Looking at the apologizing talking white bear in front of her, Perona was a bit confused. This bear seemed to be affected by the Negative Ghost, just with a delayed reaction.
But Perona knew very well that this wasn't the effect of her Negative Ghost. Normally, anyone hit by her Negative Ghost would immediately fall into a negative state, while those with the ability to resist wouldn't be affected at all. There was never any talk of a delayed effect.
To put distant matters aside, both Setsuna and Zeraora could ignore her Negative Ghost, but as for this bear...
"Why are you apologizing?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm apologizing..."
Watching the behavior of this bear's fur, Perona seemed to have figured out why. The Negative Ghost magnifies a person's inner negativity, pushing them into a negative state, but if someone is already extremely negative, the Negative Ghost becomes ineffective.
Because this person is too pessimistic, their body eventually develops a resistance to pessimism.
"So it actually has such a weakness....."
Looking at the bear's fur that kept apologizing, Perona suddenly discovered a flaw in the Hollow-Hollow Fruit.
"Alright! Stop apologizing!"
"Yes... sorry.."
"..."
Perona patted her head. This bear made her feel uncomfortable. True, a bear that couldn't talk was a better bear, but she still wanted to get down to business.
"Aren't you part of the Fur Race? How come the Fur Race isn't on Zou but here? How did you get out to sea?"
This bear's fur didn't look very big. Although she wasn't part of the Fur Race, her adoptive mother was the new Duke of Zou. From that perspective, she could actually be seen as a princess of the Fur Race. After all, to the Fur Race, humans were just monkeys with less fur.
Upon hearing the words Zou and Fur Race, this bear's fur almost burst into tears. He was Bepo, the brother of Jebo who went missing years ago. After being swept away by ocean currents, he arrived at the North Sea by chance.
It was his luck not to starve halfway or get eaten by a Sea King Type, but he also didn't know how to get back. People in the North Sea had never heard of the Fur Race. Not everyone was as accepting as in Joy Town.
In most people's eyes, he was just a talking monster. This perception, combined with his naturally fragile personality, made him easily fall into low spirits, with low resistance to stress and poor psychological endurance. That's why he hid in the hollow of a dead tree.
He didn't like the environment here because there wasn't even a single female bear. Going back to Zou was his biggest dream, and that's why he blushed slightly when he saw her in a bear outfit.
"You... you know Zou?"
"Of course, I know. My mom is the new Duke of Zou."
"That's great! Can you take me back to Zou? This place isn't fun at all. My name is Bepo. I accidentally left Zou, and when I woke up, I found that Zou was gone..."
He didn't know why Zou had a new Duke or whether Perona was lying. The Fur Race was naturally naive, not to mention that Bepo's longing to return made him eager, so he dusted himself off and walked towards Perona.
But to the bear in a costume, this was a strange and dangerous individual, so it raised its hand to him.
The bear in a costume crossed its arms and waved vigorously, while Bepo, seeing another bear "friendly" waving at him, quickened his pace.
"Wait!"
Perona's "wait" was directed at both Bepo and the bear in a costume, but it was too late. The bear costume's arms lit up with a flash of light, and the double-arm punch landed directly on Bepo.
Looking at the big pit in the ground, Perona knew it probably hurt a lot.
Then Perona slid down from the back of the bear in costume and reached out to prod the Bepo below. From the actual situation, the fur bear was still alive.
"Kuku..."
"I know, I know, this guy is just too weird."
The bear in a costume explained its actions, mainly indicating that Bepo had ignored its warning, and it couldn't be helped. Due to their group nature, the warning gestures of the bear in costume were the greeting gestures of other races.
When you think the bear in costume is welcoming you, the bear in costume actually wants to express something simpler: if you dare come over, I'll smack you dead.
In the bear in costume's habitat, many people get injured each year because of this misunderstanding. Despite their seemingly cute appearance, they are actually extremely dangerous Pokemon, except for Trainers they trust.
"Let's take him back, but do it gently this time."
"Kuku~"
Then the bear in costume carried a dead tree with its left hand, Bepo with its right, Perona on its head, and some collected firewood on its tail, walking back fully loaded to their campsite.
Next to the stream, Setsuna had just finished dealing with the fish caught from the water and watched as the bear in costume returned with all sorts of things.
"Why did you guys bring back a bear?"
She didn't oppose people eating furry mammals, but at least don't do it in front of her. It's basic respect towards the Fur Race. She thought Perona wouldn't make such a basic mistake.
"No, no, Setsuna Mama, he's part of the Fur Race, but the bear in costume accidentally..."
"Kuku..."
Because of the Aura Power, what the bear in costume said was no different from human language to Setsuna. She quickly understood what had actually happened.
"Did you say his name is Bepo?"
"Yes, that's what he said."
"Jebo's younger brother is supposedly him.. Zeraora, do you remember Pedro's number?"
Back then, Pedro and the others had left Zou again shortly after the wedding. As elite warriors, they hadn't encountered any problems over the years.
During their journey, they had been searching for Bepo, but they hadn't had any luck because, up until now, they were still sailing on the Grand Line. They hadn't thought Bepo had crossed the Windless Zone and had already reached the North Sea.
Right now, Bepo was still unconscious. What the bear in costume did wasn't easy to endure, and it might take him some time to wake up. It was still better to confirm with Pedro and the others.
The last call reached Pedro's hand as they sailed, and after some comparison, they thoroughly confirmed Bepo's identity.
With the news of Bepo's safety, Jebo had no more worries. After getting Setsuna's promise to take Bepo back, the Nox Expedition Team embarked on a new adventure.
Meanwhile, Perona had bandaged up Bepo. Although he had no external injuries, the bandages soaked in special medicine acted like ointment, which is why she wrapped him up.
However, Perona's bandaging method was a bit special. Not only did she wrap his head, but she also wrapped Bepo's mouth, making it so that when he woke up, he could only make muffled sounds and couldn't speak at all.