The Ghost Ship's Tale

"What is it?"

"Is something locked inside the cabin?"

Chuu and Kuroobi had also sensed that something was wrong.

Hachi swallowed with difficulty and said shakily, "Back on Legout Island, in a secluded little tavern, I got drunk and accidentally told the bartender that we were heading out to sea... After hearing that, the bartender immediately put on a mysterious look and told me about a ghost ship."

Sig: ...

What kind of tavern was that? The bartender actually told ghost stories to customers?

No wonder it was secluded!

If he told dirty jokes, the place would have become popular long ago.

"That happened a few years ago. At the time, a group called the Iron Hammer Pirates was roaming these waters. Somehow, they heard that there was a 'Treasure Cursed by the Sea' nearby, so they began a treasure-hunting expedition in search of it." Hachi mimicked the bartender, doing his best to make his expression and tone gloomy.

The standard for being labeled a pirate was illegally going to sea. In particular, anyone seeking the "Great Treasure" was considered a pirate by the World Government.

"Around last year, they finally found the 'Treasure Cursed by the Sea.' But not long afterward, those guys vanished from the face of the earth without a trace.

"At first, everyone thought they might have been secretly killed by people coveting the treasure, but it wasn't that simple.

"A month after they disappeared, someone on Gureto Island rescued a shipwreck survivor. He claimed to be from the Iron Hammer Pirates. That man was already barely lucid, and he kept repeating things like, 'They're all dead,' 'I'm going to die too,' and 'I can't sleep.'

"Everyone thought he had been scared stupid, so they sent him to the hospital. But every examination showed that he was in perfect health, aside from mild anxiety.

"The doctor prescribed him a sedative, hoping he could get some proper sleep and rest. But the man was terrified of it and kept insisting that he absolutely could not sleep. He resisted so violently that he even injured several medical staff members. Worried that he might have some other extreme reaction, the doctors did not take excessive coercive measures.

"Later, it seemed he really couldn't hold on any longer. He curled up into a ball and fell asleep. Then, in a bizarre turn of events, he really did die in his sleep.

"After that, many people saw the Iron Hammer Pirates' ship at sea after heavy storms. But there wasn't a single person aboard, nor had anyone seen it dock anywhere. Yet the ship itself remained as clean as if it were brand new.

"And that rescued man—no matter what he ate, even if he only drank a mouthful of water, he would vomit it all back up. The bartender told me that guy should have already been dead, so he simply couldn't eat the food of the living."

At this point, Hachi could not help shuddering. He was terrified of such stories, yet he had happened to meet a bartender who liked telling ghost stories.

At first, he had been imitating the bartender, but the more he spoke, the more frightened he became. Now, he was trembling all over.

"After all this time, has no one ever approached that ship?" Sig pressed.

"I asked the same thing, and then... then the bartender suddenly screamed as if he had seen something terrifying..."

Sig's expression turned solemn at once—could merely telling this story alert some unknown existence?

It had that feeling...

Seeing the four of them looking at him, Hachi scratched his head sheepishly. "I was so absorbed in the story that when I asked, my hood fell off. That bartender had never seen a Fish-Man before, so I scared him half to death."

Sig: ...

"Boring. I thought it was going to be some terrifying story. That's it?"

Arlong impatiently began tearing at the iron-bar gate. Yet this seemingly thin gate did not deform at all under his pull. It was clearly not made of ordinary iron.

"Heh, interesting."

Arlong gave a soft laugh, drew his serrated blade, and began hacking wildly at the iron-bar gate. Under his brutal assault and the toughness of his weapon, the gate could no longer bear the strain and gradually warped and cracked.

However, Sig noticed something odd—the way the gate was deforming did not quite resemble normal metal stretching.

Finally, with a loud CLANG, the iron-bar gate was completely destroyed. And after it fell... it gradually disappeared!

Just like an interactive object in a game gradually disappearing after being destroyed.

Sig frowned in confusion. Then he felt a damp, cold, sticky restraint wrap around his entire body, as though something slick and icy had tightly coiled around him!

There was even a faintly familiar sensation of suction cups all over it...

That was right—this was not some Cthulhu-esque incident. It was Hachi, terrified out of his wits, screaming and throwing himself onto Sig!

"Quit messing around!" Sig struggled to pry away the suction cups and pulled Hachi off himself.

Sig looked at the deep, dark entrance to the cabin and cautiously said, "Should we notify the boss and the others?"

"I'm afraid we can't... We can't see the Sea Bass anymore!" Kuroobi had already gone to the side of the ship to look in the direction they had come from.

"Why? Wait, when did this fog appear?" Chuu was beginning to panic as well.

At some unknown point, thick fog had risen around them. Even the illuminated Sea Bass was now nowhere to be found.

"Putting on airs and playing tricks. Let's see what secrets this ship has!" With that, Arlong swaggered down with his blade slung over his shoulder.

If someone like him were in Lord of the Mysteries, he probably would not have lived to Sequence 8...

Sig could also tell that Arlong was feeling uncertain now, but the less sure he was, the more he used anger to conceal it.

So "anger" did not necessarily mean being angry?

Arlong's manner stirred some thoughts in Sig about "anger," but he quickly snapped back to his senses. This was not the time to think about that.

Just then, Sig's heart suddenly tightened, and every hair on his body stood on end—this time, it was not Hachi clinging to him. Rather, Sig... seemed to have heard something!

If it had been some sharp sound like a ghostly wail, Sig would not have reacted so strongly. Instead, it was a murmur of unclear meaning that instantly made his mind go blank for a moment.

Fortunately, it had only lasted an instant...

"Did you hear anything?" Sig immediately assumed a guarded stance.

Arlong had already made it halfway down when he turned back and sneered, "After Hachi, now you too? If you're that scared, jump into the sea and wait! Don't tell me a Fish-Man is afraid of the ocean?"

The moment Arlong finished speaking, a crisp ringing of bells came from the cabin below...

This time, everyone heard it. Arlong froze as well, then raised the sword at his side and charged downward furiously. "Fuck, quit playing ghost! I'll chop you to death!"

At that moment, a dense flurry of doors opening and footsteps sounded from the cabin below.

The ship, which had been as quiet as if no one were aboard, suddenly seemed to come alive!

Though he had no idea what was happening, Sig joined Hachi in grabbing Arlong from either side and pulling him back just as he was about to go down.

The footsteps were orderly and dense, as though a great many people were about to come out. They should be... "people," right?

Even if they did not know what was going on, they at least knew charging down there now was far from wise—rather than fleeing at once, it would be better to hide by the ship's side and observe the situation.

If things went wrong, it would also be easier to jump into the sea and escape!

The Fish-Man Race would never fear the sea.

Arlong was uncertain as well, and allowed himself to be pulled back halfheartedly. Otherwise, Sig and Hachi would not have been able to hold him so easily.

Sig naturally noticed such an obvious emotion, but decided to mock him over it afterward. If he said it now, Arlong would definitely charge down there—so recklessly that no one would be able to stop him...