"I guess? Negative Spirit."
Perona's barely raised head and half-standing posture instantly collapsed into another kneel.
"I really am an idiot. To suffer once and still not learn my lesson—I'm the world's biggest fool."
Moses sighed as he withdrew his Conqueror's Haki, the black-red lightning arcs fading away.
Crow Dabao let out a strange "caw-caw" laugh from Moses' shoulder, only to suddenly flap its wings and take flight into the sky.
Seconds later,
Perona sat pouting on Moses' shoulder, cheeks puffed as she turned her face away in a sulk.
A brief explanation of what just happened.
"So did you learn it?"
Perona asked curiously, palm upturned as a series of white translucent Hollow Dolls flickered into existence across her hand:
"This power to create Hollow Dolls?"
Moses shook his head calmly.
"It's not that simple. Even if I learn it eventually, it won't be identical to your Hollow Dolls.
At most, the core ability would be similar, but the external manifestations should differ."
"Moses, do you think I could combine my emotion spirits? Pair them up or even merge three types together?"
"How should I know? But I once heard something." Moses gave her a mysterious look. Seeing this, Perona pursed her lips unhappily and pleaded: "Pretty please, just tell me?"
Moses smiled.
"All things in this world are born from will."
"Those exact words came from a book I once read. I don't know if they're true, but now I'm passing them to you."
Perona pouted, displeased. "What kind of answer is that? You don't even know if it's true, yet you're being all cryptic about it?"
Moses' gaze turned serene. "Believe in yourself.
Weren't you limited to just Negative Spirits initially—those emotion-affecting creations?
But now? Excluding the Conqueror Spirit, you've already developed the Anger Spirit. What about ecstatic laughter spirits?
You must first believe in yourself before exploring more possibilities.
If you internally dismiss something as impossible, then you—"
"—then I'll definitely never succeed."
"Exactly! So clever, our Peipei. Quick to understand as always."
Moses praised her with a grin. Immediately, Perona's face brightened as she laughed cheerfully—"Hara hara!"—covering her face with both hands while wriggling excitedly on his shoulder.
Crow Dabao circled overhead, its avian eyes studying Moses thoughtfully.
Soon, the trio—man, spirit, and bird—chatted their way toward the harbor district.
Moses walked through the streets, breathing in the sea breeze tinged with faint briny notes.
He observed the bustling port's endless stream of people.
He spotted the marine warship.
And saw Kuzan conversing with Bogart on its deck.
Then a figure abruptly entered his vision—a small silhouette clad in sweater and jeans.
She stood frozen in the middle of the road, staring blankly at the warship.
Noticing Moses' gaze, Perona followed his line of sight to the same figure.
She turned suspicious eyes toward Moses: "An acquaintance?"
"But that can't be—you just arrived today, and you never mentioned visiting here before."
"Ah! She got knocked over," Perona exclaimed in surprise. "Why is she just sitting there motionless? And why does her Spirit Body carry such an intense, bitter fear that I can taste?"
"Who is she?"
The tiny spirit form of Perona floated before Moses, her eyes curious as she asked, "I feel like you know her?"
Moses curled his lips slightly, speaking just loud enough for Perona to hear:
"That's none other than the Devil Child you've been so obsessed with."
"Nico Robin?" Perona was astonished. "Isn't she a demon? Then why would she feel fear?"
"I've heard demons are supposed to bring fear to others, not experience it themselves."
"Well, maybe she's just not mature enough yet?" Moses narrowed his eyes with a smirk. "Perhaps she's a counterfeit demon."
"True. That might actually be the case."
"Actually, I think you could be considered a Devil Child too."
"Why's that?"
"Look, Devil Fruits are real. Those who eat them inherit their powers—doesn't that make you children of the Devil, Devil Children?"
"That's some twisted logic," Perona giggled behind her hand. "But it does make a weird kind of sense."
"By the way, Moses, I want to sample the flavor of her Spirit Body. The fear in her spirit feels incredibly pure, like hot cocoa."
"Wait, Peipei, you can actually sense stuff like that?"
"Yeah, I never noticed before, but ever since my Conqueror's Haki awakened the other day, the energy in my Spirit Body has become much more active. Things I never paid attention to are now crystal clear."
Moses beckoned to Crow Dabao, who landed on his shoulder. He glanced at Nico Robin, who remained slumped on the ground, staring blankly at the warship.
"You two work together. Peipei, tunnel underground with your Spirit Body and hit her with a Negative Spirit to immobilize her. Da Bao, you scoop her up into your Castle Space."
"We'll take her with us. Once Peipei's had her taste, we'll let her go."
"Isn't this a bit... wrong?" Perona asked guiltily, though Crow Dabao couldn't care less.
Moses scoffed.
"She's a huge obstacle blocking the road—haven't you noticed people starting to point and stare? And she's way too close to the warship. If she's not careful, she'll give herself away and walk right into a trap."
"We're saving her. Taking her fear as payment seems fair—doubt she'd object."
"Moses, what about the bystanders gathering around her now?"
"Just hit them all with Negative Spirits and clear them out. Get moving, you two."
"Hahahaha, no problem~!"
Perona laughed and immediately dove into the ground, while Crow Dabao flew over as well.
Moments later, Moses saw four translucent Hollow Dolls phase through Nico Robin and the surrounding crowd.
Several people simultaneously dropped into an orz state.
Right after, Crow Dabao swooped over Robin's head—her body shrank and vanished from the crowd, along with Perona's Spirit Body.
Circling the sky, Crow Dabao landed atop the warship's mast.
Moses grinned and strode toward the vessel.
Minutes later.
He boarded the warship.
As soon as he came aboard, Bogart winked and waved at Moses. "Having fun? I heard you knocked out five island residents too."
Moses glanced at him and rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Always believing hearsay.
It must have been those marines who couldn't keep their mouths shut after returning. Not that it mattered—he hadn't revealed how he'd knocked those people out anyway.
At that moment, Kuzan looked at Moses with a somewhat peculiar expression, which Moses noticed.
"Why are you staring at me?"
"How do you know I'm staring if you're not looking at me?"
"Your gaze is blatant and lewd. It's giving me goosebumps."
Kuzan's lips twitched.
Beside them, Bogart's shoulders shook with silent laughter.
But for some reason—was it just an illusion?—after their trip out, the two seemed to have grown closer.
Moses returned to the cabin.
As soon as he entered, he saw Garp sitting on the sofa, noisily munching on rice crackers.
Spotting Moses, Garp laughed heartily. "Back already? Want some?"
Moses walked over, took the nearly full bag of crackers from his hand, then went to the windowsill and beckoned to Crow Dabao.
A few seconds later,
Garp blinked at his empty hand, then at Moses, who had shrunk and disappeared into Crow Dabao's castle.
Utterly baffled.
"Hey, I only meant for you to take a few! Why'd you take the whole bag? That was my last one!"
On the windowsill, Crow Dabao pretended not to hear and closed his eyes.
...
「Castle Space. Residential Area」
Pushing open the door,
Moses entered Perona's room.
Inside,
he saw Nico Robin slumped on the floor against the bed, her eyes vacant, while Perona lay on the bed.
Sensing Perona's Spirit Body had slipped into Nico Robin's mind, cheerful "Hahahaha" laughter now emanated from Robin's head.
"Peipei acted so fast. Looking at Nico Robin like this, was she knocked unconscious by a Conqueror Spirit?"
Curious, Moses wondered if Peipei could manage to create that fear-inducing Hollow Doll.
He leaned in to examine Nico Robin. Why were her nostrils so big?
Pinching her chin, he took a closer look.
"Ew—so it's stuffed with tissue paper. That explains it."
Rubbing his thumb over the freckles on her face, he smudged them instantly.
Having satisfied his curiosity about her makeup skills, Moses washed his hands in the room's bathroom and plopped onto the bed.
He didn't have to wait long.
About ten minutes later,
Perona's tiny Spirit Body emerged from Robin's head. The moment she saw Moses, her face lit up with delight.
Pointing at him, she released a Hollow Doll with a terrified expression from her palm. "Take this—Fear Ghost!"
Amused, Moses watched without resisting this time, letting the Hollow Doll pass through him.
Instantly, his fear surged uncontrollably.
His body trembled violently, lips quivering. Though fully conscious, overwhelming terror gripped him.
The Spirit Body Perona before him seemed invincible.
An urge to flee seized him.
An unstoppable impulse to scream rose within.
Moses instinctively suppressed this emotion, opening his mouth wide to gasp for breath. The next second, as he breathed, streaks of black-red lightning crackled across his body.
His gaze sharpened.
Instantly, that sense of fear was purged from his Spirit Body.
Only a faint trace of fear lingered in his heart. Unable to help himself, Moses pressed a hand against his brow.
At that moment, Perona curiously floated up to Moses' face, her eyes gleaming mischievously before she dove straight into his head.
Her small hands caressed the surface of his cerebral cortex, sensing a faint trace of fear spreading through his Spirit Body.
Her eyes lit up.
Her Spirit Body clung to the surface of his brain, licking it playfully.
"Ehehe, Moses' Spirit Body has a faint hot cocoa flavor. Not bad at all."
"Not like that woman Nico Robin—bitter like roasted coffee, all the way down to her Spirit Body."
Feeling Perona's antics, Moses sighed. "That's a brain, not a walnut. Enough already!"
Perona's eyes gleamed again as her tiny hands suddenly plunged deeper into Moses' brain. Immediately, a surge of fear exploded in his consciousness.
His eye twitched, and black-red lightning instantly enveloped his entire brain.
"Wah—!"
A small Spirit Body was instantly punched out of Moses' head.
In the blink of an eye, his right hand, wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, clamped down on Perona's Spirit Body.
The overwhelming fear twisted Moses' face into something almost monstrous, his grip tightening unconsciously.
"Ow ow ow! Moses, that hurts! Ease up!"
Moses released her and pinched his temples instead, taking a deep breath. He entered the Unity of Heaven and Man, achieving complete focus.
Sensing the fluctuations in his Spirit Body's Breath, he noticed that under the influence of fear, the rhythm had shifted slightly from its usual pattern.
Intrigued, Moses began carefully observing this unique spiritual resonance.
As time passed, streaks of black-red lightning danced across his cerebral cortex, threading through the folds of his brain.
Unconsciously, the black-red lightning grew darker, deeper.
Moses opened his eyes and looked at the bewildered little Spirit Body girl sitting on the bed, curling his lips into a "ferocious" grin.
With lightning speed, his right index finger tapped her Spirit Body.
Instantly, faint but profound black-red lightning spread across her Spirit Body's surface.
Waves of intimidation surged into her consciousness, striking her Spirit Body. Perona's eyes widened in shock.
"How—?"
Not because of the Conqueror's Haki's oppressive force—
But because, within that pressure, traces of fear seeped into her awareness. Her Spirit Body trembled, fear spreading uncontrollably.
The next moment, Perona's Spirit Body instinctively erupted with its own aura—Conqueror's Haki.
Zzzzt!
Streaks of black-red lightning crackled between them, a terrifying presence saturating the air.
Moses' eye twitched. His Observation Haki reached outward.
His mouth twisted bitterly as he lightly punched the Spirit Body in front of him on the head.
"Cut it out already. The warships outside are already in chaos."
...
A "gentle breeze" brushed past Garp's face as he watched a crow tumble through his window, landing unconscious in his room.
Then he glanced at the teacup in his hand.
Walking to the windowsill and looking down at Kuzan and Bogart gazing up at him, he said calmly:
"It was me."
Kuzan sighed helplessly:
"Ara ara, you really do love playing around, don't you? It's just Conqueror's Haki, nothing to be so proud of. Once was enough—as if I didn't know you had it?"
Bogart glanced at the unconscious marines scattered across the warship's deck and similarly remarked, "You've had your fun. It'
s no trouble for us, but they're suffering for it, and it's not even dark yet."
Garp nodded silently.
Unconsciously, his fist clenched behind his back
.
"Mm, I'll be more careful."
Then he turned around, bent down, scooped up the unconscious crow from the windowsill, tucked it into his arms, and sat back on the sofa.
Picking up his teacup, he sipped quietly while extending his Observation Haki toward Crow Dabao's castle.
The next moment—
Their Observation Haki clashed.
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/QueenTL
Thanks!