How he praises him when he's not present:

He most likely purposefully recruited sensible people with no ego issues to compel them to show off & put themselves in danger. Why do you think Luffy & the strawhats stress him out so much? His ship is a submarine so they can avoid running into other pirates & marines for as long as possible. They're all medics which historically do not train to be on the front lines of battles. He didn't even let them get involved in his dangerous revenge plot despite them begging to join him. He literally opted to outsource the labor by forming an alliance instead of putting his crew in danger. Then he proceeded to send them into hiding should something go wrong and Doffy went after them in retaliation.

Law doesn't want his crew to fight! He wants them to sit back and let him do all the heavy lifting and just provide support. He can't and won't lose anyone else if he can fucking help it! The Heart Pirates are not there to give him physical strength y'all!! They exist for the sole purpose of companionship & emotional support!!!

They're basically hired friends. Which makes what happened to them in egghead all the more tragic. Law couldn't stop his life being spared by loved ones yet again. I just know he isn't even the least bit ok right now.