"Link, you've worked hard."
Robin, who usually stood by and watched, took the initiative to walk up to Link this time. She gently straightened his clothes. If she had then tied her hair back over her shoulder, she would have been the perfect wife.
That is, if she wasn't emitting tangible flames and black energy.
After tidying Link's clothes, Robin asked with a smile, "Did you find that Hollow-Hollow Fruit user?"
"Link, where is that Hollow-Hollow Fruit user?"
"I'm definitely going to repay that person!"
"..."
The other three girls also walked up.
Unlike Robin, Carina and Nami were like two erupting volcanoes, looking as if they wanted to tear Perona to shreds.
Even the gentle Vivi was extremely angry at this moment.
If everyone had been hit, it wouldn't have mattered.
But as it happened, the embarrassing scene was seen by Link's Wood Clone.
Which meant, Link had also seen their embarrassing state.
That sense of shame made Vivi wish she could dig a hole and bury herself in it.
Towards the Hollow-Hollow Fruit user who had made them so embarrassed, all four girls' anger levels had shot up to MAX.
Even Link didn't dare to provoke the four girls right now. He quickly pointed at the forest behind him and said, "I've sealed her. I'll have my Wood Clone bring her out now."
After speaking, Link quickly formed a single hand seal.
In a short while, a Wood Clone emerged, carrying Perona, who had been drained of her energy and was currently in a coma.
Seeing Perona in the Wood Clone's hands, the flames on the four girls' bodies instantly vanished.
Carina's beautiful eyes widened. "It's a child?!"
"No wonder those ghosts' voices were so childish. The user is so young," Vivi's anger instantly disappeared.
It was the same for Robin and Nami.
All four girls were the same kind of people; no matter what they experienced, they still maintained the 'kindness' in their hearts.
Perona hadn't harmed their companions, only played a prank on them. The four girls had only intended to give her a good beating.
But seeing that the other party was just a 'minor' little girl, they instantly let it go.
However, the corner of Link's mouth twitched slightly.
Little girl?
Perona was twenty-three years old this year, only five years different from the four girls.
Five years younger than Robin, five years older than the other three.
But Link didn't tell them!
After wiping out the Gecko Pirates, Link got down to business.
He gave his Wood Clone a look, and the latter immediately vanished in a flash.
When the Wood Clone appeared again, it had transformed into a stranger. It then followed its senses to find the living people on the island. It didn't kill them all, but drove them all away.
The living people whose shadows had returned were all moved to tears of gratitude towards the Wood Clone, and then they left the Thriller Bark.
They couldn't wait to leave the Florian Triangle immediately and bask in the sunlight they hadn't seen for who knows how long.
Among them was Charlotte Linlin's 23rd daughter, Charlotte Lola.
It was also because of her existence that the Wood Clone didn't kill everyone.
Link wasn't sure if Charlotte Linlin's side had Charlotte Lola's Vivre Card.
At this critical stage of his plan, Link did not want to provoke a New World Emperor.
Splash—
While the Wood Clone was driving away the living people, Link also used Wood Style and Water Style to create a bucket of water, which he then poured on Moria and Perona.
"Cough, cough..."
Drenched like drowned rats, Moria and Perona both woke up from their comas.
"Ah..."
The moment Perona woke up, she let out a piercing scream. Her unique eyes widened, her eyeballs bulging as if they were about to fall out of their sockets.
There was no helping it; the scene before her was too terrifying.
Carina and Nami were burning with flames, looking at her with smiles that didn't reach their eyes, cracking their knuckles. "Well, well, little ghost."
"Don't... don't kill me..."
Perona was scared to tears and begged for mercy. Then, perhaps because she was too emotional, her eyes rolled back and she fainted again.
"..."
Carina and Nami, who had intended to scare her, were suddenly silent.
The two girls looked at each other, both speechless.
Clearly, neither of them had expected Perona to be so timid, so easily scared.
"Brat, what do you want?"
Unlike the screaming Perona, Moria, whose body was still bound by the Smothering Binding Technique, asked with extreme rationality.
Looking at Moria, who finally had the demeanor of a great pirate, Link created a chair with Wood Style and sat down, asking with a smile, "Senior Moria, do you know the rules of pirates?"
Hearing this, Moria couldn't help but mock, "Aren't you a bounty hunter? What, planning to change careers?"
Link didn't get angry. He glanced at Robin, then nodded. "Something like that. I just haven't been officially promoted yet."
"..."
Moria was silent for a moment, then repeated his earlier words: "Then what do you want?"
There was an unwritten rule in the pirate world: the victor could take everything from the loser, whether it was treasure, crew members, or even the pirate flag that represented the life of the ship.
Of course, the loser could also refuse, but the result would be death.
Moria didn't want to die. If he could live, he was willing to pay the price.
"I want three things."
Link held up one finger and said, "First, I want your Haki notes."
After speaking, Link warned, "Don't try to fool me. I will learn Haki here and will only let you go after I've mastered it."
"...Alright."
Moria only hesitated for a few seconds before nodding.
The girls were a little confused. What were Haki notes?
But seeing that Link was discussing serious business, they didn't ask.
Immediately after, Link pointed at the reawakened Perona and said, "Second, I want to take this crew member with me."
"Eh?"
"Impossible!"
The surprised and angry voices sounded at the same time.
The former was the bewildered Perona, the latter was the furious Moria.
He glared at Link and shouted, "Kill me or cut me up as you please, but taking my companion is impossible!"
"Master Moria..."
Perona looked at Moria with a moved expression.
"Clap, clap, clap... As expected of the former Hero of the West Blue."
Link clapped his hands, not surprised by Moria's refusal.
All great pirates had one trait: they cherished their companions.
Moria was one of them.
The reason he created zombies was because he was afraid of seeing his companions die again, because all of his companions had been killed by Kaido.
Now he only had three companions, the Mysterious Three.
In the original story, for the sake of Absalom, Moria even dared to storm Hachinosu to seek revenge on Blackbeard.
But Link was determined to have Perona.
So, Link turned his gaze to Perona beside him and asked with a smile, "Then what is your choice? Join me, or watch your captain die with your own eyes?"
"Bastard..."
Seeing Link threaten Perona, Moria was about to curse.
In the next second, branches climbed up like snakes and sealed Moria's mouth.
Meeting Link's gaze, Perona's body trembled instinctively, her eyes filled with fear, but she summoned her courage and said, "Don't... don't kill Master Moria! I... I'll join!"
After speaking, Perona seemed to see her future.
After she got on the ship, those women would definitely torture her crazily. This devil who defeated Master Moria might even put a collar on her and make her a slave...
At this thought, Perona almost fainted from fear again.
Even so, she chose to exchange herself for Moria's life.
Because in Perona's eyes, Moria was not just her captain, but also the father who had raised her.
If Moria hadn't picked her up when she was young, Perona might have died long ago, let alone enjoyed the treatment of a princess since she was a child.
Now, it was time to repay him.
"Good, welcome aboard."
Link nodded in satisfaction. He turned to look at the glaring Moria and smiled. "Seeing as you're unwilling to cooperate, I'll take the third thing as you agreeing. I'll be bothering you for the next period of time."
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