Ch. 4- The Truth About Malcolm

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Malcolm, and Mordecai © Me

The Straw Hats ran to the door as fast as they could with their captain and guard dog giving chase after them.

"Get to the door before one of them grabs you!" Usopp cried. "Once they bite into your neck, you're a vampire, too!"

Nami looked back as she held Robin's hand. Luffy was mounted on top of Blizzard's back, his fangs bare and his eyes still glowing red.

"Give me your blood!" he roared.

Somewhere around them, the Straw Hats could hear the evil laughter of Malcolm, or rather, the ghost of Malcolm as they kept running.

Usopp was the first to get to the door, and he quickly opened it.

"Hurry up!" he shouted.

The rest of the crew made their exit, and Usopp was the last get out, slamming the door behind him. Once the door closed, Luffy and Blizzard were forced to stop. They hissed angrily, baring their fangs.

"Don't worry about them," said Malcolm as he came floating down behind them. "They'll be back, and we'll be waiting for them…won't we?"

Luffy made a toothy grin as he snickered, maliciously.

XXX

Outside the mansion, the Straw Hats were busy trying to catch their breath.

"That was close," Chopper said.

"I thought for sure that we were gonna be next," Usopp added.

"To think, that kid was a ghost, the whole time," Franky said.

"How frightening!" Brook exclaimed.

"Malcolm must've been the ghost that the old man was talking about," said Robin.

Nami looked at the mansion, sadly. She could see a pair of glowing red eyes, glaring at her through the window.

Whether that was Luffy or Blizzard, she couldn't tell. All she knew was that the man she loved had been turned into a monster against his will…and now, she wanted nothing more than get to him back.

But how?

Robin, sensing the navigator's sadness, gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Sanji also felt Nami's unease, but he decided to let Robin do the comforting.

Zoro, on the other hand, stood up.

"Let's head back to the ship, for now," he said.

"What?" Nami questioned. "You want us to abandon Luffy and Blizzard?"

"I didn't say that!" Zoro argued. "I'm just saying we need to go back so we can make a plan to save Luffy and the mutt!"

Nami glared at Zoro, but then she heaved a sigh.

"Okay," she said.

With that, the crew headed back to the Thousand Sunny to formulate a plan on how to rescue their captain and his dog.

Little did they know that they were being followed.

XXX

Moments later, on the ship, everyone was at the deck, sitting in a circle, thinking of what they should do to save Luffy and Blizzard.

"I've got nothing," Usopp said.

"Me, neither," Franky added.

"Well, we have to do something," Sanji said.

"What good is a pirate crew without a captain to lead them?" Zoro questioned.

"Don't forget Blizzard," Chopper said. "We need him, too!"

"But what are we gonna do?" Nami asked. "We've faced zombies, Warlords, and all those other things, but we've never faced real vampires or real ghosts!"

"It appears you may need my help, then."

Everyone turned to see the old man from before.

"It's you!" Usopp exclaimed. "The old man from earlier!"

"Yes," said the old man.

"Okay, old timer," said Zoro. "I think it's high time you started explaining yourself! Who are you and how do you know about that ghost kid?"

"It appears it is time I started to explain myself, isn't it?" the old man asked with a sigh. "All right, then. My name is Mordecai…and that ghost inside that mansion…is my younger twin brother, Malcolm."

"Your brother?" Nami repeated.

"But why is he a ghost?" Usopp asked.

"And why did he turn Luffy and Blizzard into real vampires?" Chopper asked.

"Well, it's a very long story," Mordecai began, "but I'll try and explain as best as I can. You see, 60 years ago, my brother and I lived in that mansion with our parents. We were a wealthy family and we were all very happy together…but then…they came. A pack of vicious pirates came and attacked our home. My Mother, Father, and I managed to escape, but Malcolm had foolishly hid himself so that the pirates wouldn't find him…but we didn't find him, either. Once we escaped, I realized that Malcolm wasn't with us. I went back to try and find him, but when I did…I saw that it was too late to save him."

"What happened to him?" Robin asked.

"The pirates had found him," Mordecai answered. "And when they did…they cut his throat open and let him bleed to death. Malcolm was gone…but he never left. His spirit now haunts the mansion, and every day, I try so hard to help him pass on to the afterlife, but he refuses to go."

"That's very sad, Mister Mordecai," Nami said, "but it doesn't explain how he turned our friends into vampire."

"Nor do I," Mordecai said. "All I know is…you must help my brother. If you help him, you may help your friends as well."

There was a pause. Then, Mordecai got down low on his knees with his head touching the ground.

"Please," Mordecai said. "I know you're pirates, but I also know that you're not the kind of pirates who mercilessly kill innocent women and children. I beg of you, as a poor old man with no other options…will you please help Malcolm?"

There was another pause.

"Okay," Nami said. "We'll do it."

"What?" the crew questioned.

"But Nami," Usopp said. "Aren't you afraid?"

"Yes, I am," Nami said, "but, like Mister Mordecai said, Malcolm's just a restless spirit. We need to find out the reason why he won't pass on, and if we did, he might change Luffy and Blizzard back to normal."

"Well, we might as well," said Zoro.

"I always did like vampires," Robin began, "but I don't like the thought of my captain or his dog being vampires."

"If Nami and Robin are going, then I'll go, too," Sanji said. "Even if they are our friends, I'm not letting Luffy and Blizzard suck their blood."

"I'll go, too," Chopper said. "I wanna help Blizzard."

"I'm going, as well," Brook said. "After all, I owe my life to Mister Luffy, even though I'm already dead. Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho!"

"And I'm going, too!" Franky said.

Everyone turned to Usopp.

"What about you Usopp?" Nami asked. "If your gonna chicken out, now's your chance."

Usopp crossed his arms.

"Well," he said. "Sure, I'm scared…but like Zoro said, what good is a pirate crew without a captain?"

Nami smiled at Usopp. Perhaps he's not as cowardly as he was, two years ago.

"But I'll go if Zoro goes into spooky haunted mansion first," Usopp said.

Spoke too soon.

Sorry it's short.

Review, please!