[Third Person Pov]
The battle aboard the ghostly galleon had reached a fever pitch. Shockwaves rippled through the eerie, swirling mists of the Ghost Zone with every clash, distorting the very fabric of the spectral realm around them.
Arthur Curry, empowered by Danny's overshadowing duplicate within his trident, fought like a force of nature. A large blast of crackling ghost energy erupted from the weapon's prongs, a brilliant beam of swirling green and violent power. The Flying Dutchman had no choice but to cross both cutlasses in front of him to block it. The force pushed him backward across the deck, his boots carving deep grooves into the rotting wood until he dug in and held his ground with a defiant roar. With a mighty heave, he deflected the beam skyward, where it dissipated into the green void.
Snarling, the ancient pirate flew straight at Aquaman with blinding speed. Arthur met the charge head-on, their weapons colliding in a thunderous crash that sent visible shockwaves outward. Thanks to the trident's enhanced spectral properties, Arthur could phase through some of the Dutchman's wilder slashes and counter with precise, glowing strikes of his own. The two warriors spun and clashed in a deadly aerial dance, their combat sending ripples through the air like stones cast into a stormy sea.
Jackson and Garth soon joined the fray, leaping into the chaos with coordinated precision. The three Atlantean heroes attacked in unison—trident, lightning, and hydrokinetic force hammering the Dutchman from multiple angles. They drove him downward, crashing him heavily onto the main deck where Mera and Tula were already waiting. The two powerful women unleashed their magic in tandem: swirling currents of hard water and crackling arcane bolts that slammed into the pirate the moment he landed.
Suddenly, another explosion from deep within the ship's bowels—courtesy of Danny's earlier handiwork—rocked the entire vessel violently from side to side. Timbers groaned and creaked as the galleon listed dangerously.
"I won't let ye destroy me ship!!" the Flying Dutchman roared in fury, his eyes blazing with unholy rage.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Arthur bellowed, flying in like a missile with his trident aimed directly at the pirate's chest.
The Dutchman reacted with savage speed. He raised one massive leg and slammed it down on Arthur, driving the King of Atlantis hard into the deck. Arthur recovered almost instantly, rolling to his feet and spinning his trident in a masterful display of Atlantean martial arts. He wove between strikes with expert precision—piercing thrusts, sweeping slashes, deceptive counters, and misdirecting feints that kept the Dutchman off balance. The rest of the team contributed relentlessly: Mera's chains of water, Garth's lightning storms, Jackson's hydro-electric blasts, and Tula's agile support kept the spectral captain constantly pressured, preventing him from focusing entirely on any one target.
But the Flying Dutchman was entering a frenzy. His movements grew more aggressive, more unhinged. With a single, devastating spin attack, he cut down Mera, Garth, Jackson, and Tula in one brutal sweep, sending them sprawling across the deck in pained heaps. He then turned his blazing gaze on Arthur, his body igniting into a roaring spectral inferno as he charged.
Arthur planted his feet, stabbed his trident into the deck, and unleashed a dome of explosive force that erupted outward. The blast repelled the Dutchman, forcing him to slam both cutlasses into the wood to slow his momentum. Just as he prepared to charge again, glowing chains of hard water materialized around his limbs, yanking him roughly in place.
He glared over his shoulder to see Mera, panting and bleeding heavily, her arms extended with fierce determination. Her face was shadowed, streaked with sweat and grime, yet her eyes burned with unyielding resolve.
"Danny, speak to me, boy! What's your status?" Aquaman called out urgently through the comms.
Danny's voice came back strained but focused. "Just give me one second. That's all I'm asking for."
Arthur pulled his trident free from the deck and spun it in a glowing arc around his body. "One second? I think I can manage that. Go do what you need to do, son. Leave the rest to us."
"Thanks, Dad," Danny replied playfully, the brief levity cutting through the tension.
Arthur allowed himself a small smile before his expression hardened into pure determination. With a guttural roar, he leaped high into the air, trident pulled back. His grip tightened with tremendous force as the weapon's head crackled violently. The energy shifted from bright green to deep, chaotic violet, ghostly lightning arcing wildly. Stray bolts of electricity shot in every direction. With a mighty heave, Arthur hurled the polearm like a bolt from an angry storm cloud. It struck the Flying Dutchman dead center, coursing through his spectral form with devastating power.
The pirate let out an agonizing roar that echoed across the entire Ghost Zone, a sound so primal it sent chills through every soul present.
---
Meanwhile, deep within the lower decks, Danny worked frantically at the keel—the massive, glowing backbone of the ship. He rubbed his hands together rapidly, his blue eyes beneath the domino mask glowing with intense focus. "Today's forecast says wear something warm," he muttered, "because it's about to get chilly."
His breath became visible in the suddenly frigid air as thick, cold mist rolled from his palms. He pressed both hands against the massive keel. Frost spread rapidly across the ancient timber, ice crystals racing along its length with audible cracking sounds. The temperature plummeted as a thick layer of ice coated the entire structure.
Danny clenched his fist. "Ahyah!!" He punched forward with all his might.
The structure didn't crack, not even a hairline fractured. Instead, a brutal pain traveled up his arm and then to the rest of his body, like a thousand needles piercing through him at once.
He let out a pitiful whimper as blood—both red and green—smeared across the ice from his split knuckles. Pulling back, he began flicking his hands wildly, hopping around in pain with choked sounds and shuddering breaths. At one point, he even shoved his injured hands between his thighs, trying to soothe the throbbing ache.
Robin's voice came through the comms, slow and incredulous. "Are you… Are you crying?"
Danny made a denying sound and shook his head vigorously, only to sniffle loudly and nod in confirmation moments later. Tears streaked down his bloody face. "I hurt my hand," he whimpered, exhaling another shuddering breath. "I thought after coating something in ice it was supposed to be brittle and crumble with a single hit!"
Robin sighed. "Hey dum-dum, have you thought about coating your fist first and then doing it?"
"Really, Robin? Thanks," Danny shot back sarcastically, still cradling his hand. "I wouldn't have figured that out after nearly busting my hand. Your insight is as delightful as ever."
After several deep, calming breaths, Danny tried again. He held his fist tight, his eyes shifting from blue to glowing green. Spectral energy coated his knuckles in a protective layer.
---
"NO! NO! NO!!" The Flying Dutchman roared with all his might, shattering his restraints in an explosion of dark energy that tossed the entire team backward. Arthur seized the opening, leaping onto the pirate's back and pressing the shaft of his trident hard against the ghost's neck, muscles straining with effort. "Do it, kid!" he roared gutturally.
Danny roared in response as his empowered fist slammed into the frost-covered keel. The structure shattered spectacularly in one devastating blow, sending fractures racing through the entire ship.
"NOOOOOOO!!" The Flying Dutchman screamed, roaring flames erupting from his mouth as cracks appeared all across his body. Piercing white light broke through the crevices.
"Everyone take cover!" Arthur shouted.
"Shit!" Danny exclaimed, seeing the cataclysm coming. A transformation ring swept over his waist as he shifted back to Phantom form. He crossed his arms, materializing a glowing force field around himself just in time.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the entire vessel—from the figurehead to the masts to the deck—before the ship detonated in a cataclysmic explosion. The blast shook the Ghost Zone itself, sending debris hurtling in every direction like spectral shrapnel.
Aquaman and the rest of the team barely escaped the blast radius, tumbling through the air from the shockwave.
"Where's Danny?!" Tula asked, voice laced with concern. "Did he make it out in time?"
"There!" Jackson pointed toward a battered body floating limply among the floating wreckage.
The team flew over quickly. Their collective gasp was audible as they beheld Danny's horrifying condition. Large chunks of his body were simply gone—vaporized by the explosion. Where his eyes should have been was now a gaping, empty hole, allowing one to see straight through to the other side. His ribs were gruesomely visible through torn flesh, and a massive portion of his side had been ripped away, connected only by thin, flickering strands of green ectoplasmic sinew.
Jackson approached cautiously, almost reverently, and gathered Danny's mangled form into his arms, his face pale with shock and worry.
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