Dwarves

Dwarves are a tribe in the One Piece world. They were first mentioned on a list of slave prices that Duval gave to Sanji. They sell for 700,000 as slaves.

They were first seen in Green Bit when Robin and Usopp were exploring the forest at the northern part of the island off the coast of Dressrosa, they discovered a tribe of dwarves living on the island.

Appearance
Dwarves are an extremely small sentient race. In comparison to an average sized human, their difference in height is approximately the same as that between a normal-sized human and an average-sized giant. They are mostly human in shape, apart from having a thick fluffy tail and chibi-like proportions.

Abilities
Despite their small size, dwarves possess great strength, with a single dwarf being able to easily destroy a building. They are very fast, enough for them to disappear in a blink of a second, making it nearly impossible for a normal person to see them. They are known as great cultivators as they stated that they can cultivate any plant, as evidenced by the abundance of plant life on Green Bit. However, they have trouble growing SMILE correctly, as it is artificial in nature. Dwarves are shown to be extremely gullible and trusting, easily convinced to believe anyone, even if they are lying.

A Century of Slavery
Over 900 years ago, the dwarves set out to sea in search of resources. The Donquixote Family proposed a treaty in which they would provide shelter and resources in exchange for manual labor. As Gancho puts it, this was the darkest period of the Tontatta tribe. The Donquixote Family enslaved the dwarves and the humans of Dressrosa prospered from their labor.

Liberation by the Riku Family
After the Void Century, the Riku family became the rulers of Dressrosa. King Riku at the time was saddened by the mistreatment the dwarves suffered and liberated them. After forming a bond with the Riku family, the dwarves covered Dressrosa with luscious greens and blooming flowers. The dwarves were also allowed, as part of their compensation, to take anything they wanted from the country, no questions asked. To cover for them, King Riku created the legend about fairies and firmly implanted it into his people as a means of covering for the dwarves' actions.

Fight against a Return to Slavery
After Donquixote Doflamingo overthrew the Riku Royal family and ascended to the throne, the Donquixote Family kidnapped 500 dwarves and put them to work in the SMILE Factory of Dressrosa. Some of the dwarves formed an anti-Doflamingo army, the Riku Royal Army, led by Thunder Soldier.

Dressrosa Arc
When Doflamingo falsified the news of his resignation, the rebels decided to end his rule once and for all. The dwarves and Thunder Soldier planned a decisive attack against him which involves destroying the facilities in the underground world and liberating the prisoners as well as defeating one of Doflamingo's most important subordinates, Sugar.

After infiltrating the underground world, the dwarves split into two groups. One group (including Kabu, Rampo, Nubon, Daikon and Baxcon) went with Thunder Soldier to the royal palace while the other group (including Leo, Bomba, Bian, Flapper, Bobomba, Inhel, Cotton and Pellini) went with Usopp and Robin to the officer tower. The operation went awry as the dwarves with Thunder Soldier encountered Lao G inside the lift to the royal palace while the dwarves with Usopp and Robin had a major setback during their confrontation with Sugar, who turned some of the dwarves into toys and forced them to fight against their former comrades.

After the lift carrying Thunder Soldier's group reached the palace, the dwarves eventually managed to hold Lao G at bay. Kabu and Rampo continued on with Thunder Soldier, but when they encountered Gladius, the two dwarves were swiftly defeated.

Back at the underground trade port, the dwarves with Usopp and Robin were completely incapacitated by Trebol. With Robin turning into a toy by Sugar's powers, Usopp became the dwarves' last hope. The dwarves chanted Usopp's name, prompting him to take a stand against Trebol. Though Usopp was overpowered, he managed to make Sugar faint in an unexpected way after she forced a spice into his mouth, making Usopp gave off a horrible expression that completely terrified Sugar.

With all the toys in the country returning to their original forms, the dwarves wept over Usopp's success and promised to build a statue in his honor.

At the palace, the dwarves who accompanied Thunder Soldier were found by Kin'emon and Wicca. Kin'emon carried them out of the palace and brought them back to their comrades at the underground trade port.

When the citizens of Dressrosa finally realized the truth about Doflamingo, he trapped all of Dressrosa in his "birdcage" and forced everyone into a survival game, in which they have the choice to come after his head or those on his hit list. After he placed bounties on twelve certain people, most of the former toys started going after the people on the hit list, seeking to collect the reward. The dwarves fled the underground with Usopp, Robin, and Rebecca. After running through the colosseum stands, they reached the top of the old King's plateau and reunited with Riku Dold III and Viola.

Leo and Kabu went with Rebecca and Robin to the new King's plateau to find Luffy while the rest of the dwarves went to the SMILE factory to assist Franky.

The dwarves that went to the factory informed the enslaved dwarves about Doflamingo's treachery, prompting them to revolt against their captors. They managed to unlock the doors to the factory, allowing Franky to enter. However, they learned that Mansherry was not in the factory.

Viola located Mansherry inside the palace and informed Leo of her whereabouts. Once Leo and Kabu reached the palace, they charged in to find Mansherry. After fighting their way to the palace chapel, Leo and Kabu rescued Mansherry from Jora.

Interspecies Relationships
The dwarves are valued as slaves by normal humans considering the standard price for a dwarf is 700,000.

Dwarves refer to humans as "Big Humans" (大人間) and casually ask them whether they are good or bad and as a tradition a good human can prove him/herself by either giving up their weapons or being stripped of all their possessions. Dwarves are very careful not to be seen by any humans as they will try to kill anyone who sees them unless they promise not to tell anyone of their existence. They are also gullible to anything humans say to them, making them easily fooled.

They are behind Dressrosa's belief in fairies and accept the country's offerings to them.

According to Wicca, they only show themselves to the Riku royal family, but they make an exception for Usopp and his friends.

Trivia

 * In real world folklore (especially in Scandinavian and other Germanic cultures), dwarves are a race of beings usually depicted as having some sort of supernatural powers and being skilled in crafting and metalworking.
 * In the same cultures, dwarves, or Tomte/Nisse ('tomt' being Norwegian and Danish for 'property' or 'household') are dwarf sized beings, typically depicted as small or "the size of a horse's head" with pointy ears and long hats similar to garden gnomes and are noted to sometimes "borrow" objects and food, play pranks on humans and are known to be immensely strong for their size, similar to the dwarves depicted in One Piece. They are said to live secretly at farms, often helping with tending to the animals, farming or other work. However, they could also be very cross, mischievous and even outright harmful if mistreated.
 * The tribe is foreshadowed in the flashback of Noland's past. During one of his sessions recalling his adventures in the Grand Line, he mentions visiting a land of dwarves.
 * The tribe has the ability to hunt fighting fish, which are described as related to giant goldfish. Incidentally, in Chapter 24, Usopp lies to Kaya about hunting a giant goldfish and giving the meat to dwarves.
 * The first encounter between the dwarves and Nico Robin resembles the first encounter between Lemuel Gulliver and the Lilliputians in Gulliver's Travels.

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