A Haunted Ship?! Gang-way! Mugiwara Pirates Ghost Closer to the Ghostly Galleon!

[gomu_ningen]

Who?: Monkey D. Luffy gomu_ningen and the other passengers aboard the Chasing Joy.
Where?: Out at sea.
When?: Evening of the 22nd.
What?: The crew aboard finally encounters the ghastly vessel much rumored
Warnings: Language, spooky things, possible harm and/or fatality to characters.

- - - - -

The brig sloop on which the crew had been sailing was finally out in the midst of Crytallis' vast, emerald-tinted waters. Surprisingly, their rations had maintained a steady decline, with enough food for several more weeks despite the ship's Captain insisting on a fourth portion with each meal. Nights had become uneventful, so much so that doubt had begun to fill what little belief that the ship they sought was truly noting more than rumor.

It was on the fourth evening, the sound of the cutting water splitting past the hull of the ship as they sailed. Despite the uneventful nights, the ship's Captain still sat atop the cartoon-ish figurehead of a Behemoth, watching out as a lone lantern lit their way forward as it swayed a few feet above Luffy's head.

He'd mistaken the light in the distance as a piece of the horizon, a glimmer of a distant star and nothing more. It isn't until his small wealth of intelligence discerns that the light was in fact growing closer, an approaching outline of an unsettling color that was more akin to a ripened lime than any sort of star in the sky. The young pirate jumps to his feet, holding to the mast line which connects to the bow of the ship. His eyes widen in the darkness, watching as in the distance he can make out the form of a ship cast in the light of the moon above. Turning his head over his shoulder, he barks up to the Crows Nest and to the rest of the ship.

"SHIP! THERE'S A SHIP! WE FOUND IT! HAH HA HA! WE FOUND THE GHOST SHIP!"

Comments

[needsteaplz]

Letting Pakku go was possibly the best choice she made or else she would've decked Luffy herself. If they ever get back to Aqures Ixen in one piece, she's baking him a Kupo Nut cake.

"Your impulsiveness cost us our ride home and almost killed us. Do that again, Luffy, and you might not be able to walk for a few days." Ice filled her voice as she left her own two cents in the matter. She had hoped from her experience back at the manor with Luffy that it was just a childish front and he would've shaped up when the Ghost Ship was in view but now she had to wonder. If there were other things she hated after a troublesome elitist Norse trickster god and "critics" who spew nothing constructive, it's someone who didn't seem to value the lives of others.

[dammit_flynn]

"What?"

Well that certainly answered his question as he looked back. It seemed like they were in for some adventure now. Well, good job captain. He didn't need to reprimand Luffy, since the rest of the people were already on it. Thought it didn't seem like the best time to be talking about carelessness since it had already happened. He sheathed his sword and turned towards the group and spoke as usual.

"Look, we'll do the threats,and the yelling later. We got more important matters on hand than bickering about what happened don't you agree?"

He replied shaking his head. Of course, his response might not be what people want to hear at the moment.

[thegreatninja]

"Like how is this ship functioning?"

They were on it but as far as she could see nothing was around and yet it was most definitely sailing. It didn't feeling as rocky as the Joy and for that fact alone Yuffie was grateful.

She walked over to one of the wooden planks and lightly tapped her toe against it as if it might spring up and attack then.

"This is too weird."

[victorix]

Torn between running after Yuri and Yuffie at her suggestion and staying behind to have Luffy's back, the barrel of Rikku's ghostbusting gun had come down. It still rested there, looking right at home. She'd wound up freezing to watch the Joy get taken down in what seemed like mere moments, breath held, ready to leap into the churning waters if anyone did not make it over.

Letting out the stale air when everyone was safely on board, Rikku shot her Captain a sympathetic look. As much as he deserved the retorts her mind could not help but go back to a similar loss of her own. "Hey!" Her voice was hushed with cautious urgency, scooting into the group, peering in the direction of the perceived sound. "Did you guys hear that?!"

The girl had heard nothing out of place, just a roguish attempted trick to make people stop focusing on their emotions and instead on the danger at hand.

[gomu_ningen]

A hand is raised, rather simply, holding it up to show that his words are sincere and full of regret.

"Sorry 'bout that. But you're my crew. I believe you'd survive because you're strong and able like that."

While he isn't much of a sweet-talker, there's a faint smile on his lips before the situation once again brings a grim reminder to the situation that he'd gotten them into.

"We're taking this ship back. This will be the new Chasing Joy." His words do not go without rebuttal from his Moogle companion. "How the heck can anything this gloomy be called that?!" Pakku's small paws drag down the length of his face as he waddles back and worth with a worrisome pace.

Luffy's hands unbutton the vest on his top, tossing the coverings and long-sleeved under shirt aside to reveal the 'X' shaped wound that takes up the majority of his front.

"Pakku, stay on deck and keep a look out for anything suspicious. Any one else willing to keep him company should stay here. We don't know what could show up while the rest of us go below deck. I didn't bring you along without knowing that you all were capable, so let's clear this ship out and take it for ourselves!"

[zodiac_brave]

Ramza had learned months ago that wise words and common sense rolled off of Luffy like water on a duck's back. He dropped his pack on the deck and prepared to move forward, not bothering to say anything to Luffy about leaving the ship.

"Yuffie, do not wander off on your own. We are safer if we stay together." He knew she was a capable fighter, but he still needed to watch out for her. Their foe was entirely unknown, and it would be foolhardy to face it without the full strength of the crew at the ready.

[not_most_days]

Mary did not hide her scowl at Luffy's flagrant brushing off of her anger, but she swallowed it. Now wasn't the time, and it would now be up to the other pirate to prove his words. No matter what, this still could have been done more smoothly and cleanly. The boy was impulsive, and the consequences of that would be on his head. She'd just have to do what she could to keep things from falling apart in the aftermath.

"I'll go with you belowdecks. There's not much help I can be up here unless this ship is under our command first." And that meant dealing with the crew and captain.

Besides, she came here to help take a ship and she wasn't about to sit on the sidelines now. It didn't seem the normal morale breaking techniques would work here.

[dammit_flynn]

"Yeah something like that. Anyway, looks like captain here wants to go down further. I'm coming along since we don't know what's there and it's better to have numbers. Are you comin' with me or sticking around with the rest of the crew and what about you blondie?"

He turned to Rikku, who seemed to be a bit confused on her decisions. He's going to see to it that everyone had some position if anything. Yuri wasn't going to let people get hurt or get lost while they were going to tackle this.

"Sounds like we might need folks above with-- Pakku was it? I don't think it's safe to leave anyone or anything by themselves for the time being, seeing we had such a great meeting earlier..."

[thegreatninja]

"Ramza!" Yuffie pouted while looking at the young knight. She wasn't going to be reckless but she did want to go below deck. After all her and Yuri were just heading in that general direction.

"oh! Luffy's going! Sweet! Let's go!"

With that Yuffie was leading the way towards the lower decks. She didn't know what they would find besides ghosts and she was excited. They were on the ship instead of fighting it! She didn't see this coming and she wants to explore. Maybe there was a place with treasure!

[victorix]

Rikku turned towards Yuri's question, she seemed perfectly resolved now that she wasn't half ready to dive into the sea. "I'm heading down." The girl had a lot of experience at sea, and figured she'd be more help down belowdecks than protecting the lone moogle who could fly away from danger.

...It would also be totally spooky staying behind as a lookout with just the two of them. Gah.

With the buster gun at ready, she followed after Luffy and Yuffie. Keeping the barrel at ready for anything that might spring and attack those that lead the way.

[needsteaplz]

Oh sure they proved themselves to be able to take care of themselves in a pinch but the results still left a bitter aftertaste. It didn't have to cost them the ship, Saori thought. She was going to need a few moments to let this go. Honestly, she didn't want to follow up on her threat and part of her wished she bit her tongue instead. She let out a resigned sigh.

"I'll stay up with Pakku then. Too many Ghostbusters down in a cramped area is risky so I'll cover the deck. Also remember, do NOT let the streams cross. We won't have a ship to sail back in if that happens."

[gomu_ningen]

The straw hat is lifted from the top of his head, nesting it atop his faithful companion's noggin for safe-keeping. Once Pakku lifted the brim up, he looked up to his Captain with a surprised look of concern. Luffy's tone and face shift. The lad was moving from one spectrum to the next. Exuberant and joyous only a few moments ago, the severity of their situation had finally sunk in and the changed pirate's maturity was only now beginning to show.

"Pakku, if anything happens to us, you take who you can and get into a row boat. Understand?" He turns back to the small band of willing heroes, cracking his knuckles with the simple flexing of his fingers. He holds his eyes on Mary, the one person he expects to hold the most scorn over his juvenile actions. "Old habit. We're in this together, so stay close." He pads himself down, lifting up the nozzle of his Poltergust as he walks ahead of the ensemble.

There's a moment just before the Moogle can see nothing but the back of Luffy's head, a single paw reaching out as fear and doubt continue to sink in further to Pakku's stomach. Before he can utter a word, Luffy spoke up for him.

"We'll be back soon! So don't worry!"

[not_most_days]

Mary watches Luffy as critically as ever. However as she watches him pass the hat to the moogle she finds her confidence in him slowly coming back. He does care, even if he seems to be a bit driven by his impulses. It's commendable, but someone so chaotic can be a danger. The sea isn't going to be nice and wait for someone to be ready before raising a storm, and everything could be dashed to nothing before they steeled themselves.

'But he says we're in this together.' Let's see how far his resolve takes him when his sails are unfurled. She put her scowl away but her expression remained hard. Critical.

"Lead on, Captain."