(ATTENTION! DO NOT SKIP THE AN AT THE END, FOR THERE IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT, PERTAINING FUTURE FICS, THAT I NEED YOUR HELP WITH. Thank you!)
We arrive again, this time deep in the Amazonian Jungle – more specifically, at an ancient temple. While it was calm on the outside, it was anything but on the inside; in one of the passages, a chase was taking place.
In short, a familiar figure wearing a fedora, (while back in her normal attire), was carrying something in a satchel that was slung over her shoulder, while a white bunny wearing war paint was hot on her heels while wielding a spear.
One could almost hear the Indiana Jones theme playing during the epic chase; poison-tipped darts soared from seemingly invisible holes in the corridor walls, while bats flew down from who-knows-where, leering at the figure and her pursuer. After many twists, turns, tricks and traps, and outlandish avoidance maneuvers, the way out was finally within sight.
However, like always, there was no such thing as a free lunch.
The plot bunny screeched something in its tongue, and suddenly a giant chasm opened up in the floor fifteen feet from the entranceway. And if that wasn't bad enough, the door to said entranceway began lowering. The figure pushed herself to run faster, cleared her twenty metre distance from the chasm and –
*Leap!*
"I REGRET NOTHIIIINNG!"
– somehow managed to clear the ten-foot gap, doing a front-flip because she felt like it, and landed a centimeter from the gap at the other side, running. The door was already more than three quarters of the way down. She put on speed, did another somersault, and dived out the door. The brunette sighed in relief.
*Blinks once, twice*
Wait, where's her hat…? Mismatched eyes darted to what was left of the entrance – yep, there it was – and her hand snapped out and snatched her hat back, just two seconds before the entrance finally sealed shut. She puts the fedora back onto her head and turns to you readers.
"In case anyone's wondering", said Arid, "it's not at all easy to seek out and navigate the 'Writer's Block Temple' when there's a severe lack of creativity. In any case" –
*Pulls out a small chest from the satchel*
"I'm certain you've noticed the chapter's title. Except this time, it's not Danny once again meeting the Straw-Hats; it's the Straw-Hats meeting Danny a second time. In this chapter, secrets are kept and revealed, Perona comes into play, and all around, shit goes down. So without further ado…"
She opens the small chest, a bright light from within engulfing the entire view.
*Disclaimer on the prologue chapter.*
Danny tentatively rose from his chair and took a step to the left, hands still in place. "I promise you, I don't mean any harm to anyone here."
"If so, then why are you here?" said Robin.
"...Clarify, please?"
"For all we know, you could've been out for someone's head." There's just no subtlety with Robin, is there?
Danny bit the inside of his cheek in nervousness. Chopper, (finally) realizing his backwards attempt at hiding, slowly pulled away from Usopp's side and took a careful step forward. Well, that, and this was his chance to ask Danny some questions without the young ghost reacting, so to speak. *coughfrombeingastowawaycough* "You died recently, didn't you...?" said the small doctor. Everyone else who wasn't unconscious could only give the reindeer a questioning look.
Chopper swallowed thickly. "The smell of death is all over you, as well as a faint tinge of electricity."
The sweat drop on Danny's head could fill a Pepsi can.
"Did you die in a lab accident?"
"AAH! Robin, you don't just ask-"
"I did. Sort of."
"!"
The shocked looks Danny was getting unnerved him slightly. Then he sighed heavily. "First thing's first, I'm a ghost. Normal physical attacks won't affect me since they'd just pass through me. But seeing as we're in in a room with three unconscious people, I recommend not taking offensive actions. Yes Franky, Robin, I'm talking about you."
Silence.
The archeologist and shipwright slowly, albeit reluctantly on Franky's part, eased out of their attack stances. Danny slowly put his hands down, but left them in view.
"How do you know our names?" said Franky.
A white brow rose in a 'Seriously?' manner. "Like I said, I'm a ghost. And I can explain why I know" - he pointed a white-gloved finger at the crew's swordsman, chef, and captain - "when these three are awake."
Usopp took a few – hesitated – steps closer until he was at arm's length away from his unconscious comrades. Chopper trailed behind, despite the terror he was having from the younger teen's spectral aura. Franky and Robin mentally took note of the duo's behaviour; shouldn't they have freaked out when the boy said he was a ghost? Unless they know something...
"...as far as I know, it's a Devil Fruit user who took their shadows."
Looking over at the three, especially the ghost boy, all three were wary about each other, but looked comfortable enough to hold a decent conversation. The ghost boy had calmed significantly from the initial tension.
Usopp had a surprised look. "You know who did it?" But of course, Usopp and Chopper already knew the weirdo's name...
Danny nodded. "His name is Gekko Moriah. I believe he steals shadows to create the zombies that are on Thriller Bark."
Robin was shocked. "A Shichibukai?"
Danny cocked his head to one side. "...'Shichibukai'?"
"..."
"...I wasn't fully pay attention when Brook mentioned him. Anyways", said Danny, glancing over at Luffy, "I have an idea to wake these guys up, but I want your consent on the matter before I try it."
Franky's brows furrowed in suspicion. "What kind of idea?"
Danny silently pondered his next words. "A few months ago, I had to deal with Nocturne, a ghost who got his power through dreams. He, along with his underlings, put my entire town to sleep so he could gain power. Until he was taken down..."
Danny looked up at the four (awake and non ghost) people in the room. "The only way I could wake up the victims was to overshadow that person and startle him or her into consciousness through their dreams."
"The hell?!" "Possession?!" "What are you-" "..."
"Chocolate brownies with peanut butter in the middle to whoever can correctly guess who said what up above!"
Danny put his hand up before anyone could say something else. "Now, mind you, I don't like possessing" - he shuddered slightly - "an unsuspecting person, and the only reason I told you this and my idea is so I wouldn't feel bad if I get the okay."
Cue more silence.
Feeling the reticence stretch and get more awkward by the second, Danny said, "While getting Luffy over here, he didn't appear to show signs of distress after getting his shadow stolen." Chopper took that as his cue to press Danny for any more knowledge on the state of his friends.
While Danny conferred with Chopper about the condition of the three sleeping crewmembers, and whether or not they were 'awake enough', Robin and Franky got to thinking.
...Logically, the boy's way of thinking wasn't bad. Dreams could shock someone to the point of waking, but messing with a dream...?
That was a completely different matter.
This boy could easily possess one of them without much hassle, but he also said that he didn't like to...what was the term he used? 'Overshadow'?
"Why do you not like possessing someone?" said Franky. There was something familiar about this boy...
A slight grimace appeared on Danny's face. "Just because a ghost is in control doesn't mean they don't feel any inflicted pain from the individual in question."
Chopper and Usopp instigated their own hushed conversation on the side. Robin and Franky shared a look.
Maybe ghosts weren't as invincible as they appeared when in possession of someone's body. But weren't ghosts supposed to be malevolent...? The ones before the boy's appearance certainly weren't going to play nice.
One quick glance at the white-haired boy showed said boy with a calm, almost innocent feel.
Maybe this ghost wasn't your ordinary vengeful soul; maybe he actually was trying to be helpful. And ghosts are supposed to have an affinity for something... Was his to protect?
"Should we say yes, all you'd do is wake them up through their dreams and nothing else?" said Robin.
Danny perked up slightly. "Yes. Just to wake them up. Nothing more, nothing less."
More silence.
The shipwright and archeologist quietly pondered their choice.
Danny shifted from one foot to the other in nervousness.
"We'll be judging whether or not your idea should happen a second time."
"And if you do anything funny, there will be hell to pay."
Chopper and Usopp exchanged looks and moved to the left of Franky - this would be interesting...
Danny could've sworn his heart had (fully) stopped when they gave him the green. They're allowing him to do this. They're putting trust in him. He nodded slowly, and turned to his first 'target': Luffy.
The conscious crewmates watched, as Danny appeared to stroll towards their captain at a calm pace, and showing no sign of slowing down. One hand was raised towards Luffy's head, and at the exact moment of brief physical contact, his entire hand became translucent and lost most of its colour, and was quickly followed by the rest of his form as he disappeared into Luffy's body.
Usopp blinked. "That...was kind of anticlimactic."
Danny was half expecting Luffy to be dreaming of an entire island made of meat. He WASN'T expecting Luffy to be unconscious, and floating limply in the middle of a black abyss. Danny swore under his breath.
Having his shadow stolen must've had a longer lasting effect.
Danny flew over to the older teen. Luffy seemed okay; there didn't appear to be any form of trauma after what happened.
He poked at Luffy's left arm. "Oi, Luffy! Wake up!"
No response.
Danny frowned slightly, this time shaking the older teen's shoulder. "Seriously, open your eyes! Something could go down fairly soon!"
All he knew was that time had passed since the darkness overtook him. Nami could probably tell him how long...if he could even wake up...!
?
What's poking him?
"Oi, Luffy! Wake up!"
!
It's that mystery voice again!
...Or was he imagining it? But that's silly; he clearly felt something poke his arm!
"Seriously, open your eyes! Something could go down fairly soon!"
...?
A twitch this time. Danny was actually getting through to him. Now he had an idea of how to wake Luffy up.
"Don't you remember? That creepy pseudo-devil stole your shadow!"
Damn right he remembered that! But how did the mystery-voice know?
Luffy shifted slightly.
"And don't forget what Brook said about people without shadows! You'll die if you're caught in sunlight! And I know for a fact that two other people in your crew are in your exact situation!"
The darkness didn't seem as oppressive now that he knew some of his crew's condition. Two of his friends with stolen shadows! How? Who? Wait... What about…?!
Yeah, there we go!
It was plain to Danny now that Luffy was fighting to wake up. Now for one more little push...
In a softer tone, far from his initial increasingly-energized one, Danny said -
- "You don't want your friends to die because of this, do you?"
...!
… … …
...The mystery voice was right.
No shadow meant not being able to travel the seas.
No shadow meant not being able to achieve his dream of becoming the next Pirate King.
No shadow meant not seeing his friends again, if the stolen shadows weren't recovered.
No shadow meant no freedom.
No shadow meant death.
His hands clenched into tight fists.
NO!
Dark eyes snapped open.
It had been two minutes in the outside world since the ghost boy had disappeared into their captain's body. And it was a tense two minutes.
What if the boy was playing them?
Would his idea actually work?
What all happened to cause Danny's death?
Minus Robin, who would forever be a total boss, they flinched when the aforementioned boy flew into view, quickly followed by a suddenly active Luffy. The raven-haired captain had practically flown out of his chair and onto his feet, wide eyes darting around wildly before finally settling on his crewmates.
"Ahh! You guys!"
Then Luffy noticed a crucial tidbit on them.
"That mystery voice lied! You guys still have your shadows!" Raised brows were his only reply.
"I didn't lie, nor did I say who exactly lost their shadow."
"What - ...Huh?"
Luffy turned and saw Danny standing innocently near Zoro and Sanji. The white-haired boy gave a small wave. "Yo."
Luffy's eyes were wide from awe. There was a kid, and he was glowing! How's he doing that?! "Eeeehh?! Who are you? Why are you glowing? What -"
Danny sweat-dropped for possibly the millionth time that day.
"- Join my crew!"
Record scratch.
"No." Danny put up his hand before Luffy could go off on a tangent. "And we should be focusing on waking up your friends." He jerked a thumb at the swordsman and chef. That certainly rerouted the Straw-hat's attention.
Danny, noticing the looks he was getting from certain people, calmly strolled over. "What did you do?" said Usopp in a low tone, eyeing a worried Luffy.
Luffy was poking Zoro on the side of his head. "Nee~ Zoro, why aren't you awake yet?"
A silver brow rose. "All I did was remind him of the consequences of having a missing shadow."
"Ahh! Sanji! You don't have your shadow!"
No response from the blond.
"*groan* Why won't you wake up?"
And multiple flat looks were given that day. "And?"
"And that two of his buddies were in the same predicament as him."
"Anything else?"
Danny shook his head. "Nothing." He crossed his arms behind his back, looking Robin in the eye. "So, should I…you know…with the last two?"
The group of four, minus Danny, exchanged looks. "With how Luffy reacted, I don't think you should…"
Danny nodded; now something else had to be done. When Danny wasn't looking in their direction, Robin and Franky exchanged knowing looks, with one shared thought between them. How exactly did Danny die in the first place?
The boy noticed something crucial and turned to Chopper. "Shouldn't there be one more person with you?"
Chopper and Usopp blank-faced at the question.
Danny frowned slightly. This wasn't good… "Well? What happened…?"
"...We were ambushed, and a zombie took Nami", was the quiet reply. Several brows rose at that point. Danny paused, blinked once, twice, and perked slightly from an idea.
"Nami was kidnapped?" he said in a loud voice. Luffy's head snapped to his direction in shock. Suffice to say, he missed Sanji's twitch. "By who?"
Usopp, without missing a beat, continued the mini-tirade. "We were ambushed by zombies, and among them was a swordsman zombie!"
Danny darted over to Luffy and quickly pulled him away from Zoro and Sanji, and just in time to, or the rubber man would've had a bump the size of Kansas on the back of his head courtesy of a random flying fist from Zoro. Apparently, forced stasis leaves people ready to attack the moment they wake up.
"WHO KIDNAPPED NAMI-SWAN?!" "Swordsman?"
Luffy grinned widely, and would've tackled his crewmates happily if Danny hadn't been holding onto the collar of his vest.
"They just woke up, Luffy. Save your energy for later."
The moss head and swirly-brow started at the new voice. Danny, releasing Luffy after he'd calmed down enough, raised a hand in greeting. "Hi."
Zoro's eyes narrowed at the glowing teen, one hand resting on the hilt of one of his katana. "And who is this?"
"And why is he glowing?" said Sanji with a raised swirly-brow. Luffy looked like he wanted to start his game of twenty questions again, but before he could – "He's a ghost", was all but stated bluntly by Robin. Danny sweatdropped at the suspicious looks he was getting from the moss-head and swirly-brow, while Luffy's awed look came back with twice the force; you could almost see real stars where his eyes were.
Danny fixed Robin with a sideways glance. "Did you have to be so blunt about it?"
All he got in return was a smile.
One tense, awkward explanation later, whereas Danny left out key bits of his 'creation as human Danny's phantasmal twin' –
(…"So when he got shocked by the portal, the ectoplasm not only created a copy of him with his DNA, but also implemented the side effect of sensing another ghost when it's near?"
Danny nodded. "We help each other out, essentially. While Danny helps me deal with any attacking ghosts, I've been helping him learn how to defend himself." And as an afterthought, "He also learns from new situations fast, and I trust him to be able to take care of himself sufficiently while he's on his lonesome." While it was a worrying thought that 'human' Danny was somewhere out on his own, (*coughnohe'snotcough*), the young ghost did appear to be telling the truth.
Sanji's brow rose. "And you're sure he's ok when you suddenly leave his side?"
Danny nodded. "He knows I have my reasons for doing things, and trusts my judgement on specific matters. He'll be fine."
Meanwhile, Robin and Franky shared a cursory glance. So it really WAS him…)
– and finally managing to convince Zoro and Sanji to not try and attack him, (let alone try to keep Luffy from exploding with excitement), with all things considered, the young halfa wasn't sure if there were any surprises left to discover.
…On second thought, the explanation could be second to standing just outside the castle front doors with his new 'teammates'. Shortly after his elucidation with the Straw-Hats –
("…And just so there are no mixups between my human counterpart and myself, call me Phantom.")
– there were two deadline-priorities that were set: finding and rescuing Nami from getting married to someone who could turn invisible, which Sanji took great offence on –
("WE HAVE TO STOP NAMI'S WEDDING! DAMMIT!" Danny sweat-dropped for possibly the millionth time that day, and idly wondered how the Thousand Sunny wasn't on fire when he saw the flames of hell engulfed the pissed chef.)
– and somehow retrieve all the stolen shadows. Before the sun rises. Yeah. And with who knows how many zombies are running around in there? Suffice to say, 'All ye who enter, beware'.
"…But man, looking for the zombies our shadows are in is gonna be some pretty backbreaking work." 'Backbreaking work', Zoro? You don't say.
…Hmmm…?
"…He's like two ordinary sized giants! I don't even know if you guys can beat it."
Danny blinked once, twice, three times. Well, shit. It's a good thing I've got the Ghostly Wail in my arsenal, then.
"We don't really have to go looking for zombies!" said Luffy. Danny turned to the rubber captain with a questioning look. "Though I do wanna see my zombie."
"Listen… That zombie ossan told us back then. If we kick Gekko Moriah's ass then everyone's shadows will come back!" Danny's brows rose in surprise. I don't think I'll ever get used to Luffy's quirks…
"Guys, I'm sure things will be done quicker the sooner we get down to business…" said Danny, quite frankly wanting the entire ordeal to be over and done with. Really, what sane person would want to face a super zombie?
Luffy nodded. "Well then, I'm gonna kick Moriah's ass! All the shadows will come back then so…" Here, he turned to the blond chef. "Sanji! I'll leave Nami to you."
"DAMN RIGHT! INVISIBLE MAN, DIVISIBLE MAN, I DON'T CARE! I'M KICKING HIM STRAIGHT OUT OF THIS MIST!"
Here we go with this again, was Danny's thought when flames once again surrounded the chef.
"LIKE I'D TOLERATE THIS WEDDING!" Seriously, what is he, a fire elemental?
The halfa turned away, and tuned out the noise onslaught when Usopp accidentally added more fuel to Sanji's literal and figurative fire. Unfortunately, his apparently signature obliviousness made him not hear Usopp say he would go help Sanji, and his 'little comment' of, "Most importantly, I don't ever wanna meet that Shichibukai ever again!"
"I'm kind of worried about the skeleton's fight, so I'm gonna find him!" said Franky, adjusting his sunglasses. "If Strawhat manages to beat him first, then either way, the fight will be settled; but if my shadow got stolen beforehand, then it would be a big problem."
"I'll help you out with that, Franky", said Zoro. "I'm curious how big of a challenge that "Legendary Samurai's" zombie might be."
Danny added his two cents. "The chances that we'll run into whoever controls those ghosts are fairly high; I'll help deal with the perpetrator, otherwise, I'm helping Luffy with going after Moriah." Luffy nodded, giving his affirmation.
Even while the crew and their ethereal ayudante pressed deep into the castle's halls, (Danny himself was taking pleasure in firing ecto and ice rays at a good number of the zombies that flew his way, courtesy of Luffy and Sanji's rampage), a feeling – a mystery feeling, Luffy decided – kept nagging at him about Phantom.
He wasn't telling the full truth, that he knew. How? He just did; most likely instinct was telling him this. But that didn't explain why the ghost – so cool! – acted human habitually. A flurry of different feelings and emotions flew through his head, three of them very prominent, even while they had set out on their intended paths. He'd be damned if they showed and made his nakama worry; thus, he kept his entire outward demeanor set on a determined outlook.
Confusion – If he was a copy of Danny, then why did Phantom feel so familiar? What was he not telling them?
Despondency – Phantom probably had another life, before…
Irritation - Why couldn't he try to take on that shadow-stealing bastard alone? He took a lot of people's shadows, including from Brook, Zoro, Sanji, and himself!
But then…
Why did Phantom want to help him take down Moriah? He has his shadow still, as does Danny, so why did he decide to help him? What was his real intention? Maybe Danny and Phantom's arrival was supposed to happen…
…
Naaahhh! That couldn't be!
…Could it?
Luffy's thoughts were halted abruptly by a familiar wave of Negative Hollow induced depression.
Danny mentally sighed as he ran off a conceptual list through his head.
Awkward and tedious explanation as to why he (in ghost form) was with three of their (the Straw Hats) unconscious crewmates? Check.
Lied, so to speak, about his identity thanks to his paranoia gained from human ghost hunters? That's a BIG check.
Have a brief run in with some Negative Hollows (that thankfully don't affect him in ghost form)? That's a HUGE HONKIN' check.
Sudden realization that he might have given away too much about himself, with the overwhelming possibility that some of the Straw Hats figured out the nature of his dual identity? Now THAT is a Coney Island sized, red, triple-underlined check – with searchlights from heli's lighting up the massive form.
And if there was one thing that Danny always worried about, it was people outside of his friends, Sam and Tucker, and his sibling, Jazz, knowing who, or what, he really was. Oh, believe me, he did catch the look Robin and Franky shared with each other.
Well, actually, his identity wasn't just kept to the crew; there was a chance that that freaky creep Moriah decided to inform what appeared to be a ginormous horned zombie Titan that apparently contained one hell of a shadow about his 'cross-status'.
Said zombie Titan just so happened to cause a massive section of the castle's stone bridge to collapse, which sent half the group, down a few levels.
A meek "Holy shit" was the only thing from Danny.
Luffy, who'd fallen back in surprise, with a sizable rock digging into the side of his head, immediately righted himself as he clambered to peer over the newly formed drop. "What happened? What was that!?"
"Just now…" said Chopper, in his Heavy Point form. "…No, that can't be what happened!"
Sudden realization washed over Danny like a soggy blanket. In other words, he was very uncomfortable with this sudden turn of events.
Oh God, don't tell me…
…The zombie Titan, affirmed by Usopp from the sound of his voice, also happened to be Luffy's zombie. How did he MISS that giant thing earlier!?
Danny tensed when the Titan reached out and tore a good sized chunk of the castle wall behind them, raised it up, and –
"UWAAAH, what're you doing..?!" Dammit Usopp! Why do you scream so loud!?
…And put the torn piece on his head.
What. The. HELL. Does he really think it's supposed to be a hat?!
"Ooh. This is good!" The zombie turned around, his – at least, Danny thinks it's a 'he' – right fist punching the air in what was assumed to be triumph. "Yosh! I'm in a good mood now! I'm gonna become the rotten Pirate King! Mah, when that thing broke it surprised me." Obviously he was referring to the bridge he destroyed.
Well NO SHIT, with YOUR size…!
Luffy was the first to shake himself out of his shock, who then promptly turned to Danny with a serious air. "Phantom."
"…Hm?"
"Don't let them die. Or get captured", was all but bluntly stated as the rubber man stood fully upright.
Danny gave an equally serious stare back. "We're already the closest to Moriah; all the same, who would I be if I let them go alone?" Just before Danny could take off…
"Try to keep my nakama away from the pink lady."
Danny paused. "…I can't guarantee that we won't have a run-in with her – regardless, I'll keep an eye on them, as well as find you if or when she's been dealt with." Luffy nods in understanding as the halfa flies down to his 'fallen' comrades.
In retrospect, he should've seen this coming.
The pink-haired girl, Perona, he learned her name was, was all too eager to fight them; coupled with the fact that her usually smiling Negative Hollows kept hissing at him whenever he so much as twitched, (oddly enough, they don't affect him in his ghost form…), this would turn out to be a very interesting ghost fight.
…Especially since his 'battle partner', the only other person with some form of immunity to the Hollows aside from himself and Perona, was none other than Usopp. Even weirder still, the guy's own negativity about himself affected the Hollows, (Danny can confirm that the Hollows, four to be exact, all became depressed when they passed through the marksman), and for an unknown reason, Perona herself. Kind of funny, really; it was almost as if he was fighting Penelope Spectra for the first time again.
Currently, they were chasing after a fleeing Perona on foot, while her bear zombie was (attempting) to chase after the two. Attempting, as in Danny had set down a thick sheet of ice on the floor behind them, which surely caused the bear zombie – and every other zombie that might come along – a bucket-load of hell.
Usopp, never tearing his eyes away from Perona's retreating form, says to Danny, "So, Danny, are you still human, or are you actually a ghost in disguise?" Danny jolts in surprise, nearly falling out of the air in midflight, and casts a glance at the sniper.
He was actually serious about the question.
HOW did he find out?
Finally, he just sighs in defeat. "Usually I'd lie my way out of this, but that would be insulting you if I did." Usopp nods, before realization sets in, and gives the halfa an annoyed glare. "Hey!"
Another sigh from the younger teen. "Yes Usopp, I'm still human, but I'm still only half dead. I'm what the other ghosts call a 'halfa' – a human-ghost hybrid."
You could almost see the gears turning in Usopp's head, if his stunned and pensive look was anything to go by. "So if what you were saying about your parents being eccentric paranormal scientists is true, then…"
"They actually built a portal to the realm of the dead, but it didn't turn on immediately after completion. And all it took was an innocent dare (not from my parents) to seal my fate and become half ghost."
Now Usopp, despite every crazy adventure he's been on during his time with the crew, despite every near-death situation he's been in, despite learning that his new friend was also (part) ghost, skid to a halt when he his ears caught this bit of information.
"YOU WENT INSIDE A DANGEROUS MACHINE!? WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT IT COULD REALLY DO!?"
Danny winced, and gave Usopp a sideways glare while rubbing his now ringing ears. "The downside at times is the enhanced senses."
Usopp paused. "Oh. Sorry."
Silence.
"We lost her completely, didn't we."
"Yup."
More silence.
"SHHIIIIIIIIIITTT!" was the unison-cry of the day as the duo took off running like madmen to find Perona. Said Devil Fruit user, meanwhile floating outside one of the tower windows with a couple negative Hollows by her side, sweatdrops when she hears the sudden outcry.
~Seconds later~
Danny skids to a halt when he sees a familiar puff of blue air escape his mouth and gazes wildly at his surroundings – his sudden stop nearly making Usopp crash into him.
The boy's eyes landed on a window. "Ah!" And there, floating fifteen feet from the tower with two Hollows that began hissing upon sight of him was Perona. And she looked a tad iffy.
Usopp, when he decided that being around Danny was the cause, didn't react like he might have when he saw her. His recent friend is a ghost, who did fly to keep pace with Perona, isn't he?
"Just what the hell got you two so distracted?!"
"…" "…"
"*sigh* Never mind." She smiles suddenly. "Never in my life did I expect that a man who could face my Negative Hollows and not be affected could've existed… There is only one thing I want to say…!"
The Hollows, barely managing to ignore Danny for a small moment, both give a thumbs-up alongside Perona. "You'll get something positive someday."
"WHY WOULD YOU CARE!"
She turns her gaze to the youngest. "And a little ghost boy no less! Although…" – her head tilts to the side in thought – "Why you aren't affected by my Hollows now is strange, when before you were out cold!" This time, she fixes him with a small glare. "And why do my Hollows, my ghosts, react so badly around you!?"
Danny really should've stayed silent; shouldn't have reacted impetuously. Instead… "Well, I can do this." Both his hands shot up, and before the unsuspecting witnesses could react, two ecto rays were fired, each effectively taking out her Hollows.
Perona was silent. And then…
"GYAAAAAAA~~~!"
…For some, inexplicable reason, flew through Danny, and bore her hands into Usopp's chest. "I got stabbed! I got stabbed with bare hands! This is the end of me now…!" were Usopp's shaken and horrified cries. "Oe! Ha… Ha… I'm going to die! I'm going to bleed to death!" Danny, who was in the same state as the sniper minus the frantic terror-filled screams, was horror-struck until one particular thought hit.
And when full realization hit five seconds later, he was not amused.
"…The part about you dying is going to be true, though." Danny's eye twitched. "Because now, I am going to use this hand to directly crush your heart!"
Faking little… "So let me get this straight – you plan on crushing his heart when you, who claims to be a freaking ghost princess, just passed through another ghost?!"
"…" Cue the stink-eye.
"…You were bluffing!? Seriously BLUFFING!?"
Danny, still irritated, turns himself intangible, and to his surprise and slight relief, was able to actually pull Perona away from the older male; despite a bit of resistance. Her Devil Fruit must've had some interesting side effects for interaction with other ghosts…
Perona wrenched herself from Danny's grasp, floated up above their heads a few feet away from them, and with a neutral face –
"Mini Hollow."
– three tiny versions of her usual Hollows formed. One flew over to the window edge in front of Usopp…
Perona snapped her fingers. "Ghost Wrap."
BOOM!
A round hole in the wall, three feet in diameter, was what remained of the Hollow.
"…!? A… Shock wave…!?" Usopp, already shaken by the small but powerful blast, was even more so when another of the three Mini Hollows latched onto his right shoulder. "GYAAA! Let go of me!"
Danny hastily shot a small ecto ray at the offending creation, and just in time, since Usopp was only pushed aside a bit by the explosion when Perona commanded it to blow up. Usopp in turn gave the boy a somewhat shaky "Thanks."
A nod. "Let's move!"
~Ten minutes later~
Many exploding Hollows, Perona being a troll, and Usopp releasing the captive shadow in Perona's zombie bear later, Usopp and Danny released their respective Atlas Comet Star and ecto ray at a section of a wall with a door in it – and for one of the most basic reasons. Let me put this in Kingdom Hearts style logic – when a Heartless goes to 'remove' someone, where does it always aim for?
The heart.
For a 'wandering spirit', there's always something that grounds it to the Earth, keeping he/she from moving on to the afterlife.
And behind the crumbled section of stone, leaning against a pillow on a striped bed (with a canopy) with its head down, was Perona's body.
"*Huff*… Let's review the facts, shall we? You're visible to the naked eye, but you go through people and walls like nothing…"
"Not to mention your flight capabilities, and your ability to grow and shrink at will," said Danny, giving her a pointed look with crossed arms.
"It's obvious that, at some point, you were entirely flesh and blood…" Usopp pointed the head of his kabuto at the still body. "Conclusion? You're no more than a ghost created when we lost sight of your real body! That over there, is the real you! The cats' out of the bag!"
Perona sent them a small glare, although a bit of nervousness still pervaded. "Hmph! And here I was, thinking you were no more than some idiot with a negative outlook on life, and a spirit! …But you're only ninety percent right! I'm no mere ghost being controlled by my physical self! This is my actual Hollow… My spirit, separated from my real body!"
A white brow rose. "Really. And you're telling us this, why? 'Cause the way I see it, you won't be able to return to your body if it's destroyed."
Usopp nodded in agreement, before readying his kabuto. "Indeed. You really shouldn't leave yourself open by revealing your weak points. Now… Ultimate Strike! Super explosive Star!"
"Why you, don't you dare – !"
The round embed itself into the bedpost, just missing Perona's body.
"…..! That was close! He missed… And the thing didn't go off, either!" She saw him prepare another shot. "You're not getting it! Special Hollow!"
What spawned was similar in appearance to the Mini Hollows, only it was five times larger than a regular Hollow, and with no doubt that it had the same ability as its Mini counterpart.
…And while it had been aimed for Usopp, like every other Hollow before it, there was a sudden bout of hatred when it saw Danny…
"GAAH! Hey, let me go!" …Only this time, it acted on its hate.
While Usopp, who'd been having a panic attack over his friend, paused, and slowly pulled out a seashell, Perona took her chance to reenter her body.
Usopp slowly moved to the Hollow's front, out of Perona's immediate sight, and pointed the shell's apex in Hollows' direction. "Danny, I know you can hear me," said Usopp. "Listen to me: let the blast come! Just trust me on this." Danny did hear, and just as he was (reluctantly) relaxing from his struggling –
"Kamikaze Wrap!"
BOOOOMM!
The resulting explosion had disappeared completely, leaving behind a slightly injured, and very confused, Danny.
Perona was obviously not expecting this. "What the – Where'd it go!?"
"Hah… Hah… Well that was close…" said Usopp. Despite having sustained a bit of damage from the blast himself, the shell he'd pulled out sat firmly in the palm of his right hand, intact. "If you're asking about the impact from the explosion, it's inside this shell right here!" Danny's eyes flickered to where the pinkette was, and it took nearly everything he had to not start smiling.
"'The hell'd you – " She finally noticed that her left arm was stuck to the backboard. "Hey, I can't move! When –"
"Oh yeah, about the 'Super Explosion Star' thing?" said Usopp. "I lied! The 'Sticky Star' did what it supposed to!"
Even Danny had to give an impressed whistle at the sniper's ingenuity.
"See, I just needed to make sure you weren't able to move once you got back to your real body."
"Say what!"
"And now I can take out your spirit together with your real body!"
"Dammit! …Hm?"
A zombie…(boar? Hippo? Whatever), with a sword, shield, and handlebar mustache appeared, about to strike Usopp down. "So you're the one who exorcized Captain Kumashi!"
"Perfect timing! He's all yours, Gallant Hippo!"
Danny blinked in confusion when Usopp thrust his arm towards the zombie. What the hell…?
"IMPACT!"
!
Usopp's shell…absorbs explosions…and sends them back?
As Usopp prepared another of his rounds, despite coming very close to dislocating his arm, courtesy of the Impact Dial, Danny made sure that a thick layer of ice was covering the downed zombie.
Finally…
"Ultimate Strike! Sparkling Darkness Star!"
The round itself was about the size of a softball, connecting with Perona's raised other arm. And when it burst, instead of creating an explosion –
(Danny was now forcing himself to not go anywhere above a snigger when he saw Perona's face of terrified realization.)
– the round released a multitude of bugs. All over her body.
"KYAAAAH! ROACHES!"
Usopp, having stepped back next to Danny to admire his handiwork, said to the boy in a stage whisper, "Also known as the Cockroach Star…"
Danny was grinning widely. "Nice."
After a few terrified shrieks and cries for assistance had resounded, leaned over, and with a brief wink, said, "Watch this."
Assuming a stoic bravado… "You may be scared of roaches… But you gotta lot more to fear… From yours truly!" Danny blinked for possibly the millionth time that night when he saw Usopp gripping the handle of a ginormous hammer, and continue the show. "Boy, did you ever underestimate me! Back in East Blue, no man is more feared for his superhuman strength!"
Danny's brows shot up when he saw Perona's reaction to the weapon. "Te… Ten tons!? Oi..! Where'd you get all that strength! Stop it! I can't even run away as it is!"
Usopp began hefting the giant mallet over his head.
"You'll kill me! Oi! I'm begging you to drop the mallet… And take the roaches off, while you're at it!"
He was in a ready position. "U..so…ppppp…."
"I promise I wont hurt your friends, so please – !"
The mallet was lifted higher… "Gol…deeeeennnn…."
"NOOO!"
"POUND!" As soon as the mallet made contact with Perona's head, it popped, revealing it to be a balloon. Perona herself wouldn't realize this, seeing as she had fainted.
Usopp snatched up one of the 'roaches from the fallen girl. "You'd think the mistress of a haunted mansion could tell the difference between an actual mallet and a balloon made to look like one… Same goes for the plastic roaches – oh, well!" Clapping came from a thoroughly entertained halfa.
"You actually had me going for a second!"
Usopp mock-bowed in response. "From one liar to another, thank you for your generous applause!"
The clapping ceased a few seconds later, with Danny releasing a weary sigh. "Before I go and find Luffy…"
"Hm?"
"…Who else found out?"
The marksman hesitated for a moment.
"…We were hiding inside Kumashi, the bear zombie, Nami, Chopper and I."
Oh.
"…How… How did he react?"
Usopp took in the younger boy's saddened look. Sweetening the truth to make him feel better sounded appealing, but… "Even I could see he felt betrayed."
An awkward silence hung in the air.
"…Franky and Robin might have figured it out, to."
Danny shook his head. "Not 'might have', they did figure it out. I saw that they made the connection back on Sunny…"
"…"
"*sigh*… This is my fault. My own fear and paranoia of being discovered for what I was wouldn't let me tell you guys the full truth…"
Usopp frowned at the boy's despondency, sensing plenty of pain in his words, before walking over and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You might not have told the exact truth about your origins and whatnot, but that doesn't mean you must not have had a reason to."
"…Thank you. For accepting me."
And another brow was raised that day. "Oi, save it for everybody else. Besides," he turned and proceeded to lead Danny back to the collapsed bridge. "We've got a super zombie to take down."
"YEEESSSSSSS! There's finally THREE DP/OP crossovers in the Fanfiction world!"
Obviously happy with this new development, Arid, now beyond the outskirts of the Amazon and without the fedora, starts doing the Charlie Brown for the heck of it. The plot bunny, meanwhile, just stares in complete bafflement for all of fifteen seconds before he chatters to get her attention. Once both her eyes are on him, and her random dancing ceased, the bunny points to two oddly coloured eggs that are to his right. (No, they're not Easter Eggs).
Both eggs are two-thirds the size of the plot bunny, (who is a foot high) yet detailed differently. One egg is a royal blue, with clockwise-running swirls that seemed to glow an eerie green. The other is a haphazard mosaic of black and white splotches, some parts blurring into gray, while a small, gold-outlined keyhole rests on the apex; the black inside appeared to give an otherworldly feel.
*Finally composes herself*
"…Sorry. Anyways," – Arid turns to you readers – "I've got two fic ideas that I want to write, but I felt that your consent on the matter would be ideal. So, I'm just going to give you guys each fics' title, a few key details about the story themselves, as well as their respective summaries."
She stands beside the blue egg. "This story is named Haunted Seas. It's the sequel story to Spectre Thrill, and takes place nearly a year after Phantom Planet, and only a few days before the end of 3D2Y. Here's the summary: 'Every bubble has to pop at some point, but a whole slew of them are going to surly burst THIS time around. With one of the separated Straw Hats in his world AND town, Danny's got his hands full once again. Especially since he's once again needed on the Grand Line!'"
Arid moves to the second egg. "Now this story is named Realms of Spirit. It's an AU of Kingdom Hearts, since the main character is a smart-ass, yet good-natured female, but there's going to be a bit more than just dealing with the Heartless and sealing keyholes. It's also going to be a bit of a series, spanning KH 1 and 2, before ending off with its own 'side story' series, where the events that take place DO come full circle to the main plot. Here's the summary: 'With all things considered, who would ever expect to be ripped from their home and tossed headfirst into a seemingly nonexistent war? Kenythea "Ken" Murdock, being the odd one out of her world, is getting quite the wake-up call when she suddenly finds herself both being not only a survivor of her abolished world, but possibly the only and LAST known wielder of a legendary weapon. And why the heck does it look like a giant key?'
I want both of these stories to hatch, but this is your call on which is done first."
*Pauses*
"Huh? Wha – OH CRAP!"
The plot bunny, having seized its chance, had placed a small bomb close to her and bolted shortly after; the teen had managed to put twelve meters between her and the bomb before flying to the ground as it explodes.
