Not wanting to waste another moment, Jerry looked up at the towering mansion in the distance. "Just wait here for good news," he told the hopeful pirates of the Victims' Alliance. "We'll defeat Moria, and we won't need to use his cheap tricks to do it."
Seeing the young man who had so effortlessly dispatched two of their strongest fighters maintain such unshakable confidence, a powerful, irrepressible excitement surged through the shadowless crew. After a year of living in fear, hope was a dangerous, wonderful feeling.
"If you could really defeat Moria… that would be incredible!"
"You don't seem to need our help, but you have our blessings!"
"Yes! We'll be watching. If there's anything at all we can do, just give the signal!"
"Please… you have to beat him!" one of them pleaded, tears welling in his eyes.
"You can do it, handsome fishing rod guy!" Lola cheered, her fists clenched in support.
"I think his name is Jerry," someone whispered. "I heard the skeleton call him that."
Jerry gave the group a final, reassuring wave and turned to leave. "Don't worry," he said over his shoulder. "We'll get it done. Brook, let's go."
"Yohohoho! Your confidence is making me excited!" Brook sang, his fear momentarily forgotten.
After bidding the alliance farewell, Brook once again took the lead, guiding Jerry through the winding, overgrown paths that snaked around the island toward the looming mansion.
Meanwhile, Ace and the others, sitting in the unnerving comfort of Hildon's carriage, arrived at the mansion's main gate without any further incident.
"Alright, everyone, please enter here," the bat-like creature announced. "I will be taking my leave. I hope we meet again."
Without waiting for a reply, Hildon flapped his leathery wings and shot into the sky, disappearing into the thick, foggy night.
"Well… he was weird," Carina commented, peering out the window. "He just left."
"So, do we just walk right in?" Deuce asked nervously.
Ace shrugged. "We're already here. Standing around isn't going to accomplish anything."
The group looked at each other, and with a collective, resigned sigh, they disembarked and headed for the entrance. The main doors of the mansion were tall and majestic, but they stood wide open, revealing a long, dark corridor. Through the grand hallway, they could see a quiet, moonlit courtyard beyond.
"Why is there an old well in the middle of the corridor?" Carrot wondered aloud, her rabbit ears twitching.
"I don't know," Skull replied. "But there's a light coming from down there."
As they cautiously approached the stone well, they noticed the rope hanging over its edge was swaying gently. Suddenly, with a gut-wrenching scrape of stone, a figure shot up from the depths, its face eerily illuminated from below.
"Gah! A ghost from a well! What kind of cursed island is this?!" Deuce yelped, stumbling backward.
Carina let out a similar cry of alarm. Even the stoic Skull flinched. Only Ace and Carrot remained unfazed, though the sheer panic from their crewmates nearly made them jump as well.
Just then, a door beside the well swung open, and a round, flamboyantly dressed man stepped out. "Welcome, everyone," he said with a wide, arrogant grin. Behind him stood a beautiful, blonde-haired maid with a strangely vacant expression.
"This is my assistant, Cindry," the man announced, gesturing to the maid. He then struck a dramatic pose. "And I am the world-famous genius, Dr. Hogback! Fosfosfosfos!"
He clearly expected a round of gasps and applause, but was met with blank stares from everyone except Deuce, whose eyes were wide with a mix of shock and professional curiosity. Hogback had received Hildon's report and knew one of his guests was a fellow medical man; this was the reaction he'd been hoping for.
Suddenly, Cindry, who had been standing silently, swung a stack of dinner plates she was holding and smashed them directly onto Hogback's back.
"Ah! That hurts! Cindry, you hit me by accident!" he yelped, clutching his back.
"Oh, my deepest apologies," the maid said, her face completely expressionless. "I just came from the kitchen. I didn't realize I was holding these wretched plates." She looked down at the shattered porcelain. "All plates should be eradicated from this world."
After rubbing his bruised spine, Hogback noticed the crew's bewildered expressions and tried to salvage the situation with an awkward cough. "Ahem, well, she doesn't always listen to me, but please, do come in! I've prepared a hearty midnight snack for you all."
"A midnight snack? You shouldn't have!" Ace's eyes lit up instantly.
"Ace, are you hungry again?" Deuce sighed.
"Hurry up! I'm starving!"
"Fosfosfos! This way, my guests, please come in!" Hogback laughed, leading them into a grand dining hall.
Once everyone was seated, and after brief introductions, Deuce couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. "Dr. Hogback, if I may ask… how did you end up on an island like this?"
"Ah, Dr. Deuce! You must have seen them on your way here—the zombies," Hogback said, leaning forward conspiratorially. "That is my research. Most people are frightened when they hear the word 'zombie.' But I see it differently. What is a zombie, if not the resurrection of the dead?"
His eyes gleamed with a fanatical light. "Resurrection! Eternal life! It is the ultimate dream of all mankind! To achieve it, I deliberately left the world behind, to freely pursue this forbidden medicine—a power that even the gods would fear!"
Hearing this, even Ace, who was impatiently waiting for food, and the ever-curious Carrot were stunned into silence. If his research was successful, it would undoubtedly change the world. After all, who hadn't lost friends or family? Who hadn't, in a quiet moment, dreamed of eternal life?
Deuce, who was initially just curious as to why a famed surgeon was here, was now deeply shaken by the sheer scale of his ambition. "That… that is truly research that surpasses human limits," he said, his voice laced with awe and a hint of fear. "Have you… have you had any success?"
"Oh, I suppose you could say I've had a little," Hogback chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. "But it would be inappropriate to say more."
"Of course. I was just curious. My apologies," Deuce said, leaning back in his chair.
A few moments later, Cindry returned, pushing a food cart laden with delicious-smelling food. "Your pudding, noodles, and dessert, everyone," she announced in her monotone voice.
She approached the table and, to everyone's shock, began pouring the food from saucepans and bowls directly onto the polished wood of the dining table.
"Eh? Why isn't it on a plate?" Carrot asked, her head tilted in confusion.
"Cindry!" Hogback shrieked, looking anything but intelligent. "You must use plates for noodles and dessert! When will you grant me this simple wish?!"
Cindry didn't even glance at him. She stared at the mess she'd made on the table and declared with righteous indignation, "There should be no such thing as a plate in this world!"