Chapter 99

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Disregarding the innocents, everywhere were severed limbs, with no living person in sight. This scene took so long to transpire due to the unexpected discovery that the leader of the band of mountain bandits was a devil fruit user.

Judging from his transformed state, it looked like he was a user of the zoan-type goat fruit. No wonder the military of this country had no means to subdue these individuals.

Abel initially found some interest in this, so he decided to forego the use of weapons and instead practised his Observation Haki and Armament Haki on the leader. Only after the real clash did he realize that this fellow hadn't eaten the devil fruit for long and had barely harnessed its abilities. His transformations were limited, making the battle rather dull.

After giving the bandit a harsh thrashing, Abel decapitated him with a swift strike, avoiding further waste of time. Lately, he'd encountered too many of these reckless fellows.

Sometimes, Abel truly didn't understand why these weaklings were bold enough to challenge the Donquixote Family. Were they so eager to send themselves to the grave?

"Dinner's ready."

Releasing her scythe, Baby-5 immediately reverted to her little girl form, and started selectively absorbing souls. While she could do the same in her weapon form, she felt that doing so lacked a sense of ceremony and she claimed the souls tasted icy cold, akin to consuming ice cream.

The notion was somewhat horrifying. But the souls of these fallen humans were undoubtedly steeped in sin during their lifetime, so consuming them might spare others their potential harm in the future.

"Are you really a high-ranking officer of the Donquixote Family?"

Bellamy gathered the courage to ask while his face was still bleeding. He couldn't see these so-called souls, and hence was clueless about what Baby-5 was doing. However, he witnessed her transformation from a scythe to a human, which greatly astounded him.

"Why? Don't you think I resemble someone from the Donquixote Family or that I don't look like an officer?"

"No, no, I didn't mean that."

Abel casually joked with Bellamy as Baby-5 hadn't finished her meal. His main reason, however, was that he'd heard this youngster praising the Donquixote Family and admiring Doflamingo while outside.

Abel knew that Bellamy was the 'Spring Man' from the original story due to his name. Despite his arrogant and insolent personality resulting from worshipping the wrong person, Bellamy was straightforward and simple-minded. Following the 'collapse' by Doflamingo, he even gave up piracy to learn cloth dyeing, working in a dye shop.

Such a person, even if he went bad, couldn't go too far off.

"I greatly admire Captain Doflamingo. Could I join the Donquixote Family? Even if it's just as a helper!"

Bellamy suddenly bowed deeply towards Abel, his tone filled with fervor.

"This guy does have some potential to cultivate. However, now is not the time," Abel quietly shook his head after giving Bellamy a few glances.

Firstly, Bellamy at this point hadn't eaten the spring fruit and his talents were average. He wouldn't catch Doflamingo's eye. Secondly, what did Bellamy's admiration for Doflamingo have to do with Abel? Even if one wanted to keep a dog, one would prefer a dog that is loyal to oneself, right?

Who would

In all honesty, the extent of Doflamingo's strength was not something that Bellamy could articulate. However, the formidable power Abel demonstrated in front of him left an indelible mark on his psyche.

Considering his current situation, Bellamy felt that without Abel's timely intervention, he might have been disfigured by mountain bandits and buried alive somewhere on the mountainside. This realization caused a shift in Bellamy's thinking, and his adulation for Doflamingo seemed less unwavering.

"Can I join the Donquixote family?" Bellamy asked. "I want to stand beside Captain Doflamingo to understand him better."

"I'm sorry," Abel replied. "The Donquixote family is not so easily joined. You still have a long way to go. Keep pushing yourself, boy, there will be opportunities in the future."

Even though Abel was a year younger than him, Bellamy did not find anything amiss in his words. The massive gap in power was evident. Although he had anticipated this outcome, the actual rejection left him dejected. However, Bellamy, with his straightforward and stubborn personality, quickly bounced back.

"You're right, sir," he said with renewed determination. "As long as I strive to become stronger, I'll eventually be able to board Captain Doflamingo's ship. I hope for your guidance when the time comes!"

Abel, momentarily at a loss for words, was saved by the arrival of Baby-5. He nodded at Bellamy and said, "Give it your all, I look forward to that day."

However, as Abel was about to leave, he heard a commotion behind him. Bellamy had smacked his head hard on the ground and loudly declared, "I will forever remember your life-saving grace, Sir Abel! If ever you need my assistance, I will lay down my life for you!"

"Well, then, you can start by helping those kidnapped folks get back home," Abel responded.

Just as Abel was about to leave, he turned back to Bellamy with a smirk. "When the day comes when the person you admire most becomes mine, you might want to join me. Who knows? I might need someone to do odd jobs on my ship. Goodbye."

Bellamy jerked his head up to watch Abel's retreating figure. Despite his face still bleeding, he didn't feel any pain. Instead, he was exhilarated and wanted to shout out loud.

This was the first time he felt recognized, especially by someone as powerful as Abel. It seemed like he suddenly understood the significance of his decision, and his heart held another figure of admiration.

Days later, after dealing with another pesky group of pirates who were foolish enough to challenge the family, Abel activated the system.

"Ready to start searching for wish orders?" it asked. Abel went ahead, and in the end, got an entry-level wish order. However, the wish was from the world of Dragon Ball, and the order was somewhat tricky. Abel decided to use a "Four-Star Review Card."

"If it's the Dragon Ball world, there should be lots of good stuff," he mumbled. After a random stone was traded for the desired item, he used the card.

"Confirm the order. Start the transfer," the system said. After the transaction, the system reported a happy client and a four-star review. This resulted in an extra fifty percent of base trade points and three Senzu beans.

"A four-star review card for 450 trade points and three Senzu beans. Is it worth it?" Abel mused, feeling like he'd hit the jackpot.

Due to the undeniable value and practicality of the Senzu beans, these could serve as a trump card in critical situations, allowing Abel to preserve his life or even strike back against his enemies.

With the talent of the "Warrior Spirit" and three Senzu beans, it would be challenging to meet one's end. However, facing an opponent surpassing his own level significantly, like Kaido, meant that regardless of the number of lives he had, death would be inevitable. Therefore, it was not yet time for grandeur.

Abel swiftly regained his composure. The system's store had not refreshed any items worthy of purchasing until now, so he had accumulated a total of 2600 trading points. Maybe it was time to try to achieve the intermediate trading qualifications?

Over the past month, most of the items refreshed by the system store were not useless, but indeed, they weren't of much use to Abel at his current stage. Such items were commonly referred to as chicken ribs – something of little value or use.

Except for the limited-time discount item "Dice of the Goddess of Luck," which he purchased for 100 trading points in early February, he kept all the other trading points. This item, a disposable product, was described as a small toy made by the Goddess of Luck out of boredom. Its effects could be: small luck, super luck, or super bad luck, each lasting an hour. Although Abel didn't have much faith in his own luck, it was a limited-time discount item, so he was sure it was worth the 100 trading points.