Chapters · Dressrosa › Punk Hazard

Chapter 675: I Call It Land of the Dead

Arc: Punk Hazard · Saga: Dressrosa · Released:

Summary

Caesar Clown unveils his masterwork to a hidden audience of New-World underworld brokers watching by video Den Den Mushi: the gas-creature Smiley, an incarnation of the toxic H₂S gas with which he once killed Punk Hazard four years ago, reformed from its fragmented “Smiles” and force-fed an enormous “special food” until it becomes “a perfect killing machine” he names “Land of the Dead.” As the new weapon bears down on the icy side, Caesar coldly orders his own gas-suited soldiers — the live test subjects of the demonstration — to run and to strip off the suits that won’t save them. In the lab, Vergo crushes the heart Caesar extracted from Law as collateral while Caesar reveals that Monet shape-shifted to shadow Law and overheard his whole plan; a captive Luffy marvels that Law is alive without his heart, and a captured Smoker demands to know where his heart is. Meanwhile the drugged children are herded back toward the “biscuits room,” but Mocha, terrified, refuses her candy and throws herself out of a high door to escape rather than go back. Smiley melts the lab’s dragon-sled, devours one of Vegapunk’s small dragons, and surges after the fleeing soldiers as Caesar happily welcomes his old weapon home.

New reveals

• “Land of the Dead” — Caesar’s name for the finished weapon: Smiley re-formed and transformed by a “special food” meal into a killing machine whose gas leaves no escape (p. 14).
• Smiley = “an incarnation of the toxic H₂S gas” (p. 13); used to kill Punk Hazard four years ago (p. 13). Its flaw then: victims could still evacuate “in a weakened state” (p. 13).
• The fragmented “Smiles” launch from the burning side and coalesce at the center of the icy side; “when Smiley is whole, the experiment will begin” (p. 13).
• Caesar is broadcasting the demonstration to “criminal brokers… around the New World” by a wall video Den Den Mushi (pp. 11–12) — and his own gas-suited soldiers are the test subjects he is sacrificing (pp. 14–17).
• Vergo holds and crushes the heart Caesar took from Law as collateral (pp. 9–11); Caesar reveals Monet changed her shape to follow Law and overheard his entire plan (p. 10).
• Caesar–Law deal flashback: Caesar demanded Law “give your heart to me” so “we each have our hands at the other’s neck”; in exchange Law could stay, keep “the Heart,” and was allowed his run of the island (pp. 7–9).
• Mocha refuses the addictive candy despite withdrawal and escapes through a high door, the first captive child shown breaking the drug-control (pp. 3–5).
• Smiley melts the dragon-sled with a chemical coating and eats one of Vegapunk’s small dragons (pp. 16–17).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Characters: Caesar Clown, Trafalgar Law, Vergo (first on-page appearance in this read; see note), Monet, Smiley (first on-page appearance), Smoker, Luffy, Nami, Sanji, Usopp, Mocha, Vegapunk (referenced via “Vegapunk’s Dragon (small)” caption, p. 16), Tashigi (named off-page p. 2 by G-5 — “give us back Smokey and Tashigi!!”; not shown)
• Captive children of Punk Hazard appear as a group; only Mocha is named here.
• Crews / groups: Straw Hat Pirates, Heart Pirates, Marines (G-5, off-page at the front entrance demanding “give us back Smokey and Tashigi!!”)
• Fruits / lore: Gasu Gasu no Mi (Caesar’s H₂S gas), Ope Ope no Mi (the heart-collateral mechanic), NHC10 (the addictive “candy”), Den Den Mushi (wall video snail)
• Locations: Punk Hazard (Caesar’s lab front entrance; the icy side / its center), New World (where the broker audience watches)
• Cover story: Caribou’s New World Kee Hee Hee, Vol. 2 — “No Runnin’ Away Now, My Sweet Li’l Mermaids!!” (Caribou chasing mermaids), header illustration on p. 1.

Notable panels

• p. 1 — Title page + cover-story header: Caribou menacing mermaids (“No Runnin’ Away Now, My Sweet Li’l Mermaids!!”).
• pp. 4–5 — Mocha breaks from the herded children and hurls herself out a high lab door to escape the candy (“Nice guy and lady!! I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you!!”).
• pp. 9–11 — Vergo crushes Law’s collateral heart; Caesar reveals Monet’s shape-shift spying; Smoker demands his own heart; Luffy gawks that Law is alive.
• pp. 12 — Wall video Den Den Mushi reveals the broadcast to underworld brokers across the New World.
• pp. 14 — Splash: Caesar names the weapon — ”…LAND OF THE DEAD!!!”
• pp. 15–16 — Smiley re-forms into a vast gelatinous monster; “Vegapunk’s Dragon (small)” caption as Smiley chomps a dragon.
• pp. 18–19 — Caesar tearfully greets his weapon (“SMILEYYY!!! Oh, how I’ve missed you!!”) as it slurps up its prey.

Open questions raised

• Whose heart did Vergo actually crush — Law’s, or did Law swap it? (Law lives heart-removed; Caesar insists he has “it right here.”)
• Is Vergo a planted Marine/insider? Why the “cold sweat” at seeing Smoker?
• What was the “special food” (giant candy) that turns Smiley into the Land of the Dead — and what is Smiley biologically?
• Can the fleeing soldiers and the swapped Straw Hats outrun the new weapon, and where is Smoker’s extracted heart now?