In a world of grand seafaring adventures, ships have always been the most mainstream mode of transportation, so no matter which sea these people hail from, ghost ships are an inescapable topic in childhood ghost stories.
The appearance of this ship at the moment inevitably reminded them of similar legends, and they began to recount the legends from their hometowns one after another.
"No... there can't really be a ghost ship, right?"
"Oh, there is. When I was a child, my grandma told me that messengers of the Netherworld sometimes ferry living ships into the world of the dead, but they don't make mistakes. So those ferried by these people all become dead."
Seeing someone afraid of ghosts, those who enjoyed the commotion continued to whisper supernatural tales into his ears.
According to him, it's a mistake by the Netherworld messengers, but to avoid punishment, the Netherworld messengers would kill all the living, so it wouldn't count as a mistake.
"It is said that the coldness of the Netherworld can forcibly take away the living..."
"Jus... just like that?"
A pirate pointed to the railing of the Origin, which, unbeknownst to them, was already covered in frost, and that frost continued to spread, and shadowy figures began to appear on the ship with the appearance of a ghost ship.
Gulp...
The sound of swallowing saliva came from the side. Even if they were pirates fighting in the New World, fear was inevitable in the face of such a situation.
"Stop... stop pretending to be ghosts, who are you, come out for me!"
A ball of energy was thrown from his hand. There were many endowed people on this ship, but that energy ball didn't crush his enemies as it usually would; instead, it disappeared like a mud ox into the sea.
And the things on that ship also began to squirm like waves, and the frost on the Origin spread more rapidly, with mysterious cold air flowing on the deck, causing severe frostbite on these pirates upon contact.
"Hey! Did your grandma ever tell you what to do in such a situation?"
"I... I was so annoyed by my grandma's nagging that I didn't finish listening...."
"You idiot...."
"Who knew something like this would happen!"
The sudden abnormal scene made them somewhat flustered, yet they did not sit idly by but instead poured their firepower onto the enemy ship. Ordinary firearms and endowed skills rained down on the opponent, but all of them mysteriously vanished.
All it brought about was the rampant spread of frost, and those frosts seemed to form brand new steps, with a group of fully-formed luminous figures running along the ropes towards the Origin.
The sharp-eyed even noticed a strange cloaked figure appearing on the ghost ship's railing, and eerie howls echoed in everyone's ears. People in the cabin even saw those things passing through the planks, surging up like ghosts.
But the next moment, all the oddities stopped their actions. Though still growling lowly, they continuously retreated.
"Ar.. Arceus Lord has come!"
Realizing the dire situation, someone ran to the cabin, only to run into Arceus, who intended to check the situation. The moment he appeared, the pirates on board seemed to have found their backbone, and the chaotic situation was stabilized.
"Stand back, stop causing trouble here."
"Yes!"
All the pirates retreated behind Arceus. Their weapons and attacks were completely ineffective, and even arrows imbued with Haki couldn't harm the enemy; now, they didn't know what to do besides watch.
"Can Lord Arceus handle such a monster?"
"What are you talking about? That's Lord Arceus. There can't be anything he can't handle, obviously a newcomer; you should have the boss teach you properly back home."
The surrounding pirates murmured quietly about the situation, and more cloaked people appeared on the ship, who seemed to communicate with each other before waving their arms towards Arceus.
The next moment, those strange luminous figures charged again, but the next moment, a terrible malice enveloped most of the deck as Arceus unleashed a Dark Pulse, sweeping away everything in front of him.
These strange beings, immune to bullets and skills, seemed to encounter their nemesis, letting out incredibly eerie screams before being completely annihilated under the baptism of the Dark Pulse.
"These are my people. Who gave you the courage to dare harm them?!"
"Living, this is not your world. This is the Netherworld. Those who come here... are only the dead..."
A slightly distorted voice reached everyone, and only now did they realize where they truly were.
"Why did this ship enter the Netherworld? Don't you know?"
"..."
Those bizarre creatures said nothing as the chilling frost surged again, rushing towards Arceus, just as the pirate's tale described: it was a mistake by the Netherworld messengers.
During the process of leading the spirits into the Netherworld, they mistakenly opened a channel, causing the Origin to appear here, and in trying to cover their mistake, they intended to silence them.
Such occurrences are extremely rare, and the rules of the Netherworld wouldn't allow such things, which is why living people can spread these rumors back. Although no one stopped these Netherworld folks this time, they picked the wrong opponent.
The power of the Dread Plate transformed into an impenetrable barrier, halting the Netherworld's cold air outside, and meanwhile, these actions already angered Arceus.
In the dark Netherworld sky appeared powers that didn't belong here as the Dark Attribute Judgment was completed, and the black force broke through the Netherworld's cold air, crashing toward that ghost ship.
It couldn't withstand Arceus's strike. This ghost ship sailing in the Netherworld suffered an occurrence unprecedented in centennia yet didn't sink like an ordinary ship but burst with peculiar strength.
After a massive flash, the people aboard the Origin found that the dense fog on the sea had already vanished, placing them once again under sunlight, but the frost on the ship and the frostbite on their bodies told them everything earlier was real.
"Lord Arceus, that just now was...."
With wide eyes, a few people looked at each other until finally, the second partner mustered the courage to step forward and inquire about the situation.
"It was the Netherworld, but you needn't worry, those things have already fled."
Upon hearing this, the ship first fell into silence, followed by a deafening cheer. Even the Netherworld's messengers had to flee before Arceus, which was terrific news for them.
However, Arceus had different ideas from theirs. Under his power, a small black hole-like object gradually appeared in mid-air, taking on a human-like shape.
"Find out where those guys went, and bring back the location of the Netherworld for me."
...