Chapter 71: The Thriller Bark (Part 4)
"Hora hora hora! Turned to ashes, didn't you, you perverted scumbag?!" Perona yelled with fury, as if she were releasing all her pent-up anger from her chest.
Bang!
Kurumi fired a shot at her from the side without hesitation, but the bullet passed straight through Perona's spirit form and hit the wall behind her.
"Hora hora hora, I'm a spirit! All attacks are useless on me!"
"So it really can't hit, huh."
Kurumi had suspected as much, but wanted to test it just in case. Only after experimenting could she confirm the truth.
"So it's just you now. You're pretty cute, so I'll make an exception and keep you as my servant."
Perona's tsundere declaration made a "#" symbol practically pop onto Kurumi's forehead.
"Ara~ Then let's see who ends up being whose servant."
"Hm? Kurumi, are you going to fight her?"
A voice suddenly came from behind Perona, startling her—it was Eric .
"How are you still alive?! Didn't all my Ghost Bombs hit you?!"
Perona exclaimed in disbelief.
"Oh, I'm a lightning man who ate the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Divine Judgment!"
Eric unleashed a thick beam of blue lightning to the right, shattering a dozen pillars.
"Well? How's that for power?"
"!!!"
Despite looking like a cute girl, Perona's shocked expression… well, better left undescribed. Snot ran from both nostrils.
Young as she was, Perona was shaken to the core. She hadn't expected one of the two to be a user of one of the strongest Logia Fruits.
'Stay calm. I'm a spirit now, he can't touch me. I'll lure him away, then return to my body and escape.'
"You're not thinking of using your phase-shifting ghost form to lead us away so you can slip back to your body and run, are you?"
Kurumi called her out immediately.
"Crap!"
Perona gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth.
Kurumi and Eric thought in unison: 'Wow, she's easy to read.'
Eric noticed the tear glimmering at the corner of Perona's eye.
'Wait, she's a spirit. Why are there tears?'
Kurumi, seeing Perona almost break into sobs, revealed a rare gentle side.
"Don't cry. We're not bullying you anymore."
She reached out for a comforting pat, but couldn't touch her due to her ghost form.
That was all it took—Perona burst into uncontrollable sobs like a dam had burst.
"See what you've done, Eric -? Look at how badly you made the girl cry."
"..."
Eric had no defense and silently took the scolding.
After a long session of gentle consoling, Perona finally calmed down and looked up at Eric .
'But I didn't even do anything! Kurumi saw through your plan—I just zapped a couple of pillars! I didn't land a single hit!'
"What's this, Perona? You've already lost?"
A strange voice echoed as heavy footsteps approached. A round, pudgy man appeared—wearing fishnet of all things…
Behind him stood a beautiful blonde woman. Or rather, she would've been beautiful—if not for the stitches on her face.
"Oh right, you. Dr. Hogback. While your medical ethics are garbage, you are a talented surgeon. I'll give you a chance—leave Thriller Bark right now and I'll spare your life. But the maid behind you belongs in a graveyard."
"...Huh?"
Hogback's jaw dropped in shock, then he snarled, "What nonsense are you spouting?! Sindri-chan, kill them!"
"Yes."
Sindri carried a stack of square plates.
'Where did those come from?! She was empty-handed just a moment ago!'
"Plate Toss! One, two, three!"
She hurled them at Eric .
Clang clang clang!
This time, Eric didn't use his powers. He drew his blade and sliced the plates midair.
[Shave]!
He blinked close to Sindri. "Sorry, Miss Sindri. I'll free you for good now."
Blade flashed—slashing her limbs.
Thud!
Sindri collapsed to the ground.
"Sindri! What are you doing?! Get up!"
Hogback now resorted to nothing but shouting—his supposed genius intellect nowhere in sight.
"My arms and legs won't move…"
Sindri answered weakly.
"I cut her quadriceps and biceps tendons. You, a doctor, should understand what that means," Eric replied coldly.
"Sh—!"
Sensing danger, Hogback turned to run. It was absurd he even dared appear in front of Eric with nothing but a zombie maid for backup.
"Farewell, Dr. Hogback. May your next life be lived with a better moral compass, worthy of your surgical genius."
"W-wait—!"
Bzzzt!
A burst of blinding lightning. Hogback turned into a heap of blackened ash.
"You chose to be a pirate—death was always a risk. I even gave you a chance."
Eric gave a brief moment of silence before turning to Perona, who had now retreated behind Kurumi.
"Eep!"
She ducked further behind Kurumi's intangible form.
"It's fine, I can't hit you right now anyway. But… your real body's in the room above, right? I 'saw' it."
Eric raised his eyes toward it.
"Mm! Mm!"
Perona tackled him, covering his line of sight.
"I'll give you a choice. Join us—or die here with Moria."
"I… I…"
Perona was torn. Still young, and raised by Moria since childhood, she felt a debt of gratitude. But she didn't want to die either. She was scared her future crewmates might look down on her if she betrayed Moria.
"Then how about this—if Moria loses, you join us. If he wins, the deal's off, and you can stay here. No guilt."
"Mm-mm-mm!"
Perona nodded like a squirrel on caffeine. That condition hit her soft spot. Her favorability toward Eric spiked.
"Then, will you come with me carrying your body, or go back and walk down yourself?"
"I-I'll go back."
She floated upward.
Moments later, she walked back down the hall at a hesitant pace.
"Ara~ I bet Eric - you'd sneak off. But you came back—guess I win~"
"Yes, Kurumi's amazing."
"Pretending to lose to a girl—that earns you big points~ Eric -~"
"Hehehe..."
Eric scratched his head, laughing sheepishly.
Still not officially part of the crew, Perona was force-fed a full helping of lovebird food, her face contorted with envy.
"What about her?"
Kurumi pointed at the motionless Sindri. "Leaving her like that seems too cruel."
Sindri lay silently, but tears streamed from her eyes.
"What the…? Can corpses cry?"
Kurumi was shocked. A dead body's systems should be nonfunctional. Even if the shadow controlled the body, tear glands shouldn't work.
"Maybe her soul lingers… She must've been a kind person when alive. Instead, her body was stolen and turned into a zombie by a twisted doctor. That must be hell."
Eric looked at Kurumi. "Should we burn her? Or give her a proper burial?"
"Aren't you afraid she'll get dug up and zombified again if you bury her?"
Kurumi rolled her eyes.
"No. This time… Moria is finished."
Eric 's voice was firm and resolute.
(END CHAPTER)
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