Chapter 96

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Without much thought, Doflamingo already knew that this was Kureha's trump card against him.

Perhaps the horde eager to snap at them wouldn't inflict substantial damage to the Donquixote family.

However, they could definitely stall their expansion, consuming valuable time and energy.

How could Doflamingo not be infuriated!

But it's too late to say anything now. The only choice is to counter each move and first stabilize their own foundation.

So, in the following meeting, Doflamingo issued numerous orders. Aside from a few who were heavily injured and required rest, everyone else had to swiftly get to work, eliminating any elements detrimental to the family's growth.

However, compared to the multitude of preventative measures the family needs to take, the active family officers seemed to be at their wit's end.

Looking at his 'family' members, each bearing wounds, Doflamingo suddenly spoke, "Considering Abel's outstanding performance in the recent battle, I've decided to promote him to an executive role. What do you think?"

Sitting at the end of the table, Abel, who had been dozing off with his head lowered, was surprised to hear his name and quickly raised his head.

"An executive? Me?"

The surprise seemed to have come so suddenly that he was somewhat disbelieving.

"Could this be the 'surprise' Doflamingo mentioned to me on the ship?"

Abel wasn't sure, but this 'surprise' was indeed something he wanted.

Once he became an executive, he could do many things, including allocating family resources and even overseeing certain regions.

He wouldn't need to ask Senior for help with every little thing.

Under Doflamingo's scrutiny, no one stood up to dispute this matter.

The young members of the Rona family could only feel happy and envious of Abel becoming an executive, and moreover, their opinions were not important.

Senior was always the family member with the best relationship with Abel, and it's needless to say that Abel had recently helped him win over a girl. He naturally wholeheartedly approved of this.

Due to his relationship with Senior, Gladius would only help, not hinder.

Lao G owed Abel his life and wished he could pass all his knowledge to him. How could he prevent Abel from becoming an executive?

Since Jora and Lao G were close card-playing friends, and she'd noticed Abel's potential long ago, seeking opportunities to improve their relationship, she naturally went along with this decision.

As for the remaining executives, Trebol, Pica, and Diamante, their positions were unshakeable at the top of the family. Even if Abel truly became an executive, there would be no difference.

Moreover, even if they did have other thoughts, they wouldn't publicly question Doflamingo.

The remaining opinion of Machvise was ultimately insignificant.

And so, with a chorus of 'agreed' responses echoing one after the other, Abel naturally ascended to the role of executive.

However, due to his age, he was temporarily not assigned to any division and would be directed by Doflamingo himself.

Abel was delighted with this outcome!

He even had already decided: if anyone objected and hindered his executive position, he would surely find a chance to deal with them in the future!

That's right, he held grudges like that!

But who would have thought his 'popularity' was so high?

Ah, this damned personal charm!

Abel, not typically big on ego, couldn't help but laugh joyfully. Even his view of Diamante seemed to become much more favorable.

But it wasn't over yet.

Doflamingo brought out two boxes, one large and one small.

"As rewards for saving Pica and Lao G, and also to celebrate your promotion to executive, open them and see."

There was more?

Without hesitation, Abel accepted the rewards, opening the smaller box first. To his surprise, it contained a beautifully crafted flintlock pistol that looked very similar to the one Doflamingo always carried.

"Young Master, could this be your..."

Jora couldn't help but exclaim in shock.

Doflamingo immediately burst into laughter, "Heh heh heh heh heh. I did consider giving him my gun, but regretfully, this gun holds a special significance to me. So, I had one just like it made especially. How do you like it?"

"Young Master, aren't you being too partial? This gift is so meaningful, who wouldn't want it~"

Before Abel could respond, Jora expressed her envy.

The rest showed varied expressions. Even though this was just an ordinary flintlock pistol, like Jora said, it was of extraordinary significance.

It was clear to see how much young Master Doflamingo valued Abel.

Abel, though calm inside, expressed an unusually excited demeanor on the surface, "I really appreciate this gift."

"Do you? I think you will like the next gift even more."

After placing the flintlock pistol back into its box, Abel turned his attention to the longer box next to him. He already had a vague guess about what was inside.

Upon opening it, his guess proved correct!

Inside, a long sword lay peacefully.

As if drawn by something, Abel directly grasped the handle and drew the sword.

The blade of the sword was silver-white, embossed with jagged red lines, with a central groove designed specifically for bleeding an opponent. With a blade length of 85 centimeters and a rectangular hilt, one look was enough to know that this was no ordinary blade.

At this moment, Doflamingo provided an explanation, "This sword is named 'Onimaru', one of the 'Ryō Wazamono' grade swords. I don't know which ignorant person put it up for sale on the black market, but when I received the news, I thought it would be perfect for you."

"Abel, remember one thing: every drop of blood you shed for the family will not be in vain. We are family, and the family will always be your backup."

Abel immediately nodded earnestly, "Yes, I understand."

As they say, high risk, high reward. His blood indeed hadn't been shed in vain this time.

Despite knowing that Doflamingo was using this method to win over people's hearts, one couldn't deny that he was extremely generous with his own people.

He readily provided things like Devil Fruits, renowned swords, treasures. Anything you desired, he would give without a hint of hesitation or regret.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this sword is merely one of the 'Ryō Wazamono' grade; it's a rare find indeed, especially in a place like the North Blue.

And having recently been in battle, Abel realized that he did indeed need a weapon for daily use.

Otherwise, if Baby-5 lost her combat ability or wasn't by his side, he'd be left poking around with a regular short sword, unable to fully utilize his strength.

Therefore, even if it was a sugar-coated bullet, he decided to swallow it for now.

Meanwhile, as the North Blue was in turmoil and the Donquixote family was preoccupied, a fleet of slave-catching ships, disguised as ordinary merchant ships, was moving at full speed under the escort of several warships.

"I'm scared, Ivette."

On one of these slave-catching ships, a dirty-faced, black-haired little girl was hiding in a woman's arms, nervously stealing glances at the terrifying surroundings.

"Don't be scared, your big sister is here. I'll definitely protect you."

If Abel were present, he would undoubtedly recognize the blonde beauty comforting the little girl in her arms as Ivankov Ivette, with whom he had had an encounter before.

It seemed that this former king was rather unfortunate.

After 'stealing' the ship and supplies, she left the horrific land of the Fleuret Kingdom with all the slaves.

Along the way, she had to diplomatically navigate various power dynamics, all to ensure that everyone could return to their hometowns and reunite with their families.

However, when the plan was put into action, she realized how incredibly challenging it was!

These slaves were all captured by slave traders from various places, then sold collectively to the Fleuret Kingdom. As a result, the journey could not be planned in a straightforward manner; the destinations were too numerous, scattered in all directions.

Left with no other option, she chose to first send away those who lived nearby or who remembered where their homes were, to lessen the burden. After all, managing so many people, just resolving the food issue was a problem in itself.

Then, new issues arose.

For some, returning home meant warm embraces and tears of joy from their families. Yet, for others, all they saw was embarrassment and unwelcome on their family's faces. After such a long absence, everyone thought they were dead, while they were forced to continue living.

Many had already rebuilt new families. Seeing their former partners now nestled with others, their children calling someone else "Mom" or "Dad", living in their homes, and spending the money they left behind, was the greatest sorrow one could experience in life.

Yet, what could be done after everything had already happened?

Could they blame their families for not waiting for their return? In reality, without someone to rescue them, they probably would never have been able to return. So, should they expect their families to wait forever?

Should they blame themselves?

Blame themselves for being so naive, so unlucky, to be captured and sold as slaves?

Many were cast into a state of confusion.

Some found that their homes were gone upon their return, not even sure if their families were alive or dead.

Then Ivette noticed that only a small portion of the people ultimately chose to stay in their hometowns. The rest either couldn't accept the new reality, were not accepted by their families, or were simply homeless.

These people ended up returning to the ship, aimlessly wandering around like the walking dead, unable to find any purpose in their existence.

Looking at them, Ivette saw a reflection of her past self.

Confused, helpless, unable to see the future, and unsure of her purpose in life.

Until that day, when a certain boy brought destruction to the kingdom but simultaneously sparked her rebirth, enabling her to find her purpose in life again.

Now, it was her turn to save these lost souls.

In her unique way, Ivette began to inspire others. Gradually, more and more people were infected by her radiant smile, beginning to accept her ideology and willing to contribute to it.

In this way, the former king, who had lost her kingdom, once again had subjects who adored her.

However, this good fortune was short-lived.

Despite their efforts, they not only returned many people to their hometowns but also rescued many more pitiful individuals who shared the same experience. However, this led to offending numerous noble powers of many countries and those ruthless slave traders.

Ivette had considered the consequences of these actions. She had thought about operating subtly, gradually making progress. But every time she saw those numb-faced slaves being treated like cattle on the plantation owner's farms, she couldn't resist leading a rescue operation.

Those who always walk by the river cannot avoid wet shoes. During one of these rescue missions, they fell into a trap set up by the nobles and slave traders working together.

Ivette was captured on the spot. Some of her companions were executed publicly as a warning to others, while the rest were made slaves again, awaiting sale.

Ivette had thought that her death was certain and was prepared to die. She only felt sorry for those who had vowed to follow her.

But things took an unexpected turn.

Many renowned slave traders in the North Sea received a large order. A high-ranking individual in the Grand Line needed a large number of slaves, with a willingness to pay any price.

This delighted these slave traders. Consequently, they gathered all their 'goods' in anticipation of selling them for a good price.

Being premium 'goods,' Ivette naturally escaped the threat of death.

This led to the opening scene of our story.

After a long time, the ships finally stopped one after another, having arrived at the trading place. But while all the slave traders were boasting about how much Berries they were going to make from this deal, they failed to notice the playful yet cruel gleam in the eyes of the men in black suits boarding the ship.

With the head of a slave trader suddenly rolling onto the deck, it seemed to signal the beginning of a massacre.

In just a short while, all accompanying slave traders and their guards were killed.

Then the men in black suits took control of the slave ships and quickly departed.

Throughout this process, the navy on the neighboring escort warships did not intervene, as if they hadn't seen anything.

If it hadn't been for the escort of navy warships all the way, how could these slave traders have been so careless?

After all, this was a high-ranking individual who could even command warships!

How could he deceive them, these commoners?!

Suddenly, the ship's intercom came to life.

"Kaga"

"It's me, how did things go?"

"Report to the officer, we have taken over the goods, and all the slave traders have been dealt with. We estimate leaving the North Sea in a day."

"Excellent. Get this batch of goods to the designated auction house as soon as possible."

"Yes, officer!"

"By the way, about that matter you were investigating, what have you found?"

"We can confirm it was the Donquixote family's doing. The entire nobility of the Flevance Kingdom was wiped out just because they refused to purchase the family's weapons. All their assets have ended up in the hands of the Donquixote family. However, the strange thing is that all the slaves managed to escape. Afterward, we were unable to locate Gavin and his people's whereabouts, probably they were killed, but we couldn't find their bodies."

"Can it be confirmed whether the Donquixote family has learned anything?"

"We can't be sure, but it's likely just a coincidence."

Spandine, on the other end of the phone, was relieved after hearing this. The failure of the last transaction and the sudden disappearance of Gavin and his men had given him a scare, he hadn't dared to investigate further. It wasn't until the heat died down, and nothing happened, did he give into his greed and send people out to make a deal that required no initial investment.

Moreover, this time their target was those infamous slave traders, which should be foolproof.

Unfortunately, they couldn't pull off this sort of deal often. If done too frequently, even the mice would become wiser and stop falling for the trap.

As for the Donquixote family that ruined his plans last time, Spandine wasn't a forgiving person. However, because he knew some inside information, he didn't dare to act rashly. After all, he wasn't willing to gamble with the whims of the Celestial Dragons.

Gabriel Island, a large training ground had been designated within the castle where the Donquixote family was stationed.

"Captain Doflamingo, aren't we continuing our tactical knowledge training today?" Abel asked curiously, looking around to find only the two of them there.

Doflamingo, adorned in a pink feathered coat and sunglasses, looking as flamboyant as possible, spoke rather seriously: "Even though you've become an executive of the family, it doesn't mean your strength has been recognized by all."

"On the contrary, in my view, you're still far from it. So next, I will teach you a power called 'Haki.' You need to learn it diligently."

"Haki?"