The Battle to Break Through

"Strange. I haven't seen a single ship around here. Did those bastards already run off?"

Diamante frowned slightly.

The tall man beside him, clad in golden armor and wearing a cross-visored helmet, spoke up. "They think they can get away after crossing the Donquixote Family?"

Despite his towering, burly build, his voice was incredibly shrill and high-pitched—a jarring contrast.

"Pfft."

Buffalo hurriedly covered his mouth, but Seka's death glare still scared him into a cold sweat.

Seka hated it when people mocked his voice.

Buffalo had once nearly been beaten to death for making that mistake.

But his voice really was hilarious!

Abel dug his nails into his thigh, trying to use the pain to fend off the attack on his ears. That was the only reason he managed not to laugh out loud.

"Something does seem off. Everyone nearby has run away, and they didn't even leave anyone here to ambush us. Hm?"

Just then, Doflamingo suddenly looked up and saw several flares launch from a distant hill. They didn't seem to care at all about giving away their position.

Veins bulged at Doflamingo's temples. He was extremely displeased by the feeling of being looked down on, convinced that the other side didn't take him seriously at all.

"Very well. It seems our 'friends' have already picked out their own graves and are inviting us over to take a look."

"Young Master, it could be a trap."

Doflamingo calmed down a little and turned his head.

"Trebol, Diamante, stay here and watch the ship. I want to see what kind of tricks these people are planning."

"Baaah hahahaha! Leave it to us, Doffy."

With two of his top executives staying aboard, Doflamingo felt perfectly at ease.

So he immediately led his men toward the place where the flares had been launched.

They encountered no resistance along the way, which only made Doflamingo angrier.

"Once we get in there, leave no one alive. Kill them all!"

"Yes, Young Master."

"Then let's get started."

The moment they stepped into the manor, they were given a warm welcome.

Countless gun barrels poked out from behind the windows, then opened fire on them.

Pica immediately merged with the surrounding walls and used his Stone-Stone Fruit powers to assimilate them. Then he formed two enormous arms to shield Doflamingo and the others.

Meanwhile, Senor, dressed in a black suit and carrying himself with carefree swagger, dove straight into the ground and began swimming beneath the surface toward the enemy ranks.

Mahalbes instantly reduced his weight, floated into the air, and prepared to try a move where he struck down from above.

"Go ahead. Attack at will."

At last, given the order, Baby-5 and Buffalo weren't about to be outdone. They showed off a combo move, flying into the air and unleashing a fierce barrage in retaliation.

Abel didn't rush to act. It wasn't time yet, and he had no particular desire to take a bullet.

"Boom Boom: Destructive Thousand-Ton Bais!"

Soon, Mahalbes floated above the manor's roof, placed his specially made, sturdy shield under his stomach, then suddenly increased his weight to a thousand tons and began a free fall!

What happened when something weighing a thousand tons came crashing down from the sky?

The pirates hiding inside thought the building was about to collapse. Mahalbes smashed straight through the entire structure!

Countless unlucky souls were caught in the impact and cried out in pain.

Senor reached his destination at the same time. He leaped back aboveground, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and swept his gun across the panicked crowd!

On top of that, Baby-5, who had gained control of the skies outside, kept firing shells into the manor without pause. The Skunk Pirates' once-dense barrage of gunfire fell silent in an instant!

Seeing this, Doflamingo gestured to the side.

Understanding his meaning, Gladius stepped out from behind Seka's protection, hurried to the entrance, and pressed his right hand against the door.

"Explode!"

With a boom, the door, which had been barricaded with piles of debris, was blown to pieces.

Gladius was a Devil Fruit User with the Bomb-Bomb Fruit. He could swell his own body to make it explode, or cause anything inorganic he touched to expand and blow up.

Aside from Abel and Luo, who had joined later, almost every member of the Donquixote Family was a Devil Fruit User. It was completely absurd!

In a place like the North Sea, a capable Devil Fruit User already had more than enough strength to start a large pirate crew of his own.

That was the difference!

If the Skunk Pirates' captain had known this beforehand, he wouldn't have dared to join forces with others and pick a fight with the Donquixote Family, even if he'd been given a dozen lifetimes' worth of courage.

But they hadn't known. Doflamingo had already taken control of the North Sea's underground black market, and of course he wouldn't allow any information about the Donquixote Family's strength to get out.

That was why people outside the family had no clear idea of just how strong the Donquixote Family was!

They knew the Donquixote Family was dangerous and powerful.

But just how powerful was "powerful"?

A farmer who had never left his village might believe the emperor tilled the fields with a golden hoe.

Some people simply couldn't imagine that every member of a pirate crew could be a Devil Fruit User!

"Seka, check what's happening inside. Lao G, guard the outside. If anyone tries to escape, kill them. As for everyone else, let our newest family member get some practice first. Fuffuffuffuffu!"

Abel didn't say anything this time. He nodded and went inside.

He knew this was also a test: could he adapt to a life where every day was spent on the edge of a blade, where it was either you killed me or I killed you?

A potential recruit Doflamingo had his eye on needed more than strength. He also had to be ruthless and fierce!

So as soon as Abel went inside, he drew his gun without a word and fired.

A sneak who had been hiding near the entrance had his head blown open.

"A kid?"

"He dares look down on us like this? Kill him!"

The pirates nearby saw an easy target and immediately sprang into action, showing exactly what it meant to pick on the weak and fear the strong.

But that was exactly the effect Abel wanted.

A real fight without any pressure would be no better than shooting targets at the training ground.

Bang, bang, bang.

Taking advantage of his agility, Abel dodged attacks as he fought back.

There was an old saying: at more than ten paces, a gun was faster; within ten paces, a gun was accurate and fast!

Against these lackeys, Abel found his gun incredibly useful. One shot, one kill.

But the drawback of using a gun soon became apparent: he was out of bullets.

And as a beginner, his aim while moving still wasn't very good.

What made him even more exasperated was that, in the chaos of the battlefield, he had somehow already been hit by several stray bullets.