Chapter 21

Portgas D. Naruto

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After the Straw Hats had left the island Naruto promptly returned the Princess to her father and received his end of the bargain, King Cobra himself had begun to escort the Yonko to the Ponoglyph that would tell where the ancient weapon known as Pluton lied.

"Remind me again as to why you want to get ahold of these weapons?" King Cobra asked Naruto as they walked along and the Water Titan just smiled at his words

Naruto looked at his from the corner of his eye, "I want to get ahold of all three of them and destroy them, a few years back I found something, and with it my crew and I were told what these weapons were capable of doing and what could happen if these weapons fall into the wrong hands, so it's my duty to destroy them. To prevent anyone from causing any wide spread destruction." Naruto answered the King truthfully

Cobra just nodded along as the two continued to walk towards the King's tomb, that held the Ponoglyph that told the location of the legendary weapon Pluton. 'Even if he's telling the truth I still need to be weary of him, there's no telling what could happen if one of the Yonko get ahold of the ancient weapons. It shouldn't matter though, there isn't a person alive other than Nico Robin who's able to read the text on the Ponoglyph's, so there's no way for him to fully comprehend what it says and thus he can't find Pluton.' Cobra thought as he kept his Kingdom's best interests at mind as he thought of what could happen if someone were to find the ancient weapon

"How much longer until we reach the tomb Cobra?" Naruto asked the King, looking at Cobra who was slightly behind him

The King of Alabasta wiped some of the sweat off of his forehead as he tried to keep pace with the Yonko. "The Tomb of the Kings is straight ahead, we will be there in a moment." Cobra answered him

The two continued along the path until they arrived at a stone building that was adorned in decoration, not a soul was in their path as the two walked inside the building and were greeted by a very underwhelming sight. The whole interior of the building was just simple stone and decoration with some tombs placed along the floor. Naruto looked back at the King who had made his way over away from him and had turned a few dials to reveal a hidden passage that led to another level in the tomb.

Cobra then walked back over to Naruto and after took the lead and started to descend down the stairs into the room that held the Alabastian Ponoglyph. Naruto quickly caught up with him and looked around in the open underground room to see that the room was dressed in a much more ancient way with decorations that seemed to be hundreds of years old. Off to one of the walls in the room was a blue Ponoglyph that was much better maintained than any of the Road Ponoglyphs that the Whirlpool Pirates had encountered so far.

Naruto looked up at it as Cobra started to speak, "Only one person has been able to read the text on the Ponoglyph and she is said to be the last one who can so good luck being able to understand what it says. Your probably just as clueless as I am when it comes to these things!" The King exclaimed as Naruto continued to study the object before him

The Captain of the Whirlpool Pirates then grinned as he responded to the King of Alabasta, "You shouldn't be so quick to judge Cobra, I already read the content on the Ponoglyph as we arrived. I'm not as clueless as you think I am." Naruto told him as the King went wide eyed

Naruto walked closer to the cube to inspect it closer to see if there was anything he missed as Cobra remained as shocked as ever after learning that someone else was able to read the forbidden language. He then stumbled back and saw a sword that lied off to the side and in his head thought that the best possible action was to end it all right now and take the Yonko's life, believing that he was going to use this knowledge for evil. He picked up the sword in hand and walked over slowly to the Yonko and raised it above his head and prepared to strike. Without a second thought Cobra swung the sword with all his might as it passed straight through Naruto's body and he then caught the sword in his hand after it went through.

"Is this how you treat your guests Cobra, by trying to kill them?" Naruto asked as the King was put back into shock at the fact Naruto was unfazed by his attack

Nefertari Cobra grinded his teeth as he tried to pull back the blade from Naruto's hand but with no luck, the Water God saw what he was doing and then crushed the blade of the sword with his bare hand and the King fell back onto the ground. Cobra was about to speak but Naruto cut him off, "If you're thinking I only want to find the weapon to use it you're wrong, I told you what my goals are and they're truthful." He explained

Cobra calmed a bit before replying, "And how do I know you're not just telling a lie?"

Naruto laughed a bit, "If I really wanted to I could've stormed Alabasta by myself and taken it by force. I chose to come and ask permission to try and be more trusting with you. I understand that you have bad experiences with Pirates but I also know that you've had good experiences with them too. Like the Straw Hat Pirates." Naruto told him. "The Captain of their crew, Luffy, he's my brother. All I'm asking is that you put the same faith in me that you put in him." Naruto continued as he extended his hand out to the King who took it

Cobra then wiped some dust and sand off his clothes before looking back at the younger man and sighing, "Fine, I trust that you'll destroy the weapon. I'm sorry for attempting to strike you down, it was shameful of me to do so." Cobra remarked as Naruto just laughed it off as the to exited the tomb

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Minutes Later. . .

The two men had exited the tomb and were now on their way back to the Palace, after the little scuffle and some talking over from Naruto, Cobra had dropped the whole topic about the ancient weapons and had just been getting to know the Yonko as a person rather than a Pirate.

"How do I know you just won't be like Crocodile?" Cobra asked with a raised brow

Naruto laughed at the older man, "I told you that I won't be running your country Cobra, when I asked you if I could make Alabasta my territory it's to make sure something like Crocodile won't happen again!" Naruto expressed to the man

"Care to explain?" The King of Alabasta asked with a raised brow while showing a smile

"If Pirates catch wind of Alabasta being a part of a Yonko's territory then they would full well know to stay away in fear of having my crew or myself going after them." The Pirate explained in the simplest way possible

Cobra sighed as he started to laugh, "Then if that's the case I guess it's in my best interest to agree with you."

Naruto too chuckled along, "Indeed it is."

They continued to walk back to the Palace to discuss more but were quickly distracted by Nefertari Vivi running straight towards the two men. She stopped for a second in front of them and caught her breath before addressing both of them in a worried expression, "Father! The Marines are at the Palace looking for you! They wanted to speak with you about a dangerous man who came into the capital today and had said that Mr. Naruto matched the man's description!" Vivi finished, panting a little

"Well if that's the case then I should get moving." Naruto told the two as he clasped his hands together

Cobra looked at him funny before speaking, "Why flee from a few Marines? You're a Yonko after all."

Naruto chuckled as he began to slowly walk in the opposite direction of the two royals, "I know I can take them, it's just I hate to cause a scene and have an Admiral sent after me."

"Fair enough." Cobra said as Naruto walked away towards the shore of the island

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A few minutes later. . .

Naruto had managed to get past all of the Marines that were patrolling the city and navigated his way to the shore of the island and was ready to go to the next island on his way to Water-7 before a few figures stopped him from proceeding forwards.

The Water Titan was facing the open sea before sensing said figures with his observation haki, he then let out a heavy sigh and turned back around to face them, "Do you think there's any chance you'll let me go without a fight this time. . . Smokey?"

"No! This time you're finally going to get the justice you deserve Pirate! You managed to ditch me back in Lougetown all those years ago but not this time punk! You're going down!" The Marine captain exclaimed as he drew his weapon

"I see you're not alone either, you brought Hina with you as well, so much for not making a scene." Naruto laughed as he took a few steps back towards the water

"HOW DARE YOU TALK TO OUR BEAUTIFUL BOSS, PIRATE!" Shouted the two odd-dressed Marines on either side of Hina

The pink-haired lady sighed as she put both her hands out to signal them to shut up, "Jango! Fullbody! Both of you stand back and be quiet! This guy isn't some run of the mill Pirate, he was able to beat Hina with ease so don't fool around!" Hina told the both of them as they both saluted and seemed to move further back at a quick pace

"I suggest you do the same Tashigi! I don't need you getting in my way of this fight!" Smoker told his subordinate, she was about to argue but Smoker convinced her to fall back with a quick glare

Both Marine Captains were now in attack stances ready to fight the Yonko as Naruto got into it a little and prepared for a fight. "Since when was a two verse one ever fair?" The Yonko complained as the two Captains charged at him without giving an answer

"Smoke Punch!" Smoker yelled out as his hand launched forward at Naruto at an extremely fast pace heading right for his head

Naruto waited for the last possible second to dodge, he evaded the strike from Smoker by moving off to the side but was greeted by Hina descending from above him with one of her black cage bars being used as a spear. When right above him, she pushed the spear down in hope to inflict some major damage but Naruto was able to wrap his arm around the spear, gripping it, and kick her off of it.

Without any warning, Smoker immediately followed up his last attack with a few strikes from his sea stone tipped sword. The Yonko had decided to use Hina's spear as a means to deflect said strikes away from his body, knowing full well that if he was hit square on with the sea stone that it could really hurt him. "You know Smokey, you gotta hit me to take me down!" Naruto taunted as the taller man kept a level head and continued to strike

"You may be a Yonko punk but I still got you beat when it comes to swordsmanship!" The male marine said as he disarmed Naruto and pointed his weapon at him

Naruto laughed as he raised his hands in defeat, "You're right, you're right! I'm not as good with a weapon as you are! But that doesn't mean I don't know how to fight with my bare hands!"

Naruto was too focused on Smoker to notice that Hina had recovered from her blow and had began to run back at him from behind Smoker, unseen by the Yonko. "Here Water Titan, why don't you catch!" Smoker said as he tossed his weapon at Naruto and he caught it

Confused as to why Smoker just handed over his weapon Naruto looked up with a raised brow and saw that with in a split second Smoker dispersed into smoke and Hina busted through from behind him. She extended her arm around him and managed to get the time to get an attack off. "Iron Bind!" She yelled out as her arm passed through the Yonko's body

Naruto's eyes widened as he was now trapped in one of Hina's restraints. Normally this wouldn't be a problem but the tip of Smoker's weapon was pressed against his chest which prevented him from turning into water. The bond around him began to tighten, preventing him from being able to move his arms in any way. "Damn! T-that was stupid!" Naruto managed to say through the pain

The pain was so overwhelming, Naruto collapsed onto his knees as the bond continued to compress around his body. "There's no use in struggling, my bonds only get tighter once they've been applied. You lose." Hina stated, folding her arms over her chest

"You shouldn't be so sure!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped up from his prone position. He coated his arms and shoulders in haki and then pushed as hard as he could outwards. With a little bit of struggle the restraints snapped off and Smoker's weapon well to the ground, no longer causing the Yonko any trouble. "I don't think I'll be taking you two lightly anymore!" Naruto continued as he got into a fighting stance

Smoker didn't have any words as he just charged back into battle again, preparing another punch for the Yonko but Naruto just coated his hands in haki and began to combat him. Strike after strike Naruto was blocking and then delivering quick haki infused jabs back to Smoker, tiring him out. Eventually, the Marine was tired enough so that an opening was seen by Naruto and he took full advantage of it. Quickly, the captain of the Whirlpool Pirates swept his legs and saw that he was now parallel with the ground and then prepared his next attack.

"Electro Palm!" Naruto yelled as he slammed his palm into Smoker with enough force to break the rocks and move the sand beneath him

After the attack sent shocks through his body, Smoker coughed up blood and struggled to get back to his feet. Seeing what just happened, Tashigi, Fullbody, and Jango all decided to go against their orders and come and assist anyways.

"Bastard!" Hina yelled as she began to combat him once again

She swung her arms at him in rage, not really planning her attacks to well which allowed Naruto to easily dodge each one. "You know you really like these little binds of yours! Why don't you try them out yourself!" Naruto spoke as he swiped his arm similar to Hina across the woman's upper body and immediately followed by another across her legs. The result of the attack left two rings of ice around the female captain, very similar to her own attacks, this left her unable to move her arms and her legs and she was left completely helpless.

The Yonko then pushed her over with one finger as she fell next to the downed Smoker, unable to fight. "BOSS!" Both Jango and Fullbody yelled out as they ran in to assist her

Naruto saw what they were trying to do and then got right in their path, once they were next to him he laid a hand on each ones shoulder and spoke two words. "Ice Time." And in a blink of an eye the two men were frozen solid

Seeing her comrades fall prompted Tashigi to finally join the fight and take on the Yonko, even though she did not stand a chance. She raised her sword above her head and slashed it downwards in hopes to cut the man but Naruto was able to react fast enough and catch the blade, clapping his two hands on either side of the edge before it connected with his body. He then moved his hands ever so slightly and pushed into the blade which caused it to snap in half and land on the ground, broken.

Taking a look around, Naruto concluded to himself that he was done here and began to run towards the ocean. "Thanks for the fight Hina, Smokey, uh you other guys! It was fun, but don't think that little trick you pulled will work again!" He said with a grin as he dove into the water and made his escape from Alabasta.

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A Few Days Later. . .

After escaping the clutches of the Marines, Naruto popped back out from underneath the water and made an ice raft so that he didn't waste his energy swimming. He had then been calmly drifting along with the current of the ocean, unknowingly not following his log pose correctly for a few days now before he noticed that his raft was no longer moving with the current, it had stopped.

"What on earth is going on? The raft isn't moving, and there's no currents. I also don't feel any winds either, strange." The Yonko thought out loud as he judged the situation he was dealt with

He looked around for any signs of life and spotted an island not too far away, "Well that looks to be my only option for the time being, I didn't want to have to swim but I guess I have to." He said as he jumped into the water and swam over to the island

Upon arriving on the island, Naruto noticed that the outskirts were covered in trees and was unable to see anything above him. He walked through the foliage, making a reasonable amount of noise when doing so and was attempting to find any sort of intelligent life on the island so that he may find a way to Water-7. The further and further into the island he went he noticed that snakes were becoming a more common feature, seeing some carvings in trees of them, some stone statues, and the animal itself.

"You'd think that there would be an easier way to get through all of this greenery!" The young man yelled out as he pushed leaves and shrubs out of his path

He was so caught up and focused on removing the plants out of his path, he didn't notice the figure that was trailing not too far behind him. The said figure had managed to find a vantage point in one of the trees, which allowed the figure to have the perfect line of sight to Naruto. It then took a tube from its side and loaded a dart of some sort into it, and then coated the said dart in haki and blew.

The dart flew through the foliage and hit Naruto right in the shoulder, "Crap!" He yelled out as he looked at his shoulder to discover a haki covered dart sticking out of it

"That hurt! Where the hell did. . .that. . .come. . .from-" He managed to say before he fell on his stomach

The figure then jumped down from the tree and called over another who both looked down at the sleeping Naruto. They inspected him a little before their eyes fell onto his face, they both went wide eyed with shock after seeing him and then took a few steps backwards.

"I-is that what I think it is!" One of the figures voiced

The other nodded, "Indeed, we need to bring him to the village. The Snake Princess will know what to do."