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Chapter Text

“Is Luffy here, Naruto?”

Ace’s words echoed in the quiet chambers of his cell but Naruto saw the burning curiosity, the unspoken grief in his eyes. Water dripped down from the ceiling; rats scrambled away from them and into the hidden cracks on the prison walls. It was only the two of them. The other prisoners were asleep; their snores filled the corridors. But all her eyes could focus were the bruises on him. They bloomed with purples and blues. On the green sea stone cuffs on his arms. The cuts on his cheek, fresh if the scent was any indication.

She took another step forward, legs steady as the male turned his head away from her. The air felt colder here, almost like the same temperatures of the Drum Kingdom, like the Land of Snow. Her body threatened to shiver but she willed herself to take another step forward. Her fingers brushed against the sharp cut on his cheek, just below the freckles. He flinched at her touch. Her throat tightened.

“Luffy doesn’t know you’ve been captured,” she muttered. “He doesn’t read newspaper and Nami didn’t notice the news, I noticed it because it was you. I tossed away the newspaper before he saw the photo, with how overprotective you are and how reckless he can be…I knew it would be better for him not to see it. He didn’t give much thought to why your card was starting to burn.” She pulled out the paper from her pocket. The beginning of the end. “This told me that you were in trouble but…the paper confirmed it. Made an excuse to him about needing to do something, the others should be in Sabaody. Will meet up with them once you’re out of here.”

His eyes refused to meet her own. There was a quiet tremor in his chest, almost unspoken emotions, but she didn’t dare to vocalize her words. Only waited for him to speak, to just look at her. “You left him to save me, why? He’s your captain. You don’t just abandon your captain, Naruto! Not for someone like—”

She slapped her hand over his lips. “We can argue about your self-worth issues later,” she hissed. “And I didn’t abandon Luffy, it isn’t abandoning if I’m going back to him. What I don’t want is for your baby brother to think that you don’t care about your life.” The male lowered his head, body trembling but was it from weakness? Or shame. She tugged on the chain around his legs. “And why the fuck wouldn’t I come for you? I met you first, only joined Luffy ‘cuz I was curious to know about the baby brother you were always boasting about. It was one of the cute things about ya.”

He jerked his head at her and she slipped her hand away from him, weightless. The air began to tremble with unspoken emotions while his eyes fixated on her, at her hair and then to her own lips. For a moment, her mind wandered back to the first weeks of their meeting. When they had been 18, when he stumbled into her village with that reckless desire in him to challenge her to a fight. Sasuke hadn’t been around; she had snorted and handed him his ass.

Idiot still hadn’t learnt his lesson and that was why he was in this mess from the beginning.

“I’m surprised you never told Luffy about how we know each other,” his voice carried hints of his humour, but it felt so wrong with the bruises blooming around him. The chain on his leg crashed to the ground with her final tug. It was almost as if those bastards knew someone was going to save him. “Didn’t really ask how you knew me when I met up with you guys in Alabasta, didn’t ask why you hugged me like that. The cook did though, did not like it.”

She licked her lips as her fingers curled against the chains on his other leg. Grime filled her nose, a reminder of his time here, alongside how the male had a problem when it came to showering. The coldness of the chains slipped into the palm of her hand; the heavy weight of the chain pressed her hands. “Sanji can be nosy but he knows how to read between the lines,” she flickered her eyes at him. “And it wasn’t like he didn’t like it, Sanji just knew I wouldn’t hug you like that if I didn’t know you for a while.”

Physical affection came easily to her, she clung and hugged like a little monkey but with Ace, she lingered until his heat threatened to overwhelm her. She didn’t know when it started, not when he demanded for a fight but when he laughed and ran his hand through his curls, admitting that she deserved the title. When he asked questions about her home, when he ate ramen with her. The nights when she sat on her father’s head, her eyes focused on the twinkling stars.

“He flirted even harder with you when I was with you guys,” he mumbled as she leaned forward to touch the chains on his wrists. “And if he was that smart, does he know that you went on this side quest to rescue me? If he was smart, he would stop you from coming here. I don’t want you here either, the fact you became a pirate instead remaining in your village and being the hero of your land is something I still don’t understand. You have the love of everyone in your home.”

Rats squeaked in the background as her hand tugged on the other chain, this one crashed to the ground. She brushed her fingers against his cheeks, rubbed the blood dripping down the side of his face. “It isn’t real love. Only ones who really loved me are Konohamaru, Hinata and maybe the other members of Konoha 9,” she dropped her hand as his eyes flickered to her lips once more. More heated than the last glance. “You never asked why I hated their words, didn’t I? Why they looked ashamed whenever I glanced at them.”

He shrugged and turned his head. “I was more obsessed with the fact that there was a whole village of shinobi, a whole island filled with them,” his laughter became quieter and almost bitter. “Remember when you beat me, I asked you to help me defeat Kaido and free Wano.” Her heart dropped at the reminder while his eyes focused on the sleeping snails, the ones she covered with seals of genjutsu. “If I die, I think I would regret—”

“—You ain’t dying any time soon,” she said sharply. “Tama is still waiting for you, she talks about you constantly so if you’re going to live then live for the little girl waiting for you to bring her to sea.” He jerked his head, and she whistled. “I did visit Wano; you kept talking about it like it was better than my island and that annoyed me. By the way, you should’ve told me that Tama was a little girl.”

His lips twitched. “What? You got jealous of a little girl.”

Her cheeks threatened to burn at his words, a desire to laugh louder at those words. It wasn’t funny, it was ridiculous because she stormed into Wano with a desire to meet Tama. She expected to meet someone like Ino, like Sakura, but it turned out that the future kunoichi was just a tiny, skinny girl that lacked any real meat. Ace had mentioned about the lack of food, about the rotten food, and she came to their home with scrolls that contained food.

“Deuce made me think a lot,” she mumbled. When the final chain crumbled to the ground, Ace nearly stumbled, and Naruto cradled him against her shoulders.  “He made it seem like Tama was the love of your life, knew it was stupid ‘cuz you don’t even seem to care about women.” He jerked his head, his eyes almost dripped with annoyance, and she mumbled. “I kissed you a few times, no reaction…no care and Deuce mentioned about that marine woman, who kept chasing after ya.”

The air became heavier at her words, the temperature dropped while the rats scrambled back into their lair. It was stupid to mention women. They weren’t together. A few kisses here and there, heated or not, did not mean he was hers. Nor she was his. Rayleigh came when I needed to be rescued, the man you want? If he wants ya, he will swallow his pride and come after ya was what Shakky had told her. She never mentioned love to her, but old women always seemed to have a sense. The Old Hag even noticed her stupid behaviour.

“No reaction? I was trying to be a damn gentleman around ya,” he growled but his voice lacked any heat or bite. Just pure frustration and Naruto stared at him for a moment. Throat tightening as he turned his own head away from her. “Did you keep flirting with that cook because I wouldn’t say a thing! You’re a hero, you’re also a member of Luffy’s crew and…” his voice trailed off when her eyes burned a hole at him. “You deserve better, Naruto. You know that—”

“—Portgas D. Ace, you don’t dare tell me about who I deserve!” She snarled at him as she made her way towards the open bars of his cell. “I get to decide who I love, who deserves it…and that person is you. Of course, I was going to flirt with Sanji because Sanji shows he likes me! You? You keep making me feel like—”

He swallowed and tore himself away from her. “—Because I want you to be with someone that deserves your love! Me? I’m the son of the devil! When I was in Konoha, I heard whispers of you being the hero.” His voice began to crack. “Of your Dad being some bigshot and you expect me to believe that someone as good as you can love someone like me?”

“How many times must I show you before you realise that I love you despite everything? That I don’t give a damn about those things because it isn’t like I was treated like some kind of princess in Konoha! I choose you, you iditot!”

She wondered how she’d ended up here, staking her heart on a man too stubborn to believe he deserved it. She’d left her friends behind, her captain, chasing after someone chasing death. She’d loved him for two years and would probably love him longer...but only if he just let her love him.

Chapter Text

(2 years ago)

The air reeked of sake, but it was to be expected, after all, Ino always wanted their girl nights to be inside a bar. Not that Naruto could complain. In the past, she would watch Ino and Sakura hang out with other girls while she lingered in the shadows, heart trembling with jealous as she listened to their lively. It was always about Sasuke but still better than not having anyone to share a conversation with. It got better when she became friends with Hinata, but she still wanted to be surrounded by people.

She came a long way from being that dirtied, trembling street rat. Naruto shook her head and swirled her drink, eyes drifting to Sakura. Her teammate had decided to start off the round with drinks, raising her voice as she complained bitterly about work. Her green eyes shone with annoyance, babbling about grumpy patients. She nodded wordlessly, eyes drifting to the closed doors of the bar. Hinata wouldn’t come, not when she was out on missions. They had more missions to do since the war was over.

All she wanted to do since the war was over was just eat cake, drink sake, and maybe even see what the world outside their island was like. Marines did not dare come to their island, they say it was because their home was under the protection of Whitebeard. That his most precious and secret treasure was here. Only the Daimyo and the Hokage knew what that treasure was, but Kakashi-sensei refused to tell her what the treasure was.

The table rattled, and Naruto looked up to find Ino grinning at them with those eyes screaming of gossip. Her fellow blond slid into the seat right beside Sakura and lowered her voice. “Got something real juicy for you two to hear,” Ino purred. Her eyes drifted towards her, almost pouting at her indifference, while Sakura let out a quiet, exasperated sigh. “Y’know the vendors who give my family seeds for our shop?” Naruto nodded and the teen grinned. “They say a bunch of pirates have been asking around for the strongest person in the island.”

Naruto grimaced and stirred her drink. With Sasuke in prison, she would be the one to hold the title. In the official records, credit had been given to her and Team Seven. A whole boring ceremony had been given in their honour, with the Daimyo of the lands demanding to know her desire. Their eyes had been eager, with a member declaring that she could wed his child and he would be pleased. Kakashi-sensei hadn’t been amused, she had just laughed loudly and requested for Sasuke to be given a light sentence. That…he didn’t deserve to live the rest of his days in the dark cells like the devil of the sea.

She swirled her drink. “First time, pirates are asking about the strongest person here,” she couldn’t bring herself to stretch her smile, only inspected her drink with a heavy sigh. “Thought pirates would try to poach Whitebeard’s legendary treasure, the one that no one knows about but the one everyone knows exists.”

This island, she knew, was claimed soon after the Pirate King had died. Around the time she had been born. From what she remembered from the gossip, Whitebeard stumbled to Konoha with his crew. His sons as they had called them. They met with the Third Hokage, had carried so much treasure, but no one knew why. They say that the gold had been blinding, that the man had been heavy with grief, but no one knew why. Years had passed but the older adults spoke of it like tales of the past.

Countless pirates stumbled, seeking to steal the treasure of Whitebeard, and all had lost.

“They can’t ask for a treasure only the Hokage and Daimyo know about,” Ino mused. She stared at the bartender with thoughtful eyes. “We don’t actually know if it’s true…unless you know what it might be, Naruto.” The Yamanka head gave a small pout. “C’mon, the Hokage has made both you and Shikamaru his assistants and Shikamaru tells me that Kakashi won’t tell him…not that lazy ass would ask. You would ask.”

Naruto sniffed the sweet scent of her drink. “I asked after Shikamaru did since I’m supposed to become the next Hokage once I’m done with training, but Kakashi-sensei refused to talk about it,” she paused and nodded. “But I know Kakashi-sensei says Whitebeard’s treasure isn’t what normal pirates would think was treasure so really I don’t know.” Naruto drowned her drink. “I just know he sends money to our village but that’s it.”

Sakura plopped her head on top of her hand. “The thing I don’t understand is why he placed his flag on our island, we can handle marines, and we don’t need his treasure,” she crossed her legs together and exhaled. “And I haven’t heard whispers of us giving anything back to Whitebeard when he decided to place us under his protection. Mum heard whispers that Big Mom asks for sweets and particular food from regions as her tribute for islands under her protection.”

“Do we actually give anything to Whitebeard?” Ino asked Naruto.

Naruto scrunched her eyebrows together and crossed her legs together. The chatter began to die down as the bartender came to them, sliding down glasses of sake that they never asked for. But it was given to them because of her. Since she became the hero of the land, things had been given to her with such freedom…just like the wind. “Nope. When the Daimyo comes, he doesn’t talk about Whitebeard. He just checks up on how we are rebuilding the village.”

Whitebeard was not a topic broached by them, not when no one knew of the tribute needed by the pirate: gold, women or supplies. The Daimyo cared far more about their reputations, about the money spent on repairs, and the welfare of the orphans. With many good shinobi being dead, the orphanage was once more spilling with furious-eyed children. Children who held no laughter in their voices, only pure undocumented rage.

“The merchants that crossed path with Whitebeard talk about how he is a giant of a man,” Ino mused. Her eyes wandered to the men glancing at them, their eyes lingered on them…at their whimsical dresses. “They say the ones that dared ask him about his treasure says that his treasure exists but to touch his treasure is to gain his wrath,” her voice lowered. “Do you think we gain money from him because the Hokage and the Daimyo guard his treasure with an iron-fist?”

Sakura frowned and rubbed her chin. “If that was true, wouldn’t Naruto know what that treasure might be?” Naruto scowled at the reminder while her teammate continued to prattle on. “She is currently the strongest person in the island, other than Sasuke, and the one most capable of guarding his so-called treasure from those pirates.”

Ino nodded, her ponytail flew to the side as her eyes carried hints of amusement. “Yeah but Naruto doesn’t know,” she snuck a glance at her as if to seek confirmation and grinned when she scowled at her. “But if we go with what Naruto doesn’t know then the possibility is that Whitebeard might be her grandfather or something,” Naruto snorted, and her friend swirled her glass. “Don’t snort at me, Naruto. You didn’t even know who your parents were until recently and it turns out that you are just like Lady Tsunade and the Third Hokage’s grandson. With your luck, you might be his grandchild and not know it.”

“If Whitebeard is a giant of a man, then it’s fucking funny that he ends up having a granddaughter that is just average height,” she jested. “But nothing is possible, no one knows who my Dad’s dad was since he was born in a port instead of here…and it wasn’t like I had time to ask about his side of the family ‘cuz of the damn war.” She laughed. “Anyways, did the vendors direct this pirate to me ‘cuz that is just cruel of them to have the poor pirate fight little old me. I might break their ego.”

Ino grinned. “That’s what they want because apparently the pirate is supposed to be handsome,” Naruto raised her eyebrows and her friend snorted. “Don’t give me that look: I don’t think every boy is handsome,” this earned a snort from Sakura and the girl scowled at them. “Shut it, Forehead! You’re still hung up on Sasuke, I got a boyfriend so I’ve a non-bias opinion. Anyways, he’s hot and charming but totally oblivious to women…kinda like you, Naruto.”

She laughed. “Not true. I know men like me, but no one really caught my eye, Ino!”

“If I didn’t know you find the idea of dating Sasuke to be a headache, I would think you were like Forehead and carrying a torch for him,” Ino said with a disappointed sigh. Naruto wrinkled her nose at the thought while Sakura stilted her eyes at the Yamanaka head. “I’ve tried setting you up with so many boys and not one of them caught your eye. You found my cousin to be an arrogant ass—”

“—All he could talk was about how much money he has,” she said with a shrug. “Kinda seems useless. Despite what people think, I had enough money growing up…I got a shitty apartment growing up but it isn’t like I never saw money, despite what people think.” She rubbed her wrist. “And when you got Shikamaru to rope one of his cousins to go on a blind date with me, the whole conversation was just plain boring, or he was just too much of a stuttering idiot. I became the hero of this island, doesn’t exactly mean I just changed overnight.”

The air became heavier at her words; Sakura turned her head away with a grimace. “You didn’t think anything change about you, but everyone just decided to start loving you like nothing changed,” she stared at the men glancing at each other. “When we were in school, boys snuck a glance at you and pretended that they weren’t having a crush on you but…everyone knew.” Naruto blinked and Sakura pinched her nose. “Naruto, I know you find it hard to believe but have you ever stopped to think of why Ami was the worst with you?”

“Honestly? I thought it was because I did better than her in taijutsu.”

Ino stared at her and leaned forward to pinch her cheeks, pinched until her own cheek muscles threatened to cry out in pain. “How can you be so oblivious, Naruto? I might not have been your friend when we were in the Academy but why do you think she got worse whenever some poor guy followed you like a lost puppy?” She exhaled and dropped her hand.  “Sure, they acted like they didn’t like you in front of their parents, but you got to admit that you were the one that the boys had no problem playing with.”

Naruto snorted. “Well, you and Sakura hated getting your hands dirty…and you guys were too busy trying to be teacher’s pets to have any real fun,” her lips curved into a smile as her whole body relaxed. “I miss the old days when I can play my pranks. None of the brats in the Academy wants to do these things,” she sighed. “The other day, I went into to give a talk and not a single one of them wanted to hear me talk about the joys of enjoying their youth—”

“—You’re making us sound like old ladies!” Ino complained.

She scowled. “I’m not making us sound old; did you know that they asked me if in our time if we had to learn the Bunshin no Jutsu and asked me on what they need to become the strongest shinobi in the world.”

At 18, those brats made her seem like she was some old lady that was ready to retire. Iruka-sensei had laughed, loudly and ruffled her hair before pointing out that her year group had done the same to him. She grumbled at his reminder when she thought about it, arms folded and loudly complained that she was 18. Not even in the prime of her power yet. He snickered and told her that it would get worse when she became Hokage.

Honestly, she wondered if the idiotic pirate knew who he was demanding to fight with.

“So, this Naruto girl seems to be talked about like she is some kind of legend.”

Ace kept a smile on his face as their guide led them through the forest that led to the shinobi village, where the strongest person lived. From above, the birds sang while the leaves reflected the warmth of the island. The Elemental Isle, he came to notice was nothing like Wano. When they arrived at the port, the buildings were crumbled but there was a sense of hope. Children ran through the streets, vendors sold food—the good, quality kind and not rotten food with mould infesting on them. Even now, the air smelt clean, and he saw no hints of smoke in the air.

Their guide was an elderly man; he had been strangely eager to take them when he asked around for a guide. His eyes had been warm and when his grandchildren questioned their elderly guide, he just said that he resembled a young pirate that stumbled into their port once. You remind me of the good old days was what their guide had said. The elderly man snuck a glance at them, lips twitching. “You told me that you started sailing at 17,” the old man informed him. “That girl has been doing incredible things since she was a genin. At 12, she had a bridge named after her in Nami no Kuni.”

Deuce stumbled and jerked his head. “Why would a 12-year-old get a bridge name after them?”

“They say Naruto inspires hope, that when the whole island thought that they would always live under the rule of Gatou, that Naruto and her team showed them that they can live freely,” the man explained. “The people of Nami talk about that bridge as a symbol of hope, they began a tale that if someone toss a coin over that bridge, then their wishes come true. Load of bullshit but…people want to believe, and Naruto is someone that makes people believe. She doesn’t know it but the people of my port are proud to say that she comes from us, after all her father was born in our tiny port. Tell my grandkids that two legends came from us: Namikaze Minato and now his daughter Uzumaki Naruto.”

Ace inspected the smiling man and then to squirrels that climbed up through the streets, eager little animals that glanced at them with beady eyes. “If her Dad is a good guy then why does his kid have a different last name?” If his father had been a good, a man beloved by people, he would be proud to have his name. The old man hummed and walked with a straight back. “No reason for her to hide her identity, right?”

The old man stopped in his tracks, his eyes lingered on him the most for the longest before letting out a laugh. “Her father is a hero in this region but a villain in another region,” the man whispered. “Problem with being shinobis is that they make enemies and Minato? Made plenty of them during the war. Wouldn’t be hard for me to imagine that the Third Hokage hid her lineage to avoid some idiot shinobi trying to take revenge on her,” he paused. “And her mother was a member of the Uzumaki Clan—make sense to give her the last name of a more prominent clan. Just like the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan, the Uzumaki Clan is a clan that trace themselves back to royalty. Minato is a civilian boy but his wife? A princess but don’t say that to Naruto when you challenge her, they say she hates being treated like a noble.”

His first mate frowned and hurried in his steps, his eyes burned with his own curiosity. “Why? You would think she would love being treated like royalty!”

“Normal people but I heard whispers of how she was treated before she became the hero of this island,” the man said with a quiet shake of his head. His hands reached towards his back as his voice became softer and quieter than the winds. “You see they say that Naruto was a street rat, caused trouble with her pranks and ran her mouth—must have gotten it from her mother because Minato was a quiet boy,” he chuckled. “They say she lived in the bad parts of the village, near the red-light district…think that is how a child of a hero should live? She has a good heart but Konoha got lucky. People like her grow mad, she? She was just some kid starved of love.” He chuckled. “Real legends are born from grief and loneliness, her father lost his mother to a member of the Rock Pirates. A tragic day when it happened.”

Ace frowned. “Rock Pirates?”

“Many pirates came through here, those that have an interest in history,” the man mused. “The first to come here wasn’t the Rock Pirates, it was some pirate crew looking for a good time. There was a young man that fell for Minato’s mother, I think he might be his biological father since he would sit with the boy when he visited, tell him tales and even taught him how to fish,” the leaves crunched. “Then a few years after them came the Rocks Pirates. Now they were the worst, always fighting and one of them was upset because that very same young man carried a fondness for Minato. What was her name? Bakkin! Bakkin kept grumbling and complaining about how he treats a fatherless boy like his own child. I think jealously was what drove her to murder the boy’s mother. Only time I saw Rocks upset and got that rowdy crew under control.” He huffed. “Years later, it was Roger Pirates. Now they were fun, Roger especially.” He blinked and the man chuckled. “Why so surprise? History is written by the winners and government, but people like me? We know the truth. Roger wasn’t bad but he was a lonely man, pity him when I heard he had a crush on a woman and that woman loved his first mate. Told him that he would find the one like I found my one, told him not to be a Jiraiya.”

Skull, his crew mate, frowned and tilted his head to the side. “Jiraiya?”

“Jiraiya was one of the three Sanins, Naruto and Minato’s mentor.” The old man heaved a sigh before staring at the trees surrounding them. “A wanderer at heart. Nothing like that infamous Oden of the Roger Pirates, nice man but for a supposed Daimyo…didn’t give a damn about his people,” he clicked his tongue. “Remember him talking about Wano and all I can think was how he can trust someone to do his job. Our Daimyo would never run off in search of adventure, he knows his duties and his heir? The same.” His eyes focused on the clouds. “Pity them, I do. They got no freedom, cannot choose whom to love, everything is a game for ‘em. Mind you with Naruto becoming famous, no doubt she will be forced to be apart of their theatrics too. Heroes don’t have real freedom either when you think about it, a slave to their job.”

Ace remained silent at those thoughtful words. Just listened to the mournful songs of the birds as the world shifted into his own childhood, to the days when Garp would stumble back into his life like he never left at all. To the constant punches in his head as he tried to convince him, Luffy and Sabo to become marines. The old man ranted in loud voices, but his eyes were never happy, just resigned. The old man was always lying about how being a marine was the only way, it was just like a prison cell for him. He would be paraded around, maybe, or worse executed.

Even now with his rising bounty, he wondered if the marines had gotten a whiff of his real heritage.

“Wouldn’t she be freer because she is a hero?” Deuce asked the old man.

The old man stroked his beard and stopped right in front of the bark of the tree, his wrinkly hand pressed against the bark of the tree. “They say when Naruto and her team was summoned for their hero ceremony, the Daimyos of the land asked her of what she wanted as her reward,” the man paused and brushed his finger against the harsh lines of the bark. “She requested for her teammate, that insane Uchiha, to be free. People speculate why she would ask for his release! We nearly went into another war because of that boy!” He shook his head. “Some wonder if she is in love with him. They were in the same team after all, most of the shinobi when in the same team…tend to either marry each other, became friends, or act like family. The bonds between shinobi are an odd one, if you ask a guy like me.”

Ace pressed his foot against the soil. “But they’re going to let him go?”

“That is the debate going around ‘cuz technically the insane Uchiha did save us too,” the old man took a step back and began to walk further away from them. “A cursed clan they are, warriors they might be but what good is being strong is if you can’t control your demons?” He stared at the clouds. “Boy got real lucky that a hero vouch for him, bet ya if that boy ever has a child then Naruto would work hard to make sure the kid lives without knowing their father’s sins. Just like her Dad, she is. Minato was a gentle boy too, loved his mother deeply…broke his little heart when that batshit woman murdered his mother. Blamed that man for the loss of his mother, ran off to Konoha…and next thing I know is that gentle boy gets the nickname of Yellow Flash. Poor name you ask me.” He chuckled. “Minato wanted to be a pirate just like that man, wanted to join Rocks, but when tragedy strikes…people tend to become the opposite of what they want. Bet ya if we were in the World Government, Minato would be one of those marines. Pirates got lucky ‘cuz Minato would hunt ‘em down to get vengeance.”

Ace shifted his attention to the trees ahead of them. Once more, the trees melted to the ones in the Goa Kingdom, to the forest where the camp fire crackled in the background. Gramps trying to convince him again and again to be a marine, about accepting him, and now he just wanted to point out that even a hero wanted to be a pirate. He shook his head as the winds stroke his shirt. “You seem certain Naruto would do that, why?”

“Because of what she did before the war, people still talk about it,” the old man explained as the leaves became lusher in the background. “See they say when the Raikage wanted the head of the Uchiha for supposedly killing his brother, Naruto went there and went on her knees begging for them not to do it. The shinobis who saw it, who saw the bruises inflicted on her face said that they never thought she would lower her pride.” He shook his head. “See, she got a reputation for having pride…and to witness someone as strong as her be willing to humble and take on wounds for a man unworthy makes you understand how deep her feelings can be.”

For the first time in the year since he set sail, Ace found himself curious and anticipating the hero that he was set to challenge. Not just her fighting skills but for this mythos of a woman.

Chapter Text

Getting to Konoha was not as easy as Ace was led to believe, the trees resembled each other with the lush green leaves, the same brown bark but somehow the old man knew the way like it was second nature to him. He told him and the crew about how he wandered through these woods with his cart of goods, but Ace’s eyes couldn’t pick up the differences. The trees had the same distance, almost like distant friends than family, the sky held no hints of smoke. The old man would always nod, humming whenever Deuce, him or Banshee asked if they were closer to this village.

It was only when they walked passed men and women with weird bands around their waist, did the old man flash a grin and informed them that they were closer to the gates of Konoha. The women, female kunoichi, had given him a quiet glance of appreciation while the males just studied him and the other members with weary eyes. Untrusting of them. The people of Wano had been like that too, though they had stolen their limited food supply. They, he remembered with a clenched heart, had their skin clinging to their bones.

Flashing the shinobi a smile, he tilted his hat down and glanced at the approaching gates that loomed over them. There were two characters on them, ones he could barely read. If Sabo was here, his eyes would have soak in the language and he would proudly read it out loud to him. His younger brother, he knew, would have been excited. His hat would slip while he asked his relentless questions about the other cultures. But…Sabo was gone. Dead. Only a memory in his brain but one never to be spoken out loud.

Luffy never talked about him after the first year, he…decided to do the same. Only his tattoo carried hints of the past, the crossed-out S. Deuce had stumble, had asked him if he didn’t know how to spell his own name, and he laughed. Laughed and dismissed his question because Sabo was a memory for him. They were the same age, though neither of them knew who was older. In his mind, it was him. He was the older brother. The one that should be responsible, the one who should have protected him.

His heart ached once more.

“Let me talk to the guards first,” the old man rumbled as he took a step closer to the stand, where two males stood. He held his hand out to them. “Got that pass the guards gave ya when you came to this island? Will make things easier for them,” his lips curved into a smile when Deuce eyed him. The old man laughed. “Don’t worry about ‘em, they won’t hurt ya unless you bunch do something real stupid. Word would’ve gotten about the fact your captain here is here to challenge the hero of Konoha.”

Ace stared at the faces; the ones engraved on the Mountain. They looked so lifelike, though one part of the mountain was hidden. Five faces were there, four males and one female. All stern-faced and he couldn’t help but think of Garp. Despite the distance, it felt the same sternness of the man that took him in. The same suffocating feeling. Skull cleared his throat. “What would be real stupid?”

“Don’t ya worry, your captain is being a reckless idiot by challenging Naruto but doubt you guys are here to hurt a member of this village,” the old man took the passes and took slow steps towards the stand. The man paused and turned his head to stare at him, the knowingness in his eyes deepened. “Remind me of the good ones that stumbled here, you do. Roger and Whitebeard especially. Won’t surprise me if you ever become as legendary as them.”

He bristled at the mention of Roger, of the man that cursed him by allowing him to be born. Why was he born? Why have him? He forced his smile, tilted his hat down, and ignored the cheers of his crew. Only Deuce didn’t cheer, his eyes carried that hint of suspicion. His first mate never asked, always dropped hints but he never answered. Why? Why would he? His blood always boiled at the mention. When Luffy found out—all because of Sabo’s big mouth—his little brother would smile and ask barrels of questions he could never answer.

What was Roger like?

That question haunted and brought a boil to his blood, for how could he know? Garp rarely or rather never talked about him, made him out to be a curse, and civilians spoke of him like a ghost in a children’s story. He stumbled into Shakky bar, the woman had a strange look on her face when she saw him. Her partner too. They had been kind to him; they didn’t even ask money from him or his crew. Only stories. The old man in particular would smile and laugh, then asked him if some lady caught his eyes. To be young again was what the man would say.

Women were the last thing on his mind. To be with a pretty woman was to risk them dying like his mother died. He knew she died in childbirth, Garp had graced him with this knowledge. A strong woman to hold onto you for 20 months was what his grandfather had said to him. That was love, he knew, but he didn’t understand why. Why have him? Why die to have him? He exhaled and then blinked when the old man waved his hand at them, gesturing for them to come to him.

Deuce flickered his eyes at him, then to the hunched up old man. “You sure he isn’t handing us to them because you’ve this insane idea to challenge their hero,” his voice carried hints of suspicion and annoyance. “This isn’t like Wano, Ace. Wano has no hero, but this land has her, and I don’t know what will happen if you beat her…you don’t still have the insane idea of challenging Kaido?”

He stared right at him. “If I can beat her and Whitebeard, it means we can challenge Kaido,” his eyes flickered to the Monument to the face that seemed to be the youngest amongst them. The same stern eyes of his grandfather, the same coldness, and he just turned his body around. It irritated him like a needle prickled on his skin. “You saw Wano. Tama can’t even eat food, we can’t just ignore it. We left because Kaido wasn’t there and because Yamato warned me.”

Deuce swallowed and pinched his nose. “And that guy warned you that Naruto is supposed to be crazy strong! She’s practically a legend! I don’t know about you but I want to live, Ace!” He swallowed and glanced at the people walking around with weapons on their waist or back. Katana but where was kunai? If Luffy was here, his little brother would bounce around and asked questions about shinobi. “What if the tales of her being compassionate is a lie and she kills you because you’re reckless enough to challenge her?”

Then, it meant he probably did not deserve to live. Meant his life was as worthless as those treasures they had stolen from the other pirates. Gold was pretty to look at but his heart didn’t skip a beat. There was just…no real meaning in the gold. Once they were done with this island, they would seek Shanks. They say that he was in one of the nearby islands, he wanted to live long enough to thank the man for saving Luffy. Sabo would have done it. He was the good big brother as Luffy would mumble in the first few weeks when Sabo died. His heart ached, he would bristle, and he would wonder if it would’ve been better if Sabo lived and he died.

“Naruto isn’t the type to kill,” they jerked their heads and blinked at the guards leaning over the table. The two males smiled at them, one of them inspected him from head to toe before letting out another laugh. “You guys weren’t being subtle, this whole village know about your reckless captain planning to challenge Naruto for a fight,” the other man stared at his tattoo with wrinkle on his nose. “Bets are already being placed about how badly you’re going to get your ass kicked.”

The hairs on his arm stood up, his temper began to flare up, and he jerked his head at them. “What does that mean? You think I’ve no chance against her?”

One of the shinobi waved his hand at him, dismissive, and let out a quiet yawn while members of his crew narrowed their eyes at the two males. The shorter one chuckled and walked away from the table, hands behind his back and a quiet confidence that reminded him of the marines. Too disciplined. He clenched his jaw when the male stood right in front of him, lips curved into a cheeky smile. “We keep tabs on pirate bounties, get interesting when we make bets on certain things,” his eyes studied him. “You’ve been a pirate for what? A year? Not long enough to have experience against a fighter like Naruto. Everyone knows she was bad at the mental aspects of being a shinobi but fights? That’s where she shines.” The man snickered. “There is even a rumor going about that every male who fights her falls madly in love with her.”

The other guard laughed. “Funnier when you remember she was that little tomboy, who made us chase after her ‘cuz her little pranks were real headaches,” he nudged at his friend and pointed to the Monument. “Remember when she spraypainted the Hokage Monument. She was very creative when it came to the Fourth Hokage. We couldn’t even find her, had to get Iruka to find her ‘cuz she lets him find her. Now look at her—she is slotted to become the next Hokage like she always screamed to the heavens.”

That brought a smile to his lips. A loud laugh, and it earned him a strange look from everyone. “Sorry but my baby brother screams about his dreams too,” he explained sheepishly. The shinobis exchanged glances while his crew shook their heads. At this point, they should be used to him bragging about his little brother. He was going to achieve his dream; he felt it in his bones. “Says he is going to be the Pirate King.”

The guard inspected him for a moment, then shifted their attention to the Monument. “Pirate King, huh? If your little brother is anything like Naruto, then he’s probably going to achieve it,” their eyes drifted to the elderly man. “Every day Naruto would do her pranks and then declare that she was going to become Hokage. No one, I mean, no one believed in her except for Hinata.” He stroked his chin. “Look at her now. If it wasn’t for the fact the Daimyo slotted Kakashi to take over Tsunade, she would probably be the one running this whole place.”

He flickered his eyes to the clouds, drifting through the sky without any weight dragging them down. He shifted the weight onto his foot. “Speaking of Naruto, where do you think we can find her? I did come here to challenge her to a fight,” his eyes drifted to his crew before locking on the guards. “I came here because she made a name for herself in this island when we arrived.”

One of the guards studied at him. “Pirates usually come in search of Whitebeard’s infamous treasure, not seeking a fight with Naruto,” they turned their heads to the streets. “But if you really want to find Naruto, you either go to the Hokage Tower since Kakashi has made her his assistant and shadow…guy is already planning for his retirement, you see?” The man bobbed his head. “If not there, she might be checking up on the orphans or checking up on Sasuke in prison but…you can’t go there. And if you can’t find her, go and ask Konohamaru. He is her little shadow, wears a long scarf.”

“Who is Konohamaru?” he asked.

The man studied him. “Konohamaru is the Third Hokage’s grandson, hard to miss him. He talks big, speaks a little bit like Naruto—learnt all her bad habits as the Hokage would grumble whenever Konohamaru tried to attack him.” His eyes wandered back to the tower. “When the Third Hokage died, the boy refused to budge from his office. Didn’t allow the Fifth Hokage to take her place but Naruto talked some sense into him. She always knows how to talk sense into him, they might not be related by blood, but they carry the same spirit.”

She spent her free time in the orphanage, hands tracing the hard walls that once caged her like a wild animal and listening to the babbles of smiling children as they whispered their dreams to her. The matron was a different woman, the old matron who cared for her as a child—had died during Suna invasion attack. A quick death, she had been told by one of the few orphans that treated her decently. Her heart had been numb at that point; the woman had been nothing short but a monster with her cruel eyes and loud voice.  No one will ever love you was what that cruel woman would tell her whenever she acted out.

Sighing, she tucked the strand of her hair behind her ears and stared at the Monument. At the stern eyes of her father, of a man that claimed to love her but imprisoned her with Kurama. She didn’t blame him, he was in many ways innocent but it would take a while before they could truly be friends. Most of her teen years were spent resenting him, resenting herself…and it made the bright days of her childhood seemed nothing but darkness.

The skies were brighter now with the smiling sun, the winds cracked with joy, and Naruto grimaced when two of the civilian women bowed their heads at her. Acknowledgement like she always wanted. And yet it still felt hollower, hollow like the tree bark. She flashed them a tight smile, took another step forward, and then paused when the civilian woman turned to the other. “What was I talking to you about? The pirate!” her voice became a tone of annoyance. “Doesn’t wear a shirt, that one does. I swear it was bad enough when my daughter had a crush on Sasuke Uchiha but this one? This one might seduce her with his inappropriate behaviour!”

Naruto bit her tongue and rolling her eyes at them, at the turned-up noses of the women. She had seen the bounty poster of Ace, a handsome man with flaming fingers. A hint that he ate one of those devil fruits. In her mother memories, she was told about the devil fruits. About how one should never eat them. There is a curse on them, to never be able to swim…and we breath water was what her grandfather had told her mother. They say of another possibility, of a fruit that once eaten would force people to be like the Sea Kings.

In the stories left behind by the Uzumaki Clan, stories told from mother to child, they say that the Sea Kings had once been people that gobbled fruits cursed by the sea devils. They say Davy Jones had been one of them. The whirlpools, her grandmother would say, were made by Davy Jones to hide his treasure from all those that sought it. A load of bullshit, then again she was never one to sought gold. To feel the wild winds on her hair yes, but not gold.

When one had money and fame, it meant nothing without a family by their side. Her father had been the Hokage, strong and proud in his skill, but it was her beautiful mother that brought joy to him. Her too, she supposed. He did hug her when they met, took her punch without a flinch…but she didn’t know if it was love. What was love? What was this curse called love? A pair of eyes watched her, whispers echoed in the background, and she found herself blinking at the sight of a man towering over her.

Shirt unbuttoned, a linger of ash on his scent, and she stared at the orange hat on his head. He had freckles, cute freckles that reminded her of the stars. This was Ace. She would always remember his bounty, it had increased in ways that made her weary. His eyes had been serious on his bounty poster, but his dark eyes were warm. Kind, she corrected herself. There was also something haunting about his eyes, emotions she knew but did not want to name.

“Hey? Do you know where we can find Naruto?” Ace asked. His voice carried a tone of politeness, his eyes carried a sheepish glow while the members of his crew stood behind him. All of them had their eyes on her. There was a blue-haired male staring at her, wore a mask on his eyes, while another man just stared at her orange kimono dress. “The guards told me that she might be in the orphanage but we forgot to ask them where the orphanage might be.”

The civilians whispered, one of them opened their mouth, but she flashed them a smile before studying the man before them. In the past, she would puff her chest and declare she was the one he sought, the famous hero of the land, but what fun was it to be famous anymore? All it did was bring an ache to her head. Naruto clasped her hands behind her head and drifted her eyes to her father’s face on the Monument. “You must be the infamous pirate searching for her,” she hummed. “Naruto won’t be in the orphanage, right now…might be going back to work for the Hokage. Won’t be done with her job until tonight, so maybe try ambushing her after that.”

Ace leaned forward with a groan. “And may I ask when exactly she’ll be done? You look about her age: what’s she really like?” One of his crew sighed behind him, but Ace only laughed and waved a dismissive hand. “Sorry, but everyone keeps talking about her like she’s some kind of legend. You must know the truth, right? The guards said she used to pull pranks and scream about becoming Hokage... but what’s she really like?”

The question halted her heart, made her whole mind blank, and she leaned against her foot. “Hmm, you ask the villagers: they would paint her to be some kind of saint with a pure heart but Naruto ain’t pure.” Her lips curved into a smile. “She swears a lot, gets really annoyed whenever people talk shit about her friends without remembering the fact that they used to worship their friend and called her the devil.” The civilians flinched and she shrugged. “Oh, she didn’t even become a shinobi because it was her dream. She became a shinobi because she just wanted to survive. Honestly, she only became a legend because her friends were in trouble—no real fancy reason.”

“Really?” The masked man asked. “The old man said that she used to live in the streets, lived in the bad part of town…wouldn’t she want to become a legend to prove herself?” His voice took a turn to thoughtfulness as his eyes focused on her whisker marks. “And you seem to know why she became a legend; are you pretty close to her?”

Naruto inspected him for a moment, then turned her whole body away. “You can say I know all of her secrets, and living in the bad part of town would make her want to become a legend but…being a shinobi changes your view,” she shifted her attention to the Third Hokage. “And when she set out on her dream, all she wanted was to first get out of her crappy apartment, enjoy the fine things in life and I guess to prove dickheads wrong about her.” She laughed. “Oh and the Third Hokage had a role to play too: tells her that he sees this village as his family and that he hopes she will see it as her family too, what better way to protect your family then be a kunoichi or a shinobi? Won’t recommend it ‘cuz you don’t get real love and validation from them. You become more like a slave if you ask me.”

The pirate frowned and scratched his face. “Why?”

The winds blew, almost like a silent cry for help as she turned her body away from them.  Why did she feel like a slave? Because her every action was a criticism, a blow to their egos. If she wanted Sasuke to be free, she bit her tongue and was forced to bear secrets that were not hers to bear. She let out a deep breath. “If you’re chasing validation from a bunch of assholes, well you spend a whole lifetime when you shouldn’t prove yourself to them,” she shrugged. “Besides, there is so many boring rules to follow and so much paperwork! Paperwork is a real pain in the neck. Bet you guys don’t deal with that shit.”

“Ace would run,” the masked man mumbled.

The boy laughed, good-natured and so free that her ached with jealously. She missed being able to laugh without a care in the world. In her own memories, she couldn’t recall a time when she laughed purely from her belly and heart. Always fake. Hinata knew. Her best friend frowned but never questioned her. Sakura cared a little, though she didn’t know how to tell her laughter apart. And Sasuke? He always cared more about Itachi than her.

“You called these people assholes,” Ace frowned at her. “But they have been nothing but nice.”

Naruto dropped her smile, felt a coldness seeped into her bones, and she decided to turn her body away from him. Her eyes wandered to the civilians, who refused to meet her in the eyes. Their smiles faded, replaced with shame. Sighing once more, she answered. “You’re an outsider but they know what they did, they’re damn lucky that Naruto is just too fucking tired to deal with their bullshit.” The clouds stopped right in its track and her throat tightened. “You want to know why they are assholes? Ask them about what they told their kids when they saw Naruto tried to play with them. Ask the restaurants about Naruto going to them when she was starving.”

He frowned. “Why can’t I ask Naruto—”

“Because you’re talking to Naruto-neechan!” Naruto jerked her head when she saw Konohamaru charging straight to her. At 15, her little brother figure was now taller than her but still carried hints of his childishness. Ace’s eyes widened while his whole crew stumbled. The brown-haired boy stared at them. “For pirates, you guys were real dumb for not realising that you were talking to Naruto-neechan.”

She pinched her nose. “Konohamaru, you can’t call them dumb!”

“But they were!” Her little brother figure complained. His voice carried annoyance while he pushed his blue scarf to the side, uncaring of the wide eyes of the pirates. “If he was going to challenge you, shouldn’t he know what you look like? And why can’t I call them dumb? You weren’t exactly being subtle about being Naruto, anyone with brains would know that you were messing with Mr. Airhead.”

Ace scratched his head. “Mr. Airhead? Oi kid, do you know—”

“—You’re the idiot who thinks he can defeat Naruto-neechan, makes you an Airhead.” Her brother figure circled around him with narrowed eyes and began to prattle on. “And why don’t you button your shirt? It’s dirty of ya to try and fight Naruto-neechan without a proper shirt, are you trying to distract her with your—”

“—Konohamaru!”

It would not be a fight that would be her undoing, it would be Konohamaru and his weird need to be overprotective over her.