"Lady Perona! Something terrible has happened!"
A bat zombie flapped into Perona room, shouting frantically.
"So noisy!" Perona snapped, irritated as she held up her signature parasol indoors.
"Didn't I say that uncute things like you aren't allowed in my room?!"
"B-but... the zombie soldiers stationed outside the castle are almost all burned up by the intruders!
Several General Zombies have already been defeated! Dr. Hogback is busy with his experiments,
and Absalom is nowhere to be found! The remaining Generals are still asleep, and no one can wake them up. I had no choice but to come to you!"
The bat zombie explained hurriedly.
"Absalom missing?" Perona frowned in annoyance.
"Don't tell me he out there again trying to snatch some woman off a ship?"
Remembering how her ghosts had spotted an unfamiliar woman (Robin) earlier aboard the Dodo Advance, Perona couldn't help but mutter complaints under her breath.
Then, with a playful shake of her twin tails, she suddenly grinned.
"Horohorohorohoro... Perfect timing! I'll just go and capture all those kitties myself, and have Dr. Hogback turn them into adorable zombie dolls!"
"L-Lady Perona, that opponent recently defeated one of the Seven Warlords! It the Hunter we're talking about. Isn't it too dangerous for you to go there personally?"
A plush bear wearing a face mask spoke up timidly.
"Shut up, Kumacy! You stop being cute the moment you start talking!" Perona barked at him first, before smirking proudly.
"Horohorohoro! Lord Moria already said it—there nothing to fear from that Hunter.
The crocodile he defeated only had a bounty of eighty-one million Berries before,
and the reason he could beat Crocodile was probably because that fish-like blade of his countered Crocodile ability anyway!"
"But—"
"Didn't I tell you to shut up?!"
Kumacy still wanted to persuade her, but Perona cut him off sharply. Having already made up her mind,
she sat down on her bed, and her ghostly form floated out from her physical body.
Passing straight through the wall, she headed toward Sherwin and his group.
——
"Fire! Fire is Klee third favorite toy, meow!"
Outside the castle, in the forest, the little plush Felyne was gleefully setting fires while chasing down the few remaining soldier zombies.
Even though she hadn't managed to capture the Cerberus to raise as a pet earlier, being able to freely set things ablaze like this was still pure joy for Klee Meow.
Of course, if Brother Sherwin and Sister Huamei would let Klee throw bombs too, that would be even better, meow! The little plush thought to herself, a bit regretfully.
Meanwhile, Brook was brimming with excitement—he could finally see the hope of reclaiming his shadow!
Even though most of the zombies Klee Meow burned were ordinary soldier zombies, some of the stronger General Zombies had appeared as well.
Yet they too had been reduced to ashes with a single burst of fire from the little plush, looking no different from the rest.
And up to this point, the only one who had actually fought was Klee Meow!
Sherwin still had two other cats beside him whose swordsmanship was even greater than Brook!
"…"
orz
"Huh? Why do you suddenly look all depressed?"
Sherwin stared at Brook, who had unexpectedly slumped forward in despair, completely puzzled.
He hadn't seen any negative ghosts from Perona around, after all…
"Yohohoho! It nothing! I just suddenly experienced a bit of... bone weakness! Because, you see, I'm a skeleton!" Brook hurriedly covered it up with a joke.
At that moment, Sherwin eyes widened as he watched a Negative Ghost emerge from the woods behind Brook—and drift right through his ribcage.
"I'm just a useless skeleton whose swordsmanship isn't even as good as a cat… just let me rot quietly in this graveyard…"
For the third time today, Brook slumped forward in utter despair.
In truth, with Sherwin speed, he could've saved Brook in time. But just as the Negative Ghost hit Brook, he'd been momentarily shocked to realize that Perona ghosts couldn't be detected with Observation Haki.
Reflexively, he expanded his Haki range, trying to locate Perona real body—so he was a split-second too late.
Even now, Sherwin Observation Haki couldn't sense Perona position. Thinking it over, even Brook soul couldn't be picked up by Haki…
That meant Perona was more dangerous than he had initially estimated.
"Wah! It that cute ghost from before, meow!"
(=ω=)
Just as Sherwin was about to warn everyone to stay alert, Klee Meow had already lost interest in burning the last of the soldier zombies.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at the Negative Ghost floating above them.
"Brother Sherwin! Sister Huamei! Can we catch this ghost and keep it as a pet, meow?" she shouted excitedly.
Her words seemed to enrage the Negative Ghost. The blank, vacant smile on its face twisted into fury, and it dove straight toward the little plush.
"Good timing!" Klee Meow grinned, raising a paw toward the incoming ghost. "Fire Style: Flame Prison Technique, meow!"
A flaming net shot from her paw, wrapping around the Negative Ghost—but the ghost didn't even flinch.
It passed straight through the fire as if it didn't exist, lunging right at Klee Meow.
"Awuuu! Why can't I catch it, meow?!"
Klee Meow dodged the attack with a frustrated look. She wasn't stupid—she'd clearly seen what had just happened to poor Brook.
She tried several more "Fire Style" techniques in quick succession, and even summoned Dodo Bear in the process.
But no matter what she did, the Negative Ghost was completely unfazed.
Fortunately, the ghost couldn't catch her either. Klee Meow movements were too nimble, and she easily dodged every one of its clumsy swoops.
As both sides fell into a stalemate, staring each other down in silence, another Negativ Ghost silently emerged from the ground behind Klee Meow and lunged toward the unsuspecting little puppet.
=(==(=ω=(=ω=)┫
Boom!
Link Meow flashed behind Klee Meow in an instant, raising his pitch-black Hylian Shield to slam the ambushing Negativ Ghost away.
"How is that possible?!"
A startled cry came from the forest on the right — clearly from Perona, whose spirit form was hiding there.
Without hesitation, Sherwin swung his longsword toward the source of the voice.
In an instant, the trees in that direction were all cut down, revealing Perona hiding there with two Negativ Ghosts hovering at her sides.
"Ahhhh—!!!"
Perona let out a sharp scream and instinctively checked her body, realizing she hadn't been sliced in half.
Only then did she remember she was currently in her ghost form.
"Horohorohoro…" Believing her real body was safe inside the castle and she couldn't be harmed, Perona regained her composure.
Floating in midair, she pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, laughing as she taunted Sherwin:
"Be a good boy and hand over all the cats around you! Then maybe I'll consider sparing your life."
However, Sherwin couldn't even be bothered to respond to her.
Instead, he turned toward Klee Meow — who was still locked in a staring contest with a Negativ Ghost — and pointed at Perona.
"Klee, those ghosts you wanted to keep as pets were all created by her ability. So if you want them, you'll have to catch her directly."
"Meow…" The little doll folded her arms in distress. "But Klee doesn't want to keep her as a pet… This big sister looks kinda dumb, not fun at all, meow."
Well, to be fair, Perona eyes really did look a little vacant.
"Who are you calling dumb?! And who said I'd let you keep me?!"
Perona exploded in anger, waving her small hand as the two ghosts beside her rushed forward.
"Kneel before the Ghost Princess! Negativ Ghosts—attack!"