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Chapter 454: The Humming Swordsman

Arc: Thriller Bark · Saga: Thriller Bark · Released:

Summary

Inside Thriller Bark the split Straw Hats keep running. Nami — passing herself off as a cross-dressing man, “Namizo” — wins over the love-struck zombie Lola “the Proposer” with a stream of fake encouragement about marrying Absalom, then exploits Lola’s gratitude (which Nami privately calls “a rotten logical loophole”) to learn the route back to the treasure storehouse and to weaponize Lola’s lunge at the invisible Master as cover for her, Usopp and Chopper to escape his boar. Elsewhere, Perona’s underlings ransack the Thousand Sunny, find almost no treasure, and gawk that this is the ship of “the man who beat Crocodile”; word spreads that Luffy has been captured and that Master Moria will “reveal Number 900.” The invisible Absalom barges into Perona’s room hunting the three pirates. On the far side of the ruins, Zoro, Robin and Franky are pinned by a giant spinneret-handed spider zombie commanding 500 “Spider Mice” whose Hogback-reinforced silk humans cannot tear; Franky’s “Heavy Nunchucks” (steel chain sunk into stone pillars) and Robin’s Seis Fleurs batter it, but fresh spiders snare them — until the skeleton who fell from the sky, Brook the Humming Swordsman, drops in singing “Binks’ Sake” and fells the spider zombie with one sheathing cut: “Three-Pace Hum: Notch Slash.”

New reveals

• Nami’s “Namizo” ruse: she poses as a cross-dressing man to befriend Lola, then manipulates the grateful zombie into revealing the way back to the treasure storehouse (described as near “Mistress Deborah’s room”) and into charging Absalom as a distraction (pp. 3–6).
• Thousand Sunny near-empty of treasure: Perona’s crew note it is the ship of “the man who defeated Crocodile” yet “hardly has anything of value” (p. 7).
• “Number 900” + Luffy captured: Luffy (“Straw Hat”) has been captured, and a special zombie “Number 900” is to be unveiled — the two are explicitly linked (p. 7).
• Moria summons the “Mysterious Three”: messenger bat Hildon relays it; Kumacy is Perona’s put-upon zombie underling (pp. 7–9).
• Spider zombie’s army: a giant spider zombie has a spinneret on his hand, commands 500 “Spider Mice” underlings, and his “Sticky Spider Net” is reinforced by Dr. Hogback’s modifications so humans cannot tear it (pp. 11–12, 17).
• Franky — “Heavy Nunchucks”: steel nunchucks chained into stone pillars and swung as a flail (pp. 13–14).
• Brook’s combat debut: the Humming Swordsman fells the spider zombie with “Three-Pace Hum: Notch Slash” (the sheathe-then-fall delayed cut) while humming “Binks’ Sake” (pp. 18–19).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Straw Hats: Nami (as “Namizo”), Usopp, Tony Tony Chopper, Nico Robin (Seis Fleurs — Hana Hana no Mi), Franky (Heavy Nunchucks), Zoro, Luffy (mentioned — captured)
• Brook: Brook — the Humming Swordsman; combat debut
• Thriller Bark side: Absalom (invisible), Perona (“Mistress Perona”), Lola (the Proposer), Gecko Moria (“Master Moria” — mentioned, summons the “Mysterious Three”), Hogback (mentioned — his modifications reinforce the spider silk), Kumacy (Perona’s zombie underling), Hildon (messenger bat)
• Referenced: Crocodile (Luffy is “the man who defeated Crocodile”)
• Groups/Ships: Straw Hat Pirates, Thousand Sunny (ransacked, near-empty)
• Locations: Thriller Bark, Perona’s Wonder Garden (Perona’s room; the treasure storehouse and “Mistress Deborah’s room” are referenced but not shown)
• Unnamed / unminted: the giant spider zombie general and his 500 “Spider Mice” underlings (no proper name on-page); “Mistress Deborah” (named only — a resident whose room sits near the treasure storehouse; not shown, not minted)

Notable panels

• Pages 1–2 — Title splash (double-page): a zombie boxing match in a ring marked “53R” with a striped, monkey-tailed referee zombie; banner “deadly combat.” Chapter-title banner: “The Humming Swordsman.” Decorative Thriller Bark flavor — not a cover-story serial (chapter 454 carries no cover installment).
• Page 7 — The Thousand Sunny ransacked at Thriller Bark; near-empty of treasure (“they’ve hardly got anything of value”).
• Pages 13–14 — Franky sinks his steel nunchucks into stone pillars and swings them: “Heavy Nunchucks!!!”
• Page 19 — Brook’s “Three-Pace Hum: Notch Slash” — the iconic sheathe-then-fall pose; the spider zombie drops after the blade clicks home (mirror candidate).
• Page 20 — Between-chapter SBS “Question Corner” (Vol. 47): confirms Kalifa’s Awa Awa no Mi is a Paramecia (“rub and bubbles come out”), not a Logia; explains Jump runs comics by reader-popularity order. (Volume insert, not chapter-454 story content.)

Open questions raised

• What is “Number 900,” and how does capturing Luffy enable its unveiling?
• Who is “Mistress Deborah,” whose room sits beside the treasure storehouse?
• What does Brook want from the Straw Hats, and will he keep aiding them?
• Who are the “Mysterious Three” Moria is summoning, and what is the island ruler planning?