He had seen Alvida's overwhelming strength with his own eyes, and the thought of marrying a woman stronger than himself suddenly lost its appeal.
So, reconsidering, Absalom set his sights instead on the comparatively weaker Porche.
His plan was simple: sneak up, grab her, then use his "Transparency" power to vanish with her in tow. But to his shock, Alvida had noticed him.
Absalom was rattled. How?!
On the entire "Thriller Bark," the only person who could normally pinpoint his location was Lord Moria himself.
Could it be that this woman, like Moria, had mastered "Observation Haki"?
"You're Absalom… one of the 'Mysterious Three,' right?" Alvida's red lips curved slightly, her gaze haughty as she stared him down. "Doesn't look like much to me."
—What?!
Never before had Absalom been belittled in such a way. After a pause, he sneered.
"Heh heh heh… A little variety isn't bad. Strong-willed women can be fun to play with once in a while. But marriage? Impossible… Either way, both of you will be mine!"
He lifted his arms, and boom, boom!—two strange blasts went off in midair.
Alvida swung her mace, striking with pinpoint accuracy, smashing the invisible shells aside. They exploded in the forest behind her.
BOOM BOOM!
Porche had already ducked into cover, but even she was wide-eyed at the pillars of fire.
"You thought I wouldn't notice the twin rocket launchers strapped under your arms?" Alvida mocked. "You can make not only yourself turn 'transparent,' but also anything you touch. That bat already told us everything."
That fool, Hildon… Absalom's face darkened.
Still, he had other advantages. Hogback had modified his body, stitching together beastly strength and speed far beyond that of a normal animal.
Turning invisible again, Absalom charged at Alvida, firing as he came.
But her eyes tracked him as though guided by radar, her mace swatting the shells aside like baseballs.
Click-click. His launchers ran dry. Absalom tossed the useless weapons aside and lunged at her barehanded, a predator's leap.
Alvida tilted aside to avoid him, pressing a palm to the ground as they crossed paths.
Absalom wheeled around, preparing another strike—only for his foot to suddenly slip out from under him, sending him sprawling forward.
In horror, he saw Alvida sliding toward him across the slickened ground as though skating on ice, mace arcing straight for his skull.
W-wait—! Absalom's eyes bulged.
CRACK!
Her strike landed. His skull burst like a melon, eyes popping loose as his body flopped to the dirt.
Alvida came to a clean stop, looking down at the fallen "mystery man" in silence.
Once, her powers only allowed her to make her own skin—and whatever touched it—smooth and slippery.
But now she could extend the effect outward, spreading it across the ground itself in a limited radius, making whole patches of terrain slick at will.
It wasn't true "Awakening" on the level of New World elites, but as far as Devil Fruit development went, it was a remarkable leap.
A gift, in part, of her contract—boosting both her physique and her latent potential.
Porche strolled back, clapping her hands. "Amazing, amazing… I'm starting to believe you really will surpass the 'Pirate Empress' Hancock someday…"
Alvida smiled faintly, accepting the praise.
---
Meanwhile, Hachi—barely recovered from his last injuries—was already back in the sea, splashing around with the sea cow MoMoo before surfacing again.
As he climbed ashore, water dripping from his arms, he spotted the Thousand Sunny's ghostly counterpart moored beside an enormous gate shaped like a gaping mouth.
"Hachi—!"
Blinking, he looked up to see Mikita—one of the trio sent to scout the island—flying back toward the ship, clutching… a bat?
Scratching his head in confusion, Hachi muttered, What's this about?
But before Mikita could pass through the gaping mouth gate, disaster struck.
A massive white net dropped from above, wrapping her and the struggling Hildon tight before slamming them to the ground with a thud.
"What the—?!" Mikita cried, thrashing inside. The more she struggled, the more the sticky webbing clung to her, binding her fast.
Hildon, though, already knew. He tilted his head back and shuddered—right on cue, a giant spider crawled over the lip of the gate.
A spider with the head of a monkey.
The Animal Zombie, Spider Monkey.
"Uooohohhohh!" it shrieked, dropping from above. Eight hairy legs spread wide—though two ended not in claws, but in monkey's hands, hands that spewed sticky silk.
Its looming shadow engulfed Mikita and Hildon completely.
Eyes wide, Mikita could only stare as the monstrous arachnid descended.
"Six-Sword Style…"
From the gate's jagged teeth-like ridges, Hachi leapt, blades flashing.
"Takoyaki… Solar Blaze!"
Six flaming arcs shot out like arrows, fusing into a massive fireball that slammed straight into the Spider Monkey's face, engulfing its head in searing flame.
"GYAAAAH!"
The creature shrieked, all six remaining limbs clawing at its burning head.
Hachi was already upon it, six swords whirling. With a blur of slashes, he hacked the legs away one by one.
THUD!
Both the Spider Monkey and Hachi crashed down to the earth.
The beast flailed briefly, flames spreading over its body until it became a blazing bonfire, casting its glow far and wide.
Hachi coolly sliced apart the webs restraining Mikita and Hildon, then stood there with his usual dopey smile, as if the inferno behind him had nothing to do with him at all.
"Mikita, why'd you come back carrying a bat? Where are Alvida and Porche? What about Kuro, Buggy, and Law?"
For indeed, three men—Kuro, Buggy, and Law—had also entered Thriller Bark to gather intel, but they had split off separately.
Hildon was dumbstruck.
What kind of monsters are these Davey Jones Pirates? That was Spider Monkey! And he went down in a single clash…
Unbelievable.
Mikita dusted off the silk clinging to her, folding away her umbrella before blurting, "We were ambushed—by zombies! Alvida and Porche stayed behind so I could get this bat back here. He knows everything about the island!"
The words spilled out breathlessly.
"Calm yourself."
A commanding voice echoed across the gate, cutting through her panic.
Mikita froze, looking up. There, descending the gangplank, was none other than Captain Davy Jones himself, with Crocodile at his side.
The two had been aboard, deep in conversation—ranging from the Shichibukai system and the balance of the New World to music and art—when the noise outside had drawn them forth.
Relief flooded Mikita's face. She steadied her breathing, then, with a sharp kick, shoved Hildon into the circle of surrounding crewmates.
"Captain, here's what happened…"