"Captain, we've arrested everyone who looks like a pirate."
"Thank you for your hard work. We've recovered most of the stolen goods, except for what was plundered from the ship... Ah, this island."
Now that the fighting, which had also served as training, was over, Daz and I had finished capturing all the pirates who'd been controlling the island and retrieved the items we were after.
"So."
"Yeah?"
"I'd like you to explain this to me now."
"...I think you're the one who'd understand it best."
After all, he's eaten something incredible.
"It's Devil Fruit power. Probably."
"...So there are abilities like this too."
"That's right. Everyone becomes lethargic, or rather, depressed, when they come into contact with these ghosts."
Puff
"If I could be reborn, I'd want to become a sea cucumber... I'd like to become a sea cucumber and sink to the bottom of the ocean to live a quiet life."
"Why did you bother touching it, Captain?"
Damn! I was completely overwhelmed.
With Daz shaking me, I managed to recover.
I thought putting it into practice would be the quickest way to understand, but it's harder to resist than I expected.
As I thought, she's a woman who could have shut down the Straw Hat Pirates if it weren't for Usopp. That's terrifying.
Let's become allies. Immediate decision.
"Hey, are you alright now after touching that curse?"
"A curse? Ah, well... I can manage if I get some external stimulation. What about you?"
If I let my guard down, I'll probably become negative again, but I can bear it for now.
However, in a one-on-one situation where all the other crew members were wiped out, it probably wouldn't work.
I can only see a future where I'd be easily captured or killed.
"I'm the one managing this village. I'm sorry, but thank you for capturing the pirates... you saved us."
"The one who defeated them must have been someone extraordinary. Where are they? I want to thank them for saving me the trouble."
I don't know Kuro's real age in the story, but he must be in his mid-twenties. If I'm about thirteen now, that means the original story took place at least ten years ago. And Perona... how old is she?
Well, assuming she's a teenager, she's probably still a child now.
I thought this negotiation was going to be difficult...
(Curse, huh?)
It might be hard to persuade them otherwise.
"Don't do it! You shouldn't meet her!"
"Nothing good has happened since that girl was cursed!"
Daz raised his eyebrows slightly at the villagers' harsh criticism.
Easy, easy.
(I thought prejudice against people with special abilities would be less common than in the East Blue, but there's still plenty of it.)
A translucent ghost, was it a Negative Ghost?, had been staring at me while muttering negative things for a while now.
(I have no intention of attacking. Despite this, not only were the pirates defeated, but the villagers were also...)
"I have a question, and you're going to answer it."
"Wh-what is it?"
"What else did the pirates demand from you besides money and food?"
I managed to find out the location.
We continued our trek, finding her, it was Perona after all, in a small cabin in the mountains on the other side of the island.
The initial plan to make this a base won't work.
These people here will probably agree to a deal and then betray us later.
"...I see, it's a haunted house."
Seeing how dilapidated it was, Daz couldn't help but mutter.
"Yeah... I guess so."
As expected from someone whose hobbies revolved around the occult. Living in a house like this would certainly develop those kinds of interests...
I knocked as gently as possible on the door, which might collapse if knocked too hard.
...No reply.
"You saw us with your ability, so you know, right? We're the people who landed on this island recently."
Hmm, it's annoying that there's no response at all. Should I continue?
"Captain."
Daz sounded slightly impatient.
"Don't worry about it. It's only natural for her to be wary."
Before I knew it, we were surrounded by an incredible number of Negative Ghosts.
However, this was something I'd prepared for.
For Perona, this kind of risk is worth it.
"First of all, let me express my gratitude. Those pirates were our original targets, but thanks to you, we were able to save ourselves a lot of trouble."
I lost my main goal of gaining practical experience and fame, but that's okay.
There will be more opportunities in the future.
"And with that, I have a proposal. Why don't you come out to sea with us?"
Ghosts, there are so many ghosts.
They continue to multiply at an incredible rate.
It wouldn't be a problem if they just caused depression, but that threat is scary.
"Did you hear that you attacked not only the pirates but also the villagers?"
"The people in the village didn't hesitate to hand you over to the pirates who demanded your custody."
The door that had been closed slowly slid open with a creak.
"...Come in."
A small, young girl's voice spoke.