บท 133: The Chilling Adventure in Thriller Bark

Thriller Bark loomed ominously, casting shadows over the Mighty Merry. Nami eyed the island warily. "We should leave. Now."

But Luffy had other ideas. With a wide grin, he declared, "We're going to explore!"

"Absolutely not!" Nami snapped, looking ready to tackle him back onto the ship. "Can't you feel the creepy vibes from here?"

Robin, with her usual calm, added, "Unfortunately, there's no escaping. We're surrounded by a wall that blocks us in."

Hearing this, Luffy's enthusiasm only grew. He strapped on a makeshift net and an empty box. "Let's go find adventure—and maybe some new crewmates!"

Franky, intrigued by Luffy's excitement, decided to tag along. Robin, amused by the captain's antics, joined as well. Raja, however, chose to remain on the Mighty Merry, sending his magical Thunder Bird, Shadow Tempest, to keep an eye on the girls. Usopp and Chopper looked indignant.

"Hey!" Usopp protested. "Why do only the girls get protection?"

Raja smirked, shrugging. "Guess you guys can handle a little scare."

Before setting off, Franky demonstrated a new upgrade to the Mighty Merry—the Soldier Dock System. He launched a small boat called Mini Merry II, a mini replica of their beloved Going Merry.

"Perfect for quick adventures!" Franky said proudly.

Usopp, Nami, and Chopper boarded the Mini Merry II and set off for the shore. As they approached, a strange, invisible force made a mockery of the group, tugging and tripping them. The beast even attempted to lick Robin but was quickly struck by a bolt of lightning from Raja's Thunder Bird, which tackled the creature, sending it flying into the trees.

Grateful but shaken, the crew pressed onward as the island drew them closer.

Landing ashore, the Mini Merry II skidded into a dry moat. They clambered out, only to find themselves face-to-face with a massive, three-headed dog.

"That's a Cerberus!" Usopp shrieked, clutching his exorcism gear tightly.

"RUN!" yelled Nami. They sprinted through the eerie landscape, with Usopp throwing a Kemuri Boshi (smoke bomb) to distract the creature. Somehow, they escaped, only to be picked up by a pale, vampire-like man named Hildon.

He offered them a ride to Dr. Hogback's mansion, which Chopper recognized as belonging to a famous doctor who vanished years ago. Hildon's carriage transported them deeper into the island, only to abandon them in a graveyard. Zombies clawed their way out of graves, forcing the trio to flee toward the mansion.

Inside the mansion, they encountered Dr. Hogback himself. Chopper, starstruck by the legend, listened eagerly as Hogback introduced himself as a scientist researching zombies. However, Nami's suspicions only grew.

Suddenly, the invisible beast from earlier reappeared, declaring his intentions to make Nami his bride. "I won't let you go!" the creature leered.

"NO!" Nami screamed, swatting at the air. Usopp and Chopper attempted to fight the creature off, with Usopp firing his Kaen Boshi, blasting a hole in the bathroom wall. Nami seized the opportunity and made her escape.

Meanwhile, on the Mighty Merry, the crew grew concerned as Nami, Usopp, and Chopper failed to return. Luffy, Raja, Zoro, Franky, and Sanji decided to search for them, entering the island through a nearby gate.

They encountered the same three-headed Cerberus. Luffy, in his usual fashion, attempted to befriend the creature, claiming, "You're my pet now!" The bewildered dog hesitated, allowing Luffy to proclaim victory.

As they wandered further into the forest, Luffy attempted to recruit every strange creature they encountered. Franky and Zoro exchanged skeptical looks as Luffy tried to charm a bizarre, snake-like beast. "I think he's recruiting an entire zoo," Zoro muttered, shaking his head.

Inside the mansion, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper continued their exploration, stumbling into a room filled with portraits of a deceased actress named Cindry. When they opened a chest, a Jack-in-the-Box zombie popped out, terrifying them. They fled, chased by more zombies, and eventually stumbled upon a hidden passage that led them to Dr. Hogback's lab.

Outside, Luffy and the rest of the crew encountered ghostly apparitions. The ghosts, passing through them, left each Straw Hat feeling inexplicably despondent. Luffy shook off the negative energy and challenged the ghosts, who accidentally revealed that they had attacked Nami, Usopp, and Chopper earlier.

An old man missing his shadow emerged, explaining that Gecko Moria, a Warlord of the Sea with a high bounty, was responsible for these shadow-stealing zombies. This revelation left the crew shocked, realizing they were up against a dangerous enemy.

In Hogback's lab, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper watched in horror as Hogback completed a zombie creation. They were soon confronted by a samurai zombie named Ryuma, who immediately made an inappropriate request to Nami, earning himself a death glare.

"How dare you!" she shouted. However, Ryuma ignored her, running past them and vanishing into the shadows.

As midnight struck, a legion of zombie soldiers rose from their graves, led by Absalom—a zombie with a stitched lion's face. Absalom, with his twisted romantic intentions, waved Nami's wanted poster in the air, declaring her his future bride. This enraged Nami further.

Nearby, a zombie warthog named Lola interrupted, demanding Absalom's love. When he rejected her in favor of Nami, Lola vowed to destroy her rival.

Meanwhile, Luffy and the crew learned from the old man that Thriller Bark wasn't merely an island—it was the world's largest pirate ship. They were ambushed by massive, armored Zombie Generals, summoned by Absalom. A fierce battle ensued, with Luffy shouting, "I'll take you all down if I have to!"

As they continued their exploration, Luffy and his crew were ambushed by "Surprise Zombies" led by a taxidermized pig zombie named Buhichuck. The ensuing skirmish was chaotic, and at some point, Sanji mysteriously disappeared.

"Great, another one missing," Zoro grumbled.

Chopper, separated from the others, awoke in a peculiar forest called Perona's Wonder Garden. He noticed eerie, doll-like animals watching him.

Meanwhile, Nami and Usopp found themselves on a bridge between Hogback's mansion and a towering structure. A dog-faced penguin zombie suddenly appeared, vowing to protect Nami, declaring he could never harm a lady.

Before long, Lola arrived to confront Nami, mistaking her for a love rival. Nami activated her Clima-Tact, electrocuting Absalom in self-defense.

"Ah, the spark of love!" Absalom swooned, blissfully misinterpreting the attack as an expression of affection. But as he tried to order his zombies to assist him, the dog-penguin was blasted aside by a sneak attack from Absalom.

Meanwhile, Luffy, Franky, and Robin fought the Zombie Generals in a tent-filled room. Franky realized the zombies had water buckets to douse fire attacks, rendering them nearly indestructible.

Luffy's eyes narrowed as he observed one zombie perform Zoro's Sanjuroku Pound Ho. "They have our abilities!" he exclaimed, realizing that Moria had stolen the shadows of skilled fighters.

Franky and Robin managed to escape onto a stone bridge, but Luffy was captured and chained.

Back on the Mighty Merry, Perona and her zombies rummaged through the ship for treasures. Hildon arrived to inform her that Luffy was captured and that Moria planned to summon the ultimate Zombie 900. Perona's grin widened at the news.

Elsewhere, Nami tricked Lola into believing she was a man, prompting Lola to pursue Absalom, who now became the object of her misguided affections.

Meanwhile, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper managed to escape their zombie pursuers, hiding inside a large bear zombie named Kumashi.

On a narrow bridge, Franky and Robin found themselves cornered by a massive zombie general named Tararan, a spider-monkey hybrid. Just as they readied to fight, Brook suddenly appeared, leaping onto the bridge with a bow.

"Allow me!" Brook announced, drawing his sword. With elegance and precision, he cut down Tararan.

After introducing himself, Brook explained the horrific process behind Moria's zombies. With the Kage Kage no Mi, Moria could steal shadows and place them into corpses, imbuing the zombies with the personalities and skills of the stolen shadows.

Brook handed Franky and Robin bags of salt, explaining that salt could exorcise a zombie's stolen shadow. "Take these and use them wisely," he advised. "We'll need every advantage we can get against Moria."

The stage was set for the Straw Hats' counterattack as they prepared to retrieve their captured friends and face Gecko Moria, the Warlord of the Sea, in the heart of Thriller Bark.