One Piece Chapter 442: Demon Sea Adventure

With the Thousand Sunny now their ship, Luffy and his crew head for the sea. The narration says, "In their new ship, they head for the seas!" while the crew sings, "THOUSAND SUNNY-- GO--" and Luffy adds his own cheer, "I GOT OOOOONE--!!!" Inside the ship, Luffy has hauled in a shark and everyone reacts at once. Someone says, "WOOOOW, YOU CAUGHT A SHARK!!!" while Luffy orders, "PUT IT IN!! PUT IT IN!!" The shark is dropped into the huge aquarium room with a "SPLOOSH," only for another shark to appear immediately. Someone asks, "HEY! IS THIS ROOM GOOD OR WHAT?" and Robin calmly notes, "... THERE'S ANOTHER ONE. A SHARK, HUH?" Luffy complains, "THIS ROOM'S GOOD, SURE, BUT A SHARK? THOSE MORONS!!"

Luffy proudly drags everyone to see the catch. He shouts, "YEAH, LET'S GO SEE IT!! LET'S LOOK AT IT IN THE FISH TANK!!" and the others run in with a loud "BAN!!" Robin says, "A SHARK DROPPED IN, RIGHT? THAT THING'S A BEAUTY, I TELL YA!!" But the aquarium has become chaos. Sanji sees the missing fish and says, "YES, IT WENT IN, BUT... ALL THE FISH YOU CAUGHT UP TO NOW HAVE DISAPPEARED, YOU SEE?" The shark burps as Luffy screams, "GYAAAAAAH!!!" Franky tries to explain practically: "THINK OF WHAT CAN LIVE TOGETHER, IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT!!!" Luffy thinks only of food: "NMAHOOO--!!! I'M SO HUNGRY NOW!" Sanji imagines dishes too: "HOW ABOUT SUSHI...? WE CAN MAKE IT INTO YUZARASHI... PUTTING IT IN SPICY VINEGARED MISO WOULD BE GOOD. TEMPURA WOULD BE TASTY, TOO." Franky stops them: "HOLD UP, YOU AMATEUR... THIS IS FRESH FISH WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE." Luffy then curses the shark for eating dinner: "GODDAMMIT!! WE'RE HAVING THAT BASTARD FOR DINNER!! SANJI!! BARBECUE THIS STUPID SHARK!!"

Life aboard the Sunny continues with the crew discovering its comforts. Nami relaxes in the enormous bath and sighs, "HAAA... WHAT A NICE BATH!" The bath rocks with the waves, and she says, "WAIT UNTIL TONIGHT!!!" and "WELL, LET'S EAT IT AS A SNACK." The narration describes "A HUGE BATHTUB ROCKED BY THE WAVES" and Nami declares, "IT'S THE BEST!" In the medical room, Chopper lies happily on his own bed and sings, "THIS IS MY ROOM." Zoro notices something outside: "HMM?" and calls, "HEY!!" because "Something's floating in the water!"

The crew spots a floating barrel beside the Sunny. They ask, "WHAT IS IT?" and "A BARREL!?" One sign on it reads as treasure, and Luffy immediately brightens: "COULD IT BE!? SOMETHING DROPPED BY A TREASURE SHIP!? TREASURE!?" Nami stays cautious: "DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT. PROBABLY ALCOHOL OR RESERVES." The writing says "SEA GODS HOUZEN," and Robin explains, "SO THEY MADE AN OFFERING TO THE GUARDIAN DEITIES OF THE SEA. 'HOUZEN' MEANS 'TO THE GODS.'" Franky says, "THAT'S A 'FLOATING BARREL.' SOMEONE WAS PRAYING FOR A SAFE VOYAGE." Luffy and Usopp still focus on the drink: "HOW CAN WE TELL WITHOUT LOOKING!?" and "HEY, IT'S PROBABLY ALCOHOL. LET'S DRINK IT!"

The crew argues over whether opening the offering will curse them. Usopp yells, "IDIOT! YOU'LL BE CURSED!!" and asks, "IT'S ALRIGHT IF WE PRAY BEFORE WE DRINK IT, RIGHT?" Zoro flatly says, "I DON'T PRAY TO NO GODS." Nami, amused, says, "BUT ALCOHOL MASSAGED BY THE WAVES IS ESPECIALLY DELICIOUS. WE SHOULD TASTE IT!! ALRIGHT EVERYONE, A TOAST!!" Luffy is already impatient: "HEY, GOOOOD!!! GIMME SOME SNAAACKS!!!" while Franky says, "OPEN IT ALREADY, HURRY UP!" and Usopp explains, "PUTTING A NEW OFFERING IN AND SENDING IT OFF IS THE CUSTOMARY THING TO DO. WE'LL STILL HAVE AN EMPTY BARREL ONCE WE'VE DRANK IT." The moment Luffy opens it, he smiles, "GREAT, IT'S OPEN." Then something launches out with a huge burst: "WAAH!!!" "SOMETHING WENT FLYING!!!"

A red flare explodes high above the Sunny. The crew freezes and stares upward: "RED LIGHT...!?" "WHAT'S THAT!?" "...!! WHAT! WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Franky realizes, "THE ALCOHOL FLEW UP, LIT UP, THEN DISAPPEARED." Sanji jokes, "A FLARE." Luffy wonders, "HA HA HA, A CURSE OF THE SEA GODS?" Robin, more serious, thinks, "... NO PROBLEM IF IT'S JUST A PRANK, BUT... PERHAPS..." The barrel has not brought a drink; it has signaled the ship's location.

The crew understands the danger. Robin says, "SOMEONE MAY NOW BE TARGETING THIS SHIP." Chopper panics, "CAN YOU SEE ANYONE ANYWHERE!?" and Usopp realizes, "COULD IT BE... IS IT SOME KIND OF A TRAP TRIGGERED BY OPENING THE BARREL!? WE JUST ALERTED SOMEBODY TO OUR PRESENCE HERE!?" Nami reads the weather instead: "I CAN'T... SEE ANYONE, BUT... THIS BAROMETRIC PRESSURE..." She shouts orders: "EVERYONE TO YOUR POSTS!!! WE'RE FLEEING SOUTH-SOUTH EAST!!" Luffy asks, "THE COURSE, NAMI!?" and Nami answers, "BEAR TO TWO O'CLOCK!!!" Her warning is immediate: "A 'RAGING STORM' IS ON THE WAY!!! IN FIVE MINUTES!!!"

The storm slams into the Sunny. The ship rolls under brutal headwind and rain as Nami yells, "...!! NO GOOD, IT'S ALL HEADWIND!!!" Franky asks, "THINK THAT'S ALL THIS SHIP'S GOT!?" and announces, "THAT'S RIGHT! EVERYONE, TAKE UP THE SAILS!! THE 'PADDLES' ARE COMING OUT!!" Luffy is delighted: "OHH!! THOSE THINGS!!! UOOOH!! IT'S SO COOL, I LOVE IT. LET'S DO IIIIT!!!" Franky activates the "SOLDIER DOCK SYSTEM!!" on "CHANNEL '0'!!" and releases the "PADDLE SHIP SUNNY-GO!!!" The Cola Engine charges, the paddles deploy, and the ship powers forward despite the storm.

The Sunny escapes the storm, but the sea around them becomes unnaturally dark and fogbound. Someone pants, "HAA... WE'RE THROUGH..." then asks, "THAT'S GOOD, BUT... WHAT'S WITH THIS SEA?" Sanji notes, "IT SHOULDN'T BE NIGHT YET... THE FOG'S SO THICK, IT'S EERILY DARK." Nami wonders whether they have already entered the sea leading to Mermaid Island, but Franky corrects her: "NO, THAT SEA WHERE MONSTERS APPEAR!!" He tells them, "THIS AREA IS... THAT FAMOUS..." and the sea itself is named: "FLORIAN TRIANGLE." The narration describes it as "THE STRANGE SEA WHERE ALMOST EVERYTHING DISAPPEARS, SHROUDED IN MYSTERY."

Usopp is terrified by the Florian Triangle. He stammers, "EH... MO... MONS... MON-- NUH-NUH... MONS..." and Luffy, amused, says, "MONSTERS SHOW UP HERE." Usopp explodes: "DON'T SCREW WITH MEEEEEE--!!! WHY'S EVERYONE ACTING LIKE THEY KNEW? I NEVER HEARD ABOUT THIIIS~~~!!" Franky explains, "LISTEN, USOPP. EVERY YEAR IN THIS OCEAN, OVER A HUNDRED SHIPS VANISH MYSTERIOUSLY... WHAT'S MORE, GHOST SHIPS CARRYING CORPSES WANDER THESE WATERS, OR SO THEY SAY..." Usopp screams, "GYAAAAAAA THIS IS AWFUL!!! SAY STUFF LIKE THAT BEFOREHAND!" and demands ghost-repelling supplies: "PREPARATIONS!! I'D FORTIFY MYSELF WITH STUFF THAT WARDS OFF EVIL SPIRITS!!" The sound of a distant song interrupts them: "YOHO HOHO~~" and someone asks, "WHAT THE... MUSIC...?" A ghostly ship emerges from the fog while the song continues.

The huge battered ghost ship slides out of the fog directly toward the Sunny, singing "YOHO HOHO~~" as it advances. The crew sees the ruined hull and screams, "IT CAME OUUUUT~~~!!!" The vessel is enormous, rotten, and silent except for the song drifting from somewhere aboard; its torn sails, broken masts, dangling rigging, and hollow deck make the Sunny seem tiny in the dark water. The scene turns the warning about ghost ships into something immediate and physical.

The crew erupts: "GHOST SHIIIIP!!!" Everyone screams while Usopp warns, "EVEN IF THE GHOST SPEAKS, PAY HIM NO HEED!!! IF YOU ANSWER, YOU'LL BE DRAGGED INTO THE SEA!!!" Another warning follows: "DON'T LISTEN!! COVER YOUR EARS, YOU'LL BE CURSED!!!" and "THE EVIL SPIRIT IS LOOKING FOR A TRAVELING COMPANION!!" Yet the song keeps drifting across the water: "YOHO HOHO~~" and someone asks, "WHAT IS THIS SONG...!?" Zoro hears movement and says, "SOMETHING'S THERE." Robin asks, "IS THERE SOMEONE RIDING IN IT...?" and Zoro decides, "IF IT'S AN ENEMY, I'LL JUST CUT HIM DOWN."

The figure on the ghost ship sings, "... GO AND DELIVER..." and then, with a cup in hand, "BINKS'... BREW..." He drinks noisily, "Goku Goku Goku," while Luffy and Nami stare in shock. The ghost ship scrapes past the Sunny, close enough for the crew to see the singer clearly: a living skeleton in formal clothes, calmly taking tea alone on the ruined deck as though the cursed sea and the collapsing ship around him are completely ordinary.

The skeleton asks them not to follow: "WHY ARE WE GOING!? WE SHOULD TURN BACK!! I TOLD YOU I WAS FINE BY MYSELF." Nami worries, "NO WAY, IF YOU DO SOMETHING STUPID AND OUR SHIP GETS CURSED, THEN WHAT?" Luffy, instead, is excited: "YOU WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE 'TREASURE SHIP,' WEREN'T YOU, NAMI?" He points to the skeleton and insists, "NO WAY, THIS IS THE 'TREASURE SHIP.' YOU SAW IT, DIDN'T YOU!? THE MOVING SKELETON! THAT'S THE GUARDIAN OF THE TREASURE, LET'S SEARCH FOR HIM FIRST!!" Sanji promises, "DON'T WORRY! I'LL PROTECT YOU, NAMI-SAAAN!" Usopp starts chanting, "BEGONE FOUL SPIRITS, BEGONE FOUL SPIRITS, REST IN PEACE, LUFFYYYY~~~!!!" The Sunny pulls alongside the ghost ship as the crew prepares to meet the strange passenger.

The skeleton greets them politely: "HOW DO YOU DO!! YOHO~~ HOHO!!!" and apologizes, "PARDON MY EARLIER BEHAVIOR!! I MET EYES WITH YOU BEFORE, YET COULD GIVE NO GREETING!!!" The crew is stunned that a skeleton with an afro is talking. He explains, "WHAT A SURPRISE!! IT'S BEEN DECADES, PERHAPS, SINCE I'VE MET A LIVING PERSON!! ALL YOU SEE IS A GHOST SHIP AFTER A GHOST SHIP AROUND THESE PARTS." Luffy eagerly invites him aboard: "NOW, NOW, DO PLEASE COME IN!!" The skeleton turns to Nami and says, "WHAT A LOVELY YOUNG WOMAN OVER THERE!! INN-BEAUUUUUT-FUUUL!!! MY, MY!! I'VE NEVER SET EYES ON SUCH A BEAUTY!! 'CAUSE SKELETONS DON'T HAVE EYES!! YOHOHO HOHO!!" He is introduced as "The Gentleman Skeleton: BROOK."

Brook immediately ruins his gentlemanly impression. He asks Nami, "PERHAPS YOU'D BE SO KIND AS TO SHOW ME YOUR PANTIES?" Nami kicks him and snaps, "LIKE I'D SHOW YOU!!!" Brook tumbles back with "YOHOHOHO, MY MY, HOW SEVEEEERE~~~!!!" Sanji fumes, "THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK BEFORE THAT ONE!!!" Luffy laughs and asks, "DO YOU CRAP?" Brook answers without shame, "INDEED, I DO POOP." Sanji explodes, "DON'T ANSWER, WHATEVER!!!" and demands, "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU? WHY ARE YOU HERE? FIRST!! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT BONES, SO HOW CAN YOU WALK AND TALK? WHAT HAPPENED ON THIS SHIP? TELL US EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON IN THESE WATERS!!!"

Before Brook can explain, Luffy makes the decision himself. He smiles at the tall skeleton and says, "BEFORE THAT, BECOME MY NAKAMA!!!" Brook answers simply, "YES, VERY WELL THEN." Nami and Sanji react in shock, and the whole meeting turns from horror to absurdity in a single breath: Luffy has invited the first living skeleton he met to join the crew, and Brook has casually accepted.

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