"There was a small problem with this mission..."
Standing before Doflamingo, Senor Pink made no attempt at all to clear his own name. Instead, he took all the responsibility onto himself.
The moment he heard that someone had actually dared to target one of his smuggling ships, the gaze hidden behind Doflamingo's sunglasses instantly turned incomparably violent.
It was as if the elegant noble aura he had shown earlier had only ever been a surface mask.
This was a monstrously brutal man.
But after Senor Pink finished his report, Doflamingo showed no intention of blaming him.
After all, under those circumstances, Senor Pink had handled things extremely well.
Not only had he protected both the ship and the cargo, he had also wiped out the Giant Bear Pirates and the Hundred Blades Pirates. More importantly, he had preserved the Donquixote Family's face and authority.
Once word of this spread, it would definitely serve as a powerful warning to all those restless fools thinking of opposing them.
As for the weapons they had lost...
Doflamingo lifted his head and looked at Senor Pink's expressionless face.
"Forget it. This guy's never cared about taking the fall for his men."
Under normal circumstances, he would have absolutely punished some people severely in order to maintain the proper balance of reward and punishment and reinforce his authority.
But when it came to Senor Pink, he was still willing to give him that much face.
After all, a "family member" he had personally brought in was still his to acknowledge, even if that person's personality had nothing in common with a pirate.
"I know what happened. Fold the two captured pirate ships into the smuggling fleet directly. Lock up Black Bear Miles somewhere for now, and after a while, find a buyer and sell him off. A Zoan Devil Fruit user can fetch a pretty good price. Handing him to the Marines for bounty money would be a waste. As for the rest, let this matter end here."
After thinking it over, Doflamingo made that decision.
Senor Pink had no objections.
At that point, though, Law felt that he was being ignored. Without waiting for Senor Pink to speak, he suddenly opened his mouth himself.
"So you're the captain of all these people? The boss of the Donquixote Family?"
There was not the slightest fear in him as he looked straight at Doflamingo.
The warnings that crewman had given him earlier, about being polite and respectful, had long since been thrown to the back of his mind.
Even stranger, August showed no intention whatsoever of stopping him.
"What an ill-mannered brat..."
"Let it go."
Diamante seemed displeased by Law's tone and was just about to teach him a lesson when Doflamingo stopped him.
"That's right. I am. So what is it you want?"
Under Doflamingo's interested gaze, Law continued, "I want to join you. I want to become a pirate."
"I want to destroy everything I see."
"Towns, houses, people. I want to destroy this entire world."
That dead, hopeless aura crashed over the room like a wave. Even someone like Doflamingo was stunned for a brief moment and instinctively recalled the unbearable memories from years ago that he never wanted to revisit.
In that little brat's eyes, he seemed to see his own former self...
The reason August had not tried to stop Law was because he was afraid of interrupting exactly this moment.
Although he and Law had gone through similar things, he had still lived thirty extra years, possessed the sound mind of an adult, and now had a cheat to rely on. So that terrible experience had not completely crushed him. Instead, it had magnified his ambition without limit.
If those same words had come from him, they never would have had such a strong effect.
By the time Doflamingo finally came back to himself, he had also realized that he had lost composure for a moment. So he turned to Senor Pink, who had brought them here, with a trace of puzzlement.
Senor Pink only said one sentence.
"They're survivors who escaped from White Town, Flevance. They've probably got two or three years left to live."
Doflamingo instantly understood. No wonder a child that young could say something so terrifying.
Under normal circumstances, he might not have been willing to waste time on two short-lived brats.
But because of what Law had just said...
He suddenly wanted to give them a chance, just to see how far the two of them could actually go.
Even if the final result disappointed him, it would cost him nothing.
So he smiled.
"It won't be that easy to join my pirate crew. First, let me see what the two of you are capable of."
"Trebol, Diamante, I'll leave these two little brats to you."
"No problem. Leave it to us, behehehehe~"
Trebol answered first, that strange grin still hanging on his face.
After Trebol and Diamante took the two boys outside, Doflamingo asked Senor Pink out of curiosity, and Senor Pink told him everything he knew, including how he had discovered the boys and the stories August had told him.
After hearing it all, Doflamingo slowly nodded. Their identities should not be fake, but just in case, they still needed to be investigated carefully.
...
The test took place outside in the garbage yard.
Clang.
"Pick up the blades and attack me."
Without wasting any words, Diamante threw two short swords onto the ground.
August bent down and picked one up. The length was just right for both him and Law, so there was no way to use unfamiliar weapons as an excuse.
Under normal circumstances, even if he and Law were multiplied by a hundred, they still would not be able to beat Diamante.
So this so-called test was really just about letting the two of them display everything they were capable of and seeing whether they had enough potential.
Which meant there was no room to act recklessly...
"Law, in a moment..."
August had just started trying to discuss some tactics when he realized that Law had already picked up his blade, gritted his teeth, and charged straight in.
What the hell?!
Wasn't he supposed to be the careful, calculating type?
Wasn't he supposed to be smart?!
Law, did you know you were this reckless when you fought as a kid?
Damn it!
Plan B was dead on arrival. Switch to Plan A!
Don't ask what Plan A is. Just attack!
August had no choice. He gripped the short sword in his hand and rushed in as well.
Clang, clang!
Two crisp metallic sounds rang out.
Diamante simply angled his blade downward and blocked both attacks at once. The blade in his hand did not even tremble.
The gap between them was simply too huge.
Even though Law and August were attacking with all their strength, fighting desperately, they could not achieve the slightest effect.
Diamante even started showing a mocking sneer, and at one point, casually yawned twice.
Brats this weak had no right to join them.
He had no idea what Doffy was even thinking.
Just then, Doflamingo, leaning against the railing on the second floor while watching the fight, suddenly spoke.
"Don't kill them, Diamante. This is just a little test before they become probationary members of the Family."
"I understand, Doffy."
Diamante answered casually. He did not understand what Doflamingo saw in these two brats, but as long as it was Doflamingo's order, he would carry it out without the slightest compromise.
(End of Chapter)
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