Brook, the afro-sporting skeleton who had wandered alone in the Florian Triangle for decades, couldn't help but secretly follow Takumi and Enel onto Thriller Bark.
However, compared to Takumi and Enel, Brook was clearly more timid. He was genuinely terrified of the island's 'scary' zombies, even though he himself was a walking, talking skeleton.
So, the moment he set foot in the island's forest, he found himself sprinting in a mad dash, desperately trying to escape.
After what felt like an eternity of running through the entire forest, Brook ended up stumbling upon the back door of the castle purely by accident.
"Ah, I'm exhausted. This island is way too frightening! Whew, my heart almost leapt out of my chest, even though... I don't have one! Yohohohoho!"
Once he calmed down, Brook gazed up at the eerie castle before him, looking somewhat worried. "Those two... they're not in trouble, are they?"
Meanwhile, Takumi had made his way from the courtyard back into the castle. Before long, he entered a brightly lit room, which was decorated with a playful, whimsical style—grass covered the floors like a soft lawn.
In the center of the room sat a long couch, and sprawled across it was a girl with pink hair tied in twin tails. She wore a crown on her head, held a deep red umbrella in her hand, and dressed in an adorable outfit. She looked just a few years older than Takumi.
"Ohohohoho!" The girl laughed as she jumped up from the couch. "I thought the zombies by the bridge would take care of you, but I guess you're a little stronger than I expected. Humph! Since you've come here on your own..."
She jumped off the couch, a cold smirk forming on her face. "Ohohohoho! Don't get too cocky. I'll show you just how terrifying ghosts can be!"
"Lady Perona! He's the one who burned the courtyard!"
"Take him down, Lady Perona! Go for it!"
"Hehehe, no one can escape Lady Perona's Negative Ghosts! That guy is toast!"
The group of zombie dolls behind the girl began cheering in their eerie voices.
Perona, as she was called, snapped at them in annoyance. "Who told you to talk? You're not cute at all! Shut up!"
Immediately, the zombie dolls covered their mouths, not daring to make another sound.
Takumi knew exactly who Perona was.
She was one of Gecko Moria's subordinates, a user of the Hollow-Hollow Fruit.
With her Devil Fruit ability, Perona could separate her spirit from her body, allowing her to fly freely through the air, pass through walls, change her size, and become immune to any physical attack in her ghost form.
The downside, though, was that while her spirit was out, her real body remained vulnerable and needed to be hidden somewhere safe.
Separating her spirit was just one of Perona's tricks. She could also create multiple ghost-like projections called Negative Ghosts. When these ghosts passed through someone's body, they would drain that person's will to fight by plunging them into deep despair. But for people who were naturally pessimistic, the ghosts had no effect.
Most people, however, would lose the will to fight after being touched by a Negative Ghost.
Besides that, Perona could also create miniature ghosts that acted like bombs, attaching themselves to targets and then detonating on command.
On the surface, these ghosts seemed like a pain to deal with.
But Takumi didn't seem concerned.
"Hmph, kid! Ever seen a real ghost before? Ohohohoho!" Perona smirked, raising her arm. A few translucent spheres emerged from her body, quickly morphing into ghost-like figures that floated through the air, zooming straight toward Takumi.
Takumi dodged each of the ghosts with ease, using his Shunpo to avoid their attacks.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Perona, startling her.
"Ah! You scared me!" Perona complained, her face twisting with frustration.
Takumi casually reached out toward her shoulder.
Perona tried to dart away, but Takumi was faster, easily catching up to her. As he had expected, his hand passed right through her body.
This was Perona's spirit form.
No matter what attack he used next, it wouldn't harm her in any way.
If he wanted to take her down, he would have to find her real body.
Without wasting another thought, Takumi expanded his Observation Haki.
It didn't take long before he locked onto a specific location. Without saying a word, he vanished from Perona's sight in an instant, using his Shunpo.
"Hmph, running away already? What a coward! Moria-sama won't let you off so easily," Perona muttered, her lips pouting in frustration. "Ugh, but that guy was stronger than I thought... I've never seen anyone dodge my ghosts so easily."
"L-Lady Perona…" one of the zombie dolls, a panda-headed doll in a yellow suit, stammered hesitantly from behind her. "That guy seemed to be…"
"Shut up!" Perona shot a glare at the doll. "Talking makes you uncute! Don't speak!"
"B-But…" the panda zombie was sweating bullets, "it looks like that guy was heading toward your bedroom."
Perona froze.
"Why didn't you say that earlier, you idiot? What good are any of you?!"
Without another word, Perona shot into the air, soaring through the walls as fast as she could toward the room where her body was hidden.
However, even with all her speed, by the time she arrived, Takumi had already placed the cursed sword, Sandai Kitetsu, against her real body's neck.
"Wha—! No! You jerk! Stop right now!" Perona screamed, panic setting in.
Takumi turned his head, looking at her with an amused smirk. "Is that how you ask for help?"
"W-What do you want? I-I promise I won't attack you again! Just don't hurt my body!" Perona was on the verge of tears.
She couldn't believe it. This was their first encounter, yet this boy already knew all about her biggest weakness.
And to make matters worse, he had found her body so easily!
This guy... he's definitely not normal. And he looks even younger than me…
Takumi wasn't Enel; he didn't have a particular love for killing, nor did he feel a need to resort to violence unless provoked. Besides, Perona hadn't really done anything that crossed the line, so he had no intention of actually killing her.
But this girl had a sneaky mouth. Letting her off too easily would be a mistake.
After thinking for a moment, Takumi sheathed his sword.
Seeing him put the blade away, Perona sighed in relief, thinking to herself: Wow, this guy is so gullible. Heh, I'll definitely take advantage of that.
With her newfound confidence, Perona forced a smile and said sweetly, "To thank you for sparing my life, I'll give you all the treasure I've hidden away. If you trust me, I'll take you to the treasure room right now."
Of course, Perona had no intention of showing him any treasure. She was planning to lead Takumi straight to Moria.
Takumi could guess what she was up to, but he simply chuckled and agreed with a single "Sure," before grabbing her real body.
Under Perona's astonished gaze, her physical form vanished right before her eyes.
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