Purple Talent

Abel was certain this [Century Soup] would satisfy the needs of the Gourmet Cells inside him!

Because both his arms were broken, he bent down and performed Dragon Water Absorption.

As the rich, delicious flavor spread through his mouth, his face unknowingly twisted into a smile that looked like something out of a comedy.

He had never experienced such unparalleled satisfaction in either this life or his previous one!

The word "delicious" alone could hardly describe it, but he couldn't think of anything more fitting.

Once he had drunk every last drop of the [Century Soup], a huge amount of energy began to digest and release.

All the injuries his body had suffered since birth were being healed.

If Abel had X-ray vision, he would have seen the broken bones in his arms rapidly healing and joining back together.

His whole body was coming back to life!

It felt as if someone had rented your house, decided they weren't satisfied with it, and then taken it upon themselves to repair everything from the inside out—even replacing all the furniture with new pieces.

But when the toxins were being purged, the Lead Sickness Toxin entrenched in his heart—which had become part of his body as a talent—remained completely unaffected.

That undoubtedly meant his earlier guess had come true.

At the same time, the Gourmet Cells inside him were thoroughly satisfied and immediately began their first evolution!

Abel could even feel the hunger as the cells in his body frantically devoured energy.

It was as if every single cell was growing stronger!

At last, after an unknown amount of time, his restless Gourmet Cells finally settled down.

[Acquired Purple Talent—Rapid Digestion]

[Description: A talent acquired through the evolution of Gourmet Cells. It allows food to be digested and broken down at the highest possible rate, extracting energy from it.]

[When in the 'Full Stomach' state, all knowledge learned receives a tenfold bonus.]

Abel suddenly felt as if he had been reborn!

No, it wasn't just a feeling.

It had really happened.

He felt clear and refreshed from the inside out.

Abel removed the splints on his arms and moved them around freely. Then he touched the spot on his forehead where the wound had been. It didn't hurt at all.

Even the scars on his body from previous falls and the like had disappeared.

If this had happened in a cultivation world, it would probably be called Marrow Cleansing.

Abel took a deep breath, feeling better than he ever had before.

As for his newly acquired talent, there was no question about it.

It was incredibly powerful, fully deserving of its Purple rank!

He guessed that he would go further and further down the path of a glutton from now on.

And if a Purple Talent was already this incredible, he could hardly imagine how heaven-defying an Orange Talent—or the highest, Red Talent—would be!

After securing his splints again, Abel decided to get a good night's sleep.

The unlucky fellow still lying in the garbage heap was completely forgotten.

Sigh, in the end, it had all been wasted affection.

The next day, Abel continued pretending to be too weak to move because of his injuries, contentedly enjoying the little girl's cheerful feeding service.

Then, during their conversation, he heard some news.

"Captain Doflamingo left with the officers?"

"Yeah. Except for Lord Corra, who stayed behind to guard the base, all the other officers have already set out. Their target is the port town of Rakeish. The Young Master hates traitors most of all, so he decided to take the guy out. I was supposed to go with them, but I stayed behind because Abel needs me to look after him."

Seeing Baby-5 wearing an expression that practically begged him to praise her, Abel couldn't help smiling. "That's right. I need you very, very much right now. I'm so glad you stayed."

Those words were probably the most potent praise Baby-5 could receive.

Her adorable face turned bright red in an instant. It was as if steam was rising from her head, and she looked a little dazed.

Seeing her like that, Abel couldn't resist pinching the little girl's cheeks twice.

Mm, they were soft and felt nice.

If he slapped her, she'd probably cry for ages.

Of course, that mischievous thought had only crossed his mind for an instant.

After all, he already considered everything here his own. Sooner or later, he would "inherit" Mingo's estate, which naturally included the obedient and sweet Baby-5.

"A-Abel seems a little different today."

Baby-5 shyly leaned closer to him, then sniffed twice.

"How am I different?" Abel was curious about how he looked to other people now and what had changed. If he knew, he could come up with an excuse to brush it off.

"You seem... prettier. And you smell... really nice."

When Baby-5 started leaning against him without realizing it, Abel had to flick her on the forehead. "It's probably because I took a bath."

Baby-5 let out a soft "Ah," puffed out her cheeks, and covered her forehead with her hand. But she was thinking that he might be right. She always smelled lovely after a bath, too~

And just like that, she believed him without giving it a second thought—not even considering whether Abel could take a bath while injured, or where he would have taken one.

After breakfast, Abel said he wanted to look around.

Once again, Baby-5 was needed, and she immediately became the perfect guide, taking him around the base.

With Baby-5 leading the way and the other officers gone, nobody stopped them as they walked around.

Aside from a few places Baby-5 herself wasn't allowed to enter, Abel had seen just about everything. He also learned that the Donquixote Family wasn't actually doing as well as he'd imagined.

Many forces in the North Sea were unhappy with the Donquixote Family's domineering behavior and opposed them, both openly and behind the scenes.

On top of that, the Navy, led by Tsuru, was relentlessly pursuing members of the Donquixote Family.

Otherwise, with Doflamingo's personality, he wouldn't have chosen to put one of his bases in a filthy, chaotic place like a garbage dump.

If circumstances allowed, that guy would absolutely live in the biggest, most lavish palace imaginable, enjoying the rarest delicacies.

Don't ask why. If you did, the answer was simply that some kind of Celestial Dragon gene was acting up in his bones.

After they had finished touring the base, Abel finally remembered his "good brother." "Is Luo still outside?"

"Yeah. I think Lord Corra has already thrown him out nineteen times."

Before Baby-5 could finish speaking, they suddenly heard the sound of window glass shattering, followed by something landing heavily on the ground.

"That makes twenty times now."