Inside the corridor of the massive building, Nami and the others were sprinting down the stairs at full speed, as if sothing terrifying were chasing them from behind.
"What the hell was that thing just now?!" Nami cried out in panic.
That gigantic corpse—
it had actually been awakened using Luffy's shadow?!
That enormous body had to be dozens of ters tall!
Sothing that huge could really be revived by a shadow?!
Just how far did Gecko Moria's ability go?!
"You're not getting away!!"
Perona's shadow chased after them from behind as she shouted angrily.
"You actually hid inside Kumashi's body—unforgivable!"
Now she finally understood why Kumashi had been acting strange earlier.
Soone had been hiding inside him!
"Oh no—she caught up!" Usopp's face changed drastically. "Run!!"
He had seen with his own eyes what her ability did.
The mont that ghost passed through Chopper, Chopper beca completely depressed—so hopeless he wouldn't even resist being killed.
If Usopp hadn't thrown a smoke bomb in ti to disrupt her vision, they wouldn't have made it this far at all.
"You can't escape!" Perona laughed. "Just stay right here!"
As she spoke, her gaze locked firmly onto rry.
In her mind, she couldn't help recalling what Lord Moria had said earlier.
'Such a cute little girl… want to join ?'
And yet—
that girl had refused?!
Lord Moria rarely invited anyone personally, and she actually said no?!
That irritated Perona.
She decided the girl clearly needed to learn how to properly get along with Lord Moria—
so she wouldn't be so disrespectful after the Straw Hats were wiped out.
"We're not staying!" Usopp shouted, raising his slingshot.
"Only idiots stay behind!"
"Special Attack—Smoke Star!"
Bang!
The pellet exploded on the stairway, instantly filling the area with thick smoke.
"Now—move!"
Usopp turned and bolted.
Unfortunately, smoke ant absolutely nothing to a ghost.
"Horahorahora~"
"Long Nose, your attack is useless!"
Perona laughed as she charged straight through the smoke, raising her hand.
"Negative Hollow — Impact!"
Buzz—
She grabbed a small ghost and hurled it like a cannonball.
Whoosh!
Thump!
It passed straight through Nami's body.
"Ugh…"
Nami staggered, then collapsed into a squat, her shoulders slumped.
"If there's a next life… please let be poor…"
"…Huh?!"
Usopp stared at her in disbelief.
She actually said sothing like that?!
But what shocked him even more—
was that right after saying it, Nami suddenly jolted upright.
"Damn it!!"
"I refuse to be poor!!"
In that instant, Nami's ntal state surged to its absolute peak.
Usopp: !!!
Perona: ???
Both stared at her in shock.
But unlike Usopp, Perona was stunned for a different reason—
she couldn't believe soone recovered this fast.
Her Negative Hollows were extrely powerful.
Anyone hit should stay depressed for a long ti.
Yet this woman—
Who exactly is she?!
"I don't get it, but let's go!" Usopp shouted.
He turned and ran without hesitation.
Nami didn't imdiately follow. She spun around and glared at Perona.
"If you dare touch my money—"
"I'll never forgive you!"
For Nami, touching her money was basically touching her life.
Especially her future money.
With that, she bolted off.
Perona: ...
Is this woman insane?
Her obsession with money is so strong she can resist Negative Hollows?!
Just how much does she love money?!
"…I'll switch targets," Perona muttered.
She raised her hand and aid at Usopp.
Whoosh—!
Thump!
"Usopp!!"
Chopper panicked and rushed toward him.
If Usopp was left behind now, he'd be dead for sure!
As if confirming their fears, several zombies suddenly rushed in behind Perona, snarling viciously.
"Graaah!"
"Horahorahora~" Perona laughed, hands on her hips.
"You've got nowhere left to run!"
She didn't care why that woman resisted her ability.
The zombies could handle the rest.
Chopper ran up to Usopp, ready to carry him—
"…Eh?"
Usopp looked completely fine.
Chopper's eyes widened in disbelief.
Why was Usopp totally unaffected?!
Nami at least snapped out of it because of money—
but Usopp seed completely immune?!
"I…"
Usopp blinked.
He really didn't feel anything at all.
He glanced down at himself, then looked at Chopper.
"Let's go. Now."
"…What?!"
Perona stared at him in disbelief.
"Why doesn't it work on you either?!"
Unwilling to accept it, she released all five of her ghosts at once.
They passed through Usopp again and again—
but nothing happened.
"Why?!" Perona scread.
"WHY ARE YOU FINE?!"
That woman was already strange enough—
but this man was outright immune?!
"What kind of pirates are you people?!"
Usopp suddenly stopped and turned around.
"Want to know why?"
"O-of course!!" Perona shouted, her mouth stretched wide in shock.
"What is wrong with all of you?!"
A ninja who could trap her in terrifying illusions.
A woman whose love of money broke negativity itself.
And now—
a man immune to despair?!
"What kind of freak crew is this?!"
Usopp crossed his arms proudly.
"That's because…"
"I'm already extrely negative!!!"
"WHAAAT?!"
Perona's eyes bulged, tears and snot flying everywhere.
This man—negative to the very core—
had dealt her devastating psychological damage.
"You…"
Even Nami and the others stared at Usopp blankly.
They knew he complained a lot—
but who could've imagined that his negativity had reached this level?!
"So your technique is useless against , Ghost Girl!" Usopp declared.
He looked like a peerless master—
except his power ca from being depressed.
The atmosphere turned incredibly awkward.
Even the zombies didn't know how to react.
"…That's kind of sad."
"Yeah…"
"Man, want to join us?"
"Like hell I would!"
"T-try your best…" Perona muttered weakly.
"What?"
"TRY YOUR BEST!!" she cried, tears streaming.
"Don't give up on life, Long Nose!!"
"Don't encourage !!" Usopp scread back.
This negativity was his greatest defense—he wasn't about to lose it!
"Enough! Ignore them—let's find Luffy and Jin first!" Nami shouted.
"Yeah!"
Chopper, carrying rry, ran after her.
Usopp glanced back at the zombies.
"You guys…"
"Mm?" they replied eagerly.
"…Bye!!"
"WHAT?!"
The zombies stared in disbelief.
"Hey! You're just leaving like that?!"
They'd tried so hard to encourage him!
Perona finally snapped out of it and took a deep breath.
"After them! Don't let them escape!"
That long-nosed man was pitiful—
but that didn't an she'd let them go.
Everyone except the little girl would beco zombie materials!
"ROAR!!"
The zombies charged down the stairs—
then suddenly scread and turned back in terror.
"Huh?" Perona frowned. "What's wrong?"
"I-it's that man who breathes fire!!" a zombie scread.
They were survivors from the front gate.
They knew better than anyone how terrifying that ninja was.
"…Eh?!"
"The fire guy?!"
Perona's face went pale.
"That ans… that ninja is here?!"
Her body floated downward slightly as she cautiously peeked ahead.
The mont she saw Jin—
her face turned green.
"It's you again!!" she shrieked.
"You demon!!"
Her gaze t his blood-red eyes.
In her vision, those eyes rapidly expanded—
and in the next instant, she saw sothing unimaginably horrifying.
"AAAAH!!!"
"GIANT COCKROACHES!!!"
"PLEASE STOP CHASING !!"
Perona burst into tears and fled without looking back.
As for the zombies—
the instant they saw Jin, all thoughts of fighting vanished.
They ran even faster than her.
"…What's her problem?" Chopper muttered blankly.
That terrifying ghost girl had been scared away by a single glance?
"Probably illusion," Nami guessed.
She knew Jin could use genjutsu.
Against ghosts, his abilities might be a perfect counter.
"With Jin here, we're safe," Usopp sighed in relief.
Jin's strength was sothing he trusted completely.
"So she's the one controlling the ghosts," Jin said thoughtfully.
"She doesn't look like a kid, though."
If anything, she seed about the sa age as Nami.
Then why was she terrified of cockroaches?
She wasn't even afraid of zombies…
Maybe growing up around zombies because of Moria made her immune to them?
That explanation oddly made sense.
"A scary ability user who's afraid of cockroaches…" Lola said in surprise.
"That's unexpected."
"She's probably Moria's daughter."
"Eh?!" Lola gasped.
"That terrifying Moria actually has a daughter?!"
Thinking about it—
it did explain why a decent-looking girl existed here at all.
"Who are they?" Nami asked, looking at Lola's group curiously.
She didn't recognize a single one of them.
"Friends I t in the forest," Jin replied.
"They're the ones who told about Moria."
"This is Lola, Aiko, Bucktooth…"
He introduced them briefly.
"Lola, these are my companions—rry, Usopp, Nami, Chopper."
"Nice to et you!"
"Uh… hi…" Nami replied hesitantly.
Sothing about that voice felt familiar.
"…Ahem."
Lola suddenly cleared her throat and walked solemnly up to Usopp and Chopper.
Jin imdiately covered his face.
"…W-what is it?" Usopp asked nervously.
"I want to ask you two sothing."
She straightened proudly.
"Which one of you will marry ?"
"WHAT?!" ×2
Usopp and Chopper shouted in unison.
"Who would marry you?!"
"And I refuse!"
First eting and straight-up proposal?!
That's insane!!
"Hahahaha—Captain's 4,446th proposal failure!"
"WHAT?!"
Usopp and Chopper stared in shock.
She'd proposed 4,446 tis?!
And all were rejected?!
"That's… unbelievable…"
"…Why is everyone rejecting …" Lola sighed.
"Even a gorilla turned down…"
"I'M A REINDEER!!" Chopper yelled, transforming back to normal size.
"I'm a reindeer, damn it!!"
"Oh?!"
"A reindeer?"
"Then may I—"
"AT LEAST FIND A HUMAN!!" Chopper scread.
Nami suddenly frowned.
"Wait… proposal…"
"That's why your voice sounded familiar."
"We saw a zombie earlier shouting about proposing to Absalom."
"That was your shadow, wasn't it?"
She glanced down.
Lola had no shadow.
Lola blinked.
"Really?"
"I think that's very likely."
"Sa here."
Aiko and Bucktooth nodded knowingly.
"Enough—this isn't the ti!" Usopp interrupted urgently.
"Jin, we need to go back to the ship—now!"
"Eh?"
"Luffy's already back on the ship?" Jin froze.
They'd checked the Sunny earlier—no one was there.
That's why he brought Lola's group to storm Moria's base.
And now—
they'd gone back?
"So we missed them again?!"
"Yes," Nami nodded.
"Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji lost their shadows."
Jin: "..."
"What are those three idiots even doing?!" he muttered.
Normal zombies shouldn't be able to take them down.
Unless—
there were even stronger ones.
"…We'll talk later. Let's go back first," Nami said.
Finding the others was the priority.
She grabbed Jin's arm and hurried him along, signaling Lola's group to follow.
"To et Straw Hat Luffy…" Lola said dreamily.
"Do you think he'll accept my proposal?"
Everyone stumbled at once.
"Captain, good luck~"
"Hahaha! I'll do my best!"
"Quit ssing around and hurry up!"
"Yeah!"
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