Summary:
While Usopp remains confused by Peron’s ability to fly, he attempts to shake his newfound confidence by reminding him of how he was just running in fear from Kumashi. Perona claims that her fear was simply a result of being caught up in the moment, as she never imagined meeting someone who was not affected by her “negative” spirits. He offers Usopp some words of encouragement, much to Usopp’s annoyance. Usopp counters that her ability to fly as a sniper has no effect on his ability to hit her. Usopp explains his new weapon, “Kabuto”: It has five support arms that improve range and stability, plus a breath dial he got from Skypie that increases the speed of his projectiles. In addition, he also has Impact, Flash, and Flame Dials that can increase the power of what he fires from Kabuto. After finishing his verbal description and preparing to fire, Usopp notices that Perona has disappeared. She reappears behind him, albeit in a gigantic form that absolutely terrifies Usopp. He fires “Ageha Ryusei” at her, but she changes back to her normal size and dodges effortlessly. Usopp follows up with “Kamakiri Ryusei” but dodges that as well. Perona moves in and sinks her hands into Usopp, causing him to seriously panic at the prospect of bleeding out. However, he points out that he has no external injuries, despite the fact that it appears to be penetrating him. She instead says her hands are around his heart and she breaks it, causing Usopp to go crazy again. However, this turns out to be a bluff as he reveals that he has no such ability. Still recovering, Usopp notes that regardless, it’s all bad for his heart. Perona shows more of her powers; showing that her body can go through almost anything, which Usopp freaks out when she demonstrates by sinking into the ground, leaving only her head visible. Usopp responds by firing “Rokuren Mamushi Boshi”, but all six shots completely pass through her body. Perona reminds Usopp that her body can go through anything, she goes through it once more as she claims that all of his attacks are useless.
Usopp is frustrated when Perona questions his plans, knowing that his attacks can’t hit her. He refuses, saying that because of her bluff that she can break his heart, she can’t touch him either. He responds by creating “Mini Hollows” and one of them flies past Usopp into the wall. Perona snaps her fingers and uses “Ghost Wrap”, causing the cavity to explode in a shock wave that destroys part of the wall, much to Usopp’s anger. Another cavity appears on his shoulder and he frantically tries to get it before Perona detonates it. Usopp quickly gets to his feet and fires a “Hi No Tori Boshi” though she just misses it. He tries to run away, saying how unfair it is that her attacks can hit him, but the opposite isn’t true. She cuts him off by going through his body again, blocking his view long enough to hit a pillar. As he lay on the ground, he notices that more Mini Hollows have joined him. Perona blasts them all over Usopp in turn, dealing some serious damage to him. Usopp lays on the ground again, reflecting on his poor appearance and how he was sure this woman was weaker than him. However, before he can be lost in thought for too long, Kumashi reappears and slams him deeper into the ground with a powerful swing. Perona warns that Kumashi’s strength is better than that of a real bear as Kumashi continues to pound on Usopp. Usopp thinks again; he remembers that none of the crew could stand against Perona’s power, and that it was his duty to bring her down. He laments that his failure here will lead to him taking down the rest of the crew and that the burden of being responsible for saving the crew for once has been too much for him. Usopp calls out to “Sogeking” to help him once more, who responds to the call by jumping up and forcing a ball of salt into Kumashi’s neck (Usopp is now wearing Sogeking’s mask). Perona is humiliated by Kumashi’s purification as Sogeking claims “one down”. Perona asks about the mask, but Sogeking states that it is not a mask as he introduces himself. Perona is very angry with the alter ego as Usopp turns to run away again. Usopp and his Sogeking personality have an internal debate in which Sogeking tries to convince Usopp not to run because he’s a man who can get the job done when he needs to. Usopp doesn’t believe it and continues to run as Perona creates more mini depressions. As the mini hollows catch up to him, Sogeking urges Usopp to think about Peron’s suspicious behavior. This makes Usopp wonder about Perona’s sudden shift in confidence. When he uses “Ghost Wrap” again to blast the hollows and damage Usopp, he realizes that Perona wouldn’t have run away at the beginning of the fight if his attacks were truly useless. She further notes that her shift in behavior occurred after Kumashi caused him to lose sight of her, and that she must have done something during that time. As Perona says it’s time for her to bring Usopp to Gecko Moria, he remembers that there was a room somewhere in the area. Usopp notices a curtained door and fires “Atlas Suisei” at it, startling Peron. When one of the walls is destroyed, Perona’s real body is motionless on the bed.