Inside the castle, Meiser and his four companions encountered the so-called Dr. Hogback shortly after entering.
The man appeared extremely hospitable, immediately inviting the five of them into his room upon seeing them.
"Horohorohoro~"
"It's rare to have guests visit~" Hogback laughed heartily. "Welcome to my castle!"
"Are you Dr. Hogback?" Meiser narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized Hogback.
After his clone disappeared earlier, he had already obtained information about this man.
According to Lola and the others, this person was likely one of Gekko Moria's subordinates, possibly serving as the ship's doctor or something similar.
The question was whether this so-called "world's greatest doctor" had willingly followed Moria or had been forcibly brought here.
Under Meiser's piercing gaze, Hogback instinctively broke into a cold sweat on the back of his neck and replied, "Ah, yes, I am Hogback~"
"Do you know me, guests?"
At this moment, Hogback felt uneasy—the pressure from the other party's stare was overwhelming.
It gave him the illusion that the one staring at him wasn't a person, but a terrifying beast.
"No, it's not me who knows you." Meiser pointed at Chopper. "It's this little guy."
After saying this, Meiser averted his gaze, no longer looking at Hogback.
Hogback secretly sighed in relief—being stared at like that was truly unbearable.
'Just what kind of people are these...? They don't seem weak at all.' Hogback grew wary.
Could they have noticed something?
That shouldn't be the case. He hadn't revealed any flaws, so there was no way they could have spotted anything.
Unless... they had encountered those Zombies on their way here, and the Zombies had leaked some information!
Thinking this, Hogback found it plausible.
However, since they hadn't attacked him outright, it meant his secrets hadn't been exposed.
"It seems I'll have to be more careful with my words from now on."
Clearing his throat, Hogback said, "Cindry-chan, please bring some food for our guests."
Cindry: "..."
Cindry remained silent, staring coldly at Hogback.
"Cindry-chan..." Hogback said awkwardly. "We have guests here... Could you please spare me some dignity..."
Cindry still didn't speak, continuing to glare at Hogback. After a moment, she finally replied,
"...Fine."
Watching Cindry walk away, Hogback sighed in relief—that could have been embarrassing.
This woman...
Meiser's gaze lingered on Cindry as she left, a trace of doubt in his eyes.
He had noticed the stitching marks on her body the moment they entered, initially assuming she was another Zombie.
But now... it didn't seem that way.
If she really were a Zombie, she shouldn't have treated one of Moria's subordinates with such disdain.
Could it be... she's actually alive?
Or perhaps... Lola and the others had made some mistakes in their judgment of Hogback?
At this thought, Meiser fell into deep contemplation.
"Dr. Hogback, I have so much to say to you!" Chopper exclaimed. "I'm also a doctor—Doctor Chopper!"
"Oh!"
"Doctor Chopper," Hogback replied, as if finding common ground, smiling at him. "What would you like to discuss with me, Doctor Chopper?"
"What are you doing here, Dr. Hogback?"
"Of course, it's for groundbreaking research!!" Hogback immediately perked up at the question, slamming the table as he stood. "I assume you encountered some terrifying Zombies on your way here."
"Huh?"
The group exchanged glances, taken aback by how bluntly he brought it up.
"We did run into some frightening Zombies," Nami nodded. "We were almost eaten."
Hogback nodded in turn, confirming his earlier suspicion—they had indeed noticed something.
"That's right. We also know this is Gecko Moria's territory."
"Wha—?!"
Hogback was shocked. Had such crucial information already leaked?
What were those Zombies even doing? Why would they reveal Lord Moria's secrets?
Though these people would find out eventually, knowing now might scare them off!
And if they ran away, how would they replenish their Shadows?
"Why do you look so surprised...?" Usopp asked suspiciously. "You're not going to claim you don't know Moria, are you?"
After speaking, Usopp fixed Hogback with an intense stare.
"That's right, Dr. Hogback, answer us truthfully!" Chopper's expression turned serious as he glared at Hogback. "I want to know—did those modified Zombies come from you?"
"And... were you willing, or were you forcibly brought here by Moria?"
Chopper stood on a stool, his gaze locked onto Hogback, his presence growing more imposing.
Under their scrutiny, Hogback let out an awkward chuckle.
Now he understood why they had been looking at him that way from the start—they already knew whose territory this was!
"You're not thinking of lying to us, are you?" Nami said.
"Horohorohoro~"
"Of course not," Hogback laughed nervously. "I wasn't planning to deceive you. I'm just... surprised."
"Surprised about what?"
"Surprised that you're not afraid of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea," Hogback replied. "Most people would have fled the moment they heard that name."
The fact that they hadn't run despite knowing about the Warlords meant they weren't weak... He needed a convincing excuse, or he might really be done for!
Hogback's mind raced, desperately searching for a plausible explanation to extricate himself.
Just then, Cindry walked over with a wooden tray carrying several puddings and casually tossed them onto the table.
"Wha—?!!"
Everyone stared at Cindry in shock—why wasn't she using a plate?
"Hey, Cindry-chan!" Hogback gaped at her and said, "At least use a plate to serve it, a plate!"
"Can't you even fulfill this simple request for us?"
"Hmph."
Cindry sneered coldly, her voice icy as she replied, "Plates... If only they could all vanish from this world."
Hogback: "..."
The others: "..."
"What's up with her?" Nami muttered.
Why did she seem to hold such a deep grudge against plates?
"Ah~"
"She once shattered all the beloved plates of her wealthy fiancé to test his devotion," Hogback explained. "As a result, the furious tycoon drove her out. That's why she despises plates so much."
Listening to Hogback's explanation, Meiser fell into deep thought. Was this really not just some made-up story?
Did such an absurd person truly exist in the world?
Deliberately destroying someone's most cherished possessions to test their feelings—that was just too ridiculous.
"Plates... They should all shatter."
"Cindry-chan..."
Hogback sighed helplessly. This was her one flaw—she didn't perfectly execute all his commands.
Perhaps this was the downside of an incomplete contract.
Watching as Cindry placed the pudding directly on the table, Hogback sighed quietly before saying, "Everyone, please enjoy."
"Though there are no plates, to prevent such incidents, I've already wiped the table spotless."
With that, Hogback began eating first, as if to show that the food wasn't poisoned.
But Meiser and the others didn't move, simply staring at Hogback.
Having already learned plenty beforehand, they wouldn't casually eat something offered by Hogback just because of his words.
Even the usually naive Chopper was no exception.
"Eh? You're not eating?"
"Dr. Hogback, you still haven't answered our question," Merry reminded him.
"Ah, the question..."
Hogback laughed awkwardly. It seemed this matter couldn't be brushed off so easily. But it didn't matter—he'd already thought of a solution.
Lifting his head, Hogback straightened his expression and said, "That's right. I do know this is Gekko Moria's territory."
"Eh?!"
"Then... are you one of his men?" Chopper's expression instantly changed. "Does that mean you're the one who modified all these Zombies?"
"Correct."
"You bastard! Why would you do something like this?!"
Enraged, Chopper immediately enlarged, glaring at Hogback with fury as if ready to pummel him.
"W-Wait!"
"Dr. Chopper, please don't act yet. Let me finish speaking first."
"Fine. Talk."
Chopper stopped in his tracks. He wanted to hear exactly what excuses this scoundrel could come up with.
"What I mean is... I had no choice but to do this..." Hogback said helplessly.
"No choice?"
Nami and Meiser exchanged glances before asking curiously, "What do you mean?"
"Yes, this is Gekko Moria's territory, and I am working for him. But things aren't as you imagine," Hogback said solemnly.
After finishing his words, Hogback seemed to reminisce about the past as he slowly said, "I still remember the first time I met Gekko Moria was on Banaccus Island."
"At the time, I was performing a difficult surgical operation there. It took several hours before I successfully saved several patients."
Listening to Hogback's account, Chopper's expression gradually changed. Clearly, the other party's glorious deeds had made Chopper develop some goodwill toward him.
"Then why did you come here?"
Hogback immediately knew he had a chance when he heard the change in Chopper's tone!
"Let me finish."
"After completing the surgery, I encountered this legendary Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea," Hogback sighed. "Without saying a word, he forcibly abducted me, giving me no chance to resist."
"It wasn't until I arrived here that I understood why he had brought me..."
Hogback's expression suddenly turned furious, as if resisting something, as he said, "That bastard wanted me to help him modify corpses, creating one powerful Zombie after another!"
"At the time, I refused—righteously and firmly refused!"
"You... refused?"
Hearing this, Chopper's anger immediately subsided, and he returned to his original size.
"Yes, I refused," Hogback nodded. "But Moria threatened me, saying he would kill me if I didn't comply."
"Yet such threats meant nothing to me. As a doctor, I'm not afraid of death!"
"Only..."
"Only what?"
"Only he offered me a condition I couldn't refuse."
"What condition?" Merry asked curiously.
"If I agreed to his terms, he would help me revive my fiancée!"
"I loved her deeply..." At this point, Hogback suddenly became agitated and shouted, "But she died!"
"Now, someone suddenly tells me they can bring her back to life—and even demonstrated it right before my eyes by reviving a corpse. Tell me, how could I refuse?!"
Hogback trembled with emotion, his demeanor completely genuine.
Because the resurrection he spoke of was real.
He truly loved someone, and that person had indeed died... and this was the reason he joined Moria's crew!
For a lie to be convincing, it couldn't be entirely false.
Hogback, having studied psychology, understood this very well. That's why he straightforwardly recounted some real events from his past.
Even if someone had actually been to Banaccus Island, there was no risk of exposure—because he really had practiced medicine there!
As for the rest...
The fiancée was a lie.
She was a famous stage actress, well-known in many places, and had no connection to him whatsoever.
He was merely one of her many admirers.
But his love for her was real. Even after her death, he still loved her deeply—so much so that he was willing to turn her into a Zombie if it meant having her back.
The rest was true—except that he had surrendered much faster than his words suggested.
"To think... something like this happened..."
Nami covered her mouth and said, "For the sake of my beloved...
...fiancée, I would brave even the den of demons without hesitation..."
"Dr. Hogback..."
Tears welled up in Chopper's eyes as he looked at Hogback and said, "I misjudged you."
He had thought the man had willingly become Moria's lackey, but it turned out there was more to the story.
"So, you were forced into this?" Usopp asked.
"More or less, sigh..." Hogback sighed. "But for my fiancée, I had no choice."
After a pause, Hogback glanced at Chopper and added, "Dr. Chopper, modifying those corpses was never my intention. But if I didn't do it, Moria wouldn't help me revive my fiancée."
"So... please understand."
Chopper opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.
Scanning their expressions, Hogback continued, "I know you might not understand me, but... who doesn't have a loved one they wish could be brought back to life?!"
His words plunged everyone into silence.
Nami thought of her adoptive mother, Usopp of his mother, and Chopper of his adoptive father.
If possible, they too would want their loved ones to return.
"But the question is... is the revived person truly your loved one?" Meiser interjected. "Are you sure it's still them?"
When a person dies, their soul leaves the body.
It's like a machine losing its controller—it can no longer function.
What Moria calls "reviving" by implanting a Shadow is essentially adding a new controller. But whose personality does that controller have?
The Shadow's? Or the deceased's?
Meiser remained skeptical.
Hogback opened his mouth but couldn't answer.
Yes, the revived person wasn't the original.
Even with fragments of memory or a similar body, that person's soul was gone—utterly and irrevocably dead.
This was something Hogback, having followed Gecko Moria for so long, knew all too well.
But... but!!
"So what?!" Hogback slammed the table and stood up, furious. "All I want is for her to be by my side again!"
"Nothing else matters!"