Kuraigana Island.
Inside the gloomy castle, the atmosphere was filled with the eerie presence of ghosts.
Zoro knelt on the cold stone floor, completely surrounded by floating Negative Hollows. His face looked lifeless, as if his soul had been drained of all hope.
"I'd rather be a paramecium..."
Across from him, Perona stood with her hands on her hips. She looked like a proud princess scolding a hopeless servant.
"Horohorohoro! That stupid Zoro is completely hopeless. He actually dared to tie me and Sister Gion up inside the castle. Now he understands what kind of trouble he brought on himself."
Not far away, Gion sat comfortably on a sofa, gently playing with her long, beautiful hair. Her expression looked calm, but her eyes remained fixed on Zoro.
There was a faint hint of resentment on both women's faces.
After all, Zoro had tied them up earlier and locked them inside the castle.
They understood why he had done it. He simply did not want them to risk their lives by going to Marineford.
Still, his way of showing concern had been far too rough.
Although they appeared slightly annoyed on the outside, both women actually felt warmth inside their hearts.
Zoro's direct and somewhat crude concern stirred strange feelings within them.
This kind of straightforward attention from a man made their hearts flutter.
Gion slowly raised her head and glanced at the pale ghost floating across the entire room.
A worried expression appeared on her face.
"Sister Perona, are you certain your ghost can hide our presence completely?"
Ever since Zoro returned to the island, the two women had secretly discussed their plan.
At this moment, someone else was still on the island.
Naturally, they did not want that person to discover what was happening here.
Perona puffed out her chest proudly.
"As long as my Shielding Ghost covers this place, even if Rolan himself came here, he would not sense anything."
At that moment, Zoro had already recovered his awareness. He stared at the two women with clear vigilance.
"What exactly are you two planning?"
He was not worried about being harmed. His concern was different.
His Observation Haki could not extend beyond the room at all.
It was as if the entire space had been sealed.
Gion slowly stood up.
Her graceful figure swayed slightly as she walked toward Zoro.
She bent down close to his ear and whispered softly.
"Why not just give in to us?"
Her warm breath brushed against his ear, sending a strange tingling sensation down his neck.
Zoro quickly stumbled backward several steps. His entire face flushed red all the way to his neck.
"What are you doing? I don't understand what you're talking about."
His voice sounded unusually flustered.
Perona pouted immediately.
"Are you really that stupid, or are you pretending to be stupid? Sister Gion has already made it very clear."
Those words, combined with the very direct confessions the two women had made earlier, finally made Zoro understand their intentions.
His eyes widened.
Then he immediately turned around and ran toward the door.
As long as he escaped the room, everything should be safe.
Perona rolled her eyes.
"This idiot really refuses to cooperate. Looks like we have to force him."
She raised her hand.
"Negative Hollow."
A small ghost emerged from her palm. It looked harmless and even a little cute.
The ghost shot forward and quickly flew toward Zoro's back.
Zoro stretched out his hand toward the door handle.
"Almost there."
Just as he was about to grab the handle and escape, the ghost passed straight through his body.
His body froze instantly.
Then he collapsed to his knees right beside the door.
"I'm sorry... I'd rather be a slave..."
Perona slowly walked over and looked down at him with satisfaction.
"Horohorohoro, isn't he obedient now?"
A while later.
Creak.
The door slowly opened.
Perona stepped out of the room, her face completely flushed.
The moment she raised her head, she saw someone standing nearby.
Dracule Mihawk.
"What are you doing here?" Perona asked suspiciously.
Mihawk coughed awkwardly.
"Cough... I was practicing swordsmanship."
He quickly pulled out a small dagger and waved it twice in the air.
"Yes. Practicing swordsmanship."
However, Perona's suspicious gaze made him feel slightly embarrassed.
Without saying another word, Mihawk quickly turned and walked away.
Inside his heart, he could only sigh with regret.
Earlier, he had sensed that Zoro was called into the room by Gion and Perona.
Naturally, he had tried to use his Observation Haki to see what was happening.
Unfortunately, the room was completely covered by Perona's ability.
He could not sense even the slightest presence.
So he had quietly approached the door, planning to listen instead.
He never expected Perona to suddenly open the door and catch him.
Mihawk felt like an old grandfather waiting eagerly for his grandchild to be born.
For a long time, he had been subtly creating opportunities for Zoro and the two women.
Now that this opportunity had passed, he suspected he would never get another chance to observe such an interesting scene again.
What a pity.
He sighed softly and walked away.
Perona stood at the door with her face still red.
She gently patted her chest.
Although she had spoken confidently before, when the moment actually came, she became too embarrassed to stay inside.
It seemed she would have to let Gion enjoy the moment first.
Inside the room, the atmosphere had completely changed.
Zoro narrowed his eyes as he looked at Gion above him.
His face remained slightly red.
In truth, he had already recovered from the Negative Hollow effect.
He simply did not know how to react to the situation.
So he allowed Gion to do as she pleased.
Gion looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Is Negative Hollow really this powerful? I've never seen it last this long before."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Could it be that Sister Perona deliberately strengthened it?"
Normally, Negative Hollow only lasted a few minutes.
Yet this time, more than half an hour had already passed.
Far away in the New World.
Peach Garden.
A massive banquet was taking place in the central square of Shandora.
The entire plaza was filled with laughter, music, and clinking cups.
In the center of the celebration sat four powerful figures.
Rolan, Whitebeard, Shanks, and Dragon.
Rolan raised his glass toward Shanks.
"This time, I owe you one. Without your help, Peach Garden might have been destroyed."
Shanks laughed casually and clinked his glass against Rolan's.
"Hahaha, it's nothing. Just give me a few jars of your wine and we'll call it even."
Rolan shook his head with a smile.
"You bastard. Fine, you can have them."
Dragon immediately leaned forward when he heard that.
"Then you must give me some as well."
His face was already slightly red.
It was his first time tasting the wine brewed in Peach Garden.
The flavor was completely different from any alcohol he had ever tried.
When he swallowed a mouthful, it felt like liquid fire flowing down his throat and into his stomach.
The warmth spread through his entire body, leaving him incredibly comfortable.
The only downside was that it made him drunk far too quickly.
Whitebeard placed his glass down and looked at Rolan expectantly.
"Gurarararara, Rolan boy, don't pretend you didn't hear that."
Rolan glanced at the three of them.
Their faces were already flushed, clearly showing signs of intoxication.
He nodded calmly.
"After this matter is settled, you can drink as much as you want."
Shanks immediately lifted his glass again and gulped down another large mouthful.
"Hahaha, that's what you said."
Rolan nodded.
"Of course. I always keep my word."
The four men looked at each other and burst into laughter.
After a moment, Shanks' expression became slightly more serious.
"The biggest problem right now is the hostile forces still remaining in the New World."
Dragon and Whitebeard also became serious.
Rolan slowly swirled the wine in his glass.
"Yes."
His voice was calm.
"Some people need to be dealt with properly."
Dragon and Whitebeard clearly understood what Shanks meant.
At that moment, Whitebeard suddenly spoke.
"If possible, can you…"
The conversation continued as the noise of the banquet echoed across the square.
The future of the New World was slowly being decided between these four men.
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