"Only this island is left. Robin, use your ability to search."
"I'll try. Do you think she might have already left this area?"
"Who knows? If that's the case, it just means she and we weren't meant to cross paths. We can't force it."
As soon as they set sail, Badak and the others headed straight for this sea area, aiming to find Perona as quickly as possible.
According to the original manga's plot, Perona was adopted by Gekko Moria when she was 11 years old. The current Perona should be 10, so logically, she wouldn't have met Moria yet. But Badak was a butterfly flapping its wings everywhere—the plot could only serve as a reference, never as absolute certainty.
"Ah... being hunted and wanted across the entire sea... I'm so sorry. If there's a next life, I want to be a flower..."
Perfectly fine one moment, Robin suddenly collapsed to the ground, murmuring despondently as if her spirit had been crushed.
"Robin, are you okay?"
Mansherry hurried over to check on her, bewildered by Robin's sudden behavior.
Badak was also stunned for a moment before realizing—she must have been hit by a Negative Hollow. He struggled to suppress his laughter, though his shoulders trembled involuntarily.
Suddenly, Badak slapped his thigh. It had been a while since the Video Transponder Snail had any new material, and now it was too late to capture this moment—the effects of Negative Hollows were short-lived.
Still, he took out the snail and placed it on his shoulder. Missing this opportunity already pained him, but what if—however slim the chance—there was a second time?
By now, Robin had recovered. She dusted off her hands while glaring daggers at Badak. "Were you laughing at me just now?"
"No, no! I didn't even laugh out loud—I mean, I wasn't laughing at all!"
"Hmph! Leo, Mansherry, be careful. Don't touch the white Ghosts, or you'll become extremely negative. Captain, she's over there. This time, you lead the way."
Robin was clearly still upset. It was utterly humiliating—wanting to be a flower? How could she have such a thought? And to say it out loud in front of everyone... She wished the ground would swallow her whole.
"Fine, I'll go first. Follow me."
Badak took the lead in the direction Robin indicated, though he was more cautious now. After all, he was the one enjoying the show—if he became the spectacle himself, it wouldn't be so funny anymore.
They hadn't gone far when Badak and the others spotted several white Ghosts floating in the air, flitting about as if searching for something.
Upon noticing the four of them, the Ghosts paused, quickly gathered, and began monitoring them from a distance.
Before long, a different girl-like Ghost floated over, hovering midair as she glared down at Badak with anger. This was undoubtedly Perona's soul projection.
"Hey, was it you? Suddenly sprouting a hand with an eye—that's terrifying! You owe me an apology!"
"Wasn't me. I didn't do it. You've got the wrong person."
Badak immediately denied it three times in a row."You're the scary one, floating around like a ghost in broad daylight. What if you frighten the children?"
Robin noticed Mansherry hiding behind Leo and refused to back down. She still remembered the humiliation Perona had caused her earlier—how dare she demand an apology? Dream on.
"So it's you. Hmph, this is my home, and I can do whatever I want. It's none of your business. I haven't even held you accountable for barging into my place without permission."
Perona was just as stubborn. There was no way she'd back down just because of Robin's words.
"Your home? Can you prove it? Call out to it—will it answer? Besides, your 'home' is quite large, isn't it? The entire island belongs to you?"
Robin shot Badak a glance, signaling him to find Perona's real body while she kept her distracted.
Badak nodded. Indeed, none of them had any means to deal with Ghosts at the moment. With Perona's attention diverted, he quietly slipped away in the direction Robin had indicated earlier.
"You!"
As everyone knew, when faced with pointless arguments, the one who took it seriously would lose—and Perona took it seriously. How could she prove it? She was the only original inhabitant left on the island, so of course it was hers. But actually proving it? That was asking too much.
"Go, Negative Hollows! Make them repent! Pointy-teeth woman!"
Furious and embarrassed, Perona simply resorted to force, commanding several Ghosts to charge at Robin and the others.
Having already experienced the Negative Hollows before, Robin knew better than to let them touch her. Leo and Mansherry, having been warned, swiftly dodged the Ghosts' attacks.
"Can't win an argument, so you resort to violence? How petty."
Even while dodging, Robin continued to provoke Perona, who only grew angrier.
"You four—I'll make you feel negative a hundred times! Wait… 1, 2, 3… Where's the fourth one? Oh no!"
Perona suddenly realized—the man who had been walking ahead earlier was gone. He must have gone to find her real body.
She tried to fly back, but it was already too late.
Sure enough, Badak had returned, holding Perona's real body—along with a tattered toy.
"Tsk tsk, just a little too late. You almost figured it out."
Robin continued teasing Perona. She had already decided—once Perona joined them, she'd make sure the girl experienced the Negative Hollows for herself.
"You're all so despicable! Fine, I surrender! What do you want?"
For all her stubbornness, Perona knew when to admit defeat—and she did so without hesitation.
"Simple. Join us. Become one of our crew."
Badak took over, speaking seriously.
"Join you? Are you pirates?"
"Not yet. But we might be in the future."
Badak felt his explanation wasn't clear enough, so he added, "I'm Badak. This is Robin, Leo, and Mansherry. Right now, we're an adventure team, but sooner or later, we'll cross the World Government's forbidden lines. By then, we'll be pirates whether we like it or not!"
"Sounds really dangerous… Can I not join?"
"What do you think?"Robin flashed a dangerous smile, sending a chill through Perona's spiritual body—a sensation that shouldn't even be possible for a spirit. It was utterly terrifying.
"If you refuse to join us, we'll have no choice but to subject this doll to the cruelest methods in the world," Robin said sweetly.
Badak chimed in carelessly, "Yeah, that."
"No! Please don't hurt Kumashi! I'll join, okay? I'll join!"
Badak's words struck Perona's weak spot, leaving even Robin and the others stunned. Who knew she cared so much about that doll?
Robin suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for her. Living alone on this desolate island, with no family, no friends, not even strangers—just a doll for company. She wasn't much happier than Robin herself. Fine, she'd forgive her.
"Leo is the greatest needle master on the seas," Robin said. "If you join us, he'll fix your Kumashi until it's as good as new. Right, Leo?"
"Mhm, sure," Leo replied.
"Really? Thank you! Thank you, Leo!" Perona gazed at him with gratitude before turning to the others. "I'm Perona. I'd like to join you. Please take care of me."
"Welcome, Perona."
"Great, another new friend!"
"Nice to meet you, Perona."
"Good. Perona's position will be provisional lookout and auxiliary gunner."
"Captain, we don't even have cannons?" Leo asked, confused.
"Perona's abilities will develop in time. Now, let's keep moving. We can't go back just yet."