"Oh? Tell me more."
Moses became interested. Devil Fruits, regardless of type, would be extremely useful to him in many ways.
Seeing Moses so excited, Crow Dabao let out a cackling laugh and said:
"Just now—flying in the sky—saw a group—in black clothes—whispering. Crow got curious—so flew down."
After a moment,
Moses rubbed his chin, analyzing the information from Crow Dabao's words.
The Ishu Family, which controlled the island's internal and external commerce, was making a big move this time. They had secretly traded an unknown Devil Fruit with the largest mafia in the West Sea.
Their goal was to eliminate the law enforcement forces on the island—the troops governed by the Elizabeth Family—so they could openly dominate the island's surface-level factions.
"Infighting, huh?"
Moses chuckled. "From what you're saying, they're already preparing to make the exchange?"
Crow Dabao let out a croak and nodded his bird head. "Caw, go now?"
Moses grinned. "Of course. Going to try our luck won't cost us anything. If we're lucky, we might even get a free Devil Fruit out of it."
At this point, Moses glanced at Perona, who was pricking up her ears and eavesdropping. He smiled:
"Since you don't want to come with me, I guess it's time to say goodbye. I've got things to do. Maybe we'll meet again someday."
With that, Moses stood up, brushing the grass off his clothes, and said to Crow Dabao, "Lead the way, Dabao."
"Caw!"
Crow Dabao shot into the sky, flying off into the distance.
Moses followed closely behind.
But after just two steps, Perona's anxious voice rang out from behind him. "You're really leaving?"
"Didn't you say you wanted me to come with you? Aren't you going to beg me a little more? Maybe if I'm in a good mood, I'll agree?"
Moses turned slightly, giving her a once-over. She reeked of tsundere energy. He scoffed:
"Come if you want. If not, feel free to stay here alone forever—until you rot and grow mold."
Perona's lips trembled with anger. "You're really not cute at all! You're younger than me, yet you act like some mature adult?"
But when Moses turned to leave again, her heart skipped a beat. She quickly jogged after him, catching up and immediately explaining:
"Just so you know—don't get full of yourself—I'm not coming with you because I want to.
I just want to see your Panda and get revenge on that foul-mouthed crow every day. Once I've had my fill, I'll leave on my own.
Yeah, that's it."
Moses rolled his eyes and pinched Perona's cheek.
"Can't you talk straight? With that pout and squint, it's obvious you're lying. If you want to come, just say it. Why put on this tsundere act?"
"Who's tsundere?! Who's acting?! Watch your mouth! Or do you want me to make you kneel and beg for forgiveness with my Negative Spirit? And stop pinching my cheek—it hurts!"
She slapped his hand away.
"Did you forget?" Moses smirked, looking amused. "Your negative powers don't work on me. And wasn't it you who was just begging me not to hit you?"
"Seems like you're not just tsundere—you're also a bit slow.
I'm starting to regret this. Maybe you should just stay here after all. Sit around and wait to grow mold by yourself."
"You, you, I'm really leaving now? I'm really leaving, I'm truly going?"
Seeing Moses remain unmoved, Perona gritted her teeth and plopped down on the ground. The upper half of her spirit form emerged from her body, her palm aimed at Moses:
"Negative Spirit."
Biu~
A white, translucent ghostly doll shot straight through Moses, entering from his back and exiting through his chest.
His pupils suddenly contracted as Moses felt a tidal wave of negative emotions surging through his mind.
His legs gave way.
Kneeling halfway to the ground, his lips trembled, "I... I..."
He took a deep breath.
In an instant, he entered the State of Oneness.
After a while, he snapped out of it and turned to glare at Perona, who looked utterly bewildered.
"You ambushed me?"
Spirit-form Perona looked completely confused, "What's going on? Aren't you immune to my abilities?"
Suddenly, her eyes lit up as another ghostly doll shot from her palm, passing straight through Moses' body.
"Huh?" Perona grew even more bewildered, "Why isn't it working again? What's wrong with you? Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't?"
Moses stood up with a dark expression, his left hand passing through Perona's spirit chest to grab her physical cheek, lifting her up.
His right fist rose high.
Duang~
He knocked hard on her head, watching as a big bump formed, then let out a heavy breath.
Perona's spirit form wore a pained expression as she cried out, "You, you, how could you actually hit me?"
She quickly retracted her upper body back into her physical form, immediately clutching her head and wailing in pain.
Her entire body squirmed like a worm in Moses' grip.
"Don't let it happen again. If you ambush me again, I'll hit you again."
Moses released her face and growled fiercely.
Perona nodded with a tearful, fearful expression, "Fine, I was wrong, okay?"
Moses curled his lip, "Let's go. Crow Dabao is getting impatient."
Glancing at Crow Dabao circling in the sky, Moses quickly followed.
Perona sniffled, glared fiercely at Moses, then suddenly her eyes sparkled as if she'd thought of something, and she secretly giggled.
She hurriedly got up and followed.
...
"Is that them?"
Moses crouched in the ruins, watching a group of black-suited, tie-wearing, sunglasses-sporting mafia members armed with guns about a hundred meters away.
As he observed them, Moses' eyes widened in surprise when he spotted a "familiar" face among them—short and stout.
Though he recognized someone, his attention wasn't on that person but rather on another group approaching from the distance.
One of them, seemingly the leader, carried a briefcase—undoubtedly containing the Devil Fruit.
Soon, the two groups met, chatting with smiles all around.
Moses turned to Perona beside him, who also looked surprised, and said bluntly:
"You heard what Crow Dabao said about their Devil Fruit trade just now, right? Want to help me?"
Perona shot Moses a sideways glance and muttered, "Have you no shame? You just hit me, and now you're asking for my help?"
Then her tone shifted, her eyes gleaming as she looked at Moses:
"If you want this lady's help, how about letting me hit you back later?"
Moses smiled, placing a hand on Crow Dabao's head beside him: "Deal."
"Peipei, you first astral project and go underground, then use Negative Spirits to take them all down. Crow Dabao, you swoop down from the sky, grab the briefcase and run.
Then, Peipei, you keep using Negative Spirits to maintain their depressed state while I carry your physical body away. Two minutes later, your spirit returns on its own. That's my battle plan—got it?
Oh, by the way, Peipei, can your spirit phase through the ground?"
Crow Dabao nodded.
"I can, but..." Perona looked at Moses in confusion and pointed at herself.
"...Peipei? Are you calling me?"
Moses rolled his eyes. "Who else would I be calling? Is there a second person here whose name has the character 'Pei' in it?"
Perona blinked, then suddenly covered her mouth and giggled. "Since when did we get so close that you're using pet names for me? I didn't even know!"
Moses's face darkened. "Fine then, Perona."
"Wait." Perona reached out and covered Moses's mouth, laughing softly. "Hahaha... it actually sounds nice. Alright, I'll reluctantly agree to let you call me that."
"Oh, and remember to protect my body later. Once I astral project, my body won't be able to move."
As she finished speaking, Moses saw the exchange begin on the other side. The briefcase opened, revealing a strangely shaped fruit.
At that moment, Moses patted Perona's head. "Now's the time. Operation begins. Peipei, go for it."
Perona shook her head helplessly, then slumped toward Moses, her head hitting the ground with a thud.
The astral-projected Perona watched this scene, her eyes practically blazing as she hissed, "Moses, you jerk! Is this how you take care of my body?"
Moses chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention just now. Alright, alright, my bad. Just hurry up and go."
As he spoke, he grabbed Perona by the back of her neck and propped her up against his chest. Perona huffed at the sight, then her spirit sank into the ground and vanished.
Moses glanced at Crow Dabao, who met his gaze before transforming into a ground-running chicken, darting to the other side. Seconds later, he shot up from another patch of ruins.
A hundred meters wasn't far.
Twenty seconds later.
Moses watched as a head and a small hand emerged from a corner behind the two groups, followed by four ghostly dolls skimming the ground toward them.
One, two, three...
Kneel, kneel, kneel.
Someone noticed something was wrong and cried out in alarm—only to immediately drop to their knees.
Within seconds, all thirty-plus people were kneeling, mumbling incoherently.
The leader holding the briefcase also collapsed, dropping the case. The Devil Fruit inside rolled out.
Moses watched as the ghostly dolls phased in and out of their bodies.
"Tch, hax abilities really don't play fair. I wonder if Armament Haki can block it.
Maybe I should ask Gramps to test it later. His Hegemony must be insane."
Shaking his head, he refocused on the scene. Crow Dabao descended from the sky, his talons clamping onto the Devil Fruit before soaring back up.
Seeing this...
Moses curled his lips into a faint smile.
With his left hand, he lifted Perona's arm and slung her over his shoulder, while his right arm supported her legs as he swiftly left the area.
Two minutes later.
Perona eyed the men in black suits and thought for a moment: "Time's up, right? It's been about 128 seconds. Hmm, let's hit them with another round."
Ghostly dolls carrying eerie laughter once again phased through their bodies before dissipating, leaving behind only despairing whispers lingering in the air.
To an outsider, it might have looked like some kind of sinister cult ritual.
A few minutes later.
As the first man staggered to his feet, the rest of the black-suited men followed suit, exchanging awkward glances filled with unspoken embarrassment.
A strange atmosphere settled over the area.
After a brief silence,
a short, stocky man in a pinstriped black suit glanced at the empty briefcase on the ground and spoke calmly:
"Let's talk. Can this deal still go through? The Devil Fruit was stolen. How does the Ishu Family plan to compensate us?"
At this, the leader of the Ishu Family awkwardly replied:
"You don't think we leaked the information, do you? Capone Bege."
"I didn't say anything. But since the goods were lost before they reached me, the responsibility isn't mine. You handle it," Capone Bege said flatly.
The leader, looking aggrieved, responded:
"Fine. We'll contact you again in a day. Just to be clear—this was an accident. You know our reputation. The Ishu Family doesn't do things like this."
Capone Bege raised an eyebrow and said simply, "Alright then. I hope you're sincere. Otherwise..."
The leader, still looking frustrated, said, "Don't worry. You'll have an answer in a day."
...
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Perona screamed in frustration. "You jerk! Is this how you protect me? Couldn't you have carried me properly?
Are you hauling a sack of sand or something?"
Now far from the scene, in the middle of some ruins, Perona's spirit form caught up, fuming at the sight before her.
Moses blinked at her in confusion. "Carry?"
"The ground's full of rubble and potholes. Carrying you would've been a hassle. This was more convenient."
"Besides, I kept your body safe, didn't I? Why are you fussing over trivial things?"
Perona's floating spirit twitched, her face darkening as she dove back into her body. The next moment, Moses felt her arms wrap around him from behind, followed by a sharp pain in his side.
His eye twitched, and on reflex, he turned and bit her waist in return. Perona immediately let out a shriek of pain and released her grip. Seeing this, Moses swiftly set her down.
Rubbing his waist, he felt something sticky. He brought his hand to his face and grimaced at the sight before turning to Perona, who was now crouched on the ground clutching her waist, tears welling in her eyes.
"You bit me and drooled all over me?" Moses said flatly.
Perona glared up at him, her eyes burning with rage as she gritted her teeth.
"You jerk! You actually bit me? Are you a dog or something?"
"You're the dog—biting people for no reason," Moses retorted with a smirk.
Upon hearing this, Perona grew even angrier and lunged at him with claws bared. Seeing this, Moses simply extended his right hand and pressed it against her head.
Effortlessly subduing her.
Witnessing this, Perona became even more furious. She reached out to grab Moses' arm, clearly intending to bite him.
Noticing her move, Moses loosened his grip and stepped back. Perona let out a startled cry as she tumbled headfirst toward the ground: "Help!"
Moses swiftly bent down, seized the back of her collar, and saved her from the fall.
Perona stared at the ground less than three centimeters away and sighed in relief, reflexively saying, "Thank you!"
But then her eyes twitched, and she began cursing, "You jerk! Hurry up and pull me back up!"
Moses glanced at her and replied indifferently, "Oh!"
Then he let go.
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