Ch. 5- Going Back
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard and Malcolm © Me
Moments later, the Straw Hats had disembarked from the Sunny and were now heading back to the haunted mansion. This time, they were prepared.
Usopp had given everyone a vial of holy water, a crucifix, and some garlic to keep Luffy and Blizzard at bay when they entered the house. Nami forbade him from giving everyone wooden stakes. She may've wanted Luffy and Blizzard in their current forms away, but she was not going to allow them to get killed.
They reached the mansion and stepped onto the porch. They found that the candy, treats, and rocks that they had abandoned here were gone, but right now, they didn't really care.
"Okay," Nami said, taking a deep, calming breath. "Is everyone ready?"
"Yeah," the Straw Hats replied.
With that, Nami opened the door, revealing the darkness within.
"Franky," Nami called.
"Right."
FLASH! Franky turned on his Nipple Lights, causing all the darkness within the Straw Hats' vicinity to flee.
"Be careful," said Sanji. "Luffy and Blizzard might be in this very room."
"As long as we stay in the light and have our garlic, crucifixes, and such, we should be all right," Usopp said. "Vampires dwell in the darkness. If you leave the light, that's when they pounce."
"Scary…!" Chopper whimpered.
Nami reached down and took the little reindeer's hoof in her hand.
"Don't worry," Nami said. "As long as we stick together, nothing will happen."
"I hope so," Chopper said.
With that, the crew continued onward, eyes constantly looking around for any type of danger, be it Luffy, Blizzard, or Malcolm.
In the darkness, however, they didn't realize that two pairs of glowing red eyes were following them.
"What are you waiting for?" asked a familiar, deadpan voice. "Go get them."
A monstrous growl was made in response before the eyes' owners slinked off after the Straw Hats.
XXX
The crew ventured up the stairs of the mansion, trying to keep together in the light of Franky's…well, you know.
Suddenly, Chopper's sensitive ears picked up the sound of hissing, causing chills to go down his spine.
"Guys?" he whispered. "Did you hear that?"
"I did," Nami said.
"So did I," Sanji added.
"We all did," Usopp chimed in.
Brook shuddered, teeth chattering.
"I have a very bad feeling in my bones, all of a sudden," he said.
Zoro instinctively looked up and put a hand on his swords.
"Heads up!" he shouted.
Everyone looked up and saw two pairs of red eyes glaring at them from the ceiling,
THUD! Two shadowy figures fell from the ceiling and landed on their feet in front of the Straw Hats. Once they stood up, they were revealed to be Luffy and Blizzard, both wearing evil, toothy grins on their faces.
"Looking for us?" Luffy asked with a snicker.
Grr~! Blizzard made a hissing growl.
Everyone started to back away from the two vampires. As they did, they heard the familiar laughter of Malcolm.
Speak of the devil, there he was, floating above Luffy and Blizzard.
"Malcolm!" Nami exclaimed.
"You guys came back to play!" Malcolm said. "Great." He floated down beside Luffy and put an arm on his shoulder. "I gotta say, your captain makes good company, and so does his doggy. Still, you know the old saying: 'The more, the merrier'."
"Turn our friends back to the way they were, right now!" Usopp shouted.
"I don't think so," Malcolm said. "I'm having way too much, and I'll have even more fun when these two are done with you!"
"Master," Luffy hissed. "I want blood. Give me blood!"
RUFF! Blizzard barked, loudly in agreement.
"There's a fresh supply right in front of you," Malcolm told Luffy. "Go and get it."
Luffy smiled before he lunged at the first person he laid his sights on: Nami.
"Nami!" Sanji cried. "Look out!"
Nami covered her face with her arms in defense, awaiting the piercing of Luffy's fangs in her neck…but it never came. Upon uncovering her face, she saw that Luffy's horrifying visage was now replaced with his own look of horror, as well as disgust. Looking behind him, she saw that Blizzard was now doing the same thing.
It was then that the navigator mentally hit herself for forgetting one crucial thing: the garlic!
Nami reached into her bra and pulled out said vegetable, putting it front of Luffy's face, making him even more horrified.
"Ah!" he yelped. "Garlic! Keep it away from me!"
With that, Luffy turned tail and ran, and Blizzard followed behind, yowling in fear and defeat. As they ran, Nami noticed that Luffy had dropped something in his haste to get away.
It was his hat.
Nami approached the treasured head-wear before she gently plucked it off the dusty floor and set it upon her orange hair.
Luffy would've wanted her to hold on to it, vampire or not.
Meanwhile, Malcolm was growling and throwing a big fit, as usual for a child his age, even if he is a ghost.
"No fair!" he yelled. "You cheated!"
"Malcolm, listen," Nami said. "What you're doing may be fun to you, but not us!"
"Liar!" Malcolm said. "Big, fat, cheating liar!"
"Look, kid," Zoro said. "You don't belong here in the world of the living anymore! Turn our captain and his damn dog back to normal and pass on to the afterlife, already!"
"No!" Malcolm spat. "No, no, no! Never, never, NEVER!"
"Just as I thought," Robin said. "His spirit won't rest."
Suddenly, Malcolm started growling, his hands balled up into fists and his teeth gritted. His eyes began to glow red and a mysterious black aura appeared around him.
"Uh-oh," Usopp muttered. "This is not good!"
CRRAAAACK! The floorboards were pulled up into the air, all by themselves.
"Go AWAY!" Malcolm shouted.
FWOOSH! With the swing of his hands, Malcolm threw the boards at the Straw Hats. At first, it didn't seem like they'd do much harm, but then, the ends of the boards became pointed and sharp!
"Duck!" Chopper cried.
Everyone heeded the doctor's warning and ducked down in the nick of time, except Franky.
SMASH! The boards impacted with Franky's iron chasse and shattered into nothing but splinters.
"You'll have to do better than that, kid!" said Franky. "What else have you got?"
Malcolm made a hand motion to the railing nearby, and once he did, it took on the form of a huge metal python. Once he did, he made a gesture that commanded it to attack.
"Let me handle this!" Usopp shouted before he pulled out his Black Kabuto. "Certain Death…Green Star…SMOKE BOMB!"
TWANG! Usopp fired one of his Pop Greens, causing a huge plant form between the Straw Hats and Malcolm. The plant looked like a huge flower, and from its center, a thick layer of smoke came seeping out and quickly filled the hall.
SMASH! The metal python attacked the plant, destroying it, instantly. However, once the smoke had cleared, Malcolm saw that the Straw Hats had disappeared.
"Grr…!" he growled. "I HATE grown-ups! They never play fair!"
XXX
In the kitchen, it is revealed that the crew had escaped here, and were currently catching their breath.
"That was close," Chopper said. "I was afraid he was really gonna get us."
"That was quick thinking, Usopp," Nami said. "Way to use your head."
"What should we do, now?" Franky asked. "Should we try and go back upstairs, again? The kid's probably waiting for us!"
"Plus, we have no idea where Luffy or Blizzard ran off to," Robin added.
"Or when or if they'll strike next," Zoro chimed in.
"And don't forget who," Brook piped.
"And more importantly," Nami began, "how we're going to get Malcolm to pass on to the afterlife."
"Maybe if we split up and cover more ground," said Sanji, "we might find a clue."
"What clue?" Usopp questioned. "All we know is that he was killed by pirates."
"Do you think it's because he hates them?" Nami asked. "Maybe he won't pass on because he knows there are pirates in the world."
"Maybe so," Brook said, "and yet I don't think that's why."
"Let's just try splitting up, for now," Sanji said. "We'll meet in the drawing room. Try not to get lost."
Everyone set their gaze on Zoro, who soon grew irritable.
"What in the hell are you all looking at?" the swordsman questioned.
XXX
Moments later, after taking a moment to rest, the crew split up into groups of two.
Zoro was paired with Sanji (unfortunately), Brook was with Usopp, Robin was with Franky, and Nami was with Chopper, who tried his hardest to brave.
Sanji told everyone that the moment they were in trouble, they should scream or yell real loud to let them know where they were, something that Zoro said would never happen with him.
Right now, the swordsman and cook were walking down one of the upstairs hallways. So far, they didn't see any signs of Malcolm, Luffy, or Blizzard, but that didn't mean they weren't going to let down their guard.
Still, that also didn't mean that they wouldn't argue.
"Why the hell do I always have to end up with you?" Zoro barked, questioningly.
"Shut up!" Sanji growled. "If no one kept a damn eye on you, you'd end up lost before you know it!"
"I do NOT get lost, you dumb-ass cook!"
"You do so, hack swordsman!"
"Dartboard!"
"Moss-head!"
"Why you!" Sanji snarled. "I ought to drop you like ten-rate mincemeat!"
"Oh, yeah?" Zoro barked, drawing his swords. "Try it after I hack you into pieces!"
Before the two could go at it, a big, white blur dashed over them, forcing them both to duck on instinct. Upon looking up, they saw that it was only a bat, flying overhead from the rafters.
"I can't believe you're afraid of a little bat," Zoro reprimanded.
"That's not an ordinary bat," said Sanji. "Most bats don't have white fur, big bushy tails, or red glowing eyes."
Zoro looked back up at the bat and saw that Sanji was right. The creature had fur as white as snow, a big bushy tail, and more importantly…two demonic red eyes.
THUD! The bat grew in size and lost its ability to fly, landing on the floor before Zoro and Sanji.
It was Blizzard, fangs exposed and ready to suck blood.
"Damn it," Sanji cursed. "He must've been following us!"
"Where's Luffy, though?" Zoro asked.
"Doesn't matter," Sanji said. "Right now, I think we should worry about Blizzard, first."
HIIISSS! Blizzard hissed at the two, licking his lips as he began to advance.
"What's going on?" Zoro asked. "I thought the garlic and holy water was supposed to keep him away!"
Sanji gasped silently. He reached into his armor and found, to his horror, that he was no longer armed with his garlic or his holy water.
Zoro searched his robes and also took on a look of shock when he realized his "vampire repellant" was also gone.
They must've dropped them when the Straw Hats were escaping from Malcolm!
"Damn it!" Sanji cursed.
"Looks like we got no choice," said Zoro. "We're gonna have to fight our way passed him!"
With that, Zoro and Sanji got into fighting stances. Truth be told, they didn't really want to do it, but right now…this wasn't Blizzard, anymore.
Blizzard growled, saliva oozing from his jaws before he lunged forward.
"Get ready!" Zoro exclaimed as he drew his swords, again. "Here he comes!"
KLASH! Blizzard was now locked in a stalemate, his claws and fangs now locked with Zoro's blades.
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