A/N: *Bon-chan's voice* BONJOUR!~ I'm very sorry, very sorry! The time gets away from me! But never mind that… it's time for an update and I have been reading up on other One Piece fanfics and getting myself into the spirit! XD
Happy 3 Days After Thanksgiving. I am thankful for all my loving, patient followers of my fanfics.
Here is your update, which was intended for Halloween. ^-^"
"WE'RE GOING ON A GHOST HUNT!" Luffy fist-pumped and promptly leapt onto the dining table. "Who's with me!"
"N-now, Luffy, I think I have contracted a rare case of, um… 'can't-go-on-a-ghost-hunt' syndrome…" Usopp stuttered, waving his hands. "Really, it was a creepy-looking thing! We don't need to come in contact with that!"
"The undead would give me such goosebumps- if I only had skin! YOHOHOHOHO!"
The noise in the background was honestly very irritating. Tashigi sighed, covering her aching head with her hands. "This is ridiculous."
"Tashigi-chan," Robin said. Tashigi looked up and she beckoned her closer. "I have to tell you something."
"Yes? What is it?" Tashigi asked, coming round to Robin's side of the table.
"You should probably look at this later, if you get a chance," Robin said, handing her a rolled-up newspaper. Tashigi raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to ask about the paper when a whine broke her off.
"It's not a good idea, Luffy! You heard Usopp, he said it was a really scary ghost!" Chopper whined.
"ENOUGH!" Nami yelled, slamming her hands on the table. "There's no ghosts aboard this ship. Get that idea out of your head right now, all of you! Now, Usopp, start over. What exactly did you see?"
"I-it was a figure, about as tall as Zoro," Usopp said, making many irrelevant gestures with his hands. "It was pale, starch white and didn't have much of a form at all…. It was just floating there, and it… it had the infamous Glare of Death! As it brandished its horrible weapon at me, I was encouraged-nay, FORCED- to flee, being helplessly without a weapon myself! It defeated even the Great Captain Usopp!"
"So basically, he saw something white and ran away from it," Nami muttered as Usopp continued to spew nonsense while Chopper huddled, amazed and terrified, next to him.
"Even so, shouldn't we investigate?" Tashigi piped up timidly, raising a hand. "In case there's something on the ship that Usopp mistook for a ghost, shouldn't we?"
"It's probably nothing," Zoro began, and Luffy cut in, "YOSH! Good idea, Tashigi! Here, you can help!" Without warning he ran from the room, grabbing Tashigi's wrist on the way and pulling her out of her seat and after him.
"Luffy, wait!" Nami yelled, frustrated. Robin chuckled to herself, calmly turning a page in the book she was reading.
"Hey, Luffy! Get your hands off her!" Sanji yelled, running after them. Zoro watched the exchange with a sigh and got up, muttering, "I guess I'll go too." He soon disappeared from the room as well. The only sound in the room was Usopp's constant chattering in the background.
"Hey," Nami said suddenly, looking around. "Where's Franky…?"
(linebreak)
"Luffy, where are we going!"
"To find the ghost, Tashigi!" Luffy grinned, dragging the marine down the hall with him. Tashigi fumbled to keep her glasses on, her hair askew and Shigure bumping her hip wildly.
"But Usopp's workshop is the other way!" she cried, and Luffy stopped.
"Ohhh! Hehe. Okay!" He dashed in the other direction instead. Upon arriving at their destination, they came across Sanji, who had gone to the workshop first, and Zoro, who had attempted following them downstairs.
"Oi, Zoro! You got lost again?" Luffy giggled. Zoro rolled his eyes. "You're one to talk, captain."
"Shut up, both of you," Sanji demanded, taking Tashigi's hand. "Are you alright, my dear? Luffy didn't contaminate you with those filthy hands of his, did he?"
"She should be even more worried about you, swirly brow," Zoro cut in.
"Oh, really, Marimo?"
"Really."
"I'll make you eat those words!"
"I'll make you eat this blade!"
"BRING IT, RORONOA!"
"STOP!" Tashigi said, moving her body in between them as a barrier. She threw her arms out to either side and glared at the two of them. "We're supposed to be looking around for a ghost slash intruder. You can fight later."
"Hai, Tashigi-chan! Anything for you!~"
"Whatever," Zoro muttered.
"LET'S GO!" Luffy said. He charged at the door, swinging it open ferociously. "ALRIGHT GHOST, COME ON OUT!" (Un)surprisingly, there was no answer. The workshop was clear of all signs of life and undead, littered with Usopp's various tools and unfinished projects. The silence was even and ringing. Luffy huffed and crossed his arms. "That doesn't make sense. Why would a ghost come out and then just disappear again?" Zoro came in after him, looking around at the junked-up tables and work benches. "We told you, Luffy, there's nothing down here at all. It's all just your imagination."
"Ne, Zoro, haven't you ever heard of imagination coming to life?" Luffy said, waving his arms.
"That's impossible," Zoro muttered, rolling his eyes. Tashigi watched the exchange with little interest and turned her head to look at Sanji, who had suddenly fallen silent. Her brows drew closer together and she placed a hand on the back of Zoro's shoulder.
"Ne, Zoro… Where did Sanji-kun go?"
"Probably to get us some food to help out on the ghost hunt!" Luffy said matter-of-factly. Zoro turned as well, ignoring his captain to see what Tashigi was talking about. The hall was completely empty. There was no sign of Sanji- not his voice or footsteps, at least. The faint smell of cigarettes lingered in the air.
"I only turned around for a few seconds," Tashigi said, concern rising as she adjusted her glasses. "You don't suppose…?"
"If there were a dangerous intruder on board, we would have heard Sanji," Zoro muttered. His hand gripped Wadou's hilt all the same. Luffy shivered excitedly. "I'm getting goosebumps!"
Tashigi drew Shigure and kept it close to her side as they exited the empty workshop and began to explore the lower part of the ship. All seemed much darker now and the lingering smell of cigarettes began to grow stronger and stronger.
"Gah, ero-cook must be down here still," Zoro said, waving a hand in front of his nose and mouth. "I can barely breathe…"
"Tashigi doesn't seem bothered by it!" Luffy pointed out.
"Hm? Well, growing up in the Marines next to Smoker… I guess all that just made me used to it," Tashigi chuckled. They came out to find Robin sitting at the dining table, still reading. She smiled and lifted an eyebrow at them. "So, did you find the so-called 'ghost'?" she inquired.
"There was nothing down there but junk in Usopp's workroom," Zoro said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "Just like I said in the first place… there's no one here."
"Ah, I see," Robin said with a secretive smile. She glanced up from a dog-eared page and tilted her head. "Did you, by any chance, happen to see Franky while you were down there? It seems he's disappeared. No one can find him."
"No one was down there at all," Tashigi said, sheathing Shigure carefully. "We did smell Sanji smoking before we came up here, but that was it."
"Didn't Sanji follow you to help investigate?" Robin asked.
"He disappeared!" Luffy interrupted.
"Disappeared? My, how mysterious. Do you think-" Robin was cut off by a huge crash from the other end of the ship.
(LINE :D)
Smoker watched as the docks faded far, far away into the distance. His new sails picked up the wind and flashed his insignia proudly as they were whisked further and further from the shore. Their departure was surprisingly quiet and peaceful.
"Sir!" As usual, an annoying random marine broke the peace, coming to stand by Smoker's side and giving an exaggerated salute. "We thought you should see this, sir!" He unfurled the day's paper, dropping it before Smoker's eyes. When the print came into focus, Smoker's eyes shot wide open and he snatched the paper away, rounding on the marine. "Where did you get this!"
"I-it's just the day's newspaper, sir!" the marine quivered, leaning away. "It all comes from marine intelligence-"
"Get Hina on the phone!" Smoker bellowed. He tore the paper in two and threw it over the railing, clenching his hands into shaking fists. "She will pay for this!"
