Wandering Tides

by AntonXIV

Pressed by the World Government, the survivors of the 4th Shinobi War have to deal with a world that they have largely ignored. Pirates, Marines, and Revolutionaries all want a piece of Wano Country. With no desire for another war, compromises will be made, and deals will be struck. Will it be enough? Naruto, a new team, and new friends are out on the Grand Line to find out.

1. A New Threat

AN:

I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while. I feel like this is an under-explored crossover, and one of the few where I feel like I have enough knowledge of both worlds to take a crack at it. Shinobi, Pirates, and a corrupt government just seemed like too much fun to pass up.

Naruto Fans, this story diverges from the Naruto Cannon immediately after the Fourth Shinobi War. Some of the skills, strengths, and abilities seen after that, such as the Godlike Naruto from the Last Movie, will not appear here. Naruto will stay his determined self, but he will be working towards a different set of strengths, and have different post war experiences.

One Piece Fans, things will start without too many changes to the Paradise timeline, but as the story progresses various aspects of that cannon and rules by which it is governed will be bent and broken to allow for the inclusion of the Naruto characters. The Revolutionaries, The World Government, the Marines, and various Pirate crews will be larger, more varied, and so on. New groups will exist within those organizations and outside them.

/\/\/\

Chapter 1: A New Threat

Kakashi, Tsunade, A, Gaara, Mei, Kurotsuchi, Naruto, Shikamaru, Mifune, and Bee all sat around a large table. Each of them glared at the letter at the table's center, bearing the signatures of five daimyo. "This is troublesome" Shikamaru sighed. Despite five years of recovery, the shinobi had yet to fully recover from the 4th Great Shinobi War. Their population remained diminished, and the environmental destruction from the war had ruined the economy. To have this new threat looming on the horizon did not bode well for them. The daimyo had received a letter from the World Government, a collection of nations that existed outside of the Elemental Nations, demanding land from the Daimyo. This supposed alliance did not agree with the strict closed border policy the Daimyo had always enforced. The samurai and shinobi had upheld their overlords' policy for centuries, turning away any and all visitors. However, The World Government was politely disregarding this policy.

"The lazy brat is right." A ground out. "We've all known there were other countries beyond our borders. For years, all of us have turned away the few who come to our ports in accordance to policies set down by our daimyo." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"This demand is very vague, and this so-called illegal activity does not originate in our ports. Nor has it adversely affected us. Surely there are other places in the area where they could construct this base of theirs. It is more likely that they are unsure of what exists within our borders, and wish to use this base as a source of intelligence." Kurotsuchi added wisely. She had taken the role of Tsuchikage from her grandfather shortly after the war.

"While we each have our respective navies, we are not prepared for a naval engagement of any substantial size, and our Shinobi are still recovering from the war." Mei added. "We must be careful not to start a war we cannot win."

"Agreed, however the Daimyo are adamant about not allowing this to happen." Mifune offered. "They have stated that all samurai will be called to duty should it be necessary. We along with the Sage of Sixth paths repelled the last attempt at intrusion by these foreigners, and we will do so again. But at what cost, I do not know."

"We have to deny them, however we should stall for as long as possible. Sending someone as a delegate would allow us time to prepare for a poor reaction on the part of this World Government." Kakashi offered lazily.

"I can go." Naruto offered. "I know how Ero Sennin ran his information network. Regardless of how we handle this situation, we need to know what the other side is doing."

"That's all mighty fine Mr. Nine, but negotiations ain't yo thing…" Bee stopped, for a second "What rhymes with negotiations…" he wondered aloud.

A groaned at his brother's stupidity. Lashing out with his fist, the Raikage launched the jinchuuriki into the wall. "Shut up! This is serious, and nothing rhymes with…."

"Among nations!" Bee shouted, jotting down his newest mismatch of a rhyme. As usual, Bee did not bother to acknowledge the fact that he was currently half way through a wall. The group chuckled slightly as A attempted to concuss himself by repeatedly slamming his head into the table. It was amazing that they had made it this long without interruption. With Naruto and Bee in the same room, things were bound to fall apart eventually.

"All I have to do is paint a giant no on their capital building right." Naruto offered with a smirk, "Maybe add a face with its tongue stuck out and eyelid pulled down." He added contemplatively. Tsunade swiftly followed A's example, and punted Naruto into the wall. Reaching out from their respective craters, Naruto and B shared a quick high five in enjoyment of their antics.

"Despite his odd way of saying it, Bee does have a point. You do not make the best first impressions Naruto." Gaara offered. "While I do not disagree that we need an information, it would be best if someone else went as the delegate. I will volunteer unless there is someone else who wishes to go."

Seeing a round of nods Mifune voiced the agreement. "Very well the two of you will go and represent this council."

"Naruto you will keep us informed through the toads, and you will let Gaara handle anything and everything political." Kakashi ordered. The new Hokage was still settling into his position,relying heavily on Tsunade's advice, but he had plenty of experience dealing with the energetic blond.

"Jeez, no trust at all, not even from you Kakashi Sensei." Naruto sighed, only to correct himself once he saw the face melting glare emanating from Tsunade. Raising his hands up in surrender "Alright, alright, I'll let Gaara do all the talking Baa-chan."

"Much better brat." Tsunade replied happily.

"Temari and Kankuro can take over the day to day management of Suna while I'm gone." Gaara grunted. They were more than capable of running Suna in his absence. With the alliance still in place, the kage's were more of an administrative position than a defensive power anyway.

"It's settled then. Uzumaki and the Kazekage will go to see this world government, in the meantime we should prepare for a confrontation." A announced. Everyone assembled nodded in agreement, with the notable exception of Shikamaru who had drifted off to sleep.

/\/\/\

Vice Admiral Momonga had originally felt this assignment a waste of his time. The last supply ship to G5 had reported seeing several dead sea kings in the calm belt, and he had been charged with investigating it. Seeing a sea king corpse or two was not unusual while traversing the calm belt but the ship had reported several corpses with strange wounds. Seeing as this was the New World it was conceivable that a group of pirates had strayed off course and were stuck in the calm belt. Anyone stranded in the calm belt was probably dead after a day or two anyway, but if they could survive inside the calm belt, then they warranted an investigation. One of the Yonkou could be sending a crew out into one of the blue seas. If so, the Marines needed to know. It only took a day of searching for them to pick up the trail of dead sea kings, and judging from the scale of the destruction it seemed this investigation may turn into something. Momonga had never seen such carnage in the calm belt before. They followed the trail of dead sea kings to a small ship, flying colors he did not recognize. The small vessel was missing its mast, and appeared to be listing to one side. Surprisingly, the ship had not stopped. It moved forward at an impressive rate considering that its only propulsion seemed to be a group oarsmen that populated the deck. Behind the oarsmen, two figures stood atop a quarterdeck overlooking the others, and appeared to be locked in some sort of argument. Momonga could hear the general noise of shouting, but he was unable to decipher any specifics. The argument halted as soon as Momonga's ship pulled alongside the smaller vessel.

Now that they were close enough, Momonga noticed that all the oarsmen were identical to the blond that stood behind them. Before he could ask anything of them, both the blond, and the stern looking red head standing next to him, jumped aboard the marine vessel.. The blond stood tall, a head and shoulders over his friend, wore a short sleeved orange jacket with a tall collar and black trim lines. Underneath, a long sleeve navy blue shirt covered his arms and torso. Black pants that stopped shy of his ankles covered his lower body, and an armor like mesh covered what little of his legs did show. Strange, blocky, wooden sandals adorned his feet. Fingerless metal plated gloves covered his hands, and Momonga noticed bandages peeking out from underneath the right glove. Finally, a headband with a metal plate, with the kanji for oil inscribed upon it, shielded the Blond's forehead. The headband kept the blond's wild hair at bay. Momonga knew without a doubt this man was a warrior. By comparison, the redhead's ornate set of green and white robes with an accompanying hat, marked by the symbol for wind, seemed almost regal. Momonga could see a tattoo of the symbol for love on the redhead's forehead just underneath the hat's brim. While the redhead did not look as inherently dangerous as the blond, Momonga saw death in the man's eyes. Enough to unnerve even him. Momonga's had twitched towards his sword, but he stayed his hand when the blond opened his mouth.

"Does anyone here know the way to the World Government?" The blond asked, his hand rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "We haven't seen anyone in two weeks. I think we're a bit lost."

Momonga watched as the redhead deflated at his companion's words. Before Momonga asked them why they were looking for the World Government, the redhead stepped forward. "We are delegates from Wano Country seeking the leaders of the World Government. I am Sabaku no Gaara, Kazekage of Sunagakure, and this is my escort Uzumaki Naruto of Konohagakure." The redhead answered gesturing to himself and the blond.

Momonga's eyes widened. He knew of the country, every high ranking marine did. Wano was the only stand alone power in the New World. Neither under Yonkou control nor World Government. The country forbade any and all outsiders from entering its borders. For them to be sending delegates to parlay with the Gorosei, meant something big was happening. "Vice Admiral Momonga of the World Government Marine Corps. How did you end up so far into the calm belt? Did your eternal pose stop working?" While not common, it did happen every few years.

A confused look sprouted on Naruto's face, "Eternal what?"

"Your compass." Momonga clarified, perhaps they referred to it as something else in Wano Country.

"Oh that, it stopped working when we left our home, so I threw away it out of frustration. We've just been using the sun to navigate." Naruto answered. Most of the marines within earshot to fell over when his claim registered in their minds. People braved the New World all the time, but they all used log poses, not to mention that they were usually armed to the teeth. These two were neither heavily armed nor were they navigating properly. Seriously, what kind of delegates were these people? Gaara seemed civilized, and was clearly the voice of reason, but Momonga was already drawing similarities between Naruto and Garp. God knew his fellow vice admiral was strong, but there were more than a couple screws loose in his head. What sort of leader would send someone like Garp to any sort of negotiation.

"My escort, while a capable bodyguard, is not a sailor nor a very patient man. I fear he has ruined our chances of reaching our destination." Gaara explained with a grunt.

Shaking the confusion from his mind, Momonga knew he was obligated to assist any delegates, regardless of their eccentricity. "I can escort you to our G5 base where we can get into contact with Marineford and put you in touch with the appropriate authorities."

"We would appreciate that."

The roar of a sea king interrupted any further conversation. Showering both ships with water as it rose out of the sea, the beast captured everyone's attention. Momonga was halfway through drawing his sword, when Naruto leapt up to the ship's railing. "Another one." The blond sighed. Turning to his lookalikes the blond shouted, "Boys you know the drill."

"You got it boss." One of the clones shouted back. Curious to see what the blond would do, Momonga delayed his usual beheading of the sea king. He watched as the clones jumped into action. Working together, several of them unleashed vicious kicks into the beast's chin. Their combined efforts sent the sea king's head and half of its body skyward. Another group of clones had jumped above the sea king, and were waiting at the apex of the creatures path. As one, they performed a multi body heel drop on the sea king's skull. The beast rocketed back towards the ocean, only to land on top of and crush the Wano ship. The sea king and what was left of the ship slowly slipped beneath the surface. A collective "oops" rang out among the clones before they disappeared in individual puffs of smoke.

The original landed back on the side of Momonga's ship. "Hey old man?" The blond nervously scratched the back of his head, "Can we catch a ride with you?"

/\/\/\

Once they had returned to the G5 base, Momonga had left Naruto and Gaara outside with an escort. The two were curious about the base. So he had arranged for them to be given a tour while he reported to Sengoku.

The fleet admiral was quick to answer his den den mushi "Report." Sengoku's gruff voice ordered through the Den Den Mushi.

"The disturbances in the Calm Belt were the result of two delegates from Wano Country drifting off course." Momonga replied. "If their claims are to be believed, they survived in the calm belt for over a week. They also lacked a Log pose, and were using the sun to Navigate." Momonga explained. "At least one of the two, Naruto Uzumaki, is a fruit user. He can make copies of himself and appears to be a strong enough to take down Sea Kings with minimal effort. The other, Sabaku no Gaara, is an unknown." He concluded

"Were there any others?" Sengoku questioned.

"No just the two of them on a small ship." Momonga answered. "Uzumaki used several copies of himself as oarsmen to keep their ship moving."

"Their capabilities are not something we can overlook. We cannot allow them near the Gorosei. Nor do their claims have any validation" Sengoku announced. "Bring them to Marineford, I will speak with them."

"Yes Sir." Momonga replied. He left the communication room to search for the two Wano delegates, never noticing the small eye that had been floating near the ceiling the entire time. The eye crumbled into sand, and disappeared once the vice admiral was gone.

Gaara contemplated what he had just seen. The fact that they were a possible threat could work to their advantage, but it also prevented them from meeting the so-called Gorosei. While he and Naruto were some of the few that could easily survive the events of their voyage thus far, perhaps they had not been the best choice for this mission. Perhaps a different delegation would have been more diplomatic. A ground-shaking thud seemed to concur with his thoughts. Gaara turned to see Naruto, standing atop a barely conscious marine. One thing was for certain; it would be a long trip.

"Alright who's next! Is there anyone here that can make me break a sweat?" Naruto shouted.

"Me, if you keep injuring my subordinates." Momonga growled, as he reappeared. "I offered you a tour, not sparring partners for you to treat like chew toys."

Naruto smirked, and settled into one of the toad stances. "Bring it old…"

"Naruto enough." Gaara growled. "We are not here for you to have fun. You are my escort and you will act as such." Gaara knew the blond felt cooped up, and that the concept of sitting still escaped him, but this wasn't the time for him to be stretching his muscles. Sometimes Gaara had to wonder how his energetic best friend had to been the one to return his sanity to him, when Naruto was also the one most likely to return him to his previous state of mind.

"Fine." Naruto grumbled.

Momonga removed his hand from the hilt of his sword. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku has requested that you be brought to Marineford. We will depart as soon as my ship has been resupplied."

"We appreciate the transportation. I hope this is not too much of an inconvenience." Gaara intoned

/\/\/\

Despite his joking around and aptitude for roughhousing with the marines, Naruto had paid attention to everything going on around him. Jiraiya had taught him that people always underestimated fools, pervs, and the eccentric. Something Jiraiya had proven through his own actions. Besides, if the whole world was full stiffs like Gaara and Shino, Naruto would have killed himself by now. Naruto's observations of the Marines had shown him that regardless of individual strength, they were numerically strong. The first base they stopped at for supplies, had been a bit run down, but it was large enough to pose a threat to most of the smaller shinobi villages. Naruto would not deny that, and now the Marine Headquarters loomed above him, he could only conclude that any sort of prolonged war with the Marine's would end with horrible casualties. Ships traveled this way and that inside the artificial harbor, and thousands of marines scurried about. Gaara had stopped him from fighting Momonga, because as delegates they needed to act the part and combat was not part of that role, but Naruto wanted to find out exactly what they were up against. How strong were the Marine leaders? Despite traveling with the man, Naruto had been unable to gauge Momonga's strength. The Vice Admiral had too much discipline to show off, and nothing had threatened their voyage enough to spur the man into action.

Naruto refocused himself on his surroundings when he and Gaara were led into a large room with ten seats circled around a large table. At the opposite end of the room two men sat at the head of the table. One a stern looking man with a braided beard and a hat that resembled a seagull, and the other a an older man with gray hair and long scar near his left eye. In contrast to his stern partner, the grey haired man picked his nose absentmindedly.

Momonga saluted both men before introducing Naruto and Gaara. "Naruto Uzumaki, and Sabaku no Gaara from Wano country." He said gesturing to each shinobi in turn. The stern looking man nodded and dismissed Momonga.

The stern looking one smiled, "I am Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Welcome to Marineford." He said introducing himself. The fleet admiral turned to his companion only to find that the man had fallen asleep while picking his nose. With a growl, Sengoku rammed his fist into the sleeping man's head. "Garp if you are going to insist on sitting in on my meeting then at least introduce yourself."

"Huh…" Garp sputtered. "Who are these brats?" He asked staring at Naruto and Gaara. Then he looked from the table to Sengoku. "I thought you said there would be food." Naruto could not resist bursting into laughter when the old marine began to pout while whimpering about food.

Sengoku let out a low growl, but he should have known that his near senile friend would never change. Garp had always been one to do what he wanted. "Since he is currently incapable of introducing himself, allow me to introduce Vice Admiral Garp." Sengoku proclaimed with a bit of a sigh.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both Sengoku-sama. I am Sabaku no Gaara, Kazekage of Sunagakure." Gaara replied, in his usual even tone. Sengoku nodded politely in response, but it was clear that the man did not understand the implications of the title.

The fleet admiral's gaze shifted to Naruto. Knowing he was expected to introduce himself next, the blond smirked and jumped from his chair. Odorless smoke filled the room, kabuki music filtered in from an unknown location, and Naruto's voice echoed through the room. "Trained in the hidden peaks of Mount Myoboku, heir to the Icha Icha legacy, and super kickass genin of Konohagakure, I am Naruto Uzumaki, the immortal toad sage." The smoke cleared when a gentle breeze filled the room. Naruto reappeared, his hands and face painted with white and red kabuki blond stood posing atop a massive toad, and a bucket of sakura blossoms had appeared in Gaara's hands. "Gaara! What the hell, you were supposed to send those fluttering about the room."

Before the sand user could berate his friend for his childish antics, Garp jumped onto the table and shouted, "Ghost!" The Vice Admiral promptly punched Naruto and the toad through the wall.

Sengoku slumped, dropping his head on the table. "Garp that was Uzumaki you just hit." He muttered.

"Was it?" Garp questioned, only for the blond to reappear in the hole in the wall, unharmed, and minus the face paint. "Oops."

"Nice hit old man." Naruto cackled. "But can you take one?" He asked, launching himself into a spinning high kick. Naruto's foot sent the unprepared vice admiral through the opposite wall. Naruto immediately gave chase, and disappeared from the room.

"Wano recently received a letter from your government. They are asking to place a naval base in our country. Stating an increase in illegal activity as their reason" Gaara stated blatantly ignoring the room's events up to that point.

"Yes, my superiors have expressed concern with pirate activity in that area." Sengoku replied calmly, following Gaara's example of ignoring Naruto and Garp. "A base would help stabilize the region."

"Wano will not allow the base to be built. Our leaders are determined to maintain the policies set down by their ancestors." Gaara explained. "However, we are willing to help control the waters around our nation. If you could provide us with information about these criminals, we would be willing to help combat them."

"I see." Sengoku seemed to contemplate his next choice of words. "The Gorosei will not be happy to hear that, however with some cooperation on the part of Wano, we should be able to come to an agreement that will benefit all parties. I will inform the Gorosei of your willingness to assist in policing that part of the Grand Line, and wait for their response. I hope staying for a few days is within reason."

"We are happy to stay as long as it takes. I am glad that our refusal has not been taken too poorly." Gaara answered. "There is always a solution if we are willing to talk."

/\/\/\

Naruto smirked as he dodged another punch from Garp. This was what he had been looking for at G5. Despite being past his prime, Garp was no slouch in a fight. The man's punches actually hurt. Naruto felt like he was being hit by bowling balls. Tsunade's love taps hurt more, but still. Deciding to step it up, Naruto formed a rasengan. Curious to see how the veteran marine would deal with the technique, Naruto shoved his signature attack towards the marine.

Grinning like a madman, Garp caught Naruto's fist, spinning ball of chakra and all. Trapping the utterly shocked Naruto, Garp crushed his other fist into the side of Naruto's head, and sent the blond tumbling into the nearest structure. "Flashy tricks won't work on me brat. Now get back here so I can beat some respect into you!"

Naruto took a moment to remove himself from the stone wall Garp had lodged him in. Cheshire grin plastered across his face, the blond dusted himself off and wiped a bit a blood off his chin. "Not bad gramps. Hit me much harder than that and I might have to get serious." Naruto chuckled. Getting punted into buildings was a weekly occurrence for him, not that any of these people knew that. Ignoring the astonished looks of nearby marines, Naruto cracked his neck and beckoned for Garp.

"Bwahahahaha." Garp laughed. "You should join the Marines brat."

"Nah, I like my current job." Naruto shot back. "I don't have to play fair." To support his claim, Naruto had several shadow clones pop into existence around him. Pointing his finger at Garp, Naruto shouted, "Sick em boys." The clones were quick to follow orders and rushed towards Garp. The clones were no match for the marine, but they were exactly the distraction Naruto needed. The smoke from their dispersion obscured Garp, and everything around him. Using the smoke as cover, Naruto darted in for an Uzumaki special.

As the smoke cleared, and Garp came back into sight. Naruto could not help but chuckle. "I hope you like my modification to your jacket. All that white and blue is so boring."

Garp looked confused for a moment, but saw that everyone was staring at his back. Curious, he pulled the coat off his shoulders. Ugly, yet oddly artistic graffiti covered the back of it. Most of the graffiti was illegible, but the biggest and boldest string of words read, I wear pink underwear, and bow to the awesomeness that is Naruto Uzumaki. Garp's gaze shifted to Naruto, the marine's face still contorted in confusion. "How'd you know I wear pink underwear?"

Naruto was reduced to tears of laughter, and fell to the ground along with the rest of those within earshot. "I…. give…. Old man." Naruto gasped out between laughs. "You… Win."

Garp seemed a bit put out that Naruto had given up so easily. He did not understand why him wearing pink underwear was grounds for giving up. He was contemplating ignoring the blond's submission, when a gruff voice interrupted him. "Garp!"

"What do you want?!" Garp shouted, turning to see Sengoku and Gaara approaching. "Give me another five minutes. I'm teaching this brat a lesson!" Garp grunted, pointing at Naruto.

"You're destroying my base." Sengoku grumbled, pointing at the destruction the two had wrought across the Marine base.

Garp looked around and laughed at the trail of destruction he and the blond had left. Stuffing a finger up his nose, Garp looked at his men. "Fix it."

"But it's your fault!" they exclaimed, collectively face vaulting. Garp ignored his men's cries and walked off with Sengoku, Naruto and Gaara.

/\/\/\

High above the commotion caused by Garp and Naruto, a man sat in silence behind a desk, in a dark office. An authority filled voice was emanating from the small snail. "Sengoku was too soft. He's going to ask for a compromise in favor of Wano. Proceed to plan B, those who are not part of the world Government are our enemies."

"All who oppose us will be crushed." The man replied. "I will arrange an unfortunate accident for our guests."

"Very good. See to it that there are no mistakes."

The den den mushi clicked signifying that whoever was on the other end had ended the call, but the man responded anyway. "Cipher Pol does not make mistakes." The man stated coldly.

/\/\/\

An unfamiliar presence woke Naruto in the middle of the night. One did not survive a decade as a ninja if they slept too soundly. Naruto resisted the urge to crack open an eye. Instead, the blond feigned sleep and focused a slight amount of chakra to his ears. As an added precaution, Naruto began channeling a bit of chakra to his hand while he waited. He heard the soft scuff of footsteps, and they were too loud and they lacked the slight grinding noise Gaara's sand covered feet exuded. Naruto silently tracked the unknown person around the room until they stood directly above him. Sharpening the chakra around his hand, he moulded it into a razor sharp blade of wind.

"Awake you may be able to go blow for blow with Monkey D. Garp, but asleep you are no match for me." The man said standing over Naruto.

Naruto could hear the tell tale signs of a blade being drawn. Something short and dagger like if he was correct. "And, you talk too much for an assassin." Naruto offered. Ignoring the shocked look on the man's face, Naruto sat up. He took one moment to visually confirm the dagger that was being held above him before ramming his chakra-coated hand through the man's chest. Tossing the would be assassin to the floor, Naruto walked over to Gaara. "I know you're awake."

The sand user opened his eyes to look at the blond. "Clearly someone is not happy with our refusal. Sengoku doesn't seem the type to do this though. From the conversation he and I had earlier, he seems to be an honorable person. If nothing else he does things by the book. I'd imagine this was done by a third party so it could be denied."

Naruto nodded his agreement. "Do we leave or stay and sort this out?"

"We can't leave." Gaara answered. "Not without explaining ourselves. Sengoku was willing to compromise, if we leave that won't happen."

Before Naruto could say anything else, sand shot from Gaara's body. The Kazekage had sealed his gourd away to avoid suspicion, but the sand armor that he wore like a second skin meant he always had some at his disposal. The stream of sand flew out the window and disappeared from sight. A second later it returned with another dead assassin. Gaara dropped the mangled body on the floor next to the other. Naruto quickly sealed the bodies into a scroll. Stuffing the scroll into a pocket, he switched his attention to Gaara. "I have an idea. Follow me." He said before jumping out the window.

Gaara followed as Naruto led them across the base. The two quietly hopped through the shadows, and across roofs until they were back at the room they had met Sengoku in earlier. Naruto picked the lock, and opened the door just enough for them to slip in. Once they were out of sight, Naruto spawned a clone. He handed the chakra construct the scroll that held the assassin's bodies. "Hide here until the old man comes back, then explain what happened." He ordered. "We will find some neutral ground to continue our meeting on."

"You got it boss." The clone flopped back into one the chairs, and kicked his feet up onto the table. Naruto and Gaara could only stare at the clone as it settled in. Looking up at the two the clone smiled, "What? You actually expect me to hide the whole time?" it chuckled. "I'm on vacation until someone comes into this room." The clone claimed.

"Stupid clones and their free will." Naruto grumbled, as he turned to leave. "I should figure out how Orochi-teme overpowered the wills of others, and use it on my damn clones." He added in a mumble.

Rather than follow his companion out to door, Gaara glared at the clone. "He can make more of you." The Kazekage threatened.

"Oh fine." The clone sighed, and transformed itself into an unassuming plant. Gaara nodded his approval before following Naruto out the door.

"We need to find some of those log pose things." Naruto whispered once Gaara had joined him in the hall. "Otherwise we're just going to get lost again. After that we will have to borrow a boat, unless you feel like working on your water walking." Naruto commented. Before Gaara could respond, their path was blocked by a hulking mass of a person. Easily four times taller than either of them, the man blotted out the moonlight. He wore a black jacket, emblazoned with a large, white, crosshair and paw prints. A massive bible rested inside one of the man's hands.

"Another one, really." Naruto sighed, forming a rasengan in his hand. Something told him that a chakra coated hand would not going to be enough this time.

"If you were to go on a trip, where would you like to go?" The man asked calmly, ignoring the imminent attack.

"What the fuck?" Naruto sputtered. "What kind of assassin asks a question like that?"

"Back to the desert." Gaara answered, stalling for a bit of time while he reached for the seal that held his gourd.

"Very well." In a flash, the giant man disappeared. Gaara's eyes widened when the man reappeared beside him, arm extended and swinging towards Gaara. The sand user had not been expecting such speed from the large man. Still gripping the scroll that held most of his sand, Gaara grit his teeth in preparation for a hit he knew his sand armor would not be able to stop.

Knowing full well what Akimichis could do when that size, Naruto wasted no time jumping next to Gaara. The blond could sense a buildup of strange chakra behind the mountain sized man's hand. However the blow never actually came. When the man's hand was mere feet from them, both Naruto and Gaara were enveloped in some sort of shock wave. The shockwave exploded outwards from the giant's hand, and carried both Shinobi off into the night sky faster than the eye could see.

A a tall, greying man in a black suit dropped down into the courtyard moments after the duo had been sent flying. With an angry look on his face, the man turned to the giant figure. "Bartholomew Kuma, What did you do to them?"

"I sent them to the desert, agent Laskey. Is there somewhere you wish to go as well?" The tyrant replied casually. When Laskey did not respond, Kuma walked passed him and into the building Naruto and Gaara had come out of.

/\/\/\

After waiting all night in the conference room, and being forced to stay in plant form because some behemoth of a man had come in and sat down at the table, Sengoku had finally shown up. Naruto waited for him to address the other man before revealing himself. Considering the assassination attempt the night before, he could not be too careful. One good hit and poof.

"Kuma what are you here for?" Sengoku growled. "I have another meeting planned for today." He was forced to put up with the Shichibukai but today he just did not feel like dealing with any of the government sanctioned pirates, even if it was the most cordial of them.

"I am simply here to help a friend with the advantages of my position." Kuma responded.

Sengoku sighed, while the most loyal of the Shichibukai, Kuma was known to use his position to do things that were not explicitly forbidden to him by orders. "What do you mean?"

"Cipher Pol was meddling in something they should not have, so I sent their target to a distant, unspecified, location."

"Their target wouldn't happen to be a blond brat, and an agreeable redhead would they?"

"Those would be the targets that I speak of." Kuma answered.

Sengoku groaned. Sometimes being fleet admiral was more trouble than it was worth. He had control over the marines yes, but other World Government organizations worked outside of his authority. Cipher Pol was one such organization, and if they had targeted the Wano delegates, then someone up high was not happy with events from yesterday.

Seeing an opportunity to jump in, Naruto returned himself to normal. "He's telling the truth." The clone announced, surprising the room's occupants. "Gaara and I received these two as uninvited guests last night." He said opening the scroll with the dead assassins in it. "I'm not sure how you deal with assassination attempts here, but in Wano, well you can see the result." Naruto pointed towards the dead bodies to prove his point.

"They were not assassins."

Sengoku, and Naruto turned to look at the newest presence in the room. "Agent Laskey." Sengoku grunted.

The cipher pole agent nodded politely at the fleet admiral. "My two trainees were conducting a training exercise when these two delegates." He said stressing the title. "Felt it necessary to kill them. Cipher Pol will not let this slide. It is clear from their skill set these delegates are not who they claim to be. Claiming to come from a part of the New World that we have little influence over, it is Cipher Pol's opinion that they belong to one of the many groups that operate in those seas, that would benefit from a destabilization of the World Government."

Sengoku felt a headache coming on. The fleet admiral turned to look at Kuma. "Do you have any other information on this subject?" The tyrant just shook his large head in response. "Then I must recuse myself and the marines from this. If Cipher Pol believes these delegates to imposters then I will leave it to them to uncover the truth."

Naruto frowned. This was not how this was supposed to go. However he had spent enough time around political speak to see the huge window Sengoku was leaving him. Well for him it was ok, but Gaara was not going to like it. "Damn, looks like we underestimated you. Only one thing left to do." Naruto looked Sengoku in the eye, and gave him the subtlest of nods. "We were planning on luring you to an island away from the rest of the marines and striking then, but you caught us." he said with a wink aimed at Sengoku. "Seagull jiji, tell Garp the next time I see him I'll kick his ass." Naruto flipped the bird for everyone in the room. "Until next time geezers!" He shouted before dispersing.

Sengoku growled at the brat's rude behavior, but if he understood the hidden message in the boy's speech he'd have to send Garp after him. He doubted it would be too hard to convince the old vet to chase after the blond. Sengoku's only solace in this entire ordeal was the look on Laskey's face when the clone had disappeared. Apparently Momonga had not shared the brat's abilities with enough people for Laskey to know about it. In Sengoku's opinion Cipher Pol was as bad as if not worse than the Shichibukai.

/\/\/\

After a day of sailing through the air, Naruto and Gaara descended back to earth. The strange energy prison ferrying them across the sky plummeted into the ground. Their impact sent up a shower of sand and rock in all directions. Despite hitting the ground at supersonic speeds, neither shinobi felt even the smallest amount of force when they hit. Rather than the usual circular crater one would expect from such an impact, their impact crater was in the shape of a giant bear paw.

"Well that was interesting." Naruto muttered as he dusted himself off, and stepped out of the crater. "Never been hit by a technique like that before." He commented studying the odd crater for a moment. Unable to discern anything from it, Naruto quickly turned his attention elsewhere. He couldn't help but laugh when he took in their surroundings. Dunes taller than any Naruto had ever seen shielded them from the horizon. "You got your wish Gaara. We're back in the desert." He chuckled.

"Indeed, however this is not home." Gaara replied. "The composition of this sand is much different than the sands of Suna." The redhead explained after scooping up a handful of the soft ground.

Naruto felt his clone dispel thousands of miles away, and prepared for the influx of memories. The clone's life flashed before his eyes, relaying everything that had happened that morning in Marineford. The blond started to pull at his hair as he processed the memories. "Shit! Baa chan's going to kill me." Naruto cried, "Stupid clone, stupid old man." Ignoring the questioning look from Gaara, Naruto bit his thumb, ran through the familiar hand signs required for summoning, and slammed his hand into the earth. When the smoke that accompanied the technique cleared, the diminutive form of Fukasaku appeared.

Looking a bit happy to have been summoned, the elder toad looked to Naruto. "Naruto, it's been awhile since you've summoned me. How can I help you?"

"Can you reverse summon one of my clones to Kakashi's office?" Naruto requested. "Something's come up that he and Baa chan should know."

"What makes this message different? I know you have been using the runts to deliver messages over the last few weeks." The sage questioned.

"I'd rather not lose my contract with the toads because Baa Chan killed the one I used as my messenger." The blond sighed. "In fact you should probably tell everyone in the general vicinity of her office to run before you summon my clone. She's not going to like this." Naruto replied rubbing the back of his neck.

"Naruto what happened at Marineford?" Gaara asked, assuming that the blonde's clone had dispersed.

"Hmm, I don't think telling you in the middle of the desert is the greatest idea either. You might actually kill me." Naruto answered, slowly inching away from the group. Gaara glared, clearly not satisfied with such a vague answer. Sending his chakra into the unfamiliar sand, Gaara forced it to surround Naruto. Despite the sands somewhat sluggish response, Gaara entombed the blond. With the Naruto trapped, Gaara and Fukasaku were free to interrogate their friend/summoner. However when the two approached the sand prison, Naruto was not trapped inside. Instead of the cheerful blond they had been expecting, A log had taken his place with a note and scroll pinned to it with a kunai. Gaara ripped the two objects off the log.

Gaara

My clone tried to explain the situation to Sengoku but some guy called Laskey showed up. He was part of Cipher Pol, whatever that is, and claimed his men were training when we killed them. My word didn't hold up to well against his, even with Sengoku halfheartedly supporting me. So long story short, both of us are now wanted for the assassination of high-level officers in the World Government. Now for the good news, Sengoku didn't buy Laskey's crap. But, because of politics couldn't really do much other then declare us unaffiliated with Wano. We never showed anything officially relating us to our own government, so for now home should escape the backlash. Anyway that's the basic situation, I'll give you a few days to calm down and then come find you once your urge to kill me has subsided. Until then, have fun in this giant sand box.

Fuka-sensei

I put a clone in this scroll, please take it to Kakashi and Baa chan, and promptly run like hell once you unseal him. I'm sure you can imagine how they will react to this.

Sincerely,

Naruto

P.S. Gaara, you'll have to be faster if you want to catch me. I'm not really sure where the log came from though.

P.P.S. Fuka-sensei, Tell Shima Obaachan I said hi.

Once he had finished reading the note, a stone-faced Gaara handed the letter to the toad summon next to him. "I cannot guarantee that you will have a summoner for much longer."

"I will begin looking for his replacement." Fukasaku sighed. The diminutive toad grabbed the scroll before returning to Mt. Myoboko. Hopefully Ma wouldn't tan his hide over this new ordeal. Honestly, why was it that the toad summoners were such idiotic men? Jiraiya, Minato, and Naruto were each stronger than the next. Each strong enough to bring down armies, yet happy go lucky fools at heart. Somehow it all added up to problems like this.

With both Naruto and his summon gone, Gaara stood alone in the desert. It was one of the few things he could take solace in. He was always at home in the desert. Finally unsealing the scroll he had withdrawn back at Marineford, his trademark gourd popped into existence. If he was a wanted man, he would not be caught without it any time soon. Gaara took another minute to seal away his Kage robes and dawn his combat gear. If he and Naruto wanted any chance of making this work, he could no longer walk around in official dress. Extending his chakra into the earth around him, Gaara felt out the desert. Someone was nearby, and it was not Naruto. Turning to face one of the adjacent dunes, Gaara made a sweeping gesture with one of his hands. Responding to his command, the dune split in half, revealing a woman sitting atop a large turtle. From her somewhat strained posture, it was clear that she had been eavesdropping on their conversation. "I am in no mood for games." Gaara stated. "Who are you? And what do you want?" The woman looked surprised to have been discovered, but her composure returned almost instantaneously. She was very tall, and had straight black hair. Her outfit consisted of a white cowboy hat, a purple corset, and a matching miniskirt. A white fur coat draped over her shoulders, concealing her arms and matching the white high-heeled boots that adorned her feet. "I go by Miss All Sunday." The woman answered. "I oversee the operations of an organization known as Baroque Works. Recent events have left us short of several enforcers." She asked. "We could use someone with your power to replace them."

Gaara contemplated the offer for a moment. He imagined it would be some time until he and Naruto could return home, something which would no doubt cost a fair bit of money. "My services are not cheap." Gaara commented. Aside from the money, working with this organization would give him access to information that he currently lacked. Whether they were a legal operation or not, Gaara couldn't care less.

"Money is not a problem." Ms. All Sunday replied.

"What is your real name?" Gaara questioned. While it wouldn't do him any good, as he only knew about four people outside of the Elementals by name, he could not bring himself to use her ridiculous code name.

"Robin." The woman answered tensely. Gaara could tell she was not going to give him more than that and did not feel the need to press the issue.

"Gaara" The sand user grunted, completing the introduction. "What would I be tasked with if I decided to join you and Baroque Works?" He honestly hoped it would involve killing someone. He really needed to relieve some stress.

Nico Robin was not someone who gave her name out often. Her name carried a danger that most could not comprehend. But something in Gaara's eyes told her he could comprehend what her name meant. His eyes carried a weight and flickers of a past not too dissimilar from her own. She had grown tired of not trusting her coworkers. The Strawhats had cracked her shell after Whiskey Peak, and now she felt compelled to let it crack again. "For now you can accompany me as my bodyguard." Robin answered, instinctively knowing this man could fulfill the position. "Things are about to get very dangerous in Alabasta." Gaara disappeared in a swirl of sand, only to reappear next to her. Robin grabbed the dagger she kept on her waist, but did not draw it when Gaara made no move to attack. A small smile graced her lips. Gaara would be her insurance. She had been burned too many times to not have a backup plan. "Welcome to Baroque Works Mr. 5. I imagine you will be a strong asset in the coming days."

/\/\/\

After ditching Gaara, Naruto ran north for a few hours, only stopping when he came upon the remains of a run down city. While the buildings did not look that old, sand was everywhere. It blocked doors, it had broken windows, and small dunes littered the city streets. All in all looked like Gaara had come through and blasted the place to pieces in a temper tantrum. The city seemed completely deserted. There was not a soul in sight, but Naruto's ears picked up the faint sound of a shovel stabbing into the earth in the distance. Curious, Naruto jogged to the source of the sound, and found a scrappy old man digging out a well that had been filled with sand like the rest of the city. "Oi, gramps where's everyone else?"

The old man jumped slightly when he heard Naruto's voice, but when he turned to look at the shinobi he could not have looked happier. "Welcome to Yuba my boy." The man exclaimed before running up the ladder to meet Naruto face to face. "My name is Toto." He added extending his hand for the blond to shake.

Naruto happily shook the man's hand. "Naruto Uzumaki. Where's everyone else?"

The happiness in Toto's eyes quickly faded. "I am the only one left in Yuba. The drought and the sand storms that have started to ravage the area forced everyone else to leave."

"Then why did you stay?" Naruto asked.

"Because of a promise I made to a friend. Yuba was supposed to be a stopping point and trading post for merchants. It was supposed to be a new place for my village to live because our last one had dried up. I'll keep digging up this well until I no longer can. Yuba is my village, and I know it can be the greatest village in Alabasta." Toto explained.

Naruto smiled at the old man, admiring his dedication. His smile shifted to a smirk when five hundred clones popped into existence. "How about a little help."

AN:

Well it's a start. I've got a few chapters done, and a few more in editing. Please let me know what you think. If I can get a little momentum going this should be fun.