Perona was dumbfounded, but she did not know that Mousse was equally surprised. He had originally planned to use the trigger to dispel the negative effects of that move, yet after being hit by Negi Negi no Mi, he had no reaction at all. He had not needed the trigger in the slightest. Was a legal shota the natural nemesis of a legal loli?
That was obviously impossible. Working backward from the result, Mousse figured there were only two possible explanations. One, his soul was too powerful to be affected. Two, because of his experiences in his previous life, whenever something happened, he always considered the worst-case scenario first before deciding on a response. He was already pessimistic enough—what could Negi Negi no Mi possibly do to him?
Regardless, Perona's ultimate move had completely failed. Mousse not only forced her onto his ship, but also confiscated all the treasure and toys she had accumulated since childhood. Perona was so furious that for several days in a row, she made straw dolls to curse her new boss.
Of course, Mousse had not done this because he coveted Perona's meager savings. He wanted to keep her from seeing those things and thinking of Gecko Moria, whom he had killed. Without those emotional keepsakes, time would more easily wash everything away. Otherwise, given that the loli was timid yet willful, if she caused some trouble at some point, Mousse would not be afraid, but it would still be incredibly annoying.
Perona was only fifteen years old in actual age, and she looked even younger. After joining, she made Mousse's already young team look even more juvenile. But only a few days later, Mousse recruited someone even younger, allowing Perona to finally puff out her chest and act like a big sister.
Speaking of