In the depths of the castle, within a peculiar princess-themed room.
Perona, a young girl in her early teens, slowly opened her eyes and scratched her head, looking around in confusion. The negative ghost's experience was shared with her, and upon touching Aqua, the aura of wisdom overwhelmed her brain, leaving her momentarily breathless.
The wisdom of the foolish goddess was not something an average person could handle!
"Lady Perona, are you alright?" The zombie bear doll Kumashi, looking awkwardly patched together with stitches, a small mask, large eyes, and crooked bandages, hurried over in concern. Despite its appearance, Perona found Kumashi to be the cutest doll.
"Shut up, Kumashi! How many times have I told you, don't talk! Talking makes you uncute!" Perona kicked Kumashi, "Did you hear me? Why aren't you answering?!"
"I heard you, Lady Perona," Kumashi replied meekly.
"Still talking! Do you want me to sew your mouth shut?" Perona continued to vent her frustration on Kumashi.
"Still as strict as ever with Kumashi, I see," a man's deep voice came from the open doorway.
Perona looked up to see a scruffy man with long blond hair that made him resemble a beast. This was Absalom, one of Moria's top subordinates, known for his fusion of various beast traits and his invisibility fruit power.
"Absalom, what are you doing here?" Perona asked, her tone still annoyed.
"We've confirmed the identity of the new intruders through the images sent by the spider mice and bats. It's none other than the infamous sea restaurant crew led by Zyhark, who recently made headlines," Absalom said, his expression growing serious. "Moria is extremely excited and has issued a strict order to capture them alive at all costs!"
Perona crossed her arms and pouted, "There's a very strange woman among them. My negative ghosts not only failed to affect her, but they also seemed to be influenced by something terrifying."
Recalling the negative ghost now floating aimlessly, Perona decided it was unusable.
"A woman?" Absalom's eyes lit up as he pulled out a wanted poster from his belt. "Is it this perfect woman with stunning blue hair?"
Perona glanced at the poster labeled "Water Witch" and nodded. Knowing Absalom's obsession with finding a bride, she couldn't help but warn, "I advise you not to pursue her, for many reasons."
"Nonsense! Such a beautiful woman is the perfect bride!" Absalom dismissed her warning, turned around, and dashed down the hallway, jumping out a window. "I'm off to see her for myself!"
"Wait, I was trying to say that woman—"
Boom!
Before Perona could finish, a brilliant lightning bolt struck outside the castle, illuminating the entire dark corridor through the window.
Perona's pupils contracted in shock, freezing her in place.
"The zombie sailors did mention it might storm today," Kumashi remarked quietly. "Lord Absalom has really bad luck."
"So, it's just the weather?" Perona whispered, clutching her chest.
"Wait! Who told you to talk, Kumashi? Shut up! You're so ugly!" Perona, snapping back to reality, resumed her attack on Kumashi.
After she tired herself out, Perona refocused, dispatching new negative ghosts to the forest. Strange as that woman might be, she refused to believe the others could resist her Devil Fruit powers!
In the forest of horrors:
"How dare you touch the sacred body of a goddess! Holy Purification! Holy Purification! Divine Wind, Flower, Bird, Moon! Holy Purification!" Aqua, believing she had been desecrated, was tearfully bombarding the negative ghosts with reckless abandon, heedless of her energy reserves.
Fortunately, the overflow of holy light inadvertently hit a few hidden zombie animals, stripping their shadows. Otherwise, this display would have been completely futile...
Zyhark and the others ignored Aqua's antics. They were focused on another negative ghost appearing ahead.
"Kanna, don't be afraid. It's just a phantom meant to scare us, meow!" Meowth stepped forward confidently, standing before the ghost.
Based on Aqua's untouched state, he quickly deduced the ghost's nature and was certain of his assessment.
Zyhark watched the ghost approach Meowth, not warning him. The ghost extended its white arms, passing through Meowth.
"As a Meowth, I'm so sorry. I wish I were a Grimer, hiding quietly in the sewer, meow." Meowth, moments earlier full of resolve, collapsed, his paws on the ground, filled with despair.
Kanna gasped in amazement, clapping her hands at the dramatic display. The ghost, emboldened by success, drifted toward her, passing through her small frame.
"What a horrible feeling. Kanna wants to dig a hole and hide," Kanna said, mirroring Meowth's pose of despair.
Even Kanna couldn't resist? It made sense; she was still just a child.
Zyhark analyzed, standing in the rear. Seeing the triumphant ghost approaching him, he readied his electric powers to evade but stopped, remembering Kaido's teachings: Haki could overcome any Devil Fruit power.
If Law could use Haki to nullify abilities, couldn't he use it against the negative ghost?
With a confident smile, Zyhark faced the ghost. "Come, little ghost, test my unyielding Haki!"
The next moment, negative thoughts flooded his mind, spreading through his body. "I'm Aqua. I'm Aqua. I'm Aqua..."
He knelt.
Haki could indeed counteract Devil Fruit powers, but Zyhark overlooked an essential factor: Haki had to be strong enough!
His Haki, lacking expert guidance, was far from the level needed to resist such powers.
Nearby, Aqua heard her name, finally calming down. Turning, she saw Zyhark kneeling, muttering about becoming her.
"Really, Zyhark, what am I going to do with you? Becoming a great and renowned goddess like me is a thorny and challenging path!" Aqua nodded sagely, unaware of the true meaning, smiling broadly.
"Become a *&%$ goddess, your mother!" Zyhark, regaining his senses, ranted, regretting his bold attempt.
His Haki couldn't fully negate the ghost's power but shortened its effect, recovering quicker than Meowth and Kanna.
"Damn ghost! How dare you! I don't want to be a Grimer, meow!" Enraged, Meowth extended his claws to shred the ghost, forgetting his earlier judgment.
Kanna quietly filled the hole she had dug, showing quiet resolve.
Perona's hatred level skyrocketed!
The ghost, not attacking further, returned to the dense fog.
After the commotion, Zyhark's group continued to the castle. They reached a fenced area with tombstones and freshly turned soil, evidence of a recent battle.
Zyhark, knowing the traps, remained calm. Aqua, Meowth, and Kanna, new to the scene, looked around curiously.
Small noises came from the ground as a decaying arm emerged from a grave, followed by a head, shoulders, and legs.
A toothless old zombie rose, prompting Kanna's declaration, "An injured old man!"
"No, Kanna, that's a monster," Aqua corrected.
"Indeed, it doesn't look human, meow," Meowth added.
The zombie, trying to be scary, felt déjà vu. Like the pirates who dismissed him yesterday and then beat him up, he regretted being the first to appear.
Before he could react, Meowth's claws slashed his chest.
"Wait, wait, don't hit me! I'll go back, I'll go back!" the zombie pleaded, trying to re-enter his grave.
But Aqua, intolerant of "monsters," cast another purification spell, stripping the shadow from the zombie, who crumbled.
The other zombies, seeing this, quickly buried themselves again, patting the soil smooth.
"Know fear, huh? Hiding won't help; I saw you all!" Aqua gloated, acting like a war goddess.
Suddenly, a disfigured old man with a lantern approached, praising their anti-zombie techniques.
Before he could finish, Aqua, assuming he was a zombie, hit him with a purification spell, which had no effect.
"I'm not a zombie! Just a wounded old man!" he hurriedly explained.
Aqua and Meowth: "What?!"
(End of Chapter)