People Die If They Don't Eat

Doflamingo didn't take Buffalo's words seriously. As long as no one from outside had lured the kid away, he didn't care.

After all, in his eyes, Abel and Luo were already members of the Family.

Then he got down to business. "Our next target is Rakeish. The people in that town come groveling to us while secretly cozying up to other organizations. Those traitors need to pay!"

Doflamingo hated betrayal more than anything, and he made no effort to conceal the murderous intent in his eyes.

Just then, someone suddenly pushed open the door and walked in, making everyone who was eating pause in surprise.

"We're in the middle of a meal. Get him out of here."

Jora glanced at Luo, filthy from head to toe, with a look of disgust. She was about to have someone throw him out when Doflamingo stopped her.

"Leave him alone."

"Huh?"

"As long as he doesn't want to leave, let him be."

Everyone could see Doflamingo's attitude now.

Trebol immediately chuckled. "Bweeheehee~ Corazon's been giving you a pretty rough time since you got here, huh?"

Diamante didn't seem to want Luo sticking around either, and piled on the pressure. "Adults and kids alike—anyone who can't hack it ends up slinking off. The ones who remain are the cream of the crop. How long can a brat like you, who's never even seen a Devil Fruit, last? Three days? Five?"

But Luo didn't hear a word they said.

"I'm not leaving!"

"None of this scares me. I've seen hell with my own eyes, and crawled out of it on my own!"

As if he'd noticed something, Doflamingo suddenly warned Luo, "You're free to leave or stay, of course. But Corazon is my most important younger brother. Anyone who dares lay a finger on him will pay with their life."

Luo gritted his teeth. If he could, he'd kill Corazon right then and there!

Even after hearing Doflamingo's warning, he didn't take it too seriously. He just thought that as long as nobody found out, he could take his chances. He didn't have much time left anyway. Unless he dealt with Corazon, nothing else mattered.

At that moment, he suddenly wished Abel were there.

If Abel hadn't been injured, he would surely have thought of a way to deal with that bastard!

At the same time, though, he didn't want to drag Abel into this.

It was better for one person to have bad luck than for both of them to suffer.

While he was distracted, Mahalbes, a tall, muscular man wearing a red hat, suddenly noticed the white spots on Luo's skin. "Hm? Why's this kid's skin so disgusting?"

Jora immediately panicked when she saw them, and began shrieking, "It's Lead Sickness! This could be a disaster if we catch it!"

"Huh? A contagious disease? That's disgusting! You and that other guy, get out of here!"

Buffalo was so frightened that he pressed himself against the wall, sweating profusely. He was also acting out of self-interest, hoping to use the opportunity to get Abel thrown out too.

Bang!

Doflamingo slammed his hand down on the table, his face dark with anger.

"Jora! Don't repeat things you've only heard from other people. You're embarrassing yourself."

"Lead Sickness is just poisoning. It can't spread to anyone else."

The real reason he was angry wasn't that Abel and Luo were being discriminated against. He couldn't stand having such a stupid "Family Member" who actually believed the nonsense the World Government used to deceive ordinary people!

When everyone saw that Mingo was truly angry, they immediately calmed down. Jora looked especially embarrassed.

Only Buffalo, who wasn't the sharpest, still looked uncertain as he warned Luo, "Just to be safe, don't come near me from now on."

Luo sneered inwardly. Who'd want to go near you, you stupid fatty?

He simply took a plate of meat from the table and sat down in a corner, shoveling it into his mouth like there was no tomorrow.

This time, no one stopped him or made any snide remarks.

Although many of those present didn't understand why Doflamingo had taken in Luo and another kid in a similar situation, the decision had already been made. It was best not to test Young Master Dof's patience.

And so, the turbulent crisis was quietly defused.

But the real trouble had clearly not gone away.

Corazon soon finished eating and left the room.

Luo was still hunched over his food, wolfing it down, and didn't notice the danger until it was too late. By the time he realized what was happening, he was already flying through the air, smashing through a window and getting thrown outside once again.

"Corazon! I'm going to kill you! Just you wait!"

Luo stood outside, furious and on the verge of losing it, his face twisted with rage.

But Corazon didn't care in the slightest. He ignored Luo completely.

As for everyone else still eating in the room, they all pretended they hadn't heard a thing.

After all, this was the first time they'd seen anyone openly threaten to kill Doflamingo's younger brother.

If it was just talk, that was one thing. But if Corazon actually got hurt—

Surely no one thought Doflamingo had been joking when he gave that warning?

Elsewhere, in the infirmary.

After enjoying the little girl's feeding service, the scumbag made up some excuse to send her away.

What a coldhearted jerk—once his pants were back on, he acted like he didn't know her. Honestly!

Well, it wasn't quite that bad.

He'd already learned most of what he wanted to know from Baby-5. If he kept asking questions, Doflamingo would probably start to suspect his motives.

He also had something to do next that would be better handled without anyone else around.

Just moments ago, Abel had activated the search.

[Searching for Wish Orders. Search complete!]

[Obtained one beginner Wish Order]

[Order Description: Gourmet Hunter Toriko wants to taste some delicious dishes he has never eaten before.]

[Order Requirements: A delicious dish made with unknown ingredients]

[Basic Order Rewards: Century Soup, 300 Trading Points]

[Time Remaining on Order: 11 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds]

.

The main reason Abel suddenly searched for a Wish Order was that the 72-hour mark was almost up. If he didn't use his free search today, the opportunity would be wasted.

And it wasn't as if he had no backup plan.

Baby-5 was his last resort!

He was sure that unless the item was particularly rare, he could ask Baby-5 to get it for him as soon as possible.

But when he saw the details of this order, he was rather surprised.

In the end, he thought it over for a long time before making his decision.