Hiccup and the others soon returned to the Night Fury, and the rest of the crew had a mixture of shock and horror as accounting them was the mysterious skeleton.

"It is such a pleasure to meet you," he said politely. "A good day to you; your captain was very kind to invite me for a meal on this wonderful ship of yours. My name is Skull, a rather ironic name given my situation, but I assure you my appearance aside, I mean you no harm."

"Are you kidding me? What the heck is this thing?" said everyone in unison.

"Quite the spirited crew you have here," said Skull.

Chopper was holding up a cross, looking terrified. "Please don't leave me!"

Snotlout was looking a little apprehensive, while Toothless and Eret looked rather weary. The only members of the crew that weren't giving Skull the cold shoulder were Heather and the twins. In fact, the twins looked rather excited to meet the walking talking skeleton.

"Wow, a real live walking talking skeleton," said Tuffnut.

"That's so awesome," said Ruffnut.

"So not awesome," said Snotlout, who was now wearing a large assortment of charms, talismans and anything else that would ward off evil spirits.

"It's a full set of anti-ghost gear," said Chopper in awe. "You've got him now!"

"Remove yourself from the ship, you fiend!" Snotlout threatened, holding out a golden cross. "Submit to the holy power that I wield! Evil be gone! Evil be gone!"

"How frightening," said Skull as he took several steps back.

"It's working; keep it up!" said Chopper cheerfully. "You're awesome, Snotlout!"

"Of course, I'm awesome," Snotlout smiled. "I paid a lot of money for this stuff, so it all had better work."

"So, what is this evil creature you're trying to get rid of?" Skull asked as he looked around. "Because I do not see such a creature."

"It's you, stupid!" Snotlout and Chopper yelled.

"Damnit, there's no way a walking, talking skeleton could exist," said Snotlout. "This has to be a dream; we just need to wake up."

"Oh, it's a dream," said Chopper relieved and closed his eyes. "What a relief, that's nice."

He then toppled over, feeling a huge burden being lifted off his shoulders.

"Uh, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but I'm afraid you're not dreaming," said Skull.

Chopper opened his eyes and screamed as Skull was standing over him.

"Okay, that's enough!" Toothless yelled and turned to Hiccup. "I trust you have a good reason for bringing this thing along?"

"Well, we needed information, and he's willing to give it in exchange for a meal," said Hiccup.

"You can't be serious," said Toothless.

"Well, he didn't seem dangerous and bringing them on board where we can easily outnumber him it seemed like the smartest option at the time," said Hiccup.

Toothless looked at the others incredulously. "And you went along with it?"

"We were a little apprehensive with the idea," Astrid admitted.

"But he did make a very convincing argument," said Ragnar.

"Even convinced me, and I'm still scared of him," said Fishlegs.

"Now let's be civil, everyone; we have much to discuss over that dinner I was promised," said Skull politely.

"You don't get to decide that!" Astrid, Ragnar and Toothless yelled.

Regardless they did make their way into the kitchen, where Ragnar indeed served the skeleton some dinner. Skull marvelled at the combined kitchen and dining room.

"What a spacious dining room you have and such a splendid kitchen," he said, generally impressed. "A magnificent ship if I ever saw one, and I've seen plenty."

"Of course it is; it's the best check that I ever made," said Eret. "Those sockets of yours may be empty, but you've got a good eye for quality."

"Eret, I suggest you don't get too friendly with the skeleton," said Ragnar.

"Speaking of quality, I cannot wait to try out your cooking," Skull continued. "Since I've been stuck on that dreary ghost ship, it's been decades since I've eaten a proper meal. I felt my stomach shrink and shrink until I couldn't even tell from the back of my belly to the front of my back anymore; that was the sort of miserable life I was in. And let me tell you, that's saying a lot since skeleton don't even have a proper back or stomach."

"You seem to be awfully good-natured for someone whose death," Astrid noted.

"I have to be, or else I would have gone mad decades ago, and I might as well have a good laugh while matted," said Skull. "Now, I don't suppose you'd be so kind as to introduce yourself especially considering that I've already given you my."

"My name is Hiccup," said Hiccup.

"Food's ready," Ragnar announced.

In just a few moments, Ragnar covered the entire table with food.

"We can finish interrogating the skeleton later; for now, let's dig in," said Ragnar.

"Have as much as you want. You'll find Ragnar's cooking is the best in the entire world," said Hiccup.

"Even though my stomach is empty, I think that my heart has already been filled," said Skull looking as if he was about to cry.

"Don't cry," Ragnar pleaded.

They then began to dig in.

"Tell me, how did you manage to acquire so much fish?" Skull asked curiously as he ate.

"We have a built-in fish tank, though some brainiacs decided to fill it with a shark; it's a wonder we have any fish at all," said Hiccup, glaring at the twins.

The twins try to make themselves small as they eat.

"You have a fish tank? Truly the wonders of you people never cease," said Skull.

"But that's just the start; the ship is able to transform as well and can fly into the air as well."

"I've never heard of anything like it; how fortunate that I have met with such a fascinating ship."

"If you're so interested, we can show you."

"By all means, right after dinner."

"You know, I'm curious," said Astrid looking at Skull. "If you don't have a stomach, where does all of that will go?"

"It's probably best you don't know," Skull admitted. "Especially when we're having dinner."

"I couldn't agree more," said Ragnar.

After they ate, Skull soon explained his origins.

"The Revived-Revive Fruit?" said Fishlegs.

"So it was a Devil Fruit after all," said Eret.

"It's a rather complicated tale," said Skull as he cleaned his mouth with his napkin. "The truth of the matter is I did actually die already, about 50 years ago."

"50 years?" Ragnar blinked. "No wonder you wanted some decent food."

"The Revived-Revive Fruit allows a person to be reanimated after I died," Skull continued. "Even among Devil Fruit powers, the ability to live two lives is indeed quite strange."

"Then you're not immortal," said Eret. "More like you died once and gave you a second chance in life."

"In short, yes and as I said, it is complicated, but during my first life, if you will, I was a pirate just like you."

"Well, that explains the share," said Hiccup.

"Indeed. About 50 years ago, I was sailing with the rest of my crew through these accursed waters. Now for the record, I did have fresh and blood, and as you can probably tell, I was indeed a Drake, much like your companion here. At any rate, we had the misfortune of running afoul of a very powerful adversarial.

"Soon, the entire crew met its demise and naturally, that included me as well. When I was alive, the Revived-Revive Fruit did precious little other than rob my ability to swim. But on that fateful day, its true power awakened as I laid dead. My spirit returned from the netherworld and came to unite with this body of mine once again.

"Now, if it had actually found my body as intended, that would have been all well and good, but as you can see, the fog around here is quite thick, so the matter became a bit complicated. In short, my soul cannot find its way back home. All in all, my spirit wandered these dark waters searching for my body for an entire year.

"Then, at the end of its tragic journey, the two were reunited once again. Sadly much to my soul's dismay, by the time it found my body, there was nothing left but a mere miserable pile of bones. My eyes were as wide as dinner plates, not that I had eyes, to begin with."

"Who knew souls have a poor sense of direction," said Hiccup and looked to the others. "I told you there would be a perfectly logical explanation for all this."

"And so are walking talking skeleton was born," said Eret. "Man, those Devil Fruit powers can be pretty scary sometimes. Even though you just bones, it still brought it back to life."

"Yeah, but it only does it once despite the fact that she still can't swim, and he's stuck like this," Ragnar pointed out. "Seems like a crappy deal if you ask me."

"True, but this body does come with certain advantages," said Skull. "I can no longer die of old age, and while I can still eat and sleep, this body of mine is not as dependent on them as it once was."

"So that means you're not actually a ghost at all," said Snotlout. "You're just a normal person like us? Well, normal is a stretch, I suppose, but the important thing is you're definitely not a ghost."

"Of course, I'm not a ghost; there's no such thing as ghosts," said Skull, looking insulted.

Astrid then walked up to him and held up a mirror to him. "That's funny coming from a skeleton. I mean, have you looked in the mirror recently."

"That is a lot harder than you might think," said Skull.

"Why's that?" Snotlout asked, walking up to him and looking in the mirror. The moment his eyes were laid upon the mirror, they widened in shock. "Wait a minute, what's going on here?"

Chopper soon joined him, and he, too, was shocked by what he was seeing. "No… why…"

"Why can't we see?" they said in unison.

Sure enough, all they could see were themselves, as for some reason, Skull was not showing a reflection within the mirror.

"Why don't you show up in the mirror?" they cried.

Everyone immediately screamed and either head or got their weapons ready.

"Vampire!" Snotlout, Fishlegs, Chopper screamed.

"Are you for real?" said Tuffnut looking up.

"That's awesome!" Ruffnut cried.

"Look at his feet! He doesn't even have a shadow!" Snotlout pointed, and sure enough, Skull had no shadow.

"Aww, you're right!" Chopper cried. "What kind of creature are you?"

Skull just remained calm and sat down and drank a cup of tea.

"Don't take a tea break!" said Ragnar.

"You had better explain yourself right away, Mister," Snotlout threatened.

"I suppose that I should tell you the rest of the story about what happened while I was drifting in this evil sea and the second tragedy I was forced to face," he said reluctantly. "What I told you about becoming a skeleton is true, but the reason I don't have a shadow is a different matter entirely. My shadow was stolen; someone took it from me several years ago."

"Stolen?" Snotlout stared.

"But how?" Heather asked.

"I guess there's not any more ridiculous than talking skeleton, but it is still hard to swallow," said Toothless.

"So is everything else we've encountered. As always, there is a logical explanation," said Hiccup.

"But can something like that really happen?" Toothless frowned.

"Yes, I'm afraid it can," said Skull. "And additionally, from losing my reflection, having my shadow stolen means I can no longer exist in the world of light."

"But you are still alive, right?" said Tuffnut.

"Yes, now, at least, but only because I am able to stay in this place with no sunlight. Although, you can scarcely call it living. I am saved by the grace of the thick fog surrounding these seas."

"But what would happen if you were exposed to sunlight?" Heather asked curiously.

"If even a ray of sunlight touches this body, every inch that it fell upon be reduced to ash. A single step into the sun and in a matter of moments, every trace of me would be wiped from this world."

Everyone just stared at him. "You'd be killed?"

"Yes," Skull nodded. "I saw someone with the same curse lose his mind and run into the sunlight. In a second, his screams were silenced, and nothing was left but a pile of dust. It was so frightful I swear that my soul practically let my body a second time.

"And just as the sunlight does not cast a shadow, my image cannot be reflected within the mirror or captured within a photograph. You must forgive me for starting new, but I hope you can understand my reluctance to share this story, for not only have all of my comrades been slain, but I also live in a world without light!"

"Well, I hate to say it, but your life sucks," said Ragnar.

"True, but even still, I am grateful to have it," he said cheerfully.

"Where does all this optimism come from?" Ragnar wondered.

Skull merely laughed, which did unnerve Snotlout.

"Hey, he's flipping out," said Snotlout.

"Oh, what a wonderful day it has been," said Skull joyously. "I met other people! Buried heavy within a heavy fog, even though decades have passed, I couldn't tell when one day ended and another began. Unable to navigate or steer the ship, my companion is long since dead, I could only drift aimlessly, and so I waited and waited as the waves rocked me back and forth.

"You can't even imagine how lonely I was all those years. Not just lonely but scared. Wanting to die every single day! Even still, a long life is a blessing, not a curse. You've made me so happy; meeting such wonderful people gives my life meaning! If I had the eyes to shed them, I would be crying tears of happiness right now."

"If you want, you could stay with us," Hiccup offered.

"You want the skeleton to join our crew?" Snotlout stared, astonished. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Come on, the guy has been lonely for 50 years, and need I point out were not exactly an ordinary crew, to begin with. I mean, we already have a talking reindeer for a doctor and a cyborg as our shipwright."

"He's got a point," said Astrid.

"While I do appreciate the offer, I'm afraid I have to decline," said Skull graciously. "As I had just explained, without my shadow, I am unable to come in contact with any sunlight. Lonely as they may be now, I am able to survive thanks to the thick fog covering these seas. If I were to go on a journey with you, it would only be a matter of time before I met my unfortunate demise. Therefore, as unlikely as it may be, I will wait for the day when my shadow can be restored."

"If you need your shadow back, we can help you," Hiccup offered. "You mentioned someone stole it from you, right? Who was it? Where can we find?"

"You truly are a kind person, but it is for that reason I cannot tell you. We have only just met, you see, and I cannot ask you to throw your life away. Attempting it is nearly impossible."

"I'm sure the guy is tough and all, but give me a break. You've got nothing to lose," said Eret.

"And we're experts when it comes to defying the impossible," Astrid added.

Eret nodded. "Least you can do is give us his name."

"No, it's best that I don't," said Skull. "Besides, I doubt I can find him anyway, but I have decided that when and if I ever do reach him, I will fight him to the death for my shadow. I don't know when my second life will end, but I am willing to wait for him for the rest of my days."

Everyone just sat there in silence, not sure what to say.

"But never mind that. Why don't I play a song for you?" Skull suggested as he turned around and bent down to the case he brought on board.

Everyone watched as he opened it and, moments later, pulled out a violin.

"I am skilled with a great many instruments, you know," he informed them. "When I sailed the seas with my old crew, I was their musician. Now I have played music for anyone in years, but here goes—"

However, just as he was about to play, he stopped and looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

"What's wrong?" Ragnar asked.

"Tell me, is your ship haunted because you have a ghost on board," said Skull.

Everyone turned in the direction he was looking, and indeed they saw a ghost sticking out from the wall.

"He's right!" Chopper cried. "Get out! Go away!"

"This is too cool," said Tuffnut.

"First are alive talking skeleton and now a ghost," said Ruffnut.

"It's leaving," Toothless noticed as the ghost flew away.

Then suddenly, they heard a noise, and then the ship shook.

"What's going on now?" Astrid asked.

"It can't be!" said Skull rushing to the front of the ship. "What terrible fortune and Mister been watching, and that is the only thing that makes sense. Everyone looked to the front!"

The rest of the crew joined him, and once outside, they saw a giant gate resembling teeth in front of the ship.

"That noise we heard earlier, that was this gate slamming shut," Skull explained. "The passage has already been blocked off."

"That thing is a gate?" said Hiccup.

"It looks like teeth like a giant sea monster is going to eat us all," Fishlegs gulped.

"What's going on here?" Toothless asked.

"It would seem this is the backside of the gate," said Skull.

"That bad?" Hiccup asked.

"This is very bad," said Skull and quickly ran to the back of the ship. "Come to the rear of the ship, hurry!"

They all followed him and were stunned to find an island directly behind the Night Fury. They couldn't see much of the island, but there was certainly a forest, and they could make out the appearance of some sort of giant mansion in all of it had an eerie feeling.

"What in the world is that?" Astrid asked.

Skull looked at Hiccup. "Did you, by any chance, pick up a barrel from the water on your way here?"

"Yeah, we did," said Hiccup.

"It was a trap. You're all in danger. Simply put, your ship has been targeted ever since you came."

"You mean there's someone hunting us down? How did we run into that gave when our ship is not moving? Where did that creepy island come from?"

"This is the ghost island that wanders throughout the seas… they all it Breakneck Bog," said Skull.

"Breakneck Bog, I see," said Hiccup looking at the island.