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Chapter Text

“I want to get strong enough to protect my precious people!”  

His own words echoed in his head, another snippet of dreams slipping through to reality. The twelve-year-old blond with no past and no true way to remember it sighed heavily and looked skyward. An easy feat since he was lying on the ground. He was just a little bit scuffed up because of his latest chase with his blue birdie friend. 

Closing his eyes the preteen let the bone deep ache in his heart surge so that it could go back asleep again. 

‘Precious people’… he didn’t have those. At least, not anymore. They weren’t here but inside his dreams, his memories. He remembered ninja. A shinobi world. Not a place with sea, sea, and sea with islands everywhere in between. It… there weren’t a lot of fond memories… Many bad ones he’d really like to forget again. 

But he at least had someone be there for him. Hokage-jiji and later Iruka-sensei. Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan. Kakashi-sensei too. 

It hurt . To remember having precious people but not have anything. Anyone. Just the island with the village that thought him an anomaly, a monster, something other than human . 

The worst thing was… he didn’t truly know if they were wrong or right. 

He’d appeared in a giant flash of light at the bottom of a crater it left behind. A crater that used to be a nearby hill. And he’d been found unconscious but unscathed. He had ‘superhuman’ abilities that were the norm in his memories. People were wary. They feared that he would blow up like some bomb and there’d be no village left. It was way too similar to Konoha’s people. 

And he was determined to prove them wrong! 

But… It’s just… 

He was so alone . 

“You were everything to him! He gave his life for you! Does that mean nothing !?”  

“Even shinobi are human.”  

"I'll never go back on my word!"

Haku… Zabuza. He remembered now. His first C-rank mission to Wave Country. Where his team became more than a team. Where he formed his nindo. His ninja way. Never give up, never go back on his word. Protect his precious people no matter what. Protect Team 7 . 

He took a shuddering breath, letting one tear escape past his eyelids. 

With the press of memories gone he opened his eyes to the tweeting sound of his playing partner. The blue birdie who he’d been chasing and almost caught this time. She looked at him with worried black eyes and twittered. He let out a rough laugh before sitting up and grinning, masking pain behind a familiar expression. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Guess what! I remembered a new trick! Next time I’ll definitely catch you!” 

The bird looked at him for a second longer before puffing her feathers up proudly. Naruto pouted. 

“C’mon, Bluey, I’ve caught you seven times now!" he told it, completely ignoring the fact that Bluey had evaded him at least seventy . 

His little friend clacked its beak and took off to the skies. The blonde with whisker marks sighed again. 

“See you tomorrow, I guess…" he hopped to his feet easily enough before grinning. It was much more real than before. 

After all, he could learn to walk on walls now! That had to count for something!  

xXXx

There were two boats on the horizon. 

Naruto felt both ecstatic and apprehensive. The last time uninvited people came to Wheat Village… didn’t go… well. He shook his head to clear the memory and hoped this time they weren’t hostile. He would step in to protect the people if they attacked but… 

He shuddered. Those eyes. They always followed him. Everywhere he went. Whispers, threats, and fear and he hated that . 

Well, at least they came from this side so he could confront them first. Or observe them. Naruto did know how to hide, even in his favourite colour. Though he hadn’t been able to get anything fully orange. His dark brown hoodie did have two orange stripes down the sleeves as decoration though. Other than that, he had a red spiral on his shirt Sasha stitched for him from his memories. His shorts were black and sandals a dark gray, so those were more stealthy colors too which, annoyingly, helped. 

The blond hid in the big trees of the forest. It was the only part of the small-ish island that had a bigger forest. Everything else was farmland or hills. One of which his… arrival had destroyed. 

Anyway, at a glance the three occupants of the boat were strangely diverse. A straw hat boy with a red vest and… was he bouncing? Yeah, the teen was excited alright. It made him grin a little. That didn’t seem like something a person who wanted to harm others would do. Reminded him of himself actually. 

The other was green haired. With not one, not two, but three katana at his hip. Whoa. Could he use all of them at once, he wondered? That would be awesome to see in action… As long as the action wasn’t aimed at the village. 

Last but not least, there was an orange haired woman on board. His eyes were probably sparkling. Someone had orange hair! That was so cool! Hair in his favorite color! He was kind of jealous. She didn’t have any visible weapons on her and was shaking her head at something or other with a smile. Naruto liked her already. 

Well, as long as they wouldn’t hurt anyone here. Except maybe Kai and his gang. Sasha they should leave alone on the pain of pain! She was the only one to do things for him, even if she was a grouchy old woman. And had… those eyes. 

“Land ho, land ho!" the straw hat guy whooped as he leapt from the boat to land in a jump Naruto thought only he was able to do here. 

Excitement flashed through him and he let his grin widen. There was a sliver of hope in there too, that maybe he wasn’t alone as a shinobi here. Maybe there were others. But the teen didn’t really move like a ninja so probably not. 

“You’re way too excited about this. I told you it was just to gather food supplies. Wheat Village has good ingredients," the orange lady told the raven haired straw hat guy who puckered his lips in a pout. 

“Boo! Where’s your sense of adventure?" he booed childishly. 

The swordsman just yawned as he stepped to shore and Naruto’s eyes were immediately drawn to his sharp eyes and earrings, thinking he reminded him of a scarier Shikamaru. A pang of homesickness was easily ignored. Again. 

“Oi, Nami. Which way is the village?" the swordsman asked. “I want a taste of their sake.” 

Naruto thought for a second before nodding to himself. They didn’t seem like they’d cause trouble. Not on purpose at least. Might as well say hello. He was curious after all. So he jumped down from the trees and landed at the edge of the forest. 

“Yo!" he greeted, copying Kakashi-sensei. 

Everyone stared. For two seconds. Then… 

“Yo!" the teen with the straw hat copied, down to the hand lifted up in greeting. 

Naruto grinned happily. He was right, these guys looked like fun. 

“Sorry for listening in," he snickered, not sorry at all. “Wheat Village is that way! I can show you there," he pointed right where they’d find a road that would take them straight to their destination. 

The straw hat guy grinned. “Thanks!” 

And then started walking after Naruto who was just a step ahead. He heard that Nami-lady grumble something about way too easy trust and the swordsman replying that he was just a helpful kid. It was nice to be thought of as helpful for once. 

“So, I’m Naruto. Who’re you guys?" he asked, turning to walk backwards. He knew the way well enough. 

“Shishishishi, I’m Luffy! They’re Nami and Zoro, my crewmates," the straw hat guy told him. 

Naruto blinked and tilted his head in question. “Crewmates?” 

“We’re pirates!" Luffy stated proudly. “I’m going to be the King of the Pirates!” 

The twelve-year-old heard Nami mutter something about being just acquaintances but he was so shocked at the matter-of-fact declaration he tripped on a rock he knew was there and yelped. Reflexes kicked in and he flipped on his hands to end up back on his feet, facing Luffy with an incredulous look. 

“Pirates?" he asked since they didn’t look it. And that surety behind Luffy’s statement… it reminded him of his own once-dream. Hokage. He didn’t know if he ever made it. 

Zoro, the swordsman, seemed to be re-evaluating him for some reason. Probably intrigued at the show of easy acrobatics. Luffy laughed again and confirmed it. 

“Yup!” 

Now Naruto was just the littlest bit worried and frowned at all of them. “You won’t try to burn or destroy the village, will you? Or steal?” 

Nami was quick to placate him, even as Zoro gave her a side-eye. “ No . We’re here to restock since this idiot- ," she pointed to Luffy, “-ate all our food.” 

The blond frowned at her, judging sincerity, and then grinned brightly. 

“That’s okay then! C’mon, I have some stuff I need to do so I’ll just show you the road.” 

He chatted amiably with all of them, admiring Zoro’s swords, asking what was a Pirate King (the looks of disbelief said he should know), sharing that he loved the ramen here (not as good as old man Teuchi's, and a rarity) and yeah there was sake, and told them about the village and island in general. They reached the road all too soon and Naruto waved them goodbye with a grin. He still stood by the opinion that they were cool and not really a danger to the village. 

Still. Just to be safe he made a shadow clone with orders to watch them. He didn’t need a repeat of last time. Especially not now. 

With that he bounced back to the forest, jumping on the branches like only a Leaf ninja could. Back to searching it was. He felt like groaning. It was times like these he dearly wished Kiba or Shino were here, though he wasn’t completely sure why he thought that. 

Anyway. Crossed fingers and twenty clones would make him able to cover more ground. 

This was going to be another long day. 

xXXx

“Naruto is a nice kid," Nami commented as they walked towards the very nearby village. 

Zoro just grunted. He’d noticed how he carried himself, though he’d been hiding it well. It was the gait of someone used to fighting. His steps had made next to no sound too. That wasn’t something you trained in an instant. Still, he seemed genuine in all his comments and conversation. 

To be truthful, he'd kind of liked that little guy. 

“Hmm. He looked sad," Luffy told them out of the blue. 

The swordsman cocked an eyebrow. That seemed odd. He looked cheerful and amazed by the world around him. Kind of like Luffy, really, but more reserved… Maybe his captain had a point. 

They walked into the small-ish village to see that the center was a marketplace. There were all kinds of ingredients lined up, mostly grown on fields or fished. Some duck and pork were on display and it didn’t surprise him that Luffy’s attention immediately went there. 

"Meat!" he drooled with a happy expression and Nami snatched his collar to stop him rushing there that instant. 

"No! We need to manage my money properly and that's not helping! " she snapped. 

"Awww," Luffy whined petulantly but bounced right back to his normal cheerful self. 

Zoro tuned them out as he scanned the surroundings, looking for the sake Naruto had promised was being sold. Only for a voice to address him from behind. 

"Excuse me," the tall brunet man said sheepishly. "I couldn't help but notice your swords. Are you any good?" 

This had the swordsman's eyes narrowing as he told the truth. "I am." 

Not at his goal yet but he would be. 

The man's eyes flashed in something like relieved victory. There was some fear in his eyes as he swallowed though. Which was… ominous. 

"Good…" the man licked his lips nervously. "My name is Kai and I and my guys own much of the meat and alcohol products. We would be willing to give them to you for free if you could help us with a problem that requires a good fighter." 

Zoro's eyes didn't show emotion and neither did his face. He didn't have time to think up a response before two slightly un welcome voices piped in. 

"Meat?" asked Luffy's. 

"Free?" went Nami's. 

And just like that the swordsman knew they were going to take care of this ‘problem’ one way or another. He wished he could sigh out loud. 

Well, free sake sounded good either way. 

xXXx

Naruto ran through the treetops as fast as he could and reached the other side in seconds. His clones had found it. The big creature that had stolen from the village again and again at night. In fact, it was going towards the village right now even though it was still the afternoon. 

He needed to stop it. 

The blond made it just as the creature with long ears and a bear-like body snatched something in his teeth and turned towards him. Naruto’s eyes narrowed and stomach dropped as he recognized Sasha’s quilt, the one she’d painstakingly made all through last year and didn’t let him touch. It had been drying outside. 

He gritted his teeth and launched himself at the creature, wishing he had kunai or shuriken or something . 

It dodged his high kick but Naruto had already twisted his body to punch its snout with all his strength. ‘All his strength’ was pretty powerful. He’d smashed a small dent in a tree with it. This time it was enough to topple the bear like creature and for it to smack its head to a wall. Hard. 

Naruto winced. It might have been a while since he needed to punch with his full strength. That was a dent, alright. Surprisingly, it didn’t knock the bear out though it looked dazed for a second. 

"Let go of Granny Sasha's quilt!" he hissed through his teeth. 

The bear-fox-thingy growled and swung its paw with more speed than a creature that big should have. Naruto dodged, obviously, like he dodged the next three hits too. They left deep claw marks to the ground and the wall. That too made him wince. 

He needed to get the quilt back. 

Grabbing the thing with both hands he planted his feet to the ground with chakra. That technique had really become useful since he learned it a month ago. But he realized didn't want the quilt to rip. So he went ahead and ended the tug of war with a leap and hands clamped around the fox-like jaws. 

They struggled for what felt like an eternity before Naruto finally got the teeth to open up. Fast as lightning he yanked the cloth out and kicked the jaws closed before letting out a blast of killing intent. Something he'd learned scared normal people and animals away. 

Killing intent had been hard to learn since he didn't actually want to kill anyone. But maybe it worked because he would do it if he had to. Animals, though, were easier to kill. If he ate them later that is. And right now he wasn't opposed to the idea of eating the thing that stole food and stuff from them. 

It wasn’t a surprise to him that the creature froze, trembling, before it bolted with a terrified bark. 

Naruto sighed in relief and lifted the quilt up sadly. It was all wrinkled now and had saliva coating it. He was dismayed to find that despite his efforts, it now had a row of teeth marks. Stupid thief. Sounds from around the corner didn’t leave him with enough time to flee before a sandy blond man called Taoru saw him. 

He hunched his shoulders at the eyes that flashed with anger and fear and shuffled his feet. 

“Um-" he started but was cut off with a furious yell. 

“ You-! " Taoru shouted. “I knew it! We should’ve chased you out last time! Now you’ve gone and called a demon to do your dirty work!” 

Naruto clenched his fists in anger, about to defend himself with words, but the villagers nearby had heard the commotion and came to look at what he’d done now . But he hadn’t done anything . It hurt. He opened his mouth to retort but choked on his words as Sasha came out. 

“You little demon brat what have you done!? " she shouted in a shrill voice, eyes on the quilt still clenched in his hand. 

He watched, wide eyed, as the villagers gasped and glared. Kids sneered and glowered. Sasha was trembling, eyes clouded with fear. That- That was like a knife to the gut. The only one ever even borderline kind to him was… like this. It was too much like Mizuki-sensei had been. Nice and helpful and then only using , fearful and furious. 

“I- I didn’t-" he was cut off again. 

“ LIES! " Kai’s voice roared as the crowd parted to let him through. “We’ve caught you now! You’re not supposed to be at the village this late. You’re not supposed to be here at all! ” 

Everyone started shouting. Accusations one after another. The knife twisted . He was scared. He was angry. He needed to prove them wrong . 

“Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" he yelled from the bottom of his lungs, chest heaving as he glared at everyone. “I haven’t. done. ANYTHING wrong! Stop- Stop looking at me like that!” 

There was a moment of quiet as everyone stared . Coldness. Fear. So familiar yet so hurtful still. He felt like crying. But he’d long since learned to turn that into strength. 

“I’ll prove it to you," he vowed. “I, Uzumaki Naruto, will prove to you I’m not the one stealing.” 

And he fled, leaving the quilt behind, determination coursing through his veins. 

He didn’t notice Luffy standing at the back. 

xXXx

Just a little earlier a conversation took place. 

“Demon fox?" Nami asked dubiously. 

Luffy’s eyes were sparkling. 

Kai nodded in frustrated anger. “Yes. The foxes it controls have been stealing our food, supplies, and valuables. I’m asking you to catch it and make sure it never does again.” 

The orange haired young woman smiled waaaay too innocently and chirped. “Okay!” 

She turned to Zoro and Luffy with a gleam in her eyes. 

It shouldn’t be a surprise that the swordsman was now in the forest to look for the demon that could control foxes and the rubber man rushed around the village to find it so he could ask them to join his crew. Nami herself went looking for more supplies and haggling poor stall owners. Luffy was the one to stumble across a gathered mob around a wide alley. It piqued his interest and he wandered over to find out what was going on just to see a familiar blond at the center of it. 

He was just about to walk over to ask what was happening when the boy spoke. 

“I’ll prove it to you," Naruto told the village defiantly. “I, Uzumaki Naruto, will prove to you I’m not the one stealing!” 

And then he ran. Luffy blinked, not having realized the blond was that fast, then realized what he’d said and grinned. He liked Naruto. And it looks like they were both looking for the sneaky stealing demon fox. The teen immediately ran through the crowd and rushed after, ignoring the brunet man’s cheering to get rid of it already . 

How silly. He wanted to know what the demon was like before doing anything! 

“HEEEEEY!" he shouted and got Naruto to stop on a tree branch and wow he was moving like a monkey! But with just his feet! 

Well, he’d do it like a real monkey. Luffy grinned at the shocked look on the kid’s face when he shot his arm to the branch next to him and flung himself on it. The blond's head snapped towards him and gaped. There were tears in his eyes though. It made Luffy frown. 

“Eh? Are you crying?" he asked worriedly. He didn’t want this boy to cry. It felt… wrong . 

Naruto blinked and raised a hand to his cheek. It came away wet and he furiously rubbed his face with his sleeve before grinning up at the older boy. 

“That was awesome! Your arm stretched! How did you do that?" he asked, hopping over and poking at said arm. 

Not at all worried about the intrusion to his personal space, Luffy laughed. He was happy the blond wasn’t crying anymore. Granted, he was still sad but if acting happy made him okay then he’d let Naruto act happy. 

xXXx

Naruto was a bit lost on what to make of this situation, so he poked the rather normal, if a bit bouncy, arm again to hope for a distraction. 

“I ate a Devil Fruit, Gomu Gomu no Mi! I’m a rubber man now," Luffy, the stretchy weirdo who followed Naruto through a forest, said proudly. 

The blond’s eyes were wide. “A rubber man? How does that work?” 

Luffy stretched his cheeks out with both arms and was rewarded with an incredulous laugh from the boy. His eyes were sparkling. But then something occurred to him and he frowned in confusion. 

“Uh… Why’d you follow me?" he asked. 

The would-be Pirate King’s cheeks snapped back into place but his grin didn’t slip an inch. 

“I wanted to meet the demon fox!” 

Instantly, Naruto hunched and he became guarded. He radiated wariness, mouth pressed in a stubborn line. 

"Who said I was the demon fox? It was Kai, wasn't it…" 

Of course that guy would try to ruin his new chance at making friends… He dreaded everything when Luffy's eyes widened in realization and he pointed at Naruto, shocked. 

" You're the demon fox!" 

"NO! I'm NOT the stupid demon fox, stupid!!" Naruto snapped. 

"You're not?" Luffy asked, and strangely he sounded… disappointed?

Not willing to trust it, the blond frantically shook his head, hand unconsciously hovering over his stomach. His companion folded his arms with a pout. 

"Awww. That would've been so cool," then he stared at Naruto accusingly. "If you're not a demon fox what are you!?" 

"A ninja!" the boy yelped out, very much off kilter and out of his element. Who would want to meet a demon fox because it sounded cool!?  

Wait, scratch that. He himself definitely would. Nevermind. But… he smiled tentatively. Because. This guy had wanted to find a demon fox because it sounded cool. And was disappointed when he didn't find one, even if the blond technically did have a demon fox sealed inside him. Or at least a nine tailed fox. 

Luffy was looking at him oddly, mouth wide open. There were sparkles. 

Uhh… what now? he felt sweat gathering on his brow at the sudden shine his conversation partner's eyes had taken. 

"A ninja!?" hands clamped on his shoulders and that D-shaped grin was way too close . " JOIN MY CREW!! " 

" WHAT!? " 

Naruto officially didn't understand what was going on. So he did the logical thing and pushed it aside until he had time to deal with it. After all, he had a feeling he had forgotten something. Something important, something he was supposed to- 

"AH!" he shouted in sudden realization. "I still have to catch that fox bear creature!" 

He jumped to the next branch and sped off towards the lead one of his clones had found. Five leaps later he noticed an arm stretching beside him and Luffy following it. The pirate was coming after him, monkey style. His eye twitched. 

"Wait up!" the monkey yelled. 

"Why are you following me!?" Naruto shouted back. 

“You’re gonna find that thief, right?" was the answer that almost made him faceplant on the next branch but he caught himself just in time. 

He slowed down enough for Luffy and him to be side by side. “You- You believe me?” 

The teen gave him a look that said he was the idiot here. “Duh!" Then he grinned. “Besides, I wanna see the real demon fox!” 

And then he crashed into a tree trunk with an ‘oomph’. Naruto stopped again with a sweatdrop. 

“You okay?" he asked. 

“I’m fine," came the muffled reply before Luffy got his still grinning face — his head bounced into place, creepy — out of the bark. “I’m made of rubber, remember?” 

Naruto felt a smile grow on his face. He did remember. And boy was it funny on this particular teenager. Though he hadn’t seen something like that power since- since what? Ugh. Whatever. Choji too had some technique that reminded him of it but different. Multi-size or something. 

…Luffy believed him. And would probably follow him no matter what. To be truthful, Naruto didn’t mind. He actually felt grateful. 

Still. His smile gained a mischievous edge. 

“Wanna help me catch the real demon fox?" he asked hopefully. 

He was answered by an equally mischievous laugh and a thumbs up. “You bet! Shishishi!” 

And thus the pirate and the ninja disappeared into the soon-to-be-evening, towards the clearing Naruto found the pawprints at. 

xXXx

Huh? The bear fox thing was just… standing there? Naruto frowned, not sure whether he liked this or not. On the other hand, they found it… on the other… 

"Yosh!" Luffy said, a hand on his bicep and ready to throw his fist. 

"Don't hit it yet!" Naruto hissed before jumping down and sneaking around to see what it was doing. 

He stopped straight in front of it and the creature didn’t move an inch, except for breathing. It had a dazed look in its eyes… Which actually reminded him of genjutsu. Was it seeing an illusion? Wait, had it seen an illusion when it attacked!? If that was so then someone was making it see things and- 

There were sounds of footsteps coming closer. 

Naruto immediately dashed towards the tree he’d left Luffy in and ran up its trunk. He hid next to the rubber man and put a finger on his lips in a mark to be silent. Then had to cover the teen’s mouth since he looked a second away from shouting something! Seriously, why- !? 

Oh. He ran up a tree trunk , of course Luffy would think it cool. 

“Tch. Is it wearing off?" someone with a gruff voice asked. “It didn’t bring anything.” 

The ninja looked sideways and stiffened, eyes widening. He recognized those guys. Luffy was pawing at his hand with a slightly miffed expression. A little bit apologetic, Naruto released the pirate’s mouth before looking back at the thugs. He was glad Luffy didn’t say anything, both because he wanted to hear what was going on and because he was sure his expression betrayed his apprehension. 

“Calm down, that hypnotist guy told us it’d last two weeks at a time. That stuff is strong on animals like this," a black bearded guy with knives strapped to his tights answered. 

He was right. There was an illusion at play. His fingers curled into fists. 

“Oh yeah? Didn’t he also say that a good hit to the head could release it?" the bigger guy snarked. 

That made the knife guy wince… except he still stood his ground. “A good hit that knocks it unconscious . Where’s that tall brunet at?” 

The other one grumbled and gave some commands he couldn’t focus on, leading the fox bear out of the clearing and into the shadows. They stayed there, as though waiting for something. 

Tall brunet…? No. They can’t mean- his thoughts were cut off by a clone popping in the forest to relay information. It was the clone he’d assigned to follow Luffy and his group. 

Memories filtered through and made his teeth grit in rage. Kai. And wasn’t that ironic, since ‘kai’ was supposed to shatter illusions. He’d hired Luffy, Zoro, and Nami to go after him . Well, tough luck with that . Kai was also coming here . He should’ve known. 

“Who are those guys?" Luffy wondered next to him, voice quieter than normal but still too loud. 

Naruto twitched before sighing and replying in a whisper. “I beat them up a while back. They were pirates that attacked Wheat Village.” 

Then neither had time to talk as Kai stepped through the trees and into the clearing. His smile was self satisfied. 

"Everything is going according to plan," he said to the hiding pirates. "The village believes that demon kid to be the culprit. No one suspects your group." 

Group. That means the others are here as well , Naruto thought grimly. 

Kai was betraying the village in order to drive him away. That- That was just wrong . Why would he? Didn't he care that these men had attacked them before? Wait, was that even a coincidence? In light of this Kai might even have worked with them that day. 

The pirates had been pretty determined to gut him and Kai did hate him for some reason. 

"Good. You're sure they'll blame him?" the big bandit asked. 

"Absolutely," Kai confirmed. "Even Sasha is against him now." 

Naruto flinched, gut feeling like it had been punched through. He’d felt this before, though he didn’t really know why. The- The feeling of disappointed betrayal . A hand landed on his shoulder and he turned to Luffy who had a confident smile on his face. 

"Don't worry. You'll prove them wrong." 

For a second, he was in shock. No one- absolutely no one - had ever said that to him. Not one person had believed him without a second thought. Luffy’s own declaration of being the King of the Pirates flashed in his mind. Then, slowly, he smiled back. Gratefully. 

“Yeah. I will. Believe it!" he said in a whisper that got gradually surer. 

Luffy just grinned and patted his shoulder proudly. 

Just then a loud rustle and the crack of branches snapping came from the other side of the clearing. Everyone minus Luffy stiffened. Then… 

A green haired swordsman walked in. 

Which, of course, made Luffy jump down from the tree to greet him.

“Zoro!”

Naruto sighed. There went the attempt at stealth. He looked to the gobsmacked looks on the pirates’ and Kai’s faces and snickered. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. 

“Luffy," Zoro blinked in slight surprise. “Did you find that demon?” 

The captain promptly pointed at the fox bear a healthy way away from the pirates in the shadows, “They said it had to be knocked out.” 

“YOU WERE FOLLOWED!?" the two pirates roared at Kai. 

“THEY WERE LISTENING!?" Kai roared at exactly the same time. 

“Knocked out, huh?" Zoro smirked. “I needed a good fight after a trek in this cursed forest.” 

“ DON’T IGNORE US!! " the three plotters screamed indignantly. 

It was at that point Naruto saw it fit to jump in right beside Luffy. He was glaring at Kai. 

“I should’ve known you would do something like this, Kai!" he said furiously. “Why do you hate me so much, huh!?” 

“YOU!" they all shouted, slight panic entering their faces before one of them pointed at them. “Demonic force, attack!” 

That seemed to be some kind of activation phrase as the fox bear snapped his gaze to them and snarled. Then pounced. Straight at Naruto who jumped out of the way and was ready for another attack when Zoro leapt in. 

“I might not know what’s going on…" he started, drawing one sword out. “…but Luffy says this one needs to be knocked out so I’ll do it! You focus on the thugs!” 

The ninja would have protested but remembered the swordsman wanted a fight. And that fox bear was certainly stronger than the average human. With that he nodded and ran after the fleeing men that Luffy was already chasing. 

“Have fun!" he called back to Zoro before running past the rubber man who had gotten a head start. 

He caught up with the bigger pirate first and tripped the guy into a tree. That knocked him out of the chase and the blond boy could focus on the other two. The one with knives had them drawn and jumped on a rock to face the pursuers. It didn’t help him much. Naruto leapt right in front of him and pushed himself into a backflip, catching the knife arms with his hands and kicking the man’s jaw up. He landed on his feet, twisting the still falling pirate’s wrists just so and got the throwing knives to himself. 

It took just about two seconds and he was back to the chase, leaving the unconscious pirate behind. 

Kai was the last one. Naruto pressed his lips together and put on a burst of speed. 

Only to stop in his tracks as he realized where they were. The forest had ended. 

It was the crater. The circle was deep and round and Kai had run right to the center of it. Naruto stayed at the side and the two stared at each other, Kai hatefully and the blond in a kind of desperate confusion. 

"Huh? Why did you stop?" Luffy asked, stopping beside him. 

The blond didn't acknowledge the question, just let a strangled thought escape past his lips. "Why do you hate me, Kai? I get that people are scared 'cause I appeared with the thing that caused this but- but you just hate me. Why?" 

Kai's expression twisted into something ugly . He laughed. A depraved thing that made Naruto shiver because it was directed at him . 

"You idiotic brat… " he breathed. " YOU CAUSED THIS! That stupid pillar of light and noise destroyed this hill! Destroyed my PARENTS' GRAVES AND THE VILLAGE DARES TO LET YOU STAY!?!? " 

The young ninja swayed back, shaking his head. Nobody told him that- that he'd destroyed graves by his sudden appearance in this place. That the hill was a graveyard. A slimmer of guilt passed through him but he stamped it down, sure that Kai would want that to happen. He grit his teeth in directionless anger and sadness. 

"SHUT UP!" Luffy roared. "That's got nothing to do with who Naruto is and HE'S NICE! So there! " 

Once again, Naruto was speechless. Luffy was… defending him. Actually defending him. Even with the childish end, someone was actually speaking up for him with absolute certainty that they were right. That he , the demon brat , was nice . 

His thoughts were cut short by laughter. It wasn't the good kind. 

"…ghhaha. Hahaha! GHAHAHAHA!" Kai laughed. "They let scum like you stay… and now they'll pay for it!" 

Naruto's eyes widened as he stiffened, back ramrod straight and body ready for action. 

"…What did you do?" he asked in horror. 

Screams from the village's direction was the only answer he received. Luffy and him turned to see… a pillar of smoke in the darkening evening. Clear at the village center. The market. 

"Sasha! Everyone!" "The meat! And Nami!" they shouted worriedly and turned to Kai with murderous looks. 

Said man suddenly seemed to be drenched in cold sweat, as though just remembering what he was dealing with. 

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" 

"Gomu Gomu no PISTOL!" 

Fifty clones burst into existence just as Luffy's not-completely-serious punch connected with Kai's gut, making him gasp for stolen breath, and knocked the guy out. Two clones ran by to tie him up and carry him with them. He'd be down for the count for the foreseeable future. Then the two and the orange brown army dashed towards the Wheat Village at full speed. 

xXXx

Nami was furious. 

First and foremost at herself for not noticing the attack soon enough. For not being able to do anything. Second was at the stupid bandits that had invaded the village with loads of foxes and were now aiming guns and swords at the surrounded, innocent civilians. Third was at those exact civilians for heaping the blame on a child just because he had some whisker-like marks on his cheeks and loved orange. 

She didn’t believe that for a second, especially because the adult bandits were trying to spread that idea. Which did not match the bright boy she had met that afternoon. 

The thief gritted her teeth at another terrified and angry scream from the people, focusing on staying hidden so she could maybe free them. Unfortunately, she couldn’t really move from her hiding place since it was the stall with perfumes that masked her scent enough for the controlled foxes to not find her. It didn’t help her temper that the bandits were leisurely securing money and valuable things. 

Like they weren’t even the littlest bit worried about their actions. 

“Psst!" a voice sounded next to her ear and she immediately brandished her bo staff at it. 

She blinked rapidly as she found herself staring at Naruto . What was he doing here? If the bandits were talking like this was his fault, shouldn’t they have captured him? Or worse? She shuddered. That was one other reason she loathed these bandits right now. 

“What are you doing here?" she whispered frantically. “Get out! They could capture you too. Leave this to Luffy, Zoro, and me," truthfully she didn’t know where her traveling companions were. She was prepared to deal with this herself. 

Naruto stared at her oddly before his face broke into a smirk. “Nah. They can’t get me. I’m a ninja! And Luffy’s already here with Boss.” 

That made her blink. It was clearly said in her language. She just couldn’t understand it. Ninja? Boss? But Luffy was already here so that- wait, that might be bad! 

“No… Don’t let him do anything! They have the villagers as hostages! " she whispered. “We need a plan.” 

Aaaand now she was subconsciously including a child in her rescue attempts . Naruto frowned and nodded silently. His mind seemed to go through something before he nodded more firmly and poofed out of existence . Nami gaped. What. Just. What . 

Then another Naruto jumped out from wherever he had been hiding and landed next to her. 

She only needed another two seconds for her brain to reboot, “Wh- But you- And then- Wha- ” 

“Shh!" the new Naruto whispered, “I’m just a clone. The other one dispelled to relay the need of a plan and to message Boss and Luffy.” 

It was at that point Nami decided to just leave the impossibility for now and focus on the situation. There was a hope sparked in her chest now though. The next thing she was about to say was cut short by a shout and by Naruto blinking rapidly in confusion. 

“Captain!" one bandit called out and ran up to the man in charge. 

“Hm? What’s the problem?" there was some annoyance laced in his tone. 

“The prisoner got away!” 

“What!?” 

There was a flurry of panic at the enemy lines and Nami assessed this information even as the Naruto next to her had his eyes going glassy… before he sighed heavily, exasperated and slightly amused. Going over what she knew about the new impossibility in her life the navigator’s mouth dropped open. Everything clicked. 

“Another of your clones was playing prisoner?" she asked. 

The blond started before nodding, wide eyed. 

“How did you know?" he asked curiously. “ I didn’t know until he popped. He was supposed to be searching the forest!” 

Nami took that tidbit in with an inward sigh and smirked. “I’m smart. You can make clones that give you memories, they needed to have you prisoner to blame you without worry of discovery, and your reaction just now.” 

Her little deduction was met with shock and admiration. With blue shining sparkle eyes. It was… somewhat familiar. On the face of Luffy. Nami felt warm at the knowledge she could get those kinds of reactions with her brainpower. 

“Can you do something to get the villagers away from the foxes and bandits? Or the other way around?" she asked seriously. 

The blond thought for a moment before replying. “Uh. They're looking for me, right? I could give them a chase. There’s fifty of me right now but Boss can make more… and we do have that smoke bomb tag, and the knives. I can switch places with people or things from a distance too.” 

He pointed to the throwing knives he was holding in a waist pouch. Nami took a moment to get over the number of clones this boy had at his disposal, along with the switching thing that sounded suspiciously like teleportation , and counted the idea as something usable. Going over her… much less impressive skill set and Luffy’s probable inability to follow any plan except ‘fight until you win’ and Zoro being nowhere to be found… As much as she hated to admit it, Naruto’s skills sounded like the best option to use if they wanted no one to get hurt. 

“Okay," she said. “I’ve got a plan.” 

xXXx

“Wait, Luffy. My clones found Nami, and the villagers could get hurt if we attack now," Naruto said to the straw hat teen as they landed on a rooftop. 

The pirate captain stopped and turned to him, eyes lightning up. 

"Is Nami okay?" he asked. 

Naruto smiled at the clear desire to keep his crew safe. Somehow that wasn't what came to mind when he thought the word 'pirate'. 

"Yeah, she's fine. Just hiding like my clones. She also said we need a plan." 

Luffy grinned. "Your clones are so cool! Can I make one?" 

The ninja was so not used to people praising his techniques. He was sure that teaching shadow clones to someone with less chakra than he had was not a good idea and he had a lot . He wasn't even sure if people here had chakra or not. 

"Uhh, no. It's just like I can't stretch like you do." 

"Oh. That's okay then." 

He smiled before blinking rapidly as new memories from one of his clones assaulted him. Something he wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t trained himself to dig the information out once he remembered that, yeah, he did get the memories. 

Tree hopping, the pirates after Boss started the chase, accidentally-on-purpose got caught, listening for information, needed as a prisoner for something not sure what, oh no screams, inform Boss… 

Yeah, okay. He had not known one of his clones got caught. One of the problems with them. Only a way for the creator give kind-of-commands, no way to get it back unless the chakra construct was destroyed or dispelled itself. But that meant…

“No…" he said out loud, dismayed. “They attacked the village now because- because they thought they caught me. It is my fault…” 

A fist plonked him on the head and Naruto yelped, glaring up at a frowning Luffy. How come his body recognized the straw hat teen as safe? He just met him! 

“What was that for!?” 

“Not your fault! It’s the bad pirates that attacked, not you!" the older boy stated stubbornly, mouth pressed into a line. 

For a moment, Naruto stayed entirely still, blue eyes locked on the pirate as he tried to figure him out. From the first meeting onward, Luffy had left him feeling like he mattered . Like he didn’t have to fight for his place in the world. Proving it that there might be people who accepted him out there. He was accepted by this stranger even while an entire village saw him as an outcast. 

And he allowed himself to smile and take the older boy’s words to heart. 

“Okay. Not my fault. But still happening and we need to stop it!" he decided at last. 

Just in time, since the new clone with Nami dispelled itself to relay a plan. And the plan did sound pretty good. The smile turned into a predatory grin. 

“And Nami came up with the perfect plan.” 

xXXx

A green haired swordsman was seriously contemplating cutting the forest down. He’d been walking around for ages since he knocked the fox demon creature out. It had been an okay fight. Not the best he’d been in but not the easiest either. The creature had been very good at standing up again even after serious slices and strikes from the flat of his blades. 

He hadn’t wanted to kill it after all. 

The woods were a pain though. He’d come across the same knocked out fox bear demon twice now. Zoro swore it was the forest messing with him. He might not be so annoyed if he wasn’t so sure he was missing out on all the action. 

Just then a familiar blond dropped in front of him. 

“Finally found you!" he sighed in relief and pointed behind himself. “C’mon, this way. We’re starting the plan soon.” 

Zoro raised an eyebrow as he followed the running kid. He was one fast little bugger. 

“What plan?” 

Naruto blinked. “Oh, right. There are pirates on the island and they took the village hostage. Basically, I distract them and free the villagers while you and Luffy take ‘em out. Sound good?” 

Yes. It did sound pretty good to the swordsman. He’d been getting frustrated with the trees for a while. It’d be good to fight something right about now. 

“Lead the way, kid," he smirked. 

The kid grinned at him before seeming to remember something. “Oh, yeah. Don’t be alarmed but Boss, that’s the real me, can clone himself. I’m a clone.” 

No one could fault him for the stumble that information caused. 

“ What? " he demanded, righting himself. 

Naruto just laughed, sheepish, and said, “I’m a ninja," as if it explained everything. 

Then again, his captain was a rubber man and they had fought a clown that could chop himself to pieces that fly. Nevermind. Still. This was bound to be interesting . 

xXXx

Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly, freeing the hostages was easy . 

One smokebomb he’d crafted all by himself and the seventy-eight clones could swap themselves with the villagers, panicking pirates and hypnotized foxes or no. Kawarimi, Replacement, made them a little dizzy though and Nami had her work cut out for her calming them down since foxes were everywhere . They hurled accusations at him but were forced to shut up by Nami and Naruto’s clones. 

Nami, because she fingered her staff menacingly for daring to even think that. Clones, because they were clearly protecting them from the foxes, knocking them out and carrying them to a pile. There wasn’t more than twenty or so though (supposedly the mass attacking force was the fox bear Zoro knocked out). All the while Luffy and Zoro pummeled the pirate crew with the real Naruto. 

“Hmm, those clones are a useful trick," the swordsman muttered and the blond didn’t understand how it came out so clear around his sword. Probably practice. 

“Totally-" one Naruto said from the clearing smoke. 

“-one of my best -" another continued. 

“-techniques-”

The real Naruto picked it up, punching a pirate unconscious, “ -EVER! ” 

“Hahahaha! You guys are funny!" Luffy laughed, dodging someone’s swing lazily before knocking them over the head. 

They stayed down. Boy, were the pirates surprised to find their hostages were all swapped with a blond cheekily grinning ninja kid. Their cries of outrage and shock had been music to his ears. 

Anyway, it didn’t take long for the three to wipe them out. Like, Naruto had taken them all a year ago with only one bigger wound that healed right up. Compared to that takedown this was downright lazy . None could even hit them. Let alone escape the line of clones that had taken place to shout encouragement and cheer them on, keeping the bad pirates inside the market. 

Only a bit over five minutes later every pirate turned bandit (kinda, since they were almost always ashore at a cave thingy no one knew existed) (interrogation had been easy and didn’t need violence) rounded up and taking the place of hostages. Except they were more like prisoners. 

“That should do it!" Naruto declared to the village. “No more pirates hypnotizing foxes and other creatures to mess with you!” 

He only wilted a little bit when just half of them looked guilty, apologetic, and relieved. The other part was still wary, scared, and had those eyes . Sasha wasn’t one of them to his relief. Her gaze was soft and full of grief, heartbreaking sadness. That… That might be worse. He shifted his feet, not sure how to fix it. 

“Oi, Boss!" one clone shouted, carrying a wiggling Kai on his shoulder. One of the seven clones (the others guarded prisoners) that did not dispel after the win, “I brought the traitor.” 

The blond gave a thumbs up. “Good. Let’s let the village know what he’s been doing under our noses.” 

This at least proved his innocence. Though many didn’t like it. Especially Kai’s gang. Who were clearly being ostracized by the other villagers now that it came to light Kai was making deals with the thieves to especially target Naruto. Soon the village leader came forward and bowed. 

“We owe you a big apology, young Uzumaki. On the behalf of this village, I apologize and declare you unjustly found guilty of crimes you did not commit. As such you are welcome to live here once more should you want to.” 

Some gasps were heard from the crowd but they were drowned out by cheers. Sasha was smiling sadly. She walked up to him, quilt in hand, and draped it over his shoulders. Naruto stood still in stunned shock. There was still just a hint of wariness behind Sasha’s eyes but it was overshadowed by content happiness and that sliver of grief. 

“You have earned it, Naruto. I made it in remembrance of my son, whose grave rested on that hill. I’m sorry I have not treated you as I should have. Not when you resemble him so much," she told him in a low voice, brushing a gentle hand on his cheek. 

The blond ninja stared up at her in silent shock before smiling and pulling the quilt closer, leaning into her touch. “I forgive you, Sasha-obaasan.” 

He turned to look at the village and swallowed. It… He was happy they welcomed him, or most of them did, but… It wasn’t home. Not like Konoha had been. He’d known it this whole time. He wanted out, to search for a way home . Back to his precious people. If they were still there. And he thought he’d found a way to start searching. 

Grand Line. Nami had said that the Grand Line was a mysterious place and he had a feeling he’d find at least something there. 

“I… Thank you. For the offer, I mean. But I've been remembering more and more about where I came from. I’d like to find it. My real home. It’s been my dream this whole time," he told everyone. “Thank you for letting me stay on the island these past two years but I think I’ll be leaving now.” 

“Of course," Wheat Village’s leader, or mayor, smiled encouragingly. “I think we can spare one of our boats and give supplies-” 

“NO!" Luffy interrupted and got everyone to turn to him, Zoro, and Nami. “Naruto is joining my crew to chase his dream!” 

The people were shocked to a stunned silence that was only interrupted by Nami hitting the captain over the head. It looked like it didn’t do a thing. 

“ IDIOT! DON’T GO RECRUITING TWELVE-YEAR-OLDS!" she shouted in his ear. “IT’S TOO DANGEROUS FOR HIM!” 

“He just rescued an entire village from pirates. Almost single handedly, I might add," Zoro drawled before smirking. “Besides, I like the kid” 

“NOT YOU TOO!!" Nami paused for a moment in her yelling. “…He is a good kid though. And those clones of his are amazing…" her eyes turned more calculating and had a suspiciously golden gleam to them. 

Naruto watched the argument unfold with wide and uncomprehending eyes. His attention was on Luffy though, who watched him seriously. Stubbornly. Like he would go through hell and high water to get him on his crew. To help him if needed. And they were going to the Grand Line. To see all of it and get the One Piece. If they didn’t find his home there, at the ocean of possibilities, then they wouldn’t at all. 

He wanted him, wanted Naruto , on his crew. Him . A random kid with some ninja tricks and amnesia. Someone who a whole two villages had hated and feared. 

“You… want me … on your crew?" it came out faint, like he wasn’t really there . 

Luffy grinned, “Of course!” 

Time seemed to slow down. He… he was wanted here. Luffy wanted him with them and thought him cool. Zoro liked him . Nami thought he was a good kid and obviously thought his abilities useful. That’s… That’s all he’d really needed, ever. Someone to acknowledge him, to like him. Be there for him. And now it was being handed to him freely. Friendship. Acceptance. Something he had always needed to fight for. 

Tears of happiness stung his eyes as a wide grin rivaling Luffy’s spread on his lips. 

“YES!" he shouted and launched himself at the straw hat teen, the quilt fluttering behind him like a long cape. 

Luffy laughed as he caught the boy who clung to him in a too-tight hug that would have crushed someone’s lungs if not for the fact that they were rubber . One arm held the Naruto-limpet in place as he threw his right fist into the air. 

“WOOHOO! WE GOT OURSELVES A NINJA!” 

That cheer of success would linger in the blond’s happiest memories for the rest of time.

xXXx

Chapter Text

They didn’t leave immediately. There was a small party the next day before that. Also, after some prompting from Naruto, the village finally started repairing the hole he made to leave some memorial for the four graves it housed previously. And the village gratefully provided supplies to them. Especially him. Though some looked rather sour about it. Others apologized and a little girl, Sinue, came and hugged him. That last one left him shocked and happy. Not many had ever hugged him. He didn’t remember anyone other than the Third Hokage when he was small. And Iruka-sensei did hug him once or twice but he usually initiated it. 

Nami’s goodwill towards the villagers drained some more when she saw where he’d been living. It was a hut he had more or less built himself. The walls were a little rotten and the roof hadn’t been there when he’d gotten it. Now it was covered with branches and dried moss that were damp from the last time it rained. 

His stuff was hidden in a nearby cave system that was too small for anyone but him to get into. Even if they did they wouldn’t get to it. Pranksters made for excellent trap masters. Who knew? 

Anyway. He’d gotten lots of little trinkets over the last two years. Tools that he’d had fun learning to use, metal that he wanted to melt and shape into kunai and shuriken, some wires and ropes that were better than nothing but not ninja quality, clothes, plain cloth and some animal skins, paint, brushes and pens, tons of paper and the one giant scroll he’d had on him when he… appeared. He’d yet to open it and not for lack of trying. Not that he’d gone to desperate measures yet. 

There were food items, snacks, and stuff like beautiful bird feathers or seashells. His cooking things and sleeping bag were in the hut, along with his bucket of fresh water that he filled again every other day. There weren’t weapons except for the kitchen knives and they were just that: kitchen knives. Oh wait, he did have his two new throwing knives he pilfered from the pirates. 

After looking it over and deciding what he took with, everything was pretty easily sorted into the big backpack the village gave him. 

He rolled Sasha’s quilt up gently and put it on top with one leather strap. Then he rushed out and grinned up at the three he’d be sailing — living — with from now on. 

“I’m ready!" he exclaimed but then remembered something. “Wait, no. Not yet.” 

He climbed vertically up a tree and let out a loud whistle. It didn’t take long for Bluey to appear and land on his head. She tweeted. Naruto chuckled. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m leaving, you know! To become a pirate and look for my home!" he told her. 

She twittered and pecked his head, jumping off to land on his shoulder. 

“Eh? With me? To the next island?” 

Another peck. 

“Ow! Okay, okay. Let’s go!” 

He climbed down and grinned at everyone. Nami’s expression was caught between disbelief, exasperation, and amusement. Luffy was definitely amused if his snickering was any indication. Zoro looked uninterested, if slightly bemused. Bluey let out another tweet that made Naruto blink. 

“Uh. Okay? She says we should take that fox bear creature with us. He’s from the island she wants to go to and got taken by pirates.” 

“Really? Let’s do it then!" Luffy decided. 

Did he even think about it? Naruto thought, sweatdropping. 

Zoro looked much more interested now. “You can understand animals?” 

The blond sheepishly rubbed his head. 

“Not… exactly. I can understand some animals. Because some of them have…," he trailed off, not sure what was causing it but sure that he should know, “…chakra?" which was partly correct. Probably. 

No, everyone had chakra. Every thing had chakra. So the bird had some special chakra? Maybe? Eh. He’d remember when he remembered. 

“Chakra?" Nami asked curiously as they started walking. 

“It’s what I use to do my ninja tricks," he told her simply. “My chakra is a part of me. Like my blood. I’d die without it. Or so Sakura… said… huh. She became a medic-nin.” 

The kid’s eyes turned faraway as he thought of his friend and kinda crush-turned-teammate. This new flash of memories rushed in to fill some more gaps. It did nothing to the gaping hole that was his memory but he did gain some. This time he’d been sixteen. Not sure what had really happened to de- age him but something evidently had. That much he’d found out by now. 

“Naruto?" Luffy called out, waving a hand in front of his face. 

He gave a sheepish smile. “Sorry. Just got some memories back.” 

There was a collective blink, then a head tilt. “Memories?” 

“Oh. I lost my memory when I arrived here with a big flash of light. It created that crater," he ignored the looks of shock and Luffy’s neutral understanding. “Been getting it back piece by piece. My friend, Sakura, was- is- a medic… I hope I can find her again. And Sasuke-teme, I suppose.” 

Everyone walked in silence for a bit. Then Zoro of all people ruffled his hair, making him squawk indignantly and look up to the grinning swordsman. Though it looked a bit like a smirk. 

“You’re a good kid," he said, sounding proud for some reason. “You’ll find them. We’ll help. Right, Captain?”

“Shishishishi! Of course!” 

Nami sighed, exasperated and just the slightest bit fond. “I’ll help too, so long as I can.” 

And Naruto didn’t remember anyone helping him this readily, apart from his team, and that had taken a bit of time. A fight against Sasuke, a serious one turned playful, before they could look at each other and say they were friends. Best of friends, brothers, though they’d never admitted that to anyone but themselves. Kakashi-sensei and Sakura knew and Shikamaru probably guessed. 

He smiled. “Thanks. I’ll help you guys too if you need it. I never go back on my word!”

It was a promise. These were good people, good pirates if you’d believe it, and he was now a part of them. After what he’d seen he believed in Luffy’s dream and knew the teen would be redefining what the word ‘pirate’ meant. That was good too. Naruto wanted to be there to see it. 

xXXx

“So, how did you guys even meet?" Naruto asked sometime on the boat, eyeing the strange big nosed skull on the sail. “And why’s that a clown?” 

How didn't I see that before? the ninja wondered. 

He wasn’t prepared for the absurd, and hilarious, story that started with Luffy wanting to eat a bird that grabbed the rubber man’s head and carried him to Orange Town. Where he got dropped in front of Nami and got tricked by her. And he and Zoro beat Buggy the Clown’s crew. It all had Naruto rolling on the floor of the boat, laughing his head off. 

Zoro joining up was similarly chaotic and hilarious and the ninja had to wonder how many amazing adventures he would get pulled into with Luffy and his crew. 

The fox bear was napping next to the swordsman. It was strange since the swordsman beat him up in the first place. Then again, that kinda meant he freed the creature from genjutsu, or hypnosis as they called it here. Bluey was preening herself while sitting comfortably on her fellow animal’s head. Nami was reading some old newspaper and looked up every once in a while to assess the weather and contribute to the conversation. Naruto was trying out his new throwing knives on the mast with Luffy watching happily. It was kinda peaceful. 

Fun too. But peaceful. 

Oh, and Zoro had apparently been hurt the whole time but he still fought at the island. A stab wound. To the gut . Naruto shuddered at the thought of Sakura finding out. The reprimands would never end if those two met. One always getting hurt and fighting and the other always healing the damage and knowing exactly where to hurt so you weren’t actually hurt. It would be Kakashi-sensei and hospitals all over again. 

That said, it didn’t take long to reach the next island. 

He helped the fox bear to land as Zoro slept on in the boat. So it was just him, Luffy, and Nami to see Bluey and the fox off. She preened a few strands of Naruto’s hair in a goodbye and flew off. 

“Talk to the news coos! I bet you’ll hear about me from them soon enough!" he shouted after her, an oddly wistful pang in his heart. 

A bright chirp of agreement from far away was his answer. He sighed. He knew he’d probably never see her again. It was… sad. But she wanted to be here. And he wanted to go. So it was what it was. A hand landed on his head and he looked up at Luffy in confusion. 

"She'll be fine," he told him, grinning widely. "Let's explore now!"

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered and they started walking deeper into the woods. 

Nami sighed and followed after them. They came across very strange animals that Naruto and Luffy found fascinating and Nami confusing. It became clear that this was the fox bear's home island when looking at them. And then Luffy got shot. And was very much immune to bullets. After that they found a bush man trapped in a box. No, a treasure chest . Apparently he'd gotten stuck there twenty years ago. 

"So you've been guarding the treasure and the animals? No wonder Bluey wanted to come," Naruto commented, admiring Gaimon's tenacity and clear care for the island's inhabitants. 

The blond kinda liked the old man. He reminded him of someone back home. Someone named… Gai-something? Or just Gai? Thick eyebrows and too-bright teeth came to mind. And a mini clone. Which, what? 

There was no need to even ask them for help. Of course they would help him get the treasure after twenty years of waiting and protecting. Only, when Luffy and Naruto got to the top of the hill the treasure was on and opened the chests to see… they were empty. The ninja frowned sadly. This had been the guy's dream for so long… To no longer have it would be crushing . Gaimon and Nami shouted about dropping the chests already. Luffy seemed to have decided not to do it to save the man's feelings. 

His hand found the new throwing knives hidden in a pouch and he blinked. He drew one out to stare at it, contemplative. 

He was struck by some sort of memory-not-really-memory. He saw shapes and made connections faster than he thought he could and before he knew it he had drawn the shape into the ground with his blood, fingertip glowing with chakra. He was overwhelmed for a second before shaking his head and knowing exactly what to do. He looked around and found a reddish brown and grey rock which he put on the… thing. Biting his other thumb he spread blood across it and with a puff of smoke and light and a slight grinding noise he had condensed earth into a weapon. In front of him was a slightly rough around the edges but still smooth and clean knife that gleamed in the sun. 

It was hot. Like someone just pulled it out of a fire. But there hadn't been fire. 

He'd made a complex symbol filled array on the ground and gotten a purified crystal knife out of it. Naruto was overwhelmed . But didn't show it in anything other than the slight tremble in his fingers. 

"Luffy," he said in a low voice and got the pirate to turn to him. "I've got something for Bushy Guy." 

Luffy, who had just revealed to Gaimon and Nami that there was nothing in the chests, looked at the brown-ish knife made wholly of one material and grinned. 

"Ooh! Naruto found something!" 

He hadn't . He'd made it. Naruto was about to correct Luffy but paused and closed his mouth. This worked better. If everyone believed it was already there then it wouldn't be seen as a 'consolation gift'. Or something equal to that effect. Then there had been treasure up here the whole time. In fact, Naruto had made it from the rock sitting next to the chests so… Technically it was here all those years. 

The blond grinned and promptly poured some water on it from a canteen to cool it down, then dried it on his sleeve. Now it was a more normal temperature. He hopped down from the rock next to Luffy, who had piled the empty chests at the bottom of the hill. 

"Here, Bushy Guy!" he said and gave the knife to Gaimon. 

It was funny how the old man's eyes lit up at the sight as he carefully took the blade and ran calloused fingers over it. Naruto was a little embarrassed at how reverently his gift, a knife he made , was handled. Nami leaned in curiously and looked it over with a critical eye and now Naruto felt like he was being scrutinized. 

"Huh. It's made of stone. Though I have no idea how that would've been made. It's too clean for hammerwork, even with the roughness," there was a greedy look steadily entering her eyes. "I bet you could get a hefty sum for it if only for the unique technique!" 

Naruto definitely felt like he should find out if he could make more. If only out of self-preservation. 

Wait. He could make knives out of stone and… he kinda remembered how to do it too. And if he switched that part out to this he could make it with metal! Then some adjustments to the chakra output and the 'mold' so to speak and he'd have kunai! Actually, this felt like something he'd done quite often once he'd figured out how. 

Which was… cool! He could remake his weapons! 

"This treasure's mine , girlie!" Gaimon said sternly and Nami laughed sheepishly. 

It wasn't long until they departed. Naruro got to say one final goodbye to Bluey and got Bushy Guy to promise he'd take care of her. To which Bluey protested that she'd take care of herself. 

xXXx

Naruto stared at his scroll in silence. He… kinda knew what to do now. The boy bit his thumb again and spread blood on the seal that was blocking it, which lit up in brilliant blue light before fading. He took a breath and opened the first part of the scroll. More sealing symbols stared back at him. 

Storage seals , his mind told him, I designed them . 

He directed chakra to his fingertip and unlocked the one on the right. Stacks of paper poofed into existence, along with an ink bottle with a seal at the bottom. A seal that let the bottle refill on its own so long as you'd sealed more ink at the bottom beforehand. He knew that. He even knew how it worked. 

Fuinjutsu is my specialty. 

He felt a smile spreading on his face. This was gonna be awesome . 

xXXx

Splash!  

A gasp of air and a few good kicks had him on their slowly moving boat again, climbing on and trying again. He put his bare foot on the water slowly, carefully, and tried to get it right. Chakra gathered at his soles but he must've been doing something wrong since he couldn't stay afloat. 

Splash!  

Under again. This was the problem of only getting glimpses and impressions of being able to do something but not actually doing it. He knew he could . The problem was how . 

"Naruto, what are you doing? " Nami asked, annoyance lacing her tone. 

He yelped as he fell in again, concentration broken by the interruption, swimming up and on board again. "Gah! Can't you see I'm trying to figure out how to walk on water?" 

Luffy perked up from his perch at the front. "You can walk on water?" 

"There's no way," Nami refuted. "No matter how you look at it, surface tension isn't enough to let people walk on it." 

Naruto threw a glare her way, muttering about how he'd show her but not audible enough to hear. 

"Aww…" the straw hat boy sounded disappointed but then remembered something. "But Naruto is a ninja! He can figure it out!" 

The blond blinked at the sudden faith in him. It was… unfamiliar but at the same time freeing and lighthearted. He liked it. The grin that spread on his face was determined and free of worries. 

"I will! Believe it!" he said, trying again… and promptly falling in. 

This time droplets splashed on a napping Zoro and he opened his eyes, narrowing them on the kid. "Stop that." 

"I'm training, I can't," Naruto replied stubbornly. 

"Do it somewhere else." 

"No. You're just jealous." 

"What was that you brat!?" the swordsman lurched over to grab at him, making Naruto yelp. 

Nami bonked them both over the head when Zoro succeeded in dragging the struggling ninja aboard, dripping wet and in his plain underwear. Her brow was twitching. 

"Idiots! Don't rock the boat or you'll capsize! We're going now," she then marched over to her own stolen one and started getting ready to sail away. 

Luffy whooped and started setting their sail up too, Zoro and Naruto sulkily joining him. They'd had to teach everything to the ninja as he hadn't stepped in any boat until the day they found him. Zoro said Luffy had been the same way so it wasn't that unusual. They still sulked with goose egg shaped bumps on their heads while doing it. 

"Nami hits too hard," the blond boy muttered. 

The swordsman only grunted in agreement. 

They set towards their destination where they'd hopefully be able to get a bigger and sturdier ship for their travels. Nami had been the one to point out how little they actually had to survive in the Grand Line, a place that Bushy Guy had referred to as a pirate graveyard. That sounded… well, bad. But also awesome. 

Naruto couldn't wait! 

Though first, the ship. And getting the stupid water walking down.

xXXx

Chapter Text

There were four people spying on them once they got to land. When Zoro pointed them out three of them, the little kids, ran away. Naruto watched curiously as the older boy jumped out of his hiding place and declared himself Captain Usopp, leader of a pirate fleet that would attack if they attacked. He grinned when he heard the word army and stepped forward, a thumb pointed at himself. 

"Hey, hey, I've got an army too!" 

Usopp gasped dramatically. "You're lying!" 

"Am not!"

Nami stared at Usopp blandly. " You're lying." 

"Gah, s- she knows!" the darker skinned man yelped, accidentally exposing himself as a liar. 

Luffy started laughing at him and the liar turned on the defensive, telling them not to underestimate him. Naruto was grinning at his flailing, amused by the man who seemed to tell tall tales as he reminded him of Konohamaru. Not that Konohamaru was a liar but he tended to exaggerate his own heroics quite often. 

He then realized the thought was new. Konohamaru… that was the brat who wanted to learn his Sexy Jutsu to defeat Hokage-jiji, wasn't he? Huh. He must've come to know him quite well later. 

Anyway, Luffy's charisma and Usopp's curiosity regarding them had the teenager leading the four pirates towards his village to eat. Naruto gravitated to Usopp and asked him things, partly to see if he'd get a lie or a truth and partly because he had taken a liking to him. Maybe because of the reminder. Maybe because of something else. 

That's how he got a lot of general info about the Syrup Village. And the names of the three kids who had run away. Tamanegi, Ninjin, and Piiman. Onion, carrot, and pepper respectively. How weird. But then, his name could mean a swirly ramen topping. 

They got to the town's restaurant and Luffy predictably ordered meat. Naruto was disappointed that there wasn't ramen. He craved his favorite food… 

Nami, and partly Luffy, divulged their goals to Usopp and got some news. 

"A ship and crewmates, huh…" the liar mused. "The only place that owns a bigger ship is a mansion a little ways off the village. Although the owner is a frail young woman who spends most of her days in bed," his eyes turned thoughtful and experienced as he folded his arms, leaning back. "The rich aren't immune to grief either…" 

Naruto was inclined to agree. But he was also unsure of whether the mansion owner would give the ship to anyone, let alone pirates . Nami seemed to ponder that too. Luffy just asked for more meat. He sweatdropped. The glutton. 

Then Usopp said he'd join them if they let him be captain. 

"No thanks," the pirate crew of four chorused. 

After talking and eating a little more Naruto was getting bored. Then Usopp said something about time and left mysteriously. The blond looked after him, curious. 

"I'm going out to explore!" he declared to his crew (still weird to think about) and jumped out of his seat. 

Zoro snorted, disbelieving. "Don't scare him too much." 

Naruto elected to ignore the remark. Well, not completely. He stuck his tongue out before leaving. 

He rushed outside and bumped into the group of three kids that were Usopp's little pretend pirate crew. They didn't have time to scream in terror even though they seemed to want to because Naruto rushed past them speedily. 

"Hi guys, bye guys!" the ninja greeted and left them standing there, shocked. 

Tamanegi, Ninjin, and Piiman traded shaky looks- "S- So fast!" 

"How are we supposed to beat the adults!?" 

"Don't give up! We need to rescue Captain Usopp!"

Naruto was amused that they hadn't seen their 'Captain' running in the distance but he left the kids in his dust and couldn't hear more of their shouts. He was kinda sorry he would miss the hilariousness that would result in the kids meeting his friends. But then he remembered how stir crazy it was to stay still after so long on a boat and was sure he made the correct choice. 

xXXx

He caught up when Usopp was sneaking over the wall surrounding the mansion. The ninja just straight up walked after him, hopping to the other side of the wall seamlessly and soundlessly. Usopp was already sitting by a tree talking to a pale young woman. About a giant goldfish he supposedly bested. Definitely made up. He frowned. Why would he lie like—

The girl was smiling. Oh. Naruto grinned and idly hid behind the tree Usopp was leaning against to listen. 

"—the feces were so big and long I thought it was an island and actually docked there—" he explained animatedly. 

Gradually Naruto drifted next to him, grinning mischievously at the girl as he plopped down next to the tale-absorbed Usopp. She smiled as she saw him put a finger to his lips and didn't say anything, listening to the tale. Then when Usopp came to the most dramatic part of the tale, the fight, Naruto piped up. 

"If you stood on the tail but the fish took a dive how did you hold on?" he asked. 

Usopp's sentence turned into a shocked screech mid-word and he scrambled back from the sudden interruption. "HYAA-ah? Naruto!? " 

The ninja held up his hand. "Yo!" 

The girl at the window giggled into her hand, delighted. Usopp stared between them. 

"Kaya, why didn't you say something!" he demanded. 

"S-sorry, Usopp-san!" the girl, Kaya, giggled between words. "He wanted to surprise you." 

Naruto's mischievous grin was on. "I tried to be quiet since you said your hearing is as good as a bat's."

The long nosed youth was instantly back on his seat with a self important expression and a solemn nod. "Ahem. Of course. You have improved on your sneaking, my disciple." 

"I'm a ninja." 

"Ninja apprentice, then," he corrected himself. 

"I already graduated." 

" Ninja apprentices should listen to their master!" 

"You're not my sensei!" 

Kaya was done giggling and had gone to a full blown laughter. Usopp glanced at the window, looking proud of his work. Naruto smiled too, dropping the playful argument. Instead he asked what happened next. Usopp startled, having forgotten, but continued telling the story easily enough. It became a game to spot inconsistencies in the story, which Usopp was forced to cover up with more tall tales. 

Some time later Naruto heard voices outside the tall fence around the mansion. Familiar voices and high pitched ones from children. 

“Oh," he said out loud. “Luffy and the others are here.” 

“Huh? How would you kno—" Usopp’s sentence was cut off as he whipped to stare at Luffy jumping over the gate with his pretend pirate crew and Naruto’s crewmates. 

The ninja jumped up with a big grin and a wave. “Hi guys!” 

“Naruto! Is she the mansion owner?" Luffy pointed towards Kaya. 

The girl was startled. “I am...” 

“Great! I’ve got a request!" he stated. 

“A request?" Kaya asked, smiling slightly. “For me?” 

“Yeah! We need a big ship!" Luffy spread his arms wide to indicate the size, thankfully not doing something mind blowing like stretching them. 

Unfortunately, a loud shout from the direction of the door carried over to them right then. A butler. Someone Kaya called Klahadore. Who demanded them to leave. Naruto’s face scrunched up, eyes squinted in displeasure. He sounded condescending and like the villagers who had stared at him with disdain. 

Usopp was inching away, trying to leave quietly. It was way too conspicuous. 

Klahadore’s attention instantly gravitated to him. Naruto’s brows pinched further, weight shifting to the soles of his feet. He didn’t like how this was going. The butler adjusted his glasses with the heel of his palm, eyes shadowed and dark. Round glasses. Round glasses . His neck prickled with anxiety as his mind screamed liar. Betrayal. 

Oh. Kabuto was a turncoat. He hadn’t remembered that before. 

“You’re the son of a filthy pirate," the butler dropped the insult bluntly, casually, as if it were fact. “It’s no wonder you’re a liar.” 

That drew Usopp’s hackles up. “Did you say filthy? ” 

Naruto took a single step forward, the fresh sting of new memories still on the surface of his mind. It wasn’t fair to Klahadore to paint him with so much loaded suspicion but Naruto didn’t care at the moment. The butler was still spewing nonsense and lies, goading Usopp. Like Mizuki had goaded him . 

Usopp moved. He was fast for a civilian. Naruto’s eyes tracked Klahadore’s minute shifting, recognizing it as a fighter moving along with the hit. The punch connected. It shouldn’t have made the butler fall down that gracelessly. That instinctual shift should have let him stay on his feet or literally roll with the punch. 

He looked at Zoro. The swordsman was eyeing Luffy with maybe half his attention on the commotion. He didn’t seem to notice. 

“I’M PROUD THAT MY FATHER IS A PIRATE! I’M PROUD HE’S A GREAT WARRIOR OF THE SEA!" Usopp declared admirably, startling Naruto out of his thoughts. 

He had now declared he was the son of a pirate for everyone there to hear. Klahadore was clearly prejudiced against pirates as he continued with his accusations. Usopp went to punch him once more but was stopped by Kaya’s call. She insisted Klahadore wasn’t a bad person. Naruto wasn’t so sure. Usopp stopped nonetheless, getting away instead. 

Naruto stared after him as he threatened he’d never come back to the mansion. His feet moved on their own, going after the known liar with a good heart. 

“Naruto?" Nami called. 

“I’m going after him!" Naruto threw over his shoulder, continuing on at a faster pace. 

After all, he didn’t want Usopp to be alone with his thoughts like he had been. 

xXXx

Naruto took back what he thought about Klahadore. He’d been right to hate him from the start. Round glasses guy was not to be trusted. The man had been planning to assassinate Kaya! For three years! 

The ninja had easily kept up with Usopp who had kind of coldly asked why he was following him. He’d just said he wanted to and that was that. They’d sat on a hill with a view of the ocean, quiet and Usopp steaming with leftover nerves and anger. Then Luffy had appeared. He’d hung upside down by his ankles from a tree branch. 

Apparently Naruto’s new captain had known Usopp’s father, Yasopp, since he was a kid. The man was sailing with Red Haired Shanks whom Naruto had never heard of. 

Red Haired… The nickname piqued his interest for some reason. Yet he couldn’t quite grasp it. 

But then. Then . Klahadore had come under the cliff they were perched on and talked to a funny looking guy about their plans to assassinate Kaya. Kaya . The sweet mansion owner who laughed at Usopp’s stories and Naruto’s prank. Who was an orphan . They wanted to kill her just to get rich and to live outside the life of a pirate! 

People like that existed everywhere, he guessed. That didn’t mean he had to like it or tolerate it. 

Luffy jumped up. “HEY! YOU TWO! DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH THE MANSION LADY!” 

Suddenly Naruto had a moment of deja vu to a certain forest where he’d tried to gather info on the situation. He shouldn’t have expected Luffy to stay still. Of course he wouldn’t. Usopp was terrified for all their lives, trying to get Luffy to stand down. Not that it would’ve helped either way. Captain Kuro, or Klahadore, and his companion Jango had already noticed. 

“Did you… hear anything?" Kuro asked, eyes shadowed. 

“N- No, nothing at all we just got here," Usopp tried to explain, terrified tears in his eyes. 

“Why should we tell you!? " Naruto shouted defensively, outraged. 

“We heard everything," Luffy admitted, to Usopp’s shock and Naruto’s exasperation. 

The ninja sighed and improvised, scowling down at them. “Yeah! And we won’t just let you kill Kaya!” 

Usopp, shaking and sweaty, crossed his arms along with the blond boy and stared down his long nose. “Y- You w- won’t s-s-succeed!” 

Jango and Kuro traded unimpressed but serious glances. Then the weird guy lifted a disk hung from a string and started swinging it back and forth. It was somehow mesmerizing. 

“When I say ‘one, two, Jango’, you will fall asleep," Jango’s voice tried to pull Naruto in more but he blinked the haze from his mind and decided this was too dangerous, running down the cliff and taking a throwing knife out. 

Usopp called after him, scared. He paid the teen no mind, swinging to cut the string of the disk, but was intercepted by Captain Kuro whom he was forced to dodge. 

"—two, Jango!”

And suddenly he felt sleepy. Naruto hurriedly dropped the knife and brought his hands to a familiar seal. 

“Kai!" he shouted, chakra flaring, and the illusion dissipated from him. 

Somehow it felt… stickier than normal genjutsu. The blond turned his still clearing head towards the illusionist, a daunting realization forming in his mind. 

“You’re… the one who hypnotized that fox bear," he voiced. “You gave them the means to attack Wheat Village!” 

Jango raised an eyebrow, seemingly sleepy himself. “Hm… Yes, they paid good money.”

Naruto couldn’t say or do more as Luffy suddenly crashed to the ground next to him. His head was squished under his shoulders, neck at a weird angle. His first instinct was to say dead. But he remembered. Rubber man. It still didn’t stop him from being alarmed and distracted. That’s what he blamed it on. That, and the sticky illusion. 

Something hard hit him on the back of his head and he went down. The last thing he saw was the traitor butler adjusting his glasses, declaring no one would believe Usopp. 

That… slimy… snake!

Everything went dark. 

xXXx

When Naruto regained consciousness only a short while had passed. His head throbbed like the back of it had cracked up. He might have been dead if he didn’t have enhanced healing thanks to the fox. He noticed snoring nearby as he sat up slowly, vision swimming for a second. 

“Lu… ffy?" he mumbled. 

Right. He’d gotten knocked out by the fake butler. And Jango cast that weird sleeping jutsu. Er, hypnosis. The ninja hopped on his feet and staggered, head pounding, before hobbling to kick Luffy over from the undignified sleeping position he’d quite literally fallen into. 

“Wake up! We gotta- stop Kuro," he half stated, half yelled. 

The pirate snored louder. Eye twitching, Naruto crouched by his captain’s side and pinched stretchy skin between his nails. Tightly. 

“Hrm?" Luffy cracked his eyes open a fraction to bat away at him. 

Naruto pulled, stretching the skin up. Then let it snap back into place. Luffy sat up abruptly and knocked a surprised Naruto to his butt. 

“Huh? Whad am I doing here?" the rubber man muttered, squinting at the cliff. 

“You fell asleep because of that hypnotist guy," Naruto informed him, holding his head and brow furrowing as the pain intensified again. 

“Oh," Luffy was more awake and noticed the pained expression, frowning. “What happened to you? ” 

Naruto pulled his attention away from the pulsing at the back of his skull and stood up. There was an evil plot to stop. 

“Doesn’t matter. Where’s Usopp?" he deflected, looking up the cliff but didn’t hear nor see him. 

Then he turned back to the shore’s direction, hearing noises there. Familiar noises. Zoro and Nami. And the three kids. He felt a grin tug at his face as he waved. But his mind was on the problem of the missing Usopp. Luffy was staring at him. What? Was there something on his face? 

“I’m gonna go find Usopp," Naruto informed him, turning to run up the cliff. 

Before he could, a stretchy hand grabbed his arm and stopped him. The ninja looked back at Luffy’s serious eyes. 

“You’re hurting. Can you fight?" he asked. 

Oh. Concern. That was new. He gave a slight grin. “Of course.” 

The rubber arm let go. He dashed up the cliff, making the three kids yell in shock down below. Naruto hoped Luffy explained what they’d stumbled upon to the others. The ninja jumped nimbly from tree to tree, towards the village where he could hear shouting. He needed to find Usopp! 

Naruto soon pinpointed the noises to the mansion and ran straight there. What he found was shocking. The two guards at the mansion gates were knocked out. A crowd of villagers was swarming in through the gate. Usopp was trying to drag Kaya out of her window. The ninja dashed past the villagers and to the known liar. 

“Usopp, what’re you doing!?" he yelled over the shouts of the villagers. 

“Naruto? But- But you were-" Usopp let go of Kaya in shock. 

“I’ve got a thick skull. What’s going on here? We need to focus on defending the village, not raising panic!" the ninja stated, remembering flashes of an invasion, of panicked civilians dying, of the mob facing down Gato. 

“But- They’re going to attack the village! Kaya, we need to get out of here!”

Another butler had a gun. It was aimed at Usopp. He probably thought Usopp was trying to kidnap Kaya. Naruto frowned. This was getting nowhere. The ninja dashed to the long nosed teen and hoisted his weight over his slight shoulder, grunting with the effort. 

“This isn’t helping! Let’s go back and make a plan!" Naruto told the protesting Usopp, running away from the situation. 

He got back into the now mostly empty village, setting the older teen back to his feet, and wobbled with a groan. His head was throbbing . Ugh. Usopp was quiet except for harsh breathing. A water droplet fell to the ground and Naruto looked up to see tear tracks on the guy’s cheeks. 

“They don’t believe me…" the teen’s voice was shaking with emotion. “Why won’t they believe me?” 

Naruto… didn’t know what to say. So he just stayed silent and shifted closer. His brow was pinched in pain and sympathy. Usopp sniffed and started walking back towards the shore, steps slow and shuffling. He stared for a moment before catching up and walking with him as silent support. Shadows were deepening. Soon it would be night. 

And the pirates would attack tomorrow morning, at dawn. Naruto started thinking of possibilities on what to do. 

“Oi! Captain Usopp!" came a shout from up ahead, and he looked up to see everyone coming towards them. 

He saw Usopp quickly dry his tears from the corner of his eye. The liar smiled and greeted them with false cheer. It was a painfully familiar expression and Naruto turned away. The others got to them, Usopp Pirates quickly rambling about knowing the situation and how they should warn everyone. The ninja winced, folding his arms. 

“Warn everyone…?" Usopp’s voice trembled ever so slightly before he threw his head back and laughed. “WAHAHAHA, what pirates? It was a lie! Just like all the other times! It was- It was revenge on that butler, he’s not actually a pirate.” 

Naruto’s head snapped up, mouth open to object, but he paused as he realized what the teen was doing. It also caused his headache to spike which made it harder to think of a response. Everything about this situation sucked. He watched as the other kids walked away, dejected that their captain would come up with a lie to hurt someone. 

It left only five people in the know about the plan. 

The ninja dropped his arms to his sides with a stern look on his face. “...That’s not going to stop the attack from happening.” 

“No. No it’s not," Usopp agreed, voice forced past tears. “Which is why… I will protect this village! I’ll make the attack one of my lies!" the tears fell. “After all, I love this village. How could I just watch them die? Even though they tried to hurt me, I’ll protect them.” 

Naruto felt his heart swell. That was… It was the exact same way he fought for his village. For both of them. After all, it was still his village and he loved it and its people. 

Zoro huffed. “You’re a pretty great guy. Lying to get the kids out of harm’s way.” 

“Okay. I’m definitely butting into this fight," Luffy stated. 

“As long as all the treasure is mine, I’m in," Nami put in her two beri. 

“W- What?” Usopp looked at them, baffled. 

Naruto reached a fist out, grinning. “It means we’re fighting with you, dattebayo!”

The teen flailed about, not getting it, thinking it was only pity that made them say things like that. The small pirate crew set him straight soon enough. Usopp wouldn’t be fighting alone and scared. This was his first big fight, after all. 

They got to thinking up plans. It was rather simple. Just one path led to the village, everywhere else was cliffs. Naruto was often scolded for bad planning but this, he felt, was definitely not good enough. 

“This won’t work! Just because they’re cliffs doesn’t mean you can’t climb them!” he stated. 

“It’s not impossible for you , you mean," Zoro muttered. “Normal folk can’t manage.” 

“It’s still a point! " the ninja argued and then looked to their navigator. “And isn’t there the other path where we docked?” 

A look of realization washed over her face. “Ah! You’re right!" her brows scrunched up. “And my treasure is there!” 

“But," Usopp started. “They talked about their plan here. It’s still the most likely they’ll attack from this side. We can’t be everywhere at once!” 

They all stared for a moment. Everyone but him turned to Naruto. The ninja grinned and made a familiar cross with his fingers. Twenty clones poofed into existence. Usopp’s eyes bugged out, a shaking finger pointing at the impossible sight before him. He started counting the copies in his head, then quickly turned away and muttered something about dreaming and 'he has an army'. 

Naruto herself was frowning. This… was unusual. He’d tried for fifty like normally. Kuro must’ve hit him harder than he thought. His head was throbbing more now too. If he tried to make more clones like this… he wouldn’t be able to fight. 

He shook the thought off. This was manageable. He could do this! 

“Anyway, we’ve got my clones. But there’s still one problem," he looked at Usopp. “Klahadore is most likely back at the mansion.” 

The youth snapped out of his shock, a sort of horror flashing on his face. “Kaya…! Oh no. She- She won’t let me back in and- and Kuro is too strong…”

Naruto hit his fist against his palm, a look of determination on his face. “I’ll go act as her bodyguard.” 

“How wi- EEEH!?" Usopp screeched in shock as Naruto’s form changed into Merry the butler. 

Zoro, Nami, and Luffy took a double take. “SINCE WHEN CAN YOU TRANSFORM!?” 

Naruto turned back to normal, head pounding, but he bore it with a grin. “I told you I was a ninja!” 

With that, Naruto's new and improved version of their defence strategy was implemented. Nami and Zoro on the north side, Luffy and Usopp on the other, Naruto clones everywhere in-between relaying messages, and the real Naruto at the mansion protecting Kaya while keeping an eye on ‘Klahadore’.  

xXXx

Naruto got into the mansion easily, climbing over the fence and disguising himself as a maid to walk through the garden, then climbing in through an upstairs window that happened to be open. He sneaked inside and stopped as he found Kuro walking down a hallway. Quietly, the ninja walked to the ceiling and started following him, making sure to make no sound and to stick to shadows and blind spots. 

It was like the many times he’d snuck into the Academy or the Hokage Tower. Easier even, since Kuro might be a pirate but he wasn’t one with a ninja’s perception. Nor did Naruto have to stay out of multiple shinobis sight. 

To be honest, he didn’t know if he could have hidden from shinobi in the condition he was in. The headache was still bad. 

He followed the fake butler into a room where Merry was too. They talked about Usopp. And him. And Merry was seemingly suspicious. About Kuro . That was… a good sign. He talked about how Kaya had gotten Klahadore a present for his anniversary tomorrow, new glasses, and Naruto stiffened. The man dropped it to the ground, crushing it underfoot. That was just—

Kuro was a dead man walking.

“No need to continue this act," the pirate mused to himself. “After all, the village will be overtaken in a few short hours.” 

A flash of metal, swords, five of them. Naruto barely had time to drop down in front of Merry and prevent him from slashing at the innocent man. He’d blocked with the other throwing knife, the one he hadn’t dropped and lost in the last scuffle. Jango or Kuro had probably picked it up. 

“Didn’t we tell you? You won’t succeed! ” Naruto growled at the pirate. 

“Y- You’re-" Merry’s voice radiated fear and confusion. 

“Get Kaya to safety!" the ninja ordered him. “Now!” 

Then he had to dodge Kuro’s other hand that also held a glove with five blades. Like claws. Black Cat Pirates. Of course they were claws. Naruto fished a kunai out of his pocket’s seal, a slip of paper he’d drawn and put into it yesterday. It fit in his hand better. A much more familiar weapon than the knife. 

"I thought I killed you," Kuro's tone was irritated. 

The ninja just grinned and spun around, easily following the pirate’s speed which would become harder the longer he had to keep this up with the pain in his head. He blocked, swiped at the wrists and arms, dodged, rolled around, jumped over blades and the pirate captain. It soon became clear this wasn’t going to last. 

Naruto’s reactions were slower and Kuro got faster the angrier he got. There might’ve been taunts but the ninja didn’t remember them. Just that a cabinet got cut in half. 

He remembered making shadow clones, taking Kuro by surprise and getting a hit on the man’s left shoulder. He remembered the headache spike he got when Kuro slaughtered them. And then he remembered making more clones than necessary and nearly blacking out, watching them make cuts and scrapes on the butler’s otherwise neat outfit. 

There was an opportunity as Kuro’s claws got stuck in a wall for a second. In that second, clones had gotten a curtain down and wrapped it around the man, tying his hand behind his back and ripping the sword glove off. Naruto himself had knocked the man down and tried to tie him further. 

Kuro’s hand hit the side of his head and he knew he blacked out for a split second, all his clones popping. It left him out of action for a whole ten seconds, in which Kuro had gotten the curtain sliced and hissed at him like an angry cat. 

“You insufferable brat! I will end you!” the man spat out, hand searching for his other glove and glasses, the visual aids having gotten knocked off near the end. 

The blond struggled to get up, grabbing the glasses before the butler. Grinning, he threw them out the window as fast and as far as he could. Then he took the glove and started running in the opposite direction, making the former pirate captain scream after him in rage. Something shattered behind him and he didn’t stop to look. 

Blades slashed at his back and he cried out as he felt five cuts open across it. Ignoring the doubled pain the ninja ran up a wall in a hall-like place they’d reached. He found the window he’d entered in from and threw the glove out there too. More pain spread across his arm as he barely jumped out of the way of getting diced. 

“Have fun finding those!" he taunted cheekily before putting all of his strength into running away to the forest. Perfectly in the middle of where he threw the two important objects. 

The kid knew that would only slow Kuro down. But Kaya and Merry got away unharmed. The mission was complete. Now he just… needed a break. And a way to see if his injuries were bad or worse. He caught a flash of blonde at the corner of his eye and turned his slightly lethargic head to see a panting and panicked Kaya who was demanding an explanation from Merry. 

Naruto jumped towards them, dropping down next to a tree nearby and nearly toppling over. 

Kaya gasped in fright as Merry stepped in front of her, though the butler relaxed after recognizing him. 

“Kid! What happened!?” the sheep-alike demanded, rushing to him as he saw the blood on his arm. 

The ninja grinned weakly. “I threw his sword glove and glasses away. That’ll slow him down for a while.” 

“What about you? There’s so much blood!” Merry scolded, worry coloring his tone. 

Naruto chuckled a little. “Yeah, about that… Can you help bandage them?” 

That freed Kaya from her frozen state as she rushed over. Merry was already taking off his jacket. Naruto himself shrugged his own brown hoodie off and reached into his pocket for some bandages. He’d gotten used to having them there and not around his thigh because it had been one more thing to separate him from Wheat Village. He’d wanted to belong there. He never really had. 

Kaya gently took it from him and took in the scratches on his arm. They weren’t that deep and would heal easily overnight. The wounds on his back were what worried him. 

The lady of the mansion got the job done quickly. Merry was just ripping his own jacket to bits to tie Naruto’s jacket as padding around the wounds. Kaya’s hands were shaking and tears ran down her cheeks. 

“...Klahadore did this," she whispered, grief and betrayal twisting her face into disgust and sadness. “He did this. To a child. ” 

The ninja looked at her for a long moment before agreeing. “...He did. Though I scratched him too.”

“ Doesn’t MATTER! " Kaya yelled before quieting. “...Klahadore isn’t the man I thought he was. Usopp was right!" bigger tears rolled down her cheeks. “And I chased him away!” 

Merry finished tying the jacket pieces together around Naruto’s middle. He laid a comforting hand on Kaya’s shoulder. 

“We all did," he said, sounding angry, and sad. 

He was probably angry at himself. Naruto thought he might be too, if he had gotten deceived like this for three whole years. If he trusted someone who hurt his precious people behind his back. But, this kind of self pity wasn't something to get stuck on! 

“You messed up. So what?” he took support from the tree behind him and stood up, looking at them resolutely. “You can always try to do better next time.”

They stared at him in slight shock. Then Kaya looked at Merry. The man nodded and helped her stand up too. 

“You’re right, kid. We can do better. Do you know where he is right now?” 

“I’m Uzumaki Naruto, not ‘kid’!” Naruto told him before digging at his clones’ memories and pointing right. “He’s on the path to the village over there. Pirates will attack in the morning so we’re guarding both entries.” 

He started walking at a fast pace, tracking the forest around him for noises, and led them through a path he was certain his clone had gone before. The blond wasn’t sure what Kuro would do now but he thought a change of his plans was necessary with the condition he’d left the man in. That guy wouldn’t like it at all, he bet. 

His back twinged with every step but his headache was easing up now that he wasn’t doing excessive movements so much. Or using too much chakra which was the thing patching him up. Merry ended up carrying Kaya on his back when her ailing health made her unable to walk faster. It wasn’t a long walk. He could hear Usopp and Luffy talking quietly. 

The ninja quickened his pace a little. "Oi! Luffy, Usopp!" 

"Naruto!” Luffy grinned. "See? He's fine." 

Usopp heaved a sigh of relief as Naruto got out of the trees. He took a look at him and then did a double take as he saw the blood seeping through the bandage on his arm and the strips around his midsection. 

"What? What happened?" he asked, worried, "Is Kaya- !?" 

The teen's words cut off as Merry came to view with Kaya on his back. The young lady lifted her head up and found Usopp standing there. Her eyes welled up with tears. 

"Oh, Usopp! I'm so sorry I didn't believe you! Klahadore is—" her lip wobbled. " —a horrible person. He hurt Naruto so badly and would have killed Merry if Naruto hadn't stepped in!" 

Naruto quickly stepped away and towards Luffy, letting Usopp and Kaya have a moment. He gave a tired grin to Luffy who was frowning at him. The ninja blinked. 

"What?" 

Stubborn eyes met Naruto's. "You poofed. You said that doesn't happen if the clones don't get hit." 

Naruto stared at him blankly for a moment, before finding a conversation between Luffy, Usopp, and a clone about that. His expression cleared, then turned sheepish. 

"Er, it also happens if I'm unconscious." 

"Oh. Okay," the pirate nodded, pausing before poking his head, fast but not so fast he couldn't dodge… if he was at full capacity. 

" Ow! " the ninja clutched at his head. "What was that for!?" 

Luffy crossed his arms. "Your hurting got worse. Go sleep!" 

Naruto stared stubbornly, head pounding, back throbbing, arm in pain. He himself said he needed a break. The headache was starting to worry him too. Luffy was worried. Naruto sighed before smiling slightly. 

"You'll protect them, right?" 

"Shishishi! Of course!" 

With that, he found a comfortable spot under a tree and curled up there, using a root as a pillow. It was weird. He trusted Luffy to keep his word. It was like sharing shifts with his team on missions. But at the same time not really. This was more… free. 

His brain was half asleep when he realized he might be forgetting something. 

I wonder… how Nami and Zoro are doing…

xXXx

Chapter Text

Their night had started nicely. 

Nami insisted on sailing their boats somewhere safer where her treasure couldn’t be gotten to. Which meant Naruto and her went to do so and left the boats behind a tall rock nearby. They got out of their respective boats and started walking back to Zoro who had stayed at the slope to guard it. A nearby clone kept him company during that. 

It was what happened next that was alarming. 

The clones popped. One second they were there, then grunted in pain and were gone in puffs of smoke. Nami stared for a moment before starting to run. She reached Zoro within minutes, just a little out of breath. 

“Did the clone here pop too?" she asked, concerned. 

“It did…" Zoro agreed, eyes sweeping the forest. “I don’t see any other clones either.” 

Nami chewed on her cheek for a second. “He said they dispel when they suffer damage. Do you think… it extends to his real body? He could be in danger!” 

The swordsman grit his teeth. “He’s a tough kid. Even if he’s hurt, he got away.” 

The orangette clenched her fists and looked in the direction of the mansion. It was only a short while away, just a bit further from the village. She could make it there and back within twenty minutes. Dawn would come a little after that. There was no telling what she’d find at the mansion. If anything at all. 

“He’s twelve ," she muttered. “Against a pirate captain . Why did I agree to this?” 

“He's a fighter," Zoro reminded her. “That brat knows how to protect himself and how to hide.” 

And that was true but sometimes the opponent knew how to fight as well. The last she’d seen Naruto, and in his clones, the blond seemed distracted. Slow to react. He’d gotten knocked out at some point if what Luffy said was right. So it was likely he was fighting at a disadvantage. That wasn’t helping her worry. 

Zoro was in prime condition...

“...I’m going to check," she informed him, starting to run. “You hold them off if they come here!” 

Ignoring Zoro’s call, the navigator rushed up the path. She quieted her footfalls as well as she could, like years of stealing and sneaking around had taught her. It wasn’t as quiet as Naruto. She hoped it had kept him safe. 

He better be safe. 

There was something gleaming ahead. She stopped at the field ways off from both the mansion and Syrup Village. It looked like… a pile of swords? Wait, no, there was a glove attached to the blades. She gasped as she realized Captain Kuro’s weapons were supposed to be cat claws. This seemed to match that description. 

Which meant Naruto had gotten him away from his weapon. She didn’t know why she was surprised. 

But… where was he? Or Kuro for that matter? 

Nami froze as she heard a clang up ahead. There. On the other side of the field where the cliff was. A head popped over the hill, light glinting off round glasses. The cat burglar let out a quiet ‘Eep!’ sound as she picked up the glove, hiding it away from moonlight and running. She needed to get to Zoro or Luffy. As fast as she could. 

There was no way she could win against Kuro by herself! 

She just hoped Naruto was fine. At least this would draw the enemy away from him if he was there. 

xXXx

Tamanegi couldn't sleep. He had too much on his mind, from the way his captain had acted to the events before that. It simply wasn't like Usopp to lie to hurt others because someone offended him or even hurt him. As far as Tamanegi knew anyway. Perhaps he hadn't known the older boy as well as he thought. 

He turned under his sheets, a pronounced frown on his face but unseen in the dark. Moonlight shone through the window. It was halfway across his room. Morning would come soon and yet he'd only fallen to a fitful sleep and was lying wide awake now. He sighed, swinging his legs over the bed and walking near silently across the room, feet shuffling slightly. 

The boy made it to the kitchen and climbed on a stool to get a glass, pouring some water in it and taking a sip. Movement from the window made him stop and curiously go look. 

Moonlight was just enough to see a woman rush through the meadow outside. She looked familiar. Short hair and a skirt and- Oh, she was the one they thought was a witch that ate their captain. Tamanegi tilted his head. 

Why is she run…? the thought cut off as someone else came to view, dark as night but five beams of metal glinting in moonlight. 

They were hurrying after her but slower. Limping. Tamanegi gulped as the person shifted enough for some light to shine on his face. He too looked familiar. Too familiar. And those glasses confirmed it. It was Klahadore, the stupid butler. 

With five swords. 

His hands trembled, water sloshing to the floor as he hurriedly set the glass aside on the windowsill and rushed to the door to get his shoes. The noise he made clearly woke up her mom. Dad was a deep sleeper. But this was important! He couldn't let mom stop him! She wouldn't believe him if he— 

" Tamanegi! What are you doing at the door?" his mom came to the door of the kitchen with her nightgown. "It's the middle of the night!"

He pulled his shoes on and took his jacket. "Sorry, mom. This is important! Usopp didn't lie after all and pirates are coming in the morning!" 

"What—" her sentence cut off as Tamanegi rushed outside. 

The members of the Usopp Pirates stuck together, and if he was right then their captain was out there. Fighting alone! He would need everyone he could. Piiman and Ninjin needed to know about this! 

xXXx

Usopp alternated between looking at the slowly lightening horizon and glancing at a sleeping Naruto. He looked peaceful, except for the black strips tied around his midsection and around his arm with some red seeping through. Kaya was sitting next to him and tightening one of the bandages. She was sweaty and looked… fragile. Like she’d looked the first time he’d gone to her mansion to see her. 

The pirate butler’s betrayal seemed to have left an open wound in her well-being. That was to be expected, he guessed, if the man had taken care of her for three whole years without showing his true colors. 

His eyes strayed to the young ninja again and he felt a surge of anger and fear at the boy's condition. The kid couldn’t be too much older than his three little 9-year-old followers. He knew how to fight, that was a given with his speed, strength, and those clones … but Captain Kuro had done this to him. Usopp had thought the kid dead when Kuro knocked him out with such force and his skull had bounced from rock. 

“Oi, Luffy…" he heard himself ask, eyes on the whiskered blond. “Isn’t he a little too young to be a pirate?” 

The pirate captain who didn’t seem like a pirate captain glanced at him from the corner of his eye, expression the same neutral as it had been for the past twenty minutes. Since Naruto had fallen asleep. 

“He made his own decision," the straw hat boy informed him before a light grin crossed his features. “It was much better he came with us than if he went alone.” 

Usopp turned from the kid to the young man next to him, a small surge of respect in his chest. If Naruto’s other choice was to sail the seas alone then… Well. The kid had seemed lonely. And these guys seemed strong enough they could protect him if needed. 

“LUFFY!" a woman’s voice rang through the forest and got both of them to turn back. 

Nami was running towards them, expression panicked but determined. She ran like death itself was on her heels. Usopp blanched as he saw a shadow of a figure walking languidly behind her, calm and composed but fast like he was running. Death wasn’t even that far off . 

“Nami?” Luffy questioned, before his eyes found what Usopp was now pointing at fearfully. “Ah! The butler guy!” 

The short haired woman reached them easily enough, panting just slightly, as she stopped next to Kaya and whirled to look behind her. Kuro was still walking towards them, though his pace was slower. Now that Usopp thought about it the butler was scruffed up. Like he’d been in a fight. His eyes drifted to Naruto, amazed. 

Kuro adjusted his stupid glasses, five blades on his hand shining. “So this is where the rest of you interfering little pests have hidden.” 

Usopp let out a strangled gurgling noise, knees locking together at the sheer hostility those words emitted. Luffy stepped forward, just in front of all of them. 

“It’s useless , Usopp-kun. The plan is going to succeed," the butler’s eyes drifted to a shaking Kaya, cold and calculating. “Your fortune will be mine after your unfortunate death.” 

“K- Klahadore…" her voice trembled, vulnerable. “You really aren’t the Klahadore I knew…”

Merry’s hand rested on the young mistress’ shoulder, trying to comfort, even as he glared at his fellow butler. The man behind this evil plan ignored them as he looked down toward the kid lying in front of her, dead to the world, and his eyes narrowed. 

“How fitting," he mused, “that the thief would lead me to my newest headache so I can finally slaughter it.” 

Nami’s eyes widened as she finally noticed Naruto’s prone form. Then, Kuro disappeared . Luffy launched himself forward and struck at the previously empty space right on top of the ninja. Kuro’s form flew to a tree at the opposite side of the road they were on. Luffy's straw hat shadowed his eyes as he cracked his knuckles. Usopp felt like an outsider looking in, events happening outside his control. 

“You won't touch them," the pirate captain vowed, a dark edge to his promise. 

Kuro slowly rose from the ground, head twisting to the side as he rolled it to reduce impact induced stiffness. The glint of his round glasses hid his eyes. 

"Curious. You saw through it," Captain Kuro stated, expression blank and yet somehow furious. 

He disappeared again, this time towards Kaya who screamed in terror before Luffy was there again, blocking the hit with an elbow to Kuro's gut. Then, because Kuro dodged, he hit the man's right cheek with a grunt of frustration and launched him back back back with a stretching punch. Unfortunately, Kuro recovered quickly and was suddenly by Nami's side again. Luffy was also there. 

The game of hit-and-miss didn't continue for long as Nami let out a gasp and the enemy pirate captain pulled his other sword glove on, having stolen it back from the thief. 

"K- Kaya-ojousama, let's go while we still can," Merry breathed quietly, tugging his employer to her feet and bolting. 

"Wait!" Usopp shouted, looking between their retreating backs and Naruto's unconscious form before Nami motioned for him to just go . 

He nodded fearfully and ran after the two, getting Kaya on his back and fled . 

Nami took out her staff and settled in front of Naruto. 

Luffy was positioned in front of them, standing his ground. 

Kuro finished putting his glove in place. He lifted his head, glare clear in his eyebrows and mouth. 

The battle was starting on another level. And Naruto was still sleeping through it. 

xXXx

Usopp led Merry through the forest but honestly he wasn't sure where he should be going. So he just ran forward. Towards north. Maybe they could alert Zoro, because the swordsman seemed competent and that would be protection . For Kaya and Merry. And himself. 

Kaya was crying again. He could feel the tears on his shoulder where she'd buried her head. 

"Hey," he said to gain her attention. "Have I ever told you about my dad?" 

She sniffled and a hand lifted to dry some tears before placing it back around his neck. The young woman answered with a no. And so, for the first time in their acquaintance Usopp told tales that were true. About his childhood, of not really remembering his father well but hearing stories from his mother. How he was why Usopp learned to shoot with his slingshot. He told her about learning Yasopp was in the Red-Haired Shanks' crew. 

It was a distraction amongst the best of them. It allowed Kaya to forget the traitor for a second, and for Usopp to just run and not worry . 

Then there was a crack of a branch in front of them and all three yelped in fear and surprise. 

"Haah? Usopp?" the green haired swordsman cocked an eyebrow at them. "What's going on?" 

" Zoro!" the sharpshooter exhaled with clear relief. "Look, Naruto showed up at the other slope after his clones popped. Kuro had cut him up. Then Nami showed up with a stolen glove weapon and Kuro on her heels. And now Luffy is fighting him alone oh no-!" the fear he'd managed to push to the side came flooding in as he realized what had happened . 

Zoro cut him off by taking his bandana and tying it around his head, a bloodthirsty smirk gracing his lips. "Right. I'm going there. You stay here and shout if there's trouble." 

He started to run off except—

"THAT'S THE WRONG WAY!!" Merry and Usopp yelled in sync, Kaya too exhausted to bother. 

The swordsman stopped dead with an irritated glower. "Which way then?" 

Three pointed fingers. He started that way and— 

"Don't turn left! It's straight ahead!"  

When he turned so sharply to the right he faced them again Merry had enough and yelled at Usopp to take care of Kaya so he could guide this hopeless savior to where he was needed . This left Usopp and Kaya in the woods. Alone. Without protection from anyone. 

Usopp looked in the direction Zoro had come from and realized the slope was right there . And he was alone here to protect it and Kaya. Only him.  

At that moment, nobody could blame him for the trembling that made his knees knock together. 

xXXx

Naruto snapped his eyes open, consciousness returning in a rush of confused clarity. Sounds of battle sounded to his right and he could feel his wounds throbbing. It was still much better than when he'd run from the mansion. 

His headache had receded to almost normal levels. 

The scene that greeted him both was and wasn't what he expected. Nami was standing in front of him with tense shoulders and staff tightly held in front of her. Beyond that was Luffy and a blur . His eyes immediately focused on it and he realized Kuro was moving fast . Cuts and felled trees were everywhere. Except their spot. 

Not as fast as Bushy Brows, was his first thought. 

Memories of green spandex and orange leg warmers and weight craters moved through his mind as he stared at the destruction, frozen. It looked like Kuro couldn't even see where he was striking. And Luffy couldn't concentrate on anything other than keeping his aimlessness away from his crew. 

Well. That could stop now. Naruto carefully flexed his chakra and when that didn't give so much as a twinge he crossed his fingers and yelled the name of his signature technique. Many of his clones were instantly slaughtered but others dodged and struck back. Many formed a wall of physical chakra constructs around him and Nami. 

"Kick his butt, Luffy!" he called out.  

Luffy glanced back from the corner of his eye and Naruto saw part of the D-shaped grin that cut sharply across his face. 

The very next moment Luffy struck out his fist and there was a crunch of glasses and facial structures shattering. Kuro went flying down the road and laid there, seemingly exhausted. Nami sighed in relief. Naruto would have too. 

Except there were three stupid kids who decided it was a good idea to poke at a downed lion with pitchforks and shovels. 

"This is for the village!" 

"What have you done to Kaya-ojousama and Captain Usopp!?" 

"Huaah! Take that!" 

For a second the pirate didn't move. In that second Naruto had managed to run to the kids and tackled them to the ground. Three clones he left behind him were cut to ribbons before popping in plumes of dispersing chakra. His wounds ached and he felt a warm trickle down his back. Blood. 

Kuro was standing and Tamanegi, Ninjin, and Piiman whimpered at his unholy rage. Naruto eased himself up and in front of them, a forced grin on his face. 

"This seems a bit familiar," he commented. "Should I snatch your glasses again?" 

The poor things were so badly beaten that they barely hung on the man's face. Glass had spiderweb cracks and metal bent away from his ear. Kuro's eye twitched violently and his whole expression went from livid to unhinged. 

"You… are a nuisance …" he seethed, nearly hissing, "...to the Plan!" 

Naruto was ready to block and strike back. He was prepared to take a hit or two for the scared trio behind him. He wasn't ready for Kuro to up and disappear from his vision as he pushed his speed to its very limits . 

Thump!

Luffy was standing behind him, in front of the kids, and two rubbery hands clutching the cat pirate's fingers together. 

"No. No!" Kuro yanked at the unrelenting grip, a blade cutting at Luffy's hand as he tried to wiggle his thumb free. "I can't fail!" 

And he pulled free from his gloves and left Luffy's arms twisted together by spinning in place. The younger captain yelped as two blades struck through one arm and made him stumble. Kuro cackled, disappearing again and this time Naruto did stop him from stomping on Piiman while the guy was getting a weapon. A shovel. 

"Nami!" the ninja yelled in alarm as he realized where he was headed. 

The navigator didn't have time to be alarmed. Kuro was already there with the edge of the shovel against her neck. 

"I had hoped it wouldn't come to measures like this, but you have forced my hand," he spat at them, "Stop resisting or her life is forfeit!" 

Luffy struggled free of the sword gloves, pulling the blades out of his skin with a furious snort. Then he paused. Naruto blinked and suppressed a grin. 

Kuro interpreted it as surrender and smirked with his split lip. "Good. I knew you could see reason. Now—!" 

His sentence was cut off just like the shovel he was holding. Nami ducked out the instant his grip let up, spinning with her staff, and gaped up at Zoro holding Kuro at sword point. 

"I think your plan is forfeit," their swordsman intoned. 

"Shishishi! Great job, Zoro!" 

Naruto sank to his knees to rest up from his sudden movements. He'd need a moment. Then he'd be fine to continue. 

"C- Could you restrain him, Zoro-san?" Merry the butler asked warily as he poked his head out from behind a tree. 

Just a few minutes later they had an unconscious Black Cat Pirate tied to a tree with loads of rope and weapons nowhere in sight. They were lucky Nami had the binds sequestered on her person. Naruto was missing the ninja wire that Sasuke always… used… 

He missed his team. 

The ninja turned to the horizon with a frown. He’d find them. No matter what. Then he registered what he was seeing and the promise was pushed away in place of shock. 

“Hey, it’s morning!" he exclaimed. “They’re not here!” 

Nami was the first to get it. “But that means… Usopp is out there alone!” 

“What!?" Piiman, Tamanegi, and Ninjin yelled and immediately went to run to the northern slope. 

Zoro grabbed their scruffs and pulled them back. “Don’t be so hasty. You’d get in the way.” 

“But— Captain Usopp—” 

Luffy crouched next to them with a big grin. “No point in worrying. I know he’ll manage. And we’re going to help him anyway.” 

“I’m going ahead! Somebody guard Kuro!" Naruto called out from the trees, ears trained on the sounds of yelling. 

He didn’t need to look back to know his crew was following. He still prepared to be the only one there for a good minute. After all, he was pretty fast when he wanted to be. And right now he wanted to be. 

Hang in there Usopp!  

xXXx

Chapter Text

Usopp made Kaya hide in the trees and spread spikes over the slope as first rays of light started throwing long shadows everywhere. He saw the big ship of the Black Cat Pirates sliding into view, and spied the weird hypnotist backwards guy at the helm. Not looking where the ship was going. It was so weird. Everything was also very surreal and scary and he didn't know what to do with himself. 

So he just fingered his pouches, the round metal balls ready for him to shoot with his trusty slingshot. He only had a few Gunpowder Stars… He wouldn't lead with those so Lead Stars it was. Definitely… Right… 

"Usopp-san," Kaya whispered as she poked her head out of the bush she was hiding behind. "You don't have to do this. I can just—" 

"No. Don't say that. I won't let you sacrifice yourself," he stated, voice quivering just a fraction because hiding with her sounded safe and he wanted to feel that. "I need to do this. Otherwise my home will…" 

Kaya stayed silent. He didn't need to finish that sentence, since they both knew what it meant. The first pirates came to shore. He prayed that the others would get here quickly. 

Pounding feet and roaring yells. Usopp told himself the knocking at his knees was because the ground was shaking. He raised his weapon, steeling his spine, and opened his mouth. 

“I- I h-ha… ve—" he stopped to take a deep breath. “STOP RIGHT THERE!” 

Miraculously, they slowed down to listen. Jango looked up with an impassive face. Usopp remembered him hypnotizing Luffy and Naruto and fought the shudder that overtook him. The ‘briefing’ the young ninja had held with the crew to put a plan together included what he thought they were facing and Jango was identified as the Number Two threat. 

Kuro being Number One. And on the other side of the island with Luffy and his crew. 

He gulped fearfully but continued with his task. 

“RETREAT NOW, OR I’LL SIC MY ARMY OF A MI- HUNDRED MEN ON YOU!!” he declared with finality. 

He only barely remembered the impromptu lying lesson in time. The ones with Naruto when they were talking with Kaya, saying the lie was more believable if it was possible and proceeding to prove his point by poking Usopp’s story full of holes. 

Dead. Silence. Some pirates looked pale. Others were sceptical and looking to their not-captain for orders. Then someone chuckled. 

“Really now? A hundred? Under the command of someone like you?” he laughed. 

Usopp, inexplicably, relaxed a little. This was like patching up the holes questioners made. Yeah, he was only telling a lie to Kaya at the mansion and she and Naruto were trying to pick it apart. Just that, no deadly swords in dangerous hands opposing him, nope!

“DON’T UNDERESTIMATE OUR LOYALTY TO THIS VILLAGE!” he roared. “YOUR TRUE LEADER, CAPTAIN KURO, HAS BEEN DEFEATED IN THE NIGHT! IF YOU DON’T WISH TO SUFFER THE SAME FATE, LEAVE THIS ISLAND AND NEVER RETURN!” 

That made them quiet down. Usopp was sweating, wondering if he did it right by bringing up their illustrious former captain, whom Luffy was keeping busy at the moment. ‘Defeated in the night’ hopefully wasn’t an exaggeration. Otherwise they were all dead meat. 

What’s that Naruto said? The best lies are centered around truth? 

His words seemed to be correct if the men’s uncertain or gaping faces were any indication. 

“What was that?” Jango asked. “Captain Kuro, defeated?” 

“That’s impossible! ”

“OUTRAGEOUS!” 

“But- But if he’s telling the truth…”

“Calm down, man. Captain Kuro is too strong!” 

Usopp felt himself shaking as he realized that some truths might not be the best to base a lie on. Especially if the truth was too unbelievable to believe. He took his slingshot and quickly loaded it, aiming. His hands were steady now even if his insides were twisted up so badly he felt he might vibrate out of his skin. 

“LEAVE! WE HAVE WEAPONS AIMED AT YOU! CHARGE AND YOU’LL BE SHOT DOWN!” 

His voice would be hoarse after this. 

If 'this' worked it’d be worth it. He could see the men hesitating. Jango looked up under the rim of his hat, heart shaped sunglasses flashing. 

“Move forward, men. We need to defeat them, for Captain Kuro!” 

The men looked fearful, realizing something. Usopp tried to figure them out. To them it was unlikely Captain Kuro was dead. So, if Kuro saw them dawdling like this, because of a possible threat up the slope in the woods… Well, Usopp was scared of a person whose mere mention made the crew react like that. 

They all yelled as one and started charging. 

A few running steps forward and some in the back visibly relaxed because nothing had happened to the leading pirates. But then the first ones started yelling and falling and Usopp on top of the hill was flinging projectiles at them so fast they didn’t have time to react. It kind of looked like the front was being shot at with invisible things, or so Usopp hoped. And they slowed down, so it was working! 

Then Jango lifted his hypnosis ring. Usopp felt his eyes drawn to it, and abruptly closed them in fear. 

He wasn't getting hypnotized! 

There was a split second of silence. And the sound of something whizzing through the air. No phrases. No talking. Just a whiz and… 

Something big slammed into his side and— warm. Weird liquid? On his arm. Usopp's eyes snapped open as he fell, Kaya's form hugging him from the middle. The whizzing sound was past him and a glint of silver flew back to where it came from like a boomerang. 

He braced himself on one arm, landing with a thump . Pain flared . And not from the side he landed, but the bicep of his other arm. It had a long, quite deep cut just under his shoulder. His eyes widened as it dripped red on Kaya's beige coat. 

"K- Kaya!" he yelped. 

She lifted her head, revealing scared dark brown eyes. They landed on his wound and, to his horror, started watering. Then her expression hardened and she rose up, taking a gun out of nowhere and aiming it at the pirate horde that had stopped with their comrades downed and writhing in pain on the ground. 

"Don't MOVE! Or I'll shoot!" she threatened, voice trembling just slightly. 

Usopp felt his heart stop at the sight. He ignored the pain, rising up to his feet, trying not to think about where the apparently bladed hypnosis tool would have landed if he'd stayed still. 

He fumbled with his slingshot, pulling it back and pulling at his wound in the same movement before stepping right next to Kaya. 

The pirates were looking at them weirdly. 

"...Charge, men! The army is a lie! Get the girl, she's the one whose fortune Captain Kuro wants!" Jango yelled orders. 

The men looked at their downed comrades who dug spikes out of their footwear and places where they dug into their skin. They looked at the ground, noticing them littering the slope for the first time. 

"Straight ahead, boys!" one yelled. "Watch your step!" 

"I KNEW he was lying!"

Kaya had started shaking. Usopp gulped. This was not going well. 

Just then, a kid jumped from the trees. The two gasped, realizing who it was in an instant. 

Backup had arrived. 

xXXx

A bright grin cut across Naruto's whiskered cheeks as he landed, bringing his fingers to a familiar cross form. 

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A LIE, HUH!?" he screamed as around fifty of him poofed into existence. 

The mass of yellow-brown-black yelled a war cry as it descended on the surprised and fumbling group of attackers. Some cried out as they were struck by fists, feet, or a blade and flung into the ground or walls. Naruto didn't look it but he was pretty strong, especially for a kid. The shadow clones had his full weight and muscle mass as chakra. Some got hit and popped out of existence but many of them downed one or two opponents before that. 

It was enough to decimate the entire force, leaving them groaning on the ground and fourteen Narutos standing above them. 

Jango was staring at the sight, impassive but sweating. One of his eyebrows ticked with stress. 

"You're strong. We just have to be stronger. Men!" he lifted the pendulum, heads turning towards him. "When I say 'one, two, Jango' you'll be healed and much stronger than before!" 

"Oh, no you don't!" the clones yelled in chorus. 

Narutos charged forward, blocking eyesight and lunged from too many directions. 

"One," Jango dodged the first seven hits, still waving the pendulum. "Two. Jango!"

Only around twenty pirates rose from the ground, Naruto's clones having blocked the rest from seeing. Many were too injured to rise anyway. 

...Some of Naruto's clones yelled 'kai'. Naruto himself had closed his eyes. But he felt the connection to some of his clones flood with an angry frenzy. He knew how sticky that genjutsu was and couldn't blame them for not being able to shake it off wholly. 

Wait, he could use this! 

Three clones grinned at each other as they realized the same, stopping from fighting the hypnosis. He had eight left. They roared at the charging and equally strengthened pirates, blitzing into the frey like madmen and knocking people left and right, getting proofed in return. 

The result was nine left on Black Cat Pirates side, five left on Naruto's. His wounds were bleeding again and he panted heavily. 

Just then his crew arrived at the top of the hill, arguing with each other and Merry. 

Seemingly about the slightly squirming, very tied up form of a black butler that hung over Zoro's shoulder. 

"Cap- CAPTAIN KURO!? " the pirates yelled as they realized. 

"No way! The long nosed guy was telling the truth!?" 

"I can't believe this!" 

Jango was definitely sweating now. "Impossible!" 

The Black Cat Pirates froze as their former captain lifted his head to stare at them with soulless black eyes. Zoro bonked his head with the hilt of one of his swords. He fell limp. 

"Naruto, get up here and actually rest!" Nami yelled from the top. 

The ninja wrinkled his nose, glancing around at the trembling pirates, but complied and left his clones behind to knock out the rest of the downed crew. Luffy patted his head twice before literally picking him up from his scruff and throwing him at Merry. He yelped, surprised. 

"Idiot! What if you'd made him worse!?" Merry griped, tightening up bandages from where he'd started to bleed as Kaya ripped some more of his very abused suit coat to patch up Usopp's cut. 

Usopp was lying on the ground, a dazed look in his eyes as though he was struggling to believe what had just happened. He looked like he was close to weeping in relief. Both for their arrival and their survival. 

He roused to begin a quiet argument about recklessness with Kaya. Naruto didn't think it'd go anywhere. 

His attention drifted to his crew. Luffy was standing back and playing with Kuro's broken-beyond-repair glasses and laughing when the twisted up temples snapped back to hit his, well, temples. He blinked at that, chuckling for a moment too, before focusing on the slope. 

Zoro had gone down with Nami. The navigator was facing the last nine standing while Zoro and the clones surrounded Jango. 

Until Jango called reinforcements from the ship. 

The… Nyaban Brothers? 

"You're not gonna help?" Naruto asked Luffy. 

"Zoro's annoyed he hasn't gotten to fight yet." 

"Ah." 

True to his Captain's words, the clones down the slope backed away to become Zoro's own cheering squad. Much to the swordsman's ire. Unfortunately, up the slope it was much harder to hear what was going on down there. Instead he was subjected to prodding and fussing from a nice sheep butler and some entertainment as he watched Luffy poke their unconscious captive. 

"Usopp! Clones! Stop flailing about and start helping me tie these people up!" Nami screeched, fuming as she took a rope out of nowhere. 

Naruto looked at Usopp to see he was being hugged by Kaya and literally flailing. His clones were doing much the same as a commentator and cheering group. He wordlessly crossed his fingers and made six more clones, two of which ran off to get more rope. He asked Usopp if he had any hidden away in his belongings. The sharpshooter did have some. He got directions for his clones with a foxy grin, determined to do a prank on the unsuspecting teen's home. 

By then Merry was done and went to talk with Kaya quietly as Usopp rose to help Nami. Luffy had gotten bored and joined Naruto's cheering squad, much to Zoro's ire as he got distracted enough for the catty brothers to steal a sheath. 

He felt his grin transform into something softer. This was… fun. Good. Like he was someone he had always wanted to be. The one saving the day, with friends, and having fun while at it. 

This was… good. He could get used to it. 

A collective gasp sounded behind him. 

"See? We told you Captain Usopp wasn't lying!" 

His brow twitched, having a suspicion about this. The blond turned his head around to see what looked like the entire village gaping at the pirate ship and decimated crew, and what looked like a fighting ring down at the bottom. In the lead were the three kids Naruto had saved from their own stupidity just a bit ago. 

"Wh- What's happened here!?"

The whole village looked at Kaya, Merry, and Naruto in askance. 

This would take a while. 

xXXx

Syrup Village hadn't looked this festive in a long time. Sure, there were holidays but they were usually spent more quietly. Exchanging gifts, listening to some speech or other, wishing people well and celebrating with family. Almost all of the people knew each other so birthdays and farewells seemed like more of a big deal. 

This time? This time the usually dull monotony of days had been broken by a thwarted attack. A three year plot was uncovered, the town liar had told the truth and defended them, and a small group of youngsters who insisted they were pirates had defeated the traitor and his plot. 

Really, it was something out of a fairy tale! No wonder the village was throwing a party for their continuous survival and their saviors. 

The Marines had been contacted and they would pick up the Black Cat Pirates within the day. Nami, Usopp, and Naruto's clones had done an excellent job at tying them up. The whole crew was mostly unconscious and stuffed in jail cells that hadn't seen a lot of use in this sleepy sort of town. 

Luffy looked right at home in the eating competition while Zoro and Nami enjoyed good sake. Tamanegi, Piiman, and Ninjin were playing around and reenacting much of the battles that had gone on that day. Naruto had joined them, offering many different perspectives since his clones had been all over the place. 

Zoro vs. the Nyaban Brothers was an awesome theatrical show that even the adults enjoyed seeing. Luffy had joined Naruto in cheering the swordsman on but then got in Jango's path and suddenly Naruto's clones had been very busy trying to keep their captain from getting hypnotized . Again. It was a very funny story now that it was told afterwards. 

Needless to say, four tag teaming Naruto clones plus Luffy was too much. Jango had been down for the count fast and Naruto felt vindicated for putting the one who framed him in jail. Luffy had gotten a punch in just for that. It felt weird to be defended. He was used to doing the defending. 

"Nami-san, are you hurt at all?" Kaya asked after she moved on from treating a reluctant Zoro who had had to put his sake bottle down for treatment. 

The lady had had Merry get some real medical supplies from the town doctor and came to assist the man in patching the fighters up. Naruto had been the first to go. Much to their surprise his wounds had substantially healed already and only needed very few stitches. They wouldn't even scar. That, the boy knew both from experience and the doctor's say so. 

"I'm perfectly fine!" Nami smiled, lifting her small glass a little. "Would you like some?" 

"I don't drink, though the offer is appreciated," the mansion owner replied kindly. 

"Then you'll have to settle with a verbal thank you for your gift," the thief winked and took a small sip of the liquid. 

Kaya and Merry were too kind and gave the pirates a nice little Caravel called the Going Merry. Luffy had gotten a kick out of exploring and Naruto followed suit, snickering all the while. Zoro and Nami kind of turned around in a 'I don't want to know' gesture once they both started laughing. 

"No, no! The ship is my thanks to you for saving me!" 

The two ladies engaged in pleasant conversation after that. Nami probably enquired about the big boat's capacities in the waters and if there were any quirks she should know of. Kaya had to drag Merry into the conversation too with him being the main carer of the caravel. 

Somehow, Usopp himself wasn't really anywhere to be seen. 

Until— "NARUTO, WHERE DID YOU PUT MY STUFF!" 

The man broke into a coughing fit after shouting, face twisted halfway between anger and ouch . Naruto felt a grin sneak on his face. 

"Right where they need to be!" 

Usopp had marched right up to him to grab and lift the stupid prankster off his feet…and  if it wasn't for his injured arm he would've. As of now he just glared at the offending bandages and seethed at Naruto. 

"And that is?" he growled. 

"Your room," the ninja replied, grin unwavering. 

The young man let out a gurgling noise made grabby hands at his throat, except right after he had to wince and grab at his bicep. 

"YOU— cough, cough— I need to pack!" he rasped out. 

A hand landed on Naruto's head. The blond didn't bother to check who, already knowing by the slightly stretched stomach that bumped his arm and the signature laugh from above his head. 

"Naruto packed for you!" 

"Wait, wha—? I didn't tell you I was leaving, did I? And that doesn't explain where it all is!" 

Around that point the village had started circulating what Usopp was saying and crowding happened all around them. Many murmurs of 'he's leaving?' and 'following his father' went about. 

"On our ship!" Luffy and Naruto chorused, grinning at Usopp's flabbergasted expression. 

"But- But- I'm going off to become… a…" Usopp blinked as he realized what he was saying, "...pirate?" 

"Yeah! You're coming with us!" the Captain of the crew cheered. 

A few cheers erupted around them from the village. People patted Usopp's back and told the pirates to take care of him, Nami and Zoro demanding to know when that had been decided but not minding at all. Actually, they now knew that if they'd listened in on what Naruto and Luffy were talking about while exploring the ship it would've been this. 

By now Usopp had a wondering look in his eyes and a little bit of tears too. 

"I'll be the Captain, right?" he laughed and grinned a little incredulously. 

"IDIOT USOPP!!" three kids kicked the man's knees making him fall with an abrupt yelp. 

Luffy just laughed at his groaning form as his little pretend crew berated him. "No way! I'm the Captain!" 

Naruto looked around at villagers whispering about and gathering quick gifts and trinkets into a sneakily circulating traveller's backpack. He smirked. It was a good thing he thought to take the prank this far. Usopp's house had had a lot of stuff, and he'd have had to carry the spontaneous gift on top of that. 

His crewmates had gathered together and interaction felt more and more natural the longer it went on. Everyone was pitching in on conversation and teasing and laughing, and telling Luffy off for eating so much of the village's food. Usopp looked to be right at home. 

Heh. Even if he didn't have his old precious people right then, Naruto was steadily gathering new ones. 

Life was looking good! 

xXXx

Chapter Text

The next day the Going Merry set sail. 

Tearful goodbyes and the chaos of settling in later Usopp had some time to wind down and contemplate. He was a pirate now. Just like his dad was, something he'd always been proud and envious of. Now he had taken the first step towards becoming like him, his role model and father, and he wondered if Yasopp would be proud of him too. 

He was a liar, a coward, and excited out of his mind. This was him, starting to live his dream. His adventure. And he decided now that nothing, nothing would spoil it for him. 

Still, he couldn't help but feel… inferior to the ones he'd set on the journey with. 

Luffy was charismatic, strong and dependable in a fight. Someone who could stretch his limbs to infinity because of a fruit, a devil fruit of all things. The captain of the crew may have been childish but he had the will and the conviction. He wasn't cowardly at all. 

Not that the others were either. Zoro seemed like a wall of steel, his eyes cutting and determined. Very much willing to lay down his life for whatever he thought worthy of it. He found the swordsman admirable. 

Nami was the only woman of the crew, if scary and also willing to protect that which she cared about. All the stories he'd heard about her from Naruto gave a picture of a weather reading genius who seemed to love her trade. One who could rob you blind in a blink without you noticing. 

And lastly the kid. The kid . Who was a ninja. Twelve years old and gallivanting with those three as an equal. A tough fighter who wasn't afraid of wounds and had so many tricks up his sleeve Usopp had a hard time knowing what he could and couldn't do. And yet he found himself gravitating towards him the most. Perhaps because of the small pretend crew he was leaving behind, maybe because of the fellow prankster energy, or maybe… 

Maybe because of the sorrowful air around him, the eyes that said he'd been rejected one too many times, lost something too precious. Because he got it, having lost his mother, not feeling like he belonged . 

He got it. And that made him wonder what had put the look on Naruto. 

Why would people shun such a cheerfully good child? 

He lost the thought once the kid himself landed on the railing beside him, making him screech and jump out of his skin. 

"Yo, Usopp! I saw some crafting tools and equipment in your things when I carried them over. You any good with them?" 

The sharpshooter breathed in deeply. "Don't do that! And who do you think you're speaking to? I, the master crafter Usopp, have excellent skills at creating—" 

Naruto hopped down and grinned up at him. "Good! Now let's go make Nami give us room for tinkering with our stuff!" 

"Wah!" he was dragged towards the head of the ship with a slightly unconventional speed. 

Also, the blond boy built things too? That was very surprising. He was twelve! How would he be any good at it? But then, he was a very good fighter. Both of those, though? What was wrong with Naruto's upbringing!? 

In the end it didn't take much convincing to get them a space cleared in the storage room. It was for a good cause. Luffy even approved on the grounds that they made cool stuff and mystery weapons for the crew. 

This, Usopp decided, was the most amazing crew he could have ended up on. And if building things was how he could pitch in, he would do it as masterfully as he could! 

(It turned out Naruto wasn't much of a builder. What he did? He made literal magic happen. Usopp watched the squiggles on paper explode upon failure with alarm, and then started to have ideas.) 

xXXx

Zoro was glad to finally have space to train in his daily life. It had been a long time, perhaps a little under a year, since he'd had a bigger ship under his feet and people to spar with. Well, maybe not more than one person. And a kid at that. 

Whatever you could say about Naruto, it wasn't a lack of work ethic when training. 

He was a tenacious little bugger with enviable stamina, speed, and the wildest of plans. The first time Naruto had pulled a wire trap, then threw a bunch of the strange knives called kunai he'd made earlier, and somehow manifested an army behind Zoro. Once the kunai turned back into clones the swordsman had to yield. It had been frustrating to lose to a trickster of a child but he had to admit he respected the blond's creativity a lot more afterwards. 

Though as the first member of this ragtag crew, he felt he needed to insist he would have won if he didn't need to worry about accidentally cutting the real Naruto. These guys wouldn't need to worry about Zoro losing in a real fight. It backfired a little though. Naruto was offended about the lack of trust in his skills and started arguing back. 

Nami was the one who put a stop to the kid demanding a rematch to prove a point. 

"We don't have a doctor on board. If accidents happen we won't be able to fix you!" 

Naruto scowled. "I heal fast!" 

"And I don't want to mend bloodstained clothes all the time!" 

"I can do it myself!" 

The rematch was forgotten in favor of another fight, though verbal. Nami baited the ninja into proving he could sew clothes and dumped a lot of them at his feet with a grin and a promise of discount in future debts. Naruto insisted Nami was evil after that, and Zoro was inclined to agree. 

Even still, Zoro got a good fight at least once every day now. Sometimes with a mass of clones, normal sparring sessions, and others with Naruto being a massive prankster. 

The prankster bit was also what started many of their spars. Because—

"Naruto…" Zoro growled. "Why is my face covered in ink?" 

Luffy and Usopp were laughing with the little devil, rolling on the deck in hilarity. 

"Cause you needed— hahaha— to look like the tiger you c- claim to be!" the ninja gasped out. "Going all 'Three Sword Style: Tiger Hunting!'" 

"Then why—" he ground out, pointing at his cheek, "—do the stripes look like giant girly eyelashes!" 

Everyone burst out in new peals of laughter, making Zoro's eye twitch violently. He grabbed his swords, face shadowed. 

"You want me to be a tiger? I'll show you how tiger I can REALLY be!!" 

The trio screamed and scrambled away, laughing and yelling in terror as the green haired demon swordsman prowled around the Merry. Nami usually just shook her head and ignored them by reading the day's newspaper. Unless they disturbed her. Then there were debts to pay and bumps on heads. She then went back to whatever she had been doing. 

Sometimes Zoro wished he could do the same when his naps were disturbed. Unfortunately, things tended to devolve into chaos once he responded to the annoyances. 

It was worth it, though. He actually wouldn't mind if life stayed like this for as long as it took to reach the title of World's Best Swordsman. 

Not that he'd tell any of the idiots he threw his lot with. 

xXXx

Naruto woke up to the absence of a snore he'd been getting used to hearing. He squinted at the ceiling. The deck, which the ceiling was made of nowadays, he had to remember. The boards were blurring together and he tiredly rubbed at his eyes to make them focus. A noise caught his attention. 

He groaned quietly, wondering if it was worth getting up. It might not have been the absence of the Captain's snores but this that woke him. 

…Luffy's singing was not pretty. He doubted he could get back to sleep. 

The ninja sighed and quietly slipped out of his hammock, traipsing on the floor with the quietness of one to go get dressed. He grumpily took off his nightshirt and pants to shimmy in his new almost black shorts and white t-shirt he’d yet to sew his red spiral on. The brown jacket had been salvageable, though it looked more used now than ever before. The slashes of Kuro’s swords didn’t show anymore since he really did have a knack for sewing and steady hands and had had to patch up his clothing since youth. 

Then he climbed the ladder up to the deck, emerging next to the mast to look at what in the world Luffy was doing. 

He was greeted with the sight of a black piece of fabric and cans of paint, the pirate captain cheerfully swinging a big brush about while singing badly off key. It didn’t take a genius to see what he was doing. Naruto hopped up and walked over with morbid curiosity. He at first couldn’t even figure out what was taking shape. 

The next second he was staring in fascinated horror at the start of a monstrous jolly roger. 

It was exactly what you’d expect from a four or five-year-old kid. 

“That’s terrifying," he blurted out. In a humiliating way, he didn’t say. 

“Thanks!” Luffy cut off his singing for a second to reply. 

Naruto shook his head and decided he wanted breakfast more than getting into why they couldn’t have this as their flag. He wanted to wake up properly now that he couldn’t get more sleep. Shame they didn’t have ramen. He missed it. So much. Who knew it could be so hard to find out at sea? Not that he'd had much proper ramen on land either… 

After an uninspired piece of bread and butter the ninja felt a bit more awake and went to start on some morning exercises. It didn't take too long for the ship to become more lively. Nami woke the boys by hollering at Luffy to quiet down. He had sung for an uncomfortably long time. If Nami hadn't done it, Naruto thought he might've gone and kicked Luffy's face onto the caricature of a pirate flag. 

Zoro was up and situated in the crow's nest. He'd been with Luffy the longest, so it wouldn't be out of place to assume he was desensitized. Naruto kind of doubted it though. Usopp was the last to climb out and he cheerfully announced that fact for the world to hear. 

"Captain Usopp is ready to take on the day!" he yelled. 

Luffy stretched a hand to slap him upside the head. The teen yelped. 

"Oi, what was that for!" 

"Felt like it."

Naruto poked his head over the railing. "It's 'cause you still forget you're not the captain!" 

"Ahaha, well— What is that!?"  

The horror in that statement drew everyone's attention, even if they didn't react just yet. Then Luffy opened his mouth. 

"This is our pirate flag!" 

In moments everyone was on deck to look at what drew such a noise from Usopp. Except for Naruto who was too busy snickering up the stairs at the half-incredulous, half extremely unsurprised reactions. 

"That's a disaster," Zoro stated, plain and simple. 

"I don't know, it could be some form of abstract art," Nami mused. 

Usopp stared for a moment, then straightened up with a smile that was slowly becoming familiar. It was the smile he wore when he started tooting his own horn. 

"Why didn't you guys come to me for this? I'm a master painter! Why, I've got over 50 years of expe— Ack!"  

Naruto had thrown the brush at his head. "Hurry up and do it, Grandpa!" 

Luffy and Nami laughed as Usopp whirled around to give a glare before sighing and asking for another piece of black fabric. Lo and behold, he was a pretty good painter… If he just painted what he was supposed to. Naruto stared, unimpressed, as he presented his own flag to the crew. Zoro got the final empty black flag for painting and that one… 

That one turned out nicely. Everyone fawned over it and Luffy decided they needed it on the sail too. Usopp looked at the daunting task, sweat on his brow. 

“Er… Ahaha, fear not, I’ll do it before you can say—!” 

A puff of smoke from behind them cut him off. Everyone turned to see around ten Narutos, all holding a paintbrush. 

“At your command, Artist Long Nose.” 

Usopp stared at the unexpected source of help. Then he grinned. “Let’s get started! My Army of One, get the sail down on the deck!” 

Operation ‘Paint the Sail’ was on! 

xXXx

"What the— Naruto!?” Usopp gaped up at the ninja.

“What? I'm doing like you said and getting the sail down!"

"No, I… You walked up the mast!”

Zoro glanced up blandly. "He does that." 

Usopp let out a weird wheeze as though to emphasize the impossibleness happening in front of him. In the end he let it go and just decided to appreciate the sheer awesomeness of it all.  

xXXx

“No, no, go to the right, right!” Usopp instructed, only for every Naruto to shift towards the right. “NOT ALL OF YOU, JUST THE RIGHT ONE!”

Everyone on board turned to him. 

“WHICH ONE!?” they snapped. 

“THE ONE AT THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CHI- You know what, you need to be color coded.” 

That was an actual good idea. Everyone but the now colorful Narutos looked impressed, which kinda frustrated Usopp. His ideas were almost always good, thanks! 

xXXx

“AAAAH! WATCH OUT!” a yellow marked Naruto clone yelled as a bucket fell. 

Luffy yelped and stretched an arm to snatch it away from the sail. Unfortunately, that leaked some paint. The yellow Naruto gasped and, thinking quickly, threw himself into the falling paint to gather it all on his person midair. He smacked into a wall, spread-eagled, and red paint splashed around him. The clone poofed, leaving behind a vaguely person-shaped red mark. 

Everyone stared for a moment. Then burst out laughing. The real Naruto groaned. 

“Whoever knocked the bucket over will clean that up," he said. 

It was Luffy. The rest of the crew watched with growing dread as he took out the cleaning supplies with splashes of soap and grand gestures. Immediately, it was decided the cleaning would be left after the sail was painted. 

xXXx

They stared at the finished sail flying overhead, under the flag proudly proclaiming their pirate status. 

Whatever Naruto had ever thought he'd become, 'pirate' had not been on the list. Life happened and here he was anyway. Looking for a way home to become Hokage… If they even wanted him. He shook his head and slapped his cheeks. 

Of course they would! He'd promised! He'd never go back on his word! 

With his resolve once again reignited he turned to the front of Going Merry and stared at the sky. Out there, somewhere, he'd fulfill his dream. 

Luffy keeled over with a thump and a warbling groan. 

"I feel weeeeeaaaak…"

The crew looked at each other. Their captain had stuck both his hands deep into the soap water bucket and hadn't dug them out. Seemed like the yellow clone's 'blood', as Zoro had dubbed it, would never get cleaned if someone didn't step in. 

Unfortunately, that seemed to fall on the ninja's shoulders as the one other person involved. And someone who could make clones. 

He argued that he was the one who died. Those protests fell to deaf ears and he was left babysitting a hopeless hammer. 

Well, until Zoro and Nami dumped Usopp to help since he'd wasted their other black fabric for his own design. Naruto was somewhat mollified. 

xXXx

They raised the anchor to get somewhere closer to the Grand Line before night fell. Tomorrow, Luffy declared at dinner, they'd test the cannons. Naruto was looking forward to it. He'd never seen cannons fired before. Usopp neither, so he was excited too. 

"Just don't get too excited to sleep," Nami cautioned amusedly. 

"Pssh, as if!" Usopp waved her concern away. 

xXXx

Usopp was too excited to sleep. 

xXXx

Chapter Text

Naruto was up early. It was his turn to be lookout. It was an easy job with his clones. He was able to have eyes everywhere. Hence, he was the only one who didn't necessarily need a partner to watch both the front and the back of the ship. 

Just because the job was easy didn't mean it couldn't be boring. Usually Naruto would come up with some pranks or think about fuuinjutsu and its mysteries that he was sure he'd known at some point. Other times he thought about home and tried to remember more. Sometimes he practiced his kata, the stances coming to him smoothly due to two years of practice. Or more, with his memories. 

This time, he'd made a bunch of clones and had them throw themselves overboard. Yes, you heard right. He did it because there had been one aspect of them he'd overlooked. He got their memories. That meant he could learn faster. And what better way to learn waterwalking than not being able to be anywhere else but water? 

So he kicked back and played lookout while his clones splashed around the back of the ship. It sounded fun. He sighed and entertained himself by drawing out a seal he knew but didn't know the purpose of. Nami had given him a bunch of paper so he could. He'd argued the debt down to actually making some seals for her. 

Somehow, that had worked. The orange haired woman was scary.  

One of his clones whooped. Another yelped. A bunch of them cried out in frustration. Naruto was curious. One of them dispelled itself to paint a picture of one of them managing to stand, another falling over, and everyone trying to stand falling into the water with the resulting splash. The ninja rolled his eyes. Well. At least it was progress. 

He was confident he'd get this down by tomorrow. Right now though, Luffy had woken up and was going to raid their kitchen if he didn't do something about it. That meant his shift was over. 

The clones dispelled as he climbed down and he was assaulted by three hours of practice done over and over again. 

That- That's not good.  

He fell, but wasn't aware of falling from the sheer dizziness and exhaustion each clone had had. He had just enough time to feel alarm before he smashed into something bouncy. The ringing in his ears subsided just in time to hear a groan. It vibrated his back too, and he realized what it was. 

"Aw, not again! I need breakfast!" Luffy complained from under him, speaking into the wooden deck. 

"You don't need everyone's breakfast," Naruto retorted absently, exhausted. 

The person shaped rubber mass twisted under him. Naruto could feel the stare he was getting. He saw the grin out of the corner of his eyes. 

Uh oh.  

The captain pushed him off, making Naruto blink after him dizzily from the sitting position he landed in. Usually he'd bound after him but—

"LUFFY IS STEALING BREAKFAST!" he yelled from the bottom of his lungs. 

There was a mad scramble from downstairs and Nami's exasperated yell of 'AGAIN!?' from somewhere in the direction of the bathroom. He knew she hid how early she woke up at times! Zoro rushed past him with his shirt halfway on and only one sword in hand. Usopp peeked a very sleepy face from the ladder leading on the deck. 

Zoro's berating shouts were an answer of how well he'd succeeded in stopping the glutton. Which meant they'd have to have a smaller portion of food today. Ugh. 

Well. Now he knew what not to do after letting clones practice strenuous activities for hours, at least. 

xXXx

"We need someone in charge of food around here," Zoro muttered darkly around a piece of jerky. The only piece of jerky left. 

Usopp hummed something close to an affirmative, rubbing his sleepy eyes while hugging a bread to his chest for safekeeping. 

"Who's a person in charge of food anyway?" Naruto asked, grimacing at his half eaten toast. 

Nami sipped her tea, elegant, not at all fooling the people who had seen her tie their Captain's hands into knots just three minutes ago. "A cook." 

"Yeah! We need a musician!" Luffy piped in from where he was slowly wiggling his fingers free from the tangled mess they'd turned into during his attempts to get free. 

Everyone paused to give him an incredulous stare. 

They doubted anyone would ever understand the rubber man fully. 

xXXx

"Light the cannon, fire away~! Light the cannon, fire away~!" 

Luffy and Naruto chanted together while hopping in place behind a disgruntled and tired Usopp who had found them doing terrible horrible things to the poor piece of weaponry. He was pretty sure he knew what he was doing better than the two idiots behind him. Check the amount of gunpowder, have the thing loaded with something not a watermelon, good heavens— then adjust the trajectory and light the wick and—

Kaboom!  

The cannonball soared and hit its target perfectly, Usopp's ears ringing from both the noise and startlement induced adrenaline rush. What the— he'd done that? Half asleep?

No matter how he blinked, the rock remained destroyed. 

"WHOOO! You hit it!" Naruto cheered.

"I did? I mean, of course I hit it! Why, there's nothing that I, the masterclass sniper Usopp, cannot hit!" 

"Alright!" Luffy laughed in delight. "I've decided! Usopp is our sniper!" 

He was? He blinked again, as though to reaffirm this distant feeling of reality he was suddenly plunged into. Usopp had the same position as his father had on the Red-Haired Shanks' crew. A smile bloomed on his lips. 

"Yeah! All hail Usopp the sharpshooter!" he cheered for himself, actually feeling it this time. 

Naruto, though, was squinting at the water near the destroyed piece of land. His nose was scrunched up and… did it twitch? Was he some sort of animal? 

"Hey, is that a boat?" he asked. 

Usopp immediately whirled to look, seeing the unmistakable form of a boat paddling towards the ship with ferocity. It was coming from the rock. His sharp eyes spied a sword at the stranger's hip. He went pale. 

"...I shot the rock and someone was there." 

Naruto and Luffy stared at him blankly before also looking at the rowing swordsman approaching them. 

"I wasn't here," Naruto suddenly declared and disappeared in a puff of smoke. A clone. 

"Traitor!" Usopp yelled. "Luffy, quick, we need to convince him we weren't the ones to shoot at him!" 

Luffy frantically started waving at the man. "OOOOI! WE TOTALLY SHOT THE ROCK YOU WERE ON! BUT YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT!" 

…Usopp felt he'd be justified if he just gave up right then and there and died of his I'm-surrounded-by-terrible-betrayals disease.  

xXXx

Turns out Zoro knew the guy they shot at, Naruto noted bemusedly. He watched the newcomer gape at their green haired swordsman as Zoro acknowledged him as 'Johnny'. 

"Since when are you on a pirate ship? Did they kidnap you!? Wait, that makes no sense—!" 

Zoro cut his rambling with a furrowed brow and a question. "Where's Yosaku?" 

Naruto felt his stomach drop as he watched Johnny's expression fall. That promised nothing good. And nothing good there was. Yosaku was sick. 

They'd shot at a sick man. 

He felt it prudent to apologize. Usopp and Luffy did too, bowing and telling him sorry. Nami came by and took a moment to examine the man before ordering Luffy and Usopp to get limes from their storage. The two immediately went to get them and then squeezed the liquid into Yosaku's mouth. 

"Man, Nami sure is smart!" Luffy said. "Like a doctor!" 

Usopp nodded along, stuffing a whole lemon into the man's mouth. Naruto wasn't sure that's what Nami had had in mind. She was staring at them with an expression full of emotion Naruto couldn't quite identify. Annoyance? Extreme not-surprised surprise? 

"It's scurvy! How have you all been sailing so far without knowing such basic things!? You could die of it too!" she yelled. 

It was probably intense exasperation. In the form of an explosion. Also… 

"...It's curvy?" Naruto muttered to himself. 

He squinted at the prone man on the floor, not seeing anything too curvy about him. Perhaps it was the almost bald head? Had his hair been curly and then fallen off and that's why he was sick? That made as much sense as anything. Perhaps his hair had had this 'Vitamin C' cure too. 

His eyes caught on the forehead protector. Was he a ninja? There was no symbol on it. And the rest of him didn't look like a ninja. Not that Naruto did either at the moment. 

He touched his bare forehead, intensely missing the familiar weight of his own hitai-ate. The leaf mark that made him a shinobi of Konoha, declaring him a protector of his home. 

The man, Yosaku, sat up suddenly and startled him out of his darkening mood. 

"Partner!" Johnny cheered and the two started dancing around cheerfully. 

"There's no way you're better just yet!" Nami snapped. 

Naruto thought she was right. True to form, Yosaku collapsed again after the two introduced themselves as bounty hunters. With dramatic gestures. For a second Naruto thought he would see a sunset and crashing waves behind them, but shook the weird thought off. 

"Hey, hey. Nami. Would a cook help with this nutrition stuff, or is it a job for a doctor?" he asked their navigator. 

Nami looked down at him, momentarily taken aback. "I guess it could be both. Any ship needs both either way, but a chef would be more useful for actually edible nutrition." 

Johnny looked up from supporting Yosaku. "Did you say you need a chef?" 

And that's how they set course for Baratie, the floating restaurant, next. 

xXXx

It was a giant fish. The whole restaurant was a giant fish ship. It was also oddly stable on the waters. No gentle rise and fall, just… stillness. It could be that the waters were just calm but Naruto had been on the Merry and back on Baratie enough times to notice the difference. 

They'd gotten stuck. Of course. Why wouldn't they? Luffy was an idiot. 

Also a chore boy. An idiot chore boy. In a restaurant that would definitely do well without their captain breaking plates and cleaning supplies. Why the owner allowed it all was a mystery. But well… the owner was weird. He had one leg, long braided mustaches, and the tallest hat Naruto had ever seen. Also an attitude like a pirate. 

Naruto had seen him berate Swirly Chef for being a womanizer often enough to know he could fight. With his legs. Mainly with his legs. It was kinda cool. The Mustachef and Swirly Chef clearly had a long standing student and teacher relationship. Their fighting styles were so similar. It was like watching a flaring, argument-filled Lee and Gai-sensei moment. 

Even if Swirly wasn't at all like a mini clone of Mustachef when the old dude wasn't around. 

The first time they met he'd just kicked a marine out of their restaurant for lying to a woman and not knowing wines if the rumors Naruto gleaned from Nami later were to be believed. The ninja only started paying attention when he came to their table after and started giving Nami discounts and everything. Because Nami was a lady. Naruto had been disappointed to not find any ramen on the menu. It had been ages since he got ramen. 

But… he wasn't afraid to cheat a little to get it. 

He still remembered the horrified eyes of Usopp and Zoro's incredulous face when she fluttered her eyelashes and pouted her pink lips at the cook. The young woman he'd turned into had his whisker marks, long twin ponytails, and an elegant orange white dress with a rather large v-neck. 

"Aww, how unfair! Only Nami-chan is getting special treatment!" 

With that simple line he got Swirly's attention, affection, and most importantly, a special dish. Nami played along beautifully. He didn't really know why, except the gleam in her eye hinted to saving some beris. He didn't care about Usopp being scandalized, he got his miso pork ramen! 

The downside was that transformations drop as soon as concentration fades. And Naruto's concentration was definitely compromised when his cheeks were stuffed with delicious noodles and Nami hit him for a stupid comment. He inhaled everything, exhaled happily, and got promptly picked up by the scruff of his neck and yelled at when Swirly tried to figure out what happened to the beauty. 

It was worth it. Even when he got kicked out. And Swirly kept giving him a stink eye the days after. 

Swirly's name was actually Sanji but Naruto didn't care… until Luffy told him he was going to be their cook, and why. Naruto could respect someone who went out of their way to ensure nobody starved. 

Ugh. He was bored. Reminiscing didn't take the edge off for long. He'd already pranked Luffy's bunk bed. And the supply closet. Usopp was fishing and Zoro lifted heavy stuff for training. Nami… Naruto wasn't actually sure what she was doing but he'd get bonked if he interrupted. Johnny and Yosaku had 'important planning, Little Bro Naruto, go away, shoo'. Boooring. 

A door opened. The scent of cigarettes entered his nose. He looked down from his perch on one of the two lower crow's nests of the Baratie. It was Swirly— er, Sanji. Naruto watched him walk to the railing and take a deep drag of smoke, releasing the breath slowly. The ninja slid himself off the crow's nest railing and dropped down. He was still slightly surprised that someone so good at fighting didn't react to the soft landing. 

Ninjas probably had different expectations for noticing sneak attacks. From what he'd seen, ambushes and assassinations weren't as popular here. 

At least it meant that surprising people was easier. 

He tapped the cook's shoulder. Sanji glanced over and frowned when he saw nothing. In between his head turning, Naruto had relocated himself on the railing at the opposite shoulder. Just because. 

"Yo."

Sanji turned and was nearly nose to nose with Naruto. The stifled yelp as he flinched backwards made Naruto grin. Then he caught a stronger whiff of cigarette smoke and wrinkled his nose. 

"That stinks. Why do you smoke so much?" 

The cook stared at him, something unreadable in his eyes. He unceremoniously blew more smoke at Naruto's face. 

"Agh— HEY!"  

"Heh. I don't expect you to understand. Scram, kid." 

"No!" 

"I said scram. You're interrupting my break time." 

"When else am I supposed to talk to you, huh? Work time!?" 

"How about never! Your idiot captain does it enough!" 

That was true. Luffy was apparently persistent when you didn't say yes to joining the first time. Naruto went quiet for a moment but didn't leave. He wasn't about to give up a perfectly good time to figure out the cook. And spite was a powerful motivator. 

"...Why'd you feed the pirate who didn't pay?" he asked. 

Sanji looked like he wanted nothing more than to shove him off and forget it. But he didn't. Instead he slowly took another drag of the cigarette and answered. 

"Nobody should know the pain of starving." 

Naruto stared at him, feeling respect stirring in his chest. It was one thing to be told and another to find out for himself. And the firmness of Sanji's words made him think he knew what he was talking about. 

It reminded him of the times he'd run out of money for food and had to go hungry, back before he knew he could go to Ichiraku Ramen for a meal with only promises to pay back later when he was the Hokage and everyone would acknowledge him. 

"You're right," he said after a while of musing. "It's awful to go hungry, nobody should know that." 

Sanji shifted out of the corner of his eye, seeming to feel… something? Surprise, maybe. 

"You talk like you know that," he said. 

Definitely some form of surprise, and some curiosity. Naruto smiled, melancholic, staring out at the wide, wide ocean. 

"A bit. When I was a kid nobody liked me and didn't wanna sell me stuff, like food. Well, until I ran into a ramen shop that didn't mind I was… well, me, and gave me stuff when I was hungry and couldn't get food elsewhere," he grinned. "That's why ramen's my favorite food, ya know! It's the best!" 

The cook only hummed in answer, glancing at him from the corner of his eye. He didn't try to get him to go away anymore so that was nice. 

"...You are a kid, brat." 

Nevermind, Naruto didn't like this guy anymore. He huffed, scowling.  

"Oi! I'm a teenager!"  

"How old?" 

He opened his mouth, then closed it. "Uh…" 

Sanji let out a laugh. "Cat got your tongue, fake vixen?" 

"Shut up! Just because I dunno my age doesn't mean I'm a kid!" 

"Uh-huh, sure, kiddo." 

"I'm at least sixteen, dattebayo!" 

"Whoa, at least make it believable, shorty." 

Naruto fumed, cursing whatever thing had de-aged him when he got flown here. Ugh. Sanji's smug grin was too much. He bared his teeth in a faux smile and made a seal. The cook's eyes widened, suddenly apprehensive. Good.  

With a poof of chakra smoke there was an orange dressed young woman with a mischievous expression as she studied Sanji's frozen, unsure pose, eyes that took in her form with both hunger and dread. The cook tried to say something sharp but stopped himself with an ' urk' sound. 

Naruko giggled, reaching a finger out to tip Sanji's chin up a little. 

"Look who's tongue-tied now! Or did the vixen take it?" 

"Sh- Shut it, that's cheating!" Sanji got out with visible effort, not sure at all how to handle someone who looked like a grown woman but was actually a young boy. 

The woman laughed and her form wavered, proofing back into Naruto who found the whole thing hilarious. Sanji wasn't at all reserved about taking his frustrations on him when he didn't look like a woman and shoved him off the railing into the ocean. Naruto accepted the payback gracefully and let himself plunge into salt water, getting back to the surface still chuckling. 

He quickly got himself on his feet and ran up the side of the Baratie to shake himself like a wet dog, getting some revenge on Sanji while at it. 

Sanji, who was staring at him like he'd never seen him before, and seeming to wish he didn't just see what happened. 

"I'm hallucinating," he said, looking down at his spent cigarette and chucking the remains away. "Gotta get back to work. Stay out of trouble, brat."

"No promises!" Naruto said cheerfully, still dripping wet. 

Sanji shook his head as he headed inside, only pausing at the door. 

"Oh. If you want ramen again I'll make it." 

The ninja stared at him, gobsmacked, before grinning brightly, starry eyed. "You're my new favorite person!"

"You have to pay this time!" 

And the door slammed shut. 

All in all, Naruto was very pleased with how that had gone. 

xXXx

Chapter Text

Naruto was confused. He stared at the empty ocean, the blue sky, and the wind in Going Merry's sails. He'd been hiding with his scroll again, trying to figure out more about sealing, specifically the seal he knew but didn't know the purpose of. The one he hadn't tested for instinctual knowledge of how destructive those tests could be if he didn't know exactly what the seal was supposed to do. Then he'd come out from his hidey hole because something felt wrong. 

He turned to look at the empty ship, except for the orange haired woman at the helm. 

"Nami! Why're we moving? Where's everyone?" 

The woman whirled around, staring at him with widened eyes. "Naruto! I thought you were at… Oh no, of course." 

She looked pained. Sad. And Naruto thought she might've been crying. He stepped closer, concern for her breaking through his apprehension. 

"Are you o- OUCh!" he held his bonked head, glaring up at their navigator. "What was that for!?"  

Nami was getting pale. Naruto stared, still confused, as she stepped back and leaned against the white railing heavily. Her shoulders were tight. Was she… trembling? 

"Why can't this be easy?" she hissed under her breath. 

He made to touch her hand but stopped. 

"...Hey, you know we're friends, right?" he asked. "I promised I'll help, remember?"

She breathed deep and smiled at him. That smile was so fake. Naruto shuddered. 

"Of course, Naruto-kun, I know. I just took Merry to get her away from the fighting. You should probably go back there to help." 

The blond scrunched his nose and crossed his arms, unimpressed. "My clones are already there, whatever's happening… You just wanna get rid of me!"

Nami glared at him and yelled. "So what, you blond, idiotic, annoying BRAT!"

Naruto reeled back, like he was slapped. The navigator's volume was rising. 

"I never wanted you around, you're just a means to an end, and I'M NOT LETTING YOU GET IN MY WAY!"  

The shout echoed across the blue ocean. Naruto stared, eyes wide. His eyes drifted down. Nami was breathing harshly, one hand gripping the railing. The ninja's hands balled into fists. 

"Y'know… that would've hurt…" he started, his eyes fixed on Nami's trembling hands. "But you're clearly lying." 

Her breath hitched. 

"Nami," he looked her straight into her eyes, blue meeting watery brown. "What's going on?" 

xXXx

The clone stared at the chaos that had suddenly brewed up around the restaurant, frowning worriedly at the ocean. Boss was out there, somehow, but since he existed still he was okay. Instead he shadowed Luffy as the captain moved around Baratie, going out to see the attackers. 

"Oi, brat, weren't you cleaning up your mess!?" one cook called out from behind him, referring to a prank-gone-wrong in the kitchen entrance floor. 

"I am!" he replied snippily, knowing more clones were there. 

The cook scoffed at him, but he had better things to do than question him. Not everyone knew what Naruto was capable of here, by design mostly. He'd kept his ability mostly hidden when he deemed it appropriate. 

And even if people knew, his job was to pretend Boss was here, even though he wasn't. Boss had wanted to study the scroll in peace. Those thoughts hadn't changed since. He did wonder what was happening with their real counterpart since he sure shouldn't be studying the scroll now.  

Then Johnny and Yosaku showed up drifting in the ocean and he realized his Boss was out in the ocean because Nami had stolen the Going Merry. With the Boss still over there. He could see the boat in the distance and wondered if he should still keep up the charade. But since no orders came in the form of new insights, he stayed put. 

Don Krieg, the wannabe macho king, was treating his comrades like garbage. Nothing unusual there, even if it made Naruto's chakra boil. 

And then he shivered all over, feeling a massive presence suddenly unleash itself, and gaped with the rest of the crew and the cooks at the giant ship being cut in half.  

What the— What's going on here!?  

xXXx

Naruto was seething. He paced along the deck, muttering and growling to himself, half paying attention to Nami's listless staring. She'd told him about Arlong. About her village being held hostage. Her mission, and her work. Nothing too detailed but well enough he got the picture, and well enough that he could guess at the suffering she'd gone through over the years. 

"I'm going to gut him like the fish he is!" he shouted. "That monster's gonna pay!"  

"No…" Nami's voice froze him. "He promised. I'm almost done, I just need a little bit more. I don't need you disrupting that!" 

The boy clenched and unclenched his fists, scoffing at the ground. He felt agitated. This wasn't how everything usually went. It was complicated and ugly. Constant suffering nobody had put to end yet. It wasn't as convoluted as some other situations he'd gotten into but still up there. If Nami was promised the village for a large sum, it'd be good, but it didn't feel good enough. The shark had still hurt everyone, Nami especially! 

"How do you know he's not lying?" he asked instead. 

"He told me himself he doesn't break his promises, regarding money," Nami said. "Nobody in his crew has ever disagreed." 

"But it's not like a contract written in blood or anything? There's no repercussions if he breaks it?" he pressed. 

"That's— I know him, and he takes his word as law!" 

"Then any loop—" 

"DROP IT!" she yelled, rising up and storming away towards the rearing stick Naruto had recently learned was called the 'whipstaff'. 

Naruto looked after her helplessly. He caught the scent of fear and worry under a large pile of stress in the air. He wasn't about to give up on making her reconsider, though. This seemed like a plan that hinged on the benevolence and trustworthiness of a person who was a tyrannical bloodthirsty pirate for goodness' sake! The pirate who was powerful enough to keep a tight grip on a whole village for years!  

It didn't seem like she'd be able to listen now. He'd just stick around and make sure the piece of sashimi wouldn't mess Nami up further. 

One thing was for sure. He and the Straw Hats wouldn't leave Nami alone at a time like this. He knew it! 

xXXx

Zoro was completely and utterly outmatched. The clone had known that since the beginning, yet he could do nothing but watch and hope for a good outcome. It was like the Chunin Exams and Hinata all over again! And this time he knew he couldn't beat the bigger opponent even if Boss was in his place. 

Hey, Boss would be glad they remembered Hinata and the exams better now. 

The match was completely skewed in the Hawk-Eye person's favor, and Naruto could do nothing. He clenched his fists on the railing. It was like watching an impending explosion. Zoro's strongest attacks were parried aside like mere flies. Yet he kept on fighting. 

Honestly, that was pretty standard for Naruto to do. He wasn't used to being on the other side watching someone else do it. 

Except here Zoro didn't have a giant fox to bail him out. He grit his teeth as the man was stabbed through the chest, knowing he would be sliced to ribbons if he went in there. And he needed to stay if he wanted to be of any use. 

Oh. Right. Jiraiya and summoning that giant toad. He'd used the fox's chakra before… interesting. 

Zoro got gutted and he made an involuntary movement forward. He wished Sakura were here. She'd know what to do, she could do something. The conversation of the swordsmen flew in one ear and out the other, even though he knew it was important. 

The confrontation ended quickly enough, with Zoro citing honor when he bared his chest to be cut. Immediately, clone Naruto sprang into action with a yell, Luffy launching himself at Hawky, even as the clone dashed into the sea to get their stupid swordsman.  

When he got to the surface with the bulk of cut up muscle and heaved him on Johnny and Yosaku's boat, he really started wishing Sakura were here. He grit his teeth and started sorting through whatever he remembered about first aid. Johnny, Yosaku, and Usopp joined him in sorting the man out and he breathed, comforted. 

Zoro would be alright, he knew it. 

xXXx

Naruto made a bunch of other clones to give Nami help steering and managing their ship. He was still of the opinion that Nami should just ask the crew to give her their aid, but she'd made it clear she would toss him into a barrel and throw him overboard to drift if he suggested that one more time. Not wanting her to lose her trust in him, he stubbornly started helping her instead. 

She made them both buns as an apology. He accepted and asked her about her sister. She regaled him with the story of the tattoos she'd gotten to make Nami feel better about hers. Nojiko sounded like a cool boss lady. He told Nami that and was rewarded with a laugh. It was good to hear her laugh after seeing her cry. 

Nami asked if he had any siblings. 

"Nope. Or… I guess the closest would be Team 7," he said thoughtfully, biting into another bun. 

"Sakura and Sasuke?" she asked. 

He nodded. "Kakashi-sensei too. We're family, and he's definitely not the father." 

"Why not?" 

"He's lazy! Always late! He keeps messing with us and whenever we get him to actually teach us he makes it hell!" 

Nami laughed at his expense as he indignantly started explaining the shift in the dynamic after their first C-Rank mission, the training camping trip of extreme balance dodging, that time he sicced the other teams at Team 7 in a free for all, the start of his sealing journey, Sakura's stamina training that left her half dead in exhaustion, and the equivalents for all of them to round out weaknesses… And the way they still came asking for more because, curse it all, it was working. 

"You miss them a lot," she said quietly when his tone of voice changed to wistful. 

He said nothing. It was obvious after all. 

"So, whatcha want me to do once we get there?" 

She looked thoughtful. At least she wasn't trying to get rid of him anymore. 

"Hide, and get your real self to Nojiko." 

"...I wanna send a team with you just in case." 

Nami glanced at him sharply. Then she sighed, resigned. 

"So long as you don't reveal yourself unless I say the word." 

He grinned, canines glinting in the light. "No problem." 

It wasn't the first time he'd gone undercover as inanimate objects, at least he thought it wasn't. Kunai were easy to become too, and Nami was alright with having some extra knives as transformable allies. She almost regretted saying that out loud to him, lamenting that it made sense to say it. Naruto laughed. 

Like that was the most ridiculous thing to ever happen. Ha. 

xXXx

Vampire Hawk left. Zoro made a declaration that he'd never lose again before becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman. He was crying. Naruto felt inadequate and respectful, and also wondered why this promise had to be made. So he wouldn't die on them? If that was it, Naruto approved. This was harrowing enough. 

Golden Dumbbell dude was still here spouting nonsense though. At the leaving Vampire. Why would he want to fight the Vampire!? That one was pretty chill for someone so strong, and also just wanted to get back to his nap! Hmph. Disrespectful. 

Naruto yelped as the World's Strongest Swordsman crashed a giant wave at the Krieg Pirate ship as he disappeared, falling into the ocean. He'd hopped on the railing to give others room to work on Zoro and hadn't anchored his chakra in time. Now he was thankful he hadn't popped and swam to the surface to hear Usopp declaring they'd bring back Nami, and go to the Grand Line next. Luffy's hat flew over his head towards Baratie, getting snatched by a rubber hand. 

"Naruto, c'mon!" Usopp called out. 

The clone shook his head free of water and climbed to the unsteady surface with effort. "Nah, I'm good! I'm already there!" 

"Huh!? What do you mean— oh," Usopp blinked in realization, a tick mark on his forehead. "Cheater!" 

Cackling, Naruto rode the still resolving waves back to Luffy's side and gratefully grabbed onto the wood that wouldn't sink his chakra down a bottomless well. This place's ocean was way greedy. 

"Those pests, they're coming," Sanji muttered and Naruto turned to look at the decimated fleet full of people. 

He guessed they'd only be more determined to get a new boat like this. Too bad for them, the cooks weren't too shabby, Luffy was here, and Naruto was half present. He grinned. This was a fight he was looking forward to. 

Also, Luffy got a nice deal of going free from debts if they beat these guys. Win win! 

Sanji glanced at him in concern. He was still not really totally a kid, so that was very annoying. These pirates had nothing on the ninjas he'd fought. This wasn't the most dangerous thing to ever happen to him, even at this age, not by a long shot. 

xXXx

"Let's steer to the port side, they rarely come there," Nami instructed from her perch as they approached Conomi Islands. "It's a bit of a walk but Merry should be safe." 

Naruto hummed in acknowledgement and went to do as asked, eyeing the scenery they'd be entering with appreciation. This was what Nami called home, he should pay attention to it. He wanted to know it well both for her and for the potential fighting that could happen once their crew got here. Although Nami was still a little in denial about that. 

Getting Merry in a spot difficult to find through both land and ocean was tricky, but Nami wasn't a slouch in her navigation abilities and this was her home. Naruto was very impressed if he were honest. 

They got off and he helped Nami climb the cliff that was the fastest way up. Then they were off towards the apparent orange orchard she had grown up with. It was a relaxing journey, even if he ended up being a pack mule for treasure keeping, which made him resolve to figure out how to make storage scrolls himself again. 

"Whoa, they're tall!" Naruto said once they got to the orchard and he saw the 'mikan trees' neatly lined up in rows and rows of green bush with orange splashes. 

Nami smiled at him, but the look in her eyes was faraway. "I thought so when I was small too." 

He twitched at the reminder he was — looked like — a kid now. Still, he didn't interrupt her when she seemed to be so nostalgic and bittersweet. Kinda like the fruits themselves, at least if all of them were like that one orange he'd gotten his hands on in Wheat Village. 

They walked in silence but stopped at a certain patch of land where Nami dug up some earth to drop in the rest of the treasure. Naruto's eyes boggled at the sheer amount of beri in there. It drove home just how desperate, long, and hard Nami's fight for freedom had been. 

He understood a little more now why she was reluctant to let go of it. 

"Nami!" someone shouted, accompanied by rapid footfalls. "You're back!" 

Naruto looked up to see a blue haired woman with a tank top and tattoos running up to them, slowing down as he noticed him peeking around Nami and growing curious instead of excited. 

"Oh? Who's this little man? Don't tell me you got a kid without telling me." 

"I'm not a kid," Naruto scowled. 

Nami shook her head, amused. "Nojiko. This is Uzimaki Naruto, he… tagged along, so he's staying with you until I can figure out what to do about it." 

"Oi. I'm helping!" 

Nojiko raised a brow, surprise and slight skepticism shining through the gesture. "Huh. Sure, nice to meet you kid." 

"I'm not a kid," he repeated more forcefully. "I'm like— over sixteen!" 

It was getting tiring, this constant misunderstanding. Back in Wheat Village it had been manageable since he didn't really have any constant to tell him how old he was, so he actually felt like a kid for around one and a half years since he arrived. Then it started to bother him, but in a way he could brush off. Now? Now he was a pirate who knew he'd been a shinobi — practically an adult in the eyes of the law! — at the age of twelve and he knew he'd experienced years after that day. 

How many was still very much up for debate but he was slowly uncovering more memories. The distraction clone in the fight at Baratie remembered a lot for him back during that battle before he popped. 

By the time he got back to the present from fuming they'd relocated into Nojiko and Nami's house to discuss their courses of action. 

One thing that brought hope to the two sisters was that Nami finally had 100 million beri in part thanks to Naruto making more ornate knives from multiple different materials for her to sell at Baratie to fancy pansy customers. This was news to Naruto, who had thought she was still falling just the slightest bit short. It definitely made it more understandable for her to be very reluctant to change the plan now of all times. 

"I wasn't completely sure I had it until I double checked just now. I have 100 million and 250 beri saved up," Nami offered as explanation, expression focused but also verging on disbelieving hope. "I can buy the village back!" 

Nojiko was verging on tears during that reveal, smiling such a relieved smile that Naruto was having a very hard time staying mad at her at all. He was still worried though, so he didn't share in their joy quite as much. 

"How are you delivering it all?" he asked pointedly. 

And that sparked an actual planning session for how to liberate Cocoyashi Village from Arlong Park. 

xXXx

The battle for the Baratie was on-going in a chaotic burst as the Krieg Pirates boarded the just revealed deck fins that quickly became a fighting arena. Naruto flitted in and out of action, being careful of getting hit, and wished his fellow clones would show up soon. He was running way too low on chakra to create new ones. 

These pirates were quite a bit stronger and more coordinated than what they'd previously encountered with the Black Cats. It was a headache when it added the pressure of looking out for the battle cooks who were less experienced. 

Sanji wasn't part of them. He was experienced and knocked out more pirates than Naruto himself did. They'd slipped into some rather impressive shows of teamwork together when moments allowed it, especially for the first time they'd fought together. Where Naruto punched, Sanji kicked, and when the other attacked the other was blocking hits for them. Then they'd go their separate ways through the fray after spotting someone else in trouble. 

Eventually someone stronger hopped abroad. 

Pearl was an annoying dude, and Naruto wished he wasn't the one to deal with it. But Luffy had jumped ship to hang about near Don Krieg and didn't look like he'd come back. Even if stuff in the battle seemed to keep distracting him from the big bad pirate captain. Not that the Gold Dumbbell captain was doing any attacking himself just yet. But Pearl, a round kinda giant person with weird disc armor, was a pain to get around. When Naruto kicked his head forward and he started to bleed he set himself on fire.  

Fire that started burning everyone in the vicinity. 

What Naruto wouldn't do for a water jutsu right about now. Where was Kakashi-sensei when you needed him!? …Oh yeah, the fight with Zabuza happened with a water dragon in it. What could replace a water dragon? Maybe a cannonba— 

A familiar yell caught his attention and he suddenly saw only water as a giant splash landed on top of him and Pearl. He blinked the water away, seeing smoke rise from the other pirate, and remembered the flash of red and blue he saw before the cannonball-like landing in the water. 

"You IDIOT!" he shouted as he dove into the water after his captain. 

This was the second water rescue he performed today. 

He dragged Luffy back to the surface and saw Pearl fruitlessly trying to cause more friction with his embedded pearl cymbal shield things, more frantic by the second as it failed to produce more than a wet squeal. Sanji jumped on him the next second, kicking his head back and causing probably yet another nosebleed. Scratch that, he was unconscious now. During all that, he climbed to the Baratie with Luffy in tow, a Luffy who immediately bounced back after getting out of water. 

"Thanks, Naruto!" he said, patting him on the head twice with a grin. 

And… really, he couldn't even be mad. So he grinned back. "Don't get launched into the sea again!" 

Luffy just laughed, but was cut off by a commotion further down the deck. Where Moustachef was being held at gunpoint. 

By Gin. 

This situation sparked more tension within the cooks than anything Pearl could have done. Naruto didn't like it one bit. 

xXXx

In all honesty, the plan didn't change much. Nami was still going to Arlong Park, except now she had a slab of wood that was worth a lot more than probably any building on the island. The real Naruto was going with her, no arguments. He didn't like this plan but he owed it to Nami's dedication to try it. There was no real risk of death to her, she was too important to the Arlong Pirates, but that didn't mean she couldn't get hurt. 

Or any number of things. Not that Naruto was really that great at thinking them through. There were probably so many things he missed. He wished he could consult Shikamaru. 

At least he got to provide a subtle way to carry an inordinate amount of money. He glanced sideways at the bag slung over Nami's shoulder. 

The three of them, Nami, Nojiko and him, had spent a long while hauling out the treasure into a big bag that they would seal into that seal. It was what he'd been working on on the Merry, the seal he knew but hadn't known what it did. A storage seal was his best guess, and that's what it certainly was after he tried it out. After spending too long staring at the storage seals on his big scroll. 

The cinch was trying to work out all the things it was capable of and not capable of. Mostly the mass of the thing they were trying to seal, and if it could be reused or given more items. Answer to the first seemed to be 'just enough for this', the next was a resounding 'yes', and the last a simple 'no'. 

What took the most time for him was figuring out how to draw the seal on wood. The added protection it gave to the structure ensured it wouldn't get damaged and burst open so easily in normal scrolls, but adapting it to wood proved challenging. It wasn't like Naruto had any blank scrolls with him. Nami and Nojiko ended up doing most of the heavy lifting at that point, with one clone helping out. 

And now they were on their way to Arlong Park, walking side by side silently, Nami with anxious anticipation and Naruto with wary determination. 

The building came into view and Naruto transformed into a kunai to hide with the other kunai next to the slab of too much importance. He was depending on sound now to understand what was going on. 

There was a kid shouting. A kid with a weapon. Who was pointing it at Nami, apparently. Calling her an Arlong Pirate, trying to avenge his father. Oh. Naruto carefully popped out of the bag, hiding behind Nami to try and limit his visibility from the Arlong Park wall. 

"Are you trying to die?" he asked as the boy yelped, pointing his sword at Naruto with wide eyes. "We're going to free the village so that won't happen again, ya know!" 

Nami inhaled sharply, cutting a look at him. He knew he had a mulish look on his face. The kid waving a weapon at them scowled. 

"I don't believe you! If you could, you would've done it way earlier and Gosa Village would be fine and my Dad wouldn't have died!"  

"Look, it's what it is but there's fishmen watching, so you need to get out of here or you're dead," Nami hissed out. "Your Dad wouldn't want that." 

"He's dead. And I still don't believe you, pirate!" 

He charged. Nami whipped out her staff and knocked him aside easily, hand clutching her bag protectively to her chest. 

"Naruto, can you get him out of here?" she asked. "I still have your clones, and someone needs to keep an eye on him." 

Naruto stared at the kid, something odd in his gut, then whipped his head to look at Nami. "There's more than one village under Arlong's rule!?" 

The hesitation in her eyes gave her away. From the corner of his eye, the kid stood up and started to reach for his sword. Nami nodded slightly. Naruto exhaled, breath sharp. He shouldn't have agreed to this plan. It was incomplete from the start. There would still be an Arlong Park and villages to destroy without Cocoyashi on the list. 

"I'll take him. We need to come up with another plan after this, though, Nami. We can't leave it like this!" 

And he grabbed the kid's sword, threw him over his shoulders, and started running back. He was angry. Angry that neither of the girls had mentioned this. Furious at Arlong, at everyone who let this happen. He would drop the kid off with Nojiko and hurry back to Nami when he was less likely to blow the whole plan to smithereens himself. He trusted his clones would have it in hand, that they could keep her safe, while he tried to fit this new piece of information into his brain. 

If he had his way, they'd raze Arlong Park to the ground like a raging Great Fireball Jutsu. 

xXXx

The situation was tricky. Sanji couldn't fight back with the head chef down as a hostage. Luffy followed his lead and so did Naruto, not wanting the Moustachef to die after all this trouble. The chef morale was down and the Krieg Pirates were gaining an upper hand. Something had to be done, and soon. 

Sanji was almost down. The other clones better be coming up with a plan! 

"You ate your own leg and gave me all the food," Sanji said to the floorboards, rising up with a wet cough. "You saved my life!" 

And suddenly Naruto had context for the cook's position on going hungry, with the tirade and declaration of loyalty that spilled out of Sanji's mouth. He looked at Moustachef with a respect he didn't have before. Then his eyes caught something in the doorway, and he started moving more stealthily, slipping through the crowd so he couldn't be seen anymore. 

Luffy and Sanji were arguing, but he didn't hear most of it. Something about throwing away a saved life being cowardice. 

"Hey, Gin!" he called out. 

The pirate glanced his way, and suddenly his eyes widened as he dodged to the side. A kunai had shot towards him from the doorway. He grunted in surprise as the kunai poofed into a plume of smoke, and another kunai was stabbing towards his gun hand from the smoke , forcing it away from the chef's head. The kunai grazed a thin line at the side of his wrist. But then that kunai poofed, and suddenly both of his arms were captured by two blonds with a brown jacket and orange highlights. 

"I got your hostage free!" four Narutos chorused, grinning triumphantly. 

One was in the crowd, the one who called Gin out as a distraction. One was in the doorway, holding rope and heading for Gin's arms that were now being forced behind his back by the last two. 

"THERE'S MORE OF HIM!?" the whole shipful of people yelled. 

Everyone was distracted, Sanji staring with elated shock while Luffy was grinning with stars in his eyes. Naruto glared as he noticed a spiky ball of death fly from Golden Dumbell's direction straight towards what was perceived as the strongest fighters on their side. He was the fastest and closest and unable to die. 

He rushed forward, jumping towards the ball with all his strength, forcing it to stop where it was but not launching it back towards where it came from. One spike pierced through his torso, and he swallowed, glancing back at Luffy and Sanji to see them safe before he dispersed in a cloud of chakra. 

He just hoped they used the rage he saw rising to their faces to end the fight in their favor. 

xXXx

"Naruto? What are you doing back— Who is that?" Nojiko was confused as the crying kid banging his hands at Naruto's back was put down in front of her rather roughly. 

"Some kid who wants revenge on Arlong," Naruto said darkly, seeming to agree with the kid's sentiment. "I told you to stop hitting me, you jerk!" 

"B- But they k- killed—!" the kid hiccuped, fists dropping from Naruto's shoulder to rub at his eyes instead. 

Nojiko softened, dropping next to the kid to reach out and rub at his arm. The kid shook and leaned into the contact just the slightest bit. Naruto watched with sympathy, rubbing his shoulder a little. He stepped closer to Nojiko to mutter about leaving the kid in her care and started for the door. 

"Wait!" the kid stopped him, looking up with eyes that swirled with emotion and conflict. "I'm… I'm Chabo. If- If you're really going to, you know… I just… Avenge Chabo's Dad for me. Please." 

The ninja looked at him, jaw clenching, conflicting thoughts clashing in his head, but right then he knew he would go at Arlong even against Nami's wishes if it meant this could be avoided in the future. He nodded sharply. 

"I will. It's a promise!" 

And he rushed out the door, leaving his clone instructions to look after the two. 

He didn't get far before a familiar fear laden yell echoed from the shore. 

"WHY ARE FISHMEN SO FAST!?" 

Immediately, he changed course, running full tilt towards Usopp's voice. He jumped over the mikan trees, on a palm tree, and ran down a cliff to the ocean where Usopp and Johnny abandoned ship while Zoro stood up with his injuries on full display and swords in hand and mouth. He called up a few clones and directed two towards the ones who couldn't walk on water and weren't on the boat. 

He himself landed next to Zoro and roundhouse kicked one fishman's jaw so they got hurtled back in the water. Sanji would probably be proud. 

"Since when did you perfect that technique?" Zoro asked, slicing at the other fishman who growled at them. 

"At the Baratie! You got beat before I could show you!" Naruto replied, yelling a battle cry as he punched the fishman trying to climb back on with two clones in unspoken synchrony. "I doubt Usopp realized either!" 

"Since when could you walk on water?" Usopp's shout echoed to them, and Zoro snorted in amusement. 

Then he grunted as he blocked the other fishman's blows. He quickly got annoyed with that and released a flurry of attacking slices so fast you could barely see them. The fishman choked, coughing up some blood and clutching at his side. 

"Sheesh, these guys have strength way above normal grunts," Zoro mused. 

Naruto hummed in agreement, strained as he punched and kicked and twirled around the fishman in the waters, dodging upwards strikes from down below and trying to drag the man to the surface. It worked, and he wasted no time in applying a strangle-hold while others punched the lights out of him. That took way longer than usual. 

"Endurance is sorta crazy too. But—"

"Yeah, we've seen tougher," Zoro agreed, knocking his opponent over the head so hard his eyes rolled back and he dropped like a rock. 

Unfortunately, the exertion caused him to cough, and a drop of blood splashed to the wood of the ship. The real Naruto quickly assigned his clones to figure out how to tie the fishmen up securely and jumped from the water right next to the swordsman. His bandages were running red rivulets. A reminder for exactly who was stronger than these guys. 

"Idiot! Don't ruin everyone's hard work!" he scolded, digging for more bandages from his pockets and setting out to figure out how to best bind them again. 

He didn't get far before his clones deposited Usopp and Johnny back on board and Usopp snatched the bandages from him after scrambling to stand up. "Gah! We told you not to exert yourself!" 

"You threatened to tie me up!" Zoro scowled, wiping blood from his mouth and starting to clean the hilt of Wado Ichimonji. 

Oh look, Naruto could finally tell the katanas apart. But more importantly— 

"Where's that rope?" he asked. 

Johnny and Zoro pointed to the side, and he grabbed it in a bunch to run to his clones and the fishmen. Nojiko and Chabo were gaping at the spectacle from the shore. Chabo was more awed when Nojiko looked something between impressed and horrified. 

Naruto dumped the rope on one clone's head who yelled 'oi' but took it anyway to start figuring if it could withstand fishman strength. Then he walked up to the two with a grin and a wave. 

"You guys okay?" 

Chabo stepped closer. "That was awesome." 

Nojiko just shook her head. "No. No, now they're going to freak out and come after us anyway even after Nami buys… No. Now we'll never be…" 

The ninja stopped in his tracks, shifting from an adrenaline rush to horrified to determined again. He growled. 

"Don't just give up! Just because Plan A doesn't work doesn't mean there isn't a Plan B! You see how easy that was, right?" 

Nojiko's eyes looked somewhere far away, not seeing the moment. "These are just grunts. Chabo told me the whole crew turned Gosa upside down. Literally upside down. Arlong's crew is strong, people have tried and—" 

"Look, we've got back-up coming too, and they're plenty strong. Our captain beat the Krieg Pirates! We can do this!" 

Blue hair dropped forward as the lady bowed her head. "...Nami won't forgive you." 

Naruto flinched, glaring at the ground. His fists clenched. Then unclenched, hands falling useless to his sides. 

"...Sometimes the people who don't want help need it the most," he said quietly. 

Nobody said anything for a moment. Chabo stared between them with wide eyes. 

"Uhhh, Naruto?" 

It was Usopp. Everyone turned around to stare at the three people who were also involved in this conflict. Johnny was awkwardly pushing up his sunglasses, looking anywhere but the argument. Zoro stared at them intently, still cleaning out his sword, brow cocked to show his interest and confusion. Usopp's brow was crinkled, eyes flicking between everyone. 

"What's going on?" 

xXXx

The Narutos holding Gin down watched as the clone pretending to be Boss blocked the morningstar-head looking spike ball and disappeared in a puff of smoke. The deck froze. 

"Was that a clo—" someone muttered but was cut off by two loud yells of rage. 

"DID YOU JUST KILL A KID!?" 

"DON'T TOUCH MY CREWMATES YOU BASTARD!" 

Sanji looked like he was figuratively on fire, wanting to rush over, while Luffy outright stretched out his hand and rocketed himself at the Golden Dumbbell. The clones shared a look. 

"...Didn't they just see us here?" one of them asked. 

Mustauchef chuckled, levering himself up off the ground to lean on the wall, broken peg leg on full display. "You can go join him in the assault. I'll keep an eye on this young man." 

Gin was oddly quiet. Narutos stared between them before finally nodding and rushing back into the thick of things. The old man better not become a hostage again. One of them was stopped by Sanji grabbing the back of their hoodie. 

"You're okay?" he looked him up and down. "What was that!?" 

"Clones! Boss is off with Nami!" 

He shrugged Sanji's hand off, leaving the cook angry to cover up embarrassed concern. The clone rushed over the water after his counterparts and Luffy. Their captain had already punched his way through a giant spike cape and his hand was bleeding, the reckless— Couldn't he have taken those projectiles to puncture it all? There had to be better plans out there! 

Either way Don was down but getting up, and now took out a giant spear that exploded Luffy away. Suddenly the clones were playing 'catch the captain' if Luffy didn't find somewhere to land. The second explosion the three managed to catch him before he hit water, bouncing on the water surface after the resulting waves. 

Luffy blinked up at them. "Eh? Didn't you explode?" 

"The clone exploded!" the trio shouted, tempted to throw the idiot in the waves he caused. 

But well, he was their idiot. 

"GIN!" Don Krieg called out, having gotten a break. "Get up and continue the take over!" 

Eyes swiveled to the tied up pirate under Red Leg Zeff's bad foot. The man twisted away and rolled to his feet, trying to get free of his binds and reach his tonfa weapons but Moustachef and Sanji reached him first, one kicking his legs from under him and the younger slamming him to the ground to keep him from moving again. 

"...Sorry… Don…" he grunted out. "...I can't." 

"Really? I've seen you fight, Gin! I've picked you because you CAN! What's STOPPING YOU this time!?" Don Krieg roared. 

There was a glint in the sunlight. Tears. The demon man Gin was crying. 

"...Don, they saved us," he said, voice thick. "Can't we, just this once, let this ship go?" 

Gasps rang out around the Dumbbell pirates. Don Krieg's still frame was menacing. His eyes shadowed. 

"Fine. If you won't, then I will. You're no longer one of mine!" he lifted up a cannon out of his repertoire. "Everyone else, take out your masks!" 

Masks. Masks. Naruto saw gas masks going around. Which meant poison. By now they'd gotten Luffy on a piece of a floating ship. One clone stepped up. 

"Luffy, throw me at it!" 

A rubber hand wrapped around his midsection and drew him into a nauseating circle, just as a missile was fired into the air. 

"Gomu Gomu no… SLINGSHOT!" 

And he flew, tracking with his eyes, grabbing the ball of destruction from midair and falling with it through his arc, downwind, where it couldn't harm anyone except the clone. Everyone watched the blur of brown and orange hit the water in an arc, and the resulting geyser of an explosion resulting in a pillar of gas rising up into the atmosphere. Away from everyone. 

"Well now he's killed two of us," one Naruto muttered. "Or did we kill ourselves?" 

"Got to be careful to leave some eyes for the Boss here," the other said. 

Luffy ignored them, glaring at Don Krieg. Sanji was saying something to Gin but it was too quiet to hear over the chaos of other people's yells and cheers. 

"HEY, GIN! DON'T YOU DARE DIE TO THIS MAN!" Luffy shouted. "NO ONE LIKE HIM SHOULD BE A CAPTAIN!" 

"YOU DARE MOCK ME!?" the Dumbell roared again. "COME FIGHT IT OUT, YOU BRAT!!" 

One Naruto groaned and the other laughed when Luffy stuck his tongue out at the man. He launched himself into the fray with the pirate again and the clones tensed, ready to help out when needed. 

Luffy was a reckless fighter, unconcerned with death or his own safety as he tanked attack after attack and launched himself at the walking arsenal heedless of the tricks up his sleeve. Naruto only had to catch him once, acting as a slingshot station for Luffy to get back to the fight quickly. They also threw some kunais out to distract the man at crucial moments, saving Luffy from two big explosions to the face. 

Soon, Dumbell's spear broke. 

After that, there was a chip in his armor. 

Then, the whole armor burst into pieces. 

And both captains were falling into the ocean, with Luffy in a net and Krieg unconscious. 

The two clones cursed as they rushed out to help. 

"We should've made him promise!" one yelled. 

"Would that have helped!?" the other demanded. 

Either way, they dropped beneath the waves to save Luffy from his reckless self. Naruto wondered if this is what it was like to be friends with him sometimes. 

He had a feeling Team 7 would say yes. 

The ones above the waves were left reeling, thinking about what happened and what would happen next. 

xXXx

Chapter Text

Naruto finished cleaning up his prank and was trying to get a taste of the soup Luffy was eating (He'd been offered his own plate but that wouldn't be fun, would it? Plus he didn't need it as a clone…) when Yosaku crashed onboard Baratie in a freaky panda shark, telling them where Nami was headed. Naruto was pretty sure that Boss knew Merry left Baratie by now, but there was no telling if they'd gotten to their destination just yet, not when it had taken a while for Yosaku to get back here. 

By then it was only a matter of convincing Sanji to come with them. Because Luffy was a gentleman and wouldn't actually force anyone to join his crew. It turned out to be surprisingly easy, since after hearing Nami was heading towards danger and that they were leaving as soon as possible, he told them he'd come along. Because all of them had 'crazy dreams' too. Heh. 

"LET'S MEET AGAIN ONE DAY, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING BASTARDS!" 

The goodbye was fast and tearful and full of insults, and Naruto could tell it was perfect for the cooks of Baratie. 

xXXx

Nami stared defiantly at the quiet Arlong crew, still in the wake of her declaration. Nobody shifted, except for the looks being sent her way. Of disbelief, of anger, of neutral acceptance. Arlong himself had his eyes shadowed by the rim of his hat, a feat when the flap was turned up. Definitely didn't have the same effect as Luffy. The coolness factor just wasn't there, and Nami had spent too much time with Naruto lately to think like that. 

"'Make good on your deal', you say?" Arlong said into the silence. 

Shark teeth glinted as he smiled. A wide, deviously amused thing that never failed to make Nami feel like less than. She knew her place in this crew was that of a pet, a useful animal to be paraded around and made to work. Sure, she could come and go, but she was like a stray that had to always find its way back home, nice and quiet, or the owners would punish her by holding everyone else from her village hostage. 

No more. She'd put an end to it. This was her last ray of hope. No marines or bounty hunters managed, and like she was going to send her friends against this monster knowing they would die. 

"Yes. 100 million beri for Cocoyashi Village. I've gathered that amount now, and ask that you honor your promise," she said calmly, not backing down an inch. 

Arlong took a moment to take that in. Then he stood from his throne, all muscle and tough scales and towering above her like she was miniscule. His smile wasn't a happy one, more like a grimace than anything. He gestured at Kuroobi, who nodded and walked away, before stepping up in front of her. She looked up at him fearlessly. 

But her stomach was churning. This moment was one she'd been waiting for for a very, very long time. 

"Shahahaha! And it only took you eight years! A deal is a deal, and I never break promises involving money," Arlong laughed, looking down his nose at her. "Where is this treasure so we can count it out?" 

With faintly trembling hands that she willed not to shake uncontrollably, Nami took out the wooden slab from her shoulder bag, hand brushing against one kunai in reassurance. For both the clone and herself. Truthfully, she was glad Naruto insisted on coming along, even if the real one was out there helping the poor kid from Gosa Village. An escape for if the transaction didn't go as smoothly as hoped was a lifeline that kept her calmer than any mantra or breathing exercise could. 

She heard some fishmen scoff. Probably insulted by the block of wood. She didn't blame them, Naruto was rather impossible to comprehend at times. And impressive. This also worked as an intimidation tactic. An ability none of them had, under Nami's control. One that could work as a bargaining chip or a bluff. A bluff to swallow one of them up and not let them out unless they followed through on the deal. 

Honestly, she wished it could work like that. It would make the whole thing safer. 

Nami placed the seal down and took one kunai out. She could almost feel the clone's reluctance as she cut a small line across her thumb. Then she spread the blood across the complex lines of ink and stepped back as smoke exploded out. Some yelps were heard here or there and she quickly stepped into the clearing smoke to grab the wooden slab away. 

In its place was a sack bursting with beri and treasure. All her hard work, just sitting there. Waiting for its purpose. For Arlong to claim it and free her and her loved ones. 

"Ooh what!? The slab has turned into treasure!" Hachi yelled, tentacles flapping about in shock. 

Similar murmurs flew around here and there, some wondering if it would turn into wood again, but most saw the item in Nami's hand. Arlong's expression was greedy as he crouched down to inspect the bag. 

"Chew, Kaneshiro, count it all," he ordered, grinning sharply at Nami. "That's an interesting item you've picked up." 

Oh, she knew, even if it was more like an interesting ally. She said nothing though. There was nothing to say, only time to wait and prepare. She needed this to go her way. 

"If this is everything, and I trust it is, we'll go to the village to announce the news," Arlong said, still grinning the same empty grin. "Congratulations, Nami." 

She shivered. This was going well. It was exactly what she hoped for. Everyone would be safe now. Arlong would stay where he was and Cocoyashi would thrive after years of stricter than strict taxation. She was fine. 

But why, then, did the whole transaction fill her with foreboding? 

xXXx

Sanji plated three meals for four people on a small boat with no easy kitchen area and wondered why he joined this insanity again. 

"You're sure you don't want food?" he asked the clone — clone! — of Naruto. 

It was the only clone aboard since the second one 'popped' to give more information to the 'original', however that worked. The clone swung his feet over the ocean where he was sitting atop the bowsprit, salivating at the prospect before shaking his head. 

"Nah, save it for Boss! Aren't resources short out here?" 

"Well, yes…" Sanji agreed and breathed out, absently watching the cigarette smoke drift away in the wind. 

Now that he was thinking further, he wouldn't have restaurant resources for cooking anymore. Food would spoil easier, many devices could straight up be missing, and restocking wouldn't happen by just sending out shipping requests to towns and dealers they knew. Hmm. Tricky but not impossible. He was actually relishing the challenge of such a thing. Ideas swirled in his head. 

Ah, yeah, this is why I left, he reminded himself, to experience a new adventure and find the All Blue. 

He reminded himself of this fact harder as Luffy bounced to the bow of the boat and almost sent glasses and plates tumbling off the table. He caught them and found himself missing the steadiness of Baratie as waves bobbed the boat some more. 

And for Lady Nami, he grumbled in his mind, immediately melting as he remembered his daydream of Nami being a mermaid. 

Yosaku was being really insistent on Nami being connected to those fishmen earlier, so that was why. He had steadfastly ignored Luffy's atrocious attempts at drawing a mermaid, ones that left Naruto curled up on the planks laughing his head off. What a Captain he had. Speaking of… 

"Heey, Naruto-copy, do you poop?" his Captain asked. 

The clone stopped swinging his legs, face twisted into an odd expression that shifted to miffed pretty quickly. 

"I don't need to and don't want to know," he said forcefully and pointed at Luffy with dramatic denial when it looked like he was about to ask again. 

Yosaku and Sanji sat at a table and watched Luffy pout before trying to ask again, except Naruto launched himself at the straw hat boy and tried to block his mouth in any way he could. It was… amusing. He heard Yosaku sigh morosely next to him as the boat shifted again at their tussle. 

Sanji had pity and decided to defuse the situation in a way he learned by observation of the crew that dragged him away from home. 

"If Luffy's not eating then—" 

With a flash the rubber man extracted himself from Naruto, who yelped and almost fell into the ocean, and sat by the table as though nothing happened. His hand immediately grabbed for his plate and the food, humming in absolute bliss at the taste. 

It didn't stroke Sanji's ego. It didn't. 

Naruto stared enviously from where he clung to the railing. He didn't break and ask Sanji to cook more, though. He was a little impressed. Only a little. Naruto was a tiny bugger and didn't deserve the credit. 

Of course, then a giant sea monster chose to rise out of the water in front of them. 

"Whoa," they all said, as though from one mouth. 

Well, almost all of them. Yosaku was screaming bloody murder about sea monsters. It was getting shrill, so he put a pinky in his ear to block it out. 

"That's a big cow fish," Naruto stated the obvious, except… 

"No, I say that's a hippo," Sanji disagreed. 

"Do you not see the spots!?" 

"It's a cow that swims, isn't that a hippo?" 

"No!? Hippos are gray!" 

"Have you seen a hippo before?" 

"No! I mean, they don't look like that!" 

"Then how do you know—" 

Yosaku fell on his knees between them, almost sobbing. "They don't care, 'course they don't care, we're gonna die 'cause of a hungry Grand Line monster, 'm sorry Johnny…" 

A cannonball hit the sea hippo between the eyes. It yowled out a bellowing moooo and turned to glare at a… marine ship. A snort of hot air escaped its snout. The snout had a giant gold ring hanging out of it, which Sanji hated to admit lent more credence to Naruto's cow theory. Either way, a marine ship. If Sanji was to be a pirate now he'd have to think of those colors and symbols as the enemy, wouldn't he? 

Well, he hadn't had fond feelings for them before either. Not a huge hardship. 

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT, TRAVELERS?" someone abroad yelled. "DO NOT WORRY, FOR COMMODORE PUDDING PUDDING WILL SAVE YOU!" 

…Seems like the marines didn't get the memo. 

They proceeded to watch the sea cow dive for an attack, rocking the bigger ship enough to cause a big wave heading straight for them. Cannonballs glanced off of the thick hide. Someone fell overboard. Yosaku cheered them on, in a desperate way that said he didn't want to be the one fighting a giant sea hippo thank you very much. 

"Loud," Naruto muttered. "We'd be fine without help too." 

Oh, come on, Sanji didn't want to agree with the fake vixen brat so soon after an argument. Especially since the wave reached them and almost capsized their boat. The food was mostly saved thanks to their quick reflexes, but some of Luffy's portion flew into the waves. 

"MY FOOD!" 

The pure annoyance on Luffy's face sent small shivers down Sanji's spine. He wasn't sure if it was from anticipation or traces of fear, but either way he approved. Nobody wasted food on his watch like this. He rose with the straw hat boy he called Captain and prepared to jump into the fray. 

"Give it a rest!" he yelled, kicking the sea hippo in the chin just as Luffy's stretchy arm pulled the cow in his direction, coincidentally getting it away from body-slamming the marine ship to oblivion. 

A bit of rough and tumble later the sea king co— hippo was bobbing up and down in the water, belly up. The marine infantry aboard their ship gaped and exclaimed things Sanji was too busy thinking to hear. In fact, he was thinking of the best person to kick in the head for giving them such a hard time and shooting this maybe hungry creature before trying to feed it. 

Just as he found a disheveled and completely soaked marine in a coat and weird haircut, another marine ship pulled up. From there a man — Sanji swore he had whiskers for a mustache — started yelling at the other high-up officer Pudding Pudding. He gathered they were exchanging duties and that the lower ranking Captain Whiskers was taking over the other branch's current mission. He was distracted from that by Luffy tapping his shoulder. 

"Sanji, hey Sanji, can you cook this?" 

'This' was the sea cow they were currently standing on. The creature groaned and Sanji heard a roar he just knew was a grumbling stomach from under their feet. He could feel the rumbling too. It gave him an idea. 

"I could but… Should we see if we can bribe it to get us to Nami-swan faster?" 

Luffy was all for it. Yosaku less so. Naruto just laughed and laughed and laughed as Sanji went to cook up their bribe. He shifted to whooping in joy when the idea worked and they started zooming towards Conomi Islands. Sanji couldn't deny the smug grin on his face at their looks, giving food pieces when the sea king went the right way and threatening to kick it for trying to buck them off. 

Carrot and the stick tactics for the win here. 

xXXx

Nami walked with purpose, ahead of Arlong and as small a group of fishmen as she'd been able to negotiate, towards her home with the most important news the village had ever heard since the past eight years. That they were finally free. Cocoyashi Village grew closer with every step, and soon enough she could see they'd been noticed. People ushered children and women away if they could be persuaded and the bravest ones who had grown spines of steel during Arlong's rule were gathering to welcome them. 

Gen, her father in all but blood, stood proudly at the front. She caught a glimpse of Nojiko's familiar light blue hair running towards them in the distance, but her attention was firmly on everyone else she had given up her blood, freedom and tears for to save. It felt surreal, walking to them with the news she succeeded. 

She still had to explain. She still had to tell them the truth of why she joined Arlong, but her village could finally be free. 

Maybe she'd have time to hope and dream again. Maybe she'd finally draw maps for herself soon. But it was still too early to give those thoughts root, too early to count the privileges gained before the damages. 

There was an official document — a pirate made one but an acknowledgement of the transaction still — rolled up in her hand. 

The crowd was close enough now that she could see the confusion and well hidden fear in their glances and subtle shifting movements. Gen had an unreadable look beneath the rim of his hat. But she could remember his love for her, even in these eight years he believed she betrayed them. She focused on him, most of all, to keep the flood of emotions swirling inside her at bay. 

Arlong stepped beside her, mouth in a sharp smile he most likely didn't mean. "We have an announcement to make, Cocoyashi!" 

A webbed scaly hand swung to the side, gesturing to her, and Nami didn't flinch. She was too used to keeping her front spotless in front of these bloodthirsty pirates. Her thieving career left her with incredible poker skills. 

"Our Nami here—" he drawled and oh how she wanted to show her distaste for those words. "—has made a deal with us. Lucky for you lot, she made good on her end today." 

Murmurs spread through men and people at the windows turned to one another. To Nami's surprise there seemed to be… hope on more than a few faces. She shifted her attention to Gen again and realized the emotion lurking behind his stony look was pride. Her heart lurched. Did he— Did they— 

"The deal was for the ownership of Cocoyashi Village. She could buy this muddy hole for a hundred million beris, and now she's done it! She's no longer a part of my crew!" 

The hated hand she'd cried on when he made his deal with her pushed her forward to tell her home that they were free. With shaky legs and the steadiest hands she could make herself have she took the scrolled up paper and unfolded it for everyone to see. The handmade contract on cartography paper stated, with big letters, that Nami of Cocoyashi was now the owner of Cocoyashi Village, as acknowledged by Arlong Pirates for as long as their crew existed. 

Those murmurs became hushed conversations and disbelieving laughs and— 

"SHE DID IT!" a kid yelled from a doorway, running up to his father. "NAMI DID IT!" 

More and more cheers and yells rocked the people, her people, and Nami felt overwhelmed as she walked away from her prisoners and towards them all, and all of them knew. She didn't know how, she didn't know when they figured it out, but all of them knew she'd worked for their freedom and supported her. Because Gen was crying and walking towards her and had his arms out for a hug and she felt like crying too and Nojiko—

Nojiko must have told them. Of course she would! And kept it secret because the pressure would have been immense… silly Nojiko, Nami already pressured herself hard enough to account for the entire village! 

Where was she? Where was her sister? Was she watching? 

Nami pulled away just enough to blink her tears away and she found the woman who got a tattoo just so Nami wouldn't feel ugly and defiled at the back of the crowd, smiling a bittersweet smile, and Nami smiled back with a bit more sunshine because while Bellemere was gone their village was now free! Two tears dropped down her face before her vision cleared enough to look for Naruto, without whom this wouldn't be possible. He didn't pop out immediately, but her eyes found another kid a few steps away from Nojiko. 

The kid from Gosa Village. The one village that couldn't pay their tribute and got turned upside down yesterday, whose survivors slipped into other villages or fled or… died. His father was dead because of Arlong, and he was glaring at the fishmen with the same hate she felt for the one who killed her mother, and her stomach rolled and squeezed. 

He turned to look at her and the expression on his face… it shifted to something wounded. Grief and anger and desperate jealousy, a pleading look they knew wouldn't get either anything. Platitudes did nothing for someone she couldn't save, couldn't include in her last hopes and efforts. 

Arlong rules at least nineteen other villages. 

Guilt bubbled up, along with the helplessness she felt since the start of Arlong's invasion. 

There's nothing I could do, she wanted to say. I couldn't risk anyone else. 

But hadn't she risked many while struggling to gain any wealth and losing hope, trying to kill Arlong herself in increasingly hopeless ways while knowing he could retaliate on everyone she knew? Why couldn't she come up with a better plan? Why hadn't she risked more, looked for every alternative that might set them up for a successful overthrow of power? 

Had she gotten stuck in her thinking when this one deal had been the only thing that seemed to leave tangible results in her hands? Arlong had probably planned it that way. Offered this ray of hope so she worked without complaint, wouldn't risk throwing the chance away for worse odds of success, wouldn't think of anything beyond the goal of setting her village free. He needed her work, so he had to motivate her. 

It made her realize— They weren't out of turbulent waters yet. 

She swept her eyes over the crowd once more, stopping at a head of blonde below shoulder-level. Naruto stared back at her, blue eyes pinched with determination. Something lurked behind there though, something she dreaded. The relief of the people around her suddenly felt… empty. 

"ENOUGH!" Arlong roared, and this time… Nami flinched. 

Everyone fell quiet. There was pressure in the air, a sinister presence. One she had become familiar with over the years. 

It was the pressure felt when Arlong was truly angry. 

She turned, dreading what she would see. There was a new fishman on scene, looking darkly satisfied and also angry… and beat up. There was a mean cut on his shoulder and soot covered his side. Like from an explosion. Arlong wasn't smiling anymore. She shivered. That was never, ever a good sign. 

A picture formed in her mind and she knew what lurked behind Naruto's eyes now. Behind Nojiko's bittersweet smile. 

Sorrow. Sorrow for her ruined plan. Regret for letting it happen. 

"It has come to my attention…" Arlong started, paused to control his voice, and started again. "It has come to my attention that some present… have attacked the fishmen in my crew. This cannot stand… Nami. As the owner of Cocoyashi, I demand the reparations from you. Or your property suffers the consequences."  

…At that moment, something in Nami snapped. Because she knew now, without a shadow of a doubt, that as long as Arlong was the ruler around these islands, her home would never truly be safe. 

And some of it seemed to be Naruto's fault. 

The rest was hers. 

She should have seen this storm coming years ago. 

xXXx

Chapter Text

Naruto saw the moment Nami resigned herself to taking all of the consequences onto herself. Her expression shuttered, the former overwhelmingly relieved and accomplished look disappearing into quiet despair. He hurt for her. There was no time to meet up before she made her deal, no time to warn her, just no time. The clones she had would be too revealing under these conditions and he wanted as few tricks of his as possible revealed before the inevitable fights. He still intended to save all the villages Arlong had under his rule and knew that would destroy Nami's plan, but he also knew he hadn't wanted it to come to this kind of place. 

A place where the crew Nami joined ended in blows with the pirates before she could secure her victory. 

He hoped Usopp, Zoro and Johnny would get here quickly. Before Nami did something stupid. He, Chabo and Nojiko only got back so fast because they weren't needed to secure hostages and look for stragglers. Well, he was securing hostages and looking for stragglers with clones, these fishmen were physically way stronger than their ropes could manage, thank everything for sealing techniques, but that was beside the point. It looked like one straggler was still missing, if he got here to inform Arlong. 

Nami extracted herself from among the villagers and stepped in front of them. "What do you need, Arlong." 

Her voice was… Naruto didn't know how she could sound so coldly furious and wretched and calm. Nobody dared breathe too loud lest the moment shatter into relentless violence. 

To be honest, Naruto was sorely tempted to escalate right now but— but the village. They were all basically hostages. It reminded him of not-so-long-ago when he joined the newly minted Straw Hat Pirates. Except this time the opponents were stronger, faster, and capable of pursuing their hostages even if he got them away from the immediate threat area, and that would leave him unable to protect them. Downside of so many clones was how thin his chakra was spread, and the time it took to replenish wasn't worth it here. 

Besides, Cocoyashi had a bigger population compared to Wheat Village. It just— wouldn't work. 

He was trying everything he could to convince himself it was a bad idea. 

Arlong grinned. It was not a nice smile, not at all. There was no joy in it. Just a shark smelling blood. 

"If you're not giving up those who hurt my people, I need maps, Nami. Come back with me and your village stays safe!" 

Immediately the village tried to react in protest, Naruto with them. Nami held up a hand, and she took one more step towards the man who exploited her for eight entire years. No way was he letting this happen, but he didn't want to disrupt Nami's authority over her decisions more than necessary. 

"How many?" 

The grin sharpened more. "The entire East Blue, for starters. Islands, ocean floor and currents, common weather patterns." 

Nami's form was stiff as a bowstring as she breathed steadily, heavily controlled. Her head bowed the slightest bit, teeth grinding together. Naruto knew, knew, that it was at least a year more work on her shoulders, and the indefinite amount of time didn't leave her any hope of having the freedom she craved. 

"Fine. The East Blue," she agreed. "So long as you and yours don't step near Cocoyashi or harm it in any way for any reason!" 

Arlong held out his hand and Nami's expression twisted further. 

"It's a deal. Pleasure doing business with you, Nami." 

She reached out for the hand that was thrice the size of hers, selling herself to servitude for the safety of everyone else. No. No. 

"HOLD IT!" 

Two voices, yelling in chorus. One was the scarred dude Nami hugged. The other was… Usopp. He was stationed a ways away near the road that led out of the village towards the shore and forest. He had Zoro and Johnny with him. There were the four fishmen that attacked them at the shore, tied up, sore, and unconscious from the fight. Zoro was, impressively, holding them all at swordpoint. 

"LET NAMI GO OR WE KEEP THESE ONES!" 

Naruto could hug them for the timing! He looked at Nami and—

She had a terrified look on her face. He saw the decisions flashing across her expression, of whether to throw her friends in danger or include them in the village as a whole. The realization she couldn't do either. Just deal with their decisions. 

"NO! Let them go! I'll be fine!" she yelled, voice cracking. "Just leave this island and never come back!" 

The scarred man, the seeming leader of the village, stepped up and stared her in the eye. "That's where you're mistaken, Nami. You haven't been fine for years, and we're done with letting these fishmen control us. Release my daughter at once, Arlong!" 

The Pirate Captain had been silent until now, the unnerving smile turned into a grimace, but the glare he had in his eye was renewed. 

"Well now, I was trying to be generous here, but you've forced my hand. Arlong Pirates, aim." 

Guns were drawn and loaded at the villagers in an instant. Nojiko covered Chabo with her body but she was one of the closest people to the guns, having rushed forward when Nami was reached for. Gen also had a gun aimed at him. They were aimed at seven people as a whole, but targets could be switched fast. Naruto tensed, ready to summon clones for everyone's defense, but knew from experience that bullets would mostly fly through his clones instead of stopping them. Any move here was risky. 

"Now that we both have hostages, I propose a trade," Arlong intoned. "One of my men for one villager. Nami stays." 

There were cries of fear and anger. That left three people to be shot at freely. Naruto could confidently save three, he was sure. But the shark had a hand on Nami's shoulder. Right atop her tattoo, as if reaffirming his claim. He hated Arlong. 

He hated even more when the fishman gave a signal and a bullet was fired before any of them could react. 

Nojiko cried out. 

"NO!" 

That was Naruto, Nami and the scarred man, and Naruto was already rushing towards the blue haired woman who clutched her shoulder. He crossed fingers and quickly assigned the resulting clones to distract the shooters and get as many out of range as he could. Chaos descended. Fishmen started attacking and Naruto defended and kept an extra close eye out for Nojiko and the scarred man. Usopp tried to shoot some of the guns out of their hands but fishmen were strong. 

"Chabo, don't!" Nojiko shouted. 

Naruto whipped his head up from amongst the fighting to see the boy charge at Arlong, getting intercepted by a fishman and suddenly Arlong too had a hostage. Two if you counted Nami. The people froze. A scream and yelling to stop from Zoro and Usopp's direction startled everyone. 

Fishmen froze too. One of theirs had a sword stabbed through an arm, and Zoro looked ready to cut through the entire thing if the fighting continued. 

Over half the villagers had fled and were hiding or running away into the forest, fleeing in too many directions to pursue. Many had a clone with them to help keep people safe. The few who were actively in the village also had protection in the form of clones. That only left Chabo and Nami. 

Naruto suppressed a grin to not give anything away. 

Arlong chuckled lowly. Like many things with this man, it wasn't a good thing. 

"Seems we're at an impasse—" he started, but then Chabo disappeared into smoke in their hands and a clone was in his place. 

Nami was still there, under Arlong's hand. Naruto cursed under his breath as a wave of dizziness swamped him for a second. A clone had poofed trying to switch with her… and it felt like trying it with a trained ninja… 

Oh. He remembered now. There was a reason kawarimi wasn't widely used against opponents, or people and living things in general. Naruto was an exception with his insane chakra levels and usage of clones for the deed, but even then it was iffy, even with civilians. The more chakra, the more will, the more risk there was. It was good to know Naruto would probably suffer heavy injury or die if attempting to switch with Nami, or Luffy and Zoro for that matter, but right now he really, really wished it had worked. 

At least Arlong wasn't willing to hurt Nami as a hostage even if pushed too far because he needed her. 

He hoped. He very much hoped. But Naruto had to take charge. A clone boldly stepped forward. 

"Now we're at an impasse," the clone said lightly, hiding danger beneath his tone. 

The fishman holding the hostage-swapped-clone squeezed the clone tight in frustrated anger, putting rib-breaking strength into it with a snarl. The clone let out a grunt before poofing. Arlong's killing intent was nothing to scoff at, but Naruto had felt worse. Orochimaru was— he ignored the returning memory, even as he realized killing intent felt fundamentally different here. Not as present. More like an inkling. 

"Who… are you, human scum?" 

The clone shifted into a more serious stance, glaring. "Uzumaki Naruto. Nami's friend." 

Nami's face screamed idiot at him, but Naruto ignored it because he had a plan and he knew with a hundred percent certainty Nami wouldn't like it. Arlong clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed, but also interested. That was good. 

"Friend, eh? You've made some interesting friends, Nami," Arlong tightened his grip enough that Nami winced and all the Narutos scowled in sync. "Tell me, Naruto, why I shouldn't raze this village to the ground for what you and your companions have done to my men?" 

"Dude, we still have hostages, be careful how you talk," Naruto snarked. "Nevermind that Cocoyashi was against us fighting your crew. This is our fight and ours alone. If you give Nami back safely, we give back your men!" 

Teeth were grit, hands in fists and ready to fly. There were only four fishmen and Naruto had a small army, and a Zoro. They didn't need to know two more capable fighters were on the way, or that Zoro was very injured while Naruto's clones would be too busy protecting to fight back properly. Most of Usopp's arsenal would probably be useless against the tough scaly flesh. 

"I take it you kill them if I refuse," the fishman scoffed. "If you do, nothing will stop me from taking this village back under control!" 

"Not if we kill one at a time!" Zoro called out. "Which one first?" 

Arlong's presence spiked in sudden hostility, and Naruto realized the villagers were still very much in danger. He needed to get the pirates focused on him. He could do this! Channel his inner Sasuke and Shika! 

The clone relaxed his stance a little. "What he said. But… We might get out of this without killing anyone off. I propose a trade." 

Shark teeth clicked together menacingly and Arlong scoffed. Naruto tilted his head down with a grin, bangs shadowing his eyes. 

"Does a wooden slab ring any bells?" 

The beri dropped for Nami and her eyes widened in horror. Arlong was still, considering. 

C'mon, take the bait, fishie! 

"You're saying you can procure more of those." 

With a flourish, the real Naruto stepped forward and took out a piece of practice paper where he'd figured out the tweaks he'd need to make. He then added a flare of chakra into it and out poofed a big rock he'd tested it on. It was around the same size as Nami's bag of savings. 

"Better yet, I make 'em myself!" he smirked. "You bet I can make them do more than merely store things in mint condition! Say, keep hostages from breaking ropes?" 

Arlong narrowed his eyes some more, focusing on the actual Naruto now that he'd sort of revealed himself. "And you would give these to me with the hostages in exchange for the village and Nami. What makes you vermin think—!?" 

Naruto pointed straight at Nami. "I'd take her place. A sealing master for a cartographer." 

Not that I'm a master yet… probably. 

Several gasps and curses popped up around them. Arlong merely stared impassively, for a long moment that sent shivers down his spine, before… bursting into laughter. 

"Shahahaha! You may be vermin but you have guts! Fine! For now I'll accept this as enough. Now, call off your doppelgangers and LET MY MEN GO!" 

Naruto nodded and ignored Nami shifting in his peripheral vision and turned to the villagers who looked like they'd sucked a lemon, or were about to burst with all the injustice they'd been forced through. He summoned his determination forth and the clones started ushering the ones left further away. Then he started retreating towards Zoro and Usopp. Zoro stoic, Usopp aghast. 

"What are you thinking?" Usopp's whisper was more of a hiss, and his voice quivered. 

Now that he was closer Naruto saw his knees tremble. The ninja felt a pang of guilt for putting them all in this situation, but he did have a plan. Sort of. Maybe. He went with his gut. 

So instead of addressing Usopp right this instant in front of hostages they were returning he crouched down to said hostages and summoned four more clones, one for each hostage. Zoro's eyes were unreadable, but he shifted accordingly as the clones and Naruto started removing leg restraints so the hostages could walk. Good, because Naruto had worried he'd object and insist they take them all on now. He saw the benefits in taking the fight away from other people too. 

"You'll pay for this," one mouthy fishman growled, wincing as Zoro's sword cut a little line at the base of his throat. 

"Let me make this clear," Zoro said, pressing a teeny tiny bit further. "If you hurt Naruto, we come after you with full strength." 

Naruto smirked, feeling warm. The thing was, he believed that. Just as he thought it wouldn't be very needed, since they were going to storm the place anyway. Preferably without villagers in the crossfire. The clones took kunai out and started leading the hostages with the sharp edge pressed against their spines or between their ribs. Zoro started going with them, but the real Naruto held him back for a second. 

"I'm gonna play the annoying captive," he said quietly. "Might give them a few seals as demonstration of usefulness. I'll get out if it gets dangerous, but I'm there for intel and as a distraction." 

Zoro nodded and went to ensure the hostages walked quietly. 

"Naru—" 

"I can do this Usopp!" he said, giving him a reassuring grin. 

Then he rushed ahead of the hostages, making sure to keep in Arlong's view the entire time. A few clones stepped into the straight line between them and the Arlong Pirates. 

"We're coming closer to get Nami. Once we have a hold of her, every clone here dispels, okay?" 

"Why you—!" one of the three men with Arlong yelled. 

Except he cut off when his captain lifted a hand for silence. Then he let out a 'tsk' and adopted an almost bored tone of voice. 

"That's fine. Work quickly, our patience isn't endless." 

Nami was unceremoniously shoved forward once more, but she froze there. Shaking. The clones rushed to her side and started pulling her with them. The next moments were tense. The only sounds were footsteps on gravel as the hostage exchange occurred. Finally, Nami was safely by Usopp's side, and Zoro stepped back from the former hostages… and Naruto. After relaying his threat in the most non-threatening tone of voice, but one of the scariest glares Naruto had ever seen. 

"Remember. You hurt him, we hurt you, capiche?" and he retreated to stay between the village and the current threat. 

Then Naruto released his technique, all of his clones proofing into chakra smoke. He shook off the more disorienting memories quickly. 

And he stared up at Arlong. The look in his eyes was pure hatred. Naruto intimately knew what hateful looks were like, and that was definitely it. 

The others who had the look had a taste of his pranks, maybe he should up his ante on this one? 

"Restrain him," Arlong said. 

Yup, get pranked suckers, Naruto thought viciously as he let his hands be manhandled behind his back. Later. 

They tied them behind him roughly, a little needlessly rough… or smart, if they were testing if he was a clone. 

"Hey, what about us? The brat did something to the ropes!" 

"There's a piece of paper at the back, he removed them from the legs." 

Swiftly the papers were ripped off and ropes stretched to limits and broke, fishmen shaking out their stiff and bruised limbs. They'd already treated a few nasty cuts so they wouldn't bleed out. One of them, a fishman with a giant lower jaw and loads of teeth, stepped menacingly towards Naruto. 

"Mart," Arlong snapped, then placed a giant hand on Naruto's head, who barely kept himself from dashing away. "You, brat. Unless we tell you to, do. Not. Move." 

Naruto snorted out a frustrated breath. "Sure. Can we get going?" 

He got unceremoniously picked up and thrown over a shoulder, and he almost kicked their teeth in. Shame he didn't, honestly. But he was playing the long con. For now. He couldn't wait to be annoying. 

The fishmen talked something or other amongst themselves and Arlong declared something along the lines of 'we kill the kid if you come close to our base' blah blah blah, but Naruto couldn't listen properly because Nami was looking at him and in his position, looking at the village as the fishmen started walking away, he couldn't look elsewhere. She was… Nami looked shattered. Furious and shattered. Mouthed his name, desperately looking at him. 

And suddenly he remembered she told him about this kind of scene. A kid making a sacrifice for loved ones. A living hell for eight years straight. 

He grit his teeth a little in frustration before grinning brightly at her, trying to tell her without words that he got this. 

It's not gonna be like last time, Nami. I won't let it! 

xXXx

Nami didn't want to think about everything that had gone wrong in the past twenty minutes. 

It felt like so much longer. She could feel herself shaking. With fear, anger, shame or straight up sorrow she didn't care to distinguish, she just knew the kid she'd foolishly allowed to help was now within Arlong's clutches, by his own choice but through her weakness. Was this how Gen had felt? Nojiko? She'd thought of that so many times before, but never before did she sympathize with such intensity. 

Someone touched her shoulder, right over the cursed tattoo, and she whirled around to snarl in their face. Only to falter as her eyes met Nojiko's tearful ones. 

"I'm sorry this happened," she said, mouth ready to add more but she just shook her head instead and went for a hug. 

Nami stayed still. She didn't deserve this closeness after all of this flailing around while their lives were on her shoulders. Her eyes strayed to Chabo who was hovering nearby, seeming conflicted. She knew the feeling. 

Naruto you idiot, she cried in her thoughts. I would've been fine! 

But she knew that was a lie. 

"Those monsters!" someone from Cocoyashi said. "That brave boy saved us!" 

Mutterings and cries started up with voices that only just had cheered for their freedom, and Nami felt like an utter failure. She let them down. She let Naruto down, and he'd been trying to warn her. 

Wait, did he, were there still clones—? 

Her sudden hopes were dashed when her hand found the bottom of her bag empty. No kunai to be found. No Naruto to yell at and apologize to. No nothing. Nami had nothing. Her efforts, her plans, her pain, her tears… they were for nothing. 

Nojiko pulled back and wiped her eyes, sparing a look at her before crouching by Chabo to see what he had to say. Nami… couldn't focus. Her ears were ringing. The world had stopped keeping her with its movements, and she drifted so she wouldn't have to think. 

"Oi," a sharp voice cut through the fog, a voice she'd come to know as Zoro being serious. "Get your head in the game, navigator, Naruto can't buy us infinite time." 

Nami stilled, turning towards him and actually snarling this time, because she was done, couldn't he see!? It was done. And she failed. 

"There's nothing to be done. It's over! We go there, he dies and we die, and then no one can stop them!" 

She couldn't bring anyone else down with her, she'd just go over there and offer herself to them, help Naruto escape and accept any punishment because she deserved it. If her 'crew' accepted her pessimism as being done trying to save Naruto then she could do it and none of her friends and family had to die for this—

Zoro stared her down, unimpressed. "We will. Naruto is crafty, he can hold his own." 

"You don't know them like I do—!" she stopped as something caught her attention. 

Cocoyashi was gathering again. Shouting at each other. Talking about impossible plans. Like Zoro. 

"It's never going to stop," an angry yell piped up. "They will remember us, and expand their territory, like it's their mission. We need to do something!"  

"You're correct," said Gen, and he'd called her his daughter, hadn't he? "But we can't charge recklessly, that way lies madness and that Naruto kid's swift death."

"They didn't catch our weapon storage, did they?" 

Nami's heart lurched as she realized they were serious about taking on Arlong Park. 

"No, it's all up and ready." 

"How do we get close without detection? Or another hostage situation?" 

No no no nono— "Are you out of your minds!?" 

Kind, resolute, pitying and grateful eyes looked at her. 

"Nami, you know we can't live like this anymore." 

"Those who want to run will run, those who wish to fight will fight!" 

"Still, the kid being there is a problem." 

Nami stepped closer, bringing placating hands up. "Yes, let's not be hasty— I- I think I could find a way to bribe—" 

"If it involves trading your skills for him again, no. No, we're done with letting them use you!"