Disclaimer: Godzilla and One Piece are the sole properties of Toho Co. LTD and Eiichiro Oda respectively. KP360 claims no ownership of anything save for any OCs, abilities, and locations.
Thriller Bark Opening: Dead or Lie by TRUSTRICK
Color Spread: Gian playing Mortal Kombat against Gideon while their respective groups watches and supports them. Gian mains Liu Kang and Gideon mains Johnny Cage.
"Wait, you're saying this whole thing is an island?" Nami gasped "But I never picked it up from the Log?"
Thriller Bark, as they now know it as, seemed to stretch for miles. The waters around the massive island ship were calm, almost eerily still now that the gates closed. The same dark fog that plagued them before still ever so present on this island, but it seems here they could at least see a bit more, though what they saw wasn't exactly pleasing on the eyes.
"Originally it was an Island from West Blue." Brook explained "The owner converted it into a ship, perhaps it's the largest ever known."
"The entire island seems to be a vision of the underworld." Robin remarked.
"Didn't Iceburg say something about turning Water 7 into an Island Ship?" Gian remarked to Franky "Guess someone beat him to the punch."
"I should probably give Ice-for-brains this guy's number." The cyborg chuckled.
"So what do we do?" Zoro grunted "We can't just stay bobbing on the waves like this."
"You must find a way to get out of here." Brook told him "Do not lower anchor at this Island." The skeleton skipped to the figure head of Sunny before taking a bow.
"It has been an absolute pleasure to meet you all today! May we meet again out on the seas one day!"
"Wait! You have a Devil Fruit!" Luffy called out "Don't jump-!"
"YOHOHOHO!"
"Hoo! Look at him go!" Gian whistled.
Turns out Luffy had nothing to worry about as the skeleton raced across the surface, his footwork swift and directed as he literally ran above the water, bypassing a Devil Fruit user's weakness. Now alone once more, the crew was left wondering what they had to do.
"Brook said not to drop anchor here, and if this island really is a ship then there won't be any place to do so. We'll have to find a way around the island. Maybe there's a way out somewhere." Franky noted.
"We came in through the front though, is there really another exit?" Sanji asked.
"Yes, we were drawn in from that giant mouth." Robin pointed to the large gate "in a way, it seems we were eaten by this ship."
"Franky, can't we just Coup de Vent out of here?" Gian requested "That'll blast us right over these walls."
"The fog is still too thick!" The cyborg called back "We don't have a line of sight on anything! We won't know where we'll land!"
"Then this ship has trapped us!" Usopp wept "We're gonna be cursed to remain here for eternity!" Now dressed in a flowing cloak and decked out in charms and talismans, Usopp looked more like he was going to an exorcism. Beside him, Chopper was also shivering and holding out a makeshift cross.
"Then I guess we'll have to make the best of it!" Luffy declared "Let's go explore!"
"Are you out of your mind, Luffy?!" the sniper cried again "Look how terrifying that island is!"
"Our new nakama is out there somewhere! I can tell he's in trouble!" the captain said "I'm gonna get Brook back!"
"You know, did anyone else even agree to that?" Gian raised a brow.
"The skeleton is a musician apparently." Zoro replied "The moment he heard that he's set his mind to it."
"Oh… guess we better get a welcoming party ready then."
"Besides, I bet there's a ton of cool things living on that island! All kinds of horror creatures!" Luffy mentioned excitedly.
"Then count me out!" Nami shivered "I've come down with Can't-Go-On-That-Island-Disease! I won't be much help here!"
"M-Me too!" Chopper cried.
"Usopp, your disease is spreading." Gian chuckled.
"How do you think they got it?" The sniper wept, joining the 3 underdogs in their fright.
"I'd like to go then!" Franky grinned "This'll be a SUPER nice spooky adventure to go on!"
"I think I will be joining you two as well." Robin mentioned with a smile "I do like thrills."
"You just want to find whatever morbid thing on that island and keep it for yourself, don't you?" Gian teased.
"Perhaps." Robin chuckled "Care to join us?"
"Actually, I think I'll sit this one out." Gian said, his smile dropping "It might be me agreeing with Usopp here, but this island doesn't sit right with me."
"See you guy?!" The sniper pointed "Gian now realizes the danger of spirits!"
"Actually, it's more of the general energy this island gives off." The Kaiju-Zoan user replied "Either it's the whole thing, or something on that island is giving off bad vibes." He looked around, eyes narrowed.
"Something's fucky."
"Yeah well, I guess you'll just have to miss out on this next part." Franky shrugged "To get on that island, we'll take a smaller ship. And I just so happened to have been doing some tinkering in my spare time!"
A whirring sound showed the sides of the Sunny opening up, revealing what appears to be a revolving garage of miniature boats. One in particular made everyone's eyes light up in delight:
"Ok, is it too late to recede my previous statement?" Gian murmured "I want in on this…"
"I can't believe it…" Usopp squeaked, getting misty eyed.
"I knew she was a big part of your life before. That part will never leave you if you hold her close to your heart, and from this point on she'll serve as our landing craft. Sunny has 3 other channels in there, but I think just this one will be enough for now!
And as the small craft slid out of the loading dock, everybody felt a sense of familiarity.
"Behold Mini Merry II!"
"We get to ride Merry again!" Chopper squealed happily.
"You've made her into a steamboat!" Nami gasped.
"WRROOOAGH! I WANNA RIDE MERRY!" Luffy cheered.
"No way! I called dibs first!" Usopp was immediately on board, hopping aboard the small steamship alongside Nami and Chopper as they reminisced of their old friend, sailing around the ship like old times.
"You really out did yourself with this Franky," Gian smiled warmly "Thank you, truly."
"Franky you're the best!"
"Seriously, there's so much we can use those smaller cruisers for!" Sanji grinned "We can go for market runs without even having to bring Sunny into a harbor!" the cyborg beamed at all the praise, proud of his work.
"Hey, long nose-kun and the others haven't come back yet." All good things must come to an end, however. Robin pointing out the obvious made everyone halt their happiness. The minutes passed, but the trio and their new steamboat were nowhere to be found.
"The fog is still blocking out vision." Zoro cursed "I can see anything."
"Nami-san! Where are you?" Sanji called out.
"Oi! Hurry back! I wanna ride Merry too! Luffy urged.
"Can we get closer?" Gian called out "Maybe when we approach the island we'll see more and-!"
*SPLASH!
"Huh?" Luffy blinked "Hey, who dropped anchor?"
"What are you talking about, Luffy?" Gian questioned "We're not standing anywhere near the anchor!"
But that was exactly what happened, as the heavy iron was now being pulled up again, Zoro suddenly picked up something.
"Guys, did you hear that?"
"What? Is there something out there?" Franky called out.
They were greeted by silence as they focused on the noise, and at first there was nothing but then.
*tap tap tap
"Yeah, there's no mistaking it now." Gian whispered "Something's on the ship."
"But I can't see anything!" Sanji whispered back "It's literally just us!"
"Perhaps long nose-kun was right." Robin murmured "Ghost have really targeted us, I fear that the same spectre may have killed him before as well."
"That's way too dark!" Franky snapped "And even if it did, we would've heard something!"
"Guysh, what ahre whe looking fhor?" Luffy slurred.
"What are you doing?" Gian chided "This isn't the time to make funny faces!"
"ah'm nhat dohing anyshing!" the captain protested, even as his cheeks were stretched out further "ah'm nhat even toushing my fache!"
"Well it's none of us either!" Sanji snapped "Seriously, stop-WAH!"
"Something tripped him!" Gian looked around anxiously as the cook fell flat on his face.
"Who's there?!" Zoro growled "Show yourself-HEY!"
"OI! WATCH IT!" Franky jumped as one of Zoro's swords suddenly unsheathed itself before flinging towards him.
"Something just brushed against me!" Gian lashed out with an arm, but only struck air.
"So that's it." Franky gritted "There is an enemy somewhere, one that we can't see!"
"Yeah…" Luffy panted "I felt its hands on my face earlier."
"Stay alert!" Gian commanded as everyone got into a fighting stance "It could be anywhere!"
"Damn it, how are we supposed to fight back?" Zoro cursed.
"You manage to hear its steps earlier, we just have to listen and-!"
"No…! Stop…!"
One particular sound made Gian snapped his around so fast that it almost gave him whiplash, except he had good reason to. After all, the sight was enough to make his blood curdle.
"G-Get off of me!"
Even with 2 pairs of arms sprouted, Robin was clearly losing the battle of strength as she pushed against an unseen force. Her main hands grasped and held at her side, her expression of discomfort instantly made Gian's hand snap to his weapon.
Then he heard the voice, a deep, depraved laughter that sounded almost like a growl of an animal.
And then the sound, the slurping of something unmistakable creeping up his girlfriend's-!"
"S-Something is trying to-!"
He didn't even need her to finish to know what was going on.
"GRRR-!"
Gian's eyes lit ablaze instantly. In a split second, Robin felt herself getting released as a blast of heat erupted near her, knocking her away. That was hardly registered as the agonized howl of something bestial near her, now writhing on the ground courtesy of an atomic fireball thrown violently by the Kaiju-Zoan user.
"I SEE YOU NOW YOU BASTARD!" Partially Transformed, Gian leapt up with Atom Splitter raised above him, ready to cut down the immolated mass rolling around trying to put out the flames. The blade easily diced into the target, but his fury instantly reignited upon lifting his blade: there was no blood; the unseen assailant had dislodge his burning clothing at the last second and slipped away.
"THAT SON OF A- COME OUT YOU ABSOLUTE WASTE OF OXYGEN! I'LL RIP YOUR FACE OFF!"
"Where is that scum?!" By now Sanji had caught on to what had just happened, and naturally joined the Kaiju-Zoan user in their rage. But now that their unseen foe was out of sight once again they could do nothing except wait. While Sanji kept looking for the perpetrator Gian raced over the Robin, cradling her into a sitting position as he looked on with concern.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, it seemed the specter's intent was not to harm me, at least not yet." Robin said, panting softly with exertion "I was caught off guard."
"It's gone…" Sanji gave an irritated growl "Bastard better hope I don't catch it again!"
"Yeah, well get in line!"
"Easy there," Franky held up his hands "If it decides to come back, we'll have to actually think of a strategy to beat it."
"Earlier, before it attacked me, I thought I heard growling." Robin explained "It might be part animal."
"Whatever it is, it seems this encounter was just to test us." Zoro gritted "It was playing with us, seeing what we're capable of. We overall got nothing to show for it."
"All except this," Gian muttered as he held up a burnt piece of clothing. His earlier actions may have not been enough to put the invisible being down, but it did leave behind one vital piece of evidence.
"Coat's pretty fancy." Luffy noted "That ghost must love dressing up!"
"Tch, a lecherous ghost and a pompous ass to boot." Sanji scoffed.
"Regardless, it's a sign that it can be hurt." Gian squeezed his hand around the fabric "And when I run into it again, I'll make sure it leaves with more than just burnt clothing next time!"
"With all this, it's safe to say that whatever attacked us might've also attacked Usopp and the others." Zoro said "And it probably lives on that island."
"Then we have to go find them!" Sanji demanded "Nami-san is depending on us!"
"I think we can all agree with that." Gian nodded "After all, the thing that just violated my girlfriend is still out there. We need to get to that island."
"Franky, bring us closer to land!" Luffy said.
"Actually, I think the island is doing that for me." The cyborg pointed to the water. The remaining group looked to see the waves around the island beginning to surge, tossing the Sunny to and fro.
"Man-made waves…" Gian noted "Yeah, something's definitely not right about this place."
They eventually grinded to a halt, the Sunny stopped in its motion. Peering over the railings Luffy noticed that the Thousand Sunny was caught in what appears to be a giant net.
"This feels sticky… it's like a giant spider web!" the captain said.
"Look!" Gian pointed "There's the Mini Merry!" The small steamboat was also tied up, now empty as its occupants seemingly went inland.
"At least that's a sign they're ok." Sanji sighed in relief "Nami-san must be scared in this dark place!"
"Brook's ship is here too!" Zoro remarked.
"This island is like a ravenous sea monster, eating all the ships it can swallow." Gian noted.
"Well, it does seem to want us here." Franky noted "Look, there's the entrance!"
With most of the fog out of the way, the crew bore witness to a massive castle like gate. The dark and ominous environment accurately gave of the vibes of the dark ages, and at the center of it all is a dark gate, the words "THRILLER BARK" slightly faded above it.
"This island ship brought us right to the gate," Zoro mused "Almost as if it was expecting us."
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Luffy grinned "Let's pack the lunchboxes and go and save the others! Oh, and we can catch some ghosts as well!"
"Hold on, there's one last thing before we leave." Gian spoke up "Listen close, this applies to all of us."
"What is it now?" Zoro question.
"Look at how gothic and dark everything is." Gian explained "It's almost like we're walking into disaster. Therefore, to maximize our chances of survival, we need to follow Horror Movie Rules."
"…Horror Movie Rules?" Luffy blinked.
"You've never seen a horror movie before?" Gian tilted his head "Has any of you?"
"We didn't have anything to watch back at the Dojo, and I never had the time for it." Zoro brushed it off.
"I didn't have many opportunities to watch movies growing up." Robin said "I've always been meaning to though."
"I've seen a few, sometimes the restaurant has movie nights." Sanji mentioned "Not my thing, to be honest."
"I've watched plenty. The guys and I loved that one about the killer with a hockey mask!" Franky gave a thumbs up.
"Ace and I mostly spent most of our time in the forest." Luffy picked his nose.
"Well, while I'm glad not all of you has given in to media consumption, it looks like you'll need a refresher course." Gian nodded "Great choice Franky, by the way. That one's on my top ten list."
"Just tell us what Horror Movie Rules is already!" Zoro snapped.
"Ok, so in every horror movie there's 3 general rules that you should follow if you don't want to die by the end of the first act. Rule number 1: try not to be any race other than human."
The others blinked at that.
"…What does that have to do with anything?" Sanji asked.
"Have you noticed in every horror movie, it's always the fishman character that dies first? That or the Longarm character, or any other race other than human."
"I don't think that something we can control…" Sanji sweatdropped.
"He's got a point there though." Franky nodded "It's actually quite an unfortunate stereotype."
"It seems racial prejudices are displayed in rather subtle ways even in media." Robin mused.
"We don't have any other race among us right now!" Zoro pointed out.
"Oh, good point." Gian shrugged "I guess I was thinking about Chopper but I guess he doesn't count as of right now. Still, Franky's a cyborg so I don't know about that either."
"Oi! I'm still human under all this metal!"
"Ooh! What's rule number 2?" Luffy asked.
"Rule number 2 is don't go off on your own." Gian replied "We stay together always, no going off to explore on your own." He then poked his smiling captain in the noggin "That means you, Luffy."
"Well that's simple enough." Zoro scoffed "At least this one actually makes sense."
"And finally, Rule number 3 is perhaps the most important, so I'm putting extra emphasis on this one." Gian warned.
"Don't have sex."
"…What?"
"Every time in these situations, it's always the couple that goes off fooling around that gets their heads cut off or disemboweled. So keep it-"
"No, I mean how that even applies to anyone here?!" Zoro facepalmed.
"I'm just saying keep your hormones under control."
"NONE OF US WANTS TO DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT!" the swordsman snapped back.
"Besides, aren't you the only one that's hitched right now?" Franky groaned "If anyone needs to follow that last rule it's you!"
Robin frowned "I thought we both agreed to take things slow before we get to that point?"
"We did, which is why I'm not worry about us. We're responsible like that." Gian affirmed.
"Let's see how long that lasts…" Franky scoffed.
"Gian, this is stupid!" Sanji complained "Did you just think of these off the top of your head?"
"I don't know, you should really think about following that last one in every part of your life." Zoro scoffed.
"SHUT THE HELL UP, MARIMO!" the cook shouted "…Ok, are there any other dumb rules we need to know about?"
"Nope, I don't think so." Gian mused "Just those ones for now."
"Finally!" Luffy declared "Now let's go explore!"
Later:
"Hey! Join my crew!"
"It's a freaking tree for crying out loud, Luffy! How does that even fit?!"
That has been the general exchange for the last half hour since they've been on the island. As it turns out, the wildlife on Thriller Bark was something that none of them expected to see. Even they couldn't make heads or tail out of it, though Luffy was clearly into it. Just about every peculiar creature they've met was given an invitation aboard the Straw Hat Pirates, a gesture that the rest of them had to swiftly curb before it gets out of hand.
However, the confusing creatures continue to pop up one after another.
"You know, we should really think about giving this one a name." Gian gestured to the 3 headed monstrosity currently being used as Luffy's steed for the trip. Their first encounter mere moments after setting foot on the island was none other than Cerberus, the supposed 3 headed guard dog of the underworld. They managed to defeat it rather easily, strange considering its supposed mythical status, and coerced it into serving them for the time being. But they soon found out it was not what it seemed, upon gazing at its vast amount of patchwork stitches that seemingly sewn its body together.
Even more strange was how the parts of its body was made up of multiple different animals. 2 heads were that of a wolf's while the last being a fox's, and that was not the end of it yet. Multiple other forms of fauna they've encounter all seemed to be stitched together with different body parts, almost as if someone purposely made them that way.
"We're not going to be keeping it past this point, remember?" Zoro reminded him.
"It's a shame, it really is quite cute." Robin sighed "Even if its existence is probably one of constant pain."
"Honestly, yeah. I'm getting rather attached to it." Gian gazed at the panting abomination with a bit of softness.
"Careful, or you're gonna turn out like Luffy soon and ask every other horrific experiment we've seen to join us as well." Sanji teased.
"…Ok let's not go that far."
But aside from that, there was still no sign of the 3 that arrived on the island first. They were starting to be worried as they travelled further, keeping their eyes peeled for any potential signs of their nakama.
"Hey, what's that?" Luffy suddenly pointed. The group looked up to see a small pale object floating in the air just above them. Its smiling face just barely visible on its wispy body as it waved its arms.
"Well, we wanted to see some ghosts." Franky said "Guess they came to us."
"Let's catch it!" Luffy reacted with glee and immediately raced after the spirit with his net raised. That sooned turned into frustration as he found out that, whenever he'd bring down his net, the ghost would just phase through it.
"Luffy, everyone knows you can't catch ghosts with a net." Gian admonished "You have to suck it in with a vaccum cleaner."
"Aww, I didn't bring it!"
"Weren't you the one saying you didn't believe in ghosts earlier?" Zoro quipped.
"Well, I mean we're staring a one right now, what else do you want me to say?" Gian scoffed "Everything else that I've known about the real world has promptly been shattered today already."
"Well, if we're gonna catch it, we have to innovate." Franky suggested "I'll flush it down, you guys get prepared!"
A gout of flames shot out of the cyborg's mouth, forcing the tiny ghost to veer away. Changing tactics, the specter flew towards Franky before phasing through him.
That resulted in the tall and proud man to fall to his knees.
"I'm so pathetic… I think I should just die…"
"THAT'S SO NEGATIVE!" Sanji facefaulted "IT'S NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL!" or at least he thought, until the ghost passed through him as well.
"My existence is lower than a flea's…"
"Dude… who hurt you…?" Gian muttered.
"Hey come back here, ghost!" Luffy cried and gave chase.
"Oi! Luffy! Be careful I think-!"
*Fwoop!
"I should be reborn as a clam…"
"YOU DIDN'T EVEN LET ME FINISH!" Gian smacked his forehead.
"That ghost…" Robin narrowed her eyes "The moment it touched them was when they expressed negative thoughts…"
"Everyone, be alert. That ghost drains your willpower through touch." She warned.
"Oh, so kinda like that horrible boss that you work for as a delivery person who yells at you every day for messing up on the job and calls you all kinds of scathing things. In reality he was only hiding the pain of his own failing marriage and estrangement from his children but it hurts you nonetheless and makes you question your self-worth." Gian nodded "So basically, don't get into contact with that ghost!"
"That was way too specific." Zoro sweatdropped.
"…It was just an example, never said anything about it applying to any real life person that we may or may not know."
"Well, there's no way some wisp is going to make me feel anything!" Zoro boasted "Unlike them, I happen to have very strong willpower!" he claimed as the ghost passed through his body as well.
"…I should've never been born." Then he was on his knees as well, a cloud of negative energy over his head. Oh, Zoro.
"And once again, insecurity is the bane of us all." Gian sighed "How are we supposed to fight something that we can't touch?"
"Actually I don't think we need to," Robin pointed "It's leaving." Indeed, the pale spirit took one last look at them, stuck its tongue out before promptly floating out before Gian could get another word in.
"Why do I get the feeling we were just played?"
"It didn't seem to be hostile, rather it was more curious." Robin noted "Or it was simply gauging us."
"That's another mystery of this place." Gian responded "Guess there's nothing to do about it now."
Later:
"Phew! We sure did a lot of walking." Luffy breathed as they reached what seems to be a graveyard "Let's take a break and eat!"
"It's so eerie here," Franky grumbled "do we really want to stop here?" After seeing the gravestones jutting over the rusty fence, the rest of the crew can't help but agree.
"Yeah, the atmosphere here really doesn't seem right." Sanji frowned "I feel like something's watching us."
"But I'm hungryyy!" Luffy whined.
"We have been walking for a fair amount of time though," Gian mused "and perhaps a little rest could help, not to mention we still don't know exactly where we're going."
"This place makes me lose my appetite." Franky denied again.
"Well you do have a point there." Gian sighed "You're right, it'd be better if we-!"
*Grrrrrr
"Hmm?" Luffy pouted "Did you guys say something?"
"Luffy…" Gian stammered "Turn around…"
The captain's blinked as he took in the sight, for even he's unsure what to make of the withered hand currently extending out of the ground in front of a gravestone. He did notice the rotting body that dragged itself out afterwards though, its hollow eyes staring at him with hunger.
Wordlessly Luffy strode forwards, placing his hands onto the body.
"There we go… no sticking out!" he mumbled as he pushed the body back into the ground.
…
"WHY THE HELL WOULD I GO BACK?!"
"AHHH! THE OLD MAN COVERED IN WOUNDS GOT ANGRY!"
"THAT'S CLEARLY A ZOMBIE YOU IDIOT!"
And it wasn't alone either. Soon the entire graveyard began to rumble as multiple stitched up corpses burst from the ground, snarling and rasping as they charged the crew. Everyone stood back to back as they prepared to fight.
"Guys?" Gian grinned "A horde of zombies? A dark graveyard setting? I was right: this really is a horror movie!"
"Stay focused!" Zoro chided "They're on us fast.
"We've been following those rules so far, let's see if that pays off." Franky unscrewed his left hand.
"Let them have it guys!" Luffy commanded, and it was on that night the hordes of the undead were treated to the combined might of future legends.
"3 BILLION BERI JACKPOT!"
The battle didn't last long. Even being outnumbered, the zombies were easily dispatched. Soon, they lay scattered and scrambling while the crew watched them run away.
"So the locals are hostile, that's not a good sign." Robin murmured.
"We have to find Usopp and the others fast, with how many zombies we just saw there's a fair chance they've ran into a few." Zoro warned.
"And I have a good idea where to start…" Gian muttered before gesturing behind him. By now it was impossible to miss; they had gone inland enough to reach the large castle structure located near the center of the island. Against an already dark backdrop of shadowy mist, the massive structure seemed terrifying to see.
"I'm starting to think that whole horror movie idea might not be so farfetched after all." Sanji commented "That definitely looks out of place."
"Why would they want to go in there though?" Franky pondered "Isn't Usopp afraid of half the shit here?"
"It's the only place we haven't looked yet." Gian replied "Chances are they got lost and sought refuge there."
"Of course, we also can't ignore the possibility that they might've been kidnapped by deranged horrors and kept captive within that castle." Robin murmured.
"Then they might be still in there." Luffy declared "If they are, then we're close."
The rest of the group nodded in agreement, right as they were about to set off towards the monolith, they were alerted by shuffling.
"I saw everything, your strength, it is remarkable!"
"Looks like we left one unscathed!" Zoro growled.
"W-Wait! You misunderstand-!"
"It's another old man with injuries!" Luffy noted.
"We just beat up a horde of zombies not even 10 minutes ago!" Gian snapped "Come on, Luffy!"
"Actually he's right, I actually have been badly hurt, I'm also almost 70 years old." The withered elder croaked.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF THEN?!" everyone, minus Robin of course, facefaulted.
"How did you end up like this? This wound looks it was dealt a while ago." Franky asked. It soon became apparent to them that the old man meant no harm as he gestured them closer to him, his eyes seemingly pleading.
"There's a number of people out here who are trapped on this island, hunted by its denizens and have nowhere to go. Though we wish to escape above all else, these fogs are far too restricting, and even if we were able to find a way out we're unable to last long in the presence of sunlight." The old man wheezed bitterly. That last statement drew eyes all around.
"Does he mean-?" Sanji asked. Gian said nothing as he lit a fireball in his hands as the results answered for him.
"No shadow… Just like Brook!" Luffy realized.
"So you've met 'Dead Bones' then?" the old man nodded "He's been actively fighting the forces on this island in a quest to free his shadow." The elder glared at the castle "Though as long as He still stands as master here, all the shadows are his dominion."
"Who did this to you?" Gian asked "From the sound of it, it's the same guy Brook is talking about."
"The one who took my shadow is the master of Thriller Bark, he name is Moria."
"Moria!" Robin gasped "You can't mean that Moria!"
"You know about him, Robin?" Luffy perked his head.
"His reputation is a fearsome one, though in recent years he's gone quiet." Robin murmured "Gecko Moria is a pirate with a high bounty, and is also a member of the Seven Shichibukai."
Only then did the crew realize, just whose territory they've intruded upon.
Meanwhile:
Deep in the mansion, Dr. Hogback was awash with bright light as the work bench containing the experiment he still tries to make work was placed before him. His work with a needle and thread fine-tuned and careful as he sewn the finishing touches of flesh, he looked down on the massive corpse with wonder.
"This is the muscles of an elephant, the strongest animal of the land…" the doctor mumbled "Surely this is fitting of your power, and surely you can accept at least this!"
As the final thread was laid, the doctor paused for a brief moment. All was silent as seemingly nothing occurred. A slight smile graced his lips.
"All is good so far… inserting the shadow now…" Hogback brought out a small container of a dark object, opening the lit as he did so. A human like shade writhed out slowly, looking around for an unoccupied object, before finally settling on the body on the table. Hogback remembered that it was taken from some executioner in some country in the past, he didn't remember nor did he cared about the details. Master Moria's ability allows him to manipulate the shadows at his will, and from it was a fresh source of experiments for himself.
No sooner did the black wisp become absorbed by the body when the exposed flesh began to blacken and smoke. The doctor hardly had time to leap out of the way before the operating table ignited with a pale blue blaze.
When the fires died down, all muscle has been burned away. The only thing remaining was a skeleton of only white bone, miraculously free of any scorch marks despite the blaze moments ago.
"Damn it!" Hogback cursed "I've tried just about every beast in this world, every powerful warrior's shadows we could find and yet still nothing can be aligned with you! Just what is with this bone heap?!" shaking his head, he could do nothing more except clean up the ashes.
"Cindry-chan! Please put Project Alpha back into its coffin!" the doctor regarded a slim figure near the door. Unlike most of the other Zombies here, Victoria Cindry never lost her human figure; had it not been her stitched up grey skin one would've thought she'd simply be a regular human woman, not that her looks were anything horrendous. No, even in death the former actress retained her beauty, something that the Doctor personally made sure of.
"It would be better if those bones were shattered." Was the reply. Dr. Hogback facepalmed at that; one side effect of having the actress restored to life was that she gained the personality of whomever's shadow Moria took it from. This gave her multiple quirks, the most peculiar of all being a distaste for plates. In the 12 years' time he's had her, the zombie had single handedly shattered nearly all of his plates. Hogback was now forced to find alternative methods to place food on, a rather tedious act that took a while for him to get used to.
"No, Cindry-chan! This is an important piece of Moria-sama's army! Handle it with care!" the doctor barked. The former actress said nothing as she enclosed the skeleton back into its glass coffin.
"What a night… I'm feeling famished. Cindry-chan, go fetch me a late night snack." Hogback sighed "And please, please, use a plate this time!"
"Plates are a scourge on this world and it would be-"
"-better if they're all shattered and gone, yes yes I know!" the doctor snapped as the actress zombie left the lab. Letting out an audible groan as he stretched, he looked down at the remains within the coffin, a jumble a thoughts in his head.
"It's seems to be another night of failure with that pile of bones… I knew I should've worked on a few more regular zombies, yet Moria-sama insists I focus on Project Alpha!"
Project Alpha, that was the name of the massive skeleton that laid within the glass box. Easily 10 feet tall, it must've been a giant of a person when they'd been alive. Hogback remembered the day his master discovered the remains; it was on a moonless night in the middle of the Calm Belt 7 years ago. Up until that point, Hogback had merely been creating zombie bodies for Moria's powers to use, but the moment that skeleton was hauled up he was blindsided by Moria's proposal.
"Do not be deceived by its simple appearance, good doctor. What we have found today is a relic that contains the secrets of the ancients! If my sources prove correct, then the power this specimen will unleash upon this world will completely shatter all that oppose it! Only then will I truly have the most powerful undead army of the seas!"
Hogback sometimes wondered whether or not his master had lost a few marbles upon finding that. He couldn't really blame him; considering the tragedy that befell him years ago was something that's still a painful reminder for him perhaps it was a way to deal with his grief. That did not change the fact that, despite Moria's claims, nothing he has done with Project Alpha has borne any fruit for the past 7 years. Countless shadows have been lost trying to resurrect it, all have burned up like it has earlier. Dr. Hogback had appealed many times for his master to give up on the project, to turn his attention on gathering more viable corpses for his zombie army, yet Moria remained determined.
A distant scream followed by some yelling jolted his attention, reminding him of the 3 intruders that nearly discovered his work. A smile graced his face as Dr. Hogback thought of what was occurring; at least some of his more powerful zombies were still a terror to behold. Those 3 have been quite troublesome for him to deal with, snooping around as if they knew something. The raccoon of the bunch in particular wouldn't stop asking him questions! With that in mind, Hogback left it to whatever horrors pursuing those 3 pirates to do their work, before turning back to the glass coffin.
"It's almost midnight... the nightly hunt is about to begin." He murmured "Supposedly, there is one shadow among them that could actually be fitting to use you as a host."
With a wave of his hand, he signaled multiple Zombies to awaken. With groans and grumbles they trudged out of the lab and into the night.
"We will use this opportunity to bring it to you, so that you may finally serve your purpose, fosfosfosfosfos!"
And if all goes well tonight, then Moria-sama will be gaining not one, but 2 of the most powerful pieces of his army.
Meanwhile:
Hogback was not the only one active that night. Deep within the graveyards scattered around the island, a large group of zombies gathered as they moved towards one particular crypt. Crawling out of their shallow graves, the cemetery soon became packed.
"Those pirates earlier seem stronger than I thought, they'd took down the attacking horde with little difficulty." A deep voice rumbled, yet no one could be seen talking "If this were any other place, that would've been difficult."
Then the air at the head of the zombie army shimmered before a tall figure took form. A cross-stitch of exposed muscles from seemingly multiple organisms, it was the man's lion-like muzzle that shown he wasn't any regular man. Another member of the undead army, Absalom was a depraved and savage individual that stalked the cemeteries of Thriller Bark.
"But those zombies are no regular soldiers, they can fall as much as they'd like, and still rise and fight! Pain is nothing to them, for how can the dead feel pain?"
"So rise up! Rise from your graves!" Absalom roared "Rise up and hunt to your content!"
"We await your command, Perv-salom!"
"All hail Perv-salom! The peeping king of graveyards!" the zombies cheered, before yelping in shock as an explosion popped off near them.
"SHUT UP! NO ONE TOLD YOU ALL TO CALL ME THAT!" the grotesque creation scowled "Now, you all know your targets by now, after all some of you have already encountered them!"
"Those pirates are powerful! We couldn't even get close to them!" one zombie reported "Maybe you should come with us."
"Believe me, I would like nothing more than to do so." Absalom growled, his anger beginning to rise "One particular 'Beast Warrior' Gian spoiled my fun earlier, he even burned one of my favorite suits! Unfortunately, I cannot harm them since Moria-sama wants them alive, their shadows will become more numbers for our ranks. Perhaps after that I will be able to have my fun with those 2 women." The lion-man allowed himself a lecherous grin before readjusting himself.
"But we have work to do first. Since you're so hesitant to face their strength again, you'll be needing back up. And it has been some time since those General Zombies had any action."
Upon reaching crypt at last, Absalom hoisted open the heavy doors where multiple coffins laid within. Slowly but surely, the grinding of stone and creaking of wood grew into a crescendo.
"Now rise up! And claim the night as your own!"
Absalom was not the only one active as of right now, however. Above the castle, another figure floated, observing everything. Watching the scene below of the group of pirates with amusement, the young girl looked on with interest. Her punk clothing and bright pink hair contrasted the dark skies of Thriller Bark as pale specters floated around her, relaying information to her by the minute.
"Does Moria-sama really think those idiots down there can't handle a few pirates?" the girl yawned "Usually they'd have everything handled by this point!"
"Perona-sama! Please come down!" a gravelly voice alerted the girl, who gave an irritated hiss upon hearing that.
"How many times have I told you not to speak around me, Kumashi?!" Perona snapped "Your voice isn't cute!" down below, a stiched bear-shaped zombie wearing a medical mask winced as the young woman dropped back down to the balcony. Hoisting her parasol back over the shoulder, Perona looked up at a large ornate clock in her room.
"It's close to midnight, Moria-sama must really want those shadows." The girl noted "These are the same pirates that brought down Enies Lobby a week ago, no wonder he's taken such an interest."
"Kumashi, gather the Wild Zombies! Intercept them as they approach the castle!" Perona commanded, the bear zombie gave a salute before running off to give the order. She smiled to herself as multiple ghosts floated near her, the same spirits the crew had encountered prior, as she too set out into the night.
"Hororororo! And if there are any of them left over, I'd say it's about time I give myself a few more cute servants!"
As the pandemonium of the night prepared to set in, one more figure observed it all. In the tallest tower of the castle, a massive shape stood up from his throne, gazing out into the night, he allowed himself a sinister grin.
"Finally, they've arrived!" the large shape cackled "My precious shadows! The shadows that will complete my army!"
Each step echoed in the dark room, the figure's ghastly visage demon-like and intimidating. He is the Master of Thriller Bark, and all who wanders into the clutches of the island ship finds themselves hunted by his forces. This time, he's particularly targeting 2 of them, for only they have the power enough to give him what he wants.
"'Straw Hat' Luffy, 'Beast Warrior' Gian, and all the others! Welcome to Thriller Bark!" now fully stepping into the night glow, the devil-like man was truly massive. Ghostly pale skin slightly glowed in the night, a stark contrast to his dark cloak and cravat. Casting his horned gaze over the island ship, he laughed as dark blots of shadows began to drip off of him.
"Let us all welcome them, into an eternal nightmare!"
And as the cacophony of zombies began to rise, the Master of Thriller Bark relished in every detail. These are the nights here, and all who falls into his domain are doomed to live it.
And as for Gecko Moria, he would have nothing else.
A/N:
Phew, my classes for the summer are finally done! For the first time in ages, I feel that my schedule has cleared up significantly! From now until the end of August, I actually have nothing to do! Of course, I have been going hiking a lot more since we've been getting less cases in my area. This means I should be able to get one more chapter out before September, and after that my update schedule might change again. The truth is, it's actually my final year of university since I've almost got enough credits to graduate. If all goes well, I will be done post-secondary by the end of next summer! Of course, that means next year my update schedule for this story will significantly be altered as I focus more on schoolwork.
G: Or you go and play more pokemon.
Quiet.
Aside from that, not much else to say! This chapter took a bit more of a humorous tone at some parts and I hoped to set up a few more details for events coming later in the arc. Otherwise, I hope you all enjoy it. I don't have much else to say other than I hope you're all safe right now!
Responses to Reviews:
To KaijuEmperor:
It's definitely not Destoroyah, I mean he is one of the stronger Kaiju in the serious so the part he gets is a lot more serious than just here.
G: You aren't as far off with one of your choices though!
To Shitabrick:
G: I haven't even began to imagine how I'd be in a 4Kids dub, there's just no-
Dan Green. You will be voiced by Dan Green.
G: Seriously?!
Also gonna put it out here right now for those who care: Dan Green is my official English VA for Commodore Horace who is Gideon's second in command, I haven't picked out a Japanese VA for him yet but hang in there for that!
Gi: How the hell does one of my subordinates get their VA confirmed before I do?!
To 64thVanSull:
I will once again confirm that, yes I will be doing an adaptation of Strong World alongside Film Z, I basically have a general idea of how each arc will go by this point.
To Cyrusgripe:
G: Wait, there's WHAT?!
It's not important.
To Matt:
Go and reread Chapters 65 and 66.
G: It may not be as important now but it will be.
And Oars will still be in the story, don't worry about that.
To The Storm Master 567:
Guess I'm not as sneaky with details as I thought.
G: Why would you ever think you were?
To Guest:
Oh, they'll be trolling together by the end of this arc, I guarantee that.
To Raidentensho:
G: I honestly cannot wait to be talking about music with him. We'll have a great time.
I won't give much of what will happen in Strong World, but it will involve something Big. As in very big, literally.
To badclash04:
G: You know, I don't think I have an official role here, considering First Mate is really just a title.
Everyone is important on a crew.
I'm glad you enjoy the story!
To dustinpuffer:
Thank you, and yes I will admit that sentence structure is a weakness of mine as a few others have pointed out. Let's just say I'm not the most patient person in the world, and sometimes I rush things in an attempt to get things done. It's something I've been trying to work on since the beginning.
To Guest 2:
G: Your standards are low.
Can't argue with that.
To Jaffa3:
Well it took you a bit of reading but I'm glad you caught up!
G: Welcome to the gang!
To cynicalneedssleep:
G: hehe yeah! Absolute NO plans of having Conqueror's Haki AT ALL!
Yeeeaaappp! No Haoshoku here… hehehe
To Vergil Leonidas:
G: You honestly have don't know how much he enjoys your reviews.
You basically nailed how I feel about most of those early chapters so I feel that you basically got everything down about it. Looking back at it the first Partial Transformation scene could've been done better. Really at that point I just wanted to show it off considering I've marketed the story, at the time, based on its Kaiju aspects but I never had the opportunity to show it off much. Looking back at it I probably should've made that fight a bit different.
Chapter 16 and 17 were definitely the parts with the least changes canon-wise. It was really just filler until I got to Arlong Park and I needed it to end the way it did, but we already know how that went down. Maybe it would've been better if Gian had went off to Arlong Park and left Luffy to deal with the aftermath, there I could've worked in more details with him and Ebirah. Oh well, what's done is done.
G: Also how are you gonna review the rest? You've practically left a review on every chapter!
We really are blessed to have a supporter like you.
G: Now go and return the favor and review those two new chapters she put out you ungrateful twit.
I'M GETTING TO THAT!
And that's all for now! We'll see you next time!
G: Leave a Review if ya like! And be sure to vote!