6 Pillar of the inferno
For an instant, Jewelrey Bonney was almost certain of it.
She could've sworn that she heard it.
His voice.
It was the voice that whipped itself into a fury from outside her cell, all those years ago. The voice that had awakened something within her, the voice that had an irresistable, aching longing lodged within her breast, an almost physical need night and day for the sweet warmth of his prescence once more. Even her own gluttony paled in comparison to this great and terrible need that swelled within her breast.
Jewelry Boney tore off another copious streak of meat from the steak she'd been chewing on and gulped it down in one bite. When she reached for another, her fingers closed around a small length of chain instead. She frowned, regarding the object with ill-intent a moment longer, before, her features abruptly softened. Fingering the clasp between her thumb and index finger-her perpetual hunger momentarily forgotten-she flicked the locket open, exposing the contents within.
"Bastard." she hissed, fighting the onslaught of tears, even as her eyes glistened anew. "You stupid, good-for-nothing bastard...
Enclosed within the large locket were two items. The first, a deceptively simple piece of paper, its bland, and otherwise harmless appearance bellying its usefulness to her over the years. The second, was of a much greater value, so great in fact, that it could be called priceless. In the last two years, she'd often fiddled with the locket, gazing upon the face contained within, the face that had given her comfort on lonely nights.
Just as it had ever since he'd freed her and her crew. Bitter though she was over their parting the months that they'd shared were still a source of fondness for her. She hadn't been able to wayleigh him any longer than that, though she hadn't failed for lack of effort. Her crew had wanted to continue their journey, to set off for the New World with his power at their side.
But they hadn't.
With his strength, they would have been unstoppable. And there was time when Bonney thought he might take her up on the offer; to serve as her first mate, to bend knee to none but her will-he certainly had no qualms to that between the sheets-as her second-in-command. Then came the Mariejoa incident. Naruto, who-she'd been so certain-had been on the verge of joining her crew, abruptly demanded that she take him to Mariejoa on that fateful stormy night. She remembered the tortured look in his eyes when the name "Ayame" was mentioned, and the way that pain had morphed his already handsome face into something glorious; god-like in its intensity.
"Take me to Mariejoa."
She'd been a fool not to refuse him and a fool not to ask why. Instead-like a blasted wench, not a captain-she'd granted him his request, and they made full steam for the Red Line with all due haste. He didn't say a word to her for the entirety of the voyage. Whenever she'd felt the urge to press him for answers-or anything for that matter-the same tortured expression reared before her visage; the same memory of that horror among st horrors dawning upon him, and her resolve withered away.
Upon their arrival to that mountainous wall of red stone he'd done the unthinkable. She remembered everything that had been wrong about him that day. His touch, his taste, his lips, hungering over her trailing delicately across her jaw he'd pushed past her flailing hands and kissed her neck and then lower on her neck and then he was pulling down the bra she'd gone to all the trouble of wearing that night and then her hands weren't flailing anymore and his lips...
...were gone.
"It was fun while it lasted, Bonney." She remembered his words, spoken with crystal clear clarity. "But this is goodbye." And just like that, he was gone. Back then, she'd only an instant to watch the flaming wings unfurl from his back, and then, with a great and mighty gust of pyrokinesis, he roared upward into the night. Reduced to little more the likes of a distant orange speck, and then that too, was lost in the clouds.
He'd never returned, and since that day, she'd suffered as only a lovelorn woman could suffer.
His face was the scourge of her dreams; because it was also a nightmare. A constant reminder of how close she'd come to losing everything, only to have it all thrown back in her face by another face-his face-one exuding such warmth that it made her ache and...and...and...
"When I'd heard that you'd escaped from the World Government, it made my blood freeze."
Boney shook her head, clearing it of him, and of her terrible captivity at the hands of Akainu. She'd been bested so easily back then. Just the thought of it made her blood boil to a feverish pitch. She was no longer the weakling she'd been back then. She was no longer a rookie, either. The last two years had tempered Bonney's resolve, forging it into an unstoppable blade of steel, one that she would take great pleasure in thrusting through the throat of the navy Admiral.
But for now, vengeance would have to wait.
Because now, at long last, she'd tracked him back to Shabondy.
The the vivre card was pointing that way; due west from here. Where here was, however, remained to be seen. She'd left her crew back at the docks, in the distant hope of keeping her identity a secret. Of course, a hooded woman with pink hair, a killer body, and a massive steak in hand wasn't exactly inconspicuous either. She could already feel the stares of passerby boring into her; whether from recognition, or, perhaps, confusion.
It didn't take her all that long to realize why.
As she quietly slipped past a gaggle of marines-kami, but there were a lot of them here-something caught her eye. It was little more than a simple poster, tacked up against a poster of similar size and length, but ultimately, that wasn't what caught her attention. She drew nearer to the bar and marveled at them, a series of scorch marks blackened across the doorstep of the bar, and, above that...
Relentless. She broke out a sweat and closed her eyes, trying to focus on the mad rhythm of her own heart. She bit down hard on the steak in her hand and forced herself to be calm, lest she be overcome by the sight before her. To her charign, she still broke down laughing.
Once her bounty had been a sizable $140,000,000. Now, much to her delight, it had been ratcheted up to an enormous $279,000,000! Even as she scrubbed at the her eyes with the back of her free hand the number did not change. Her bounty had all but doubled in the last two years. Doubled! Granted, she'd been out at sea for the majority of it, as she'd been searching for him, but still...
Damn!
"Can I help you, miss?"
Bonney blinked, drawn from her reverie by the sound of a voice. She turned, regarding the one who had spoken, with much ill-intent. The man-for he was clearly-male- was a homely looking sort, and he quailed beneath the baleful glare leveled upon him. Good. He was right to fear her even moreso if he knew to whom he was speaking. She let him cower a moment longer, before thrusting a wanted poster into his face.
"You seen this guy?" She demanded, parading the likeliness of "Burning Will" before his visage. He spluttered nervously for a moment, before finally seeming to recognize that which peered out at him from within the poster. Dismay, disbelief, and desperation, each flitted across his face. For a moment, she was torn; wondering whether she should have given up this pointless quest long ago, and, fervently hoping that she'd finally found a lead.
The bartender blinked owlishly.
"Yeah, I've seen him." He paused, his eyes flitting first toward her breasts-pervert-blushing, then back to her face. "He paid me for the damages he caused." Abruptly his eyes narrowed beadily, and became suspicious. "Why?" He asked suddenly. "You a friend of his?"
Bonney felt her cheeks darken at the mention of that. No. Not friends. They'd been anything but friends. Friends didn't sent your heart pounding. Friends didn't set you aflame with a single, smoldering smile. Friends didn't visit your cabin late at night and torment you with the vast intricacies of pleasure that the human body could offer...
No, definitely not a friend.
"Have you seen him or not!" Bonney all but snarled, her free hand clenching into a claw around the massive steak upon which she'd been chewing; rending the bone asunder as easily as one might break a stick over their knee. Her eyes gleamed frightfully from within the hood, and for a moment, against a sudden and inexplicable gust of wind, her visage became visible.
Qualing at the sight of her, and her strength, the bartender let out a frightful squeal.
"Yes!" He cried! "Yes, I've seen him! He was just here! He wrecked my bar then paid me for the damages and everything! Please don't hurt me!" Blubbering softly, his laid his head prostrate upon the ground and scraped the soil with his elbows; a furtive gesture of humility. "Please!" He begged. "You can have the money he gave you, just please do not kill me! I have a wife and three kids!"
"Paid you?" That piqued Bonney's interest. There was only one pirate who would do such a thing. Only one pirate was as well known for his viscous cruelty as he was his great sense of piousness and charity. Combined with the fact that the entirety of the bar looked as if it had been burnt from the inside out, and...
...impossible.
She held out her hand, palm up, she let the vivre card do its work. Imagine her surprise when it all but leapt from her hand! Barely had it done so then her fingers closed tight around it and formed a fist, preventing it from escaping. Warily now, she uncurled her fingers. The vivre card now hedged toward the north almost as if it were being pulled by a strong magnetic pull.
It meant he was on the move.
"That no good baka...just where the hell is he?"
(Many groves to the North)
For a moment, Naruto had the strangest sensation. It felt as though he were being watched, as though somehow, somewhere, someone was searching for him. How he knew, he could not describe.
Then shock overwhelmed him and the moment was lost.
"Wait just a damn moment!" Naruto cried out in shock. "You're my grandfather?"
They'd disembarked from the ship. Choosing instead to move to Shakky's ripoff bar. Naruto had been demanding answers on the way, but Rayleigh had remained imperviously silent; that is, until they'd arrived. Now, sitting at the bar, the occasional flame escaping his lips, Uzumaki D. Naruto wanted answers. And he wanted them now. His once calm demeanor was all but shattered; his mind still reeling from the revelation; thusly putting his search for Luffy on a temporary hold.
Sharing in his surprise, Nami, Usopp, Tony Tony Chopper, Franky and Shakky still gawped. All eyes fell upon the "Dark King", each demanding their own answer; each loosing in a simultaneous squawk of surprise that came in the form of a loud:
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"
"That's right, Silvers Rayleigh confessed, ignoring their disbelief. "As I said before, Naruto, I am your grandfather."
"He's your grandson?" Shakuyaku slowly said, her eyes only slightly larger than usual. "Then that means—"
"Yes, Minato is my son," Silvers Rayleigh also admitted to Shakuyaku. "I had a relationship with a woman living in Loguetown before I set sail with Roger to conquer the entire Grand Line. After Roger's execution I found out that I had a son named Minato." He paused at the last, as if to say, "sorry I didn't tell you about that, honey" because this was not, absolutely not the kind of thing you concealed from the woman you were going to spend the rest of your life with.
For the most part, Shakky concealed her shock rather well. The only sign of her anger was the slightest narrowring of her eyes, and perhaps a tad of hesitation with which she exhaled the smoke of her cigarette. It was enough. One look, and Silvers Rayleigh knew he had some explaining to do. And fast. Thankfully, Naruto recovered his voice before Shakky's unholy wrath could descend en masses upon her unfortunate husband.
"Wait, wait, wait." Naruto held up his hands, as if he might somehow ward away the confusion. "Did Baa-chan and Ero-Seninn know about this? "Because if they did, then why wasn't I told about this when they told me about my parents?" Flames fizzled forth from clenched fists, a silent warning that his next answer would either be the right one, this it would be, or, it would be his last.
"They did know," answered Rayleigh, albeit a bit hesitantly. "But they both felt I should be the one to tell you if you ever made it here to Sabaody."
Naruto must've accepted that answer, because his burning knuckles sputtered and died abruptly. But the words had not left him unscathed. There was a strange, deadened look in his eyes now, one that bespoke of joy, confusion, loss, and finally, furious relief. Robin saw this and touched her hand upon Naruto's shoulder. Just a touch. A simple brushing of the fingers; a brief caress traversing the valley between his shoulder and neck, then it was gone.
This did not go unoticed by the remaining Strawhats.
Almost instantly, the anger leached from Naruto's face. His shoulders seemed to sag for a moment, as if to say he was angry, not stupid. Naruto remained hunched over the keep and swirled the contents of his glass, watching the alcohol ebb and flow with the cup before smashing it to his lips, and bringing it crashing down on the countertop. If not for the restraining hand on his shoulder, he looked as if he might lash out that that very moment.
But he did not, and as such, the silence was all but deafening.
"Rayleigh, I can't believe you had this secret all along without me knowing it," finally, it was Shakky who shattered the impasse.
"Sorry about that but the fewer people the better," explained Rayleigh. "Naruto's parents and I were extremely notorious pirates that had been hunted ruthlessly by the World Government and the Marines." Abruptly, his expression soured, his gaze falling instead upon the whiskey in his glass. "Just like Portugas D. Ace was..."
"You fear they will do the same way to Naruto as they did to Fire Fist Ace?" Robin asked, doing her best to conceal the small flicker of dread that flitted across her face. Robin, many things though she was, had also been shaken by the death of Ace. But unlike the rest of the Strawhats, she held a more personal stake in the wellbeing of his successor and the thought was an ache that awoke inside her that she'd has never known before and for a moment, the instensity of it startled even her.
He was already hunted relentlessly as it was...
"Yes," said Rayleigh. "I never knew Roger had a child with Portgaz D. Rouge, so it was a bit of a surprise that he never told me or the rest of his crew." His gaze slid to Naruto, as though his grandson might somehow compound his story with further facts. Which, of course, he did. Naruto was simply too proud to be passed over. Given the opportunity and the motive, he shone like the sun.
And thus, he shined.
"Well, back then, I didn't know Ace was really the son of the Pirate King," Naruto resumed. "But from what Granny Tsunade and Pervy Jiraiya told me, the World Government had been killing a large number of pregnant women in order to ensure the bloodline of the Pirate King was terminated." His fingers drummed across the countertop as he said this, not from anger, but from an incessant desire to occupy the power thrumming within his fist.
"That they did," said Rayleigh. "Minato and I were somehow able to keep our father/son relationship a secret to the world, save for Tsunade and Jiraiya. Yet despite the fact that we kept it a secret, Minato decided to follow my footsteps and become a Pirate anyway."
"Minato? Would he happen to be "Yellow Flash" Minato Namikaze?" Robin asked.
"That he is," Naruto's chest practically swelled with pride. "Baachan and Ero-senin told me he was one of the most fearsome Pirates to ever exist in the Grand Line. He was the eater of the Teleportation-Teleportation Fruit, a Devil Fruit that allowed him to travel vast distances in an instant; just by picturing the place in his mind." His explanation was greeted by somber expressions, as all of the Strawhats were eerily reminded of how they'd been sent flying by a man with similair powers, Bartholomew Kuma.
And Minato's powers exceeded even those?
Robin, however, chuckled softly at the mention of Naruto's father.
"I think I'm beginning to see a bit of a resemblance here...
"He was nicknamed the "Yellow Flash" due to his powers and yellow hair," Rayleigh added. "Unmatched in speed, cunning, and skill. Whether they be pirate or marine, anyone would rather retreat and face the gallows, rather than face him." For a moment, the faintest wisp of nostalgia flitted across his features. "Because of his reputation he was the one of the most infamous pirate ever alive, even invited to join the Shichibukai, though he declined the offer."
"If he hadn't, I might not be here." Naruto murmurred, more for Robin's sake, than his own. Then his gaze slid to Rayleigh. "Oh, and by the way...thank you."
Rayleigh laughed.
"I should be thanking you! You're taking this rather well, all things considered."
And suddenly, Naruto felt relief.
It welled up in him with such force that it almost staggered him, like it had been waiting there for so long biding its time, a relief he had nursed and hidden away but never acknowledged. It wasn't simply that he wasn't angry. He was furious, actually. All this time, he'd had a grandfather, and no one had bothered to tell him of it. But that fury found itself washed away in the aftermath of of a joy so powerful that it threatened to utterly obliterate his senses entirely.
It felt nice, knowing that he had a grandfather.
"Whatever you say...old man."
It felt good to say it. It felt freeing. Naruto's heart pounded in his chest, but he knew that he was in the right. He was willing to die being right. Not that he had any intention of dying anytime soon, mind you. Rayleigh peered at him over his spectacles, a broad smile alighting his every feature. He'd half expected his grandson to fly into a fit of rage, considering the secret that had been kept from him.
When he extended a hand, Naruto was quick to clasp it. Even moreso to be swung to his feet. Gone was the hesitation. Gone was the indecision. Gone was any semblance the likes of discomfort he had known thus. In its place was his usual overwhelming self-confidence, renewed by the fact that he
Turning to the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates Rayleigh said "The Flying Fish Riders are already on their way here with Brook. Sanji is looking for Zolo and has himself a Snail you can contact. Naruto and I will be heading to Grove 46# since its likely Luffy might be there-
"Hold on one moment," Nami interrupted him before turning to Naruto. "If you really are going to join our crew then how do we know you won't turn on us?" Naruto blinked as slowly as a tortoise, caught off-guard by her heinous remark.
"Nami—"Robin began to protest.
"Look Robin," Nami cut her off. "This guy said in the bar that he has a score to settle with Luffy." Distinctly, she left out the murderous intent he'd leaked as he said those very words; because they still chilled her to the bone. She didn't want to believe that Luffy could be killed, but if it was someone like this guy, someone who wielded the powers of the Mera Mera no mi at a whole different plateau...
"Now wait a second," Naruto frowned. "You think I'm going to kill Luffy? Is that why you all attacked me?"
"Based on your tone you," said Nami. "You seem to want Luffy for some grudge in the past."
"Why else would we attack you?" added Usopp. "I'm ready to fight you to the death before I let you harm Luffy!"
"Aye!" Chopper seconded! "You'll have to go through all of us f-first!" Everyone sweatdropped as they realized that, despite his vehement potest, he was still hiding behind the hulking cyborg. It was almost laughable, really. No, it was laughable.
Hence the reason Naruto surprised everyone, then.
He laughed.
"You're all idiots!"
"It's not what you think," said Robin. "I'm not surprise you've forgotten about him, Usopp."
"Huh?" Usopp replied with gasp as Naruto departed. "What you mean? I've never met this guy before."
"Are you telling me you've forgotten about Alabasta?" Robin asked Usopp with a smile.
Usopp blinked; once, twice, three times.
"HUH?"
Naruto was still laughing.
"I get it now! Really, I do!" He managed to squeeze out the words between copious boughts of innate laughter. "You guys thought I was going to kill him! HA!" He slapped his knee in genuine amusement. "That's a good one!" He watched as realization dawned in their eyes-save for Franky, who seemed all the more confused-and burst out, laughing so hard that he nearly cried, such was his amusement.
"Owwwwwh!" Franky bellowed angrily. "Somebody wanna tell me what's goin' on here, huh?"
Robin whispered into in his ear.
"EH!" Franky performed a double take, then a sudden about-face. "Really? So that's what this is all about?"
Robin nodded mysteriously.
"Really." Naruto nodded, scrubbing at his amused, moist eyes, with the back of his hand. "That bastard beat me in an eating contest! I'll tell you all about it-
"WAIT!"
Naruto turned, regarding the one who had spoken with a ruby-red iris.
"Yes?"
"Before you go anywhere, I have a question that needs answering." Nami stalked toward him, still shouldering her Clima-Tact. "That treasure you mentioned, just exactly how much was it worth, anyhow, huh?"
"About $100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000." Naruto shrugged, nonchalant. "Why do you ask?"
Excluding Nami, everyone facefaulted, save Nico Robin, though even her eyes did widen slightly at the amount mentioned.
"Really?" Nami pressed in, her eyes all but glittering with dollar signs. "Say, what exactly did you do...with all that treasure?"
"Why, I gave it all away, of course." Naruto said this as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Is there a problem?"
"Oh, no, that's great-WHAT!" Nami shrieked! "What do you mean you gave it all away! All of it! You just tossed it out the window!" Now, during a tantrum such of these even the men of the Strawhats feared their Navigator. Whenever money was mentioned, she became all but obsessed about it. And when she lost money, well, let us just say that the circumstances often ed turned out to be less than pleasant. Hence the reason that Franky, Usopp, and Chopper, now cowered in a corner as said navigator threw had what might have been her worst episode yet.
Naruto didn't so much as flinch.
"There was no such tossing involved!" He snapped right back, his forehead smashing against hers in retaliation towards the sudden intrusion of his personal space. "I gave all of it to charities and such! What's wrong with that!"
"I can't believe you!" Nami shouted! "What kind of idiot throws away that much cash and doesn't keep any of it for them self! Oh, I know! YOU!"
"Says the woman who'd give an arm and a leg for a few hundred berries! Naruto retorted flippantly.
"Says the idiot who gave all of his away!" Nami's hiss was all but demonic.
"Lies!"
"Wait, what?" Nami blinked, caught unawares by the sudden accusation. "Are you calling me a liar now, too?"
"Indeed I am!" Naruto barked, his forehead still mashed against hers, the two of them still engaged in their strange, tug-of-war shouting match. "Honestly, how can someone so beautiful be so soulessly greedy and dense at the same time! It's maddening I tell you! Maddening!" It was then that Nami realized just how incredibly close she had gotten to him in her ire.
'A-Again with the compliments?' Nami felt her cheeks darken as she backed away, unsure of how to respond to his sudden vehemence. 'I can't tell if he's being serious or wait, why I am I blushing! Am I? I AM! Gods!'
"W-W-What do you mean, exactly?" Nami cursed herself for the stammer, but it was too late to take the words back. "What makes you think I'm l-lying, huh?" Why was it soo incredibly hot all of a sudden? Her skin felt hypersensitive as Naruto retreated, his fingers briefly brushing across her shoulder, prickling across her back with goosebumps. Her thoughts went maddeningly awry, and it took every last ounce of her resolve to stay focused on the task at hand; because Naruto was speaking again.
"Well, I didn't give everything away." Naruto ammended crossly. "Several artifacts were too dangerous, so I held onto them for safekeeping." He reached over his shoulder, rummaging around in his pack for a moment, and, coming up with something, exhaled softly. "Such as this." All the Strawhats-save for Robin-tensed, half expecting him to come out with a weapon of sorts.
He did.
Naruto had been poking around in his pack whilst he spoke, and now, Nami saw the reason why, as he revealed a large bundle. Unfurling it, exposing the contents within, he showed it to everyone and Nami marveled as he showed them what looked like a long, oblong box, one that he now opened. Nami gasped as she looked in the box to see an ebony black blade lying upon red silk.
The blade sword seemed to have been carved from a single piece of glossy stone, looking almost as if it was made from glass. Was it obsidian? She'd heard of such materials but never actually seen them before. The hilt was beautiful, delicate ridges leading up to a pommel carved into a roaring dragon's head. As Naruto lifted it out gingerly, Nami saw what looked like red veins within the blade, tiny cracks along its surface as it came free from the sheathe.
She would have thought it was blood, but running her finger along the side told her it was perfectly smooth. Not a stain or blemish. When the smooth metal touched her skin she felt a tingle. Not unpleasant and almost warm. It made her like the weapon all the more.
Now this was worth stealing. This was something special, something that Naruto had deemed too valuable-or perhaps too dangerous-prized enough to keep it on his person in the case that someone should seek it. Not that they would, of course, but how much could he expect anyone to be fool enough to steal from him, a man of fire? Wondering the likes of his subsuquent explanation, however, Nami suddenly found her desire for the blade greatly lessened.
"This is Kokushibyō." Naruto explained solemnly. "It's name translates to "Black Death" in your language. Believe me when I say that you don't want this blade to cut you. You might survive, you might not. Regardless, this blade's reputation is a fearsome one, and as such I couldn't trust it to be held by any hand other than my own." With an infinite delicateness, he slid the blackened blade back into its sheathe and returned it into his pack.
Remarkably, he made absolutely no mention of the thin wakizashi at his waist nor the other various bawbles and trinkets within his backpack, the likes of which included a odd looking belt, bracelet, an equally mysterious cloak, and other paraphenalia that one could only begin to hazard a guess at. If anyone had anything to say about these however, they were keeping their silence.
Naruto seemed to appreciate that.
He shouldered his pack, squared his shoulders, and rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"I'll give all of you the whole story when I get back," he promised. "Now, if you don't have any more questions, I believe I have an appointment with your captain." Before any of them, Nami, Robin, Rayleigh, or otherwise, could hope to stop him, he simply stalked forward, pushed through the double doors and was gone. A brief swish of superheated air signaled his departure, and then he was amongst the branches.
Shakky sighed.
"He really is your grandson after all, Ray-san."
(Meanwhile, in Grove Forty Six)
"Take him out, big boss!"
"Looks like we've found one of the culprits already!" Fake Luffy cackled as the hooded youth in the parka-flanked by Fake Zolo and Fake Sanj-approached him. "Let's start by teaching this man a lesson! And just so you all know, what you're about to see happen to this man...is the same thing that's going to happen to you if you ever have the nerve to defy me! So take that as a warning!"
"Zoro, Sanji, do you know this guy?" The fake mustachioed youth asked, recognizing the brash lout as the one who'd impeded him prior to his arrival. "Thing is, I ran into him earlier...
But before the charade could unravel further, a loud crack echoed throughout the air.
"That's as far as you go pirate scum!" A voice exploded across Grove Forty Six. "Strawhat Luffy and all you minions! I suggest you come quietly! We have sealed all exits from Grove #46 and there is nowhere left for any of you to run!" Suddenly the grove was filled with the rasp of drawn blades, clacking of cannons, and shuffling of many feet. Each and every gaze turned toward the sound, only to find that the officer had indeed spoken the truth.
They were completely surrounded.
"The Marines!" Fake Luffy gasped, eyes bulging.
The hooded mustachioed man sweat dropped.
'How did the marines know I was here?'
"C-Captain!" Fake Sanji wailed! "Th-They've got us completely surrounded!"
"Don't let 'em throw you, idiot! Why do you think we gathered all these new crew members for! We've got a hundred million bounty heads on our side, for crissakes!" With this in mind, he whirled, his gullet swaying ridiculously to and fro as he leveled his gaze upon the most prominent member of his "recruits" and quite possibly the most maddened of the bunch.
"Hey, Caribou!" Fake Luffy shouted!" Use that marine we captured as a shield! Force 'em to open a way out!"
"Sorry big boss!" Caribou cackled mirthlessly. "I'm afraid I can't do that! See, this snot-nosed brat lied to us! Told us he hadn't called his pals!" Grinning from ear to ear, with malice and murder in his eyes, the supernova leveled his pistol upon the wounded marine, sprawled before his feet. Much to everyone's horror, his finger curled around trigger and barrel, his eyes widening marginally with unconstrained glee.
KLACK!
"Right?"
"Caribou, you idiot!" Fake Luffy bellowed! "Stop!"
Too late.
With a sickening squelch, the marine toppled over, dead, a bullet in his head.
The result was instantaneous.
"Shoot the pirates down!"
Before either force could collide, a blazing current of flame enveloped the clearing. Evolving from orange to yellow then red, it boiled through across the void; separating them from each other and one another. It was a veritable pillar of the inferno, spitting and snarling and snapping at all those nearby, for it would suffer no trespass. Any, who dared to brook such an offense, were subsuquently reduced to ashes.
Snapping and crackling, those ashes smoldered away in the wake of his arrival.
"Well now, what do we have here?"
Slowly, they resumed human form.
Slowly, ever so slowly, they assumed the shape of sapphire eyes, roughened blond bangs, and a whiskered visage; one as easily recognized as it was unlike any other. Before, he had been relatively unknown. Now, with now cowl with which to hide behind, he appeared in a great, glorious gust of smoke and flame, perching upon the nearby bough of one of the many mangrove of Shabondy Archipeligo.
He smiled softly, his great gaze scouring the clearing clean; bringing a halt to the fighting before it could even hope to begin. The silence was deafening. Draped like a shroud, it hung over the grove, thick and palpable. No one moved. No one breathed. All eyes fixated upon him, this burning man who wielded four blades, this oni of fire and ash, this smoldering spectre that loomed over them like god himself; ready to dole out divine judgement upon the wicked.
"B-B-Burning Will?" Fake Luffy gawped openly, sweating now, like the pig he was. "Y-You mean he a-actually came...here?"
Naruto cleared his throat, and every pirate, every marine, flinched.
"Gentlemen," Naruto began slowly, very slowly. "I be placed in a bewilderment." His gaze swept across the deck, scouring for any sign of the instigator that had so roused his wrath; locking upon one Demalo Black. "Here I came here, looking for Monkey D. Luffy." He thrust a hand imperiously towards the cabin, towards the fake Luffy. "And upon a sudden, I find this, a crew of imposters. Sailors abandoning their posts, without orders, without leave. Men before the mast, and taking the ship for themselves."What be that, I wonder?" he mused aloud, refusing to smile at his crudely crafted metaphor.
He let the silence hang, until everyone choked on it.
"Mutiny!" Someone shouted suddenly.
Naruto didn't skip a beat. He didn't care that he couldn't see them. He knew the voice by sound alone. It was Termari. She was here somewhere, hiding amongst them, tucked safely out of sight, he knew that much. For a moment, he almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. Such a persistent wench. Oh, well. Best to make full effect of the chaos she had sown amongst their ranks.
"Again?" Naruto held a hand to his ear, feigning deafness.
"Mutiny!" Came the reply, sounding only slightly exasperated.
"Aye." Naruto nodded, his form bending, shimmering, beneath wave upon wave of oppressive heat. "Mutiny. And what fate befalls mutineers?" He paused, his gaze sweeping through their ranks of pirates and marines like a great, cleansing flame. "Now we all know the answer to that, do we not?" Flames boiled outward from his fists, eddying forth from his knuckles, swelling with every second. "Mutineers...
...Hang!"
Flames spewed forth from his fists, circumventing the clearing in a ring of fire. Now, both the pirates and marines were trapped with one another. A lucky few had thought too much of the great "Burning Will" reputation, and looked as though they might choose to fling themselves at their would-be captors, rather than face this man of flame and fire and fury.
And so, the battle would be joined.
Naturally, the marines would want to eliminate the pirates rather than capture them. And of course, the pirates wouldn't want to go down without a fight, either. Neither could come to a compromise, as their values were simply too different, the black to the marine's white. Eventually, they would clash. Here, with no hope of escape, save through the flames, their choice was to fight, or to die.
At least, that had been the intention.
"YOU!" A bloodcurdling shriek shattered the silence, demanding everyone's attention. Naruto rounded on the sound, flame sputtering, eyes narrowing becoming furious specks of crimson as he beheld he who dared to interrupt him. Surprisingly, he recognized him.
Naruto knew who this Pirate is. He was "Wet-Haired Caribou", a supernova pirate worth $210,000,000 berry. Based on the rumors he heard about him, this guy has a violent reputation for killing countless Marines; a true psychopath. He also recognized the large, rotund, egg-shaped man at his side, his brother "Blood-Splatterer" Coribou. Wicked, and violent, they were both born killers; and now one of those killers had singled him out and turned their wrath upon him.
Lovely.
"Yooooouuuuuu!" Caribou shrieked! "You're finally here!"
Naruto gawped, aghast as the man stalked forward, the mass of pirates and marines parting before him like the red sea.
'What in the-
"I've been waiting a looong time for this!" Caribou snarled at Naruto. "A loooooong fucking time for this— to kill you! Every time I killed a Marine or anyone that crosses me—I think of you, ya bastard! Now you're going to die—slowly and painfully—for what you did to me!" He pranced around stamped his feet and flailed his long sleeves at an equally incredulous Burning Will, the latter beginning to wonder if the former had finally lost his mind.
"Say what?" Naruto asked, confused by what this pirate had just said, to which his flames slowly dimmed. He'd never seen this man before. He knew him by reputation only, a reputation that nearly rivaled his own in terms of blood. That was were the similarities ended. Whereas Naruto spilled blood for the sake of the righteous, Caribou simply killed anyone and everyone for the thrill of it, because he was just that; a man who reveled in bloodshed.
"Don't act like you don't know me Burning Will!" Caribou snapped. "And don't act as if you don't remember what you've done to me!"
"I'm sorry," Naruto repeated in a more confusingly irate manner. "I've never seen you before in my life. Now, if you know what's good for you, you'll leave me alone, Caribou."
"What?"
"I said, beat it, small fry." Naruto all but snapped. "I'm not in the best of moods right now. Attack me and you'll receive no mercy."
"You mean you really don't remember me?" Caribou hissed. "You...you've forgotten what you did to me?"
"Look, for the last time, I've never seen you before-
Naruto's confusion had only succeeded in pissing off Caribou even further. "Bastard!" he screamed in a rage as he flung himself at Naruto with blood lust in his eyes. Heedless of the danger, heedless of his own peril, heedless of anything but the terrible red haze that clouded about his vision. He'd kill him! He'd make him pay! Him! All of them! All of those who'd ever make him look like such a fool, all those who'd betrayed him, all of-
He never made it.
A blast of black fire struck Caribou in the chest. He screamed, a peal of terror that turned into torment as he fell back onto the floor. Everyone turned and realized that it none other than Burning Will had done the deed, his gloved hand still held out before him, and wreathed in black flames. Caribou clutched at pool of shadow that spread across his torso, his eyes growing wide and large as the rippling flame began to spread.
"What the hell...?"
Naruto shook his head, smoothing his roughened bangs with one hand.
"I warned you, didn't I?" He sighed. "Now, you'll pay the price." He gestured with his flame-sheathed hand, and the flames encroaching Caribou responded voraciously.
It grew, and appeared to be eating him.
"No!" Caribou wailed, realization dawning in his eyes, the understanding of his fate, finally at hand. "Nooooooooo!"
Pirates, marines, and bystanders alike watched in dull horror as his screams turned into shrieks. He spasmed wildly, dropping his pistol and struggling as the flames enveloped him with a terrible, terrifying slowness. It washed over his arms and his legs, and then finally swallowed his head. His screaming ended abruptly. The shadow covered body for it-this massing of flames-could no longer be called a person, flailed about twice more, and then the blackness simply collapsed, leaving nothing more than a seep pool of liquid on the floor.
The greenish liquid slowly slithered across the grass, hissing and sizzling wherever the sunlight touched it.
Naruto watched the strange, swampy ooze for a moment longer before he blinked; subsequently extinguishing the slow-burning flames. Then he turned his gaze upon the rest, marine and pirate alike, and he scowled. He wasn't quite sure if Caribou was a Logia-most men turned to ash beneath the flames of the Amateratsu-but whatever he was, the reputation he'd earned over the years did him little good as a pile of seeping muck.
He'd deal with him later.
"Now," Naruto began slowly, calling out to those below him. "Have any of you seen Straw Hat Luffy?"
All fingers pointed toward the fat buffoon standing upon the deck.
Naruto's left eye twitched.
"That isn't him, you dolts! That's a fake!"
"EH?"
Fake Luffy and all of the imposers quailed as thousands upon thousands of angry eyes turned upon them. The word of Burning Will was not to be questioned, apparently. Now they realized this too late, much too late. Naruto permitted himself a brief moment of satisfaction as they prepared to meet the fate they so deserved. Then he cast it aside as he would so much refuse; because the angry clamor had become all but deafening.
"Like I said, where's the real-
A faint prickling in the back of his neck was the only warning Naruto received.
Veen!
Then the branch, the bough upon which he'd been so firmly perched, exploded. He had only an instant to react, only a split-secondto see the particle beam of light as it rushed forth from an unknown location, then he was gone. Bits of bark peppered across his coat as he fell, plummeting toward the earth, feet first. Naruto was unconcerned. His mind was already awhirl, leaving his body to absorb whatever impact might befall him.
There was only one man capable of such an attack.
'Shit,' He swore as the ground rushed up to greet him. 'They sent Kizaru here already?'
He barely even registered the fray as he landed, scanning the crowd for any sign of the admiral. Instead the forms of not one, not two, but three hulking Bartholomew Kuma's reared up before him, each completely identical, each moving toward him, and each ravaging the horde of pirates as though they were naught but children in their effort to try and apprehend him.
Uh-oh.
"Its the Pacifistaaaas!" Someone screamed, just before he was crushed underfoot by one of the hulking behemoths. Another pirate hazarded a slash at the approaching titans, only to be caught up in an explosion as the giant opened its maw and spat a golden stream of light in his direction. Naruto watched the man die and blanched. So this, then, was a pacifista. He'd read about them, he'd heard the rumors but still, to see one up close...
...they really did look just like Kuma.
It was unnerving.
Even moreso, that they were wielding the powers of Kizaru's Pika Pika no mi.
"What are the marine's elite human weapons from the war doing in a place like this!" Another pirate cried, weeping as he flopped into the dirt, utterly unable to take on such a terrible abomination such as these. Most of the pirates seemed to be suffering a similair fate, even as they realized that they'd been deceived. Naruto didn't so much as spare an errant thought for them and their fate.
Fools would always die fools, so it seemed.
Instead, he stood his ground, watching as the invincible human weapons of the World Government came hurtling toward him. He spied Sentomaru within the chaos of Marine versus Pirate and smiled softly to himself, but made no move to confront him. So that was all they were going to send, then? A couple of antique Pacifista and Sentomaru? In the time that it took for him to blink, Fake Luffy had already been visciously clubbed across the head by the axe-wielding marine, while the remaining imposters quite literally, quit the field.
Let them take their chances with the flames, he mused to himself. Their fate is none of my concern.
His relief, however, turned out to be temporary.
"Pirates, "Burning Will" Uzumaki Naruto and "Strawhat" Luffy identified." One of the Pacifista announced, its calm, monontone of a voice ringing out over the clearing. Seconds after the fact, Naruto realized that, during his musings, most of the pirates had been captured, and, he was standing conspicously out in the open. He was dimly aware of that he'd been detected, but somehow, he couldn't quite focus on the task at hand. Instead, the words "Strawhat Luffy" rang through his head like a clarion call, filling him with an elation that he hadn't felt since two years ago.
"Take them out, PX-5!" Sentomaru ordered! "You too, PX-2!"
Unbidden, lightning raced down Naruto's spine.
'Luffy! He's here? Where?' He half-turned, hoping to find him over his shoulder. Instead, he became deathly aware of the resounding explosion that deafened him, throwing a hail of timber and soil at his back as the deck behind him detonated. He watched, watched as a obscenely large pack filled to the brim with various foodstuffs, spun past, and landed not a yard away from him.
"Whoa!" A terribly familair voice shouted! "Man, was that close! And what was that for! All my precious food is in this bag, you know!" All of the pirates and marines cried out as one, and pointing and shouting and screaming, gibbering like they were frightened schoolgirls. They couldn't believe their eyes. He wasn't dead. Monkey D. Luffy, the son of Dragon, was here, alive, in Shabondy!
"It's the face from the wanted posteeeeeer!"
Naruto was stunned.
"L-Luffy?"
Save for the X-shaped scar on his chest and some new attire, he hadn't changed at all. He frowned indignantly at the Pacifistas who had nearly incinerated him, but otherwise, he remained unharmed. It was impossible not to recognize him. The strawhat, the stitched scar beneath his eye, heck, even his voice was nearly the same! For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"Don't tell me you're gonna get in my way again!" He called down to Sentomaru. "I don't have the time to deal with you right now!" Naruto watched the two of them bicker for a moment longer, before he finally realized that this was not a dream, and this was, in fact, the genuine article. The pirate he had searched high and low across the sea nearly for two years now.
And so he laughed.
"Luffy!" Naruto laughed aloud, unable to say anything else, such was his enthusiasm. "It's you! It really is you!"
"Nanda?" Luffy blinked, suddenly very much aware of the blond standing beside him. "Who're you?" He squinted at the blond whose body roiled and broiled like so much flame and he found his words taken away as he recognize the color of those flames; because this was the very same power his brother had wielded, prior to death. Wait a minute. It couldn't be. No way...
Naruto grinned wickedly.
"After all these years, I've finally found you, Monkey D. Luffy! Now, let me join your crew!"
Luffy blinked, unsure of exactly who this man was, unsure of why he was on fire, and not screaming in pain, or burning, for that matter. Weird.. But he looked strong. And if a strong guy wanted to join his crew, the crew of the future pirate king...
"Sure!" Luffy enthused! "But why are you on fire?"
Naruto couldn't help himself; he started laughing again.
"Ha! Just like that, huh? You haven't changed a bit, Luffy!"
His laughter was cut short as a beam of light whisked itself past Luffy, who nonchalantly turned his head and let it slip aside. He even had the time to murmurr something that Naruto didn't quite hear as the beam passed them by and tore through the mangroves. And suddenly, Luffy's arm was turning a strange, rubberized pink and smoking. Naruto was about to remark on it when a shadow fell over him.
"!"
He barely even registered the second Pacifista until it was right on top of him. And by then, it was already too late. For the Pacifista, that is. Scarce had it neared Uzumaki D. Naruto, than a wall of blue and gold flames entirely unlike the black flames of the Amateratsu, sprang up between them. The Pacifista did not slow. Not until a giant flaming hand clamped around its midsection and wrapped around it; encircling the machine's hulking waist as though it were naught but a twig.
"You're interrupting our reunion." Naruto murmurred darkly, eyes flashing, glimmering with red moistness. "Out of my way, trash."
It was an eerie appendage, this hand made of both bone and flame, an scion of azure/saffron curling about the Pacifista, holding it fast, hoisting it up, up, up, until its feet left the soil, until it was left scrabbling for purchase in the air. Finding none, it opened its mouth and flailed with both its hands trying terribly to free itself from this vice, but to no avail, for the vice was inescapable.
Then, before the eyes of Sentomaru, the unthinkable occurred.
A bony thumb pressed down upon the top of its head, forcing its mouth closed before the Pacifista could find a target, before it could fire. The result was catastrophic. Unable, unable to fire the compressed beam of light, the suppressed energy had nowhere left to go but up. With a deafening whump it imploded, the energy frying its photoreceptors, and scrambling its circuits so hopelessly beyond repair that it had no chance of survival.
And then the mighty fingers of the flaming hand closed. They simply curled into a fist, and the Pacifista was crushed between them reduced to little more than a mangled heap of scrap that was promptly cast aside like a broken toy, left to die in the dirt and be forgotten. It did not rise again. And there was more than one Pacifista carcass laying upon the ground as well. In the time that it had taken Naruto to dispense with one Pacifista, Luffy had also taken down PX-2 as well, the massive machine having knifed into the dirt and it too, lay deathly still.
The pirates gawped.
"W-We couldn't even scratch one of those things...and they took out two like it was nothing!"
Luffy remained as he was, but it was Naruto's surroundings that had changed.
Materializing outward from the ghoulish appendage that had crushed the Pacifista, a grisly creature of shadow and flame and was born. Little more than a human skeleton, the creature loomed over its master, its ghastly appearance bellying the awesome power it wielded and that of its creator, who stood enshrouded within its ribcage. Gleaming with ill-intent, the creature raised its right hand, and within its fingers appeared a blade of blazing luminescence.
"So, you've come here to join the Strawhat crew, have you, Burning Will!" Sentomaru accused, heedless of the smoldering sword that loomed over their heads. "I'm going too arrest you either way, but I'd like to know!"
"Something like that." Naruto replied as Luffy turned and waved to someone approaching. "I don't suppose you'll let me pass now, will you?" Sentomaru's brow furrowed, eyes flickering with exasperation and annoyance. He'd struck a nerve. Sentomaru still held a grudge against him for the way in which he'd beaten Kizaru within an inch of his life. In the time that it took for him to attack, it would all be over, and he knew this.
Still, Naruto wasn't expecting his reply.
"Like hell I will!" Sentomaru all but snarled. "I'm going to bring you to justice, here and now, for what you've done!"
"Didn't think so." Naruto muttered. "Well, I don't have time to play with you or whatever Admiral headquarters has sent after me." Before Sentomaru could broach the subject further the grim reaper of a creature brought its blade crashing down into the ranks of the marines, scattering them and kicking up copious amounts of dust. When it cleared a number of marines were either dead, or wounded, and Naruto was nowhere to be seen.
He did, however, have a clear view of the last remaining pacifista going down in a heap of smoldering circuits as none other than Zolo and Sanji ran it through. Apparent, Luffy had been waving to them, while he was distracted. Now as he watched it fall, watched his men gawp, watched them declare that the real Strawhat crew was indeed alive, and well, his fury knew no bounds.
"Wait! Come back here!"
Oddly enough, Luffy paused.
"Hey, what's wrong!" Sanji demanded. "What are you stopping for?"
"Rayleiiiiigh!"
Luffy was staring at a nearby tree, a tree in which a very familair old man was currently sitting. Standing beside him, was none other than Burning Will himself, though how he had crossed the distance between them in such short fashion remained to be seen. It did not, however, keep the future king of the pirates from calling out to him, no sir, it did not, not in the least.
"Th-The Dark Kiiiing!" The captured pirates squealed in fear. "He's here, too!"
"You've done well!" Rayleigh shouted to Luffy. "It seems like you've honed your skills even further!"
"Uh-huh!" Luffy nodded enthusiastically.
"I also thought I'd come to see you off." Rayleigh said to Naruto, giving the boy an encouraging nudge. "But it doesn't look like my grandson needs my help, after all." For the longest time, there was silence. Utter silence, as Silvers Rayleigh willingly exposed the one secret that he had kept hidden for most of his life, to the world. Naruto burned with the shame of it all; he wouldn't have the nerve to do such a thing, not if it were his grandson.
He flushed.
"Sh-Shaddap, old man!"
"He's the grandson of the "Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh!" Marines and pirates alike gawped at the revelation. The grandson of Rayleigh and the son of Dragon working together, surely meant the end of them all. Even Zolo and Sanji were slightly nonplussed to hear this. So this was him, "Burning Will" then? Well, he was certainly every bit as imposing as the papers had made him out to be.
"Rayleigh!" Luffy shouted once more. "I'm gonna do it!"
"?"
"I'm gonna become...THE PIRATE KING!"
Naruto couldn't help but smile at the unshed tear in his grandfather's eye. Then he slapped Luffy on the back. Not hard enough to harm him-mind you, the boy was a rubber man after all-just enough to urge him forward and away from the remaining marines that dared to harry their footsteps.
"Head straight for the top!" Rayleigh shouted at their backs. "Both of you!"
'Sure thing, gramps.'
He kept running.
Even as his grandfather turned to face the marines. Even as his sword cleared his scabbard. Even when the sound of their pursuers grew distant, even when it vanished altogether, he kept running, careful to keep his pace, careful to keep pace with Luffy. He wasn't going to lose sight of him now, not after all the trouble he'd gone through to find him in the first place.
Rayleigh watched them go, and smiled softly.
"My apprentice and grandson are setting sail." He began slowly, turning to face the many marines who stood on the opposite end of the line he'd just drawn in the dirt. "By all means, do as you please, but I would suggest...
His glasses gleamed, ever so slightly.
...that you do not cross this line."
"Crap, they're one step ahead of us!" Zolo hissed as they rounded a bend, only to find even more marines barring their path. Rather, they were, until dozens upon dozens of ghosts swept down upon the soldiers and phased right through each and every one of them. As one, they dropped to their hands and knees, moaning and depressed, and all too full of demotivation.
Naruto nearly froze on the spot at the sight of it.
'G-Ghosts!'
"I just knew this mayhem had something to do with you people!" Hovering only a few feet from the now utterly useless marines, was a woman with incredibly bright and curly pink hair. Not to mention a positively ghoulish outfit that would put any goth to utter shame. "Are you still hanging around here?" She asked. Apparently, she was the one who controlled the spirits and as such Naruto stopped well short of her position, leaving Zolo to nearly run facefirst into the strange goth lolita.
That Sanji was fawning over her was even more disturbing.
"Well, what are you still handing around here!" He demanded of the strange girl. "It's not like I asked you to stick around!"
"Is that any way to talk back to the person who brought you all the way here!" She snapped right back, "Why, if it weren't for me you'd be...
Then she noticed Naruto.
"Oh, and who is this?" She asked, drifting closer to Naruto. "You look familair. Kind of cute, even. Have I seen you somewhere before?" Naruto wasn't listening to any of it. All he saw was the strange spirits listing about at her side, drawing ever nearer to him. Ghosts! Why, oh why, did it have to be ghosts! Their sickly sweet smiling and giggling did precious little to assauge his intense superstitions, and they were Just. So. Creepy!
"N-Not really." He averted his gaze as she approached. "I...don't think we've ever met."
"No," She insisted, "I've definitely seen your face before."
"Geh!" Naruto made a squelching sound as she drifted even closer to him, floating impossibly just above the ground, as if she weighed little or next to nothing. His usual self-confidence abandoned him in the wake of what he'd seen, and in the presence, of this foul, ghost-wielding woman. Well, he told himself, at least she was cute. Wait, what if she was a cute ghost? Gah! He couldn't stand it!
"Ah!" Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin, so close was she when next she spoke. "I thought I recognized you! You're Burning Will, aren't you!"
"Y-Yes." He refused to look in her eye. Gods, why couldn't this ghostly woman just leave him be! "And I'm afraid I have somewhere to be-
"Too bad." She sighed, her lips dangerously close. "My name's Perona, by the way, cutie." Something deathly cold pressed against his cheek, then passed right through it, to his disbelief and dismay, so did she. There was no substance, no solidarity, nothing at all. She simply phased through him, and emerged behind him. Naruto turned white as a sheet and shuddered all over, lurching back and forth on his heels.
He'd just been kissed by a ghost!
'Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick...
Sanji was gawping at him, eyes full of flame. Luffy looked completely unperturbed. Zolo was blushing. Worst of all, Perona was smiling. Nothing however, could have prepared Naruto for what happened next. He felt a faint surge of killer intent, then the hairs on the back of his neck prickled in warning. Unfortunately, Naruto was still in the process of trying to turn when he saw a face he hadn't seen in a very, very long time.
"You dirty rotten scoundrel!"
Something very hard and very, very solid cracked across his face and sent him sprawling. He recognized the voice, somehow, despite the black spots speckling across his eyes and blurring his vision. Odd. He couldn't remember the last time someone had struck him. Certainly not since he'd eaten the Mera Mera no mi. He tasted blood in his mouth as he rolled over and onto his back, the world still swimming in and out of focus.
"Wha-
"You fucking bastard!" Bright pink hair flashed before his vision then strong hands seized the lappels of his jacket and practically dragged him to his feet. She slapped him. Not gently. Stars, no, whole planets exploded before his vision, before he realized that both blows had been enfused with Haki. Both blows were solid, too. Painfully so. Not Perona then, certainly not. She'd have just phased right through him, and she'd no reason to strike him, for that matter.
"You no good fucking bastard!"
That, shook him right out of his daze.
It took some time, but eventually, the word swam into focus for him. Immediately, he wished it hadn't. He recognized her. How could he not? Hers was a face that he could've forgotten, if he only he had the heart to forget. He did not. Nor did he have the strength to avert his gaze once focused; because now he could see. Belatedly, he realized that she was crying as she struck him, each blow growing weaker and lacking of focus until they passed through him altogether.
"Ah...Bonney!" He half-laughed, half-groaned, around a mouthful of bloody lips. "Long time no see!"
"You won't be able to see at all when I'm through with you!" She snarled at him, but her words lacked their usual venom. At length, she released him. Naruto wobbled for a moment then regained his balance, his features already resetting into their usual shape as the flames boiled away what damage had been done to them. He stood woodenly, not taking enough care as he did so.
"So...how did you find me, Bonney?" He asked at last, brushing himself off. "I...didn't expect to see you here."
"You gave me your vivre card, dumbass!"
"Oh...yeah." Naruto scratched the back of his head in contrition. "Forgot about that."
"Did you forget about your promise, too?" She accused, sparks snarling through her eyes as she stepped closer. Then, more softly: "Did you forget about me?" Abruptly anger died; replaced by something akin to hope, albeit a forlorn one. Ouch. Shock lanced through Naruto. He hadn't forgotten about their promise, thought she might have expected him to, after he'd fled.
"I haven't forgotten." he argued weakly. "It's just that...I made him-Ace-a promise, too."
With that, Naruto started to silently move away. She quickly turned and reached out with her hand, grabbing his forearm.
He froze.
Taking his hand, she brought to her face, cradling her cheek.
All at once he surged forward, seizing Bonney in his arms and kissing her with a ferocity that nearly overwhelmed her.
'I've been a fool.'
She shouldn't feel this way.
Jewelry Bonney had never cared for such trivialities and she cursed herself for them now. Love was a weakness. Love was an anchor. A chain. It held you down and tied you a noose around your neck, one that slowly constricted over time.
Love was a weakness. Love was a cancer that grew inside and made one do foolish things. Love is death. The love most dreamed of was something that would be more important to one than anything, even life. It would kill her to love him. Perhaps not now, but, eventually. Bonney knew this, and yet, she pressed her lips against his for a second time, throwing her arms round his neck and securing herself fast against him. She felt him stiffen at this uncharacteristic display of inhuman weakness, then she felt him relax, both into her lips and into her, as he swept his arms around her, leaned into her lips, and drew her closer into a strange faux of an embrace.
It was beautiful. It was wonderful. It was terrifying.
And it wasn't enough.
It took everything in her not to bolt, and ultimately, it still wasn't enough.
In the end, the sound of cannon fire jolted them from one another.
"A-At any rate, you need to set sail as soon as possible!" Perona insisted. "There are battleships appearing just offshore!" Shock rippled across the five of them and between the two of them, especially Naruto. He'd been so caught up in her that he'd nearly forgotten everything else. Just like last time. He shuddered, nodded, and forced his fingers from her hair, her face, and finally, himself from her.
She shook her head mutely, knowingly, and Naruto felt his heart break a thousand times over as he watched the despair well up in her eyes anew. Blast. He'd thought himself prepared for this. He'd been wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.
Naruto turned to face Jewelry Bonney.
"I have to go."
"Idiot." She mumbled, refusing to look him in the eye. "Why didn't you tell me you where leaving that time?"
Naruto shrugged, lamely.
"I suck at goodbyes, Bonney."
"Then don't say it this time." she whispered softly.
"Eh?"
"I said don't say goodbye, this time!" Naruto grunted as she stomped on his foot and ground her heel in. Yep, same ol' Bonney. Tsundere or not, she still knew how to kick his ass when he got out of line. Still, he winced as she withdrew, the action striking painfully at the chord of his soul. Her lips touched his for a final time, touching, lingering, then falling away, with the rest of her. She took two steps away from him; and he saw how much effort that took from her.
"I'll see you in the New World." he promised, hoping he sounded more convicted than he felt. Because suddenly, he wasn't feeling all that convicted at all at the moment. With the former love of his life, things had always been complicated. It had always been that way.
"You bet your ass you will." Bonney's reply was softer than he'd expected, not quite sad, nor could it be calledhappy. He couldn't be sure of what to make of it. And before he had the chance to dissect it further, she spun about on one heel, and walked away. Watching her walk away, watching a woman he'd loved walk out of his life, it took every fiber of his being to stand fast, to stand still and not break in two.
Suddenly, it occurred to Naruto that he might not see her again. And so, he watched.
He watched her go, watched the swaying of her hips, watched everything and anything about her. He stayed that way, just watching, waiting, waiting and watching until she'd rounded a corner and paused. She turned, her gaze locking with his, even across the distance that separated him. She touched a hand to her necklace, raising it as far as that chain would allow, and then she let it drop to her chest, instead of breaking it, as he'd feared she would.
It was a gesture of acceptance, of forgiveness, and, of relinquishment.
"Take care of yourself." She called from across the corner, then she rounded it, and was taken from his sight. Naruto found himself staring, although she was gone. Even then, it took a harsh word from Sanji to draw him from his reverie. He blinked, and found that his eyes were suddenly moist. Why was that? Did he truly miss her already? It wasn't too late; if he wanted, he could chase after her, maybe even catch up.
So why wasn't he moving?
Because he was needed elsewhere. He'd made a promise to Ace, and, though it pained him to do so, he just couldn't bring himself to break it. That promise had been the very definition of who he was for the last two years. He had molded his very life around it, conformed to it, made sacrifices for it, and, given the chance, he would likely make many, many more in the future.
"Oi, you alright?" Zolo asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Naruto didn't know the swordsman all that well, but he felt that the man's intent was genuine. With that knowledge, the apocalyptic rage brewing behind his eyes dimmed, leaving him only with a dull ache just above his chest. For a moment, it looked as though he might rebel. His lips pursed into a thin line however, and even Luffy could've seen that it was only with great reluctance that Burning Will discarded his thoughts of desertion.
At length, he exhaled, heavily.
"I will be." Naruto sighed and scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand, his expression still somewhat on the dour side. "Eventually. Can we get going now? I find myself with a sudden desire to be far, far away from this place."
Zolo inclined his head a fraction of an inch.
"I think we can manage that."
Perona bid them farewell shortly thereafter.
Thankfully, she didn't try to kiss him again. Naruto didn't know if he could handle it, teasing or not. A small part of him yearned for comfort and solace. He was torn. He would likely remain that way for quite some time. As they hurried through the streets, however, it was ultimately Sanji who'd taken it upon himself to harass his fellow blond. Naruto had been expecting this. In fact, he welcomed it. Anything to turn his mind from her, from the life he'd just left behind, a life of contention and peace. Best not to think of it, he mused.
Better to distract himself.
...just who the hell do you think you are, huh?" Sanji was asking, when, abruptly, Naruto rounded on him.
Naruto rounded on him, moving with a speed that Sanji had not thought possible. One moment he'd been yards away, watching his former lover walk out of his life. The next, smoldering swirls of sapphire and scarlet swelled before his vision, blotting out all else. Belatedly, Sanji realized that Naruto wasn't angry. He was furious. Furious, was risking the term actually. Perhaps enraged fit the bill. Perhaps it did, as Sanji began to realize that he'd broached the one subject that could easily draw the ire of Burning Will. And in his foolishness, Sanji had drawn ire in spades.
"Are we talking about my love life or yours?" Naruto countered his tone curt, his expression pitch-black. "Because, if I were you, I'd hold my tongue. That is, unless, you'd like to loose it, friend." He practicallly spat the word, a wisp of ash leaking through his lips as he spoke. Zolo and Lufy had both slowed, peering back towards the unfolding scene, wondering what had caused the sudden delay.
Naruto paid them no heed. Instead, he was suddenly consumed by the desire to "cook" the cook, as it were.
"You've got some nerve, breaking her heart like that." Sanji snapped back, bending his leg at the knee, lifting it in threat of retaliation. "I would never-
"Oh shove it."
Naruto shoved past him, nearly knocking his fellow blond off balance as he pressed onward. At that very moment, something miraculous occurred. Zoro had an epiphany. Why was Burning Will traveling with them in the first place, he wondered? Why, did he seem to be on such good terms with Luffy, he wondered? Why, hadn't he thought of this just now?
"Oi," He began slowly, as Naruto caught up to them. "Why are you following us, anyway?"
"Why, I'm part of the crew, of course." Naruto replied, matter-of factly. "Why else would I still be here?"
"WHAT!" Sanji shouted! "And who decided this, huh?"
"It's fine by me!" Luffy laughed.
Zolo sighed.
"Not again...
"Looks like we'll have to save the introductions for later." Naruto remarked as the sound of cannon fire reached their ears. "For now, I'd think we'd better get back to the ship, wouldn't you agree?"
It was then that the massive shadow of a gigantic flying bird fell across them.
From there, the rest was little more than a gigantic smear on Burning memory...
(Currently)
BAKRAM!
The sound of cannon fire could be heard all around. It brought Naruto back from his memories, gently but insistently tugging him back to the present, to the here and now. He blinked, clearing the soot and smoke from his eyes, just in time to avoid being doused by another spray of seawater. Blasted marines. They were still harassing them even as they tried to make their escape from the grove.
"Should we fire back?" Usopp was asking Brook. "Maybe we should try to outmaneuver them...
Oh, but that tore it.
"No," Naruto stated. He climbed down the rigging toward them, clutching his staff in his hand firmly. He had a dangerous look that made Nami nervous. "We are getting out of here. Now." He was all but seeing red. The tension had built and built and built within him, and now, now it demanded release. And a release was just what he planned to give the marines, oh, a release indeed.
Nami stared at him, mouth agape.
"You don't mean...?"
Naruto stopped in front of everyone, frowning severely.
"Stand back. Well back."
They did as they were told. Even as Robin ushered everyone back a ways across the galley, already, Naruto was already concentrating.
Swirls of fire were gathering around his hands and working their way up his arms, the flames suddenly growing hotter and more pronounced. He didn't unleash the energy, however. He held his hands above his head and closed his eyes, his mouth moving in a silent chant. The fire grew. White energy began to course around his body, lighting up the sky like it was daylight.
He beckoned, his fingers crooking upward as they formed a claw.
His hands shook, and it became obvious that the technique was difficult for Naruto to control. He gritted his teeth and clutched the sword tightly, and a halo of flames slowly surrounded him.
"MOVE!"
Nami didn't bother to ask why; because she'd already thrown herself to the deck. An instant later, a blaze of orange discharge swelled overhead and consumed her existence within a firestorm of travesty. The fireball, when it was unleashed, shook the entire ship. There was a massive flash of light and a roar of sound that deafened everyone, then the backlash of force from the blast all but throwing them back several feet.
The clouds burst before him, boiling away as his lips parted for a single, solitary command.
"Hiken!" Naruto roared, his knuckles bursting before the command; summoning a spiraling pillar of flame, subsequently engulfing everything within a three mile radius. The fleet never stood a chance. A massive fist of heat and fire barreled forward, its jaws wide and gaping as it lurched toward its prey. Within two beats, the entire Navy fleet was all but decimated; some were already sunk, others were still in the process capsizing, leaving sailors to flounder helplessly in the waters of the Archipelago, and everyone else to wonder at the grisly aftermath of the attack.
Sanji tried to take a smoke, only to realize his cigarette it too, hadn't escaped the blaze unharmed. He could only swear in disbelief as the cigar crumbled into nothingness, as it turned to ash in his mouth, leaving little more than a blackened stub between his teeth. When he went to reach for another one, he was dismayed to find that they too, had been obliterated by the blast.
"That sonova gun...
"I-I've changed my mind!" Usopp stammered aloud, performing a sudden and about-face on his refusal to let Naruto join the crew. "He can stay!"
"That was suuuuuuuuuper!" Franky laughed boisterously. "I like this guy!"
"He's a damned monster, just like those three," Nami sobbed tearfully. "It'll take a monster to kill someone like him...
"Monsters?" Zolo asked blandly, utterly unfazed by the chaos. "You mean us?"
"YES I MEAN YOU!"
"S-Sugoi!" Chopper squeaked! "He's just like Ace!"
"A-Ace!"
Naruto half-turned, a single ruby red iris reappearing over his right shoulder as he regarded he who had spoken. He completed the revolution, jaw slackened, eyes widened. In the split second that it took him to turn around, he found himself face to face with his target. He couldn't believe his eyes.
Luffy gawped. "That was Ace's attack, just now!"
"Oi!" Naruto barked. "Baka Yarou! Do I look like Portugas D. Ace to you?"
"Eh?"
"Nanda?" Luffy blinked, suddenly very much aware of the blond standing at the helm of his ship. "What was that?" He squinted at the blond whose body roiled and broiled like so much flame and he found his words taken away as he recognize the color of those flames; because this was the very same power his brother had wielded only this time on no circumstance could he be mistaken. Wait a minute. It couldn't be. No way...
"I've decided!" Luffy announced. "You'll be our fireman!"
Naruto sweat dropped.
"Does a ship even need one of those?"
"On my ship we do!" Luffy reaffirmed enthusiastically.
"So...it's official? I'm part of the crew?" Naruto asked.
Luffy grinned.
"Sure!"
Everyone-excluding Robin-facefaulted.
"DAMNIT LUFFY!"
Miles away, Boa Hancock finally dared to draw breath.
"So...that is Burning Will."
Miles away, Hancock, who had been about to take intervene on Luffy's behalf, gawped at the ruination that surrounded them. Within seconds, the entire Marine fleet had been reduced to little more than smoldering ashes. They'd been utterly decimated. All save for one. Peering through the spyglass, she abruptly realized that this particular ship was a great deal larger than that of its fellows.
Also, someone was standing at the prow of that great and mighty battleship. Rather, two someones, both of whom bore the white coat of a Navy Admiral. Their distinct yellow and red coloration's could be seen, even from this distance. They were unmistakable. Undeniable. At long last, the Navy had responded to the threat that Burning Will carried, though not as great a threat to Luffy as she feared, it was a different threat to which she desperately moved to intercept.
Oh dear.
Standing upon the prow of the mighty battle cruiser, Akainu sneered, confident of his triumph.
"This time, you won't escape me, Burning Will!"
