Luffy had the smile of someone whose plan had worked.
He knew that on this sea, no one could truly refuse the temptation of delicious food!
Especially when in a state of extreme hunger.
These were all insights from his own experience.
He took the fragrant piece of meat, crouched again in front of Perona, and said, "I have one condition."
Perona immediately became wary. "What are you trying to do? I warn you, I will never betray Moria-sama!"
She instinctively thought that Luffy was trying to get secrets about Moria or Thriller Bark from her.
Luffy pursed his lips. "That guy Moria was already defeated by me."
Aside from letting him test the power he gained from entering his shadow state, Moria had been completely unremarkable.
Though she had sensed it would happen, hearing confirmation from Luffy's mouth still made Perona's eyes dim for a moment. A touch of sadness flickered across her face.
After all, Moria was the one who had taken her in and given her a place to belong.
"Then what do you want?" Perona couldn't help asking.
"Join my ship?" Luffy grinned.
"J-Join... join your ship?"
Perona was stunned. She didn't react for a moment. Then, inexplicably, a blush rose on her cheeks. She sounded uncertain, stammering, "D-Do you mean that kind of joining?"
Her mind instantly went to some inappropriate associations from shoujo manga.
Luffy's face was covered in black lines. This scene felt full of déjà vu. Where had he seen it before?
Oh, right. It was Uta!
Uta: "???"
"Of course! As a crewmate. Join my ship as a pirate. What other kind of joining?"
Perona's face reddened even more. Half from embarrassment, half from feeling a bit foolish for her earlier thought.
She snorted and turned her head away, trying to maintain her last shred of pride. "Impossible! I won't agree!"
Though Moria-sama had lost, she, the Ghost Princess, still had her pride!
How could she easily submit to the enemy's command?
It was indeed common for pirates to invite each other to join crews, but that was usually based on mutual recognition or submission after defeat. As far as she was concerned, there was only one-sided beating and intimidation between her and Luffy!
"Then you can just stay here."
Luffy didn't press further. He directly stood up, making a move to go back to the fire.
His attitude was basically: if you don't agree, I'll just keep eating in front of you.
Luffy wasn't in a hurry. He wanted to keep eating anyway.
But Perona was panicking!
Watching Luffy turn away without hesitation, her psychological defenses again crumbled.
The meat! The meat was about to disappear!
"W-Wait!"
She called out to him, her tone softening, with a hint of hesitation. "Why did you pick me?"
She truly couldn't understand. Aside from being able to send out Negative Hollows and scare people, what could she possibly offer that would make this monster, who had defeated Moria-sama, want her?
Was he planning to use her ability against his enemies?
That would be too cruel!
"No particular reason. I just took a liking to you."
Luffy counted on his fingers. When he set out to sea, he thought he needed ten crewmates. Now, including Nika and Merry, he seemed to have already exceeded that.
But whatever!
"I thought you seemed interesting, so I invited you." Luffy grinned.
It was the truth.
Those ghosts seemed pretty interesting.
Perona listened, dumbfounded.
What kind of reason was that?
That was way too casual!
It was even more casual than when Moria-sama had taken her in because he thought she had the potential to be a weirdo!
Back then, she had only been a child. What potential could he have seen?
Her face was full of hesitation. Her thoughts were in turmoil.
If she refused, she might really starve to death on this awful island—or be eaten by beasts.
If she agreed... it didn't seem entirely unacceptable?
At least this captain was ridiculously strong. Following him probably meant she wouldn't go hungry.
And though he seemed rough around the edges, he didn't seem bad?
She secretly glanced at Nika, who was nearby, burping contentedly. Even such a strange creature could become a crewmate.
"Then... could I make one condition?"
Perona lowered her head. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's. "Will you help me build my Dream Kingdom?"
She had mentioned this wish to Moria-sama many times. Every time, Moria had just put her off with empty promises.
"Dream Kingdom?"
Luffy looked confused. "Like... fairy tale books?"
He had only ever heard about something like a "kingdom" from Crocodile—something like an "Ideal Country."
"That's not it at all!" Perona couldn't help raise her voice.
She was that passionate about it.
Which seemed understandable.
Luffy felt the same passion when someone doubted his dream of becoming the Pirate King.
So he looked at Perona encouragingly.
Noticing the sudden change in Luffy's gaze, Perona became a bit embarrassed instead. She explained in a small voice,
"A Dream Kingdom is where I turn the cutest animals in the world into zombies, have them obey my commands, and build my zombie kingdom!"
Speaking of her dream, Perona's eyes lit up slightly.
Luffy looked at her with a strange expression. He was silent for a moment, then said, "I think that's fine."
Turning cute animals into zombies?
That was great!
Perona blinked. This was the first time anyone had reacted that way to her dream.
She felt like she had found a kindred spirit. Her view of Luffy improved considerably!
She started chattering nonstop.
"But a dream is something you have to achieve yourself." Luffy suddenly interrupted her.
"Only when you achieve your dream with your own hands will you feel a sense of accomplishment and true happiness. Like me wanting to become the Pirate King. I'll forge my own path with my fists."
He paused, looked at Perona, and grinned. "But if this is your dream, as your crewmate, we'll support you from behind."
Perona had never heard anything like this before.
Under Moria, Moria always said:
"Perona, once I get the strongest shadows and create the world's strongest zombie army, then I'll help you achieve your dream."
He had never told her to achieve it herself. It was more like a boss painting a pie for his subordinate.
On one side was understanding. On the other side was just painted pies. The scale suddenly tilted.
She hesitated for a moment, her inner thoughts in turmoil.
Soon, Perona looked up, trying to maintain a "I'm not doing this voluntarily" tsundere expression, and snorted.
"Fine. I accept your invitation."
"Really?"
"Let me be clear. I'm not agreeing because I'm too hungry. It's because you took a liking to this princess, so I'll do you a favor!"
No sooner had she spoken than her uncooperative stomach loudly protested again with a growl, echoing clearly in the silent forest.
Perona's face instantly flushed bright red. She wanted to crawl into a hole.
Luffy laughed out loud.
It was done!
Almost the moment Perona agreed, the third-stage punishment, which had been like background noise, tormenting him constantly, finally entered the 24-hour countdown to lift!
"A countdown still isn't bad."
Luffy finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fighting others with the third-stage punishment active was truly "hurting the enemy a thousand, injuring yourself two thousand."
It hurt too much.
Wait. He thought of another problem.
After the third-stage punishment disappeared, would it go back to the second stage?
Luffy couldn't help but think of Robin.
She was in the East Blue right now.
"Hey, you should untie me now." Perona called out.
"Oh, right."
Luffy nimbly untied Perona. The moment he looked down, Perona was already pouncing like a starving hamster, directly attacking the roast beef on a stick, devouring it without any dignity.
Her cheeks were puffed out. Her face radiated happiness and satisfaction. It was as if all her recent grievances had vanished with the food.
Nika, having witnessed the whole process, rolled her eyes and couldn't resist complaining. "Tch. Weren't you pretty tough just now? Weren't you saying you wouldn't submit and wouldn't betray Moria-sama?"
And then she was bought with a piece of meat?
What happened to your Ghost Princess dignity?
"I told you, no one in the world can refuse meat." Luffy said with complete confidence.
Perona was now completely focused on eating. She had neither the time nor the inclination to refute Nika's rants or Luffy's fallacies.
Dignity?
What was that?
Could it compare to this fragrant piece of roasted meat in front of her?
She even felt this was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten!
It wasn't as if they were mortal enemies.
Soon, she had finished that sizable piece of roast beef, even licking the grease off her fingers.
Seeing her still unsatisfied, Luffy smiled and handed her a few large, appetizing fruits.
"Here. Have these. They'll cut the grease."
Perona looked at the fresh, juicy fruits and was almost moved to tears.
Meat to eat, and fruit for dessert to cut the grease!
This treatment seemed even better than when she was Ghost Princess on Thriller Bark.
What had she been eating before?
All cold food, and she didn't even know what it was made from.
It seemed following this seemingly unreliable captain wasn't such an unbearable thing after all?
She took the fruit and ate it in small bites.
The sweet juice burst in her mouth, making her squint her eyes happily.
While eating, Perona finally had the time and curiosity to start asking about some things she had been wondering.
"Hey, Straw Hat. You're so strong. You even beat Moria-sa... Moria. How did Kuma manage to send you flying? Couldn't you beat him? He's also a Warlord of the Sea."
She paused, then asked, "And what about your crewmates? What about that orange-haired, scary-looking, big-breasted navigator?"
Big-breasted, scary-looking navigator?
That was pretty accurate.
Nika almost burst out laughing.
If Nami heard that, she would very kindly invite Perona for a long chat.
"It's a long story. I'll make it short."
Luffy sat cross-legged opposite her, eating fruit, and told her roughly what had happened on the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Pfft, cough, cough, cough..."
Perona nearly choked to death.
Kidnapping Celestial Dragons and making deals with the World Government?
Fighting Admirals Kizaru and Aokiji?
Clashing fiercely with Marine Hero Garp?
With the Warlord of the Sea, Bartholomew Kuma, and the former vice-captain of the Roger Pirates, Rayleigh, also appearing?
How did all these completely unrelated people end up in the same place?!
Perona tried to squeeze Moria's name in, only to find that he didn't fit!
These figures, usually only spoken of in legends, standing at the top of the world—Straw Hat had encountered almost all of them in a single day and fought them.
"No, wait. Give me a moment."
Perona felt her brain spinning.
The amount of information was too much. Hard to digest.
What kind of crew pirate had she just joined?!
She believed even the description of an Emperor-level conflict!
Perona even wondered if Luffy was lying to her, thinking that just because she had always stayed on Thriller Bark, she was easy to fool.
Seeing Perona looking dumbfounded, Luffy found it somewhat amusing.
He decided to change the subject to something lighter. "Hey, Perona, what's your bounty?"
After this incident, the World Government would probably significantly increase their crew's bounties, right?
At the mention of bounties, Perona became evasive.
Meeting Luffy's gaze, her cheeks flushed, her eyes wandered, and she couldn't say a word for a long time.
It seemed she didn't have a bounty at all?
After all, she had always been under Moria's protection and rarely directly involved in major incidents. The World Government might not even know she existed.
Seeing her embarrassed expression, Luffy immediately understood.
"So you don't have a bounty yet. You need to work hard, Perona. Even Nika has a 100 Berry bounty." Luffy smiled.
"Bullshit!"
Nika, who had been dozing, instantly exploded. She jumped up and shrieked, "Don't ever mention that 100 Berry again! Those idiots in the World Government, with their eyes in their butts, they don't know quality! My value couldn't possibly be only 100 Berry!"
Perona watched Luffy and Nika noisy over the bounty.
One laughing heartily, the other jumping and fuming.
For some reason, the emotions stirred by the earth-shattering news she had just heard gradually calmed down.
Amazing.
She even found the corners of her mouth lifting into a relaxed smile involuntarily.
This actually seemed not bad?
At least she wasn't feeling lonely anymore.
Was it because she had become his crewmate that he no longer seemed so terrifying?
Or was this noisy, lively atmosphere actually quite warm?
Fully fed and having heard Luffy's story-like account, Perona felt her strength return and her spirits relax.
"Ew. This is so filthy."
Perona looked at herself. Her Gothic Lolita dress was dirty from days of fleeing.
Her body felt sticky. There was also a strange smell she couldn't ignore.
After eating and drinking, people naturally thought about such things. Earlier, in the cave, Perona had only wanted something to eat!
She thought it over, squirmed for a moment, then put her hands on her hips, habitually assuming her proud Ghost Princess posture, and said to Luffy, "Hey, Straw Hat. As the captain, you have a duty to do some things for your new crewmate, right?"
Luffy was poking the fire with a stick. Hearing this, he turned his head and looked at her without speaking.
Perona's heart tightened at his gaze. She quickly lowered her hands. "A small thing! It's a very small thing! I promise I won't make things difficult for you!"
In an instant, her proud-princess pose had turned into that of a guilty little girl.
"What I mean is,"
Luffy put down the stick and waved his hand. "Just call me Luffy. 'Straw Hat' sounds strange."
Perona blinked, then breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been bothered by her address?
It seemed a bit incredible.
"So he can be this easy to talk to?"
Perona recalled the terrifying figure who had tormented her with meat and scattered her ghosts with a punch. This seemed like a completely different person.
"Oh... Luffy."
Perona tried out the name, a bit unused to it. Then she voiced her request. "I want to find a river or lake nearby to take a bath. I haven't been able to clean up properly for days. My body feels terrible. Can you keep watch for me not too far away?"
She was the Ghost Princess, after all!
How could she stand being sweaty and covered in dust?
And this forest was full of beasts. She didn't dare go alone.
Luffy didn't refuse. He nodded very matter-of-factly. "Sure."
Wait. Why did this feel so skilled?
Seeing Luffy agree so readily, the last stone in Perona's heart was removed. She even felt a faint sense of being cared for.
She shook her head, pushing the strange thought aside, and eagerly pointed toward where she had heard water flowing earlier.
"There! I think I heard water over there earlier!"
Nika looked uninterested.
"Let's go." Luffy picked up Nika and followed.
Soon, a clear river appeared before them.
The banks were lined with smooth pebbles and some colorful, unnamed flowers.
Perona cheered. No longer caring that Luffy was nearby, she quickly confirmed there were no obvious dangers within sight, then ran behind a large rock and began taking off her elaborate Gothic dress.
"Don't look, okay."
"And don't leave."
"Hey, are you still there?"
Luffy answered. From behind the rock, Perona happily got into the water.
After several days of fear, Perona could finally soak in the cool, clean river water and relax completely. She couldn't help but let out a sigh of comfort.
She carefully washed her long hair and body, feeling the exhaustion and grime of the past days being carried away by the water.
But this relaxation didn't last long.
"KYAAAAH!"
A sharp scream suddenly rose from the riverbank, breaking the peace of the forest.
Luffy reacted extremely quickly. Almost the instant the sound started, he turned and ran toward her.
"What's wrong?!"
Just as he reached the riverbank, a wet, damp, pale, and blindingly white figure burst out from behind the rock, leaping directly into his arms. Her arms clung tightly around his neck. Her legs also wrapped around his waist. Her whole body hung on him like a frightened koala.
"Don't look! Don't look!"
Perona screamed, burying her face in the shadow under his straw hat. Her voice was choked with tears. "There's something big in the water! Really big!"
Luffy, caught off guard by this sudden embrace, was momentarily confused. But he instinctively held her up to keep her from falling.
This move was also quite skillful.
But how big was "big"?
Luffy looked up and saw a long, large snake exposing its body.
"Nice. Extra food."
Just as he was about to move, he heard several sharp sounds in the air.
Someone was coming!
***
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