Chapter 98

Up to 15 future chapters at patreon.com/FFAddict

With Abel's successful mastery of the two types of Haki, it signaled that his 'vacation' was nearing its end.

After all, what remained was a matter of consistent and persistent practice, coupled with actual combat to achieve new breakthroughs.

As an officer, he also had to fulfill his responsibilities as such.

Hence, Abel was soon assigned a mission - to eliminate some competitors bold enough to challenge their business.

Incidentally, this also provided an opportunity to test Baby-5's new Devil Fruit weapon form.

Collecting 199 'Fallen Human Souls' was manageable, but the single 'Greedy Human Soul' was not so easy to find.

Fortunately, as a family officer, he now had the privilege of mobilizing the family's resources openly.

So, he decided to promote the hound Gabi and assigned him the task of gathering information.

Gabi was exhilarated, realizing he had chosen the right person to serve and swore his loyalty on the spot.

However, Abel didn't care much for this guy's loyalty.

Gabi's usefulness was limited, and the assistance he could provide was equally so.

If Gabi couldn't show his value in other ways, Abel might promote him one more time at most, and that would be it.

He wasn't worth further cultivation, let alone using the 'Devil's Contract' on him.

...

Notis was a very affluent place, reminiscent of the once prosperous white city of Dressrosa.

Though not as beautiful as Dressrosa, nor did it suffer from the horrific Lead Disease.

Such a prosperous island was, of course, not overlooked by Doflamingo, who had installed the Donquixote Family's flag here through his officers last year.

All those who dared to resist were thrown into the sea as fish food.

However, with the news of the Donquixote Family's defeat and escape from the Navy spreading, many forces immediately became restless.

Not long ago, a group of mountain bandits known as the 'Goat Horns' publicly removed the Donquixote Family's flag, a blatant challenge!

Numerous shops were ransacked and looted.

Even many women were taken to the mountains by them for their pleasure.

When the king sent an army to wipe out these bandits, they were embarrassingly defeated!

This undeniably emboldened the bandits further, warning the king that if he dared send more men, they would storm the palace and slaughter everyone!

The King was paralyzed with fear, not daring to act rashly. He had no choice but to contact the Donquixote Family in an attempt to pit one enemy against another.

After all, when choosing the lesser of two evils, the Donquixote Family, although not exactly virtuous, were more disciplined.

As a ruler, order was paramount!

In contrast, these mountain bandits were lawless, acting as they pleased.

If this continued, the whole nation would be destroyed.

In the easily defendable Mount Suspend, the 'Goat Horns' bandits were reveling in pleasure.

Food and wine that they could never have enjoyed before now filled the entire house - they could eat and drink whatever they wished.

Even using expensive bottles of wine costing hundreds of thousands of berries for mouthwash was permissible!

Moreover, each bandit was accompanied by at least three or four beautiful women, all of whom they had plundered from the villages below.

Once anyone had eaten and drunk to their heart's content, they would immediately start tearing at these women's clothes, not minding the public spectacle.

After all, they were crude and brutal mountain bandits!

For a while, the sound of laughter, drinking, shouting, and the desperate screams of women painted a gruesome tableau of hell on earth.

"Boss, we caught a sneaky brat outside!"

As the men inside were reveling, the room door was suddenly thrown open, and an underling entered, dragging a golden-haired boy who appeared to be about 12 or 13 years old.

The blond child seemed to realize the danger and was struggling and cursing, trying to break free, but he had overestimated his own strength and underestimated the terrifying nature of these bandits.

"How did a little kid like you sneak all the way here without being noticed? Are you all dead or what?"

The man with two round buns on his head and a long beard casually tossed his bottle of wine, which hit one of his subordinates squarely on the head.

The red wine mixed with blood flowed onto the floor, but the subordinate didn't dare make a sound, not even daring to look at the comical figure of his boss.

"Just take him outside and bury him somewhere. Oh, and clean up the mess before you go. What bad luck!"

"Sure thing, boss."

Upon hearing he was about to be buried alive, the golden-haired boy's eyes filled with terror. He yelled repeatedly, "Let me go! You bastards! Do you know who I am? I'm an officer of the Donquixote Family! You're all going to die! Captain Doflamingo will wipe all of you out! Now let me go!"

The mention of the Donquixote family piqued the interest of the man with the goatee, "Hold on, whelp, what's your name? Are you a part of the Donquixote family?"

"I am Bellamy! Yes, I have indeed joined the Donquixote family. If you beg now, you might just be spared. If not, once Captain Doflamingo arrives, you all are doomed!"

A 12-year-old Bellamy, with an overconfident and brash attitude, was unaware of how ridiculous his bravado appeared.

"Oh dear, the Donquixote family, I'm so scared. Please don't kill me? I can't... I can't hold my laughter."

"Right, we're terrified!"

"Here, I'm on my knees, begging. Is it enough?"

"No way, can't you see our great leader has spoken? You're as good as dead, hahaha."

Roars of laughter filled the room as they mockingly dismissed Bellamy and the notion of fearing the Donquixote family.

"Do you admire the Donquixote family, kid?"

After the laughter died down, the goateed man approached Bellamy, smacking his face as he asked in a teasing tone.

Bellamy, his face red with anger, retorted, "The Donquixote family is the pride of the North Sea! How would daydreamers like you understand the greatness of Captain Doflamingo?!"

"This petty game of playing pirates, I stopped indulging in it when I was three, it's utterly boring!!!"

The room fell silent at Bellamy's shouted retort.

It was unclear whether Bellamy's words struck a nerve, but the room, once filled with laughter, now held an eerie silence with every occupant wearing a stern expression.

"A children's game of pirates?"

"Well, let's show you how terrifying real pirates can be."

The goateed man suddenly drew a sharp dagger from his clothing, pressing it against Bellamy's temple, ready to cut downwards.

"I'm curious about something. When I slice off that annoying face of yours and send it to the Donquixote family, do you think they will shed tears for your tragic fate?" The man cruelly laughed.

Bellamy, suppressing his pain, glared back, "Someone will avenge me! You've crossed the Donquixote family, you will meet a bitter end, I assure you!"

Just as the man was about to push the blade further, a shadow crashed through the door, knocking over several people.

"Who's that?!"

Another figure slowly entered the room. This handsome, dark-haired boy, named Abel, was clearly not here for friendly chatter. Not only was a delicate flintlock pistol tucked into his belt, a long sword hung from his back, and, most surprisingly, he was wielding a massive scythe.

"Another one? Is this place a gaming room now?!" The goateed man was furious, "Where are my men? Are all of them dead?"

"77 in total."

"What?"

"Including the one who flew in just now, there were 77 people outside. Assuming no accidents, they should all be dead."

Abel's words hung in the air, causing a shock that echoed like thunder.

"They're all dead?"

The words hung heavily in the room, eliciting fear from all present. How much time had passed since they caught the blonde boy? Were 77 people killed in such a short time?

"Who are you?"

Seeing no response from outside, the goateed man asked, his expression serious.

"Donquixote family officer, Gustavus Abel, I'm here to guide you