Summary:
Luffy confirms to Robin that Gecko Moria is indeed a warrior of the sea, as the crew is amazed that someone of his size would be in a place like this. Although the old man is unable to confirm any of Moria’s motives in front of them, he informs the crew that there are many more victims like him in the forest. He states that the fact that the Straw Hats were invited here indicates that Moria probably has her sights set on the crew. The old man states that the other victims are hiding in the darkness of the forest, afraid of zombies, afraid to go out to the open sea and expose themselves to the sun. He states that just once before he dies, he would like to be able to walk in the sun again. Hearing the old man’s story, Franky burst into tears, causing Zoro to admonish him for being so compassionate and burdened so easily. Sanji tells the old man that only ladies have the privilege of persuading others through tears and not getting carried away. However, Luffy calms the man down by pointing out that they were already looking for the person who steals the shadows, so if he’s targeting them, he’ll end up defeating him 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’ve been listening the whole time.
In Dr. Hogback’s lab, Chopper, Usopp, and Nami sneak into the room after hearing his laughter. He enjoys his latest creation, an impossibly large zombie on the operating table, as he tries to get Cindry to appreciate his work. Cindry says that she hopes she dies as soon as she wakes up, and Hogback notices that her comments are becoming more and more depressing. Cindry has prepared dinner, “spaghetti soup”, although it makes a mess on the table, much to Hogback’s dismay. Cindry says she wishes the plates would cease to exist. Hogback seems to understand, but wonders why he doesn’t choose a more appropriate menu. Nami, Chopper, and Usopp watch the antics from their hideout, still in disbelief at Cindry’s presence, having just learned of her death ten years ago. The body lying on Hogback’s desk piques their interest as Chopper notices its resemblance to the zombies they saw earlier in the graveyard. He carefully notes the number on the body and that Hogback said it was “almost done”. Nami deduces that this must be how zombies are reanimated, and Dr. Hogback is responsible for all of them. Chopper is confused by this and says that medicine is all about saving people from dying and you can’t do anything to a dead body to bring it back to life. However, Usopp points out that thinking about it and understanding it are two different things, so if they keep watching, they should be able to figure out the secret. Someone appears behind them, laughing, saying that if they are looking in, they may as well enter. Recognizing the laughter, they initially believe it to be Brook. He suddenly slams through the door to Hogback’s lab, much to his shock. Chopper and Nami discuss that unlike Brook, the figure they saw had flesh and bones, while Usopp warns them that Hogback has discovered their presence. Hogback asks what they saw and reminds them that he said never to peek into his lab. Usopp says they didn’t see anything, especially the zombie he created. Hogback laments that they’ve probably already discovered some of his secrets, but he brushes it off when he informs them that the “night attack” will begin soon.
In the graveyard, several zombie corpses begin to emerge from the ground as an unseen figure calls for them to rise. The person gives them a speech reminding them that they are dead and as such feel no pain. Some zombies remark that this routine is tedious, 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 character’s body can be seen, he asks them who likes “peeing”. They list him as their leader, but he gets upset that they also point out his twisted nature.
The spirits of the ghosts that were previously in the “Dead Forest” return to the large mansion where they are greeted by a large bear-like creature. The shadow figure expresses anger at the bear, telling him that if he isn’t “cute” he doesn’t deserve to work for them.
As the clock strikes midnight, the three zombies frantically run through the halls of the mansion, announcing that the “night attack” has begun, and try to wake up their master Moria. The one carrying the bow and arrow, known as Nin, shoots an arrow that pierces the bubble. A gigantic figure is revealed to be lying in front of them, waking up saying it had a nightmare. The three zombies note that Moria has slept all four days since their last attack, but the “meals” are still ready. They state that the loot is a tough bunch this time as they are the group that brought down the Enies Lobby. For that reason alone, he believes the group should be useful to Moria.
It started to rain outside the mansion as Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Franky and Robin 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 a bit, Zoro notices that it’s a flag. However, the Straw Hats soon realize that it is actually a gigantic sail. The old man confirms this as he followed them here to their surprise. He states that the 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 therefore where Gecko Moria resides.
Back at the graveyard, Absalom tells the zombie soldiers that the General Zombies will put an end to the pirates and their job is to drive away those who fear the undead. At the Perona mansion, he prepares his zombie squad while he thinks the Straw Hats think they will escape. Gecko Moria especially notices Luffy’s presence on the island and prepares for a “proper” welcome. Luffy, Franky, Zoro, Robin and Sanji decide to enter the mansion.