"And your Hollow-Hollow Fruit... I will be taking it."
The moment Perona heard Sora's firm declaration, she felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss.
Realizing there was no escape from his grasp, she immediately threw up her hands in surrender.
"Fine! I want a Kumashi that doesn't talk!"
"No, wait—I want a Kumadon too!"
Faced with Sora's pressure, Perona shamelessly gave in, choosing her beloved plush bear over pride—and even tried to haggle.
"No problem."
Sora downed the last of his red wine, stood up, and walked toward her.
He casually tossed the small Kumashi plush into her arms before picking her up and carrying her back to the bed.
Knowing what was about to happen, Perona trembled and clung tightly to the toy, as if trying to draw strength from it to face the big bad wolf…
…
The next morning at 7 a.m., Sora woke up right on time.
Though he wasn't in the habit of working out, he always rose early.
He glanced over at Perona, still asleep beside him, her wrist shackled by a sea stone cuff, hugging the small Kumashi tightly. Even in her dreams, her brows were furrowed.
Sora chuckled softly.
Petite and cute, Perona oozed that youthful charm from every angle. Add to that her cowardice and obedience once threatened, and she really was an ideal "little pet."
Stepping out onto the bedroom's balcony, Sora looked down toward the Divine Slave.
From his perch atop the castle, he could see the ship clearly.
Reiju, Robin, and the others were already deep into their morning training session. Pleased, Sora nodded.
Since the Thriller Bark hadn't yet been bound to his system, he couldn't set up designated training zones aboard it.
So, for now, he still had the girls train on the Divine Slave's deck, where the training boosts were already in effect.
After watching for a while, Sora returned to the room and glanced again at the still-sleeping Perona.
He opened her stats.
[Name: Perona]
[Status: Pirate]
[Special Skills: None]
[Talent: None]
[Friendliness: 50]
[Combat Power: Six-Star]
[Devil Fruit: Hollow-Hollow Fruit]
[Gains: +30 Physique, +30 Vitality...]
Sora couldn't help but laugh.
Her raw physical stats were terrible. That's why she got knocked out by Nami's AoE lightning, which only briefly stunned Moria.
She was terrible in hand-to-hand combat—probably couldn't even beat Usopp—and she didn't know any Haki.
Yet her Hollow-Hollow Fruit was so absurdly broken that it pulled her entire combat tier upward, placing her on par with a Marine Rear Admiral.
No wonder she nearly wiped out the Straw Hat crew in the original story.
Of course, that was only because her Devil Fruit gave her such a high floor. If she went up against elite Vice Admirals or top officers from a Yonko crew, she'd be toast.
Still, Sora planned to train her properly and fill in those weaknesses.
With good teamwork, Perona's fruit could be devastating. Imagine pairing her with Reiju, who had sea stone weapons and high combat skill.
Even an elite Vice Admiral could fall if they let their guard down.
Perhaps it was the sensation of being watched—or maybe she'd dreamed about being captured by a creepy old wolf and force-fed carrots...
Perona suddenly bolted upright in bed, panic in her eyes.
She hated carrots.
When she realized she wasn't actually in danger, she exhaled in relief.
Then she saw Sora sitting at her bedside, watching her intently—and jumped.
"You creep! Don't sneak up on people like that!"
She glared at him like a startled kitten.
Sora smiled and snapped his fingers.
In the next moment, a Negative Ghost drifted out from his body and flew toward Perona.
"Negative Ghost...?"
Her eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Had he really... mastered her Devil Fruit?
"Oh no!"
She tried to move, but the ghost passed straight through her.
It made a face, and her expression crumbled.
"I'm so useless... I should just become seaweed..."
Sora let out a low laugh.
"Interesting."
He had to admit—these Negative Ghosts were ridiculously fun.
Before long, Perona recovered.
As the fruit's original user, she naturally had some resistance to the ghosts.
But the moment she saw another ghost floating beside her, doing silly gestures, it all clicked.
Sora had taken her ability!
"You bastard! You stole my Devil Fruit!"
"Give it back!"
Sora raised an eyebrow and summoned a second ghost. It floated toward her and phased through her again, joining the first in formation.
"I'm sorry... It was my fault... If you'll allow it, I'd like to atone by becoming your loyal servant..."
"You asshole! You did it again!"
"Forgive me... I shouldn't have raised my voice at you... Please forgive this worthless being..."
"Arghhh!! I'm going to kill you—!!"
"I'm sorry..."
"Damn you, are you done playing around yet?!"
"Forgive me..."
…
After several rounds of this madness, Perona slumped over, her pride in tatters.
Sora couldn't stop laughing.
These Negative Ghosts were too overpowered—and way too fun.
They were the perfect weapon against someone like Perona.
Finally, when she recovered again, Sora grinned and asked:
"Now then... can I expect you to behave from now on?"
Perona, on the verge of breaking, nodded repeatedly.
She hated Negative Ghosts more than anything now.
Well… all except her own.
Still believing her fruit had been taken, she looked at Sora with teary eyes and pleaded:
"I'll behave from now on... So please, Sora-sama, give me my Devil Fruit back…"
Without it, she felt like she couldn't even beat a Marine Ensign.
Sora reclined back onto the bed, smiling lazily.
"Whether you get it back or not… depends on how you behave."
Feeling his gaze on her, Perona flushed, biting her lip.
______________
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