don't have too much fun," I responded with a smirk before focusing on our giant, fire-loving puppet.

Nami raised a finger at me. "I'm guessing I shouldn't hit it with fire, huh?"

"Very observant!" I shot back, giving her a quick wink before flying up toward the Trickmaster.

The Trickmaster spun its torches above its head, creating a fiery spiral, but before it could unleash it, I blasted a frost spell straight into its chest.

CRACK! The sound of ice spreading echoed as a thin layer of frost covered part of its body, slowing its movements.

"Ohhh, that works really well!" Nami exclaimed, taking advantage of the opening to send a well-placed lightning strike.

The electric shock made the entire creature tremble, swaying like a poorly balanced weather vane.

"Hang in there!" Koby called out as he continued battling the Giga-Ombre, which struggled to land a hit on such an agile opponent. He dodged with an almost instinctive grace, striking at just the right moments.

The Trickmaster, still partially frozen, tried to spew a fireball… but the sudden melting of the ice caused it to choke on its own attack, making it stumble.

"Did it just… choke on itself?" Nami asked, bewildered.

"Oh yeah, this guy's a real genius," I quipped before landing a powerful blow straight to its forehead.

The impact sent it flying backward like a broken marionette.

Koby, after one last precise strike, sent the Giga-Ombre fading back into the darkness, while the Trickmaster, completely dazed, clumsily tripped before crashing to the ground with a loud THUD.

BOOM.

A moment of silence filled the room.

Alice timidly peeked out from her hiding spot. "...Is that it?" she asked, sounding almost disappointed.

I ran a hand through my hair. "Well, let's not complain—for once, a boss actually cooperated..."

Nami raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? We wasted all that energy for… this?!"

Koby examined his scimitar before shrugging. "It was impressive, but… not very smart."

The Trickmaster slowly disintegrated into a burst of darkness, and in the distance, a bell tolled, signaling the end of the dungeon.

"That was almost too easy..." I murmured, gripping my Keyblade.

Nami and Koby both nodded in agreement.

Alice, however, gave a small smile. "That was fascinating… but now, how do we get out of here?"

As if responding to her expectations, the table with the potions reappeared. I had to fly up to it to return to my normal size before helping the others, as the chair and table were about three meters high.

Nami could have managed on her own, but not gracefully… and I suppose she preferred the easier option.

Once we had all regained our normal size, we retraced our steps down the hallway. The dungeon's exit appeared before us, marking the end of our adventure in Wonderland… or almost.

Alice, who had been accompanying us up to this point, suddenly stopped and narrowed her eyes. She was staring at a blank wall.

"Strange… There's a door here," she murmured.

Nami, Koby, and I exchanged puzzled glances. We couldn't see anything at all.

Without hesitation, Alice turned toward us and gave us a sincere smile. "Thank you so much for everything, my friends."

• And before we could react, she stepped through the wall as if it didn't exist, disappearing into what must have been her own exit.

• Nami receives an additional equipment slot and 3 Ethers.

• Koby acquires the Valor skill (restores MP based on damage received).

• Koby gains the Atomium Seal (boosts defense and halves fire-related damage).

• Jordan obtains 150 Ombres, 1 Giga-Ombre, 30 Rondouillard, 30 Nocturnes rouges, 30 Opéras jaunes, 30 Rhapsodies bleues, 30 Soldats volants, and 1 Trickmaster.

• You have unlocked Wonderland – Normal Mode.

"Nooo, why Ethers?!" Nami whined as Koby happily equipped his new accessory, much to her dismay.

"It's fine, Nami. That was just easy mode, and besides, you got an extra equipment slot," I reassured her. "Unlike us, who are limited to two slots, as you saw with Luffy, you'll be able to have three, or even more if you earn that reward again."

"I'm officially requesting defensive gear!" she announced immediately.

Koby and I both nodded.

"Noted," I replied with a teasing smirk.

"You'd better!" she added, relieved.

Koby then glanced up at the sky, looking thoughtful. "We've been in the dungeon for almost two hours… Do you think Luffy managed to win?"

A chill ran down my spine as I realized we had left Luffy alone against Eisah's shadow.

"Let's go check on him."

We activated the dungeon exit and reappeared on the beach of our island. But immediately, something caught our attention—huge craters had been dug into the sand, evidence of an intense battle.

A little further ahead, we spotted Luffy, completely exhausted, lying face-down in the sand.

Sitting on his back, Eisah's shadow watched him with a satisfied expression, like a predator that had calmly put a wild animal in its place.

Nami sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "I think we know how that fight ended."

Koby squinted as he observed the scene. "He still put up a good fight… but it looks like the shadow completely dominated him."

I crossed my arms, amused by the situation. "So, Captain… were you trying to prove your strength?"

Luffy, his cheek still pressed into the sand, weakly lifted his hand toward the sky and groaned out a barely audible response.

"…I lost."

A heavy silence followed his declaration.

Then, Nami burst out laughing, quickly followed by Koby and me.

Luffy groaned even louder, struggling in vain to lift himself under the weight of the shadow.

"It's not funny…!" he grumbled in a sulky voice.

(Author's Note: Well, that's it for today! Next step? I'll let you discover it in the next chapter ^^)