Summary:
After finally piercing the veil on Peron’s tactics, Usopp takes time to assess the facts: Perona is visible to the naked eye, but able to pass through people and objects effortlessly. He can also fly and change his size at will, so a person who doesn’t know better would assume that he is not made of flesh and blood. However, based on how she ran away from him when he was chasing her, it was clear in this particular case that she did indeed have a physical body. So he concludes that the Perona he fought is merely a ghost that was created when he initially lost sight of her. Usopp points out Perona’s real body sitting motionless on the bed in the chamber ahead of them, stating that he won’t be fooled anymore. Perona praises Usopp for being much more intelligent than she assumed, noting how the Sogeking mask seems to have given him confidence. However, she clarifies that rather than a “spirit” being controlled by her actual body, the form Usopp sees in front of him is her actual spirit. She is able to separate this spirit from her physical body at will. Usopp questions what would happen if she had no physical body to return to as she fires a “Daibakuhatsu Boshi” at him. Perona cries out in protest, but is relieved when the projectile seems to have missed. Usopp says he needs to fire another shot, but Perona doesn’t give him a chance and sends “Toku Hollow” at him. Usopp believes that these are a larger version of her “Mini Hollows”, so if you let it explode, it would kill him instantly. The spirit bites into his upper body and Perona takes the opportunity to return to his physical body. When he wakes up again, he confirms that he can also detonate this cavity by snapping his fingers with the “Kamikaze Rap”. To her surprise, the ghost disappears completely and it is revealed that Usopp absorbed the blast with the Impact Dial. Before she can mount another attack, Perona realizes her hand is taped to the bed. Usopp reveals that the attack he fired at her earlier was actually a “Torimochi Boshi” and that he didn’t miss it because his plan all along was to immobilize her once she returned to her physical body. In this way, he could deal with her physical and spiritual presence at the same time. As Usopp prepares to finish her off, a wild zombie, Gallant Hippopotamus, appears and blames Usopp for his defeat of Kumashi. However, Usopp releases the absorbed shock from Toku Hollow and instantly defeats Hippo. Perona marvels at the strength Usopp displays, though Usopp mentally registers the pain from the recoil of the rotary. He fires “Kurobikashi Boshi” at Ghost Princess, causing cockroaches to appear all over her body. It turns out that this was also a trick, as the attack is actually “Gokiburi Boshi”. Perona screams in terror loud enough to be heard outside the mansion as she frantically tries to get rid of the cockroaches and begs Kumashi to save her. Usopp says that she may be afraid of cockroaches, but she should be much more afraid of him because she truly underestimated him. As he pulls out the 10 ton hammer, Usopp says that he fears no one in East Blue more because of his superhuman strength. Believing that the hammer is indeed 10 tons, a grief-stricken Perona asks where Usopp got such power and begs him not to harm her. She still desperately pleads for forgiveness and promises not to harm the Straw Hats, but it falls on deaf ears when he smashes the hammer over her head with the “Usopp Golden Pound”. The “hammer” is revealed to be a balloon that bursts immediately upon impact, but the psychological trauma of the attack causes Perona to pass out and foam at the mouth. Usopp expresses shock that a “ghost princess” from a haunted mansion wouldn’t be able to tell a real hammer from a balloon or plastic cockroaches from real ones, but still claims she had no idea who she was messing with when she tried. using negativity and lies as your weapons.
Elsewhere in Thriller Bark, Zoro is seen falling from the tower of Dr. Hogback with a burning figure standing on top of it. Zoro crashes into one of the tower’s windows and the figure is revealed to be Ryuma. Franky notes that the samurai seems to have said something, and Brook wonders what exactly that means. However, Brook also notes that the fight is over as he comments that he has never seen a fight like this. As Zoro lay still, Brook realizes that Ryuma never really took him seriously in any of their fights.
In a flashback, it is shown that only five minutes before, Zoro and Ryuma began facing each other in Hogback’s laboratory. Zoro announces his intention to take Shusui from the samurai, who comments on Zoro’s harsh nature. Ryuma questions why Zoro wants his when he already has three swords, and he clarifies that one of them is broken. However, Zoro doesn’t feel comfortable not wearing it at all since he is a user of the Three Sword Style. Ryuma has never heard of the ‘Three Swords Style’ before and wonders if it’s some kind of circus. Zoro laments that he won’t be able to show the samurai, but still confirms that he will break what’s left of his nose. Ryuma shares this disappointment, noting that Zoro seems quite strong. In fact, he compares the anticipation of his fight with Zoro to when he fought the towering monstrous creature, but he doesn’t seem to fully remember it. Zoro charges Ryuma in an instant and the clash of their blades stuns Franky and Brook. The force of the clash also rattles the floor tiles below them as the two warriors exchange steel again. Ryuma uses “Aubade Coup Droit”, which Zoro manages to dodge at the last second. Although the attack is a punch, it is shown to be powerful enough to weaponize the air itself and punch a hole through the brick wall behind Zoro. Franky asks if Ryuma just fired a gun, and Brook comments that the technique was never that powerful when he used it. Zoro smiles, pleased with his opponent’s strength.