Chapter 157: Ghost Ship
"Hey guys look. It's a barrel that has the word treasure on it." Zoro pointed at a barrel which had a banner stuck on the top of it. Luffy grinned and stretched his right hand out, his rubbery hand grabbed the barrel and retracted back into place.
Luffy set the barrel down as everyone gathered around it. Nami hummed as she read the kanji written on the banner.
"It says 'Sea God Houzen' here. Someone was praying for a safe voyage so they made an offering to the guardian deities of the sea. 'Houzen' means 'to the gods'." Nami explained as Chopper slumped down, feeling disappointed.
" Aww man.... picking it up was pointless then. " Chopper mumbled. Zoro stepped up and put his hand on the lid of the barrel.
"Inside the barrel is probably alcohol. Let's open it up and drink it." Zoro decided but Usopp stopped her.
"Baka, you'll be cursed by the Gods!" Usopp argued. Zoro shrugged.
"Then we'll just put a new offering in and send it off. Plus, I don't pray to no Gods nor do I believe they exist." Zoro replied nonchalantly. Luffy laughed mischievously as he opened the lid instead of Zoro.
"Great!! It's open—
*PEWWWW!!!!!*
Luffy jumped back in surprise as something shot out of the barrel and up to the sky. They all looked at it as it exploded.
*PAAAAMMM!!!!*
"Red light, it's a flare." Nojiko muttered. Chopper was shocked.
"So we were pranked?" The reindeer wondered.
" A prank from the Sea Gods?" Zoro chuckled a little. Robin hummed. She was thinking about something.
" It's not a problem if it's just a prank, but perhaps someone may be targeting this ship." Robin guessed. Usopp and Nojiko widened their eyes and immediately went to look out for any ships heading their way.
"Do you see anyone, sis?" Nojiko asked Nami who was on the top deck of the Sunny.
"No I don't. But everyone needs to head to their posts now, we're fleeing southeast! A raging storm is on the way in five minutes! " Nami shouted. No one argued with her about her weather predictions.
"The course, Nami?!" Luffy asked her.
"Bear to two o'clock!" Nami shouted back. The storm hits as predicted, but Sunny does not fare well against the strong headwind.
"Everyone! Take up the sails! The paddles are coming out!" Franky shouted and unleashed the Sunny's Soldier Dock System, Channel 0.
With the paddle wheels, the crew got out of the storm and entered a dark foggy area of sea where it seems to be nighttime all the time.
"Kaya, you got any idea where we are?" Luffy asked Kaya who nodded.
"It seems we've entered the Florian Triangle, a strange sea notorious for the many ships that mysteriously go missing within it. " Kaya explained. Luffy laughed loudly.
" Alright!!! It looks like we've found ourselves a fun place to explore! Give me more details about this Florian Triangle, Kaya!" Luffy shouted with a large grin on his face.
" Aye, captain! "
Kaya started explaining what she knew about the Florian Triangle with Nami also joining in the conversation.
The Florian Triangle is masked in incredibly thick fog that covers the entire sea. The fog is dense enough to completely block out sunlight and make it impossible to tell whether it is night or day.
Many people travel through the Florian Triangle, as it is necessary to follow the sea route from Water 7 to Fish-Man Island.
Over 100 ships disappear every year in the Florian Triangle and are often found later without their crews.
Robin joined in to, she start explaining some rumors about the Florian Triangle. The cause of this appears to be unidentified entities that dwell within the Florian Triangle.
Nothing is known about these entities, except that they are massive and appear to have red eyes. They are large enough to completely dwarf Thriller Bark, an island-sized pirate ship.
Everyone had chills sent down their spines while silently hearing Robin telling their captain ghost stories about this place.
Luffy was laughing through all of it. 'Ghosts aren't real!' He thought to himself as he listened to Robin's horror stories of Florian Triangle.
Robin somehow ran out of stories to tell, which was a relief to the Straw Hats except for Luffy who was sad that storytime was over.
Kaya then butted in to tell Luffy what was perhaps the most interesting thing he heard today.
Apparently, one of the Seven Warlords Gecko Moria set up his ship, Thriller Bark inside of the Florian Triangle to take advantage of its heavy traffic.
She also told him that Moria had eaten the Kage Kage no Mi. It is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that gives the user the ability to manifest and control shadows of living creatures, including their own, as physical and tangible forms.
The user, becoming a Ruler of Shadows can steal the shadows of other beings and insert them into different bodies, living or dead, which in the latter case enables the creation of zombies.
"Well, I'd say we have a good chance of encountering him and probably some ghost ships. Anyone wanna sail outta here before we get traumatized?" Luffy asked his crew with a small smile on his face. When no one answered and looked at him with serious facial expressions instead, he nodded.
"Ahh!!!! Ghost ship!!!" Chopper shouted while pointing at a ship approaching the Sunny from behind.
"Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~~"
Everyone looked and widened their eyes as the ghost ship approaching them was at least 10 times Sunny's size. It had no figurehead and was badly damaged.
"Yohohoho~~~"
"Is that someone singing?" Robin whispered as a shaking Chopper hid behind her. Zoro put his hand on Wado Ichimonji's handle.
"If it's an enemy then I'll slice it up." Zoro assured them. Sanji blew out smoke from smoking his cigarette.
"It's here, whatever it is." The chef mumbled as the ghost ship slowly sailed past the Thousand Sunny.
They saw a silhouette looking at them. They all widened their eyes in disbelief as they saw a skeleton with an afro holding a teacup, staring into their souls.
"Binks no sake o ♪.... Todoke ni yuku yo ♪...*Slurps tea aggressively* Yohohohooooooo~"
The skeleton kept singing as the ship it was on passed them slowly and ominously. Luffy suddenly grinned excitedly as he looked at Sanji and Nami. The two shook their heads repeatedly while looking at him with pure fear in their eyes.
"Sanji~ Nami~ Come with me please~"
.
.
Luffy, Sanji and Nami were climbing up the ghost ship. Luffy was excited to meet the guardian of the treasure in the ghost ship while Sanji and Nami were saying their prayers.
Suddenly, the skeleton peered over the edge of the ship and stared at them. Luffy grinned back, while Sanji and Nami screamed in fear.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"
.
.
"How are you!! Yohohoho!! Pardon my earlier behavior! I met eyes with you all yet I could give no greeting!! I am the gentleman skeleton, Brook! " Brook tipped his top hat and greeted them cheerfully. Luffy grinned as he took a good look at Brook.
Brook is an extremely tall skeleton dressed in formal attire complete with top hat and cane. Standing at 266 cm (8'8 ½") in height.
Despite having no skin, he still has an afro because his hair has very strong roots. Brook's style was that of a gentleman consisting of a coat, top hat, trousers and afro, which were black, while the inner linings of his coat were yellow-orange.
The cravat that was tied in between his coat and around his neck was blue. The outer covering of Brook's cane sword which he carries was purple. Also, due to his many years of seclusion his clothes were somewhat tattered.
"It has been decades since I've met a living breathing person! All you see here is ghost ship after ghost ship around these parts. So scary!! Now now, please! Do come in!!" Brook invited them. Luffy grabbed Nami's hand and they started walking. He then walked closer to Brook with the his crewmates by his side.
Brook looked at Nami who was wearing a pink, long-sleeved sweater with a white collar, a pleated brown mini-skirt, and brown high-heeled boots.
He then looked at Sanji who was wearing a black suit.
"My my my!! What a lovely young woman you have accompanying you!! Beautiful!!!! I've never set eyes on such a beauty!! Cause skeletons don't have eyes!! Yohohoho!!! " Brook laughed after he made a skull joke. Luffy laughed along with him.
"Perhaps you would be so kind as to show me your panties." Brook suggested.
" Like hell I'd show you!!! " Nami shouted and kicked Brook in the head. Brook laughed as he fell down to the ground.
" Yohohoho!!! How severe!!! I felt that down to my bones!!! Just down to my skeleton!!! " Brook joked even though he felt pain.
" Hahahahahaha!!!!" Luffy laughed harder while Nami kept glaring at Brook menacingly.
If it were any other person who said that, Luffy would've joined in the beating. But Brook was something else, he'll let it slide.
"Hey Brook, do you poop?" Luffy asked, making Sanji and Nami deadpan at him.
"There are all sorts of questions you should've asked before that one." Sanji grumbled, Luffy grinned and shrugged at him.
"Indeed, I do poop." Brook replied a second later.
" Good to know. " Luffy mumbled while nodding to himself. Nami palmed her face.
"Well, if you answered Luffy's question. Then please answer ours. You're nothing but bones, so how can you walk and talk? How did you end up here, what happened on this ship?" Nami quickly fired question after question directed at Brook. Luffy stepped up.
"Before you answer her questions, join my crew, Brook!!"
"Alright then. "
" EHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!?????? "
To be continued...
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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