So I have another idea. I know that ghost pirates are a controversial sort of topic here, but hear me out. I agree that they seem out of place at first because it's fantasy but i still like them though, but I would argue that it was their execution that was rather...bland. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the giant creatures they come with, especially that whale skeleton. It's just that I think it would've been better if they paired them up with other individual pirate sets rather than release them as their own line. Then round up the ghosts into their own set.
So...what if there was a shipwreck. A REAL shipwreck. I'm taking inspiration from 6481 and the ruin from 3951 and making them BIGGER. It could look like a ship that was broken in half upon the rocks. The masts are broken and what's left of the sails is in tatters; the ratlines hanging uselessly. The deck is pierced with holes and chunks missing from the hull, the figurehead a sorry sight. Below could resemble a normal ship with more wear. I'm digging the idea of a brig with bars made with bone. The captain's cabin in disarray, maybe a long-lost captain's log of the crew's fate. Crabs crawling around, picking at the bones that litter its final resting place. And of course your ghastly crew with rags colored other than GREEN.
I'm sure there's more I could add. But bottom line, I think this could work under pirates. After all, tall tales and ghost stories were a part of the lives of superstitious sailors. The Flying Dutchman anyone?
Just needs some polish and rethinking is all.