The next morning, Leo deliberately chose to arrive at Doll Island under the darkest pre-dawn sky.
"Leo… do you really want to go up now? Or should we wait until daylight?" Will clutched the ship's railing, his eyes wide with fear at the pitch-black island.
"Don't worry. The yang energy rises at dawn, and that's when ghosts are most afraid. If we want to catch one, we have to act under the full moon," Leo said, stroking his imaginary long beard and speaking in a mysterious tone to Will.
Charles scowled at him. "Stop pretending. Let's move." A sudden sense of danger prickled his nerves, as if a powerful enemy were nearby. This kid, Leo, never missed an opportunity to show off.
The three of them jumped off the ship. Using his abilities, Leo submerged the Poseidon to cover their tracks.
"This is the first time I've seen something like this," Charles said, astonished. "Captain, what Devil Fruit do you have? You can control the sea? Aren't Devil Fruit users usually land-bound? How are you even possible?"
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand the affairs of gods," Leo replied, spreading his hands nonchalantly.
…
"Let's just explore the island," Charles said, ignoring him. Leo had played dumb twice already, and now Charles was certain this boy would be his lifelong rival.
Though they laughed along the way, once the exploration began in earnest, Leo seriously warned them not to touch any ghosts. After all, the Ghost Fruit had many vulnerabilities, so it was best to be cautious before gauging the enemy's power.
At first, they only explored the coast, avoiding the dense jungle.
"Leo, Will, look over there." Charles, ever observant, was the first to spot it: a doll woven from plants, hanging from a tree. It reminded Leo of the story a tavern patron had told yesterday.
Leo picked up a stone, his face serious. "If any ghosts appear, Will, you take Charles and jump into the sea first." Before Charles could protest, swish—Leo threw the stone and hit the doll dead center.
They stared tensely into the forest, but after a few minutes, nothing happened.
Phew. All three exhaled in relief.
"Tch… what? That was just a decoration. That guy at the tavern really exaggerated!" Leo scoffed.
He plucked the doll from the tree, fiddled with it, and glared at its ugly smile. "Who made this? So ugly." Tossing it into the grass, he led the way deeper into the jungle.
But after they left, the discarded doll suddenly stood upright. It stomped angrily, its smile twisting into a scowl, and then vanished into the underbrush.
The three pushed through the thick foliage, struggling as the grass towered over them. Leo, the shortest, was nearly swallowed by it.
The jungle was darker than the coast. They walked single file: Leo in front with a flashlight, timid Will in the middle, and Charles bringing up the rear.
Rustle… rustle…
Will, trembling, placed his hands on Leo's shoulders. "Leo… do you hear that strange noise?"
"It's just the wind and the plants rubbing together. Nothing to worry about," Leo replied.
Heehee… woo… heehee…
Before he could finish, eerie laughter mixed with wolf howls echoed around them. Startled, they formed a triangular back-to-back stance as planned.
Shining his flashlight around, Leo saw dozens of dolls hanging from the trees, all wearing creepy smiles. Hundreds of green eyes glimmered from behind the bushes, staring at them.
"Damn… we're surrounded," Charles said coldly.
"Leo, what do we do? Wolves, ghosts… we're doomed!" Will panicked, speaking in the Fishman Island dialect.
Leo, however, remained calm. He pulled a homemade flashbang from his pocket, gesturing for Charles and Will to wear goggles before tossing it into the air.
Bang! A blinding light erupted, causing the wolves to squint and the eerie laughter to halt.
"Run!" Leo commanded. They each picked a direction and bolted.
Heehee… White ghosts suddenly emerged from the bushes, chasing them.
During the escape, Charles tripped, and a ghost stabbed him. He fell to his knees, despair etched on his face. "I'm just a world-class chef with impeccable style. At my age, I don't even have a girlfriend. I don't want to live!"
Leo nearly laughed. "Even after eating the Ghost Fruit, your tsundere pride hasn't changed. You're miserable, yet still bragging?"
Pointing at Charles, Leo activated his new skill: Deep Sea Tornado. Water molecules in the air swirled, forming a protective spinning vortex around Charles. The sudden change scattered the ghosts.
"Ha! You think you can scare me, ugly monster?"
"Ugly? You—Fear Ghost!" Leo shouted, causing all the ghosts to turn red and fly toward them.
The name alone was enough to evoke people's deepest fears. Luckily, the ghosts weren't fast, and Leo easily dodged.
Will was carrying Charles, but before they could escape, a red ghost struck, killing the pair.
Charles screamed, "Oh no, my hand! It hurts! It's burned!"
Will wailed, running while carrying Charles. Leo frowned, watching them vanish. "What on earth have you two been through?"
A distracted moment left Leo vulnerable. A negative ghost attacked him. "Next life… I want to be a fat shut-in again!"
Blushing, Leo stood. "Sea Stone Armor—Deep Blue Flash!"
Donning his armor, he fired in all directions.
"Enough screaming. Put me down!" Charles recovered first and punched Will, who was still panicking.
"Where am I? What happened? Where's Leo?"
Charles straightened his clothes. "Looks like we're lost… but don't worry, Leo's strong."
Will sniffed the air, pointing a direction. "Leo's over there… and we're surrounded again."
"Your nose is useful… huh? Surrounded again? Let's escape!"
Howl~ Wolves circled them, but instead of attacking, they only growled and bared teeth.
A child's voice rang out: "Howl! Get out of here!"
Charles leapt and threw a rock toward the sound.
Bang! The bushes shook, and a small figure darted deeper into the jungle. The wolves retreated after it.
Will and Charles were stunned. "Did we win? Now what?"
Charles found a piece of animal hide left behind. "Smell it. It'll lead us to him. He knows Doll Island's secrets. If we uncover them before Leo… heh heh!"
Will perked up, sniffing the ground and pointing forward.
Meanwhile, Leo guarded his surroundings with a circular water flow.
"Hey! Ghost girl… are you the count's daughter?"
"Hehe, guess… can you stay, handsome?" a soft voice replied from all directions.
Leo pressed on. "Did you make all the dolls on the trees?"
"Yes. They're trapped souls. I put them in dolls so they'll stay here forever… soon, you'll join them."
"No! Your dolls are ugly!"
The ghosts surged again, attacking Leo.
Through the battle, Leo discovered a way to suppress negative ghosts: by combining seawater with his power-absorption ability, he could neutralize any Devil Fruit ability.
Feeling confident, he taunted: "Did you make these dolls in your own image? You think you're pretty, huh? Take a good look in the mirror."
"Shut up, you damn ghost kid, go to hell!" The floating ghosts merged into one massive apparition.
Leo blocked the giant ghost with water streams, scanning for the source. A small figure hid behind the leaves, glaring at him.
"There you are! Water Shot!" A powerful water projectile blasted several trees. The shadow screamed, swinging through vines and escaping.
The Devil Fruit user fled, and the ghosts were neutralized. Leo chased, but eventually lost track of the figure.
Bang! Leo stepped on an old doll. Unlike the others, it was a dirty, worn toy with some cotton spilling out.
He grabbed it by the neck, squinting. Something seemed off—the doll's head had a large lump.
Examining it, Leo noticed the eyes appeared to be avoiding him.
Placing his hands under the doll's arms, he manipulated it. Cut… cut… cut!
The doll trembled. "Hahaha… Dan… don't… stop."
Suddenly, from the opposite jungle, a girl wearing animal skins charged out.
"Ah! Sister Anna… those bad people are scary…"
Before she could finish, she saw a young man touching Anna. Leo, startled, instinctively countered.
The girl fell, a large bump forming on her head.
A roar echoed through the jungle: "Stop! I see you!"
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "One Piece: Shadows of the Throne" is 30 chapters ahead there