📓 ??
So this is an idea I came up with while I was writing From Mist and Ashes. I felt that having two ghost fics going at the same time would be too much, so I never did anything with it. Maybe I will someday, who knows? Anyway, it's a full modern AU, unlike Mistyverse, and the plan was to go a bit harder on the creepy/violent side of ghost stuff (though still not full-on horror, that's not really my thing).
Luffy and some friends (at least Nami, Sanji, Usopp, and Robin, not sure about any others) move to a new part of the country for college/university and decide to rent a house together instead of finding separate apartments or living in a dorm. They find a beautiful old house with very cheap rent – suspiciously cheap, some of them think, but it’s too good a deal to pass up.
From their first night in the house, strange things start happening – lights are flickering, windows that were shut when they went to sleep are open when they wake, the heating seems to suddenly short out, etc. They try to find someone to repair the place, but everyone refuses to take the job once they hear what house it is, without explaining why. They eventually meet someone who tells them that his company has been called out to that house by every new owner or tenant since they opened the business, that the wiring, plumbing, etc. has been completely redone half a dozen times, and it won’t do them any good to get someone out to see it now – the problem is that the house is haunted. The ghost has apparently never seriously hurt anyone, but no one's sure if that's because he won't, or if he's just successfully scared everyone off before he got that far. Either way, he really likes his privacy, and minor-to-moderate injuries (and terrified people) are very common.
It's recommended that they move, but 1) it would be hard to find someplace new this late, 2) living anywhere else would cost a lot more, and 3) Luffy thinks the ghost sounds cool and wants to meet him. They try to talk to him that night, and while the ghost doesn't appear himself, he's not shy about showing his abilities. Usopp and Nami are thoroughly terrified, and even Sanji gets a bit unsettled when he yells at the ghost to stop scaring the ladies (Robin is enjoying herself, but never mind) and is nearly impaled by a kitchen knife in return.
Their next encounter happens when Nami is watering flowers and Robin and Usopp are doing laundry. The hose suddenly leaps from Nami's hand and goes wild, spraying a jet of water under the clothesline, which breaks shortly afterward, sending the freshly cleaned clothes right into the newly-formed mud puddle.
There's a furious cry from the side of the yard and a boy (Chopper) runs in, loudly berating “Zoro” for being mean to people again. He reminds him that the owner warned Zoro before Luffy and co. moved in—if they get run off too, the house will be torn down.
And that's about as far in the plot as I've gotten, but from there they would slowly befriend grumpy ghost Zoro while learning more about him. Zoro in this fic is more like a type 3 Mistyverse ghost, tied to an object, which the others assume to be the house but is actually his sword(s). I think I planned for the house to burn down at some point after they're at least somewhat friends, with them panicking because they think they're going to lose Zoro, and Zoro either being like "Huh? what are you talking about, I'm fine *holds up swords*" or having not quite trusted them fully yet but needing to take that step so they can help get his swords out of the fire in time. Not sure which I like better. XD
