A honey trap?
No, a loli trap?
Yahn isn't the kind of man who would fall for that!
Yahn's gaze moved from Baby 5's cute face, searching for the Devil Fruits and treasure he needed, when a flash of pure white caught his eye.
They were... white stockings!
Behind his mask, Yahn's expression changed. Baby 5's short maid skirt was half-covering the stockings, making them look even more alluring.
This was... an appreciation of pure aesthetics!
Honestly, Yahn had no other thoughts. He didn't even think the white stockings were all that great. It was just that he had secretly tried to get Robin to wear them on many occasions, and she never did, so he was a little curious.
Yes, that's it!
A little girl in a white-stockinged maid outfit holds no appeal for me!
Yahn stood firm in his resolve, walking toward the cart. Under Baby 5's nervous gaze, he slowly reached out his hand.
"Gulp!"
Seeing the man with a giant sword looming behind him get closer, Baby 5's heart began to race. Her adrenaline skyrocketed.
However, just as Baby 5 imagined the man grabbing her by the leg, holding her upside down, and cutting her in half with a single stroke...
The man's hand bypassed her thigh, which was tense and glistening with sweat, and went straight for the Devil Fruits on the cart.
"Hmm? Why are there only four Devil Fruits? Where's the other one?" Yahn counted the fruits in his hand, a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice.
"The will of the Lord of Hueco Mundo was to retrieve five Devil Fruits. Where's the other one?"
Startled by Yahn's sudden demand, Baby 5, still kneeling in the cart, trembled slightly. She then weakly pointed at herself.
"I... I'm the fifth Devil Fruit."
"Huh?!"
Yahn froze.
Doflamingo... you've outdone yourself!
Yahn immediately recalled what he had overheard. After Trebol plundered the five Devil Fruits, he had Baby 5 eat one of them, the Arms-Arms Fruit.
Yahn had assumed that Doflamingo would find another Devil Fruit from a different source to fill the gap. He never expected that Doflamingo would just hand over Baby 5 herself.
In fact, what Yahn didn't know was that Doflamingo had considered finding another Devil Fruit. However, the mystery and power of the Hueco Mundo organization that Yahn had created made Doflamingo reconsider.
After all, no one knew if the five Devil Fruits the organization needed had a special purpose. Swapping one out might anger the Hueco Mundo organization.
In addition, although Doflamingo had high hopes for Baby 5, who was only eight years old at the time, she was just a kid with some potential.
So, without a second thought, Doflamingo chose the safer option and handed over the girl who had eaten the Arms-Arms Fruit.
Yahn needed the Devil Fruits to awaken his new Hollow Zanpakuto. He saw it as a game of "fruit ninja" where he had to slice the fruits.
But Yahn couldn't just draw his sword and slice up a cute and pitiful little girl like Baby 5, could he?
Then again, Yahn thought about it for a moment, and it seemed... it might be feasible!
Yes, Yahn meant accumulating the necessary number of Devil Fruits to activate the Hollow Zanpakuto by killing a Devil Fruit user.
This idea might actually be viable!
"I should try it out if I get the chance. I'll use the body of my Zanpakuto for the final blow on a Devil Fruit user."
Yahn muttered to himself.
After all, compared to collecting Devil Fruits, each costing at least 100 million Berries, the sea was full of weak Devil Fruit users.
As for whether he should use Baby 5 for his experiment...
Yahn's eyes flickered as he scrutinized Baby 5.
Never mind, for the sake of the white stockings...
No, for the sake of her age!
Although Baby 5 was, in a sense, a pirate, at only eight years old, she wasn't beyond redemption.
"Kid, I'll let you go this time since you're still young. Now get out of here," Yahn said in a deep, calm voice.
Baby 5's eyes widened. She stared blankly at Yahn.
Yahn thought Baby 5 would thank him and leave in a hurry. Instead, with tears welling in her eyes, she cried out in disbelief, "You... you don't need me either?"
...
Yahn was speechless.
How was he supposed to answer that?
If he said no, he would undoubtedly make the little girl cry even more. But if he said yes... the context didn't seem right!
Yahn felt that if this continued, he might be considered a criminal according to the laws of his previous life.
There's a saying: a man's silence only makes a woman's mind wander more.
Baby 5's tears fell, "plop, plop," and she began to sob.
"Waaah! Baby 5 has been abandoned again..."
"No one needs Baby 5!"
"Waaah, waaah, waaah..."
At that moment, Yahn felt that the strike he had just dealt to Doflamingo was too light. Who knew he would leave him with such a huge problem?
Normally, Yahn felt a little uncomfortable around Robin, but Robin was already fourteen and her tragic past as a fugitive made her exceptionally mature.
In a sense, Robin was a mini-adult. She could handle herself and didn't whine for attention or comfort. All she needed was a book to keep her occupied as a quiet and beautiful girl.
This white-stockinged maid, Baby 5, was clearly not as sensible and mature as Robin.
But seeing Baby 5, who looked like a sad and abandoned kitten, Yahn, out of a common human compassion for young children, couldn't help but say, "What do you want?"
Baby 5's crying stopped. She looked at the terrifying man whose face was hidden, and despite her fear, her desire to be needed took over. She asked softly, "Do... do you need Baby 5?"
Yahn hesitated, then answered indirectly,
"You're still too young; you can't do anything."
The implication was that he didn't need her.
"I... I can do a lot of things! I can clean, do housework, cook, make tea and coffee, I know how to do all that..."
She paused, then continued in a weaker voice, "And if you need me to do anything else, Baby 5 can learn."
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