Legal notice: I do not own One Piece. All original characters, plot, and settings belong to Eiichiro Oda. Words from Bink's Sake borrowed from a One Piece Wiki. Enjoy Chapter 41!

Magina blinked in the sunlight and cleared her lungs of the fish odor. She stretched her arms, working out the tightness in her shoulders. Franky was examining the fishing bucket in the corner while Luffy and Chopper gathered around the aquarium. Zoro must have headed to the crow's nest already. Where was Usopp? An octopus landed on the deck.

"Ooh! He got one!" Luffy cheered.

Magina frowned as she approached them. "Usopp went into the aquarium alone?"

Chopper looked up and shrugged. "Luffy and I couldn't exactly join him. We'd drown."

"I know that, but maybe he should have tied a rope around his waist. You could pull him up if he got into trouble," she said, her brows furrowing in concern.

Luffy laughed. "Don't worry, Magina! Usopp will be fine! He's just hunting tiny little octopuses. How would he get in trouble?"

More octopi landed on the deck. She sighed. Maybe she was overthinking things. Octopus could be tricky, banding together against a common enemy and dragging them under. As long as they didn't blind Usopp, then he would be okay.

"Maybe you're right, Luffy…" Magina glanced at the opening one last time and swallowed a curse. The water was inky black.

"Looks like a rope would have been useful after all," she mumbled.

"Luffy! The water's all black! Usopp-Usopp's in trouble!"

Luffy immediately stretched his arm into the water to help. He couldn't see a thing in the dark aquarium. He pulled his arm out.

"It's no use! I can't tell where he is!"

Magina's mind raced. What could she do to help Usopp? She took a deep breath and calmed her panicked thoughts. She was a fisherman, and she had her fishing gear with her. She was also a siren. She knew exactly where he was.

Magina grabbed the pole. "Move to the side. I'll get him back."

Luffy's and Chopper's eyes immediately began to sparkle. Thankfully, they moved far enough away and gave her space to work. She closed her eyes. Concentrating hard enough for sweat to bead at her forehead, Magina flicked the hook into the water. The first attempt didn't have enough force while the second was too strong.

Magina focused and tried one more time. She felt the tension in the line and breathed in relief. After Usopp was hooked, it was a simple enough matter to reel him in. Black water sluiced off Usopp's body as he coughed.

"Wow! That was amazing, Magina!" Luffy laughed.

Chopper was telling Usopp excitedly as he helped remove the octopi latched onto the marksman's body, "She closed her eyes to fish you out! It was so awesome!"

Zoro's voice suddenly floated down the crow's nest. "Hey, guys! There's something floating out there!"

Usopp, after removing the last of the octopuses, readjusted his goggles.

"Zoro's right. It looks like there's a barrel. I think the banner says something about 'Treasure' and 'Sea God'."

Immediately, Luffy's excitement shifted focus.

"Treasure! It could be meat!"

Magina giggled softly. At least, this pirate ship was never boring. She had an idea about what was in the barrel. It looked like some sailors still honored the old traditions. By the time the barrel was retrieved from the ocean, the whole crew was gathered on the top deck.

"Why was there a barrel out at sea? Do you think another ship lost it?" Chopper asked innocently.

Nami smiled. "It's likely to be filled with booze. Sailors set a loaded barrel adrift on the sea as an offering to the gods to ask for protection. There are many dangers on a voyage: disease, bad weather, and ocean denizens just to name a few."

Magina nodded. "When the fishermen went out on a fishing trip, they always had a barrel ready as an offering."

"Are these the same gods as the God-Ossans, Magina?" Luffy asked.

Magina thought about it. "I don't think so. Those were the sirens' gods. I think this one is for a sea god. So, when are we opening it?"

Usopp stuttered "Y-You want to open it? Aren't you afraid of being cursed? This barrel is an offering to the gods, right?"

Magina grinned. "Well traditionally, you open the barrel, share it with the crew after saying a brief respectful prayer to the gods, fill it back up, and set it back to sea."

Robin nodded. "I forgot that you sailed before joining Luffy's crew. You must know many such customs that I have never heard of. Sometime I'd like to ask you about that knowledge."

Magina shrugged, "Sure, Robin, whenever we have time."

Luffy clapped his hands together excitedly. "Kamisama, we're opening your barrel now!"

"That didn't sound very respectful. Will we really be okay?" Usopp murmured to her.

Magina grinned. "For Luffy, that's pretty good. It'll have to do."

Usopp frowned. She was about to tease him when the barrel rocked. A bright red light flashed and exploded above them. Her mouth went suddenly dry. That wasn't normal. It looked like a flare. She looked across the ship and caught Zoro's eye. He nodded back at her grimly.

"We should get out of here. There's a storm coming."

Magina quickly raised her head. She hadn't noticed an approaching storm. She glanced up at the sky just as the first raindrops splattered on her nose. She frowned. She still couldn't feel anything. She mulled over what that could mean as she helped furl the sails. Soon, the ship was paddling through the storm.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

They sailed through the storm in record time, but a thick fog obscured their vision. Going up to the crow's nest in this weather would prove useless. Magina scowled at the fog.

"Why are you so upset, siren? It's just fog," he asked.

Magina pressed her lips together, "This fog is not natural. Neither was that storm."

He grunted. "Well, you might be right about that. It's too dark to be considered 'normal'. It's creepy."

Nami joined their circle, rubbing her arms. "I wonder if we accidentally entered that sea."

Zoro nodded. That would explain the skies. He heard a soft whimper next to him. He turned just in time to see Magina shiver once. Usopp asked a question before he could find out what was wrong.

"That sea? What? Are we already approaching Fishman Island? I'm ready to see some mermaids!" he laughed.

Luffy grinned before answering. "No. Before we can get to Fishman Island, we first have to cross these haunted waters."

Franky continued the narrative, his voice low as if he was telling a ghost story, "Yep. We've probably already carelessly entered that infamous sea. We won't be able to let our guard down any. They say it's a mysterious place where everything disappears… the Florian Triangle!"

The whimpering intensified. He turned to look. Her face was paler than usual. He wondered what was bothering her. Usopp's teeth chattered loudly.

"I-I-It's h-haunted?"

Luffy chuckled ominously. "This sea is haunted!"

He wasn't surprised when Usopp blew up at the others. "What the hell!? All of you knew about this and you never bothered to tell me?"

Chopper held on to his leg with trembling hooves. "Z-Zoro," the young doctor moaned.

Zoro heard a soft thump behind him. He turned around and saw Magina pressed up against a wall. Her pallor hadn't changed only now she shook violently. He couldn't help but wonder what spooked her. He hadn't seen her this terrified since the first time they entered the Grand Line.

The siren issue was resolved now that he defeated Sudo. His brow furrowed. What was the matter? Chopper suddenly detached himself from his pant leg and went over by Usopp who talked about 'protection gear'. Zoro shook his head. No amount of prayer or equipment would save them. Things like evil spirits didn't exist. He walked over to Magina.

"Oi, siren, what's wrong?" Zoro asked in a low tone.

Luffy and Sanji were busy terrorizing Usopp and Chopper, so they didn't notice his question to the siren. It didn't look like his query registered with her either. Her gaze locked on one of the ship's railings. Zoro turned his head to look but he didn't see anything unusual. He put a calming hand on her trembling shoulder. Her attention snapped back to him.

"What's wrong, Magina?" he repeated.

"N-Nothing's wrong. I-I thought I saw something, but that's impossible. They don't exist. They can't exist! It was just my imagination and all this talk about haunted seas and the fog…" Magina babbled.

Only her teeth chattered, she stuttered, and she hadn't stopped shaking.

"Stop lying, siren. I can tell that something is wrong. What did you see? It wasn't like it could be a…"

An eerie song interrupted him. He thought that he recognized the melody but who could be all the way out here, in the middle of a supposedly haunted sea? Still…

"Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho…"

The air seemed to press closer, and the fog had a chill touch. Two trembling fingers clutched at the hem of his sleeve. He could only spare a look, because something was coming their way and he wanted to be prepared. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she breathed in short little gasps. His growl of concern was overpowered by another eerie strain.

"Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho…"

The voice echoed around them. The rest of the crew was preoccupied, so no one noticed when Magina clutched his arm instead of his sleeve. Zoro glanced down. Her grip was like an ice manacle. His arm even went numb for a moment. He shook his head. No matter how much she tried to deny it, Magina was not okay.

"Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho…"

The disembodied voice came closer. There was a wooden groaning in the fog. A shadow approached them in the thick white. He heard Nami whimpering while Usopp chanted a bogus protection charm repeatedly. Magina's vise-like grip tightened on his arm. Zoro grit his teeth. An aura of panic was settling on the crew. The creaking became louder and the shadow more distinct. Then, a tattered, listing ship drifted slowly past them.

"One appeared!" Usopp shouted.

Zoro gaped at the mess of the bulkhead for a moment. The crew drew a breath in tandem.

"A ghost ship!" they all yelled.

Only Robin and Magina didn't join the collective cry. The siren sank to her knees, too terrified to utter a sound, her eyes wide.

"Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho…"

Nami looked fearful, "What's with this song?"

The siren stared wide-eyed at the ship and mouthed a few words while Usopp screeched and plugged his ears.

"Don't listen! They're trying to curse us!"

The song continued as the ship sailed past.

"Is there something up there? Robin asked.

Zoro put his hand on the hilt of a katana. "If he's an enemy, we'll take him out."

Magina shivered. "…Sake…"

Zoro gave her a look. "You? Want sake?"

She shook her head and hauled in a deep breath. Zoro approved. He knew that regaining control over one's feelings was difficult, especially in an emotionally charged atmosphere such as this. Magina was trying her hardest to keep it together. Zoro wondered how much the rest of the crew were adding to her shaken state. He would have to think on the situation. There had to be some way to help her.

"The song… it's Bink's Sake," she managed to say.

"Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho… We're on our way… to deliver Bink's booze…"

"You were wrong, Usopp. The song isn't cursed after all," he said.

Zoro spoke loud enough for the whole crew's benefit. Calming everyone was important, though he was attempting to reassure the siren the most. She still sat on the deck. The ghost ship sailed silently on by and even he wasn't expecting what he saw next. As the other ship floated past them, there was a skeleton on the top deck. He certainly didn't prepare himself for the empty sockets to track them as they drifted past the derelict ship.

There was an odd, strangled cry when the bones first appeared. Zoro glimpsed at the siren. Her hand was clamped firmly over her mouth. She stared in wide-eyed horror at the skeleton. The crew wasn't as stoic as her. Chopper whimpered while Usopp frantically chanted protection charm after protection charm. Still, in the background of all that, Zoro could hear Magina screaming. The shrill sound continued long after Usopp grabbed a quick breath. He winced and quickly knelt next to her and pulled her into an embrace.

"Magina, calm down! You're safe!"

She latched onto him, her whole body frozen and trembled against him. It wasn't until he leaned in and whispered to her that the scream died away completely. Zoro sighed in relief. How long would she need him to hold her? The longer he comforted her, the greater a stink the damn Love Cook would throw.

"Oi, shitty Marimo, what do you think you're doing to Magina-san? Let her go this instant!"

Zoro growled. He knew this would happen.

There it is Chapter 41! I hope you enjoyed it! Poor Magina is a superstitious fisherman through and through. How is she going to survive exploring Thriller Bark? It's the question of the chapter, that's for sure! Anyway, I hope you're all staying healthy, and we'll see you in Chapter 42!