One Piece, Volume 46

Chapter 441
On Banaro Island, Portgas D. Ace and Marshall D. Teach face off. Ace questions Teach's Devil Fruit abilities, but Teach states that his fruit, the Yami Yami no Mi, is said to be the strongest of the Devil Fruits, and that Ace cannot kill him. Meanwhile, the townspeople see black smoke in the town, and note that the pirates are still present, so they should run. The rest of the Blackbeard Pirates are fleeing, saying that Teach is about to go wild.

Blackbeard sends tendrils of darkness in every direction, enveloping the buildings and scaring the escaping townspeople. Some citizens say that the smoke reminds them of a hole in the ground, but they continue through the forest and out to the coast. Teach explains that his darkness is infinite gravitation that sucks everything in, including light. Ace comments that the darkness is not approaching him, but Teach states that he is not attacking yet, and is merely demonstrating. Suddenly, Teach activates his "Black Hole" and sucks all of the town's contents, including its buildings, into his darkness, making it disappear. Teach states that the darkness will draw in any object and crush it, and proceeds to tell Ace that he will show him the town in its ruined form. Teach then uses "Liberation" to send the ruined pieces of the town flying out into a ring around Ace and Teach. The civilians are stunned by the destruction of their town, but Teach simply brags about his ability. However, he realizes too late the small spots of flame from Ace's "Hotarubi" which explode, coating him in flame. While Teach rolls around in pain, trying to put the fire out, Ace states that he understands the power of the Yami Yami no Mi, but says that if Teach is a Logia user, he should have been able to avoid his attack. The darkness quickly absorbs the flame, and teach stands, saying that his fruit can suck in everything, including punches, thunder, flame, and especially pain, meaning he cannot fend off attacks like other Logias. Disregarding this flaw, Teach states there is one more thing he can do, and proceeds to drag Ace towards him with gravitation. Seizing Ace's shoulder, Teach states that Ace must have noticed the ability, and punches Ace hard in the stomach.

Ace is sent flying as Teach comments on how long it must have been since Ace was last punched. Teach explains that he can suck in the "Devil's power" so that while he is touching a Devil Fruit user, they cannot use their powers. Teach states that he has gained a power that cannot be defended against by Devil Fruit users that overrate their abilities, to which Ace replies that is only if he is caught. Teach states that Ace cannot escape, and drags him forward with his gravity again. Ace launches two flaming spears that pierce and burn Teach's chest, but Teach lands a powerful punch that nearly breaks Ace's neck. Crossing his fingers, Ace fires a flaming cross, but Blackbeard merely grins. As explosions sounds out, Van Augur comments that he had thought that a Devil Fruit user would be weak and powerless without his ability, but that Ace's basic fighting power is amazing and had earned him a spot as Whitebeard's division commander, which is another one of fate's crossroads. The civilians watch as their island is destroyed and Banana Rock falls, stating that no human could do this damage and that their entire island is at risk.

Ace falls as Blackbeard states that nothing stands a chance in front of darkness, and offers Ace a spot on his crew, as it would be a waste of his strength if he was lost. Ace refuses, saying that if he gives in, there will be no point in living. Teach laughs, saying that survival is what matters in the world, as Ace gathers fire around him before forming it into a large flaming orb. Teach states that only one of them can win, as Ace states his desire to make Whitebeard the king. Their attacks collide with no shown result, the only hint being Ace's trademark hat lying on the ground. This incident is described as the trigger for a later event coming soon.

Chapter 442
On board the Thousand Sunny, Usopp and Luffy stuff the latest catch, a shark, into the ships fish tank. Franky, Robin and Sanji sit in the tank room, they witness the entry of the shark into the tank. Usopp and Luffy come rushing in to find the tank is now empty aside from the shark, the others point out their error in not considering the food chain. While they argue over when it should be cooked with Luffy, Nami comes out of the baths on board Sunny. Chopper relaxes in the medical room while Zoro keeps a sharp eye in the crow's nest.

Zoro spots something floating in the sea and calls to the others. It is a barrel with the word "treasure" on it. Anxious, the crew bring it on board to see what is inside. Nami asks if it has some text to sea Gods written on it. Barrels are sometimes sent out to sea as a form of prayer for a safe journey. They talk about opening it up but Usopp resisted it by saying it will be a curse and finally Luffy opens it. As the barrel is opened a something shoots into the air. The crew are startled, the barrel contained a flare. Robin concludes it as Flash Bullet, while Zoro makes fun of it as curse that is mentioned by Usopp earlier.

The crew reacts to the news, Nami takes control of the situation and orders everyone to get ready - a storm is on its way and fleets the ship towards south-east. The storm hits as predicted, the ship does not fare well against the strong headwind, until Franky unleashes the Sunny's Soldier Dock System, Channel 0.

Out of the storm, the crew enter a dark foggy area of sea where it seems to be nighttime all the time. The crew have entered the famous Florian Triangle in the Grand Line. Usopp reacts cowardly; he was the only one who did not hear Kokoro's story about the Triangle. Sanji lights up his face with a match to make him look scary as he retells the information Kokoro spoke of.

The crew hears a scary sounding song "Yohohoho..." and a huge ghost ship appears which frightens everyone (except Robin). As the song continues to come out, Usopp tells them not to listen or they will be cursed. Suddenly, a figure is spotted on board the ship - there is a skeleton on board drinking tea. Sanji, Luffy and Nami climb up to the ship, Luffy comments he could have gone alone but the others did not want him to have the crew cursed through his stupidity. They meet the skeleton on board, who introduces himself as a gentleman skeleton Brook.

The skeleton welcomes them and then spots Nami, he asks if he can see her underwear and gets knocked down for his perverted request. Luffy asks him if he can poop, Sanji cannot see the point of asking him about that. Sanji starts asking questions about the current situation but before he can answer, Luffy asks Brook to join his crew, which Brook replies "yes" to.

Chapter 443
After unexpectedly accepting Luffy's invitation to join the Straw Hat Pirates, Brook boards the Thousand Sunny, where he is greeted by the anger and fear of the rest of the crew. Brook continues to ask Nico Robin and Nami to show their panties (which Nami stops) while Usopp tries to imagine that talking skeletons do not exist. Brook is invited to dinner and marvels both at the ship and the actuality that he has not had a meal in a long time (even with no stomach to digest it). Yet while claiming to be a gentleman, the skeleton acts up on wanting to eat, angering Sanji as well. He does eventually become cordial with the crew before dinner is finally served.

After dinner, Brook explains that he holds the power of the Yomi Yomi no Mi: though he was once part of a living crew, he and all of his crewmates were annihilated and the fruit's power, which originally merely made him unable to swim, let his soul come back after his death. But because of the fog, his body had decayed when he finally returned, leaving him to live as a skeleton (but still with his afro hairstyle due to his "strong roots"). Nami remains doubtful of the story and decides to use a mirror to prove he is a ghost. But when Brook looks in the mirror, no reflection appears. Similarly unusual, the skeleton did not have a shadow as well.

After trying to avoid the subject, the skeleton explains that his shadow was stolen, preventing him from living in the sunlight and forcing him to remain in the shadow and fog of the Florian Triangle or else he would be burned away into nothingness. Yet even in dire circumstances, Brook remains upbeat about his life, due to finally meeting people and remedying his lonely existence on his own ship. However with his happiness, Brook turns back on his ideas of joining the Straw Hats, stating that he cannot join unless he gets his shadow back. Luffy tries to ask to help, but Brook refuses again, knowing that they will not meet the "shadow stealer" but he could be a trump card if they do encounter "him".

Changing the subject again, Brook pulls out a violin and prepares to play a tune, exciting Luffy that he was a musician. But before he could start, a ghost appears directly in front of Brook, scaring him witless. Soon the Sunny is shaken as it is pulled within the gate of the wandering island of Thriller Bark, drawn to them after their encounters with the barrel. Nami notes the Log Pose did not response to the island, but the skeleton explains that the island is from West Blue. Joyful at the arrival on the island, Brook hops on top of the ship and gives his farewells while telling them to turn around and get away from here before zooming off on top of the water due to his light frame. While the other Straw Hats seem to want to heed the skeleton's warning, Luffy merely smiles, telling them that he wants to go to the island.

Chapter 444
The Straw Hats are confused by their new predicament, captured by the massive island of Thriller Bark within a massive pair of lips and watching the ghost disappear back to its "home". Robin realizes that the mechanism for the island is locked with the Thousand Sunny approaching the island that Brook had been running towards. Everyone is scared or confused about going to the island, except for Luffy, who just wants to go out and catch the earlier ghost. Sanji and Robin bring Luffy his important "Pirate Bento", with Robin being one of the few interested in their latest escapade.

With no stopping them, Franky decides to further explain the Soldier Dock System in regards to their new ship and the potential both held within and what could be held later. When they are asked to open it on Channel 2, they reveal Mini Merry II, their former Going Merry, resurrected as a shopping ship. Nami, Usopp and Chopper ride on it while Franky explains the further usage of the Soldier Dock, including a Waver and some submarines and the empty potential within Dock 4.

A while after setting off, Mini-Merry does not come back as Nami unexpectedly screams from the island, with the remaining Straw Hats unable to trace them from the ship. Suddenly, Sunny's anchor drops by itself and an invisible being boards onto the ship by way of the hatch. The being messes around, first with Luffy's face and Zoro's swords while making sounds of a beast. Fearing the unknown, Sanji tries to leave the ship but is thrown back on it instantly. But "the invisible creature" makes its weirdest attack towards Robin, attempting to grab and lick her. The beast pushes the ship away as it leaves, with the Straw Hats continuing to fight on whether to go off to save the others or not.

The Mini Merry trio, meanwhile, run ashore and land directly on Thriller Bark. Nami tries to apologize but gets none of it from Usopp and Chopper's fear. Yet before being able to regroup too easily, the trio encounter a large Cerberus, a creature with two dog heads and the head of a fox. The trio flees, terrified and perplexed by the beast, with Chopper further enraged by its fox head. Running up a flight of stairs, the trio end up in a forest where they attempt to hide from the Cerberus. But hiding in a tree, they instead encounter Hildon, a bat-like creature trying to find the monster chasing them. Hildon offers to ride in a prepared carriage to the mansion of a doctor named Hogback, a name Chopper immediately recognizes.

Chapter 445
Nami, Usopp and Chopper travel in the carriage provided by Hildon with bizarre horsemen to reach the home of Doctor Hogback. Hildon acts hospitable by offering wine to the guests while Usopp remains paranoid that other creatures like the Cerberus would come after them. Chopper, though, gloats about the genius surgeon praised as one of the greatest in the world prior to his mysterious disappearance and Hildon's confirmation he is on the island. Nami is more intrigued by the inhabitants of the forest, believing she sees a lion only to see it with a grotesque man's face.

When Nami tries to convince Usopp and Chopper what she saw, the trio look out and see the entire forest, complete with trees, animals and even ghosts partying. Yet on second glance, everything becomes still and the trio doubt what they've seen. Nami asks Hildon to stop the carriage after seeing such bizarre things, but the creature tells them they merely saw illusions within the forest. Though Nami wants to go back to the coast to meet up with the rest of the crew, Chopper wants to continue on to Hogback. Usopp uses his own cowardly logic to convince Chopper it is not worth it and thus convincing Hildon to tell the carriagemen to stop.

Ten minutes after stopping, the trio realize that they neither have moved forward or back but have been abandoned in the middle of a graveyard. With their fear rising, Usopp yells for Hildon yet unknowingly he flies off while even the carriagemen abandon them. Before wondering too long about their predicament, the trio are horrified to see dead corpses rising from the ground: Nami, Usopp and Chopper had been left with an army of zombies! The trio is soon thrown out of their carriage and fear getting bitten and turned into zombies themselves. Yet as the trio fight back, they soon see how the zombies are a tad abnormal, watching them comedically bounce around their heads and complain as Usopp tries to use a fire attack to burn them away. With nothing left to do but run (due to their speediness of the undead), they finally outrun the zombies due to their lack of endurance.

The trio seem to question why the zombies were on the island, but they soon find themselves in front of a massive building: Doctor Hogback's mansion.

Chapter 446
Entering the mansion of Dr. Hogback, Usopp, Nami and Chopper continue to question the peculiar nature of their surroundings, including the tunnels and courtyard past the front door. As they approach a well lit by a spotlight, an eerie, sewn up woman emerges, welcoming and then immediately throwing plates at them. The woman allows Nami and Chopper entry but continues throwing plates at Usopp. A voice tells "Cindry" that Usopp can also be allowed in, explaining the cause of Cindry's hatred of plates to the three Straw Hats. The speaker introduces himself as the genius Dr. Hogback before arguing further with Cindry over the plates. Chopper is immediately in awe but the others are forced to follow along to avoid any further zombies.

Inside Hogback's dining room, Nami tries to explain their predicament and about the zombies outside. The doctor claims that he vanished from the public and came to Thriller Bark to study the zombies and continue to understand the matters of life and death. Chopper remains starstruck about meeting the famed doctor and asks to see Hogback's lab, but he states that it is off limits to all of them. Eating a serving of pudding (without plates), Usopp further asks about sightings of any living skeletons like Brook. Hogback suspects something but refuses to state what.

After eating, Nami decides to take a shower while Usopp and Chopper stand guard (with Usopp questioning why they are guarding her). The trio decide to remain in the mansion in hopes that Luffy and the others will get through the zombies outside and rescue them. At the same time, Nami notes that even inside the mansion, there are stitched up zombies, proving Hogback knows more than he's letting on.

Before she can figure things out further, Nami hears a growl within the bathroom. An invisible voice notes Nami's intelligence before grabbing her and pinning her against the bathroom wall. The voice admires the navigator's weakness and declares she will be his "bride". Usopp rushes into the bathroom to rescue her, happy but confused at the situation. Chopper locates the intruder by smell and Usopp fires a Gunpowder Star, but the intruder escapes. None of them knew what had happened but Nami guesses that the visitor was "an invisible man".

Back on the Thousand Sunny, the remaining crew realizes that they are completely stuck in a spider web with nowhere to go. Luffy decides that since they cannot go anywhere, they might as well go onto Thriller Bark as well. Within moments of arriving on the island, the crew encounter Cerberus. Compared to the earlier trio, the group reacts very differently, from Franky and Zoro's immediate belligerence, to Robin's commenting on its cuteness, to Luffy just wanting to eat it. The creature does not take it well.

Chapter 447
The Cerberus creature becomes very excited around the Straw Hats, and Zoro wonders why it is so energetic, wanting to deal with the creature with the use of force. However, Luffy wants to try to tame it, and as Zoro expresses his doubts, Luffy holds out his hand to the creature. Suddenly, it pounces on him and bites his head, but Luffy calms it and has it let go of him. However, he quickly retaliates by punching it in the face and knocking it unconscious. Robin says that it is strange that something so wounded could still be alive, and Sanji wonders if it even is alive. Luffy rides the tamed creature into the forest, calling out for Nami, and Robin pities the creature, though Zoro tells her that it hurts its pride. Suddenly, Luffy sees a tree with an old man's face having a drink with a unicorn, which bewilders him. Franky catches the unicorn and he himself catches the tree and asks it to join his crew, much to Zoro and Sanji's discontent.

At Doctor Hogback's mansion, Hogback recovers from the earlier ruckus and asks Absalom what he was doing. Absalom says he was looking for a bride, and that Nami would suit him perfectly. Hogback replies that he cannot have her since she has a bounty on her head, and Perona reveals that there are six people with bounties, with Luffy having one of 300,000,000. Hogback takes interest in the amount and prepares to go all out to capture the pirates, saying that Absalom will be busy tonight.

Inside the mansion, Usopp questions the possibility of there being an invisible man, and Nami says that Usopp must have noticed him when she was being held up, but Usopp denies seeing anything in order for Nami to not charge him for seeing her naked. Usopp remarks in disbelief about all the paranormal creatures they have seen, and wonders how they can all be back from the dead when a skeleton already had a Devil Fruit allowing him to do that. Usopp says that there must be a natural explanation for this, and Chopper replies that this must be why Doctor Hogback left his old life to come here. Nami questions this, but Chopper angrily says that he is a great man and there is no proof he is allied with the zombies. However, Nami is still suspicious. They return to the dining room, but Hogback and Cindry are gone. Hildon suddenly chimes in from the chandelier that they have already gone to bed, and Usopp gets angry at him for abandoning them earlier in the graveyard. Hildon says that he was just off with the horses, but Nami shouts that he is lying, claiming that everyone on this island is in cahoots. Hildon scoffs at the notion and guides them to their rooms, but Nami and Usopp are suspicious about where he will take them and Chopper wants to see Hogback again.

Suddenly, a portrait begins talking to Hildon, laughing at the Straw Hats' distrust of him and wondering whether they should be allowed to escape. Chopper is shocked that the picture is talking, when it suddenly leaps out and screams that they will not let the pirates go home, which causes Chopper to scream in fright. Nami and Usopp are shocked as the portrait zombie pulls Chopper into its portrait, and a pig's head hanging on the wall suddenly throws a sword at Usopp. The head introduces itself as Buhichuck, the zombie boss of the room, and says they will not be able to leave. Suddenly, the bear rug shouts in pain at Buhichuck's sword stabbing it, and rises off the ground, taking Nami and Usopp up with it. Usopp screams in fright at the zombies in the room, and he jumps onto the chandelier as Nami lands back on the ground. The zombies in the portraits tell the rug-bear to knock Usopp off the chandelier, but Usopp throws a candle underneath the rug-bear's head, causing it to become frightened as it desperately tries to stamp the fire out. One of the portraits screams in fright at the fire and shouts to extinguish it, and Usopp, now knowing the zombies' weakness, throws candles at them as he prepares to escape with Nami and Chopper. They try opening the door as the zombies come for them, but realize that it is locked, and they hurriedly dodge an attack by the rug-bear. They desperately try to escape, but are cornered at the fireplace, when suddenly the back of the fireplace spins around and they fall into another room.

The three of them find themselves in a hallway, and on the other side, the zombies are shocked that the pirates found the secret passageway and are now in the hallway heading to Hogback's lab. They try to chase them, but the door is blocked from the other side. However, Buhichuck tells them not to get worked up, as there are Surprise Zombies like them all over the mansion. Inside the hallway, the Straw Hats run as they are attacked by more portraits, and they manage to escape into a room. They are then surprised to see that the room has several portraits of Cindry on its walls.

Chapter 448
Inside the castle Usopp, Nami and Chopper examine the room, which appears to belong to Cindry. On the walls are photos of a different Cindry to the current one. Nami picks up a newspaper and begins to read it. She discovers Cindry in her previous life had been a very famous actress and child prodigy. She then discovers that Cindry had fallen to her death after falling off the stage. Then Nami, to her horror, discovers that Cindry had died more than 10 years ago. This also horrifies Usopp and Chopper, both forming the conclusion that the undead beings on Thriller Bark were indeed zombies. Usopp states that he was getting a bad feeling and tries to sit down on a box but misses and falls onto the ground.

Nami, suddenly delighted at the prospect of a "super strong box", asks Usopp to open it. Usopp opens the box, only to be a jack in the box, saying that this box was not the treasure box. The trio flee the room, going through the hall with pictures. Nami then gets the brainwave that the jack in the box had said "this is not THE treasure box".

A lone man wanders through the corridors of the castle. Two pictures attempt to get him but soon stop themselves, saying "It's THAT man" and resume their places. The man states that he would capture the intruders and laughs a lot like Brook.

Outside, Sanji argues that they could not recruit anyone they wished for the Straw Hat Pirates. He states that they have a reindeer and a robot. Outraged at the prospect of being called a robot, Franky begins arguing with Sanji, saying he is a cyborg and that he is based on a human. Sanji yells that Franky was based on a pervert and the cyborg pirate takes this with a laugh, thanking Sanji for the "compliment". Luffy is seen singing on the three-headed dog. Robin then brings the subject of the monsters in Thriller Bark, saying that all of the monsters had bandages, stitches and a number imprinted on the side. Zoro agrees, noticing the number "82" on the side of the three-headed dog.

A ghost appears which gets Luffy excited. The ghosts, saying "negative", multiply, exiting Luffy even more. Luffy attempts to catch one to keep, only to fail. Franky shoots one, only to go straight through. The ghost runs through Franky. At that point, Franky loses the will to live and grows depressed, only to get yelled at by Sanji. Luffy tries to catch a ghost barehanded, only to have it go straight through, also making him depressed.

Robin comes up with a conclusion, saying that when the ghost touched a person, they lose the will to live. Zoro calls them a disgrace, that they did not try to train their spirits to be strong and no mastery over their mind. He states that it wasn't a surprise they fell for the "poltergeist trick". A ghost runs through Zoro, also making depressed, ironically. Robin wonders about Thriller Bark, calling it mysterious. Revitalized, Franky and Luffy start bad-mouthing the ghost while Sanji mocks Zoro for his "mastery of the mind". They pass on through a graveyard, where Luffy wanted to eat his lunch, only to be stopped by Sanji.

Suddenly, a hand comes out of the ground and then the top half of a zombie. Luffy simply walks over and shoves the zombie back into the ground. The zombie gets up again, saying "Do you think I would just go back home you moron?!!!". Luffy studies the zombie, concluding that he was "badly wounded". Franky, Zoro and Sanji yell at Luffy that it was a zombie. Zombies rise up from the ground, doing dances in the air, preparing to fight the pirates. The Straw Hats accept the challenge, getting ready to fight.

The five use a combo move called 600,000,000 Jackpot, defeating all the zombies. They all kneel down in front of Luffy, scared that the Straw Hats would attempt to hurt them once more. Luffy asks if Nami, Usopp and Chopper had passed through. The zombies state that they could not answer the question under orders. Luffy finds out that they indeed passed through the graveyard and once again asks if the zombies touched them. They all reply with a no. Luffy asks again and one zombie rats out another, shocking the latter. Luffy, Sanji, Zoro, Franky and Robin all leave the graveyard, leaving the zombies stuck in the ground upside down.

A zombie calls out, saying that he had a story to tell. Luffy states that he was badly injured. Franky, Sanji and Zoro shout at Luffy that it was a zombie. However, this "zombie" reveals himself as a badly wounded old man. The old man continues, saying that he had a certain task for the Straw Hats, that he would be grateful if his shadow was returned to him and the perpetrator was stopped from his ill doings. Luffy relates this story to Brook's and the old man states that a man named "Moria" had taken his shadow. Robin, suddenly interested, asks if the name was "Gecko Moria". Luffy asks why this was so important. Robin states that Moria had a bounty exceeding Luffy's, and that Gecko Moria was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Chapter 449
Luffy confirms with Robin with that Gecko Moria is indeed a Warlord of the Sea, as the crew is astounded that someone of his stature would be in a place like this. Although the old man before them is not able to confirm any of Moria's motives, he informs the crew that there are many more victims like himself in the forest. He cites that the fact the Straw Hats received an invitation here as proof that Moria has likely set his eyes on the crew. The old man states that the other victims hide in the dark of the forest, afraid of the zombies, afraid of leaving for the open sea and being exposed to the sun. He states that just once before he dies, he'd like to be able to walk in the sunlight again. Franky bursts into tears upon hearing the old man's story, causing Zoro to admonish him for being so compassionate and burdening himself so easily. Sanji tells the old man that only ladies have the privilege of persuading others by tears, and to not get carried away. Luffy however comforts the man as he points out that they were already looking for the person who steals shadows, so if he's targeting them, they are going to defeat him eventually anyway. As the old man expresses renewed hope, the other victims in the shadows shout words of encouragement to the crew, annoying Zoro that they were listening the whole time. 

At Dr. Hogback's lab, Chopper, Usopp, and Nami stealthily peak into the room after hearing his laughter. He is reveling at his latest creation, an incredibly large zombie on his operating table, as he tries to get Cindry to appreciate his work. Cindry states that she hopes it dies as soon as it wakes up, causing Hogback to note that her comments are growing increasingly depressing. Cindry has prepared dinner, "soup spaghetti", though it makes a mess of the table, to Hogback's dismay. Cindry says she wishes plates ceased to exist. Hogback appears to understand, but wonders why she doesn't choose a more suitable menu. Nami, Chopper, and Usopp watch the antics from their hiding spot, still in disbelief at Cindry's presence due to having just learned of her death ten years ago. The body laying on Hogback's table piques their interest, as Chopper notes its similarities to the zombies they saw earlier in the graveyard. He takes careful notice of the number on the body, and that Hogback said it was "almost done". Nami deduces that this must be how the zombies are reanimated, and Dr. Hogback is responsible for them all. Chopper is perplexed by this, stating that the practice of medicine is all about saving people from dying, and there's nothing you can do to a dead body to bring it back to life. Usopp however points out that thinking about it and understanding it are two different things, so as long as they continue to watch, they should be able to figure out the secret. Someone appears behind them laughing, saying that if they're looking inside, they may as well enter. Recognizing the laugh, they initially believe it is Brook. They suddenly crash through the door into Hogback's laboratory however, greatly shocking him. Chopper and Nami discuss that unlike Brook, the figure they saw had flesh and bone, while Usopp alerts them that Hogback has discovered their presence. Hogback asks just what they saw, reminding them that he said to never peek in his lab. Usopp says they didn't see anything, especially the zombie he was creating. Hogback laments that they probably have already discovered some of his secrets, but he brushes this off as he informs them that the "night attack" will commence soon. 

In the graveyard, several zombie corpses begin to emerge from the ground, as an invisible figure calls on them to rise. The person gives them a speech reminding them that they are dead, and as such, feel no pain. Some of the zombies note that this routine is tiresome, to which the person tells them to stop slacking off. He asks the zombies who he is, to which they reply, "Absalom". As more of the figure's body becomes visible, he asks them who likes to "peep". They state  him, as their leader, but he grows annoyed that they also point out his perverted nature. 

The ghost spirits that were in the "Dead Forest" earlier return to a large mansion, where they are greeted by a large bear-like creature. A shadowy figure expresses annoyance at the bear, telling him that if he isn't "cute", then he doesn't deserve to work for them. 

As the clock hits midnight, three zombies run frantically through the hallways of the mansion announcing that the "night attack" has begun, and seek to wake up their master Moria. One who carries a bow and arrow, known as Nin, fires an arrow that pierces a bubble. A gigantic figure is revealed to be laying down in front of them, who awakens stating that he had a nightmare. The three zombies note that Moria has slept for all four days since their last attack, but nonetheless, the "meals" are prepared. They state that the prey this time is a tough bunch, as they are the group that brought down Enies Lobby. For this reason alone, they believe the group should be useful to Moria. 

Outside the mansion, it has started raining as Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Franky, and Robin have finally arrived. Franky wonders if they should go ahead and run inside, but Luffy notices something huge in the distance behind the mansion. As the fog clears up a bit, Zoro notices that it is a flag. The Straw Hats soon realize however that it is actually a gigantic sail. The old man confirms this, having followed them all the way here, to their surprise. He states that Thriller Bark has a village in the middle, but it is actually the largest pirate ship in the world. He also points out that the back of the mansion is the main mast, and is thus where Gecko Moria resides. 

Back at the graveyard, Absalom tells the zombie soldiers that the General Zombies will finish off the pirates, and their job is to corner the ones that are afraid of the undead. At the mansion, Perona readies her unit of zombies as she muses to herself that the Straw Hats think they will escape. Gecko Moria makes special note of Luffy's presence on the island, and prepares to give him a "proper" welcome. Luffy, Franky, Zoro, Robin, and Sanji decide to enter the mansion.