A few hours earlier aboard the Thousand Sunny, steam curled lazily above the surface of a large wooden bath nestled on the open deck. Nami lounged in the warm water. She was naked and relaxed her shoulders. Her large breasts floated. She stretched and let out a soft sigh. "This feels nice," she murmured, sinking deeper into the embrace of heat.
She thought of Nojiko and wondered what her sister might be doing now. She remembered her saying they also had a large bath on their ship. Then another image surfaced, unexpected, yet increasingly familiar: Ben.
She rolled her eyes to herself, as a faint blush rose on her cheeks. "That pervert…" she whispered. Her lips curled into a smile. She thought back to him appearing in her dreams. Sometimes quiet and comforting. Other times… vivid and intimate, too intimate, she thought.
Nami touched her chest lightly, feeling warmth that wasn't just from the bath. She sighed once more and thought it was ridiculous. However she also thought it was nice. She looked out of the window and saw Luffy.
On the sunlit deck of the Thousand Sunny, Luffy grinned wide, gripping a massive fishing net.
"This one's huge," Usopp shouted from the side. "Hurry, toss it in! Toss it in," he exclaimed.
Luffy heaved the net, pulling out a large, wriggling shark, its scales glittered, and twin horns jutted from its head. "Yosha," Luffy roared as he lifted the shark over his head. He ran across the deck and hurled it down into the hold with a splash.
The shark flopped wildly and tried to jump back out but Luffy punched it square in the snout, and the creature settled in, dazed and defeated. "Stay in," Luffy shouted.
On the lower deck, Porche and Franky sat at a small tea table. Porche peered toward the noise above. "They dropped a shark this time," she commented.
Franky sipped from a dainty teacup. "Well is this not perfect?" he remarked.
"The room is fine but a shark," Sanji responded. "Those idiots," he added as he held a cup of tea.
Porche leaned toward Franky. "Are you okay? You look like you got trampled," she asked.
Franky flexed dramatically. "I'm super fine," Franky responded with a smile on his face.
Porche thought he was not human for sure.
Suddenly, Luffy and Usopp burst through the door. "Did you see that shark we caught?" Luffy asked as his eyes were still sparkling.
"The one with horns! Like a sea bull!" Usopp added proudly.
Porche pointed to the tank. "We did. But," she replied.
The shark now floated calmly in the water and its belly noticeably bloated. Floating fish bones and scraps surrounded it.
Luffy and Usopp stared in horror. "He… ate everything?" Luffy questioned.
Sanji turned, deadpan. "Gee, who could've possibly predicted that?" Sanji responded.
"Sanji! Let's cook the shark!" Luffy shouted.
Nami finished her shower and got dressed. She opened the window and thought besides Ben in her head, it was a nice day. She looked at Zoro who was looking bored.
Zoro stood at the edge of the deck. He groaned. "Why am I on lookout duty again?" he muttered, clearly unimpressed. He looked and saw something bobbing against the waves. "Hey. There's a barrel out there," he shouted.
Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy darted onto the deck, skidding to a halt.
"Where?" Luffy asked.
"There!" Usopp pointed as he squinted at the barrel. "It says... 'Treasure,' he added.
Chopper tilted his head. "Could it be from another ship?" he asked.
Without hesitation, Luffy extended his arm and reeled the barrel onto the deck with a loud thunk.
"Treasure!" Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp shouted together, breaking into an impromptu dance.
A moment later, Nami and Porche appeared, drawn by the noise. "It could just be supplies," Nami said as she looked at the barrel.
Luffy pouted. "How do you know that without opening it?" he said.
Nami examined the lettering. "It says 'Tribute to the Sea God.' Strange wording…" she said.
Porche tapped her chin. "With those kinds of barrels, tradition says you drink the offering and refill it, then send it back out," she replied.
The rest of the crew gathered around. "Let's open it!" Franky declared.
Luffy raised his hands in mock reverence. "Oh mighty Sea God, bless us with something tasty," he said.
Zoro groaned. "What God? The one you and Ben knocked unconscious," he said.
Luffy popped the lid open. A bright flare exploded from the top. It travelled into the air and illuminated the area with red light. The crew staggered back in surprise.
"Something came out," Luffy shouted.
The flare hovered midair.
"What is that?" Nami asked.
"I don't know…" Porche replied.
Zoro snorted. "Is this some curse from your beloved Sea God?" he teased.
"Forget curses," Luffy shouted as he stomped the deck. "Where's my food and treasure?" he asked.
"It's a red light," Usopp said.
Nami's eyes narrowed as she looked beyond the ship's bow. "Everyone to your posts! There's a storm ahead!" she shouted.
"I don't see anything," Luffy began as he charged forward. Suddenly, the sky cracked open. Dark clouds churned. The winds roared. Rain poured in sheets.
"Whoa!" Porche yelped.
Franky bolted to the helm as he gripped the wheel tight. "Hold on," he growled as he steered the ship through the chaos as thunder crashed around them.
"Keep going," Nami said as she saw an opening. After a grueling few minutes, the storm began to fade. Dense fog settled like a veil over the ocean.
"We made it through," Usopp said as he wiped the sweat from forehead. "But… what's up with the sea?" he asked.
Zoro squinted at the unnatural darkness. "It's not even nighttime," he said.
"Nami, did we arrive?" Usopp asked nervously.
Nami shook her head slowly. "No… not yet," she responded.
"First, "we have to pass through the ocean filled with ghosts," Luffy said.
"Right, don't drop your guard," Franky added.
"This is the place where skeletons crawl out of the mist," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette as a gust of cold wind ruffled his collar.
At that moment a ship appeared. Its hull was old and rusty. Tattered black sails hang like torn shrouds from crooked masts. The sail had a jolly roger. Rusted chains dangled from the rigging. The entire vessel was cloaked in a chilling fog There were sickly green lanterns flickering behind cracked glass.
Zoro touched the helm of his sword. "If he is an enemy then I will chop his head off
"A ghost ship," Porche said as her eyes widened.
"Something is there," Sanji said as he smoked his cigarette.
They all looked to see the ship passing next to them. They saw a figure onboard.
It was an extremely tall skeleton dressed in formal attire complete with a top hat and cane. He has no skin however he still had an afro. He also had trousers which were black, while the inner linings of his coat was yellow-orange. The cravat that was tied in between his coat and around his neck was blue. "Bink Sake," the skeleton sang as he drank a cup of tea.
The entire crew looked shocked as they saw the skeleton on the ghost ship go past them. The ship stopped.
"Lets go onboard," Luffy shouted.
Nami looked at Luffy. "I am going as well," Nami said. "Your stupidity is going to get us cursed," she said in tears.
"You are a brave woman," Porche said.
"I will protect you Nami-swan," Sanji said as he leapt forward.
Nami's fist cracked across Sanji's cheek.
Luffy extended his elastic arm and wrapped it around both Nami and Sanji like a lasso, and flung them backwards in one swing. "Yoshaa," he cheered.
"Luffy, you moron," Sanji shouted mid-air as he spun uncontrollably.
"Aaaaahhh!" Nami shrieked as her arms flailed as they hurtled toward the deck.
With a resounding thud-thud-thump, the three crashed down onto the wood. As Nami sat up, brushing hair from her face, she shot Luffy a death glare. She turned around and looked ahead and saw a skeleton. Its empty sockets stared back as the sea breeze rattled its ribs.