The castle hall was dimly lit.
Nico Robin observed the zombie on the floor—its lower half missing, yet its upper body still dragging itself forward with its arms, a grotesque sight.
Yet she remained unfazed, stroking her chin while muttering, "Are these things really zombies? They're split in half and still not completely dead."
Bahr, seeing Robin's nonchalant reaction, internally criticized the woman's unconventional aesthetic sensibilities. With a derisive snort, he remarked, "Zombies my ass. They're just corpses Moria animated with his ability."
Robin shot Bahr a sidelong glance and asked thoughtfully, "What ability does Gekko Moria have?"
"It's the Paramecia-type Shadow-Shadow Fruit ability," Bahr replied, stomping the zombie's head into pieces. Yet the body continued to twitch, moving aimlessly like a headless fly.
"These so-called 'zombies' are just corpses. Moria can cut out living people's shadows and stuff them inside. Chopping the bodies into eight pieces won't stop them—you have to purify the shadows inside, or they'll keep moving."
"No wonder my lightning didn't work on them earlier!" Enel grumbled nearby, looking thoroughly annoyed. He had assumed his lightning could purify anything, only to be proven wrong here.
Bahr glanced at Enel and teased him deliberately, "These zombies inherit the temperaments of their original shadow owners. If your shadow got stuffed into one, that zombie would be just as full of itself as you."
Enel was left speechless, letting out a disgruntled "Hmph!" before changing the subject. "This damn ability is kinda interesting, though!"
Nico Robin suddenly turned her head, her gaze sharp as a scalpel as she scrutinized Bahr. "You claim to be from a small fishing village in East Blue. How do you know all this?"
"Because I can hear the voice of all things," Bahr said, suddenly leaning in close to Robin. He playfully twirled a loose strand of her hair between his fingers, smirking.
Robin rolled her eyes hard, internally cursing this guy's penchant for theatrics. Every time things got serious, he'd spout nonsense like "hearing the voice of all things"—utterly ridiculous.
It seemed she'd have to wait for the right moment, when his guard was down and his mood high, to slowly pry the truth out of him.
The group proceeded down the corridor, turning two corners before reaching a room. Pushing the door open, they were met with what looked like a mountain of toys—walls covered in frilly pink lace, a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and even the floor carpeted with a bear-patterned rug. The sheer extravagance was almost blinding.
"Horo horo horo... I didn't expect you to be so strong, taking down so many zombies." A bell-like laugh echoed from the depths of the room. On a velvet sofa sat a girl with pink twin tails.
She wore a small crown, her large, round eyes framed by thick, fan-like lashes. Her dress was adorned with pink bows, the hem bouncing playfully as she swung her legs. Clutching a rabbit plushie larger than her face, she idly tugged at its ears, the picture of sweet mischief.
"Who's this chick?" Enel asked, eyeing her sideways.
Bahr narrowed his eyes, taking in the fluffy twin tails, gothic lolita dress, and eerie laughter while clutching a stuffed rabbit—this had to be the "Ghost Princess" Perona.
Compared to her meticulously polished appearance two years later, the slightly frayed lace on her current dress gave her an unrefined, youthful edge.
Nico Robin stared at the translucent figures floating lazily overhead and frowned. "Those drifting white figures... are those Hollows?"
"Horo horo horo..." Perona sprang to her feet, hands on her hips as her twin tails swung in pink arcs. "I, the great Perona, am a user of the Hollow-Hollow Fruit! I can create spirits at will—these Hollows are my manifestations, capable of draining your souls of all motivation. Your journey ends here!"
"The Hollow-Hollow Fruit?" Nico Robin's eyes widened slightly as she studied the Hollows hovering around Perona—a rare display of surprise.
"Horo horo horo... Take this!" Perona flicked her fingers, and three pale blue Hollows shot out from behind her, drifting toward the group.
"What the hell is this?" Enel raised an eyebrow and casually flicked a bolt of lightning at them. The electricity passed straight through the Hollows. Instinctively raising his arm to block, the Hollow phased through his hand effortlessly. The next second, his entire demeanor deflated. "What kind of god am I? I'm just a pathetic speck of dust..."
Another Hollow wrapped around Nico Robin, who immediately dropped to her knees, her expression bleak. "You're right... My existence is meaningless. I deserve to be trampled underfoot..."
Mr. 1 also collapsed to the ground, his voice choked with despair. "I'm so sorry for sharing the same earth as all of you..."
Seeing this, Bahr twitched his fingers, and a translucent Space Barrier materialized in front of him. The Hollows collided with it as if hitting an invisible wall, bouncing off harmlessly.
Hollows ignored physical barriers—their penetrating nature was closer to "intangibility" or "non-corporeality," not true spatial manipulation.
The essence of Devil Fruit abilities, like the Hollows, likely belonged to the spiritual category, which was why they couldn't bypass space.
"Horo horo horo! Just surrender already!" Perona hugged her rabbit plushie, tilting her chin up smugly. "Once my Negative Hollows touch you, every ounce of despair in your heart comes pouring out!"
But when she saw her Hollows completely blocked by the barrier, a flicker of shock crossed her face before she quickly regained her haughty composure. She shouted behind her, "Get him!"
From the end of the corridor came a cacophony of growls as a horde of Animal Zombies charged forward, wielding forks and knives. Some had lion heads, others goat horns—their movements stiff yet vicious as they swarmed toward Bahr.
Bahr's eyes turned cold. Without even drawing his blade, he simply raised his hand and made a slashing motion toward the zombies. "Dimensional Slash."
The slash was too fast to see—only a faint "swish" could be heard. The leading zombies froze mid-charge before, in the next instant, every single Animal Zombie collapsed to the ground, cleanly bisected.
Perona's eyes bulged, her pink twin tails standing on end. The zombies that had been lively just moments ago were now reduced to writhing limbs and torsos on the floor. The man hadn't even drawn his sword—just a casual flick of his wrist, and they'd been sliced apart like tofu.
Staring at Bahr, her lips trembled, unable to form words. Only one thought echoed in her mind: How is this guy so strong?!
"You bastard, making a fool out of me!"
Enel climbed to his feet, his face dark with rage as blue electricity crackled around him like a live wire. "I'll kill you!" he roared, hurling a bolt of lightning at Perona.
Yet the electricity passed straight through her, blasting a charred hole into the wall behind.
Perona flinched, shrinking behind the sofa. She had been terrified of thunder since childhood, and now, hearing the crackling electricity, her hands trembled around her rabbit plushie. But seeing Enel wreathed in lightning, she stubbornly jutted out her chin.
She was a spirit—physical attacks couldn't touch her. What was there to fear?
Enel's hair stood on end from sheer fury. Wrapping his arm in Haki, his body transformed into lightning as he flashed toward Perona in an instant. He reached out to grab her—only for his hand to pass right through her intangible form. Losing his balance, he stumbled forward, landing flat on empty air.
"What the hell is going on?!" Enel stared at his hand in disbelief, utterly baffled as to why he couldn't touch her.
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