Inside the castle, after Jin and the five of them entered, they finally met the so-called Doctor Hogback.
The man appeared extremely hospitable. The moment he saw them, he enthusiastically invited everyone into his personal room.
"Hohohohoho~
It's rare to have guests visit!" Hogback laughed loudly.
"Welcome to my castle!"
"So you're Doctor Hogback?"
Jin narrowed his eyes as he examined him.
After his clone dispersed earlier, all the information gathered from Lola's group had already returned to him.
According to them, this man was most likely one of Gecko Moria's subordinates—perhaps serving as a ship's doctor–type role.
The only question was whether this so-called world's greatest doctor had come here willingly… or had been forced.
Under Jin's gaze, cold sweat unconsciously formed at the back of Hogback's neck.
"Ah—yes, that's right! I am Hogback~" he replied nervously.
"Do you… know me?"
The pressure from that gaze was overwhelming.
It made Hogback feel as if what was staring at him wasn't a human at all—but a terrifying beast ready to pounce.
"No," Jin said calmly, pointing toward Chopper.
"The one who knows you is this little guy."
With that, Jin withdrew his eyes and no longer looked at him.
Hogback secretly let out a breath.
Being stared at by someone like that was unbearable.
Just who exactly are these people…?
That man doesn't feel weak at all.
Did they discover something?
No—he hadn't revealed any flaws.
Unless…
Unless they encountered those zombies on the way here—and the zombies leaked information!
That explanation made sense.
But since they hadn't attacked him outright, it meant his secrets weren't fully exposed.
I'll have to be careful with my words.
Clearing his throat, Hogback said,
"Cindry-chan, please bring some food for our guests."
Cindry: "..."
She said nothing, merely staring at Hogback coldly.
"Cindry-chan…" Hogback said awkwardly.
"We have guests here. Please—give me some face…"
She continued to stare at him.
Only after several seconds did she finally respond:
"…Yes."
As she turned and left, Hogback let out another quiet sigh.
That had been close—almost embarrassing.
Jin watched her departing figure with a trace of doubt.
He had already noticed the stitching marks on her body when entering.
At first, he thought she was a zombie.
But now…
Something felt off.
If she truly were a zombie, she wouldn't be treating a Moria subordinate like this.
Then was she alive?
Or… were Lola and the others wrong about Hogback?
Jin fell into thought.
"Doctor Hogback!" Chopper suddenly spoke excitedly.
"I've wanted to meet you for so long! I'm a doctor too—Doctor Chopper!"
"Oh?"
Hogback immediately latched onto the topic, smiling warmly.
"Doctor Chopper, you say? And what would you like to talk about?"
"What are you doing here, Doctor Hogback?"
"Of course—conducting incredible research!" Hogback suddenly became animated, slamming the table as he stood up.
"I imagine you've seen the terrifying zombies on your way here, haven't you?"
"…Eh?"
Everyone exchanged glances. They hadn't expected him to be this direct.
"We did encounter some scary zombies," Nami nodded.
"We almost got eaten."
Hogback nodded to himself.
So his guess had been correct—they really had noticed something.
"And we also know that this place belongs to Gecko Moria," Nami continued.
"WHAT?!"
Hogback was genuinely shocked.
That information had already leaked out?!
What were those zombies doing?!
Although the newcomers would eventually find out, learning it this early could scare them off.
And if they ran away—how would he replenish shadows?!
"Why do you look so surprised?" Usopp asked suspiciously.
"Don't tell me you were about to say you don't know Moria."
He stared straight into Hogback's eyes.
"Doctor Hogback," Chopper said seriously, climbing onto a chair,
"please answer honestly."
"Were these modified zombies created by you?"
"And were you here willingly—or were you forced by Moria?"
Chopper's small body radiated pressure as he glared up at Hogback.
Hogback forced a dry laugh.
Now he finally understood why that man had stared at him so sharply from the start.
They already knew whose territory this was.
"I wouldn't dare lie," Hogback said hurriedly.
"I'm just… surprised."
"Surprised by what?" Usopp asked.
"Surprised that you aren't afraid of a Warlord," Hogback replied.
"Ordinary people would've fled the moment they heard that name."
If they knew and still didn't run, it meant they weren't weak.
He needed a believable explanation—or he might truly die here.
At that moment, Cindry returned, carrying a wooden tray with several puddings.
She casually threw them onto the table.
"…?!!"
Everyone stared at her in shock.
Why was she throwing them instead of using plates?!
"Cindry-chan!!" Hogback cried.
"At least use plates! Plates!!"
"Is even that too much to ask?!"
"…Heh."
Cindry let out a cold laugh.
"I wish plates would disappear from this world entirely."
Hogback: "..."
Everyone else: "..."
"What's her problem?" Nami muttered.
Why did she hate plates this much?
"Well…" Hogback explained awkwardly,
"She once tested her wealthy fiancé's love by smashing all his beloved plates."
"He became furious and kicked her out."
"That's why she hates plates so deeply."
Jin fell silent.
Was that… a real story?
Who in the world tested love like that?
Breaking someone's most cherished belongings?
That was absurd.
"Plates should all shatter," Cindry said emotionlessly.
"…Cindry-chan."
Hogback sighed helplessly.
She never followed his commands perfectly.
Perhaps that was the flaw of an incomplete contract.
Looking at the puddings on the table, Hogback said,
"Please, help yourselves."
"Even without plates, I made sure the table is spotless."
He began eating first, clearly signaling there was no poison.
But none of the five moved.
They simply watched him.
Having already learned much of the truth, they wouldn't eat anything so casually.
Even Chopper wasn't that naïve.
"…You're not eating?" Hogback asked.
"Doctor Hogback," Merry reminded gently,
"you still haven't answered our questions."
"…Ah. Right."
Hogback smiled awkwardly.
It seemed he couldn't brush this off.
Fortunately—he had already prepared his solution.
Straightening his posture, Hogback said seriously:
"Yes. I do know this is Gecko Moria's territory."
"…!"
"So you really are one of his people?!" Chopper's eyes widened.
"Then that means those zombies were modified by you?!"
"Yes."
"YOU BASTARD!"
Chopper instantly enlarged, fury blazing in his eyes as he stepped forward.
"Why would you do something like that?!"
"W-wait! Doctor Chopper—please let me finish!"
"…Fine. Talk."
Chopper stopped, determined to hear what excuse he would give.
"I did this… because I had no choice," Hogback said heavily.
"No choice?" Nami and Jin exchanged glances.
"What do you mean?"
"This truly is Moria's territory, and yes, I work for him," Hogback said solemnly.
"But things are not as you imagine."
His gaze turned distant, as if recalling the past.
"The first time I met Gecko Moria… was on Banaro Island."
"At that time, I was performing a difficult surgery—one that lasted several hours."
"Only after exhausting everything did I manage to save multiple patients."
As he spoke, Chopper's expression subtly changed.
A doctor saving lives… that resonated deeply with him.
"Then why did you come here?" Chopper asked.
Hogback sensed opportunity—Chopper's tone had softened.
"Listen to the rest."
"After that surgery, I encountered the legendary Warlord."
"He didn't say a word—he simply abducted me. I had no chance to resist."
"After arriving here… I learned why."
Hogback's expression twisted with anger.
"He ordered me to modify corpses—
to create powerful zombies!"
"I refused!" he shouted.
"I rejected him righteously!"
"You refused…?" Chopper murmured.
"Yes. I refused," Hogback nodded.
"But Moria threatened to kill me."
"But death means nothing to me! I'm a doctor—I'm not afraid of dying!"
"Then…?" Merry asked softly.
"…Then he offered something I couldn't refuse."
"What was it?" she asked curiously.
"He said… he could revive my fiancée."
Hogback's emotions suddenly exploded.
"I loved her deeply! But she died!"
"Now someone tells me he can bring her back—and even proves it before my eyes!"
"Tell me—how could I refuse?!"
His body trembled violently, emotions spilling forth.
Because the revival itself was real.
He truly loved someone who had died.
That much was genuine.
To deceive someone, a lie could not be entirely false.
Hogback, a man versed in psychology, understood this perfectly.
He mixed truth with fiction.
He had indeed practiced medicine on Banaro Island.
He had indeed admired a woman deeply.
But—
She was not his fiancée.
She was a famous stage actress.
He was merely one of her countless admirers.
Yet his obsession was real.
So real that even turning her into a zombie would not deter him.
The rest was simply… embellishment.
"Th-that's…" Nami covered her mouth.
"For the sake of your beloved—even entering hell willingly…"
"Doctor Hogback…" Chopper's eyes filled with tears.
"I misunderstood you."
"So you were forced…" Usopp said quietly.
"More or less," Hogback sighed.
"For her sake, I had no other choice."
He turned to Chopper.
"Doctor Chopper, modifying corpses was never my wish."
"But if I didn't obey… Moria would never revive her."
"So please… forgive me."
Chopper opened his mouth but couldn't find words.
Seeing their reactions, Hogback pressed further.
"I know you may not understand me…"
"But tell me—
who among you doesn't have someone they wish could come back to life?"
Silence fell.
Nami thought of Bellemere.
Usopp thought of his mother.
Chopper thought of Doctor Hiriluk.
"…But," Jin finally spoke calmly,
"are you certain the one revived is truly your loved one?"
"When a person dies, the soul leaves the body."
"What Moria does is simply insert a new 'controller' into an empty shell."
"So tell me—
is that person truly her?"
Hogback froze.
He couldn't answer.
Because he knew the truth.
The soul was gone.
No matter how similar the body or memories—
the person was dead.
Completely.
But—
"So what?!" Hogback slammed the table and roared.
"As long as she stays by my side—that's enough!"
"I don't care about anything else!!"
His voice echoed through the room.
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