It seemed some past trauma had made the maid, Cindry, not merely sensitive to dinner plates, but utterly disgusted by them.
"Ah… pouring all the food directly onto the table is not very sanitary," Deuce commented, a look of revulsion on his face.
"Don't you worry!" Hogback boomed with a self-satisfied laugh. "That's why I have the tablecloth washed obsessively! You can definitely eat with peace of mind."
"Haha, really? In that case, I won't hold back!" Ace cheered.
"Oh, I am feeling a bit peckish," Skull admitted.
"Mmmm, this pudding is delicious!" Carrot added, already digging in.
Hearing Hogback's assurance, Ace, Skull, and Carrot wasted no time, burying their faces directly in the food spread across the table. Hogback joined them, slurping noodles straight from the polished wood.
"Hey! You three! And you, Carrot, use a spoon!" Carina shouted.
"Even if the tablecloth is clean, you don't eat it!" Deuce roared, watching in horror as the four of them licked food off the table like animals.
"Buuurp! Thanks for the meal!" Ace announced, finishing his portion in record time and patting his stomach contentedly.
Disgusted by the display, Carina decided it was time to move. "Carrot, take Kotatsu and come with me. I need to find the restroom."
"Okay, Sister Carina!"
After giving Deuce a subtle, knowing glance, Carina decisively turned and left the dining hall with the mink and the lynx. This was her chance to wash her hands and do some reconnaissance. At Hogback's signal, Cindry followed them, her movements stiff and doll-like.
"The restroom is this way," the maid said in her monotone voice. "Please follow me."
After a short walk down a corridor lined with unsettling portraits and animal trophies, they arrived at their destination. The mansion was clearly hiding more secrets, and Carina made a mental note to find another excuse to explore later. She was about to lead Carrot and Kotatsu into the washroom when Kotatsu suddenly let out a low growl.
"Sister Carina," Carrot said, her nose twitching. "I smell something… strange."
Just as she spoke, Carina let out a muffled cry. In the blink of an eye, she vanished without a trace. The strange, musky odor that Carrot had detected was gone with her.
"Eh? Sister Carina! Where did you go?!" Carrot shouted, her eyes wide with shock. Reacting instantly, she spun around and yelled back towards the dining hall. "Brother Ace! Sister Carina's been kidnapped!"
Without waiting for a reply, she finished with, "Kotatsu, let's go after them!" and the two shot off down the hallway, following the lingering scent only they could detect.
Back in the restaurant, Carrot's frantic voice echoed through the hall. Thinking of Cindry, who had also conveniently disappeared, a grim understanding settled over the remaining crew members.
"What happened?" Deuce demanded.
"I don't know," Skull replied coolly. "But judging by Carrot's tone, our hosts have made their move."
"Then we'll just have to tear their house down," Ace growled, his fists beginning to smolder.
As if on cue, the portraits on the wall began to laugh, and the animal-skin rugs on the floor rose up, revealing themselves to be flattened, grotesque zombies. They all lunged forward at once.
"Whoa! What are those things?!" Deuce yelled.
"Hmph! Doesn't matter what they are! Get out of my way!" Ace roared. Igniting his entire body, he unleashed a sweeping wave of fire. "Fire Fist!"
"Aaaah! Fire! Run!" the zombies shrieked as the flames engulfed them. They stumbled and screamed, trying to escape, but turned to ash before they could take more than a few steps.
"Let's go!" Ace commanded, turning to his crewmates. "They want to play rough? Then let's show them they're messing with the wrong pirates."
"Ooh, awesome, Boss Ace!" Skull cheered.
Ace glanced down another hallway. It was quiet, but his instincts told him that Hogback had fled in that direction. He didn't intend to let their enemies dictate the pace of this fight. Without hesitation, he charged down the passage, determined to get to the heart of the matter.
They fought their way through more ambushes, easily dispatching every zombie that came at them, but they saw no sign of Hogback or their friends. After a short run, the narrow corridor suddenly opened up. They had passed through Hogback's residence and were now on a massive, suspension-bridge-like structure connecting to an even taller, more menacing mansion in the distance. Below them was a bizarre, sprawling garden. They had arrived at the bridge connecting to Moria's Mast Mansion—a place known as Perona's Wonder Garden.
The moment Ace's group had breached the main gate, the Mysterious Three had sent their minions to awaken their master. When Gecko Moria was informed of the intruders, he wasn't particularly concerned. In his youth, he had sailed the New World and even clashed with Kaido, one of the Four Emperors. That battle had cost him his entire crew, but it hadn't broken his spirit—it had twisted it. Moria wasn't afraid of the Emperors; he still dreamed of becoming the Pirate King. His defeat taught him what he believed was a crucial lesson: living subordinates were a liability because they could die.
That was why he became obsessed with creating a loyal, unkillable army of the undead. He grew lazy, content to let others do his work, even hoping his zombie army would achieve his dream for him. He neglected his own training, and his once-lean, capable frame slowly bloated into that of a man who had given up on himself.
With Moria's blessing, Absalom, the "Graveyard" General of the Zombie Soldiers, had sprung into action. It was he who had snatched Carina, using the power of his Clear-Clear Fruit to turn invisible. Now, he ran through the mansion's hidden passages, the unconscious woman slung over his shoulder. As a perverted lecher, his lifelong dream was to find a beautiful bride to marry. Unfortunately, his body—a patchwork of a lion's jaw, an elephant's skin, and a gorilla's strength—emitted a powerful odor that made stealth difficult, even when invisible.
That was how the rabbit mink and her lynx were still hot on his trail.
"Stop right there!" Carrot's voice echoed from behind him. "I can't see you, but I know you're there!" After electrocuting two more zombies that tried to block her path, she continued the chase.
"Dammit! How is she so fast?!" Absalom grumbled, glancing over his shoulder. He easily dispatched the zombies sent to intercept them, but the girl was relentless. He had already deployed his strongest Zombie Generals to Perona's garden to deal with her accomplices. He just needed a little more time.
He finally reached his destination: a dusty, abandoned church. He burst through the doors and placed the unconscious Carina on a pew, intending to deal with her friends first before returning to hold a proper wedding.
"Master Absalom," a sweet, feminine voice cooed from the shadows. "Have you come back to marry me?"
Absalom froze, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow. He turned around slowly. Standing in the supposedly empty church was a hulking, wild boar zombie wearing a tattered wedding dress and garish makeup. It held a giant axe and was staring at him with loving eyes. It was the zombie of Lola, the warthog.
As he stared in horror, the wild boar zombie puckered its bright red, lipstick-smeared snout and moved in for a kiss.
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