Just as Perona sighed in disappointment, two white ghosts phased through the wall.
The ghosts had round heads and thick pink lips, looking rather adorkable. They floated over while waving their hands, as if trying to explain something.
Perona looked up at them, then paused in surprise.
"A ship landed on the coast?"
"Really?! Is it a merchant ship or a pirate ship?!"
"Horo horo! Whatever, it doesn't matter. As long as I steal their ship, I can set sail!"
Perona covered her mouth with her hand and laughed gleefully.
A few days ago, Moria faced a purge by the World Government due to his defeat.
Bartholomew Kuma, known as the Tyrant, descended upon Thriller Bark, bringing news that Blackbeard would replace Moria as a Warlord of the Sea.
Upon hearing this news, an enraged Moria led them into a fierce battle against Kuma.
Ahem, well, it wasn't actually *that* fierce. She was merely asked where she would like to go on a vacation, and right after answering, she was sent flying with a single slap.
And so, Perona arrived here. Heavy fog, dark and damp, completely devoid of sunlight, coupled with this ancient castle surrounded by a forest—everything was absolutely perfect.
Except for the fact that there was no one around.
Let alone humans, there weren't even any zombies, vampires, or werewolves. There wasn't a single soul she could talk to.
There was only a troop of baboons living in the forest, howling all day long, annoying her to death.
Having stayed here for a few days, after her curiosity was completely exhausted on the first day, the rest of her time felt like serving a prison sentence, with every day dragging on like a year.
"Perfect, I couldn't stand staying here any longer anyway. I didn't expect anyone to actually visit this godforsaken place. Horo horo horo!"
Perona said with a laugh. Resting her umbrella on her shoulder, she floated out of the ancient castle with her ghosts, her face full of anticipation.
...
Meanwhile, on the coast, Allen and his crew had just landed. Before they could even finish setting up camp, they were already attacked by enemies.
To be precise, they were surrounded by a troop of fully armed baboons.
One by one, burly and muscular baboons with black fur emerged from the forest. Wielding swords and wearing armor, they closed in with ferocious expressions.
The pirates looked grave, drawing their swords and raising their guns in a defensive stance.
In the space between the two sides, a baboon wielding dual swords was engaged in a fierce duel with Gin.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew as cold steel clashed. The armored baboon was incredibly agile, its powerful dual swords howling through the wind as it fought Gin to a standstill.
What was even more astonishing was that the creature wasn't just swinging its swords wildly; it was actually executing proper swordsmanship!
Even in Killer's eyes, the creature's movements faintly contained the essence of swordsmanship, as if it had been specially trained by a master swordsman.
"To think it can actually go toe-to-toe with Captain Gin..."
"These baboons... they're so strong..."
The pirates swallowed hard, their throats bobbing as they watched the battle unfold before them.
Allen, however, looked thoughtful. As he observed the baboons, Hawkeye suddenly came to mind.
A country reduced to ruins by war, armed baboons with immense learning capabilities and combat prowess, a gloomy island environment...
'Did we end up at Hawkeye's house?'
Allen couldn't help but wonder.
At that moment, the battle between Gin and the armed baboon reached its conclusion.
Clang!
Gin knocked the longsword out of his opponent's hand with a strike of his tonfa. The iron ball spun several times before slamming heavily into the baboon's chest armor, shattering the steel plating on the spot.
Bang!!
"Aargh!!"
The baboon spat out a mouthful of blood in agony, its body flying backward at high speed before crashing heavily into the troop of baboons.
Seeing this, the other baboons looked at Gin with a hint of wariness, but instead of retreating, they took a tentative step forward.
At this moment, two more baboons stepped forward. Wielding a flail and a sickle respectively, they stared at Gin with burning intensity.
Seeing them step up, the baboons in the back grew wildly excited, raising their hands above their heads to cheer and applaud.
"So you want to keep challenging me? Interesting. If you want to fight, I'll take on as many of you as you've got."
Gin's lips curled into a cold smirk. Spinning his dual tonfas rapidly, he pushed off the ground and charged forward.
Just as Gin engaged the two baboons, several more stepped out from the troop.
Armed with weapons, these baboons looked provocatively at Sanji, Killer, and the others, seemingly issuing a challenge to duel.
Seeing this, Killer immediately lost his patience. The scythes popped out from the gauntlets on the back of his hands, and with an angry scoff, he swiftly charged forward.
"Tch, you're just a bunch of animals. Don't get cocky just because you learned how to use weapons!"
"Hey, you don't look much stronger than them yourself."
Sanji mocked him speechlessly, exhaling a stream of smoke. Facing a baboon that charged at him, he tapped his toes rapidly, using Shave to accelerate and meet it head-on!
Before long, the three of them were locked in combat with the baboons. Both the spectating baboons and the pirates cheered fanatically, rooting for their respective sides.
"Why are they fighting again the moment we land? What a bunch of warmongers, honestly."
Nami sighed helplessly.
Allen swept his gaze across the opposition, his eyes finally landing on the most burly baboon leader. The creature looked calm and composed, carrying a massive, cross-shaped two-handed sword on its back.
"Is it imitating Hawkeye's combat style...?"
Allen's lips curled into a smile, suddenly intrigued.
These baboons possessed incredibly strong learning capabilities, able to learn their opponents' moves during combat. Although they were merely imitating, they executed the techniques quite well, even managing to grasp a fraction of their true essence.
Allen suddenly felt a surge of interest, wondering just how high the upper limit of these baboons' learning abilities could reach. He turned to the side and said:
"Bring me Kashu."
"Yes, Captain."
A crew member hurriedly jumped back onto the ship to retrieve the sword, bringing it over to Allen shortly after.
"Hey, you there. Come test my swordsmanship."
Taking Kashu, Allen stepped forward and playfully provoked the baboon leader.
Seeing his invitation, the baboon leader scrutinized him, and the surrounding subordinates quickly backed away.
After locking eyes for two seconds, the baboon leader drew the cross-shaped greatsword from its back with one hand, slowly pointing the gleaming tip of the blade at him.
"What an intense aura. What's the deal with this baboon?"
"It feels exactly like facing a master swordsman."
The pirates swallowed hard. Feeling the opponent's aura, their expressions turned solemn one by one.
Allen narrowed his eyes slightly. Holding Kashu horizontally in front of him, he slowly drew the blade from its sheath, revealing its sharp edge.
"The Captain actually knows swordsmanship? I've never seen him use it before."
"Hahaha, you just joined the crew recently, so it's normal that you haven't seen it. The boss's swordsmanship is super strong."
Before the battle even began, the pirates behind him were already singing his praises.
Allen turned a deaf ear to them, his gaze fixed solely on the baboon leader's sword.
The next second.
Swish! Clang!!
Both sides moved simultaneously. Sparks flew as their blades collided. The baboon leader's eyes turned cold as it twisted its wrist, deflecting its broad blade and swiftly sliding it up along Allen's sword, grinding out a shower of sparks!
Zing!
Facing this fierce attack, Allen quickly leaned his upper body back. A massive flying slash grazed right past the tip of his nose, sending a few strands of his hair fluttering into the air.
"A flying slash? Interesting."
Allen's lips curled into a smile. While dodging the slash, he swiftly took a step forward. Taking advantage of the end of his opponent's move, he righted his posture and closed in for melee combat.
The baboon leader hastily jumped back, only to feel resistance on its weapon. To its shock, it realized that Allen had grabbed the back of its blade with a backhand grip!
"Ooh aah aah! (This isn't swordsmanship at all!)"
The baboon leader roared in anger, but it was already too late to react. Grinning fiercely, Allen raised his longsword and brought it down in a simple, unadorned vertical cleave!
Slash!!
Blood splattered as the baboon leader's eyes rolled back. A shocking gash was torn open across its chest, and its entire body flew backward, crashing into the ground and rolling twice.
After coming to a halt, the baboon leader raised its hand, glaring at Allen with unwilling eyes before slumping down weakly, losing consciousness on the spot.
"Whether it's a longsword or a short sword, a sword that can kill is a good sword. Practicing flashy, impractical moves for a hundred years is useless."
Allen grinned matter-of-factly and casually sheathed Kashu.