Chapter 2
"WE'RE ALL HERE TODAY TO WITNESS ONE OF TWO THINGS: THE PROMOTION OF A FELLOW MARINE, OR THE WELCOMING OF A NEW SOLDIER INTO OUR RANKS! GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR TWO FIGHTERS! THE CHIEF PETTY OFFICER, TASHIGI! AND THE ROOKIE, NARUTO!"- Smoker shouted at the top of his lungs as they stood in G5 outpost's atrium.
The middle of it was occupied by the swordswoman, Tashigi, and by Naruto, who were circling each other, while Smoker and Garp stood a bit further away, and the Marines watched from an even "safer" location, but all shouting incentives, thirsty for blood.
Tashigi's face was that of someone undecided. She wanted to be promoted and raise in power, but she didn't want to face someone four years her junior, who was unarmed and did not have much training in hand-to-hand combat. She had joined the Marines for justice, not the opposite.
Naruto's facial expression was different. He didn't want to hurt a woman, but he already knew how to deal with her without harming her, and was rather sure of his own abilities. Granted he was going to need to use everything he learned in those two weeks with the CP9, but he knew that would be enough to deal with the swordswoman.
He was wearing a black tank top and red track pants along with white sneakers. He needed flexible, elastic clothes for what he was about to do. Tashigi was wearing the same outfit, except she was carrying a katana now.
"THIS FIGHT ENDS BY DEATH OR UNCONSCIOUSNESS OF ONE PARTICIPANT. ANYTHING IS ALLOWED. WITHOUT FURTHER ADUE, FIGHT!"- Smoker finished, receiving shouts of approval and carnage from his fellow Marines. Naruto and Tashigi started closing in the circle they were walking on.
"I don't want to hurt you. Please, give up."- Naruto asked her, keeping a straight face. She rose an eyebrow in an expression of disbelief.
"I should be the one asking you that. Face it, Naruto. You're fighting a swordswoman that's older than you, more experienced, trained in hand-to-hand combat and actually armed. Things aren't looking up for you."- she responded, indignated on the inside. This kid was talking to her like that? Her?
Naruto shrugged.
"Don't say I didn't warn you."- he finished before dashing at her, no hint of doubt or insecurity on his face. Tashigi kept herself focused and unsheathed her blade, turning it and trying to hit Naruto with the dull side in a vertical slash that the blond easily side-stepped.
He spun in a spinning hook kick that Tashigi ducked and responded with a low "slash" that Naruto jumped over, landed his right foot on the sword's side, locking it in place against the ground, and turned it into a left tornado kick that connected with her head, sending her tumbling a few feet back.
She went through a little trouble, but eventually got a hand on the floor that pushed her, and she managed to stand, glaring at Naruto who now held her sword.
"You're underestimating me. I've fought wolves, bears and snakes with my hands. I know how to handle an enemy with weapons that can slash. I'll give it back, but just this time."- he said before throwing her the sword. The katana went spinning through the air, and a determined Tashigi caught its handle successfully, before dashing at Naruto, who dropped into a relaxed fighting stance.
She tried a dull overhead slash, and spun to turn it into an horizontal cut as Naruto side-stepped it. The blond barely had time to duck under it before she spun and gave him a left side kick, pushing him a bit back, before running straight at him and hitting him with a running bicycle kick on the chest, making him fly back a few feet, crashing to the ground and roll backwards to get back on his feet.
Her sword clicked as she turned it, the sharp side pointed at Naruto, who was now smirking.
"So you're finally getting serious? Alright. You know, you were kind of right. It's impossible for me to face you armed and serious like that, so I have to go all-out too. Forgive me in advance."- he commented, before lowering his head, spreading his legs a bit apart and crouching a bit. A circle of dust was pushed off by an invisible force around him.
Garp couldn't stop smiling. The boy he had decided to adopt as his third grandson was facing off against a strong Chief Petty Officer after only three weeks of training, and already seemed to have the upper hand. He knew exactly what he was going to do, and went back to the time when Lucci told him the plan.
Flashback
"You want us to train him for a bit of time, right? Not just two weeks?"- Rob Lucci asked with Jabra, Kalifa and Blueno by his side as Kaku trained Naruto's legs. Garp nodded.
"I want him to train with you guys for a while, for about four years if that's possible. But I need you to teach him something relatively strong in these two weeks. Strong enough to deal with a swordswoman."- the old man said. Lucci smiled and nodded.
"Alright, give me just a second to talk with my colleagues."- he asked, leaving after Garp's nod.
"Ok, it's obvious that the kid has potential. Fukuro says the kid has a Doriki of a hundred. We can't pass up this opportunity. Hell, I bet he'd become stronger than myself if we trained him."- Rob commented while Blueno nodded in approval.
"And let's be honest with ourselves. We might be young, but we need to start thinking about the next generation of CP9. If we mentor this kid, he could become the next leader."- the horn-haired man followed, receiving nods from everyone else.
"Then each of us train him in a different Rokushiki, since each of us specialize in one. But we have to make the kid want to stay with us."- Jabra reminded. Kalifa smirked.
"That one isn't too hard. He looks like a rational being, so if we teach him one Rokushiki technique that's both useful and strong, he'll come back for more."- she said, receiving a chuckle of disbelief from Jabra.
"Two weeks? If people could learn Rokushiki in two weeks, hell, if ordinary people could learn Rokushiki at all, don't you think everyone would be doing it? It took each of us months to master even the easiest of them."
"Soru."- Blueno calmly said. Rob Lucci rose his head in a smile.
"But in that time, we mastered Soru. We don't need him to master it just yet. We need him to learn it. And with five masters of Rokushiki teaching him, I'm confident he can at least learn it in two weeks."- Rob finished, receiving nods of approval from his partners. The group then returned to Garp.
"So? What did you decide?"- the man asked. Lucci smiled.
"We have planned out how Naruto is going to win the fight, and are willing to train him for those four years, maybe even longer, but we have conditions. Two, to be exact."- the suit-wearing man said. Garp rose an eyebrow.
"Alright, what are those?"
"We need to worry about our descendance. The next generation of CP9, and its strength."- Kalifa explained.
"Every generation of CP9 has to be more powerful than the last. This boy has potential, and we want him to become the leader of the next generation. So that's one condition. He has to join CP9 and take that responsibility. He can still do something else, like being a Marine or something. I'm a barman. But he has to answer whenever he receives the call of duty."- Blueno concluded that part. Garp nodded, waiting for the second condition.
"And now for the strength part. Five of our seven fighters have Devil Fruit powers, the strongest four all do, and the strongest three all are Zoan types. In order to be a truly strong leader, he has to ingest a Devil Fruit, since he can't just rely on Rokushiki. Those are our conditions."- Lucci finished, giving Garp a few moments to digest the information. Finally, he nodded
"That's alright. I was intending to give him a Devil Fruit as soon as he was nominated Marine, so that's done. The other part wont' be a problem either, but you'll have to talk that out with him, since it's his choice."- Garp extended his hand, a smile on his face. Lucci smiled back and shook his hand, receiving approving nods from his partners.
"Deal."
End Flashback
"True, I've killed myself in training every day these last two weeks, but it was worth it. I managed to learn this."- the aura around him changed a bit, and a rush of air came as Tashigi dashed for him.
"SORU!"- Naruto proclaimed, vanishing from sight and snatching gasps from everyone in the "audience" and even from Tashigi and Smoker themselves.
His Soru was rather imperfect, since he couldn't vanish for a long time, but it was at blinding speed that he "teleported" from place to place. First from the right, then left, then he even jumped in the air, and began circling Tashigi, creating a dust cloud.
The Chief Petty Officer had her eyes wide, trying to tell where or when Naruto was going to attack, but it was useless. His sillhouette kept appearing here and there, in a totally unpredictable manner. She rose her sword, and that's when the blond took action.
He headed straight for her, and she was fast enough to deflect his straight punch, but not fast to prevent him from escaping. She tried to cleave through what she assumed was him, but her arm was held back by Naruto. His Soru had stopped, and he was now holding her arm in place. She tried a left punch that he blocked with a punch of his own, stopping her fist. Suddenly, he slapped both of her arms up and fell on his back, activating one of his techniques.
"Now to end this. SORU: TOPPU! (Shave: Gust)"- he began spinning with both of his hands on the floor, his legs like a helicopter's blade, as if he was performing an offensive breakdance move.
Tashigi wasn't fast enough or even focused enough to avoid the attack, and it quickly took her off her feet, sending her into the air, as she lost her Katana.
Naruto stopped his rotating handstand and got to his feet, catching the Katana by the holder and watching Tashigi fall on her back, before placing the blade to her throat.
"I win."- were his only words as he took deep breaths. Both of those Rokushiki techniques required an extreme amount of energy to actually use, and he was almost passed out.
There was a moment of silence. Everyone, except Garp and Naruto himself were dumbfounded. Naruto hadn't particularly hurt Tashigi in anyway, but the fact that he toyed with her like that was more than enough to prove himself.
"THE WINNER OF THE MATCH, MONKEY D. NARUTO!"- Smoker shouted, getting approving shouts and hurrays from his fellow Marines as the boy helped Tashigi get up, and handed her her sword.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you."- he apologized, she blushed as he once again kissed her hand.
"You didn't. Congratulations."- was all she said before her cheeks turned redder. Smoker approached the boy and handed him a Marine Head Cap. He put it on and turned the flap back, Ash Ketchum style. His blond hair still managed to sneak its way out of the little hole that was now in the front, and the rest was forced to the sides.
"Welcome to the Marines, boy. I expect great things from you."- Smoker declared before turning around and walking away, letting Garp approach and pull Naruto into a bear hug.
"HAHAHAHAHA! I KNEW YOU'D MAKE ME PROUD SOON ENOUGH, BOY! CONGRATULATIONS! I'LL TAKE YOU TO EAT RAMEN AS A REWARD!"
"RAMEN! YEAH!"
…...
Aside various ramen stops, their trip resumed, as they travelled back to Dadan's home. Naruto didn't know why they were going back. Garp had told him they had to say goodbye to Luffy and Ace, and that the latter had sent a letter saying he was going to depart for his adventure soon, but the blond Marine knew the old man was hiding something.
Four days later, they were walking into the little clearing were Dadan's house was located. Luffy and Ace were there, sparring. Luffy was obviously losing.
"Naruto! You're back! ...Why the fuck are you wearing that cap?"- Ace greeted, his face turning to a frown as he noticed the evidence that proved the blond was now a Marine.
"I wanted to be a Marine, and now I am. You're still my brother, just like Luffy, but I'm just taking a different route than you and him."- Naruto responded, shaking Luffy's hand, followed by Ace, who just smiled.
"Fine, but don't cry when I kick your ass if you come after my crew."
The two laughed and shaked hands again, before Garp came closer.
"Ace, I read your letter. Are you really determined to go away and become a pirate?"- he asked, receiving a nod from the young man.
"Yes. I'm sorry, grandpa, and thank you for everything you've done for me, but this is who I am, and I just wouldn't feel like myself as a Marine. I hope you're ok with my choice."- Ace confessed. Garp nodded, with a sad smile on his face.
"That's ok. If that's who you are, I've got no say in it. But before you go, I want to see your strength. I want you to have a one-on-one fight with Naruto. A noobie Marine against a noobie Pirate. Start!"- the man ordered. Ace was astonished for a bit, but a confident smile found its way to his face as he eyed Naruto.
"We all know how this is going to end. You're good, Naruto, but you can't beat me."
"Strange. That's exactly what the swordswoman I beat to become a Marine said before our fight started."
Ace dashed for Naruto. That was exactly his fighting style, go in and just don't let go. You could dodge and block all you wanted, but eventually one or two strikes would get inside your defenses. But after CP9's lessons, Naruto knew exactly how to counterattack this. He had to attack first.
"Soru!"- Naruto disappeared, making Ace stop and gasp as he gave him a rough punch to the gut, followed by a spinning left side kick that sent his "brother" flying against the house's wall.
"Your strategy is far too easy to figure out. All I have to do to counter it is throw the first punch, and I win. Which won't be hard, with my newly acquired speed."- the boy said before smirking. Ace was still trying to comprehend what had just happened when he used the Rokushiki technique again, vanishing from sight and reappearing in front of Gol D Roger's son.
Now, Ace was battle-hardened. After many fights with bears, wolves, snakes, monkeys, scorpions and other dangerous beings, his various skills had sharpened. That included his reflexes.
But nothing, no epic face-off against any dangerous animals could prepare him for the faster-than-a-viper punch that went flying against his chest, making him cringe before being swung over Naruto's hip and hitting the ground in a judo technique.
While on the ground, Ace tried to fight back with a flurry of punches, all easily deflected or dodged by the crouching Naruto.
"Dude, I've fought a reasonably experienced swordswoman unarmed. Do you really think I can't deal with these punches? I know you've got all of that power, but it doesn't make sense if you never hit!"- those words hit the button as Ace shouted in anger, shooting punches like mad. Naruto smirked, as it took him back to when he trained with the CP9.
Flashback
"Ok, kid. Since you've agreed to the conditions, we can get to your training. We will teach you and help you master your Rokushiki abilities in these next four years, but right now we have to worry about your upcoming battle."- Jabra told him. He nodded.
"We could teach you phenomenal strength, how to pierce bodies with only your fingers or even how to create blades of wind with your legs, but all of those are too complex for you to learn in two weeks. So, we've decided on working with your speed."- Blueno followed, making Naruto raise an eyebrow.
"Allow me to demonstrate. SORU!"- Kalifa readied herself and vanished from sight, reappearing on the other side of the room in mere seconds. Naruto had his mouth open.
"Soru allows us to become so fast that we vanish. Now, we decided to teach you this technique because it is not too complex and because with it, you can do many-a-thing. With that speed, one punch will become a car, and you'll be able to dodge anything you want. That's what we're going to work on. Understand?"- Lucci explained. Naruto nodded, still with his mouth forming a perfect "o".
End Flashback
Dodging kicks and punches from Jabra, Blueno, Kalifa, Kaku and Lucci had made it so that Ace's attacks looked as slow as a tortoise.
He was about to deliver the last merciful punch when Garp closed his hand around his shoulder.
"That's enough. You won."- he said, a smile on his face. Ace was not particularly hurt, but his face was still one of shock.
"That's the power of a Marine, Ace."- Naruto said, helping the teenager to his feet. Ace took a couple more seconds to get his bearings, before simply smiling. He didn't ask where Naruto got that kind of power, or how the hell he did, but simply smiled.
"I see I still have a long way to go, thanks for reminding me that, brother."- he said as they shook hands. Garp smiled once more before digging inside his jacket's pockets and taking out two hand-sized, black wooden boxes.
"Ace. You're my grandson, and you're going to become a pirate. That's fine. I accept that, just as long as you stay safe and actually make a name for yourself. But, if you ever travel into the Grand Line or the New World, any power you can achieve physically will not be enough. You're going to need a little extra juice. And that's why I'm giving you this."- he extended his left hand, handing Ace one of the boxes.
The wannabe pirate held the box in front of him and opened it. There was a strange fruit in there. It was round and made up of many flame-shaped components with a swirl pattern on each of them. It was a mix between red and yellow.
"That, is the Mera-Mera no mi. It's a Logia type Devil Fruit that allows you to become, create and use fire at will. It was found months ago in a sunken ship, and we did not have any idea what to do with it. I managed to pull a few strings and get it for you. But think well. One bite, and you can never swim again."
Ace stared at the demonic thing for a couple of seconds before a determined look came to his face. He took hold of the Fruit and bit down on it.
The box was immediately dropped to the floor as he tried to cough the Devil Fruit out. He couldn't, however. He was forced to swallow before dropping to his knees.
"GOD, THAT TASTES LIKE CRAP!"- he yelled, before feeling something surging through his spine. He felt a power coming from somewhere around his stomach and into his arms, and suddenly, his hands were covered in fire.
"It will take some time to get used to that thing, so try not to burn anything down."- Garp said, helping Ace to his feet again. The boy managed to turn the fire off and clutched the man in a hug.
"Thanks grandfather, I'll try not to let you down."
"You better. Now let me go. There's something else to do."
Ace embarassedly let his grandfather out of the death clutch, and the old man approached Naruto with the other box in hand.
"And this one's for you. You've made me proud by beating Tashigi, becoming a Marine and learning Soru in such little time. A Marine's job is dangerous, I know that much, and many of my friends could be alive today if I had had the power of a Devil Fruit. Therefore, I want to give this one to you, so you live with no regrets."
Naruto's eyes were shining with awe and excitement. He religiously held the box and opened it, to see something that resembled a disco ball. It was a perfect circle made up of metallic squares that reflected any light that touched them. The blond thought for a moment before taking a bite out of it and swallowing it before he could even taste it. That didn't work though, as his taste buds still sent electrical signals of shit to his brain.
He coughed and coughed but nothing came out, and left the box and the rest of the fruit fall to the floor as he fell to his knees, much like Ace. And, like Ace, a sudden surge of power went through his spine and to his hands.
But instead of the bright flames, several metallic spikes came out of his hands, then went back in and came out as blades, going back in and coming out again as guns, and going back in again, staying there.
"That's the Tetsu-Tetsu no mi. It's also a Logia type Devil Fruit, that allows you to become, create and use metal and iron as you wish. It was found in the New World by Smoker, and he gave me a call knowing I'd probably have a use for it. It's not easy to control, but with imagination, you can make a fine use out of it."
Naruto was still looking at this hands, but quickly stood up, hugged and thanked Garp.
"What about me, grandpa?"- Luffy asked by the side. The old man laughed and turned to him.
"I'd probably have a third fruit right now to give you, if you hadn't been stupid enough to eat one by yourself years ago! I just gave them those to even out the odds."- he said. Luffy shrugged and kept eating his chicken leg.
"Now, I'm separating you three for four years. Every single one of you, do as you please, but keep training, for one day you'll face each other in battle. Luffy, when you turn seventeen, in exactly four years, you have my permission to start your journey. Ace, you're going to start yours now, and Naruto, you're going to train with both G5 and CP9 for four years. After that, you may also start your journey. Are we all clear?"
"YES, SIR!"
(And that was Chapter 2, mates. I hope I did not disappoint and managed to answer a few of your questions on this chapter. If not feel free to ask with a PM or Review. As always, Favorite/Follow and I'll see you next time.)