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"Shut up!"
Hearing Merlin's voice, Perona instantly clamped her mouth shut, stifling her sobbing.
She knew clearly that Merlin was the boss here, and her life hung on his word. She looked at him with terror-filled eyes.
"Sit up."
Merlin's voice was flat.
Perona trembled and struggled to get up, but she had absolutely no strength left.
With a mournful face and puppy-dog eyes, she tried to curry favor. "I can't move."
Merlin fell silent. After a few seconds, he turned his head and signaled Monet to untie her. Monet immediately understood and stepped forward to unlock the Seastone chains.
Looking at the Seastone restraints, Merlin's mind moved slightly. Moria likely stole these from Kano Country.
After all, that place was famous for producing Seastone and possessed the technology to process it.
The Seastone chains were removed. After a while, Perona recovered. Under Merlin's gaze, she slid off the sofa, wiped her tears, and stood there like a schoolgirl who had been sent to the principal's office.
"Moria was a pirate, and so am I. He came looking for trouble, he wasn't good enough, and he died!"
"That guy with the Clear-Clear Fruit? I took him out just now, too."
Hearing this, Perona's body began to shake, her eyes brimming with fear.
"I heard you say earlier that you weren't officially part of Moria's crew yet. So, why work for him?"
Perona shuddered, thinking he was about to hold her accountable. She quickly put on a terrified expression. "I was wandering the West Blue three months ago. Moria accidentally discovered my ability and thought I was useful. I thought he was strong, so I followed him.
"Later, he got a message from Marine Headquarters saying they needed his power, and that there was a powerful corpse here in the North Blue, so he came over.
"After arriving, he heard from Vice Admiral Tsuru that your body was very strong. He wanted to kill you and steal your corpse..."
Listening to her spill Moria's secrets like pouring beans, displaying a desperate will to survive, a thoughtful look appeared in Merlin's eyes.
At this moment, Merlin's gaze became unreadable as he stared into her eyes. "Moria took care of you for so long. Now that I've killed him, don't you want... revenge?"
"Eek!" Perona shuddered violently, waving her hands frantically. "No, no! I don't want revenge or anything like that. I cooked for him and cleaned the ship. He took me in, and I worked for him. It was a transaction. Yes, just a transaction."
As she spoke, tears began to swirl in her eyes again. Humans aren't made of stone; who could be completely heartless? Moria had actually treated her quite well during this time.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have entertained the thought of sticking with him.
But now, Moria was dead.
Killed by this White Demon in front of her.
Her body shrank back a little.
She really didn't want revenge—she wasn't that close to him—but the sadness was real.
She just wanted to find a place to belong. Why was it so hard?
At this time, Baby 5 tugged on the hem of Merlin's shirt. When Merlin looked down, she spoke with empathy and a soft heart. "She looks kind of pathetic. How about we don't kill her? Maybe just leave her on this deserted island?"
Seeing Baby 5 take the lead, Pink chimed in. "Whether you kill her or not is up to you, but the little brat is indeed pitiful."
Monet remained silent. Her role was simply to obey all of Merlin's decisions.
However, hearing this, terror filled Perona's eyes. Live alone on a deserted island? If she got sick, she would definitely die, right?
She immediately squatted down, holding her head and wailing miserably. "I don't want to stay on a deserted island alone! I'll die! I'll absolutely die! Waaah~"
Merlin said calmly, "Shut up. You're noisy."
Perona instantly shut her mouth, pouting and looking up at Merlin through teary eyes.
"Your ability is strong. I'll give you a chance. Become my apprentice. If you do well, you'll be my companion in the future.
"If you don't do well, I will..."
As he spoke, the shadow beneath Merlin's feet moved, transforming into a black hand that pinched her chin and lifted her face. He just looked at her calmly.
Perona stared blankly at Merlin, then at the writhing shadow beneath him. She couldn't help but stammer, "Mo... Mo... Moria's Shadow ability?"
When she said this, the look in her eyes turned utterly horrified.
At this moment, it wasn't just Perona. Even Pink's mouth fell open, staring at Merlin in extreme shock, muttering to himself, "This has to be a trick, right?! How could anyone possess two different Devil Fruit abilities?"
A glint of brilliance flashed in Monet's eyes. She was shocked, but more than that, a sense of pride surged from her heart.
As for Baby 5, she was just confused.
But looking at Merlin, her eyes sparkled. She just thought Merlin was amazing.
Perona was terrified now. Did Merlin mean he would kill her first and then steal her ability?
"Lord... Lord Merlin, my name is Perona. Please let me be your apprentice! If you tell me to go east, I will never go west!
"I will absolutely listen to your orders properly. Don't kill me. As long as you don't kill me, I'll listen to whatever you say!"
In this moment, eyes filled with fear, Perona stated her position with rapid-fire speed, quickly pledging her allegiance.
Seeing her bursting with the desire to live, Merlin nodded. "Good! I hope you remember your words. Since you've chosen to join my crew, you are one of my own. As long as you don't betray me in the future, I won't hurt you.
"Conversely... you know."
Perona nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, gratitude appearing in her eyes. "Don't worry, I promise I will definitely be the most obedient woman to you in the future."
Hearing this, Baby 5's gaze toward her suddenly sharpened.
A hint of hostility flashed in her eyes.
At this time, Merlin glanced at the external injuries on Perona's body. The shadow hand gripping her chin ignited with a woosh of black flames, enveloping her as she stared blankly, thinking she was being silenced.
A few seconds later, the black flames dissipated.
Simultaneously, her external injuries vanished.
The shadow hand turned back into a shadow and fell to the ground.
Perona sat on the floor with her legs weak and splayed, panting heavily. After a few seconds, she dared to ask carefully, "Lord Merlin, what did you just do to me? Why does my body feel... so comfortable?"
Monet spoke with a gentle look in her eyes. "Merlin was healing your injuries."
Hearing this, Perona quickly touched her face and pulled a palm-sized mirror out of her pink shoulder bag.
A few seconds later, seeing that her face was no longer bruised or swollen, the stone hanging in her heart finally dropped.
At this time, Pink looked at Merlin, hesitating to speak. He was wary, yet curious. Noticing his reaction, Merlin said with a calm face, "My fruit ability allows me to copy an opponent's ability after certain conditions are met."
Merlin spoke plainly. He would definitely use the shadow control ability in the future. Rather than letting others guess wildly, it was better to give an explanation in advance. Mixing truth with lies was more beneficial for hiding his secrets.
As his voice fell, Merlin glanced at Pink and chuckled lightly. "Don't worry! I'm not interested in your Swim-Swim Fruit ability."
Hearing this, Pink's mouth twitched. He felt a strange sense of rejection.
But at the same time, the sense of crisis in his heart faded.
"Not being interested in the Swim-Swim Fruit... well, that's truly something to celebrate!"
Pink couldn't resist a sarcastic retort.
At this time, Merlin sized up Moria's ship. It was more than twice the size of their own. Merlin moved to the deck, looking at the spot where Baby 5's explosion had shattered the wood; the fire was already out.
The others followed him out. Merlin's eyes flashed with thought as he looked at Pink. "Do you know how to repair ships?"
Pink's eye twitched. He knew work was coming. He said directly, "I can only patch it up to make do."
Merlin smiled and looked at Perona, who had followed them out. "There should be repair materials on this ship, right?"
Perona nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, they're in the basement."
Merlin looked at Pink. "Let's switch ships! This big ship is obviously more comfortable to live on.
"By the way, how should we handle our old ship?"
Pink thought for a moment and said, "There's a port town nearby where we have a stronghold. We can store the ship at the port there."
Merlin nodded. "Then you start repairing the ship first!"
He looked at Monet and Baby 5. "You two cook first. It's time for lunch."
Then he turned to Perona. "Take me to store the treasure. And while we're at it, let's throw those bodies overboard."
Perona nodded quickly, but then she hesitated. "Is Moria's body still there? Can I bury him? I want to do one last thing for him."
As soon as she spoke, she hurriedly lowered her head and said anxiously, "I was wrong, I shouldn't push my luck. Is Moria's body useful to you?"
Merlin smiled and said, "It's fine. Once you do this, you'll have cut ties with him completely."
Perona suddenly looked up, nodding with red eyes, and whispered, "Thank you! Lord Merlin."
Moments later—
Moria's clothes, bedding, and belongings from the ship were all buried with him. At the edge of the forest, a large earthen mound appeared.
There was also a small mound. This was the grave of Frost Moon Ryuma. His corpse had also been on the ship. Since Merlin had taken Shusui, he let the samurai rest in peace.
Perona watched Merlin's retreating back. Her legs went soft, and she sat on the ground, wiping her eyes as she looked at the unmarked mound in front of her.
"Moria, I'm sorry, I won't avenge you. Although we got along well during this time, you were the one who looked for trouble first. I have no reason to avenge you.
"I... am a pirate too. You big idiot, you almost got me killed.
"Why didn't you investigate clearly before making a move? Now look at you. You played with corpses all day, and now you've played yourself to death.
"And I'm unlucky because of it.
"Woo woo..."
She sobbed quietly alone.
A while later, Perona wiped her tears, stood up, and left with a tragic expression, looking back every three steps.
After lunch, Merlin went to the captain's quarters—originally Moria's, now cleaned and reorganized.
The bed was made with Merlin's bedding, though it looked ill-fitting on the massive frame. He glanced at several chests full of treasure in the corner.
Merlin went to the huge window. He saw Pink patching the deck outside, and Perona cleaning up with Baby 5.
Then he looked at Monet, who was practicing her swordsmanship at the bow. A thought suddenly struck Merlin, and he waved and shouted, "Monet! Come here a second."
Hearing his voice, Monet was curious. She quickly arrived at Merlin's room. Seeing the massive bed, fully eight meters wide, she couldn't help but tease, "This bed is huge. Should we swap it for a smaller one at the port town later?
"And maybe redecorate the room for you?"
"Sure. I'll leave it to you."
Seeing Merlin agree, Monet smiled and nodded. "By the way, did you need something?"
Merlin's gaze shifted. He hooked his right index finger, and his shadow immediately stood up. As Monet watched curiously, Merlin opened his palm, and most of the shadow gathered in his hand, forming a smaller version of himself.
Merlin said, "I want to try an experiment. It might hurt a little. Bear with it."
Monet blinked and chuckled. "Okay, I'll hold it in and won't scream."
Merlin grabbed his shadow and pressed it into Monet's lower abdomen. In that instant, Monet's eyes went wide. A sensation of being completely filled surged through her. She couldn't help but let out a moan. "It's so full! A power is pouring into my body... I feel like I'm going to explode!"
Merlin watched as Monet's body gradually changed. She grew taller, and her skin took on a light blue hue.
Merlin could sense Monet's aura becoming instantly spectacular.
At the same time, he could feel his shadow integrated into Monet's body, and he could sense her body rejecting it.
But Merlin could manipulate the shadow to resist her body's rejection force.
Suddenly, Merlin spoke. "Monet, try swinging your sword."
Monet paused, then obediently drew Fubuki and swung it. Immediately, she was stunned.
Her swordsmanship seemed different. She began executing various exquisite moves within the spacious room with rapid speed.
The sound of whistling wind filled the room. Crack, crack! Not controlling her strength well, Monet cracked the floorboards beneath her feet.
She stopped, looking at Merlin awkwardly, but her eyes were filled with immense curiosity. "I feel like my swordsmanship has become incredible—inexplicably so. Is this because of your shadow?"
Merlin nodded.
"A shadow can be said to be a distinct type of soul for a living being, containing the owner's personality and combat techniques.
"By accommodating my shadow, you can instinctively use some of my combat techniques.
"I think if you frequently accommodate my shadow while training, under that subtle influence, you might grow much faster."
A brilliant light flashed in Monet's eyes.
In Moria's hands, the Shadow-Shadow Fruit could only be used to create an army of the dead.
But in Merlin's hands, it could help her become stronger. The gap between people really could be heaven and earth!
Her smile became radiant instantly. "Okay, I love this gift."
As she spoke, she reached out and touched her stomach.
Merlin's mouth twitched.
Monet suddenly realized her action was a bit suggestive and blushed bright red.
Turning her face away, she quickly said, "I'm going outside to train. Can't waste time. I can feel my stamina draining fast in this state."
Merlin watched her jump out the window, then looked at his shadow beneath his feet, which hadn't changed much. The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.
"Awakening" specialty.
Truly a convenient ability.