Three days later.
On the deck, a few crew members were basking in the sun.
"I just don't get it. Why would the captain recruit Perona?"
Burgess leaned back in his chair, looking annoyed. "That woman is so bratty—her personality is downright nasty. I'm honestly scared of her."
Yesterday, Baccarat had once again sensed good luck and led them to land at Urna Town.
There, they encountered Perona. The rest, needless to say, unfolded naturally.
"She's not like that, Captain Burgess. Why would you say such a thing?"
Paddon, still enthusiastically fishing by the railing, turned and grinned. "Big Sister Perona is super nice! She really likes me!"
Burgess shot him a glare and snapped, "What do you know? Just keep fishing!"
"Every time I see Perona, I feel weird inside. Just super uncomfortable."
Lafitte twirled his cane, smiling gently. "That's because you're too loud and flashy. That's why she picks on you."
"Unlike me—I speak gently, and she never plays pranks on me."
Doc Q looked at Burgess with a creepy smile and mocked him.
"Just thinking about how miserable you looked is hilarious."
"I want to see it again—no matter how many times, I never get tired of it."
Burgess was fed up and snapped at him, "You wanna see it that bad? Keep it up and I'll lay you flat!"
Suddenly, a bell-like voice chimed sweetly from above.
"Hurreh hurreh hurreh…"
Perona floated over, her face lit up with a mischievous smile. Her voice was crisp and sweet.
"Talking behind the princess's back, huh? Unforgivable!"
"Ghosts, ghosts~"
As soon as she spoke, several pale white ghosts flew rapidly toward Burgess.
Burgess heard her voice and immediately jumped up, raising his hands to stop her. "No! Don't—!"
Before he could finish, the ghosts had already passed through his body.
Instantly, Burgess's expression changed. A wave of extreme pessimism washed over him.
Thud...
"A worthless piece of trash like me shouldn't even exist in this world…"
He dropped to his knees, face full of pain and self-loathing.
Lafitte rested his cane in front of him, looked at Doc Q, and said with a faint smile:
"Didn't you want to see it again? Happy now?"
Doc Q nodded, grinning with delight.
"Watching Burgess like this just makes me want to laugh, hehehe~~"
At that moment, Burgess snapped back to reality. He jumped up, furious, and started cursing:
"Damn you, Perona! You—"
Before he could finish, more ghosts passed through his body.
"In my next life, I'd rather be a pile of crap…"
Even worse. Tears streamed down his face as he cried, utterly devastated.
Paddon clapped his little hands happily and giggled, "So fun! Do it again, Big Sis Perona!"
"We definitely can't mess with this lady," Lafitte sighed and walked over to the railing, keeping his distance.
"I don't want to go through that…" Doc Q got up too, quickly moving away.
The nearby crew members were terrified after seeing the scene—each one scrambled to hide.
"Tsk tsk… this new lady is scary as hell."
"They say her ghosts make people deeply depressed when they pass through you."
"Depressed? That's an understatement. Did you see Captain Burgess? He said he wants to be poop."
"Don't talk about it! You trying to get us killed?!"
"I don't know anything! Don't talk to me!"
Below deck, whispers filled the air. Everyone looked at Perona with fear in their eyes.
Then, just as Burgess tried to get up again and curse:
"Perona, you little—"
Same result—ghosts flew through him without warning.
"A hideous man like me has no place on this ship…"
Suddenly, Perona withdrew her ghosts, giggling brightly.
"If you ever talk behind my back again, I won't let you off so easily! Hurreh hurreh hurreh…"
Laughing, she floated off into the distance and soon disappeared from view.
Burgess finally came to his senses, eyes wide with rage.
"What're you looking at?! Keep staring and I'll beat the crap outta you!"
He roared at the nearby crew, causing them all to jump—some looked down, others stared at the sky, some just turned away...
Anything but meet his eyes.
"Burgess, how does it feel? Kinda unforgettable, huh?"
Doc Q teased with a wicked grin.
Burgess pointed at him furiously. "Doc Q! If you ever bring this up again, I'll wreck you!"
"And the rest of you—if I hear even a whisper about this, I'll gut you on the spot!"
Lafitte adjusted his top hat and said gently, "Don't worry. We'd never talk about something like that."
"But you should really be careful from now on—don't provoke that little devil anymore."
"That's the most important thing!!"
Burgess slumped back into his chair with a huff and grumbled:
"Yeah, yeah, like I'd dare mess with her again. From now on, I'm staying far away from that demon. She's infuriating!"
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T/N:
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