"Why so quiet?"
Walking down the street, Moses glanced at the silent Perona perched on his shoulder. "Weren't you so lively just a moment ago?"
"Sorry, I was wrong."
"Wrong about what?"
"I shouldn't have bitten your heart."
"And?"
"Wait, shouldn't I be older than you?" Perona widened her eyes. "Why does it feel like I'm your little sister being lectured nonstop?"
Moses raised an eyebrow and turned to her. "So you do know you're older than me?"
Perona's face stiffened, then she bared her teeth in anger. "What do you want? I already apologized!"
"You apologized?"
"I apologized."
"How?"
"Sorry, I was wrong."
"That's it?"
"What else do you want?"
Perona looked bewildered. "Do you want to beat me up or something?"
"Did I beat you up?"
"Didn't you just shock me with your lightning? It hurt! My Spirit Body went numb and almost dissipated."
"I can dissipate your Spirit Body? Since when was I that strong?" Moses chuckled. "You've even learned to play the victim. Shameless."
"You're the shameless one! You jerk!"
"Fine, let's drop it. But don't bite my heart again—it really hurts."
"Oh, so you're not mad anymore?" Perona whispered. "You're not upset about the money you had to pay?"
"You'll do my laundry for the next three months."
"Isn't that a bit long?"
"Do you know how much I had to pay?"
"Fine, I'll do it." Thinking of the thick stack of Belly, Perona felt a pang of guilt. "I promise, so let's consider this settled."
"Mm."
"I'm tired. I'll take a nap. Wake me when you find that Devil Child."
With that, her Spirit Body shrank and merged into Moses, becoming thumb-sized as she curled up on his heart and fell asleep.
Moses twitched at the corner of his eye.
"This brat," he muttered. "Treating my heart like her own home."
Shifting Crow Dabao from under his arm to his embrace, Moses trailed the group that had also been searching for the Devil Child, spreading his Observation Haki to sense the presence within his Hegemony range.
...
In an alleyway, a black-haired girl of about thirteen or fourteen, wearing a hood, leaned against the wall. She crossed her arms and clenched her fists.
"Second Bloom: Grasp."
A pair of pale arms sprouted from the backs of two menacing men standing nearby, gripping their chins and heads before twisting sharply.
Crack!
The nearly simultaneous snaps of breaking joints echoed through the alley.
Watching the two men collapse with their eyes rolled back, the girl exhaled in relief. She quickly searched them, pocketing some loose Belly before hurrying away.
Minutes later, several more men arrived, staring at the unconscious figures on the ground.
One stepped forward and checked their necks, sucking in a sharp breath.
"The Boll Brothers are done for. Broken cervical vertebrae—they won't last long without immediate surgery. Damn... this kind of brutal injury matches the rumors. It's that Devil Child's Witchcraft."
"So, boss, should we keep chasing? We're no stronger than the Boll Brothers. If we push too hard, we'll end up dead too."
"Don't worry, Second Brother. We'll just follow from behind. It's not just us chasing her—those powerful pirate crews and bounty hunters have only just started their pursuit."
"Hmm, you're right. Should we spread the news further? Inform the other gangs?"
"Hehehe, Second Brother makes a good point. Since we might not catch her anyway, muddying the waters could turn us into the unexpected winners."
"Alright, let's do it. We'll split up."
As the footsteps faded away, a delicate pink ear and an eye growing on the wall in a hidden corner dissolved into petals and scattered with the wind.
A hundred meters away, in a narrow alley.
The girl dispersed her ability, biting her lower lip and furrowing her brows. In a voice that was both cool and youthful, she muttered to herself:
"This is bad. I can't stay here any longer. I need to leave this island as soon as possible."
After glancing around, she soon spotted a clothing store. Slipping in through the back door, she saw the middle-aged shopkeeper dozing at the counter.
Quietly approaching, she delivered a sharp chop to the back of his neck, then pressed her fingers to his carotid artery. After a moment, she exhaled in relief.
Quickly moving to the front of the store, she locked the door.
Placing the Belly she had found earlier on the counter in front of the unconscious shopkeeper, she began searching the store for clothes. Finding a suitable outfit, she stood before a full-length mirror and pulled out some makeup from her bag, applying it to her face.
Before long,
a girl in a thick gray sweater, loose jeans, and plain cloth shoes emerged from the back door.
Her face was darkened, her nostrils enlarged, and freckles dotted her cheeks. A low ponytail hung over her chest.
She carried a simple small backpack.
An utterly ordinary-looking girl.
Within minutes, the girl took a deep breath and stepped onto the main street, blending into the crowd as she headed toward the port.
"Ara ara, five years since we last met. You've grown from a little girl into a young woman—and gotten much smarter too. Nico Robin, you're still fighting to survive."
Kuzan stood at the mouth of an alley, silently watching the small figure weaving through the crowd, a sigh escaping his lips.
"Ara ara, since you've already spotted her, why not go arrest her?"
Moses walked over from a nearby skewer stand, munching on grilled meat as he looked up at Kuzan:
"From the sound of it, you seem to be reminiscing about something?"
"Are you two close?"
Kuzan's eye twitched as he turned to Moses, snatching half the skewers from his hand and devouring one in large bites:
"You're too young to understand. Can you forget everything you just saw?"
"Eww—how could you steal my food? Have you no shame?"
"You've uncovered my secret. By all rights, I should silence you."
Kuzan shrugged, chewing loudly. "These skewers are good. But since you've paid my hush money, as long as you keep quiet, I'll let you off."
"As if you'd really kill me." Moses was utterly fearless. Seeing this, Kuzan chuckled: "No, I wouldn't. But if I kept you under constant surveillance, never letting you out of my sight, your grandfather would probably be thrilled."
Over the past few days, Kuzan had come to understand Moses' tact and intelligence.
Even if he spoke up, it wouldn't affect him much. After all, this was a world where strength reigned supreme—and as it happened, he truly qualified as one of the strong.
Moses chuckled. "Fair enough. Then it's a deal. Consider this matter closed—our little secret."
"Speaking of which..." Moses glanced at Nico Robin, who was once again being cornered by a group of men not far down the street, then turned to Kuzan. "She's getting blocked again. Aren't you going to check on her?"
"That's up to her own skills. I won't capture her, but I won't save her either."
"What? You want to help her?" Kuzan shot Moses a look. "Go ahead if you want. I'll pretend I didn't see anything."
"Alright, I'm heading back to the ship. I saw nothing. Do whatever you want."
With that, he turned and vanished from Moses' side. Watching the ring of dust rising from the ground beneath his feet, Moses smirked.
"Using Soru to leave? Seriously?"
Moses turned his gaze back just in time to see Nico Robin, who had been cornered moments ago, now sprinting in his direction.
Six burly men were hot on her heels.
"Kuzan, you sure ran fast."
Moses sighed at the scene. Just then, the clumsily disguised Nico Robin reached his location.
For someone as skilled at fleeing as Robin, situational awareness was second nature. Spotting the alleyway beside Moses, her face lit up with relief, and she quickened her pace.
A faint floral scent drifted past him.
A petite figure darted by.
Seconds later, the first of the pursuers rushed past Moses.
Holding a freshly used bamboo skewer, Moses narrowed his eyes, channeled his strength into his wrist, and flicked it forward with a sharp throw. A faint whistling sound cut through the air.
Whoosh!
Thunk!
The greasy, sharp skewer pierced clean through the man's foot. The momentum of his run yanked at the wound, sending a jolt of searing pain through him.
Instantly, a guttural scream tore from his throat.
Losing his balance, he crashed headfirst into the alley wall.
Thud!
Moses winced at the sound. "That's gotta hurt."
The next moment, he observed the remaining five men, forced to halt by the sudden turn of events. Their rough attire, sun-darkened complexions, and the faint scent of the sea clinging to them gave him pause.
"Pirates?" Moses mused aloud.
Hearing the youthful voice, the five turned. One of them scowled. "Kid, was that you?"
He glanced at his writhing comrade, the skewer embedded in his foot, then at the kebab stick still in Moses' hand.
Moses understood.
Drawing Cold Dew from his waist, he kicked off the ground and darted forward in a flash.
Given the height difference,
he had no intention of jumping.
Instead, he swung his arm and thrust, weaving between the five men, aiming straight for their kidneys—stabbing with brutal precision.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Job done.
Sparing a glance at the dark-blue, animated eye sprouting from the nearby wall,
Moses flicked the blood off his blade and sheathed the gleaming shortsword at his hip.
Glancing back at the groaning men on the ground, he started toward the main street.
Then, after a moment's thought, he turned back and delivered a solid kick to each of them—just to ensure they'd sleep soundly.
After finishing his business, Moses left the place.
At the same time, the dark blue eyes on the wall also dissipated.
Walking down the street while eating skewers, Moses idly opened the holographic panel and glanced at the Bestowed Ability column in his retina.
[Spirit Sight]
This was a newly emerged Bestowed Ability that had yet to fully manifest.
It appeared as a result of the Spirit-Flesh Convergence trait—a form of vision pertaining to the Spirit Body.
Even though it hadn't fully materialized, Moses found that he could now see things he couldn't before.
At the moment, it somewhat resembled Yin-Yang Eyes.
Just then, as he noticed Perona's Spirit Body sprawled over his heart, drooling in deep sleep, Moses' lips twitched.
He took a vicious bite of his skewer.
"Consider this your rent. You're the one who let your guard down."
With measured breaths,
he entered a state of Unity of Heaven and Man, attuning himself to the fluctuations of Perona's Spirit Body as he adjusted his own Breath to synchronize with hers.
The Breath frequencies aligned.
[Disguise]—successful.
Their Spirit Body auras matched.
The waves emanating from their Spirit Bodies began to merge.
Focusing intently on Perona's Breath fluctuations, faint black-red arcs of electricity silently flickered across the surface of his heart.
They spread into Perona's Spirit Body.
Moses began to contemplate.
Devil Fruits were miraculous, and some of them resided in strange places.
For instance, the effects of the Underworld Fruit were anchored in the Soul.
Moses had discovered that Perona's Hollow-Hollow Fruit could also be called the Spirit-Spirit Fruit. Though its abilities affected both the physical and Spirit Body,
it leaned more toward the latter.
Everything in existence had its own Breath fluctuations.
Even Devil Fruits, born from human imagination, were no exception.
Thus, it stood to reason that they could be imitated—learned.
Though he might not be able to create emotional Spirit Body constructs as effortlessly as she did, he could likely mimic some of its traits.
For example, the emotional power of the Spirit Body.
Perhaps he could imbue his Conqueror's Haki attacks with emotional force.
Haki Infusion · Melancholy Crushing Palm?
Haki Infusion · Furious Iron Fist?
Moses continued walking, munching on his skewer, his thoughts wandering as he observed Perona's Spirit Body nestled on his heart.
Suddenly, a loud "Caw~!" rang in his ears, startling him. Crow Dabao flapped wildly in his arms.
Moses loosened his grip, and Crow Dabao took flight, wings fluttering as he circled in the air.
After less than a minute, he landed back on Moses' shoulder.
The bird tilted its head, peering at Moses before croaking hoarsely, "M-Moses, did you just… knock Crow out with black-red lightning?"
Moses averted his gaze awkwardly. "Peipei bit me, and the pain triggered a reflex. It's her fault. Definitely her."
"Crow knew it—that ghost woman's up to no good again."
Just then, Perona's voice chimed in, slightly groggy:
"You called me? Moses, is it mealtime?"
Before she even finished speaking,
a pink-haired head popped up from Moses' right shoulder, claiming its spot opposite Crow Dabao.
"You're still half-asleep, aren't you?"
Moses scoffed.
At that moment, Perona's low voice rang out, "Moses, what did you do to my Spirit Body?"
Moses turned to look and saw tranquil black-red arcs flickering across the surface of her Spirit Body.
"Huh? Peipei, when did you learn Conqueror's Haki Infusion? Why didn't
you tell me after learning it?"
Perona's eyes went blank for a moment before she became furious, "You bastard! Negative Spirit!"
She casually slappe
d a Negative Spirit into Moses' body.
The next second, the Spirit Body knelt on Moses' shoulder, speaking in a depressed tone.
"I'm such a huge idiot. I really want to smash my head against tofu and die."
A few seconds later, Perona looked utterly exasperated, glaring at Moses:
"What's going on?"
Moses laughed,
"Guess?"