A Small Test of Skill

"This mission ran into a small problem."

Facing Doflamingo, Senor made no attempt to deflect blame from himself; instead, he shouldered all responsibility onto his own shoulders.

When he heard that someone had dared to target his smuggling ship, the gaze hidden behind Doflamingo's sunglasses instantly turned ferocious and brutal!

As if the elegant noble demeanor he'd shown before was merely a facade.

This was an utterly savage man!

But after Senor finished his account, Doflamingo didn't blame him either.

After all, under those circumstances, Senor had handled things quite well.

Not only had he protected the ship and cargo, wiping out the Giant Bear and Hundred Swords Pirate Groups, but more importantly, he'd preserved the Donquixote Family's face and prestige!

Once word of this spread, it would surely intimidate those unruly types who wanted to oppose them.

As for the lost weapons...

Doflamingo looked up at Senor's expressionless face.

"Forget it. This guy's not the first time he's covered for his subordinates."

Normally, he would have severely punished some people to maintain 'clear rewards and penalties' and uphold his rule.

But with Senor, he was willing to grant that favor.

After all, the 'family members' he recruited—no matter how unlike pirates their personalities were—he had to accept them with gritted teeth.

"I know the situation. Incorporate the two captured pirate ships directly into the smuggling fleet. Lock up that Black Bear Miles somewhere for now; once we find a buyer later, sell him off. A Zoan Devil Fruit user is worth a decent sum—turning him over to the Navy for a bounty would be a waste. Let's end this matter here."

After a moment's thought, Doflamingo made this decision.

Senor had no objections.

But at this moment, Luo felt ignored. Without waiting for Senor to speak, he suddenly blurted out, "Are you the captain of these people? The BOSS of the Donquixote Family?"

Without any fear, Luo stared straight at Doflamingo.

The crew member's earlier advice to be polite and respectful had long since slipped his mind.

And even stranger, Abel seemed to have no intention of stopping Luo.

"An impolite brat."

"It's fine."

Diamante seemed displeased with Luo's tone and was about to teach him a lesson, but Doflamingo stopped him.

"That's right, I am. So, what do you want?"

Under Doflamingo's intrigued gaze, Luo continued, "I want to join you. Become a pirate."

"I want to destroy everything I see."

"Whether it's towns, houses, or people—I want to destroy the whole world."

A deathly, desolate aura of despair surged forth, so potent that even someone like Doflamingo was momentarily stunned, instinctively recalling painful memories from years past that he didn't want to revisit.

In this brat's eyes, he seemed to see a reflection of his former self.

The reason Abel hadn't intervened earlier was precisely to avoid affecting Luo's performance now.

Though their experiences were similar, Abel had thirty more years of life experience, a mature adult's psyche, and a golden finger. So that horrific ordeal hadn't completely destroyed him—instead, it had infinitely magnified his ambition.

If he had said the same words himself, they wouldn't have had nearly as good an effect.

When Doflamingo finally snapped out of it, he realized he'd lost his composure. With some curiosity, he looked at Senor, who had brought them in.

Senor said only one thing: "They're survivors who escaped from the White Town, Freyvans. They've probably got two or three years left to live."

Doflamingo suddenly understood. No wonder someone so young could utter such terrifying words.

Normally, he might not have bothered wasting time on two short-lived brats.

But because of Luo'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 laughed. "Joining my Pirate Group isn't that easy. Let me see what you two are capable of first."

"Trebol, Diamante, these two brats are yours."

"No problem, leave them to us, behehehe~"

Trebol spoke up first, a strange grin on his face.

After Trebol and Diamante led the two brats out, Doflamingo, driven by curiosity, asked Senor to tell him everything he knew—how he'd found them, and the stories Abel had told him.

Doflamingo nodded slowly after listening. Though the brats' identities seemed genuine, he'd still have them thoroughly investigated just in case.

The test location was in the junkyard outside.

Clang.

"Pick up the knives and attack me."

Without any wasted words, Diamante tossed two short knives directly onto the ground.

Abel picked them up at once and found the length just right for him and Luo—not even an excuse about ill-fitting weapons was possible.

Under normal circumstances, even if he and Luo were combined and multiplied by a hundred, they couldn't possibly defeat Diamante.

So this so-called assessment was merely letting the two of them show off everything they were good at, to see if they had enough potential.

Then he couldn't just mess around.

"Luo, in a moment—"

Abel was about to discuss tactics with Luo when he noticed Luo, having picked up the short knife, already gritting his teeth and charging in recklessly.

Damn it!

Where was the meticulous thinking?

Where was the clever strategy?!

Luo, did you know you fought this recklessly as a kid?

Shit!

Plan B was aborted on the spot, switching to Plan A!

Don't ask what Plan A was—just go for it!

Abel had no choice but to grip his own short knife tightly and force himself to charge in as well.

Clang, clang!

Two crisp sounds. Diamante simply angled his blade downward to block, and that was it—the blade itself didn't budge an inch.

The gap was far too huge!

Though Luo and Abel poured all their strength into their desperate attacks, there was absolutely no effect.

So much so that a mocking sneer appeared on Diamante's face, and he even yawned twice.

Kids this trashy in strength didn't deserve to join them at all!

What the hell was Doflamingo thinking?

Just then, Doflamingo, who had been watching from the second floor, spoke up: "Don't kill them, Diamante. This is just a little warm-up before they become family Trainee Members."

"I understand, Doffy."

Diamante replied casually. Though he didn't grasp what Doflamingo saw in these two brats, as long as it was Doflamingo's order, he would carry it out without fail.