On the Grand Line, Doflamingo led the Donquixote Pirates toward Water 7. Without a Log Pose for their destination, they had no choice but to descend from the sky and resume their voyage on the sea.
The moment the Donquixote Pirates, who had vanished without a trace, reappeared on the sea routes, they quickly drew attention.
Fame brings trouble. Right now, the hottest topic on the seas was none other than Doflamingo, and thus, the number of people who wanted to take his head was countless.
Blood stained the surface of the sea as another pirate crew met their end, their remains devoured by the fish.
There was no pity in the eyes of Doflamingo and his crew. From the moment those pirates had sought them out, their fate was sealed.
After the first wave of harassment came a second. The continuous stream of pirate attacks was a welcome sight for Doflamingo and the others. That's right—Doflamingo wasn't annoyed. In fact, he was somewhat looking forward to them coming even faster.
Naturally, Doflamingo wouldn't personally deal with these nobodies. It was the perfect opportunity to hand them over to Law, Baby 5, and the others to handle, allowing them to grow amidst blood and fire.
Aboard a pirate ship, the three little ones were cleaning up.
Bang!
Baby 5 took out a pirate with a single shot. She raised her arm, which had transformed into a pistol, and blew away the smoke rising from the barrel, her eyes resolute and fierce.
On the other side, Law, wielding his longsword, cut down the attacking pirates one by one. His moves were sharp, his strikes merciless. Under Law's blade, there were no survivors.
Buffalo soared above the battlefield, looking for any stragglers and finishing them off.
"You killed quite a few, Law!" Baby 5 said, her battle-hardened ferocity replaced by a playful tone.
A man with no room for women in his heart naturally draws his sword with divine speed. Law couldn't be bothered to respond to her. As far as he was concerned, she loved to get into fights but wasn't very good at it, and she seemed determined to annoy him.
"Hey, Law, did you hear me? I'm talking to you!" Baby 5 urged impatiently when Law didn't answer.
Hearing her agitation, Law replied with a sigh, "In the time you've spent talking to me, I've already killed several more enemies."
Baby 5 shot Law a great big eye-roll and fell silent.
Just then, Buffalo flew down from the sky and landed beside them.
"Is everything taken care of?" Law asked him.
"All dealt with. Not a single one left," Buffalo reported seriously.
"Then it's time we went back," Law said to the two after a moment's thought.
"We really should get back, so the Young Master doesn't worry," Baby 5 said with a touch of pride.
"With a bunch of trash like this, Mr. Doflamingo wouldn't worry about us. Don't underestimate our abilities," Law retorted, a fierce look in his eyes.
"Law, you! Hmph!" Baby 5 pouted, turning away from him.
Law, enjoying the rare moment of peace, couldn't be bothered with her.
Buffalo, the honest one, didn't say much, simply watching their playful bickering.
The pirate ship wasn't far from the Ark Maxim. Doflamingo and his crew had been watching the trio's actions from their own ship. It was all just minor skirmishes. If any truly difficult opponents appeared, Enel and the others would step in.
"Room... Takt."
With Law's command, he instantly reappeared on the deck of the Ark Maxim.
Seeing that Law had already left, Baby 5 urged Buffalo, "Buffalo, quick, take me away from here."
Buffalo dared not provoke the little tyrant that was Baby 5 and was extremely obedient. He transformed into a small plane and carried her back to the Ark.
Aboard the Ark, Doflamingo was relieved to see the three of them had all returned.
"Law, how many groups of enemies have you dealt with now?" Doflamingo asked, looking at the three who had just returned from a bloody battle.
Law thought for a moment, then answered seriously, "It's been over a month since we've been sailing on the sea. We've been attacked by fifteen pirate crews of various sizes. On average, we encounter an attack every two days."
Hearing his response, Doflamingo asked with a smile, "Then do you feel you've gained anything from this past month of fighting?"
"Yes," Law answered without hesitation.
"Oh?" Doflamingo looked at Law with curiosity, wanting to hear his answer. As for the other two, they were still in a bit of a daze, reflecting on their own gains and losses.
"The enemy... must be completely eliminated. They... were too weak. I'm still far from strong enough," Law said, looking at Doflamingo seriously. A murderous aura fluctuated around him, giving off a deadly feeling.
After a month of constant battle, Law had become even more ruthless and merciless. Once he struck, every move was fatal. The killing intent he radiated had grown immensely. Compared to the person he was a month ago, he was like two different people.
"Very good." Doflamingo looked at Law with satisfaction. He wasn't pleased with Law's words, but rather with the fierce and formidable aura around him, and with his growth and self-awareness.
A flower raised in a greenhouse will not survive long in a harsh environment. Doflamingo did not want Law and the others to become hothouse flowers. To temper them, the hard, dirty, and tiring work naturally fell to them.
"And you two?" Doflamingo turned to look at Baby 5 and Buffalo, wanting to hear a reasonable answer.
"Young Master, I..." Baby 5 was ambivalent, unable to get any words out.
Buffalo, as always, followed Baby 5's lead, firmly protecting her interests and enjoying the benefits that came with it.
"I see." Seeing that Baby 5 couldn't squeeze out a single word, Doflamingo let her off the hook. He had been observing them for many days and had naturally seen everyone's growth.
The reason he asked was to see if they themselves were satisfied with their growth over the past month. It seemed Law's awareness was a cut above the other two. He didn't need to worry too much; Law could grow strong on his own.
As for Baby 5 and Buffalo, they were slightly disappointing. The potential of the Arms-Arms Fruit was much greater than this. However, after being baptized in blood for so long, Baby 5 had also become more formidable, and her own killing intent was gradually solidifying.
The kid, Buffalo, had average strength and still needed more training. As an orphan, he knew his own potential, so he worked harder than Baby 5. Although his development of his Devil Fruit ability was somewhat lacking, his persistence was commendable.
Doflamingo didn't have the time to guide Buffalo on the development of his fruit, but he did give him a hint: use the fruit's development on the enemy, don't just focus on yourself.
He hoped Buffalo could give him a surprise.
"Your performance this month has been acceptable," Doflamingo said after glancing at the three. "Law's performance was very good. Calm when facing the enemy, decisive in killing, and no hesitation."
"What about me, Young Master?" Baby 5 asked with anticipation upon hearing Doflamingo's high praise for Law.
"You? So-so. At least you're not as much of a disgrace as before. You haven't shown me any of the techniques I taught you this entire month," Doflamingo said, shattering her expectations and splashing her with a basin of cold, hard reality.
"But, Young Master, the moves you taught me are all so hard! I... I can't use them yet!" Baby 5 said, feeling wronged.
"That just means you're too weak. Don't forget what I told you. You'd better step up your training. In the future, I don't want to have to collect your corpse," Doflamingo wouldn't spoil Baby 5. When it was time for criticism and education, he would not hold back.
"I know, Young Master," Baby 5 said, lowering her head, not daring to look at him after his stern lecture.
"As for Buffalo, your performance was also acceptable. Keep up the good work," Doflamingo gave Buffalo a word of encouragement.
Buffalo had been expecting a lecture from the Young Master, but instead, he received encouragement. He was overjoyed. "I will, Young Master! I'll work hard! I definitely won't disappoint you!"
"Alright, go get cleaned up," Doflamingo said, no longer focusing on the three little ones and sending them away.
Receiving their orders, the trio quickly left to wash the blood off themselves.
"Bepo, how much longer until we reach Water 7?" Doflamingo asked, looking at the bear who was seriously steering the ship.
"Young Master, uh, it should be another five or six days," Bepo answered.
"Alright, I understand."
Doflamingo gazed out at the distant ocean, his eyes deep, his thoughts unknown.
On the great sea, the Ark Maxim sailed alone, carrying the members of the Donquixote Pirates towards Water 7.