"There's been a slight complication with the mission..."
Facing Doflamingo, Pink made no attempt to deflect responsibility, instead taking full blame upon himself.
When he heard that someone had dared to target his smuggling ships, Doflamingo's eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, instantly turned vicious.
It was as if his earlier aristocratic elegance had been nothing more than a facade.
This man was utterly ruthless!
Yet after Pink finished his report, Doflamingo showed no sign of blame.
After all, given the circumstances, Pink had handled the situation remarkably well.
He had not only secured the ships and cargo but also annihilated the Giant Bear and Hundred Swords Pirate Crews. More importantly, he had preserved the Donquixote Family's reputation and authority!
Once word of this spread, it would undoubtedly serve as a powerful deterrent to any disloyal elements or those who dared to oppose them.
As for the lost armaments...
Doflamingo glanced at Pink's impassive face.
Never mind. This isn't the first time he's taken the fall for his subordinates.
Under normal circumstances, he would have severely punished those responsible to maintain his 'clear rewards and punishments' system and uphold his authority.
But for Pink, he was willing to make an exception.
After all, even if the 'family' members he recruited had personalities that seemed utterly un-pirate-like, he had to accept them with a heavy heart.
"I've heard about the situation. Incorporate the two captured pirate ships directly into our smuggling fleet. Lock up Black Bear Miles somewhere for now; we'll contact a buyer and sell him off later. A Zoan-type Devil Fruit user is worth a good sum—handing him over to the Marines for the bounty would be a waste. Let's consider this matter closed."
After a moment's thought, Doflamingo made his decision.
Pink had no objections.
Law, feeling ignored, suddenly spoke up before Pink could respond: "You're the captain of this crew? The boss of the Donquixote Family?"
Without a trace of fear, Law stared directly at Doflamingo.
He had completely forgotten the crew member's earlier instructions to be polite and respectful.
Even more strangely, Abel seemed to have no intention of stopping Law.
"Rude little brat..."
"It's fine."
Diamante, clearly displeased by Law's tone, was about to reprimand him when Doflamingo stopped him.
"That's right, I am. And what do you want?"
Under Doflamingo's intrigued gaze, Law continued, "I want to join you. I want to become a pirate."
"I want to destroy everything I've seen."
"Towns, houses, humans—I want to obliterate the entire world."
The suffocating aura of utter despair nearly overwhelmed Doflamingo. Even someone like him was momentarily stunned, instinctively recalling the wretched memories he had long suppressed.
In the eyes of this little brat, he seemed to see a reflection of his former self...
Abel had refrained from intervening earlier precisely to avoid disrupting Law's performance at this crucial moment.
Though their pasts shared similarities, Abel possessed thirty more years of experience, a fully developed adult mind, and the advantage of a Golden Finger. This meant that while the horrific ordeal hadn't completely broken him, it had instead amplified his ambition to boundless heights.
The same words, spoken by him, would never have achieved such a profound impact.
By the time Doflamingo finally regained his composure, he realized he had momentarily lost his composure. He turned a questioning gaze toward Pink, who had brought the boy.
Pink offered a single sentence: "They're survivors who escaped White City Flevance. They probably have only two or three years left to live."
Doflamingo immediately understood. No wonder such terrifying words could come from such a young child.
Under normal circumstances, he might not have bothered wasting time on two short-lived wretches.
But after Law's earlier words...
He suddenly wanted to give them a chance and see just how far they could go!
Even if the final result was disappointing, he wouldn't lose much.
So he chuckled, "Joining my Pirate Crew isn't easy. First, let me see what you two are capable of."
"Trebol, Diamante, take these brats outside."
"No problem, leave it to us, behehehe~" Trebol said eagerly, a strange grin plastered across his face.
As Trebol and Diamante led the two children out, Doflamingo, curious, pressed Pink for details. Pink recounted everything he knew—how he had discovered the children and the stories Abel had told him.
Doflamingo nodded slowly. While the children's identities seemed genuine, he still wanted a thorough investigation just in case.
The trial was to take place in the junkyard outside.
Clang...
"Pick up the knives and attack me."
Without a word, Diamante tossed two short swords onto the ground.
Abel picked them up and found their length perfect for both him and Law. There was no room for excuses about ill-fitting weapons.
Under normal circumstances, even if you combined Abel and Law and multiplied their strength by a hundred, they wouldn't stand a chance against Diamante.
The so-called trial was merely an opportunity for them to showcase their full potential and demonstrate whether they possessed sufficient promise.
This meant they couldn't afford to act rashly.
"Law, in a moment..."
Abel was about to discuss tactics with Law when he noticed Law, having already picked up his sword, charging forward with gritted teeth.
'Damn it!'
'What happened to your meticulous planning?'
'What happened to your strategic brilliance?!'
'Law, did you even realize you were this reckless as a kid?!'
'Fuck!'
Plan B was immediately scrapped, switching to Plan A!
Don't ask what Plan A is—just A!
Left with no choice, Abel gripped his short sword tightly and charged forward.
Clang! Clang!
Two crisp strikes rang out. Diamante merely angled his sword downward to block, and the blade remained completely still.
The gap in power was overwhelming.
Despite Law and Abel's desperate, full-force attacks, they had no effect whatsoever.
Diamante even smirked mockingly and yawned twice.
'These weaklings don't deserve to join us!'
'What was Dof thinking?'
Just then, Doflamingo, leaning against the second-floor railing, called out, "Don't kill them, Diamante. This is just a little test before they become family trainees."
"Understood, Dof," Diamante replied casually. Though he couldn't fathom why Doflamingo valued these brats, he would carry out his orders to the letter.
Feeling underestimated, Law blurted out recklessly, "If I beat this guy, do I get to become an Executive right away?"
Everyone present froze for a moment, then erupted into raucous laughter, as if mocking Law's audacity.
"Hahahaha~"
"Heh heh heh~ I'm laughing so hard, snot's running down my nose!"
"Are you serious?"
"Stop laughing!"
Enraged and humiliated, Law charged forward, swinging his sword with all his might. Diamante casually knocked him to the ground with a flick of his wrist.
It was such a pathetic display that even Abel felt embarrassed for him.
Speechless, Abel thought, 'He's usually so sharp. How does he lose his mind the moment a fight starts?'
But then he realized it made sense. Law had never received proper training in combat or how to fight for his life.
Even when facing the homeless, Law had only managed to persevere through sheer grit.
So, his lack of skill and recklessness were understandable.
"You can't kill anyone with just brute force, you know," Diamante continued to taunt.
"Then I'll use this! I don't have much time left anyway, so I've got nothing to lose!" Law suddenly pulled a grenade from his coat, his expression fierce.
He had secretly stashed this weapon after finding it on the ship.
Thanks to Pink, they hadn't been tied up after being captured and were even fed regularly. This gave Law the opportunity to hide things.
But Law's actions didn't intimidate anyone. Instead, they infuriated Diamante, whose face darkened instantly.
"Don't underestimate pirates, kid!"
Diamante, who had been fighting defensively until now, suddenly struck with the back of his blade!
"Ah!"
Law screamed in agony as he was sent flying several meters, crashing heavily to the ground. The short sword and grenade slipped from his grasp and tumbled into the trash heap.
What kind of fool would think a single grenade could take down an opponent like Diamante?
No wonder Diamante was so furious, feeling utterly underestimated.
"Just as I thought, this guy's all talk," a voice sneered.
Unnoticed, two kids around Law's age had appeared beside the trash heap, watching the spectacle.
One was an adorable little girl dressed as a maid, her hair adorned with a yellow ribbon.
The other was a chubby boy in overalls, clad entirely in green, with a pink beanie perched atop his head, radiating an air of utter cluelessness.
"It's over, it's over! Let's go play hide-and-seek!"
"Agreed~"
The little girl and the chubby boy bounced away, ready to leave. Even Doflamingo, who had been watching Law intently from above, shook his head slightly and turned to leave.
But then, something completely unexpected happened!
"He's not the only one underestimating you!"
Bang!
Whoosh!
With the assistance of his triple-enhanced boots, Abel had no choice but to step forward, delivering a vicious kick into the pile of scrap metal and debris before him.
He knew that even with his boots fully charged, he stood no chance of defeating his opponent.
But this action could create an opportunity for his next move.
He needed to demonstrate his value as much as possible.
Though both he and Law would join the Donquixote Family, their paths would diverge completely.
Abel aimed to climb the ranks at breakneck speed, becoming an Executive, and deep within his heart burned an ambition to usurp Doflamingo himself!
And he believed that replacing Doflamingo was merely a stepping stone.
He could achieve even greater heights, until one day he stood at the true apex of the world!
Fueled by this terrifying ambition, countless pieces of scrap metal instantly enveloped Diamante.
Diamante had indeed grown careless.
His attention had been entirely focused on the boastful Law, subconsciously dismissing the seemingly insignificant rookie beside him.
Who could have imagined that this seemingly insignificant rookie would suddenly give him such a fright?
By the time the massive wave of metallic debris reached him, it was too late to dodge.
Bullfighting Cape!
A soft, bright red cape instantly materialized before Diamante, shielding him.
Though it appeared light and supple, the cape was actually made of steel, its texture transformed by his Devil Fruit Ability to mimic the softness of fabric.
The metallic debris crashed against the cape with a clattering din.
For a powerhouse like Diamante, such petty tricks were utterly ineffective. The gulf in their strength was so vast that it couldn't be bridged.
Not only did the cape remain unbreached, but not even a single nail slipped through—every projectile was completely blocked.
Yet despite this, Diamante's expression darkened further.
He had been forced to use his Devil Fruit Ability!
This was a humiliating disgrace!
Diamante's face, hidden behind the cape, now flickered with conflicting emotions.
If not for Doflamingo's orders, he would have torn that damned brat who humiliated him to pieces right then and there!
But this was just an appetizer.
No one noticed that among the metal scrap kicked away was a banana...
"Boy, you—"
Diamante's face had just emerged from behind his cloak when—
BOOM!
The sudden explosion stunned everyone watching.
Abel wouldn't make a rookie mistake like Law. Once he decided to use bombs, he wouldn't waste time with pointless chatter!
Diamante never expected his opponent to have such a trick up his sleeve and was instantly engulfed in flames.
Then Abel swiftly ran to Law, picked up the grenade Law had dropped, removed the safety pin without hesitation, and hurled it into the fire.
BOOM!
Another deafening explosion shook the arena.
The consecutive blasts had left Diamante momentarily stunned.
The explosions also created the illusion that Abel, like Law, had concealed grenades on his person and kicked them toward Diamante along with the scrap metal.
Otherwise, how could anyone explain why a banana had exploded?
Even so, Diamante remained undefeated.
"I'll kill you, brat!"
With a furious roar, Diamante, his entire body shrouded in his cloak, charged out of the flames like an enraged bull.
He wasn't entirely unscathed, though. Abel noticed that Diamante's hair was slightly singed, and his face was streaked with soot and ash.
If not for the fact that Diamante's entire outfit—his clothes, pants, cloak, and all—was made of steel, he would have been far more than just disheveled.
But Abel soon paid the price for his actions.
Bang!
Diamante, his face twisted with rage, kicked Abel dozens of meters away with a single brutal strike.