"Ah!"
A black iron spear struck Buffalo in the abdomen, instantly transforming into a cage that locked his body in place.
Now, he couldn't even fly.
The two immediately "crashed," plummeting in free fall.
Abel felt a sense of helplessness, knowing he had done everything he could.
Fortunately, the sea lay below, and Buffalo, having exhausted much of his stamina earlier, hadn't been flying at a great height.
'He shouldn't die from this fall...'
That was probably the only good news.
But just then, Abel suddenly felt his descent halt.
Turning his head, he discovered that Doflamingo had saved him.
After wrapping Abel and Buffalo in thin strings, Doflamingo immediately flung them far away, then used the String-String Fruit's Ability to pull the clouds rapidly toward the warship.
Señor seized the opportunity, leaping up to easily catch the thrown Abel and Buffalo before turning his gaze back to the warship behind them.
"All hands, aim at Doflamingo... Fire!"
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Seeing his targets rescued, Tsuru inwardly cursed her misfortune but immediately ordered a concentrated barrage on Doflamingo.
After all, once Doflamingo was captured, the so-called Donquixote Family would crumble in an instant.
"Tsuru, you never cease to amaze me. The renowned Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters resorting to attacking two children? Truly unbelievable."
Doflamingo, having formed a shield of threads to block all the bullets, landed on the warship and immediately began taunting.
Tsuru remained unmoved. "I'm merely trying to save two children who are about to stray down the wrong path, to prevent them from sinking further into evil."
"Fufufufufu, save them? I doubt they need saving. They'll come to me willingly, eager to join the Donquixote Family. You should thank yourselves for that."
"It was the Marines who pushed them into my arms! Pushed them toward the 'evil' you speak of!"
Doflamingo spread his arms wide, his laughter dripping with mockery.
Tsuru frowned slightly. Though she didn't know exactly what had happened to the children, she recognized the scorn in his tone.
Perhaps there was more to this than met the eye.
After all, the Marines were a vast organization, and corrupt elements and black sheep could never be completely purged.
Some branches, far from central oversight, had become festering sores, even more depraved than some pirate crews.
Over the years, some individuals, driven by various grievances against the Marines, had turned to piracy and other criminal pursuits.
Tsuru was well aware of these problems but lacked effective solutions.
She could sympathize, but she would never tolerate such behavior.
Perhaps the child had indeed been forced to join the Donquixote Family's evil forces due to the Marines' negligence or other circumstances. But that was no reason for her to stand idly by.
In fact, her determination to bring the child back to the path of righteousness only intensified.
"Perhaps what you say is true. Perhaps the Marines have made mistakes in the past. But we will confront these errors, make amends, and correct them."
"Now is the time for us to rectify our past mistakes."
"Donquixote Doflamingo, you won't escape today."
The 60-year-old Tsuru suddenly unleashed a formidable aura that even Doflamingo found unsettling.
But Doflamingo wasn't one to be easily intimidated. Since he dared to stay and buy time, he clearly had unwavering confidence in his own strength.
"Spare me your empty threats, old hag! I'd like to see what you can do to stop me!"
"Five-Colored Threads!"
Doflamingo immediately launched the first strike, initiating the battle.
On the Flamingo, Abel and Buffalo, now freed from their restraints, lay exhausted on the deck, resting.
"Full speed ahead!"
"Hurry, hurry! Only by reaching safety first can we ease the pressure on the Young Master and ensure his swift return."
"These damned Marines! Sooner or later, we'll slaughter them all!"
Abel automatically filtered out the clamor.
Having unleashed the Asura Aurora Slash three times in quick succession had not only drained his physical stamina but also left his head feeling heavy.
The good news was that he had just received a system notification: the Asura Aurora Slash had unexpectedly leveled up to LV2!
Besides his diligent practice over the past few days, Abel suspected that this skill upgrade might also be related to his fusion of the White Yaksha's swordsmanship insights.
Moreover, before Buffalo was struck, Abel could have unleashed one more Asura Aurora Slash.
He had recorded it using a blank Magic Card: [Magic Card: Asura Aurora Slash].
However, given the circumstances, even another strike would have been futile, so he chose not to reveal this ability.
"Now that Asura Aurora Slash has reached LV2, while Magic Card Modification remains at LV1, I can no longer record new techniques. It seems I'll need to find time to level up this skill as well. It might prove invaluable in a critical moment."
Seizing the opportunity to train undisturbed, Abel meticulously planned his upcoming training regimen.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the Flamingo, traveling at full speed, finally shook off the pursuing warship.
Under normal circumstances, such an escape would have been impossible.
It was only thanks to Doflamingo's exceptional combat prowess in group battles that he managed to stall the Marines, diverting their attention from the Flamingo.
Moments later, a figure rapidly approached from the sky.
"Young Master is back!"
The Donquixote Family members instantly perked up, a heavy weight lifting from their hearts.
Though they had unwavering faith in Doflamingo's ability to cover their retreat, they knew that even the most seasoned traveler could slip up. Better safe than sorry.
If Doflamingo had been captured, the Donquixote Family would have been forced to disband, its members scattering to their respective strongholds.
Though Doflamingo had returned safely, he looked rather disheveled.
Half of his pink feathered coat had been burned away, and his flamboyant sunglasses were shattered, leaving only the frame dangling from his nose.
His left cheek was bruised, clearly from a fistfight.
A bloody gash ran down his arm.
'How utterly unrefined!'
Doflamingo's expression was dark with fury, silencing the crowd. No one dared speak, fearing his wrath.
It was Trebol who finally shouted, "Doctor! Where's the doctor? Dof, get your wounds bandaged immediately!"
"I'm fine," Doflamingo snapped. "Just a momentary lapse in judgment. I didn't expect that old hag to have such formidable female Marines guarding her. I almost got trapped."
"But she'll pay dearly for provoking me!"
Doflamingo let out a cold laugh, clearly having retaliated swiftly after his setback. One could only imagine how many Marines had died in the ensuing carnage.