"Don't think you can bribe Lord Buffalo with that! I'll never cover up the truth for that guy!"
Seeing the chubby kid acting like he was the smartest person in the room, Abel promptly had Baby-5 snatch back the half-meter-tall deluxe ice cream.
"Whatever. I'm not even that close to Law anyway. His life or death isn't my problem."
"This ice cream looks absolutely divine! One bite, and I'd probably die of pure bliss~"
Abel immediately opened his mouth wide and slowly leaned in to take a bite of the strawberry at the top of the ice cream.
Buffalo felt like a million ants were crawling in his heart. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "No! That's mine!"
"So, we have a deal?"
This time, Buffalo didn't hesitate, nodding repeatedly.
Just as Abel had suspected, Buffalo had never liked Corazon. When he witnessed Law assassinate him, he felt shock, but also a secret thrill.
Unconcerned about being tricked, Abel cheerfully instructed Baby-5 to return the deluxe ice cream to Buffalo.
Buffalo immediately began licking it with unrestrained joy.
With all the witnesses taken care of, everything would return to normal once Law was captured.
Before heading back, Abel decided to use his newly refreshed free search attempt for the day.
Initiate Wish Order search?
Current search attempts: 1 (free)
[Searching for Wish Orders... Search complete!]
[Obtained a Beginner's Prayer Order]
[Order Description: An old man calling himself the 'Turtle Hermit' suddenly finds life dull and seeks some amusement.]
[Order Content: A collection of photos of beautiful women or something else (you know what I mean).]
[Base Reward: Custom-Made Turtle Shell, 100 Trade Points]
[Remaining Time: 9 minutes 59 seconds]
"???"
Abel stared at the order, utterly speechless.
'You truly live up to your reputation'
"You two go back first. I need to buy some other things."
Abel suddenly felt grateful he had borrowed a full 5,000 Beri from Baby-5 earlier. Otherwise, he would have been completely stuck right now.
Nine out of ten lolis are rich, and the tenth is the richest of them all!
The seniors weren't lying.
It was clear Baby-5 wanted to stay by Abel's side, but the items he needed to purchase next were definitely not something he wanted her to see. Otherwise, his image would be completely shattered.
With Buffalo's assistance, Baby-5 finally left.
"Hehe, Baby-5 and I really have the best relationship!"
The chubby boy grinned foolishly all the way back, completely oblivious to the fact that Baby-5 hadn't even glanced at him once.
(Baby-5: Stay away from me! I don't want Abel to misunderstand~)
With only ten minutes left, Abel sprinted back the way he had come.
If he wasn't mistaken, he had spotted a bookstore earlier with novels and magazines displayed outside—exactly what he needed.
A few minutes later, under the shop owner's peculiar gaze, Abel spent every last Beri he had, barely managing to buy three books.
This junk is ridiculously expensive! 1,599 Beri per book! I had to pull out the Donquixote Family name just to get a slight discount.
If Doflamingo ever found out that Abel's first act under the family name was this kind of business, he'd probably kick him out in a rage!
In truth, the shop also carried even more expensive limited editions, but Abel couldn't afford them at all, so he pretended not to know they existed.
'I really need to figure out how to make some money first...'
Abel sighed and ducked into a nearby alley with the photo album.
After a quick flip-through, he found the models quite professional—'it should be good enough.'
'Damn, that perverted old man got off easy!'
With time running out, Abel didn't hesitate. He submitted the photo album and completed the order.
[Confirming order items... Initiating transfer.]
He figured getting a Four-Star review this time was unlikely.
The subsequent System Notification confirmed his suspicions:
[Beginner's Prayer Order completed. Customer gave a Three-Star rating (average)!]
[Comment: Hehe~ Not bad, not bad~ Hmm? That's all? Give me more!]
[Three-Star rating triggers standard Transaction Point reward. Remaining rewards have been automatically distributed. Please check your account.]
[By now, Abel had accumulated 1,350 Trade Points.]
The Custom-Made Turtle Shell also seemed quite interesting.
[Custom-Made Turtle Shell]
[Equipment-type item]
[Effect: Weight-bearing. When worn on the back, the weight can be adjusted as needed, ranging from 10 kg to 1,000 kg.]
[PS: To avoid being crushed to death, it's recommended to adjust the weight gradually, starting light and increasing incrementally.]
'This item clearly looks like it's meant for training, so it should be quite effective.'
'The only downside is its appearance.'
Just imagining himself wandering around Law, Baby-5, and the others all day with a turtle shell on his back suddenly gave him a mortifying sense of social death.
Maybe... it's better to just leave it in his inventory to gather dust.
'Wait a minute!'
Abel suddenly remembered the items that had refreshed in the Shop last time. The blue Defense Bracelet had already broken, but the remaining two were still lying quietly in the Shop.
[Item: Camouflage Spray Paint (White)]
[Single-use consumable]
[Description: Your marksmanship might be lacking, but your paint job has to be cool!]
[Effect: Permanently alters the appearance of one ordinary item.]
[Price: 100 Transaction Points]
[Quantity: 1]
[PS: Just spray it! The Pianist is ready to battle!]
[Item: N95 Filter Cigarette (White)]
[Disposable consumable]
[Description: Absolutely non-toxic and harmless, even with epic-level deep inhalation.]
[Effect: When lit, it refreshes the mind and slowly restores energy.]
[Price: 20 Trade Points]
[Quantity: 10 (boxes)]
[PS: Since I got these, Mom no longer worries about me getting lung cancer!]
Originally, Abel hadn't planned to buy these two items.
But looking cool was a lifelong pursuit!
He couldn't shake the feeling that if he actually wandered around under the Donquixote Family's nose with a turtle shell on his back, he'd never be able to hold his head high again.
Besides, he still had a surplus of Transaction Points. Even if something went wrong, he'd have enough time to purchase the Red Heart to extend his lifespan.
And joining the Donquixote Family, whatever else it might entail, at least guaranteed a certain level of safety.
Of course, that was provided he didn't provoke any of the Executives.
So Abel immediately bought both items, spending a total of 300 Trade Points and leaving him with 1050.
Without hesitation, he pulled out the Custom-Made Turtle Shell and the Camouflage Spray Paint and began spraying!
In no time at all, the laughable turtle shell had transformed into a sleek, silver circular shield, its metallic surface gleaming with futuristic technology. Abel couldn't help but admire it, feeling an almost possessive fondness for the shield.