"I remember once when Buffalo made fun of Lord Pica and nearly got beaten to death."
"So you must never disrespect an Executive's authority. If you do, you deserve to die. Speaking of which, if Young Master hadn't intervened, Lord Diamante would have killed you long ago."
"As a mere trainee, you dared to provoke the Family's highest-ranking Executive and actually survived! You're amazing, Abel!"
By the end, the little girl was practically worshiping him.
But Abel only felt a bitter irony.
"The Blood Family Rule... it really suits Doflamingo's character!"
Is this what they call family?
How interesting!
No wonder they're all from the same Family, always going on about 'family, family, family' all day long.
Abel sneered inwardly. This only strengthened his resolve to become an Executive as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, he'd never be able to guarantee his own safety.
Rather than praying Diamante was the forgiving type, he'd put his faith in himself.
"Got it, I've made a note of it. Thank you for telling me all this. Otherwise, I might have offended another Executive and gotten into real trouble."
"No... no need to thank me. It was all Young Master's orders."
Baby-5 blushed again.
Seeing this, Abel's mood brightened slightly. "By the way, how long have I been unconscious? And where's Law... you know, the guy with the hat who came with me?"
Baby-5 tilted her head thoughtfully. "You were out for about a day. That guy you mentioned was pretty unlucky. He ran into Lord Corazon this morning when he returned, and Lord Corazon threw him out."
"Lord Corazon?"
"He's a top Executive like Lord Diamante,... but Lord Corazon hates kids. When Young Master first took in over a hundred children, Lord Corazon tormented them so badly that almost all of them ran away. Only Buffalo and I managed to stay."
Abel immediately recognized who she was talking about: Rosinante, the second-generation Red Heart Corazon and Doflamingo's younger brother.
This man was Lieutenant Commander Rosinante of the Marine Headquarters, a spy sent by Sengoku to infiltrate the Donquixote Family, and a user of the Calm-Calm Fruit.
A good man who shouldn't have been here.
In the original story, it was Rosinante who truly saved Law from the inside out. He was ultimately killed by Doflamingo while protecting Law, a tragic loss.
Now Abel finally understood why he hadn't seen Law.
To prevent all the children from being led astray by Doflamingo, Rosinante had been forced to drive them away using brutal methods.
In truth, he had succeeded.
Of the original hundred-plus children, only Baby-5, abandoned by her mother, and the dim-witted Buffalo remained.
But now, with Law and Abel's sudden appearance, Rosinante had no choice but to resume his old methods.
Poor Law, unaware of the situation, would likely face Rosinante's "targeting" for quite some time.
Thinking this, Abel felt a strange sense of relief at his injury. If he hadn't been hurt, he might have been thrown out alongside Law.
Now that he knew Law was safe, Abel could relax and focus on recovering.
What?
Why not "rescue" Law?
That was completely unnecessary!
And besides, he couldn't truly "rescue" him anyway.
He might even end up adding another one to the list.
To be on the safe side, he decided to wait until his injuries were fully healed before confronting the "Bear Cub Terminator."
"Baby-5, I'm a bit hungry. Could you please get me some food? Meat would be great."
"N-no problem! I'll get it right away!"
Despite being the one inconvenienced, Baby-5 not only seemed delighted to help but also appeared genuinely excited.
This made Abel feel a little embarrassed, but he wasn't about to hold back when it came to taking advantage of the situation.
After all, whether it was a small favor or a grand gesture, free meals always tasted delicious!
In no time, Baby-5 rushed in with a large platter of fragrant roasted meat.
Then Abel, pushing his luck even further, said, "I can't feed myself right now. Could you please feed me?"
"Of course! Being needed makes me so happy~"
Baby-5's eyes welled up with joy as she immediately sat beside him, picked up a fork, and gently began feeding Abel.
The depth of her psychological trauma revealed just how terrible her past experiences must have been.
Abel felt immense sympathy and heartache for her.
So he promptly ate three more massive chunks of roasted meat!
In one word: delicious!
While Abel was contentedly savoring his meal and being fed by his little maid, Law was locked in a fierce struggle with his current "arch-nemesis."
Bang!
Law was once again thrown from the upper floor, landing heavily in a pile of trash.
How many times had this happened already?
Law had lost count. All he remembered was that the somewhat airheaded bastard had tossed him out the window without a word the moment he saw him, and the same fate awaited him every time he tried to sneak back in.
Bruised and battered, Law dragged himself to his feet, his face contorted with fury. Doflamingo had already agreed to let him join, yet this absurd turn of events had occurred. 'Damn it!'
Even though Baby-5 and Buffalo had explained the reason, Law still found it utterly ridiculous.
Just because he hates kids, he wants to drive them all away?
And if they refused to leave, their fate would be like his—repeatedly beaten down until they couldn't endure any longer.
"I won't give up," Law gritted his teeth, struggling to force himself back toward the building.
Meanwhile, on the second floor, nearly all members of the Donquixote Family were gathered, feasting heartily.
The banquet was lavish, with steaks, fine wines, and every delicacy imaginable.
"Ohohohoho~ Corazon, you still hate kids, huh? How many times have you thrown that brat out now? Maybe it's time to give up."
A middle-aged woman with triangular-framed glasses, striking sharp features, curly hair, and bright lipstick suddenly chuckled, teasing him.
The man she addressed remained silent, stubbornly wrestling with the food in his bowl.
The others were long accustomed to his silent, eccentric behavior.
"Giolla, these two new brats aren't the type to back down easily. I bet Corazon will be the first to crack. Fuffuffuffu~"
Doflamingo answered for Corazon.
"Looks like the Young Master has high hopes for them," Giolla remarked, surprised.
Unbeknownst to them, Doflamingo's words only strengthened Corazon's resolve to drive the newcomers away.
Doflamingo smiled without explaining. "By the way, where's Baby-5?"
"Baby-5 came by earlier, said she was taking food to that guy in the infirmary, and hasn't returned since," Buffalo replied, his tone dripping with bitterness.
"I was here first..."