Doctor Hogback

Nami, Usopp, and Chopper stand before Doctor Hogback's towering mansion, calling into the dark entrance, "HELLO? ANYONE HOME---?" The building rises like a Gothic tower, with a long tunnel running through the middle. Nami observes, "IT SEEMS LIKE THIS MANSION HAS A TUNNEL RUNNING THROUGH THE MIDDLE. I CAN SEE A COURTYARD BEYOND THAT." Inside, the passage stretches ahead with an old well in the shadows. Usopp worries, "ISN'T ANYBODY HERE...? IT'D BE A BIG PROBLEM IF WE HAD TO TURN BACK AND FACE THE ZOMBIES!!" Chopper points out, "LOOK! THERE'S A LIGHT AT THE END!" Nami says it looks more like a spotlight, and they move farther in despite the unease.

A woman suddenly appears in the tunnel and says, "Welcome." Nami, Usopp, and Chopper scream, "GYAAAAAAA AAAA!!" She stands silently with a plate in her hands, her face stitched and expression cold. Then she mutters, "KACHA..." and begins throwing dishes at them while counting, "One dish, Two dishes, Three dishes, Four dishes," then "Five dishes, Six dishes, Seven..." The plates fly down the corridor with "PARSH!!" and "TRASH!!" Usopp cries, "EEH---?? WHY IS THAT WOMAN THROWING DISHES??"

The strange woman keeps hurling plates. Usopp asks, "OUCH!! WHY ARE YOU ONLY THROWING DISHES AT ME??" She answers, "YOU WEREN'T INVITED INTO THE MANSION!" and throws more: "You, go away!! Eight dishes!! Nine dishes!!" Usopp is blasted back with "GUWA-!!" while she tells Nami and Chopper, "You two can come in." Nami asks, "EH? WHY?" Usopp shouts, "THAT'S ENOUGH!! WAIT!!" A laugh echoes: "GACHAR..." and the master of the house appears, saying, "AS AN EXCEPTION, I WON'T MIND IF IT'S JUST ONE PERSON, CINDRY-CHAN!!" He apologizes: "I'M SORRY IF SHE SURPRISED YOU!!" Chopper realizes, "SOMEBODY'S COMING." The man explains Cindry's tragic past: she was engaged to a rich man, broke ten dishes from his treasure to test his love, the engagement was annulled, and she was thrown away. He says, "CINDRY-CHAN, MY SERVANT, DOESN'T LIKE DISHES." Usopp mutters, "YEAH... THAT'S FINE..."

The man bursts into his own introduction: "WELL THEN, MY LONG AWAITED INTRODUCTION...!!" He declares himself "THE WORLD FAMOUS DOCTOR HOGBACK!!" and "ALSO KNOWN AS A GENIUS!! FOS, FOS, FOS!!" A title box identifies him as the master of the mansion, genius surgeon Doctor Hogback. Behind him, Cindry still pelts Usopp with dishes, and Usopp cries, "USOPP~~~!!" "GYAA!!" "Ten dishes!!" Hogback tells her, "WA-WA-WAIT, CINDRY-CHAN!! IT DOESN'T REFLECT WELL ON ME IF YOU DON'T EVEN LISTEN TO ME!!"

Chopper can hardly believe it: "THE... REAL DOCTOR HOGBACK!?" Nami asks him, "CHOPPER, IS HE THE ONE YOU MENTIONED...?" Chopper says, "I KNOW! I REALLY KNOW!! HAVEN'T WE JUST TALKED ABOUT THIS??" Nami bluntly says, "HE LOOKS LIKE AN IDIOT," and Chopper yells, "ACK!! NAMI!!" Cindry says, "IT WOULD BE NICE IF THERE WEREN'T DISHES IN THIS WORLD..." Hogback welcomes them anyway: "LET'S CONTINUE THIS DISCUSSION INSIDE... AS AN EXCEPTION, THREE PEOPLE CAN COME IN TODAY. WELCOME." The door opens, and he calls, "COME INTO MY MANSION, QUICKLY!!" Inside, he hesitates alone by the door, sweating: "AH... I STILL... I... STILL..." as if something about the visitors troubles him.

Hogback receives them in a grand dining hall, laughing, "FOS FOS FOS FOS!!" He says, "IT'S A GOOD THING YOU CAME TO MY MANSION! REALLY, YOU PEOPLE LOOK ABSOLUTELY FILTHY! WHAT HAS CAUSED YOU TO COME HERE?" Chopper says they have many questions, but first Nami explains, "WE CAME HERE WHILE RUNNING AWAY FROM THE ZOMBIES THAT ATTACKED US IN THE GRAVEYARD!!" Hogback answers, "I SEE. SO YOU WERE ATTACKED. IT IS GOOD THAT YOU MADE IT HERE SAFELY. INDEED!" Usopp is suspicious: "ZOMBIES...? FURTHERMORE, WE SAW THINGS THAT MADE ME DISTRUST MY EYES. WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING ON THIS ISLAND!? YOU SHOULD KNOW A LITTLE, SINCE YOU LIVE HERE, RIGHT!?" Hogback calmly says that he lives there precisely because he does not know anything about it.

Chopper asks, "THEN ARE YOU CONDUCTING SOME RESEARCH ON THE ZOMBIES, DOCTOR?" Hogback approves, "INDEED!!" but corrects the word: "IF PEOPLE HEAR THE WORD 'ZOMBIE,' THEY'LL GET FRIGHTENED. HOWEVER THEY WON'T IF YOU SUBSTITUTE IT FOR 'RESURRECTION OF THE DECEASED'!!" He says mankind dreams about eternity, and that there are people who want their relatives brought back from death. Medical science manipulating life and death is considered an offense to God, so he vanished from society and continued researching on this marvelous island. Chopper is moved: "I SEE! IT'S JUST AS YOU SAID!! BUT IF YOUR RESEARCH WERE A SUCCESS, THERE WOULD BE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD THAT WILL BE GRATEFUL!! I'D LIKE TO HELP, DOCTOR HOGBACK." Hogback thanks him, while Usopp mutters, "Damn you," annoyed that Chopper believes him so easily.

Chopper eagerly asks for more: "CAN YOU GIVE ME YOUR AUTOGRAPH?" Hogback agrees, "YES, OF COURSE!!!" Chopper beams, "AND THEN COULD YOU... SHOW ME YOUR LAB!?" Hogback's entire manner changes. He leans in with a dark glare and answers, "NEVER PEEK INTO MY LAB..." Chopper recoils: "!!?" The mood is broken when Cindry serves dessert, saying, "Here is the pudding." Hogback pleads, "HEY, CINDRY-CHAN, YOU COULD AT LEAST SERVE THE PUDDING ON A DISH!! CAN YOU GRANT ME THAT ONE WISH!?" Cindry repeats, "It would be nice if there weren't dishes in this world..." and Hogback laughs off the mess: "NO NEED TO BE WORRIED WHAT-SOEVER, SINCE THIS TABLE CLOTH WAS CLEANED TO DEATH FOR AN OCCASION LIKE THIS!"

At the table, Usopp tries to eat while complaining, "CAN'T YOU USE A SPOON!?" Hogback says, "WELL, ITADAKIMASU!" and Cindry tells the guests, "THE BATH IS READY. YOU SHOULD ENTER SINCE YOU'RE DIRTY." Chopper happily says, "OH! IT'S SWEET AND DELICIOUS!!" Then Hogback asks about Brook: "BY THE WAY, OLD MAN... THAT'S ALL RIGHT, BUT... DIDN'T A WEIRD SKELETON COME IN JUST BEFORE US?" He describes him as "A SKINNY ONE... WITH AN AFRO... AND STRANGELY CHEERFUL..." Hogback reacts with alarm: "SKELETON? WELL, IT'S STRANGE ENOUGH THAT A SKELETON CAN TALK AND WALK, BUT... DO YOU KNOW SOMETHING...?" Then he insists, "N... NO. NOTHING AT ALL. COULD IT BE...? NO... IT'S NOT POSSIBLE...!!"

In the mansion's bath, Nami washes while Usopp and Chopper sit watch outside. Usopp claims, "I DON'T HAVE ANY INTEREST IN A HUMAN WOMAN'S NAKED BODY... HOWEVER, I'D SURE LIKE TO PEEK A LITTLE IN DOCTOR HOGBACK'S LAB~~" Chopper calls him a child afraid of the middle of the night, and Usopp asks why they have to stand watch. Nami answers sharply, "IF YOU'RE AFRAID, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE ENTERED." Usopp says she is calm after being touched by zombies, and Nami replies, "BUT WE'LL GET DIRTY AGAIN, ANYWAY." She adds that when night comes, they will leave. Suddenly the door area crashes with "GACHA!!" and Usopp screams, "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, IDIOT!?"

Elsewhere in the mansion, Hogback reflects on why letting them stay was dangerous: "BUT WE HAD SO MUCH TROUBLE GETTING HIM TO LET US STAY HERE. AND WHAT DO YOU THINK IT'LL BE LIKE IF WE GO OUTSIDE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!?" Usopp insists they will not move an inch and that Luffy will come to save them. But he also notices the mansion is no safer than outside. Corridors and rooms are full of zombies, and he whispers that if his sixth sense is right, "THE MOST SUSPICIOUS PERSON WOULD BE HOGBACK HIMSELF! HE'S LYING." There is no way Hogback could live on this island without some relation to the zombies. Usopp and Chopper hide in fear as the halls crawl with the dead: "THEY'RE ALREADY FILLED WITH ZOMBIES."

Nami senses something while bathing. As Usopp and Chopper whisper nearby, she hears a strange growl: "GURU-RURU..." and asks, "WHAT'LL WE DO, CHOPPER? IF THAT'S TRUE..." From the steam-filled room a hidden voice says, "FAIRLY CLEVER..." and then, "WOMAN..." Nami freezes: "!!?" and calls, "USOPP, CHOPPER, DID YOU SAY SOME-THING!?" Usopp answers from outside, "...? NOTHING AT ALL." The voice continues from inside the bath. Usopp thinks the noise was only his stomach and says, "THAT WAS A FART!!" Chopper complains, "THAT STINKS, USOPP!!" Nami sees ripples and movement in the water and asks in terror, "EH!? WHAT'S THIS? MY HANDS...!"

Nami is shoved against the bathroom wall by an unseen presence. She cries, "AH!" and then, "WHAT'S GOING ON? I CAN'T SEE ANYBODY...!!" The voice says, "COMPARED TO THE WOMAN ON THE BOAT... GARRU... YOU'RE WEAK, AND I LIKE IT..." Nami realizes, "A VOICE. IS SOMEBODY HERE!?" The invisible attacker says, "BECOME... MY BRIDE!!!" Nami screams for help: "USOPP!!! CHO..." Her voice cuts off as the unseen attacker keeps moving through the steam-filled bath.

Usopp hears Nami's trouble and runs in with Chopper, asking, "SOME-THING WRONG, NAMI!? DID THE SMELL OF USOPP'S FART REACH OVER THERE!?" Nami struggles against the invisible attacker and shouts, "STUPID!! HELP ME!!!" The unseen figure replies politely, "THANK YOU VERY MUCH," then insults her as a "NUISANCE" and asks, "WHAT ARE YOU THANKING FOR!?" Nami cries, "HELP ME, USOPP, CHOPPER!!!" A heavy body crashes and she yells, "AUGH!!!" Usopp sees no one, but something is clearly in the room. Chopper says, "THERE'S SOMEBODY IN HERE!!" and the attacker bolts across the floor with wet footprints and splashes.

Chopper sniffs the air and says, "IT'S TRUE! I CAN SMELL IT!!" Usopp snaps, "STILL!? I'M SORRY!!" Chopper clarifies, "NOT YOUR FART!! I CAN SMELL A PERSON!!!" He points out, "IT'S RUNNING THROUGH THE WINDOW!!" Usopp spots the movement and shouts, "WHY THE WINDOW...? 'WHAT' IS RUNNING AWAY!?" He fires, "HISSA-TSU 'KAYAKU-BOSHI'!" A note identifies it as Certain Death Gunpowder Star. The shot blasts through the window, and the invisible person escapes. Usopp says, "SEEMS LIKE IT GOT AWAY... BUT IT HEARD ALL OF OUR CONVERSATION!" He asks Nami what it means, and she answers with the truth: "CERTAINLY, THERE WAS... AN INVISIBLE PERSON."

Meanwhile, the Thousand Sunny is trapped in a gigantic spider web. Sanji says, "WELL... WE'VE BEEN PATIENT, BUT THERE'S NO CHOICE. THERE'S NO WAY THIS SHIP CAN GET AWAY FROM THIS GIANT SPIDER WEB." Even Brook's ghost ship, Mini Merry, and everything else nearby are caught in the web. Zoro says Nami, Usopp, and Chopper should have come back, while Sanji worries over the missing crew. Luffy, however, sees opportunity: "CONVENIENTLY, THE ENTRANCE TO THE ISLAND IS INVITING US. RIGHT AT OUR FRONT... I CAN ALMOST SEE GHOSTS BECKONING TO ME." Zoro asks, "WHAT ARE YOU JABBERING ABOUT, ZORO!?" and Luffy grins, "WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO LOSE HERE! C'MON!! THE BENTO IS DIVIDED ALREADY!!"

Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Robin, and Franky descend into Thriller Bark through a staircase that goes down from the entrance. Someone asks, "WHY IS THERE SUDDENLY A STAIRCASE GOING DOWN?" but admits there is no other option. At the end, they hear barking and growling: "WAN!!!" "WAN!!!" "GO--N!!" Luffy says, "THERE'S SOMETHING AT THE END!" They find Cerberus waiting with three heads. Sanji asks, "EH... CERBERUS? THAT'S SUPPOSED TO MAKE HELL SAFER?" Luffy only says, "OH, IT'S CUTE." Zoro asks, "IS IT TRYING TO PICK A FIGHT?" Franky says, "HOW IMPERTINENT..." Luffy wonders, "IS IT TASTY?" The beast snarls at them, and the chapter ends on the sudden confrontation: "EH--!!?"

No description for this page.

No description for this page.