The Wise Choice

Chapter 79: The Wise Choice

"Damn it! Kumashi is so cute! How dare you... how dare you..."

 Perona's eyes welled up with tears. "You better jump down right now!"

The Shadow Clone still appeared as a zombie. With Moria's permission, Perona could command these zombies. Both Absalom and she had their own zombie armies. Hogback and Moria also had control over any zombie they pleased. However, the ultimate authority lay in Moria's hands.

"Naive!"

Returning to his original form, Rodney's sudden appearance startled Perona. "It's you?! Wait, I feel like I've seen this face somewhere before!" 

The fog was thick when she first encountered Rodney, and she couldn't see him clearly. But now, upon closer inspection, she had a strange feeling that she had seen this face somewhere important.

Important person, important person, important...

Recalling a smiling face from a certain report, she realized who he was.

Cold sweat dripped down her forehead. Rigidly lifting her head, she saw a pair of red eyes surrounded by three ruby-like beads.

These eyes...

Joestar J. Rodney?!

How could he be here?

"You, you, you, you! You're a Shichibukai, Rodney?! Why are you here? Why are you attacking us? Our master, Moria, is also a Warlord!"

Normally, the Shichibukai didn't attack each other because they knew the Marines and the World Government were watching them closely. 

If they fought among themselves, it would only benefit the Marines or other powerful factions. Even if they clashed, they wouldn't truly fight; at most, it would be a few moves and some tough words before it ended.

Perona didn't know much about this, but she understood that one Warlord should not attack another.

The Shadow Clone chuckled. "Of course, I'm here to deal with you guys. Staying in such a gloomy place all day, you'll turn moldy sooner or later. I'll take you to see the sun."

"No, no, no! I like it here. We all like it here!" Perona shook her head vigorously, feeling content in this place.

"I see." The Shadow Clone smiled benignly, grabbed Perona's arm, and approached the window. They were at a great height, and below was what seemed like a dark forest, with the unknown lurking within.

"Ah, what are you trying to do?!"

"Nothing much, I just want to see if jumping from here will kill you. Aren't you afraid? As one of the Three Oddballs of Moria's Pirate Crew, you shouldn't be afraid of such a little height, right?"

He couldn't help but be sarcastic.

"Ah, you're just spouting nonsense! I don't have the ability to die from such a height, okay? No, I don't want to die! I don't want to die!" Perona shouted loudly.

"In that case, join me." The Shadow Clone said.

The abilities of the Hollow-Hollow Fruit were powerful, and he had taken an interest in them. Though Perona's personality and preferences were a bit strange, that didn't matter. Children often misbehaved, and a few spankings would be enough to set them straight.

"No, I won't betray Master Moria. Besides, if Master Moria finds out, he'll definitely kill me!" Perona shook her head even faster.

"Is that so? Then it seems there's no chance for cooperation between us. What a pity, such a good tool, but it slipped through my fingers." He sounded genuinely regretful.

"Yeah, yeah, if I had met you earlier, I definitely would've joined you."

"Mm, I believe you. Well then, farewell, Miss Perona." The Shadow Clone smiled.

"Goodbye, goodbye! Wait, don't let go!" 

Perona quickly grabbed the Shadow Clone's arm. Being restrained by the Seastone, she couldn't exert much strength, but she managed to hold on to the strong arm, slowly sliding down.

"No, I don't want to! I don't want to die! I'll follow you! I'll follow you, Captain!" 

Perona lowered her head, realizing that the Shadow Clone was indeed the captain. She decided to strategically submit for now and, when the time was right, ask Moria to save her.

Yes, she firmly believed that Moria would come to her rescue.

However, what she didn't know was how cunning and devious the person before her was. Why would he leave her with an escape route?

He couldn't let go of such a valuable tool.

"Miss Perona, a very wise choice." Rodney lifted her up and then jumped off the terrace, taking her with him.

"Ah, ahhh!!"

Perona's screams echoed in the air. Meanwhile, Moria, who was resting, opened his eyes. "It seems like I heard Perona's voice. What's going on? Could it be an illusion?"

With his only movable arm, he scratched his chin. Just then, a zombie rushed in, looking flustered. "Master, something happened! Doctor Hogback was killed!"

"What?!" Startled, Moria hurriedly got up from the bed. His large and stout body made moving extremely inconvenient. He was furious. "How could Hogback get into trouble? And where are Absalom and Perona?"

Normally, Moria valued his subordinates greatly. Though he often said things like "Those who won't die won't lose," he cared deeply for his crew members. His hatred for Kaido was also because he killed all of Moria's comrades, which further emphasized his attachment to Absalom and Perona.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have ventured alone to Blackbeard's territory just to save Absalom. However, Absalom had already been killed, and then he was duped.

Taking big strides, though he wasn't exactly short, on his 6-7 meters tall body, it seemed like he had short legs. "Gather all the zombies and kill them!"

"Yes!"

The zombies immediately scattered, each taking the form of bats.

With a flicker of shadow, numerous black bats flew around the castle, searching for the targets he wanted.

Meanwhile, the main body of Rodney and Robin had just finished dealing with Hogback, the surgical doctor. Hogback was conducting experiments in the laboratory when Sister Slug found him. Without hesitation, Rodney used shurikens to pierce his brain, destroying the genius doctor's brain filled with medical knowledge.

According to Rodney, this kind of person didn't deserve any sympathy.

Although he didn't hold high moral standards compared to others in this world, he still couldn't fit in with this world. He wasn't a saint; he only did what he thought was right. What others thought was none of his business!

Get lost!

"Rodney-sama, something is flying towards the castle. It doesn't have life, nor is it a zombie." Sister Slug spoke up. "They seem to be looking for something, and many zombies are heading in this direction. Some of the more powerful zombies are also becoming active."

"Robin, let's pick up the pace. Sister Slug, you guide us. Help me find the fattest one."

"It's in the largest room at the top," Sister Slug replied.

How could someone as fat as Moria live in the highest room? Wasn't climbing exhausting for him? Or did he let his shadow climb up first and then use Shadow Wielding to switch places?

Rodney felt like the ability to switch positions with his shadow was developed because Moria didn't want to climb.

"Understood."

Rodney leaped up, punching through the ceiling, and jumped through the hole, carrying Robin along.

Boom!

They repeated this process about three times, ascending three floors. But then, they were blocked.

A group of General Zombies surrounded them.

These zombies were once powerful warriors who died for various reasons. Their corpses were stolen, and Moria injected them with shadows, turning them into obedient puppets.

If the original didn't obey, then take away the shadow with the same power. Even if they had no abilities, their strength and speed were the same as the original. They were an undying army that feared no death, fatigue, or pain—a perfect army created in this way.