This was the first time Perona had ever seen such a beautiful lolita dress. The moment she laid eyes on it, she realized every outfit she'd owned before had been junk by comparison. One look at the dress and she was completely smitten.
Amon had fully expected her reaction. The dress really was that gorgeous, the kind of thing that would win over even people who normally had no interest in lolita fashion. Take the little doll and Robin standing nearby, for instance. Both of them favored simpler, cleaner styles, but the instant the Ever-Changing Lolita Dress appeared, their eyes were drawn to it too. Robin managed to keep her composure, being an adult with better self-control, but Lily was a different story entirely. Despite her intelligence, she was still fundamentally like a seven or eight year old kid at heart, and anything she liked showed plainly on her face. Sure enough, from the moment the dress appeared, Lily's eyes never left it, practically glowing with envy.
That made Perona positively glow with pride. What was the point of a beautiful dress if it didn't make other people jealous? That was half the fun.
"That's right, this dress is absolutely yours. You pulled it fair and square."
Seeing how excited Perona was, Amon nodded in confirmation.
"Really? Wow, I actually got this myself? This is amazing!"
With Amon's confirmation, Perona looked ready to float off the ground with joy.
"That's right, you've got some serious luck. And this isn't just any ordinary dress, either. It's called the Ever-Changing Lolita Dress. On top of looking gorgeous, its defensive properties are excellent, and it comes with a dust-repelling effect, so it'll never get dirty, not ever. On top of that, it can shift its style completely. Whatever look you can imagine, however you want it to appear, it'll transform to match."
"Basically, this is one dress you could wear for the rest of your life," Amon added, running through its features as he held it out.
"That's incredible!" Perona's eyes lit up again, completely captivated by just how amazing the dress sounded.
Seeing her reaction, Amon's mouth curved into a grin. "Go ahead, try it on. Just slip it on over what you're wearing, no need to take anything off first."
The dress worked perfectly for quick changes, which made things convenient. In a word: incredible.
"Putting it on, okay!" Perona had been dying to try it on since the moment she saw it, and the second Amon gave her the go ahead, she snatched it up eagerly. Since she didn't need to undress first, she didn't bother stepping away from the group either.
Following Amon's instructions, she pulled the dress on over her clothes. As it settled into place, a burst of rainbow light shimmered across her body, making her look almost like a descending fairy. When the light faded, the Ever-Changing Lolita Dress had settled perfectly onto her frame.
"What a gorgeous dress, and it fits like it was made for me!"
There was no denying it, Perona was practically born to wear lolita fashion. With the dress on, her whole presence shifted, taking on something almost regal, like a proper princess. Before, there had always been something slightly off about her overall look, but now, wrapped in the dress, she radiated an entirely different kind of charm.
The crew members nearby stared in disbelief. Who would have guessed that the usually unsettling Perona could look this beautiful?
"Oh my god, Lady Perona looks gorgeous!"
"I never knew she could look like this, I always figured she was just a zombie like the rest of us!"
"What an incredible dress!"
The crew burst into chatter, all eyes on Perona in her new outfit. It wasn't just the ordinary crew members either. Even Brook looked genuinely stunned by the transformation.
"What an incredible, beautiful dress," Brook muttered, staring at her, dazed.
"Miss, might I make a rather bold request? Would you allow me to see your underwear?"
No one quite understood why Brook had such a fixation on underwear, but somehow, even in a moment like this, that was exactly where his mind went. The comment actually earned a round of approval from the watching crew, who all turned toward Perona with anticipation, eager to see how she'd respond.
What they got instead was Perona's leg, swinging straight at him.
"Bam!"
After booting Brook clean across the room, Perona finally settled down to admire her new dress properly.
"It really is gorgeous, and it feels so cool and breathable too, not stuffy at all. This might be the most comfortable thing I've ever worn."
She ran her hands over the fabric, savoring its smoothness, growing more infatuated with the dress by the second, especially since it stayed completely cool despite everything she had on underneath. She was wearing several layers beneath it, and between that and the usual stuffiness that came with women's undergarments, she'd expected to feel overheated. Instead, the dress gave her a strange sense of relief.
Watching her delight, Amon chuckled and explained, "Of course, this dress stays warm in winter and cool in summer, and it adjusts to fit whoever's wearing it perfectly. It's built for comfort."
"And its defense is quite strong too, though we won't know exactly how strong until we test it."
"No way, I don't want this pretty dress getting all dirty!"
The moment Perona heard someone would be attacking her dress to test it, her expression soured immediately. She'd already fallen completely in love with it and had no intention of letting anyone stain or damage it.
"Don't worry, this dress can't get dirty. Nothing filthy can even touch it. But if you'd rather not test it, that's fine too."
The dress belonged to Perona now, after all. The choice was entirely hers.
"It really can't get dirty? Then let's try it!"
Honestly, she was curious to see the dress's defenses in action herself. She'd only hesitated out of fear of ruining it, but now that Amon had reassured her, she felt free to go ahead.
"Robin, why don't you give it a try?"
Robin's current strength put her close to Warlord level, at least when using Armament Haki.
"Hold off on the Haki for now," Amon added quickly, seeing Robin ready herself to attack.
"Alright. Perona, are you ready? Try not to cry if this hurts," Robin said, covering her mouth with a teasing smile before the attack.
"I'm ready, go ahead!"
"Here I come!" Robin said, and with a flick of her hand, a swarm of arms sprouted and lunged straight at Perona.