Steel Heart

Ch 61 - Changes

Nana couldn't tell if she was out of breath because of the stifling heat from the sea volcanoes or because of the series of mini Coup De Bursts that they had to do to escape the different dangers that came their way. It had been almost thirty minutes and still no sign of Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.

Everyone's winter jackets were off and they were all sweating, except for Pygmy, who was napping comfortably on top of the barrel that held Caribou.

A soft yellow glow casted over the ship and the Straw Hats on deck all looked towards the source. As the ship drew closer, they could only see a bright light up ahead.

"Is that Fishman Island?" Chopper asked excitedly, "Do you think Luffy and the others are there?'

Nami frowned. "We haven't submerged to 10,000 meters yet."

A series of clicks and flickering lights came from the cyborg and Nana looked over at her nakama. "Who...Are...You...?" Franky asked, flashing his nipples in Morse Code at the source.

"How the hell is that helping?!" Usopp seethed as he smacked Franky on the arm.

They got closer and closer until the light revealed a giant angler fish with terribly sharp teeth. He opened his jaws.

"Shit!" Nana cried as she ran over to the steering wheel and got the Sunny out of the way at the last second, "That was close."

"Can we get away if he chases after us, though?" Franky asked just as a dark shadow casted over them.

They looked up to see a man as large as a mountain. At least, Nana thought it looked like a man. It had rounded teeth, black hair, and an unruly black mustache. His face was round to match his rounded body.

"It's a Sea Bonze!" Usopp shrieked as the man raised his fist.

"He's going to kill us!" Chopper screamed.

Thwack!

The Straw Hats gaped as he landed a punch on the fish. "Hey! Ankoro, don't do that," he scolded at the fish with a childlike voice, "Don't eat ships! How many times do I have to tell you? Captain Vander Decken-sama won't like it."

"Did he just help us?" Nami breathed.

From behind the giant, a ship floated towards them through the shadows. Nana's blood ran cold when she could see the ship more clearly. It was an old ship with lots of holes in it and torn sails. It looked to be over two hundred years old at least. The words 'Flying Dutchman' was painted on what remained of its sails.

"G-G-G-Ghost..." Nana stuttered, "Ghost ship?!"

"Dead men tell no tales..." a spooky voice boomed from within the ship.

Nana grabbed for the nearest thing to stable herself, which happened to be Usopp's arm. It was a terrible choice as he offered no support or source of comfort himself. "We're going to die!" he shrieked.

"I am the richest person in the world...Captain Vander Decken!" the voice exclaimed.

"It's the infamous Flying Dutchman!" Brook shrieked, "The real ghost ship!"

"AHHHHHHHH!" Nana, Usopp, and Chopper yelled as Chopper leapt into Nana and Usopp's group hug for comfort.

"It shouldn't exist in the real world," Brook gasped, "Several hundred years ago, the captain of the Flying Dutchman lost his mind and killed his crew by throwing them into stormy waters one by one. He even cursed the gods...The name of the captain was Vander Decken! The gods got mad at him and set him adrift forever under constant torture! That hsip in front of us is a haunted ship!"