"I never expected it to actually be that Lara Croft," Daniel muttered to himself, finally recognizing her after she introduced herself with her last name. At first, he hadn't given her name much thought—there were plenty of Laras, after all. But as they talked more about the events on Yamatai Island, things clicked into place: the surname, the story, and her impressive resilience. This was the Lara Croft—the Tomb Raider herself, whose relentless spirit and unyielding courage were legendary.
Lara's first expedition to Yamatai had turned into a harrowing survival ordeal, marking her first encounter with death and the supernatural. Though visibly disturbed when killing her first enemy, she quickly steeled herself, driven by the knowledge that those she killed were ruthless mercenaries. Her resilience, especially for someone so young, was remarkable, exceeding even that of many hardened S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
With her family's vast fortune, Lara didn't need to work for anyone, let alone a government agency. As the heiress of the Croft family, she was not only wealthy but a titled countess—a rarity in the modern world. The Crofts were famous not only for their wealth but also for their historical contributions to archaeology, following the path blazed by her late father.
Lara had come to Yamatai with a small team that included her father's old friend and several television crew members, hoping to uncover the lost tomb of Queen Himiko, an ancient shamanic ruler who supposedly wielded supernatural powers. However, the expedition ended in tragedy, with only Lara, her friend, and a hulking man named Jonah surviving. Most of the others had either been sacrificed or fell in battles across the treacherous island.
Now that the conflict was over and Yamatai was secure, Lara and Ryouko decided to investigate the island a bit further. Although the heart of Queen Himiko's temple had collapsed into the earth, they gathered as much documentation as possible before leaving. Excavating the site would require considerable resources, but neither Lara nor Ryouko had any plans for that. Daniel could have cleared it with his Earth Release abilities, but he had no desire to bring Himiko's cursed legacy back to the surface.
"The Croft family must be loaded with ancient artifacts," Daniel mused, observing Lara as she carefully guarded her finds. Her Croft Manor was famous for its vast collection of treasures, and Daniel couldn't help but wonder if her family's wealth had come from such relics.
Daniel and Ryouko's team also collected several artifacts, thanks to their yacht's ample storage space. With Yamatai's mystery resolved and Himiko's spirit vanquished, they prepared to leave the island.
"We're heading out soon. Are you sure you're done here?" Ryouko asked Lara.
Lara's friends, visibly shaken by the ordeal, were ready to go. Her friend had been deeply traumatized, plagued by nightmares since the expedition began. Though Lara was unfazed by the island's horrors, her friend had barely held herself together. Besides, they'd already arranged a nearby island for pickup.
Once on the yacht, Daniel watched as Ryouko navigated away from Yamatai. "Are we heading straight back?" he asked, a bit surprised.
"We need to drop them off first," she replied. While returning directly was possible, Ryouko had decided that dropping Lara and her friends at a populated island was the best choice, allowing them to arrange their own transportation back. After all, with her family's resources, Lara could handle the rest herself.
Once they left Lara's group, Ryouko and her team continued their journey.
---
Later that night, Daniel and Ryouko were in the yacht's cabin, passing time with a game when one of the maids entered, bringing weapons with her. "Something's not right," she said.
The tension in the air was unmistakable as they reached the deck. Daniel sensed a strange, malevolent energy in the atmosphere, eerily familiar.
"Impressive instincts for someone who's always around trouble, Ryouko," Daniel quipped, referring to Ryouko's almost supernatural knack for attracting bizarre situations, reminiscent of that unluckily observant young detective.
"Hold tight," Daniel cautioned as he spotted a massive ship materializing out of the mist ahead. Rushing to the helm, he steered their yacht sharply to avoid a collision. Ryouko and her maids joined him on deck, staring at the looming vessel with a mix of awe and apprehension.
It was a colossal passenger ship, rusted and decayed but undeniably haunting. Even from a distance, they could see the faded name painted on its side: Antonia Graza.
"The Antonia Graza... a ghost ship," Ryouko murmured, seemingly unfazed.
"Right," Daniel said, pulling out his phone to search for information. "It's said to have vanished decades ago."
Stories of ghost ships, both real and fictional, had circulated for centuries. Every world seemed to have tales of ghost ships—the Flying Dutchman, for example, or Brook's haunted ship in One Piece's Devil's Triangle. Daniel had learned enough to know that, in Marvel, such hauntings were often tied to Hell or the underworld, and the presence of demonic energy here seemed to confirm it.
"There's another boat up ahead," one of the maids pointed out as their spotlight illuminated the remnants of a wrecked vessel nearby. It appeared to have exploded, its scattered remains still floating in the water.
"A salvage vessel, most likely," Daniel speculated, observing the debris and the ropes tied to the side of the Antonia Graza.
"Marianne, Lucien, gear up," Ryouko commanded. Seeing a ghost ship up close was a rare opportunity, and she had no intention of missing it. Her maids prepared immediately, grabbing equipment from their stash.
"Anyone out there? Help! They've gone mad!" A frantic voice crackled over the radio, broadcasting a distress call on an emergency frequency.
"Looks like there are survivors," Ryouko observed. Although their yacht was primarily for leisure, it was equipped with better technology than most salvage vessels, which often cut corners on equipment to save costs.
Once on board the Antonia Graza, they found the deck eerily quiet, its surfaces corroded and littered with debris. As they moved toward the grand hall, they stumbled upon a grisly scene: bodies lay scattered across the floor, surrounding a stack of gold-filled crates.
"Who… who are you?" A young man emerged from hiding, his face pale and anxious. He stared at them with a mix of fear and surprise.
"What happened here?" Ryouko demanded in an authoritative tone, surveying the carnage. Her two maids kept a watchful eye on the young man.
"I'm Jack. I was part of the Arctic Warrior crew." The young man, who introduced himself as Jack, explained that he and his crew had found the Antonia Graza and planned to claim it under international salvage laws. They'd stumbled upon a fortune in gold, a prize that would have made them all wealthy.
Greed had soon taken over, and tensions erupted into violence as some crew members attempted to hoard the treasure. The ensuing fight had left everyone dead, save for Jack, who'd managed to hide.
"If you can get me off this ship, the gold is yours," Jack offered, opening one of the crates to reveal the glittering treasure inside.
"And why should we take you with us?" Ryouko asked, her tone cold as she aimed her pistol at him. "Wouldn't it be easier to kill you and keep all the gold for ourselves?"
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