Astonishing Willpower

Diamante was a user of the Float-Float Fruit.

He could turn anything he touched into a light, billowing form like cloth, without changing the material it was made of.

That was how he had custom-made a suit of steel armor for himself.

Countless people had tried to sneak up on him, only to find they couldn't break through his defenses and end up being killed by him instead.

But Diamante had never imagined that he would use this prized defense against a brat he hadn't even taken seriously.

And that he would end up looking so pathetic in front of Young Master Dof?!

Everyone knew he'd been caught off guard because he'd underestimated his opponent.

But the facts were plain to see. There was no getting his dignity back now.

Unforgivable!

Fury overrode Diamante's reason, and he kicked Abel away without holding back.

With that much force behind it, the kick could easily have killed him!

"Calm down, Diamante!"

Only when he heard Doflamingo's voice did Diamante realize what he'd just done. He reined in his anger and gave a derisive snort.

He'd really made a fool of himself today.

He'd probably be mocked over it for a long time.

Doflamingo wasn't trying to mock Diamante. He just thought the brat was remarkably bold, ruthless, and smart enough to hide his real trump card.

With proper training, he might become one of Doflamingo's future assets.

As for Luo... he had the ruthlessness, but he was still lacking in other areas. They could take their time.

The thought immediately put Doflamingo in a good mood.

"Baby-5, Buffalo, go bring him back and get him treated. I hope our new family members don't die so easily."

"Yes, Young Master."

"Great! Someone needs me again~"

Doflamingo's words clearly meant that he approved of Abel and Luo and intended to bring them into the family and train them, just as he had with Baby-5 and Buffalo.

They also carried another meaning: Diamante was to leave it at that.

Of course, if they were unlucky and Abel was already dead, that wouldn't change anything.

Doflamingo certainly wouldn't reprimand Diamante over something like this. In his eyes, the two of them weren't even on the same level.

Even if Diamante had killed both brats today, well... then they'd be dead.

The dead had no value, and Doflamingo wouldn't give them a second thought.

But it seemed Abel still had more surprises in store.

Baby-5 and Buffalo had only run a few steps when they saw that the boy who'd been kicked away had somehow gotten back up by himself. It was unbelievable!

"H-he's terrifying!"

"A zombie! A ghost!"

Abel ignored Baby-5 and Buffalo, who were standing there making a fuss, and glared with his left eye at Diamante, who looked astonished.

That kick had truly made him feel the breath of death.

Luckily, the System Shop had refreshed the day before, and he'd managed to buy another life-saving item.

Item: [Defense Bracelet] (Blue)

Equipment-type item

Description: A high-tech product of unknown design.

Effect: When activated, it creates a transparent protective film in front of the wearer. Defense value: 500

Price: 200 Trade Points

Quantity: 1

P.S. Although it has many drawbacks, it can save your life in a pinch.

Although the [Defense Bracelet] had to be activated manually and only protected him from one direction, it seemed to have quite a few drawbacks.

Abel had still bought it without a second thought.

And just now, the thing had saved his life!

The price was that all 500 points of defense had been shattered by a single kick, and the [Defense Bracelet] he'd only gotten a day ago was already out of commission.

His arms, which he'd crossed in front of himself to block the kick, were broken and hung limp at his sides.

After he'd been sent flying, his head had struck something, splitting his forehead open. Blood poured down over his right eye, leaving him unable to see out of it.

He looked terrifying, horribly disfigured!

Doflamingo, however, looked at him with a touch of admiration.

Strength was certainly important when fighting enemies, but more important still was the willpower to keep getting back up, no matter how many times you were knocked down.

As long as someone with that kind of willpower didn't die young, they could grow strong enough to stand on their own!

But...

"Lead Sickness. That's a tricky problem. Whatever. We'll leave it to luck."

Diamante had been ready to let it go, but Abel's look had really gotten under his skin.

Just as he was about to teach the brat another lesson, Luo—who had been mocked by everyone earlier—stepped in front of him.

His expression said it all.

If you want to get past me, you'll have to kill me first!

Diamante's eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he raised his sword and brought it down—

Thud!

That was the sound of Abel finally collapsing, unconscious.

At the same time, Diamante's sword knocked Luo's hat off.

If the blade had gone just an inch farther, it wouldn't have knocked off his hat. It would have split his skull.

Yet Luo didn't yield a single step. There wasn't a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Boring. But since Dof agreed to let you join, so be it. Let's see if you can last a little longer than that. Hahahahaha!"

Diamante left. Luo picked up his hat, put it back on, and immediately ran over to Abel.

Once he confirmed that Abel was seriously injured but not in immediate danger, he hoisted him onto his back and followed Baby-5 and Buffalo to the treatment room.

But the doctor there was mediocre at best. His skills were poor, and when he saw the white patches on Abel's body, he was terrified.

He refused to let Abel stay there and insisted on driving him out.

If Doflamingo asked about it afterward, he could just say Abel's injuries were too severe and he couldn't save him.

What he hadn't expected was that Luo wasn't just knowledgeable about medicine—he was a genius in the field!

So Luo simply treated Abel himself and kicked that quack doctor out.

Who could put up with that sort of humiliation?

In a fit of anger, the doctor rushed off to complain first.

Little did he know that Doflamingo already knew what had happened.

He immediately had someone arrest the doctor.

If Abel still couldn't be saved and died, the doctor might have a chance of keeping his life.

But if Luo managed to save Abel...

What do you think would happen to someone who'd become useless here?

The doctor turned deathly pale on the spot. For the first time in his life, he regretted something so deeply—but no matter how much he regretted it, it was already too late.