"Whether it's the animal zombies in the forest or the soldier zombies near the castle's cemetery, I'm afraid none of them will work against this group. Opponents at this level can no longer be overcome by numbers alone."
Hildon pondered to himself, flapping his wings as he prepared to fly back to the main castle to report. "I need to get back and tell Dr. Hogback—don't make a move on the Straw Hat brat for now. Without the zombie generals, they won't be able to take this crew."
But just as he released his grip, a gentle yet utterly terrifying voice sounded in his ear:
"You know this place pretty well, don't you?"
"AH!"
Hildon was scared out of his wits. He whipped his head around to see Robin, who had somehow appeared on the branch behind him, smiling at him with a knowing, slightly mischievous expression.
"Are you a demon?!" Hildon shrieked.
"I do have the nickname 'Devil's Child,'" Robin said, crossing her arms. In the next instant, arms sprouted from Hildon's wings and joints, twisting and flinging him with a sharp jerk!
CRACK!
THUD!
Hildon, like a stone launched from a catapult, lost all control of his body and spun through the air before slamming into the ground in front of Vivi and the others, cratering the dirt and kicking up a cloud of dust.
He struggled, flailing his limbs, feeling like every bone in his body had been dislodged.
Though he couldn't feel pain, losing control of his body was even more terrifying.
As the dust settled, Vivi, Robin, Usopp, and Chopper gathered around, curiously examining this strange hybrid creature.
"What is this thing?"
"So gross. Its whole body is stitched together."
"It's covered in sutures, just like those zombies. It's a patchwork monster."
"A bat's body with a human head... I've got it!"
Usopp, after careful observation, channeled his inner great inventor's insight and declared with certainty, "He must be a vampire! The kind that sucks the blood of virgins!"
Robin immediately considered simply twisting Hildon's neck.
But seeing the zombies that had survived having their necks twisted, she abandoned the idea.
Better just bury him.
Seeing that Robin could subdue an enemy in an instant, Usopp's courage swelled considerably. He grabbed Hildon's round nose.
"He doesn't seem like a vampire,"
Vivi shook her head, pointing at the zombies lying flat on the ground. "He's like those guys—his body has been modified and stitched together."
"Ah, I see. That's why his head is human and his body is a bat."
Chopper stepped closer. As a doctor, he was intensely interested in this stitching technique.
He carefully touched the sutures connecting Hildon's wings to his body, examining them closely. His round eyes widened with surprise and admiration.
"Amazing. To be able to stitch different species together so perfectly with no signs of rejection... Is there a doctor who can do this?" Chopper marveled.
"Hmph. Of course there is."
Though Hildon was pinned to the ground, unable to move, he couldn't help but sneer with a hint of pride. "This surgery was performed by one of the Four Freaks—Dr. Hogback himself!"
"Hogback!"
At the mention of the name, Chopper's pupils contracted sharply. He shot to his feet. "You mean the world-famous genius surgeon who published a series of groundbreaking medical papers, including 'On Limb Grafting and the Maintenance of Vitality in Living Tissue'?! That Hogback?!"
"That's—no, not—" Hildon realized his slip and clamped his mouth shut. "I won't tell you anything about Dr. Hogback!"
Before he could finish, Vivi gathered a small, high-temperature whirlwind in her palm and brought it close to his bat wing, smiling sweetly. "Think carefully."
Feeling the scorching air currents singing his feathers, Hildon very pragmatically and calmly spoke: "Yes, it is the very Dr. Hogback you speak of. The world thinks he disappeared ten years ago, but in reality, he pledged himself to Moria-sama and continues his great medical research here."
Under Vivi's gentle persuasion, Hildon became remarkably cooperative, answering every question thoroughly.
From him, Vivi and the others learned that Luffy and Nami had also headed toward Hogback's mansion, so they decided to go there as well to regroup.
Along the way, Hildon enthusiastically introduced them to the zombie generals, who were more powerful than ordinary zombies.
Among them were the wild boar zombie Lola, the spider monkey Tararan, the legendary Wano samurai Ryuma, and the infamous Captain John.
But before they had gone far, Chopper suddenly stopped, sniffing the air intently. "There's an unfamiliar scent. Very close!"
He also swallowed a Rumble Ball and entered his Arm Point form, better suited for combat.
Robin also noticed the unnaturally giant spiderweb strung between the trees ahead. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Why would there be a spiderweb this large here?" Robin extended her hands to investigate. The spider capable of weaving such a web would undoubtedly be enormous.
But none of them noticed that a completely invisible figure, using the forest's shadows and his own Devil Fruit ability, was approaching silently.
His gaze lingered greedily on Robin's mature, intellectual figure and Vivi's youthful, radiant beauty. His heart was filled with ecstasy.
Absalom. Suke Suke no Mi user. One of Moria's three subordinates. An utter pervert, voyeur, and degenerate.
He had originally been lying in wait at Hogback's mansion, hunting for new additions to his collection. But just as he caught sight of Nami, before he could act, he had been punched across the room by Luffy. Now, he was seeing things with frustration and anger.
He silently vowed to claim that orange-haired, cute girl as his bride!
On this island overrun with zombies and lacking any living women, finding a woman to his liking was nearly impossible!
Unlike that freak Hogback, who was only interested in zombies of dead female celebrities, Absalom loved living, delicate, beautiful women!
After being knocked unconscious by Luffy's punch, Absalom had woken up grinding his teeth, ready to gather his zombie generals and get revenge. But then he encountered Robin and Vivi.
At the sight of them, Absalom instantly decided Nami wasn't so appealing after all!
Robin's deep, knowing eyes and her intellectual allure mixed with mysterious seduction—Vivi's noble bearing tinged with heroic spirit—for a man who had seen virtually no normal women in years, it was a double blow!
His heart raced. He nearly drooled.
"Perfect! Absolutely perfect! One is a mature, charming woman. The other is an innocent, lovely princess. Absalom, today is your lucky day!"
He roared inwardly, then turned invisible again.
But just as he started creeping forward, Vivi's gaze shifted toward the empty space.
"Hm?"
Vivi frowned slightly. A subtle anomaly in the air currents there had caught her attention.
There was nothing visible in that spot, but instinctively, she raised her hand. "Cyclone: Repel!"
WHOOSH!
A powerful whirlwind radiated outward from her, invisible but carrying an irresistible force.
Absalom, still invisible, felt a tremendous pressure, as if he had run face-first into a wall of wind. He yelped, was lifted off his feet, and sent tumbling backward several times before crashing unceremoniously to the ground. The impact broke his invisibility.
"Who's there?!"
"An enemy?!"
Usopp and Chopper tensed immediately, staring at the bizarre man who had suddenly appeared.
Absalom lay on the ground, shaking his dazed head. He looked up, revealing his face—a grotesque patchwork with a lion's jaw and beast-like nose stitched on.
Usopp pointed at him, horrified. "What kind of monster is that?!"
The remark struck a nerve with Absalom's fragile ego.
Have you ever even seen a monster before you go calling someone one?!
Oh. You mean me?
I'M NOT A MONSTER!
Absalom leaped to his feet, roaring,
"How dare you! I am not a monster! I am a man who possesses the jaw of a lion, the skin of an elephant, and the raw, wild strength of a bear and a gorilla!"
His voice was somewhat muffled due to the lion's jaw.
But the only responses he received were merciless attacks from Vivi and Robin.
"Absalom-sama!" Hildon cried out in alarm.
But Absalom was still showing off his modified body, as if it were something to be proud of.
"Sanjū Rō Hana: Kagi Tsume!"
Robin crossed her arms again. Dozens of arms sprouted from Absalom's body, twisting his joints in the opposite direction!
"Fūjin: Ranbu!"
Vivi waved her hands rapidly. Countless razor-sharp wind blades, invisible and deadly, sliced toward Absalom and the zombie subordinates emerging from the treeline behind him.
CRACK!
SHRED!
Absalom cried out in pain.
Though most of the attacks were deflected by his elephant skin, having his joints twisted was far from pleasant. His zombie subordinates fared much worse—under the barrage of wind blades, they were instantly shredded, left in even smaller pieces than their comrades in the cemetery.
Absalom was dumbfounded. He looked at his decimated subordinates, then at the two beautiful women before him, whose eyes held a calm hint of coldness.
Wait—why are these two women so strong?!
This was nothing like the delicate beauties he had imagined!
Gnashing his teeth, he realized that a direct confrontation would not end well. He immediately decided to retreat, his body beginning to turn transparent again. "Damn you! Just you wait!"
"Trying to run?"
Vivi sensed the unnatural shift in the air currents once more and instantly locked onto his position. "Wind Binding!"
Invisible currents of air coiled around Absalom like chains, catching him just as he was about to become completely invisible.
"Special Attack! Fire Bird Star!"
Usopp seized the moment. A custom incendiary shot, engulfed in flames, flew from his slingshot and struck Absalom with pinpoint accuracy, right as he was bound by the wind.
WAAGH!
Absalom's body erupted in flames. He screamed and rolled on the ground, his invisibility completely undone, utterly pathetic.
Vivi and Robin exchanged a glance and smiled, relaxed and at ease.
It seemed the so-called "freaks" on this island were nothing special.
Indeed, with their current strength, dealing with these oddballs was far too easy.
Especially Vivi. Logia Devil Fruits were truly noble, weren't they?
Against enemies without Haki, she was practically invincible.
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!
patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!