"Sanji, are you okay?" Luffy looked worriedly at the cook who seemed to have lost his dreams, momentarily unsure how to comfort him.
"You bastard!!" Sanji suddenly regained his vigor, glaring furiously at Absalom. "Why did you have to eat my Invisibility Fruit, you damn bastard!"
Ever since he saw it in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia as a child, he'd vowed to find and consume that particular Devil Fruit. Yet before he could locate it, this inhuman-looking bastard had eaten it first. Sanji was absolutely livid.
He wanted nothing more than to kick this guy's ass right now.
Absalom: "..."
What did he mean by "his" Invisibility Fruit? What nonsense was this guy spouting?
This Devil Fruit had been seized by Lord Gecko Moria from someone else and specially gifted to him - all to fulfill his peeping... ahem, to fulfill his wishes. Now this bastard was claiming the fruit belonged to him?
Impossible!
"Meiser, let this guy go! I'm gonna kick his ass!!"
"That won't do."
"Why not?"
"Don't be fooled - even though I've got him pinned now, the moment I release him he'll definitely turn invisible to save himself," Meiser explained. "I can see him, but you can't."
Sanji's breath hitched, then he nodded. "Right, you've got a point."
Though Sanji desperately wanted to kick the guy right now, his pride wouldn't allow him to attack someone who couldn't fight back. Lighting a cigarette, he tried to calm himself.
"Dammit, I can't calm down, you bastard!!"
Sanji's body flushed red with rage, looking like he might combust any second. Absalom's pupils contracted in alarm.
"Hey, is this guy about to transform or something?!" Absalom cried in shock.
"Oh?"
"Already able to speak again?"
Meiser looked at Absalom with surprise. Though he'd deliberately controlled his Chakra output this time to keep the man alive for interrogation, recovering speech this quickly indicated remarkable physical resilience.
"My body's been modified - enhanced in every aspect. Recovering quickly is nothing special," Absalom said. "But you... how can you see me? And those lightning attacks? What kind of Devil Fruit power is this?"
"Because I'm a ninja."
"Ninja?"
Absalom blinked. That word... hadn't those three little zombies mentioned it earlier? He vaguely recalled Lord Moria saying it too, with great fury. Were they enemies?
Lowering his head, Absalom's mind began racing.
"How should we handle this guy?" Zoro asked. "Seems like a local resident."
"He's a walking intel source delivered right to us," Franky grinned.
"Good point, then let's—"
Before they could finish, several ghosts appeared, dancing through the air.
"Negative! Negative!"
"Ghosts! Hey, look everyone - ghosts!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed excitedly.
"And four of them at once!"
Luffy was beyond excited. He thought these guys had come back specifically for him, with the sole purpose of being taken care of by him.
From his perspective: They even brought their family along—what else could it be for if not to be raised by him?
"What are these things again?" Zoro frowned.
"Something's off." Meiser said warily, staring at the figures above. "These spirits might be a special kind of Devil Fruit ability."
Even if ghosts existed, it was unlikely for four identical ones to appear simultaneously. Meiser's instincts told him there was definitely something wrong with them.
"Perona..."
The moment Absalom sensed the arrival of the spirits, excitement flashed in his eyes. If she was making a move, he was absolutely going to be saved!
"Perona, save me!"
"Oh?"
"So you know this guy." Meiser grinned. "You'd better give me a proper explanation later."
Absalom ignored Meiser, instead staring intently at the Negative Spirits above, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"Tch, this bastard."
Hidden in her room, Perona made a disgusted face. Clearly, she wasn't particularly fond of Absalom. But since they were comrades, she couldn't just stand by and watch him get killed—she had to intervene.
"My mood isn't too bad today, so I'll save your life."
"Hahahahaha!"
Perona's laughter, transmitted perfectly through the Negative Spirits, reached Absalom's ears, making him sigh in relief. The fact that she hadn't left yet meant she was willing to help.
"Watch me catch them!" Luffy suddenly swung his arm out, stretching it like a rubber band as he shouted, "Gum-Gum..."
"Bug Net!"
"Whoosh!"
The net, resembling an insect-catching tool, flew toward the spirits. Unfortunately, the spirits were too quick and agile to be caught so easily.
"Damn it, they're so fast!"
"Luffy, you idiot, don't recklessly touch those spirits!" Meiser warned. "Who knows what kind of ability they have?"
The opponent kept muttering the word "negative," so the ability might be related to emotions. Of course, it could also just be a smokescreen—their real goal might be to target their souls.
"But I wanna catch them..."
"Shut up, let me test it first."
With that, Meiser summoned a Shadow Clone, planning to use it as a scout.
"Right, Meiser has clones!" Franky exclaimed.
There was no denying how useful Meiser's clones were—they could be used for combat, reconnaissance, or even as decoys. Even if they got destroyed, the loss was minimal. Hell, Meiser could even use them to challenge a Marine Admiral!
Franky and Zoro exchanged glances before spreading out, forming a loose perimeter as they kept their eyes locked on the spirits above.
"Clones?!"
Both Absalom and Perona were stunned. This was the first time they'd seen a ninja capable of using clone techniques.
Meiser's Shadow Clone dashed upward, drawing its sword mid-air and slashing at the spirits.
"Whoosh!"
The blade cut through the air without any sensation of hitting a solid object.
"No effect?" the clone muttered in surprise.
Could it be something like a Marine Admiral's Elemental Transformation?
At that moment, a ghost suddenly rushed over, passing straight through the Shadow Clone that had no leverage in midair.
"Uh..."
The Shadow Clone's expression instantly underwent a shocking transformation—from its previous fighting spirit to utter despondency.
The weapon in its hand slipped and fell into the sea, while the clone itself dropped onto the deck, kneeling and trembling.
"What kind of ninja am I, really? I'm not even as good as a caterpillar..."
Meiser: ???
"Hey?!"
But before Meiser could say anything else, the Shadow Clone in the distance vanished with a poof.
Receiving the clone's memories, Meiser's face immediately turned green.
"Hahahahaha!"
Perona, who witnessed this through her ability, burst into laughter. So this is what a ninja is like?
Not very impressive, is it?
Under her Devil Fruit Ability, even a ninja had to submit obediently!
Absalom let out a sigh of relief. It seemed Perona's ability was still effective—he was saved this time.
"What happened? What was up with your clone?" Zoro asked, dumbfounded.
Why had it suddenly become so negative, as if it had suffered an unbearable blow?
Before Meiser could explain, Luffy and Franky charged forward.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
"Strong Right!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
With two dull thuds, two more figures collapsed onto the deck.
"This week hasn't been super at all. I'm not even as good as a paramecium..."
"Why even bother being the Pirate King? I'd rather be a useless loser..."
Meiser:
Zoro: ???
"Hey!"
"What the hell are you guys doing?!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Perona's laughter echoed from the air, as if a child had successfully pulled off a prank, filling her with delight.
The next moment, a ghost rushed toward Meiser.
"Tch."
Meiser spat and quickly distanced himself, terrified of being touched by that thing.
The memories from the Shadow Clone were crystal clear—this thing didn't deal physical damage, but it could plunge him into utter despair, stripping him of all will to fight!
He didn't want to get hit again. It was too humiliating!
"Negative!"
"Negative!"
"Negative!"
"This thing is seriously messed up," Meiser said warily, eyeing the air. "The moment it touches you, it drains all your fighting spirit and makes you completely negative."
"Yeah, we can see that now."
Nico Robin pointed at the two figures sprawled on the deck. "Very clearly."
"These idiots," Zoro cursed.
Meiser had already used a Shadow Clone to test the waters—didn't they get it?
And yet they still charged in. He didn't even know what to say anymore.
Luffy was one thing, but why was Sanji joining in on this nonsense too?
"Hahaha, nice work!"
Absalom yanked the weapon embedded in his body and tossed it aside. "This big shot is finally saved!"
"You moron!"
A ghost floated up to Absalom's face, sounding annoyed. "Do you even realize you've exposed me now?"
Originally, the other side wasn't certain she was a Devil Fruit Ability User. She could have taken advantage of this uncertainty, secretly intimidating them bit by bit to drive them into a trap.
But Absalom's loud shout completely exposed her!
"What's the big deal? They can't resist your negative abilities anyway," Absalom grinned. "Besides, if you don't help me out, I might die here."
As he spoke, Absalom clutched the freshly pierced wound that was still bleeding. His muscles writhed, forcibly sealing the injury. "I'm going to get treated first. You handle things here," he said.
Without hesitation, Absalom activated the power of the Invisibility Fruit, erasing his presence before turning and running toward the side. There was a ship he had made invisible—all he needed was to board it to escape safely.
"Trying to run?"
"Stop him, Perona!" Absalom shouted. He had no desire to be impaled into the ground again—that feeling was far too painful!
"Got it, so annoying!" Perona grumbled irritably.
Despite her annoyance with Absalom, she still manipulated four ghosts to block Meiser's path. However, this time, the situation was entirely different.
"Look into my eyes."
"Huh?"
Hearing Meiser's words, Perona instinctively glanced over—only to see a pair of crimson eyes gradually enlarging in her vision.
Observing the now motionless ghosts, Meiser smirked. "Seems the Illusion Technique still works."
While physical attacks were ineffective, mental assaults like illusions proved useful. Spotting Absalom already scrambling toward the ship, Meiser swiftly moved to capture him first.
But the moment Meiser acted, Perona let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"AHHH!!!"
The shriek came from among the ghosts, like a child discovering something utterly terrifying. The sound alone made one's skin crawl.
"Don't come any closer!!"
"Giant cockroach!!"
"G-giant cockroach?"
Those three words nearly made Meiser stumble, his movements faltering. This time, he had used the Vision of Hell Technique, which forced enemies to see their greatest fear. Yet her fear was... a giant cockroach?
A. Giant. Cockroach?!
After casting illusions countless times, this was by far the most absurd reaction. Was this girl really just a little kid?
"Stay away from me!!"
Perona wailed as the tiny ghosts frantically fled into the distance, as if something horrifying was chasing them.
"Please stop chasing me!!"
She ran while sobbing uncontrollably, her cries pitiful.
"Giant cockroach?"
Back on the small boat, Absalom paused briefly before sighing. "What a little brat."
"Right? That's exactly what I thought."
"Yeah, she's just an immature—"
Absalom's words cut off when he realized the voice came from behind him, his face instantly twisting in terror. He recognized that voice—it belonged to the man who had impaled him into the ground earlier!
Damn it, Perona's been scared off now. If Sanji gets captured again, there's no one left to save him!
Damn it, why does the enemy's ability work on Perona?!
Enraged, Absalom immediately canceled his invisibility and pulled out the hand cannon from his chest, intending to blast that bastard on his back to pieces with his strongest firepower!
"Bastard, die!"
"Boom!"
A cannonball shot out, blasting apart the seawater, but it didn't even graze Meiser.
Watching the enemy disappear from sight, cold sweat instantly poured down Absalom's back.
"Could it be...?"
"Guess I'll have to beat you half-dead first to make you behave."
Meiser's voice came from behind Absalom, his tone utterly calm, but to Absalom, it sounded like the devil demanding his life!
This made Absalom's face turn extremely grim, and sweat poured down his back in an instant.
Yet before Meiser could act, Sanji—his entire body seemingly burning with furious flames—leaped down from the ship.
"Meiser, leave this to me!"
"Devil Wind Leg!"
"Wrath - Iron Plate Grill!!"
At the peak of his fury, Sanji delivered a vicious kick to Absalom's back. The terrifying force and scorching heat instantly forced a bloodcurdling scream from Absalom.
"AHHH!!"
"IT BURNS!!!"
This strike, fueled by pure rage, caved in Absalom's muscles and even partially cooked his flesh!
A mouthful of blood sprayed out as Absalom's eyes began rolling back.
Like a cannonball, Absalom was sent flying, crashing heavily into the distant forest.
"BOOM!!"
The sheer force of the impact carved a massive crater into the ground.
Lying inside it, Absalom lay unconscious, his eyes rolled white.
This sudden turn of events immediately sent the surrounding zombie trees leaping away in fright, scattering far and wide.
Only when they sensed no further movement did they cautiously creep back.
"Is that... Lord Absalom?"
"Oh no, Absalom's been knocked unconscious!"
The zombies wore expressions of disbelief. This man was incredibly powerful—how could he have been beaten into unconsciousness?
Just how terrifying were these enemies?!