The Thousand Sunny cut through the morning tide like a blade, its grass-covered deck glistening with dew. Luffy and Usopp stood ankle-deep in the bow's water basin, their arms darting in and out of the hull-mounted fishing nets. Every splash echoed off the gleaming railings.
"Got another one!" Usopp crowed, hauling in a wriggling silver fish that flopped across the deck. Luffy joined in, his eyes alight. "And me! We'll fill the aquarium by lunch!" He tossed a finned prize into the giant glass tank set into the deck, startling a school of neon tangs that scattered in a shimmering cloud.
Below decks, Chopper pored over the med-bay's holographic schematics. The room, designed by Lucas, gleamed with curved glass panels and soft-glowing consoles. Biometric scanners hummed as Chopper ran diagnostic tests on the nano-scalpels. "Fascinating… these robotic arms could revolutionize battlefield triage," he murmured, eyes shining bright.
On the aft deck, Zoro paced in measured steps, twin blades slung at his hip. He practiced his Asura form—three swords dancing in a blur of steel. Each swing carved arcs of breeze through the humid air, sending salt spray glittering over the deck. A pile of straw target dummies sat shredded next to him.
High above, Lucas reclined in a hammock of swirling cloud fluff he'd harvested in Skypiea. He ran his fingers through the soft mass, murmuring to himself as he experimented with its gravity-defying properties.
Suddenly, a voice called out from below: a perfect mimic of Lucas's tone. "Huh—hey, guys? There's something in the water!"
Lucas's eyes snapped open. "Ditto clone?" he murmured, leaping from the hammock. The crew dropped what they were doing and sprinted to the main deck rail.
Below them, the sea churned as a dark shape drifted alongside the hull. The crew leaned over the rail, the smell of brine heavy on the wind. Luffy and Usopp exchanged grins, yanking the object up together. With a final heave, it broke the surface: a weather-beaten wooden barrel encrusted with barnacles.
"Treasure?" Luffy half-shouted, brushing salt off the wood. In faded letters, the word TREASURE was stenciled on its side. His eyes glowed. "Think it fell off some pirate ship?"
Nami leaned close, brow furrowed. "It doesn't look like it came from a merchant vessel. The wood is… odd."
Usopp swept his finger over the barrel's branded mark. "And there's kanji here: 'Sea God's Houzen.'"
Robin tapped her lip thoughtfully. "A prayer barrel—maybe someone cast it overboard to secure a safe voyage."
Zoro crossed his arms. "Enough speculation. Let's open it."
Usopp's eyes bugged out. "Didn't you hear Robin? You'll be cursed if you touch it!"
Zoro snorted. "Curses don't frighten me."
Nami stepped between them. "We should at least pray over it first. It probably contains sake—and alcohol aged by the waves tastes like liquid sunshine."
Franky appeared with a massive spanner in hand. "Alright, who's ready for a taste test? Toast in advance!" He grabbed the rusty iron latch and yanked it free.
With a thunderous CLANG, the barrel's head splintered—and a brilliant flare launched into the sky. Red light washed over the sails, turning the sea to blood for a single second before fading like a bad dream.
Usopp screamed, staggering back. "Look what you did! Now we're definitely cursed!"
Robin shaded her eyes, watching the dissolving glow. "A flare—did someone set a trap to lure rescues?"
Lucas tightened his jaw. "And we just fell for it. Prepare for combat—just in case."
A tense hush fell. Then Nami straightened, pointing skyward. "Storm front—moving fast. We have five minutes!"
With urgent shouts, the Straw Hats leapt into action. Nami barked orders: "Raise the fore-sails! Brace the deck!" Sanji and Franky dove to the halyards, hauling canvas as thunder rumbled on the horizon.
Dark clouds swallowed the sun in moments. The wind screamed, whipping the deck with spray. Sheets of rain hammered down as waves rose like steel walls. A cannon-like boom of thunder shook the masts.
"Oh no," Nami muttered, voice tight. "It's all headwind—no tail breeze to ease the run."
Franky smirked, wiping rain from his goggles. "That's nothing the Sunny can't handle!" He pressed a dazzling red button on the rail: hidden paddles with massive paddle-wheel blades burst from the hull's side. With a cough of steam, they spun furiously.
With a lurch and a roar, the Sunny surged forward, slicing clean through the gale and leaving the howling storm behind.
Zoro braced himself against the rail, eyes narrowed. "That's odd… we passed right through, but look—night has already fallen. And this fog…" He waved a hand. "It's thicker than swamp mist."
Sanji spat over the rail. "You think we've entered that Florian Triangle they talk about?"
Usopp snorted. "Don't joke—people say ships vanish there!"
The fog deepened into ghostly swirls, coiling around the Sunny like spectral hands. The creak of planks and the echo of distant shanty notes drifted on the wind: "Yo-ho-ho… Yo-ho-ho…"
A massive black shape loomed out of the fog: a galleon draped in tattered sails and barnacled hull. From its deck came a single lantern's glow—and then, skeletal laughter that rattled the railings.
"Ghost Ship!!!" Chopper and Usopp shrieked, scrambling away from the rail in terror.
Lucas stepped forward, arms spread. "Come on, there's nothing to be afraid of!"
Just then, he felt a cold hand on his shoulder—and spun around to find a towering skeleton in naval coat, eye sockets flickering with ghost-light.
"Oh." Lucas tilted his head. "Hey guys—skeleton!"
"AAA!" Usopp pointed. "A skeleton ate Lucas!"
In a flash, Lucas shifted form: towering bone, black cloak, a skull mask, and glowing staff—an uncanny mimic of Ainz Ooal Gown. He raised his staff and intoned in a hollow voice, "Foolish mortals—tremble!"
At that, Sanji lurched back, knocking over Usopp. Zoro's eyes widened. Nami squealed, then slammed her sandal into the skeleton's shin. CLACK! Lucas let out a booming laugh. "I got you guys!" He dropped the illusion, stepping from behind.
Nami crossed her arms, glaring. "Lucas—enough with your pranks!" She tapped his head, and his form snapped back to normal.
Chopper tugged at Nami's sleeve. "We've been over this—it's always Lucas!" he panted.
"N-not me this time," Lucas huffed, raising his hands in mock innocence. "Promise!"
But the fog parted enough to reveal the real thing: on the deck of the ghostly galleon, a pale skeleton held a steaming cup of tea, humming "Binks' Sake" as he rocked in a broken chair. His hollow eyes met theirs across the waterway.
Usopp collapsed in a heap. "Too. Much. Spooooookiness."
Luffy's grin was unstoppable. "Whoa—look at him! A living skeleton! We gotta board him!"
Lucas nodded, equally excited. "Yes—let's see what's what!"
Nami's eyes narrowed. "No way—stay on the Sunny, both of you, so you can protect us!"
Usopp and Chopper echoed her, shaking heads wildly.
Undeterred, Luffy sprinted across the gangplank, claws flashing. Franky and Sanji exchanged a look, then vaulted after him, swords drawn.
Lucas chuckled, leaning against the rail. "And there they go, off to explore the haunted ship."
Nami pinched her temples. "There's nothing fun about ghost ships!"
Usopp mumbled, wide-eyed. "I—disagree."
From aboard the ghost galleon, Luffy's voice drifted back. "You better not bring anything cursed home!"
Below decks, Nami and Usopp paced in heated argument.
Nami stomped. "He'll get us killed with that curiosity!"
Usopp ran a hand through his hair. "We should've hidden the ladders—no more boarding ghost ships!"
Nami glared. "Next time, I'm tying him down!"
They both exhaled, watching the fog-swallowed horizon, hearts hammering in the silent aftermath.
Moments later, Luffy, Sanji, and Franky returned to the Sunny's aft deck—trailing an unexpected silhouette. The crew froze as a tall straw-hat-wearing skeleton strutted up the plank, tipping an imaginary hat.
Chopper and Usopp screamed in horror, brandishing a clove of garlic and rosary beads. "Stay back!" they shouted, channeling full-on exorcist mode.
But Luffy laughed, clapping the skeleton on its bony shoulder. "He's our friend now!"
The Straw Hats stared in stunned silence at their newest crewmate—an animated relic of the sea's deepest mysteries. And as the skeleton's hollow voice joined their laughter, the Thousand Sunny pressed on into the night, where ghosts and wonders still awaited.
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