Chapter 20
Diamante was the user of the Flutter-Flutter Fruit.
He could turn anything he touched into a fluttering, cloth-like state, though the object's actual material would remain unchanged.
That was why he had used that power to commission a suit of steel armor for himself.
Countless people had tried to ambush him in the past, only to realize they could not break through his defense before being killed in return.
But Diamante had never imagined that he would be forced to rely on that prized defense against some brat he had not even bothered to take seriously.
And worse, he had ended up showing such a humiliating side of himself right in front of Young Master Doflamingo?!
Everyone knew it was because he had been too careless and underestimated his opponent that a brat had managed to land a sneak attack on him.
But the facts were right there. The humiliation had already happened, and there was no taking it back.
Unforgivable!
His rage smothering his reason, Diamante directly kicked August away, and he barely held back at all.
With the force behind that kick, it was absolutely enough to kill someone!
"Calm down, Diamante!"
Only after hearing Doflamingo's voice did Diamante realize what he had just done. He reined in his anger and let out a cold snort.
He had utterly embarrassed himself today.
For a long time to come, the others would probably mock him over this.
Doflamingo, however, had no intention of laughing at Diamante. He only felt that the brat really did have guts. He was ruthless, didn't waste words, and even knew how to hide his true killing move.
If he was trained properly, he might actually become one of Doflamingo's useful subordinates in the future.
As for Law... he had the ruthlessness, but in every other aspect, he was still far from ready. There was no rush.
With that thought, Doflamingo's mood immediately improved.
"Baby 5, Buffalo, go bring him back and get him treated. Let's hope our newest family member doesn't die that easily."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Yay, I'm needed again~"
What Doflamingo had just said clearly meant he acknowledged August and Law and intended to bring them into the family and cultivate them, just like Baby 5 and Buffalo.
At the same time, it also carried another meaning: that Diamante should stop here.
Of course, if their luck was bad and the boy was already dead, then that was that.
Doflamingo naturally would not scold Diamante over something like this, because the two sides simply did not hold the same weight in his heart.
Even if Diamante had really killed both brats today... then dead was dead.
The dead had no value. They were not worth a second glance.
And yet, the surprise August brought him did not seem to be over.
Baby 5 and Buffalo had only run a few steps when they saw that the person who had just been kicked away had actually managed to climb back to his feet on his own.
It was practically unbelievable!
"So scary!"
"It's a corpse coming back to life! A ghost!"
August, who had forced himself back up, ignored Baby 5 and Buffalo's shrieking and stared at the stunned Diamante with his left eye.
That kick just now had truly made him feel death breathing down his neck.
But fortunately, when the system shop had refreshed the day before, he had bought another life-saving item.
Item: [Defensive Bracelet] (Blue)
Equipment-type item
Description: Some kind of high-tech product. Operating principle unknown.
Effect: After manual activation, it can create a transparent protective film in front of the user. Defense Value: 500
Price: 200 Trade Points
Quantity: 1
P.S. It may have a lot of flaws, but at a critical moment, it can save your life.
...
Although this [Defensive Bracelet] had to be activated manually and could only defend in one direction, making it seem full of shortcomings, August had still bought it immediately.
And just now, that thing had saved his life!
The price was that all 500 points of defense had been shattered by that single kick. The [Defensive Bracelet] he had only gotten yesterday was already scrapped and useless.
As for the arms he had crossed in front of himself to block, both had been broken and now hung limp at his sides.
After being kicked away, his head had smashed into something. A huge gash had been torn open on his forehead, and blood was now pouring down the right side of his face, leaving him unable to open that eye.
It was a terrifying sight, making him look vicious beyond words.
Yet when Doflamingo saw this, a bit more admiration appeared in his eyes.
In a deadly fight, strength was certainly important, but an even more important quality was the will to stand back up no matter how many times you were knocked down.
Anyone with that kind of willpower, so long as they did not die young, would sooner or later grow strong enough to stand on their own!
Only...
"Amber Lead Syndrome. That's a troublesome issue. Forget it. Let's leave it to their luck."
Diamante had originally been prepared to let it go, but August's stare really irritated him.
And just as he was about to teach that brat another lesson, Law, who had just been mocked by everyone earlier, somehow appeared in front of him.
And that expression on his face already said everything.
If you want to get past me, kill me first!
Diamante's eyes immediately narrowed, and he raised the longsword in his hand without the slightest hesitation before bringing it down.
Thud!
That was the sound of August finally losing consciousness and collapsing.
At the same time, Diamante's sword flicked Law's hat into the air.
If it had moved just one inch farther, what would have been split open would not have been the hat, but Law's skull.
Yet Law did not give a single step. There was not even the faintest trace of fear in his eyes.
"How boring. But since Doffy agreed to let you join, we'll leave it at that. Let's just hope you can last a little longer. Hahahahaha!"
Diamante left. Law picked up his hat and put it back on, then immediately ran over to August.
After confirming that August was only badly injured and not in immediate danger of dying, he slung him over his back and followed Baby 5 and Buffalo to the treatment room.
However, the doctor there was mediocre at best.
Not only were his skills poor, but after seeing the white patches on August's body, he was terrified out of his mind.
No matter what anyone said, he refused to let August stay there any longer and wanted to throw him out.
Even if Doflamingo asked about it afterward, he could just say the injuries had been too severe and the boy could not be saved.
What he did not expect, however, was that Law not only understood medicine, he was a genius at it.
So Law simply took over and treated August himself, even throwing that quack doctor out of the room.
How could the man possibly endure that kind of humiliation?
In a moment of anger, he ran off to file a complaint first.
What he did not know was that Doflamingo had already learned what had happened before he even got there.
So Doflamingo directly ordered people to arrest the doctor.
If August still could not be saved and ended up dying, then maybe the man might still keep his life.
But if Law managed to save August...
Tell me, what kind of end do you think awaited an utterly useless man in this place?
The doctor's face turned deathly pale on the spot. For the first time in his life, he regretted something so deeply.
Unfortunately, no amount of regret could change anything now.
(End of Chapter)
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