(SURPRISE FOR YOU ALL IN THE BOTTOM AN!)

In a grassy field, we see the plot bunny staring at something with a bewildered face, a sweat-drop running down the side of its head; actually, it was inwardly annoyed by what he was seeing. There, laying five feet in front of him, with a mess of completed school papers around her head and a pencil hanging limply in her right hand, with anime swirls for eyes, was Arid. The giant stone block – with the word 'WRITER' on one side – sitting on her body didn't seem to make things better. It looked like she'd been that way for quite some time.

The bunny's eye twitched. All this waiting for –

An idea struck.

*silence*

The paper, pencil, and now destroyed block were left behind as the plot bunny dragged Arid by her feet to some other location.

~Some time later~

"WHAT THE HELL!?"

*Disclaimer on the prologue chapter*

"…So how are we going to get down from here?"

"…"

"What?"

Danny didn't cease with his flat look. "Why the hell are you forgetting that I'm half-ghost?"

"…"

"*sigh*… Assuming you, Nami and Chopper were hiding out in the same room I transformed in, you should've seen me carry Luffy with no problem. While flying."

"…Good point." Danny dragged a gloved hand down his face; honestly, half these people…

But he couldn't really pin any blame on anyone here; different worlds have their own separate laws of reality, after all… Even if it unfortunately meant that there were evil (for certain ones), psychotic sea-farers with a power from the devil, (supposedly), hanging around…

Wanting a change of subject, Usopp turned his gaze up to the destroyed bridge. "To think that something like Oz once lived…"

Oh really, Usopp? THAT thing is Dan on an eleven! And I just barely defeated him the on second time fighting him.

A grimace formed on Danny's face. "If there's anything I learned from past experience, assistance of any form is something very important to have when dealing with an unknown factor that has seemingly limitless power."

The tower head above suddenly crumbled, with the faint clanging of metal on metal resounding. Instead of, like Usopp, spazzing out about falling debris heading their way, Danny calmly grabbed a hold of Usopp's wrist and turned their selves intangible, the large chunks of stone falling around – and through – them.

"It sounds like Zoro's having some fun – hm? Usopp?" Danny eyed the beyond terrified teenager. "…Are you even somewhat alright?" Apparently that was the wrong thing to say.

"…Danny…"

"…?"

"WARN ME BEFORE DOING ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN!"

Getting over his initial surprise at the sniper's sudden change of attitude, Danny leveled Usopp with a flat look. "And let someone die right next to me? Unlikely." He glanced at Usopp's right leg. "And I would think that having a missing limb would prove to be a pretty big hindrance."

Indeed, since the two were still on a slightly separate plane of existence, they were invulnerable for the time being; that being said, this 'invulnerability' would only last so long as the one inducing it wasn't either: a) exerting excess and extreme amounts of energy to maintain this 'evasive mode', or b) losing concentration from abject surprise or fear. And since there was still quite a fair amount of stone hurtling downwards, not to mention that part of the rock that was 'inside' his leg, let us be forever thankful that Usopp wasn't the one with ghost-like qualities.

"…I'm gonna get you to a somewhat safer location before I go find Luffy. Alright?" Never expecting an answer, Danny calmly half-guided, half-dragged a petrified Usopp away from the danger zone and levitated them both gently to the ground level.

It was official – this bull had to end soon. After a long and tedious search throughout the blasted, forsaken castle's halls, thanks to Oz starting to go on a rampage, Danny finally found Luffy, but wasn't all that surprised to see him running like a madman after Moria.

"WAIT! MORIA~~!"

"Kishishishishi! While doing this, your nakama become prey to your own fighting strength, Strawhat! Kishishishishi!"

Luffy snarled in anger. It was that shadow manipulating jerk who made that happen in the first place!

"…So are you fine with taking out Moria alone, or am I still allowed to help?"

Luffy blinked once, twice, and glanced to the right from the corner of his eye. Phantom was breezing through the air, easily matching his mad dash in speed, and giving him with a somewhat wary look.

"Phantom? Where's the rest of my nakama?"

"They're fine, but with your zombie on the loose, I don't know for how much longer. And I DID say I would find you if Perona had been dealt with."

"So what happened to the ghost lady?"

"…"

"…What?"

"I wouldn't be here, talking to you, right now, if she wasn't down for the count."

"…"

"…In any case, am I still allowed to help you kick Moria's ass?"

Moria, who'd, at that moment, realized Danny's presence, and therefore the added danger, decided to give himself some extra headway. "BRICK BAT!"

Over three-dozen of the buggers were sent swooping towards them, and the only thing Luffy fully registered at first, when they were seconds away from colliding with him and Phantom, was the feeling of Phantom's cold hands on his shoulders.

"What're you – "

"Keep running!"

"Eh?!"

"Just trust me on this!"

The next thing Luffy registered was an almost…cold feeling washing over him. Like being submerged in water. Something clicked in the raven-haired teen's head, and his eyes widened in slight realization. It's the mystery feeling from a few days ago…!

At last, the Brick Bats were on top of them. And it wasn't their too-close-for-comfort proximity that made Luffy's eyes as wide as saucers…

…It was the fact that no matter how much they tried to ram into him, the bats just simply passed through his translucent body.

…Wait…

…Translucent?

He could see the floor through his own body!

Danny, picking up on Luffy's slight panic, piped up. "It's called intangibility. In this state, so long as I have physical contact with you, we both can pass through solid objects without any harm done to us."

Luffy, despite continuing with his dash, was, oddly, silent and contemplative.

That…actually explained a bit.

Something JUST LIKE THIS happened when he nearly knocked Danny off of Sunny's figurehead; his arm should've made contact, but instead, it went through…

His eyes widened (again) in realization. Didn't Phantom say that he's a ghost-copy of Danny? Then wouldn't Phantom be Danny's…

…Brother?

…If that's the case, then Phantom only followed Danny through the mystery portal to protect his (older) sibling. That defense must've also transferred over to him and his Nakama when they met Danny. They're like himself and Ace, except one is human and the other a ghost!

Luffy nodded to himself at his 'brilliant deduction', while Danny could only sweat-drop as he wondered what the heck went through the captain's head that moment.

A panting Chopper (in Brain Point) and Usopp hurriedly ducked for cover behind a demolished section of a wall. Seriously, fighting a platoon of Marines sounds LOADS better than fighting a zombie Titan!

"How the hell are we supposed to take down Oz!?" Usopp gasped between heavy breaths.

"Oi! You'll give (pant pant) us away!" The pair warily peeked from behind their 'protection'; Sanji and Zoro had Oz aggro'd onto them, and Robin was nowhere to be seen.

Chopper swore. "If only we had some way to keep Oz still so we could find his weak spot...!"

Usopp frowned thoughtfully. "If Danny was here right now, he could probably freeze Oz where he stands."

"...What?"

"Danny can control ice."

Chopper's eyes widened considerably. "What?"

"...He also knows that we know his secret, now."

Chopper (not literally) froze. He gave Usopp an incredulous look. "How? When?"

A shadow flew over them, and the duo darted away from their hiding spot, just as Oz's fist came crashing down. Chopper switched to Heavy Point and punched aside a stray boulder that was in their path.

"How does he know that WE know?"

"It happened when we were fighting Perona."

"..."

The reindeer was silent. So he only knows now because Usopp confronted him...

Usopp, while glancing at his friend, levelled his Kabuto slingshot and fired an explosive round at Oz's leg. "It was most likely fear and paranoia that made him keep silent about what he is."

Chopper blinked once, twice, and looked full on at the sniper. "Come again?"

They took off running again. "His parents are SCIENTISTS who study the paranormal. One of their inventions turned him into a human-ghost hybrid."

Another bout of silence from the reindeer.

The boy was...half dead? But if he were completely dead, Chopper supposed, then he wouldn't have a human form, let alone a heartbeat.

And Usopp said Danny was – is a hybrid of two entities that don't get along. Danny's both human and ghost…like…

…How he himself is both human and reindeer. One species is usually in fear of the other; but their situation was a rare occurrence of symbiosis in extreme levels.

...Actually...

"...That does explain a few things."

"Hm?"

"Danny's a hybrid just like me. He was accidentally turned into something that should have been a curse, but actually gave him something greater." Usopp nodded at Chopper's words, knowing he was also referring to his time before becoming a Straw-Hat.

"Admittedly...he terrified me when we first met eye to eye."

Usopp nearly tripped. "What?!"

"The first thing I knew about him was that he had a power that didn't belong. And had I not decided to leave the issue where it was, then he could've told me. There would've been fewer secrets."

~Flashback~

Chopper briefly wrote down a note on his clipboard.

"Well Danny, you're good to go."

Said boy sensed an undertone. "Is there something wrong?" Chopper eyed him in confusion. Danny continued. "Ever since I got here, you've been...distant, even though I woke up a short time ago." At this point Danny was slightly concerned for the reindeer. It could just be that his ghost powers were messing with him again...

Chopper, in truth, was surprised. The boy sitting in front of him on the bed in the medical bay had just pinpointed his wariness from so much as a single observation. Could he...no. It's not possible. But...

"What can you sense?"

That question was an instant icebreaker. Danny's face was blank, but his eyes betrayed concern, and...worry? "Kindly elaborate, please."

"I may be able to help you if I knew what was causing you stress." Danny knew this would come at some point, but, why so soon? And by Chopper no less. For some obvious reasons.

Chopper himself was taken aback by Danny's offer to help. And strangely enough the 'odd presence' around him seemed to have lightened to a calmer feel. Could it be that... No. No, he couldn't be that kind. It must be his nerves getting the best of him again.

Chopper smiled lightly. "I'm sure this is a problem that'll sort itself out over time."

Danny blinked - he was SURE Chopper would ask more about himself. Well, he had literally felt the apprehension coming off the poor doctor after all. "If you say so, then."

~Flashback end~

Usopp's eyes widened. "He knew that you sensed his spectral presence, and would've talked about it if you hadn't declined his offer."

Chopper nodded, returning to Brain Point. "Now I'm wishing that I heard the truth from his mouth."

They vaulted over one of the garden's walls, and ducked down. Oh, there's Robin.

The older woman smiled in secret and dismissed the ear that was on Chopper's hat. It was nice to hear that the little doctor was coming to terms with Danny's 'other self' and start accepting.

"...I wonder how he's doing right now", said Usopp.

Back with the chase...

"STOP RUNNING, DAMMIT!"

A fist punched through one of the walls before retracting to its raven-haired owner. Moriah just cackled at the miss and released more of the -

"ENOUGH WITH THE BATS!"

...Those.

FSHING! *Crackle* *Crack*

Luffy's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when he saw the shadow-made bats fall to the ground, literally frozen. He turned an excited look to Phantom, at which he nearly stumbled mid-step from what he saw. Along with his outstretched left hand, Phantom's eyes were glowing an icy blue instead of their usual toxic green. But it wasn't the iciness that got the rubber man. Take away the glow, and Phantom's eyes were the exact same shade of blue that Danny had.

It was like Danny himself was flying beside him.

Luffy turned his attention back to Moriah, but in a small corner in the back of his mind, he was beginning to rethink his previous conclusion about Phantom. For all he knew, it could just be Phantom's mystery-ice-control that turned the ghost's eyes blue. But then again, even though the change was brief, the shade of blue was too close of a match to be of coincidence.

And besides, didn't most ghosts that stayed behind lose their humanity after death? Luffy snuck a quick glance at the ghost boy; he seemed pretty honest when he said he wanted to help deal with Oz and Moriah. And Phantom has that weird comet-tail when he flies, but he can distinctly recall seeing the younger soul actually stand, with legs, and not even try to hover. So…

Either Phantom is a special kind of ghost…

…Or, like Danny, he was hiding something, and that secret could be a deciding factor for a future event. And he might not be everything he says he is.

Luffy's eyes narrowed slightly as he cocked back a fist and let loose another Gomu Gomu no Pistol. He won't pressure both of the newcomers. But, it doesn't mean that he won't try and uncover a few answers.

POOOOM!

"I GOT YOU MORIAH!"

Danny's eye twitched. While he held a healthy amount of respect for the captain, he was starting to consider going after the shadow-wielder himself. ESPECIALLY after what he just pulled.

"Luffy…"

"You… You're not getting away, you bastard!"

"Luffy."

"NOW LET'S GO! GIVE BACK EVERYONE'S SHADOWS!" The rubber man looked very close to driving a fist into 'Moriah's' back.

"LUFFY."

"What?"

"That's not Moriah."

Luffy paused, blinked once, twice, and finally got a good look at what he'd tackled to the ground.

"…A shadow? AW, CRAP! HE TRICKED ME!"

Danny face-palmed. "Is he serious?" he growled through his hand. Suddenly Moriah's shadow wove itself into a coil and soared up and into the sky.

"Ahh…! Wait, Moriah's shadow! Don't go!" "…"

Then the halfa sighed and let his head fall limp. Well, shit.

Luffy hopped up from the patch of ground the shadow had forced him on to. "Damn! This is bad! I told everyone I'd get their shadows back!"

Danny made a face at the comment. "And the time constraint we're on is now worse if we don't find that asshole and finish this." He gave a suspicious look to the fog-covered sky. Actually, the fog seemed quite a bit thinner now. "ESPECIALLY if we've somehow broken through this haze while we were chasing after him."

The rubber man swore. "If we don't find Moriah soon, then half of my crew is going to turn to dust."

A white brow rose. "You're in as much danger as every other affected person."

"…"

"…What the hell are we going to do now?"

"…"

"…"

~A few minutes later~

After a rather…interesting run-in with a large group of people who call themselves the Rolling Pirates, the boys finally met the group's captain, 'Proposal Lola'.

…The woman herself was dressed in a frayed red and yellow garb with heels, a small black hat, and two katana strapped to her back. Her long peach-pink hair was tied at the sides by multiple blue hair ties the shade of Franky's hair. She also had blush on her cheeks, purple eye shadow, an arrow-sign-shaped nose, and BIG red lips. There was also a gap in her top row of teeth.

("Oh my! I love you! Let's get married!"

Not one second was used for the boys to make their decision. "No."

"REFUSED AGAIN! THAT MAKES 4445 TIMES!" shrieked the rest of the Rolling Pirates. Luffy looked clueless while Danny just gave a deadpan glare. The prolonged time in his ghost form was beginning to take a toll on him…)

…Anyways, the entire Rolling Pirates crew was pleased that Thriller Bark was as shaken up as it was, what with half of the mansion being destroyed and the 'three enigmas' being defeated, (or something along those lines, Danny wasn't paying too much attention), and where Moriah now was. (Apparently he's camping out in Oz's stomach; with that said, Luffy was pissed.)

"Ok, we're really in a hurry, so…"

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" said Lola. Danny grabbed Luffy's arm, but it just kept stretching as the captain ran. "Let's stop this roundabout explanation! It'll be faster to just show them!" Luffy was slowing down, Lola's words capturing his interest along with Danny's.

"This is the shadows' secret we discovered!"

"Hey!"

Any method of movement was halted as Luffy – (who was now completely enticed by what was going on, and started walking towards the commotion) – and Danny turned to the direction of the call. The Risky Brothers were running up, from wherever the heck they were hiding out at, both holding onto a leg of…what the…

"Huh? A shadow!?" said Luffy as he finally stopped next to Danny. Both boys shared a bemused glance before turning their attention back to the brothers. "Right! It's a shadow!" said the brother wearing the executioner hood. "If we force a zombie to eat some salt –"

" – We can catch the shadows that come out with our hands!" finished the other brother with the wild brown hair.

Danny's brows shot to his hairline. That's…actually pretty cool.

But what neither Danny, nor' Luffy especially, saw coming was…

"GYAAAA! WHAT'RE YOU DOING, STICKING THAT SHADOW – !"

…Two members of the Rolling Pirates tightly grabbing Luffy's arms, and the two brothers to run up and jam the front half of the shadow into Luffy's torso, with said shadow gradually sinking in.

…And it hurts, apparently.

"Stay still!"

"Hey, stop it! I feel kinda…" Whatever Luffy was about to say next was cut off as the last of the shadow was absorbed into his body, his skin forcing him to fall backwards. Wide-eyed, Danny rushed to the fallen captain, to see if he could help, but stopped when Luffy bolted upright. Part of what made the young halfa stop was the sudden addition of half-inch thick, black rings around Luffy's eyes. Danny idly thought he sort of resembled a panda.

"So!? Are you feeling okay?" said Lola.

"…Yeah." Danny let go of a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"Can you handle a sword?"

Luffy gave her a sideways look. "…No, I can't."

Lola nodded, looked left, and waved to one of her crewmembers. A sheathed katana was sent flying in their direction; Danny watched in awe as Luffy, out of the clear blue, stood and caught the katana, unsheathed it, and expertly sliced a nearby tree into small segments.

"What the hell happened?" said an incredulous Danny, while Luffy, who'd snapped out of the strange reverie, stared open-mouthed at the katana in his hands. Did he really just hack a tree into pieces? With a sword!? He doesn't even know how to use one!

"Ufufufu~. That shadow we put in you belonged to a formidable Marine swordsman!" said Lola.

"All of that shadow's fighting ability has been added to your strength!" said the hooded Risky brother. His, well, brother, added on with: "Plus, as long as your spirit can take it, we can insert as many shadows as we want!"

"Pretty cool, right!?"

Luffy stared, blank-faced, at the katana, then the crowd. Danny simply frowned. "Yes, but you said –"

"We'll use Moriah's ability and make you several times stronger!" said Lola.

By now, Luffy was coming back to reality. "Hold on –"

"We've caught plenty of shadows!" said the… You know what, thought Danny, I'm calling this Risky Brother 'Wild-Hair'. The other is going to be known as 'Hood'. "But is you don't have the spirit to handle it, you'll lose consciousness, and the strength will disappear like a bubble."

"Why do you guys have all these shadows?" asked an incredulous Luffy (with Danny silently fuming in the background from the repeated interruptions). Wild-Hair stepped forward. "We've been desperately purifying zombies while we were looking for our own shadows, but we kept on freeing shadows from random people! So we started capturing them!"

Hood came up, grabbed Danny and Luffy by the shoulders, and looked them both in the eyes. "Listen closely, and don't forget this! When a shadow is put into a corpse, it becomes a zombie. But a shadow can't stay in a human being with a soul!"

The boys shared a slightly wary look, not liking where this event was going.

"The power up lasts ten minutes. After that, they'll leave and return to their original owner!"

The sound of fast-paced footsteps drew the boys' attention, and their jaws dropped at the sight of three Rolling Pirates crew members carrying dozens of shadows, which were only bound together (with rope) by a leg each.

"Get it? You only have ten minutes!"

"We're giving you all of the shadows we've got!"

Again, Luffy was tightly restrained from both sides, at which realization set in and he began struggling to free himself; Danny didn't expect the same to happen to him, but only to be pulled away.

"OI! What do you think you're doing!?" His obsession was screaming for him to grab Luffy and fly off to the Sunny. Didn't they realize the pain Luffy must've went through with the FIRST shadow?!

The pirate holding onto him, a large, burly man, kept one hand firmly on the younger teen's wrists and blocked his (Danny's) way with his free arm. "Listen, kid, we need our ray of hope", he said softly. Danny let his eyes glow as he glared up at his 'guard'.

"With the fog clearing up, we can only move about for another twenty minutes!" said Lola. "You've got to hurry."

"Keep your head cool! You should be able to take twenty or thirty shadows."

"We can only take two or three."

"DO IT!"

"YEAH!"

Danny could only watch as shadow after shadow was forced into Luffy's body – subtle changes began taking place, such as his skin beginning to gray, and his muscles becoming more prominent.

But now Danny was watching in growing fascination and horror…

"Nnn… Nngh…"

...For the shadow count was WAY past the thirty mark.

"GYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Danny was, no pun intended, officially spooked. Aside from some...other physical changes, Luffy's heavy breathing was the only sign of the arduous trial that he went through. "This man... Just how strong is his spirit!? This is amazing. I've never seen anything like it..."

"Hyaa... We put all one hundred shadows in him...!"

"Unbelievable! That's our ray of hope!"

Danny swallowed thickly and hesitantly took a step forward. "Luffy...are you still you? And...how are you feeling?"

"Yeah... It's me! The power... It's overflowing! I can't stop it! I'm aching to get into a fight!"

Lola waved to her crew again, and Danny watched with a resigned neutrality as a GINORMOUS sheathed katana was brought out and handed to Luffy, which he strapped to his back.

Danny, still a bit shaken, walked up and stood in front of the changed captain. "I guess this is where it ends now, huh?"

He got a slow nod in return as Luffy turned and glared at the partially demolished castle.

"This might work!" said Lola. Excited murmurs ran through the crowd. "Okay, there's no time! Go show Moriah a 'Nightmare'! YOU'RE OUR RAY OF HOPE, 'NIGHTMARE LUFFY'!"

Luffy's eyes narrowed and he charged into the forest with a mighty roar...

Danny face-palmed and sped after him in flight. "Dammit Luffy, you're going the wrong way!"

Back in the same grassy field we saw earlier, we see Arid, now recovered and with her school stuff cleared away, giving a half-hearted, deadpan glare at the plot bunny, who easily matched it with his own.

~Some time earlier~

It's hot, was the first thing that came to Arid's mind as she slowly regained consciousness. Too hot. And sandy. As she slowly opened her eyes as to not blind herself from the sun's rays, it became quite apparent that she was in some nearby desert, with all the sand and the lack of sounds of water. The next thing she noticed was that her entire body was covered by the sand – with only her head sticking out. And as she angled her head upwards, mismatched eyes finally noticed the skeleton in place of where her body should've been.

And then came the reaction from the top AN.

~Flash forward to now~

"…It was unnecessary, you know."

The glare didn't cease.

"*sigh* Look, I KNOW I was later than I should have been, but what could I do?"

The plot bunny let an exasperated sigh free. But then, with a slightly thoughtful expression, he chittered at Arid and gestured towards you readers.

"…I do owe them that much, you're right on that…"

*Turns towards all of you*

"Uh, hey –"

*Dodges a flying pitchfork*

"…That was mean. Anyways, as you've probably already figured out, I've had a lack of time and creativity, in terms of writing this chapter, and believe me, I really amsorry! But since that's all just an excuse, and I think many of you might yell at me for the tardiness through the reviews, or something along those lines…"

She positions her hands in front of her, like Midna from Twilight Princess when she goes about freeing Wolf Link, and a milky mist began gathering, rising up out from between her hands, and gaining colour…

"We think a preview of Haunted Seas and Realms of Spirit should placate you all."

He didn't care where his feet took him on this island, so long as he was moving.

Two weeks tomorrow. Two weeks tomorrow and he'd be back at Sabaody Archipelago to meet with his Nakama. He sighed. What were his Nakama doing right now? Where were they? Are they all right? These questions and more ran through the teen's head like a mantra for nearly two years since that day at Marineford… He subconsciously clutched his chest with one hand, where the large, X-shaped scar now resided.

Birds cawed to one another through the tree canopies as predators foraged for their next meal in the ground foliage. Only the more foolhardy predators, like the occasional delinquent tiger, willingly sought him out for a chance at a quick snack, now. Hah, no matter. He only sought them out when he was hungry.

"…Hm?"

…Ah. THIS is where he finally stopped.

Perched across from him, in a small clearing on a fair-sized rock, was his prized hat. His eyes stung with emotion as memories rushed to the forefront of his mind. No, he thought to himself, screwing his eyes tightly shut and giving his head a few brisk shakes. Don't think about what-ifs. Stay strong – stay strong for your Nakama. He would want you to…

He sighed another time and opened his eyes. His brother was the reason he's here now. Without him, he wouldn't have been given this opportunity to become stronger, so he can protect his Nakama.

He frowned. That's right; one's back in his home world. He turned his eyes to the few dregs of sky that managed to peek through the trees. How was Danny's life right now? …Er, half life? Bah, he's still alive, isn't he? He's only half ghost after all.

A breeze gently tugged against his hat, and ruffled his hair. His eyes narrowed. The weather had been still this entire day! Why the sudden draft all of a sudden? And then his ears heard it. It wasn't a normal wind. And was that the sound of…waves? This far in on the island? He turned on his heel and gasped in shock.

It's back.

A shade darker than the sky. Roiling and tumultuous like a whirlpool. And that same wind…!

Five metres behind the stupefied teen, a spirit stood and watched the younger pirate. He grimaced as Clockwork's words rang in his head; but he had to go through with it, or his kid brother wouldn't be able to make it beyond Fishman Island – especially if the ghost child wasn't there to help.

It would be painful enough, if what Clockwork-san says is true, for him to go through that portal and see his missing friend. But… It was clear as day that the younger pirate was torn on what to do with the portal in front of him, judging by the frequent glances from the jungle to the portal and back.

Then again, he and his crew won't move forward in the New World if Jones manages to win…

The Shade sighed noiselessly, and (figuratively) ghosted towards the younger male. Sorry, little brother…

"Bring the ghost boy here…"

He stiffened at the sudden voice. He knew that voice. He hadn't heard it for nearly two years…!

And the last thing the younger male felt was a hand on his back, pushing him into the now fiercely roaring portal before his world – his head, mostly – exploded with pain. He never even recognized the concerned shouts, or the cold, gloved hands catching him when he hit the other side.

Danny sighed for the millionth time that day. Oh don't get him wrong; his half-life has been quite good. He's finally recognized as a hero thanks to the Disasteroid Incident, his parents accept him for who and what he is, Sam is his girlfriend of eight and a half months, the Guys In White disbanded, and he's even been getting help from other human ghost hunters, like Valerie, to help protect Amity Park from malicious spirits!

"I'll have your pelt at the foot of my bed, whelp!"

Speaking of…

Danny threw up a shield seconds before the missiles could hit him, quickly dove to the side, and lobbed multiple ecto blasts at Skulker. WAY below on ground level, a fair-sized crowd of fully human residents cheered that their protector was unharmed. The sixteen-year-old managed a small smile – it felt nice that there were people aside from his friends and family who supported him.

…But that was it. It was only the people of his world that were down there. He loved his home dearly, and he wouldn't trade it for anything. But he was just missing someone – nine of them, to be specific. Despite how crazy it was, he missed the seas of the Grand Line; he missed the energy that came with being on its seas; he missed the Straw-Hats. Danny would sometimes hear Usopp telling some grandiose tale with him as the hero every time he saw a slingshot; feel Zoro's determination to win any battle when he sees a knife. Hear Brook's soothing melodies, taste Sanji's cuisine, sense Robin's composed aura in the face of danger, see Nami, Chopper, and Franky so dedicated to their maps, medicine, and shipwright abilities… And feel that strange,

Danny absent-mindedly leaned out of the way of an incoming wrist-blade, grabbed Skulker by the shoulder, and activated his cryokinesis – covering the android hunter ghost in a thick sheet of ice, while leaving his head free. Quickly landing Skulker on a nearby rooftop, Danny tore off the android's head, revealing the tiny green blob of a ghost that he really was, unclipped and uncapped his Fenton Thermos, and finished the fight by pointing the mouth end at the blob, pressing the 'capture' button, and patiently watched Skulker and his gear be pulled inside the thermos by its blue tractor beam.

That's for showing up during an English test.

With seemingly nothing else to tend to, the halfa kicked off from the rooftop, his legs forming a spectral tail as he flew back to his school. Five minutes was how long it took.

Must be going through a power growth spurt or something.

Other teens mobbed him as soon as he landed, grateful that he'd dealt with the danger, but mostly happy that their hero had returned, congratulating him for another job-well-done and victory. Danny took in all the faces around him. He still found it a bit hard to believe that nearly everyone in Casper High barely passed him a second glance before his 'status' was revealed.

And that's when it happened.

It first started as a sudden pitch in the wind that, at first, only Danny could hear.

A random student in the crowd happened to look up, and cried out upon seeing it. Everyone outside soon followed, and it wasn't just Danny who was surprised by what he saw.

"Danny?"

Sam and Tucker had managed to squeeze their way through the crowd to reach their boyfriend and brother-in-arms respectively. Tucker was oddly silent and calculative as he studied the enigma, while Sam was torn between awe and terrible realization.

Sam swallowed thickly. "Isn't that what…"

Danny's eyes narrowed as he turned his gaze back to the sky. "There's no doubt. But what's the reason for this time?"

Hanging roughly sixty-five metres above the ground was the very same portal that had whisked Danny to the Grand Line nearly two years ago. But there wasn't any spirits from the Grand Line hanging about, his ghost sense would have told him so. So what…?

Danny's eyes widened when he heard a faint, pain-filled scream. A scream that fluidly changed a bit in accent the closer it got. A voice that he knew all too well.

Danny paid no heed to the terrified screams around him as he hastily flew to the limp figure that fell from the seemingly endless abyss, as said abyss closed up after being done with its task. The boy faltered slightly as he caught the older teen, hoisted said teen over his shoulder for the third time in two years, and gently floated down to the ground. Sam, Tucker, and now Jazz, who'd finally made it through the crowd herself, had performed crowd control and managed to create a fair-sized circle of space for Danny to land with his passenger.

The second he touched down, he speed-walked through the crowd and the school's front doors, the curious bystanders gradually trickling in from behind. Other students and even the teachers looked out from their classroom doors to see what had Danny so anxious. As he made his way to the nurse's office, his girlfriend, best friend, and older sibling finally caught up to his tense pace. It was Tucker who broke the ice first.

"Danny… Is he really…?"

"…"

Suffice to say, the silence was deafening. And surprisingly, Tucker didn't say a word as Danny flung the door to the nurse's office open, and strode to the sick bed, where he carefully laid the other teen on top of it.

Danny finally turned towards his comrades. "One of you tell Lancer that something important has just come up, and that I'll finish the exam on a later day." Jazz nodded and sprinted down to the English teacher's classroom. The seriousness in Danny's voice could cut steel.

"What about us?" said Tucker, albeit somewhat apprehensively. Danny merely sat down on a chair close to the bed, let the familiar white rings wash over his form and turn him human, looked Tucker in the eye with a raised brow, and said: "Give a warning to the cafeteria staff that there might be a kitchen raid, with his" – he jerked his thumb towards the latent youth – "black hole of a stomach here. Extra emphasis on the warning." The two standing teens shared a concerned glance with each other before complying with the order. With how Danny described them, they now knew who the newcomer was.

The teen in question slept, blissfully unaware of the recent events that had transpired; as Danny resigned himself to 'guarding the post' once again, he couldn't help the tiny, ironic smile that graced his lips. He had, in a way, gotten his wish. For what price, he didn't know.

Silence.

And then his face once again meets the ever-familiar palm of his hand.

Amity Park is in for HELL when Luffy wakes up.

"There's Haunted Seas for ya'. Now we have the prologue for Realms of Spirit."

The plot bunny, after a few seconds of pondering, walked off in the distance with a plan in mind.

Age: five years

The night sky was soothing to her. She would always climb out her room's window and onto the roof whenever she had the chance to. The stars spoke to her. Told her stories. Just like her home, Ferani. Like her twin brother, Navin, and her friend Marcus, they made her feel less lonely. Less lonely in this harsh world…

A month and a half into first grade, and she was deemed the mute loner. She could talk just fine, thanks! But something always made her blank of emotion, and words; at least, around everyone but those she trusted. She never could figure out why. A star flickers for the briefest of moments and resumes its glow.

She feels an invisible presence appear. This one's lonely. Just like her. The presence asks for solace, and she allows it, feeling oddly like a piece of her had just been restored. It was peculiar – she almost never accepted a new presence so easily…

All the same, she couldn't ignore someone asking for help.

Age: 6 years

She stands ankle-deep in the salty water, watching the sky for the umpteenth time. Maurice must not be discovered by anyone else. His appearance alone would do the most harm. She knows otherwise. She knows that Maurice is good in heart. She also knows that he doesn't feel like her island. Almost…otherworldly. Hurried footsteps in the sand snap her out of her muse. Navin and Marcus walk towards her.

"Why did they take us with them again?" says a bored Marcus. He gazes longingly towards the more rocky sections of the beach. He'd be over there now if it wasn't for their parents bringing them along for a meeting…

"They're adults", she deadpans as if it's the most obvious thing on Ferani. "They'll only make sense when we're their age."

All three kids sigh. Adults were confusing.

Navin gives her a curious look. "Why do you like being so close to the ocean, anyways?"

"…" She shrugs finally. "I guess I just feel comfortable here."

Marcus laughs. "What, are you trying to join the sea?"

She – jokingly – takes a swing at the other boy. Regardless, something…else wasn't entirely well.

"…Do you think there's something else out there? Beyond our island?"

Silence.

After a few seconds, she shrugs, and proceeds to leave the water –

There's a tug on her heart. It's urgent. Ferani is speaking to her again through the waves. Her head snaps to the left at Ferani's guidance and she spots an unconscious figure laying in the sand, the lower half of his body submerged in the seawater. Her eyes widen as she dashes to the boy. Small, dark hair, and around her height. As she struggles to sling the unknown boy's right arm over her shoulders, her eyes widen further in shock. He feels like Maurice.

5 months later

Why does this happen to me?

Two months ago, she had asked her parents for a set of surf clothing. When asked why, she said she wanted to be more protected when she went swimming. Her parents complied anyways.

She never said that she wanted to keep more oppression attempts off of her.

Navin knows about the mark because he's her brother. The mark itself, however, was a constant mystery. It came with a strong headache, a slight burning feel, and the image of an older, blue/black-haired man flashing briefly through her head one day. She had been getting ready for school the day after when she saw it.

It started with an isosceles triangle, with the thinner end pointing downwards and the other points set a little below the middle of her shoulder blades. Another, smaller isosceles triangle lay within the first, except it was flipped, and the points were touching the edges of the first triangle. If it weren't for the precision the thin lines held, without any stray blotches or anomalies, she'd almost swear that someone had fashioned a very intricate-looking brand.

And the blasted thing was on the middle of her back, directly over her heart.

…Yeah. She'd never be left alone if someone else, somehow, found out about it.

…And why does she feel like a missing puzzle piece was returned?

Age: 7 years

Today's her and her brother's birthday. As per usual, she doesn't expect a gift; not when she's just content to let Navin receive the attention from classmates. It's fine, really; her family's well off, and she doesn't want to burden others, so she doesn't feel the need to ask other people for material objects. None of the other kids their age just…feel right, to her, anyways. Especially when it came to deciding who was actually a friend, or nothing more than an acquaintance. Obviously, we know whom she chose.

Nearing her locker, she was fairly surprised to see a small white envelope tucked into one of the vent's holes. Taking the envelope in hand, her surprise double when she realized the folded paper wasn't carrying a letter.

She darted into the nearest washroom – who would actually do this? And…why?

She gently tore the envelope open, and what tumbled out into her waiting hand, secured on a black cord, was a key. The key itself looked to be a silver skeleton key; the rod and teeth were of the old-fashioned variety, but the head was something different. The head, instead of a simple circle or clover shape, was a heart with the edges rounded off, with a small, old-fashioned keyhole in the centre, from which the cord was attached to.

And then she saw the inside of the envelope. Now nobody can steal your heart's key, it said in a child's writing. There was no name. But someone, all the same, went out of his or her way to do this, without her knowledge, or consent…

…And this person wanted to do this.

It made her heart warm at this thought.

For the next number of years, the key stayed on her at all times, tucked under her shirt, and would only let it be seen by others when she found out who did it.

Age: 9 years

Ferani also talks to the stars. Her home has been told bad news. Ferani is nervous. And so she is nervous. The nine-year-old stands in the seawater again, knee-deep this time, and tries to make sense of all the emotions being transmitted through her.

She's not the only one on this beach; who wouldn't enjoy time at the beach on a hot, cloudless day? Her family is a few feet behind her, building sandcastles, relaxing, and just enjoying the day. A lifeguard is a few metres to their right. All are oblivious to the rampant emotional turmoil happening right in front of them.

Ferani is more frantic. Very anxious. Too anxious. As she tries to make sense of the mish-mash of the distressed pulses of emotion, she doesn't notice the accidental current until it pulls her underwater and away from shore.

Age: 11 years

She hates this day. All except Navin, Marcus, Maurice, and Logan, the mysterious boy, keep a wide berth around her on this day. Apparently, people aren't supposed to come back from the dead, even if a few hundred volts are coursed into the heart. She doesn't blame Ferani; she blames herself for not noticing the strange riptide sooner.

She just wishes that people wouldn't make such a big deal about her death day. Why condemn someone for being saved from death? All the same, she ignores the pitying looks and the whispers behind her back. Weirder still, the mark on her back has become a bit more noticeable, but not to the point of being quite noticeable (if that makes any sense) from a close distance. Thank goodness.

At least her friends and brother know not to rub salt on a still-open wound.

Age: 13 years

Ferani seems to be grieving. She's made attempts at contacting Ferani, but the empathetic link she tries to establish is forcefully cut off nowadays; all she can get is this odd feeling of dismal acceptance. Something has happened to Ferani, and she doesn't like it one bit. Maybe those recent disappearances are a clue…? And maybe…the nightmare that keeps appearing when she sleeps is some kind of message… It gets more vivid each time.

She closes her eyes and tries to think back to the dream (nightmare?) from the night before.

Oh yes… Now I remember…

~Dream Sequence~

She couldn't move; it was as if something was holding her back. And she was surrounded by stars…many of the stars gave off bright, lively colours. She sighs in content; she recognizes these stars. She sensed peace, happiness even – but they were sad. Something was wrong. She watched as one of the colourful stars flickered, followed by another, and soon more. The black expanse they rested in seemed to grow darker; and the flickering stars were engulfed, until…

…One by one, they gradually began fading. Plucked, and devoured.

This wasn't right. The colours had to survive. There'd be nothing if there weren't even a slight glow!

She was vaguely aware that she was running towards the stars that were still wavering. All of the colours felt important.

The inarticulate whispers she kept hearing did little to sooth her agitation.

Running…

Running…

She's almost upon a star…

Running…

The darkness seems to know where she's heading.

Running...

…Wait…

… … …

…No…it can't be…

…Ferani…?

~End~

She sighs, stands up from her seated position on the grass, (directly in front of the beach that took her life), dusts herself off, and proceeds to walk in the direction of her house. Frankly, she shouldn't even be on her own right now. Every one of the vanishings was when the people were alone. As she walks back up the path, she pauses, gives a brief shudder, and turns back to the ocean.

She sees nothing but the grass, beach, and sky.

After a few seconds, she turns back to her intended path, and continues along at a more brisk pace. She can't help but feel that she was being watched.

She misses seeing the small owner of two, solid yellow eyes studying her carefully from the shadows.

~~~~~~Title Card~~~~~~

(OST insert: Stand By Me Doraemon (Main Theme) (2014))

*The camera pans up to the sky, and the view proceeds to surge forth into space. As stars are now being clearly seen, the camera shifts and turns back to the world in left, but still follows its one path. After a few seconds, stars are flashing past as the camera picks up speed, and soon breaks off into the Lanes Between. From there, the camera, instead of continuing on the one path, shoots up vertically until all of the Worlds are below it. The Worlds are then outlined by a plethora of iridescent colours, and they stream together towards the very centre of the universe. The streams cross and the words Realms of Spirit are written in a gothic font; they are outlined by a white, soothing mist, while the words themselves are an inky black. A solid yellow eye blinks open in the 'R' as the outline of a Shadow takes form. Finally, the streams break off and return to their owners, but the white mist is left to glow with their colours.*

To Be Continued.

"Every prologue for Realms of Spirit is an outline of a key main character, so you get a brief feel of that person before the action begins to kick off. Now, mind you, both of these prologues are subject to any edits I feel may need to take place, so they might not be the EXACTLY the same, but very close. Anyways –"

"LEAVE ME BE!"

"Uhhh… What?"

A grayish-green blur zips past. A smaller, mostly black form follows, holding a thermos. "JUST LET ME CATCH YOU, AND YOU WON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH HIM!"

…Danny?

"OI! HOLD UP!"

This time a red blur streaks by, the most noticeable thing on it being the straw hat hanging off his neck.

"He didn't…"

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Arid turns and glares in the direction of the sound of sparks. Laughing its arse off between two dimensional portals is the plot bunny.

…Well, that's ONE way to say 'hurry up'…

Arid sighes heavily and faces you readers once more. "As I was trying to say earlier: Thank you, everyone, for all the love and support you have given me for this story."

*Turns back to the plot bunny, and materializes her dual scimitars*

"As for YOU…"

The scene fades to the sound of clashing blades, and a panicked Lunch Lady as she fanatically dodges Luffy's attempts at catching her with a net.