Tales of the Sea [Sanji x OC]

Chapter 18: Arcane Echoes

It had been a few days since the Straw Hat Pirates had left the Island of Serenitha, sailing through the calm waters of the Grand Line toward the enigmatic Sequoia Trench. Segal, the hybrid crew member, was eagerly looking forward to checking on her fellow hybrids, while Nami's excitement grew with each island they explored along the way, gathering valuable information for her maps. However, their journey was about to take an eerie and unexpected turn.

One sunny morning, the Going Merry anchored near a lush, uncharted island, but an unsettling feeling began to settle over the once-vibrant crew as they stepped onto the unfamiliar terrain. The jungle that lay ahead of them appeared dense, teeming with life, yet it held an inexplicable heaviness in the air.

Sanji, the suave cook, experienced an unusual sensation as he set foot on the island's soil. His feet drenched from an unexplained puddle, sending a shiver down his spine. Annoyed at his ruined shoes, he rolled his eyes and, trusting his instincts, decided to remove them, choosing to walk barefoot instead. The connection to the earth beneath him seemed to offer a strange sense of serenity amidst the island's foreboding atmosphere.

Usopp couldn't help but notice Sanji's bare feet and couldn't resist a taunt. "Can't keep your feet dry, can you?" he teased. Sanji, in response, playfully pushed Usopp into a swamp-like puddle. "Can't keep yourself dry, can you?" he retorted, ensuring Usopp remembered not to mess with him.

As the crew ventured deeper into the jungle, they encountered an array of colorful flora. Usopp, always drawn to the mysterious and beautiful, couldn't resist the allure of a significant purple round flower hanging from a vine. Its petals seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly beauty, and he moved closer to examine it.

Segal, with her curiosity about nature, observed the flower with a mixture of fascination and caution. She recalled telling Usopp that brighter colors often indicated poisonous plants. "Usopp, be careful!" she cautioned. But her warning came too late. Segal rushed to Usopp, trying to prevent him from touching the flower, but Usopp, unable to resist its allure, reached out and gently brushed the petals.

With a sudden burst of intensity, the purple flower exploded into a cloud of purple powder, engulfing Usopp and Segal in its mysterious substance. Their surroundings twisted and warped, and they found themselves trapped in a shared hallucination.

Inside this shared nightmare, Usopp saw towering monsters with countless eyes, all fixated on him. Overwhelmed by fear, he stumbled backward, trying to make sense of the surreal nightmare that had engulfed him. Helplessly, he screamed, attempting to ward off the nightmarish creatures he believed surrounded him.

Segal, beside Usopp, faced her own nightmarish visions. Her surroundings transformed into a surreal dreamscape, where monstrous creatures pursued her relentlessly. Panic coursed through her veins as she tried to escape the relentless pursuit of her hallucinations.

Terrified, Usopp and Segal sprinted in opposite directions, each believing they were fleeing from the terrifying monsters haunting their minds. Unbeknownst to them, the rest of the crew was also succumbing to their own delusions.

Luffy, in a state of panic, found himself stalked by ghostly apparitions, unable to use his Gum-Gum powers to rescue Usopp and Segal. He glanced around, as if a thick fog was swallowing him whole, unable to comprehend the reality of the situation. "What's happening?" He murmured under his breath, losing all sense of direction.

Meanwhile, the ground beneath Nami's feet had transformed into quicksand, pulling her down. She desperately tried to cling to something stable. "Help me!" she cried out, with Sanji lending a hand, attempting to pull her to safety. However, the rest of the crew, lost in their own hallucinations, paid no attention to Sanji's pleas for assistance, and Nami was swallowed whole by the treacherous ground.