Taking a Hit and Getting Revenge! (Please Read on! Please Read on!)

"Ah!"

Buffalo was struck in the stomach by a black iron rod. The rod then transformed into a cage, instantly locking him inside.

Now he couldn't fly even if he wanted to.

And so, the two of them immediately "crashed," beginning a free fall.

Abel felt rather helpless, but he had done all he could.

Fortunately, there was ocean below, and Buffalo hadn't been flying very high because he'd used up too much energy.

They probably wouldn't fall to their deaths.

That was about the only good news.

But just then, Abel suddenly felt his fall come to a stop.

He turned his head and saw that Doflamingo had rescued him.

After wrapping Abel and Buffalo in thin threads, Doflamingo immediately flung them into the distance, then used the String-String Fruit's power to pull himself rapidly toward the warship with the clouds.

Senor seized his chance and leaped up, easily catching the two of them as they came flying toward him. Then he turned his gaze back toward the warship behind them.

"Everyone, aim at Doflamingo. Fire!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Seeing the two men rescued by their enemy, Tsuru felt a pang of regret, but immediately gave the order to concentrate fire on Doflamingo.

After all, if they could capture Doflamingo, the so-called Donquixote Family would fall apart in the blink of an eye.

"Tsuru, you never cease to amaze me. The famous Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral actually attacked two children. Unbelievable."

Doflamingo formed a shield out of threads and blocked every bullet. As soon as he landed on the warship, he couldn't resist taunting her.

Tsuru, however, remained unmoved. "I'm simply trying to save two children who are about to go astray, and stop them from going further down the path of evil."

"Fuffuffuffuffu, save them? I doubt they need saving. They'll come to me of their own accord, wanting to join the Donquixote Family. You have yourselves to thank for that."

"You Marines were the ones who pushed them into my arms! Into the very 'evil' you speak of!"

Doflamingo spread his arms wide, his laughter brimming with mockery.

Tsuru frowned slightly. She didn't know exactly what had happened to that child, but she could hear the scorn in his voice.

Perhaps there really was more to the story.

After all, the Marines had countless members, and it was impossible to root out every rotten apple and troublemaker.

Some branches were far from the center of authority, and had become more depraved than even some pirates.

That was why, over the years, some people had come to hate the Marines for all sorts of reasons, then turned to piracy and other crimes.

Tsuru had always been aware of these problems, but there wasn't much she could do about them.

She could sympathize, but she would never tolerate it!

Perhaps that child had been forced to join an evil organization like the Donquixote Family because of the Marines' "negligence" or some other reason, but that was no excuse for her to stand by and do nothing.

If anything, it only made her more determined to bring him back to the right path.

"Perhaps what you say is true. Perhaps we Marines have made mistakes. But we'll face those mistakes, make amends, and set things right."

"And now it's time to correct the mistakes we made in the past."

"Donquixote Doflamingo, you won't escape this time."

Tsuru was already sixty, but a powerful aura suddenly burst from her, enough to make even Doflamingo's expression change!

But Doflamingo wasn't easily intimidated. If he'd dared to stay behind to buy time, it was because he had plenty of confidence in his own strength.

"Don't talk so big, you old hag! Let's see what you can do to stop me!"

"Five Color Thread!"

Doflamingo struck first, firing the opening shot of the battle.

On the Numancia Flamingo, Abel and Buffalo had been untied and were resting on the deck, exhausted.

"Full speed ahead!"

"Come on, hurry! Once we reach somewhere safe, the Young Master will be under less pressure and can come back sooner."

"I'll kill every last one of those damned Marines someday!"

Abel tuned out the shouting around him.

Using Asura Aurora Slash three times in a row had not only drained his stamina, it had also left his head feeling heavy.

But the good news was that he'd just received a notification from the system: Asura Aurora Slash had unexpectedly reached LV2!

Besides all the practice he'd put in lately, Abel guessed that the skill's upgrade might also have something to do with the swordsmanship insights he'd absorbed from the White Yaksha.

Also, he could have released Asura Aurora Slash one more time before Buffalo was hit.

It was the [Magic Card: Asura Aurora Slash] he'd recorded on a blank Magic Card.

But given the situation, another slash wouldn't have helped, so he'd chosen not to reveal that ability.

"Now that Asura Aurora Slash is LV2, Magic Card Modification is still only LV1, so I can't record anything else. Looks like I'll have to make time to level that skill up too. It might come in handy at a crucial moment."

Taking advantage of the rare chance to be left alone, Abel carefully planned out his upcoming training.

After an unknown amount of time, the Numancia Flamingo, racing at full speed, finally shook off the warship in pursuit.

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have been so easy.

Doflamingo was simply strong enough in a group battle to keep the Marines occupied, leaving them no time to worry about the Numancia Flamingo.

A little while later, a figure rapidly approached through the air.

"The Young Master's back!"

The Donquixote Family members immediately perked up, a great weight finally lifting from their hearts.

They'd all had faith in Doflamingo, who had stayed behind to hold off the enemy.

But even the most careful could still slip up, and there was always the chance of the unexpected.

If Doflamingo really were captured, the Donquixote Family might as well disband. Everyone could divide up the loot and head back to their own corners of the world.

Doflamingo had made it back safely, but he looked rather worse for wear.

Half of his pink feather coat had been burned away, and his flashy sunglasses had been smashed, leaving only the frame hanging from his nose.

His left cheek was swollen and bruised, clearly from a punch.

There was also a bloody gash on his arm.

Not elegant at all!

Doflamingo's gloomy, furious expression made everyone afraid to speak, lest they become the target of his anger.

At times like this, Trebol was the one to shout, "Where's the doctor? Where is he? Dof, get that wound bandaged!"

"I'm fine. I was just careless for a moment. I didn't expect that old hag to have a few powerful female Marines with her. I almost got stuck there."

"But that old hag won't be able to bear the consequences of angering me!"

Doflamingo gave a couple of cold laughs. Clearly, after taking a hit, he'd immediately retaliated. Countless Marines had probably died at each other's hands.