A cold breeze whispered through the mossy archways of the abandoned manor as the six Straw Hats pressed deeper into its shadowed corridors. Damp stone walls oozed condensation, and every footstep echoed like a ghost's sigh.
"Boy, this place sure is strange," Luffy observed, his usual bright grin dimmed by the gloom. His voice rang with a mix of awe and unease as he brushed aside a hanging vine.
Zoro scoffed, sheathing one blade as he glared ahead. "Strange is one thing. But Luffy, next time you meet some floating freak or stitched-up skeleton, don't go offering them a spot on the crew."
Luffy shrugged cheerfully. "I don't see anything wrong with making new friends, Zoro!"
Sanji leaned against a cracked pillar, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised. "We already have a raccoon dog, a cyborg, and a guy who's basically a walking zoo—what more could you want?"
Franky's shoulders squared. "Hey! I'm not a robot—I'm a cyborg. There's a difference!" He flexed a mechanical arm that gleamed in the torchlight.
Lucas, trailing just behind them, cocked an eyebrow at Franky's protest. He didn't mutter a word about the "walking zoo" jab; instead, he slipped a hand into his pocket, feigning disinterest.
Sanji rolled his eyes. "Either way, Franky, you're no longer fully human. What's the real difference?"
Franky's cheeks flushed a bright crimson as he puffed out his chest. "Hey! I'm based on a human!"
Sanji snorted. "You're based on something abnormal."
Franky's smile faltered. "Well… if you put it that way…" He stared at the floor, momentarily crestfallen.
Lucas chuckled softly. "That really was not a compliment."
A sudden, high-pitched shriek cut through the corridor like shattered glass. Luffy's ears perked up. "Huh—do you guys hear that?"
From the darkness ahead drifted a mournful chant, repeated over and over in hollow voices: "Negative… Negative… Negative…"
As the sound swelled, a pale apparition slid into view, blue-white mist clinging to its form. Its mouth gaped in eternal lament, empty eye sockets piercing the gloom.
"Whoa—it's a real ghost!" Sanji exclaimed, stumbling backward until he bumped into Zoro.
Robin's voice sounded calm but tense. "What a disturbing call."
Without hesitation, Luffy sprang forward. He whipped out his trusty net, finger hooks gleaming. "I'll catch you, ghosty!" he cried, but the moment the net closed around the specter, the ghost simply phased through it, leaving the woven cords swinging uselessly.
Franky's goggles gleamed. "Those things don't have a physical body!" He stepped forward, inhaled deeply, and exhaled a scorching jet of flame from his mouth. The torch-like blast heated the damp stone, steam hissed as moisture vaporized—but the ghost drifted through the roaring inferno unscathed.
Lucas, arms folded, surveyed the scene. "Franky used fire," he noted dryly, "but it's completely ineffective."
The ghost swooped low, its phantom form passing through Franky's torso. Franky staggered, each rib-like plate of his cyborg chest rattling. He sank to one knee, voice heavy with despair. "It's… totally useless. I'm useless. I can't even hurt a ghost… What's the point of me being alive?"
Sanji's jaw dropped. "Whoa—how depressed are you getting right now?"
Luffy lunged again, this time without his net. He reached out, fingers grazing the ghost's wispy edge—but his limbs passed right through. Like Franky, he crashed to his knees, head bowed. "I suck… If I get reborn, I wanna be a shell… anything but me. I'm the worst… I should die."
Robin's soft sigh cut through the air. "They seem to be affected by the ghosts' touch—spirits can be drained by contact with such entities."
Zoro snorted, scowling. "That's ridiculous. They're just letting their minds be toyed with by spooky nonsense."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Are you even hearing yourself?"
Zoro grimaced. "Exactly—spirits need training, not excuses."
Before the others could retort, another ghost drifted through Zoro's midsection. His sword arm dropped; he clutched his chest and fell to his knees. "I… shouldn't have been born."
Sanji and Lucas burst into laughter, their harsh guffaws bouncing off the stone walls.
Robin knelt to Zoro's side, voice serious. "Without spiritual resilience, your will breaks at the first touch. These ghosts… they sap your essence."
Sanji punched his palm. "Then let's shore up our spirits—show these ghosts they picked the wrong crew!"
Lucas stepped forward, flicking open the dial on his Omnitrix. He rotated it twice; the face lit up with a bright flash of emerald and gold. In the twinkling light, his body shifted and stretched. Limbs elongated into lean, sinewy curves. Golden feathers sprouted from broad shoulders. Intricate runic markings glowed on his hands and feet, pulsing with a soft light. He now stood nearly two meters tall, clad in medieval-style armor that seemed woven from pure light, a heavy mace glowing in his right hand.
He spoke in a voice tinged with cosmic condescension: "Behold the might of Ekkorael!"
At his command, the stone floor beneath their feet shimmered. A circle of radiant glyphs sprang to life, encircling each crew member. Golden light enveloped their bodies, filling their chests with warmth and their eyes with renewed determination.
Sanji blinked at the glowing circle. "What's… happening?"
Lucas—no, Ekkorael—smirked, tone haughty. "Seeing as your frail minds crumble at the slightest brush with the otherworldly, Ekkorael deems it necessary to shelter your weak, lower-species mentalities under his luminous aegis."
Sanji bristled. "Lower species, short stuff? Who're you calling anything?"
Before Lucas could retort, Luffy rose to his feet, stretching rubber limbs. His eyes blazed with determination. "If those ghosts come back, I won't forgive them!"
Franky slammed a fist into his palm. "I'll figure out their weakness and beat them to scrap metal!"
With a final flash of light, Lucas reverted to his normal form. He surveyed his friends coolly. "The buff lasts one hour. It shields your spirits from all spiritual attacks. Now, if only Ekkorael himself could harm those ghosts…" He paused, contemplative.
Zoro sheathed a blade with a click. "Needing help from some alien god… shameful."
Sanji laughed, ripping off his apron. "That was something, Zoro!" He tossed back his head, mocking. "Maybe you should try a buff for once!"
Zoro growled, knuckles whitening around his sword's hilt. "Shut up!"
Their banter faded as they stepped into a clearing, grey daylight filtering through skeletal trees. Gravestones, chipped and split, jutted from the earth at odd angles. Long grass brushed their ankles, and crows croaked overhead.
Luffy's grin returned. "Heyyy—now we're in a graveyard." He tossed a pebble into a mossy tomb. "Sets the mood, huh? Lunch here, anyone?"
Lucas exchanged a glance with Sanji. "What kind of mood are you talking about?"
Sanji eyed the tombstones distastefully. "This place will make the smell of food… off. Besides, we need to hurry to rescue Nami."
Lucas frowned. "Aren't you worried about the others?"
Suddenly, the ground underfoot shivered. Near a weathered slab, a cracked fist erupted from the soil. Clumps of dirt flew as a bandaged corpse clawed its way free, skeletal fingers scraping the stone edge.
Luffy's eyes widened, but he didn't flinch. He stepped forward quietly and gave the zombie a gentle shove. The creature toppled with a thud back into its grave.
The corpse straightened, arms waving in a grotesque ballet. "I'm not going back just like that, you fool!" it rasped in a gravelly voice.
"An old man with injuries!?" Luffy remarked, "No! That's clearly a zombie!" the others cried behind him.
A chorus of groans rose from neighboring mounds as six more zombies burst forth. One lumbered out, robes trailing like funeral shrouds. "How dare you shove a proud zombie!" it snarled.
Another ninja-like corpse vaulted out, arms twisting over its head. "Urua!!" it hissed, landing in a crouch.
A third flipped free, limbs somersaulting. "Uochah!" it cried, landing on two feet before darting toward them.
Sanji gaped in disbelief. "I didn't know zombies could be this… lively!"
Zoro straightened his bandana, blade ready. "Less talk, more action."
Lucas slipped a hand into his pocket. "Time for plan B." He turned to face the circular horde, determination in his eyes.
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