Hiding the Truth (One Piece)

Chapter 23 - Talking Skeletons and the Invisible Man

We had slowly gotten used to the eerie silence that dominated this dark sea. I was sitting on the swing beneath the tree on deck seeing as there was nothing we could do at this point. This gave me some time to watch the others, and from what I was seeing, I was going to have to start keeping Chopper away from Usopp. His influence was starting to have its effect on the little reindeer and it was not something anyone would describe as being positive.

They pair were concealed in dark grey cloaks with garlic necklaces draped around their necks, holding crosses in their hands. I had to laugh when I heard they were meant to be protective gear against the 'ghosts and monsters' we would encounter. I spotted Nami trying to direct the ship through the mist, but even she was lost as to where to go.

"I think its best if we just let the ship take its course, I won't be able to navigate us through fog this thick" the others nodded at her words, realising there was nothing to be done. Just then a low baritone voice echoed across the space, with the low hum gradually becoming clearer to what sounded like a person singing. I pushed away from the low hanging swing, moving closer to the edge of the ship and leaning over the side to try and hear it better.

"Lana, what are you doing?" I ignored Nami for a moment and listened again. I turned around seeing the whole crew standing behind me looking concerned, probably worried if I leaned any further, I would fall into the black waters.

"Can't you hear it?" I asked, pointing out to where I thought the voice was resonating from. That only earned more looks of confusion and worry.

"No one can hear anything Lana" Nami responded, I turned my gaze back to the mist and strained my ears further, hoping to hear it again. I wasn't disappointed, as this time, it was much clearer and I could even start to make out a few words.

"There! Can't you hear it? It's as if someone's singing" I turned back to the others, though they still regarded me with scepticism. Then Robin's face cleared up, as she moved to stand beside me, and began looking around.

"I can hear it too" She mused and continued looking around with me. The voice continued to get clearer and clearer until the others could hear it too.

"Wow Lana, that's some hearing" I turned and blushed at Franky's compliment, not expecting the praise. I looked back out to the sea but my smile quickly dropped as I spotted the dark shape of a giant ship approaching the us.

"NAMI MOVE THE SHIP NOW!" I shouted, and the ship turned sharply away, hoping to avoid the incoming collision. I stumbled back, falling onto Zoro

"Thanks" I trailed off, seeing his face only inches from my own. He quickly let go and I turned away, fiddling and straightened my cardigan to try and rid the sudden awkwardness that had surrounded us.

I turned my attention back to the unknown ship in front of us as we pulled up beside it. The size and barren nature of the large ship wasn't the only thing that stuck out, with the most surprising thing being the skeleton that stood dressed in a suit with a well groomed Afro, casually drinking tea. It took all of us a minute to process what were seeing but when it hit, we all screamed in shock at the strange sight. 

Once we'd recovered, we could all see Luffy's face shining brightly which only spelled trouble for the rest of us. I walked up to him, slapping him across his head, already knowing where he was going to go with this.

"Don't even think about it Luffy" I growled, hoping to stop the idea before it formed. It seemed though that he had beaten us, quickly demanding how we would meet the stranger. I walked over to Nami still shaken by the sight of the moving skeleton, discussing how we would go about dealing with the new problem.