Whose Bright Idea Was It To Stick A Bunch Of Immortals Together?

by shahze-san

Forgotten and lost, found and then lost again and again and again...and again. What will become of the knucklehead who keeps getting into situations beyond him and comes out of them better than before with an extra friend or two? You don't really know so keep on reading as I write this shit to find out. Featuring Talk no Jutsu and characters blatantly taken from other works.

4. Guess what? This story just got updated

Rejoice, you cretins! For the Great Lord, shahzehan has graced you with another chapter of the hottest Naru DxD fic around! (Note: The author is on a chapter completion high. Take in everything he says with a jar of salt.)

Now I'm sure you're all itching to read my latest masterpiece but before you start, do make sure to read the ratings for this chapter.

This chapter is rated:

P, for seemingly Pointless. (Don't believe him. It is pointless. He wrote a long-ass chapter with practically zero progression. This fucking author is the worst - shahzehan)

C, for Cliche. In which your generic bad guys kill your generic innocent people and our heroes brutally murder them.

H, for Hard to go through. If it was hard for me to write then it'll be impossible for you to read all the way till the end. You have been warned.

Oh, and M for mentions of torture, rape, drugs, and acts of intense violence but who gives a fuck about those? I know I don't.

Now on with the chapter!

---

"GHAAH!"

Pain racked his body as the barbed rod struck his back once more. He was chained and dangling from the ceiling of the cell they had put him in.

"GHAAH!"

The rod found its mark again, it's wielder laughing cruelly at the target's pain. It hadn't even been a day since he was captured and already he was nearing the limits of his willpower.

"AAAGHHH!"

The rod impacted harder this time. The nails dug deeply into his back and his blood pooled underneath him. Just how much blood did a person's body have, he wondered. He had lost too much to keep count.

"Whoops, hit too hard that time. I gotta be careful or else the captain'll have my head," his torturer said nonchalantly. The man wasn't the even slightly remorseful over his actions.

The torture session continued. His thoughts turned to his family. Were they safe? Was he able to buy them enough time to escape?

The cell door opened and the beating came to a halt. Even though he couldn't see him, he could tell that his torturer had corrected his posture and now stood straight in a sign of respect - after all, that was the only thing that could be given to the man that stepped into the room.

Standing at height of six and a half feet with a muscular body, he was someone that would stand out in a crowd, especially with his wild crimson hair and deep blue eyes. He was wearing a red, admiral's uniform with a black cape tied across his shoulders.

"How fares our guest, Luc?" His voice was authoritative yet smooth. It was the kind you would happily comply to even if it told you to drown yourself in the ocean.

"He still hasn't cracked, Captain. A real tough guy we have on our hands."

"I see."

The captain walked closer to him. With his hazy vision, he could spot something in his hand. It was a sack from what he could tell. The crimson haired man stopped directly in front of him and looked him in the eye.

"Why do you make this harder on yourself, friend? Just tell us where you hid Jose Pelilad's compass and we'll set you free."

"Ha...ha...my family...you bastards...what did you do to my family..." he asked with labored breaths.

"Your family? If you must know, my men, as per my instructions, have taken care of them for the duration of your stay here. They're perfectly safe, I assure you."

He believed him. Ever since they first met, the captain had not lied to him once. For a pirate, he had more honor than most and the reason behind his current state is because he refused to divulge information on the whereabouts his mentor Jose's compass.

The compass was one of the most sought out items in the current era for those who know of it. Rumors say it leads to a treasure like none other but he knew the truth - it leads to a frightening artifact that could cause the destruction of the world, or so his master told him. If it fell into the hands of this man...

"Never..."

"Ho...? So you won't disclose the information? Not even for your family?"

His family. His light in this cruel world. He saw images, flashes of memories - of his sons fishing with him; of his daughter feeding him a dish she made on her own; and of his wife, as she lay in bed with him, looking at him with love and adoration. Could he...?

"This compass must never see the light of day. What it leads to...is something, not of this world. Something great and terrible. Promise me you will hide it. I would destroy it if it weren't indestructible and discarding it in the ocean doesn't work - it keeps coming up. You're the only one I can rely on. Don't let me down."

"...my answer is still no."

The captain's eyes darkened and a malicious glee entered them. His triumphant smirk set off warning bells inside his head.

"Well, that is quite a shame. And here I thought you actually cared about your family. I guess they were fools for thinking you'd save them."

What? He felt his heart clench. He didn't know why but suddenly the cell felt a lot darker and the men around him more sinister than before.

"Your sons were very defiant, such valiant young lads. That valor didn't last much once we started skinning them alive. Their screams gave my men a morale boost and they only got louder once we started dipping their bodies in acid."

He stared at him, horrified by what he was hearing. His sons, his pride, and joy gone? And in such a brutal manner?

"Your wife was a feisty one. She was so sure that you would come save her and repeatedly insulted my men with that mouth of hers. The same mouth was then screaming for them to stop while they spent an entire day pounding her. Sadly, all good things must come to an end and for her, it was after we dismembered her."

Bile rose up his throat. His wife, his beautiful, caring wife, was defiled like that? And the dismemberment...He had to stop himself from puking once he pictured her in pieces.

"And last but not least, your daughter. My men were already raping your wife so it wouldn't have been creative of us to do the same with her - or even the right thing as some of us have standards. Instead, we addled her mind with an entire create worth of drugs and pitted her against our hounds. Even being torn to shreds did not stop her laughter and demented sentences. It was quite an entertaining spectacle if I do say so myself."

He actually did throw up this time. His little girl was literally fed to the dogs? His sweet angel who wasn't even capable of killing a fly?

"If you want proof then here it is."

He opened the sack and spilled its contents in front of him. Out came two heads with no skin on them - his sons; a young girls head which was shredded in various places - his daughter; and a woman's head which was cleanly cut from the neck - his wife.

"None of this would have happened if you told me where the compass was when we first met. The blood of your family is on your hands and your hands alone."

He killed his family? His eyes were transfixed on the heads on the floor. They were dead because of him? He screamed. No, he didn't kill them. He screamed louder. They were killed by the monster in front of him. His scream was heard throughout the ship and the weaker pirates were knocked unconscious.

"So you did possess the Conqueror's Haki? Though it seems you weren't aware of it and therefore don't know how to properly use it, Anton D William."

William did not register what the captain said. He could not see anything but red - from his clothes to his hair. He wanted nothing more than to kill him. Why? He could no longer remember. All he knew was that the man before him had to die.

He lunged forward, fully intent on pummeling the captain, but before he could move far, he was violently grabbed from behind and held back. No! He would not be stopped! He writhed in the arms of his captor and tried to break free but to no avail.

"It's a shame that someone of your talent has to go out like this. With your heritage and hidden power, you could have been among the strongest men that sail these waters. Instead, you chose to whittle your life away in the shadows of an archaeologist."

The captain gave a shrug in a 'what can you do?' manner. He didn't give a damn. He wanted to rip the bastard's throat out and make him drown in his own blood.

"It's time for me to conclude this little meeting of ours. I have places to be, people to meet and hidden compass' to find."

The captain placed his right hand in his pocket and took out a medallion. It was smooth and oval in shape and was dark as night. The surface was engraved with a series of rune that began glowing a soft golden color when it was brought closer to William's head.

"This is the end, William. I would say it's been a pleasure knowing you but that would be a lie and I never tell more than half a lie."

The medallion made contact with his forehead and he began screaming and thrashing in the arms of his captor. The pain was unbearable. His head was ablaze and his body was writhing from the agonizing pain. He felt his thoughts, emotions, and memories get sucked out of him until there was but an empty husk of a man remaining.

The captain staggered a little and got down on his left knee to steady himself. Luc was beside him moments later and wasted no time in fussing over his health. After taking a few minutes to calm his breathing, the captain held up a hand towards Luc, signaling for him to stop, and stood back up. He was still feeling out of it but not so much as to hamper his normal bodily functions.

"What happened, Captain?"

If the Captain was touched, or irritated, by his subordinate's concern, he did a good job of not showing it and instead silently ordered him to dispose of what remained of William. Luc complied and the captain made his way out of the cell and into one of the ship's hallways, where he ran into his quartermistress.

She was a tall, gorgeous woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Her eyes, after taking in his state, were projecting worry. He smiled at her reassuringly and kept walking. She fell in step with him and together they entered his cabin.

"How did it go?" she asked as soon as the cabin door was locked shut.

"Tiring. Having a person's entire life shoved into your head is a very torturous experience. It took a lot out of me to not lose myself."

He wasn't lying. When the medallion made contact with William's head, the captain felt his very being be invaded by William and he had to use a significant portion of his strength to stay in control and assimilate the memories that flooded his mind.

"Is that so? I trust you were successful?"

"Yes, I now know where the compass is hidden and all it took was destroying a handful of worthless people. We'll set out to retrieve it after I regain my strength and finish up a few requests."

"As expected of you. Once you set your eyes on something, you'll crush every obstacle in your path until you attain it," she said with no small amount of admiration.

He chuckled while pouring vine for the two of them. He raised his glass for a toast and she responded in the like. After downing his glass in one go he said, "My dear, they don't call me Maelstrom for nothing."

---

He was a brave sailor who had traversed all the oceans of the world; had faced legendary monsters that roamed the seas and come out of the scuffle unscathed; drunk with the best of pirates and later killed them without remorse; bedded mermaids while having affairs with sirens; he was...

"I'm so bored..."

Scratch that. He was simply Naruto, a teenage devil who had been out at sea for two months now and was getting tired of seeing water, water, and more water.

"Same here..."

Alongside him was Gabriel, a former seraph of Heaven and the most beautiful angel in existence.

The two of them were lying on the deck - with their arms spread wide and an expression of utter boredom etched onto their faces.

Gabriel rued the day she thought traveling by sea would be a good idea. Sure it was fun at first. Going on a grand adventure with her first-and-only friend Naruto by her side, but it quickly became apparent that there wasn't much they could do on a ship.

Whats more, without any predetermined destination, the two of them were wandering aimlessly. They had yet to see any other ships or landmasses besides the island they set off from and had arrived at again by some unexplainable means.

"That damn pussy's probably laughing his skinny ass off right now!"

Naruto showed no reaction to Gabriel's change in demeanor. He had discovered this other side of her a few days into their journey and while he was surprised at first, he was never afraid since her attention was always directed towards Heaven while like that and she would revert back to normal whenever she turned to him.

"Can't you fly us somewhere?"

"For the 38th time Naruto, you would die if I used my powers."

That was also a problem. Due to the close proximity between them, Gabriel could not use her powers at all for fear of killing him. The purification spell she used on him months ago was the tiniest use of her holy energy and it had caused Naruto immense pain and knocked him out. Anything more than that could potentially kill him and Gabriel refused to take that risk.

"Huuuh...well that sucks..."

---

"Captain! Ship spotted!"

The voice of his lookout diverted his attention from the wheel and to the crow's nest.

"Status?"

"An ordinary sloop with no apparent association. Might be a personal transport."

The captain contemplated what he was told. The ship was too small and cheap to belong to someone noteworthy and he doubted it contained anything of value. But even so, he might be mistaken and it could be carrying something interesting and the fact that it was sailing these parts made it even more intriguing.

"Prepare for a potential engagement! Conceal all weaponry and ready the disguises, diplomacy will be our initial course of action!"

"Aye Captain!" the crew chorused.

"Is there a reason for you to go after that small of a vessel?" his quartermistress asked. She took great care in analyzing every move he made in order to plan for any kind of outcome.

"Sloops don't normally sail these waters. They're too slow and the size makes them easy targets for aquatic beasts and those such as us. I am interested in what it may be carrying and the people on board. We may get something surprisingly valuable, fresh merchandise, new crew members or a meaningless bloodbath."

He was smirking by the time he finished speaking. While riches would always be his main priority, he appreciated the opportunity to cut loose and go on a killing spree. He wouldn't be as feared as he was if that wasn't the case.

"One of these days your blood-lust will be the death of you. I am amazed by the restraint you showed with that man - William was it? - for as long as you did," she said with exasperation.

"I am a man of many talents. Repressing my urges is quite simple compared to some of the other things I can do," the captain said with a hearty chuckle. His quartermistress, in response, merely rolled her eyes and walked off to supervise the men on the deck.

---

Naruto and Gabriel had fallen into a deep slumber - to the point that not even seagulls landing around or on them and crying disturbed them.

As such, they were also blissfully unaware of the approaching pirate ship.

"Hello there!"

They were jostled awake, however, by a loud shout from the neighboring ship.

---

"Hello there!"

The ship had been halted next to the sloop. Any signs of it belonging to pirates had been hidden away and the captain himself had abandoned his normal garb in favor of a more "casual" sailor outfit.

When he had gotten his first glance at the people on the small ship, he scoffed at the red-haired boy who was frail and didn't look remotely useful. His viewpoint became completely opposite when he laid eyes on the other person on deck - a female of divine beauty who had captivated his heart and shut down all mental functions with but a single glance.

It had taken much of his willpower to bring his body back under his control and not become a drooling mess like most of his crew. His quartermistress was decidedly not pleased with what she saw and was muttering obscenities under her breath while shooting murderous glares at everyone.

After getting everything back in order, he put on his most welcoming face and called out to the two below. The plan was simple: approach them as a friendly sailor, invite them on the ship, send some men to sneak on board the sloop and loot anything of value, offer those invited onto the ship a chance to join his crew, kill those who refuse and in the case of the blonde woman, keep her for himself.

It was a solid plan with not much that could go wrong.

His voice had woken the two sleeping on deck. He initially found it weird for them to sleep out on the uncomfortable floor but soon understood as to the reason why. The weather was simply perfect - there was plenty of cloud cover to diminish the harsh rays of the sun and a chilled breeze was in the air. He had seen his own crew members get drowsy every now and then and was contemplating taking a nap later by setting up a hammock.

"...who the hell are you?"

To the captain's chagrin, it was the boy who responded and not the woman - who was gazing out at sea with a half-lidded expression, not paying him even the slightest bit of attention.

"How does fortune favor you on this fine day?"

It didn't matter if the woman wasn't looking his way. All he had to do was play nice with the child and everything would work out.

"...what?"

'This is why I hate dealing with children. They have no appreciation for fine speech.'

"It means, how are you?"

"Oh...then why didn't you say that, old man?"

'o-old?! I've been called many things, sometimes good but mostly bad, but this is the first time anyone has called me old.'

"I've barely reached the end of my prime, young one. It isn't polite to address someone that way."

"Meh, whatever old man."

'The nerve! Since when did children become so disrespectful?'

"Say, you wanna trade ships? Yours looks cool so I want it."

The captain was initially vexed by the redhead's words. Not only did he say something stupid, he said it with a bored, nonchalant voice. But as he thought about it, he figured he could use it in his favor.

"I'm afraid I don't follow? Trade ships? It's not that easy, my boy."

"Eh...that's lame. You suck old man."

*Twitch*

"Come now, don't be like that. The world simply does not work that way. But, if you're so insistent on procuring a larger vessel, I can be of some help. Why don't you and that lovely lady over there board my ship and we discuss the matter in my cabin over a nice cup of tea?"

A normal, sensible adult would never fall for such words - one does not simply offer to help other for free, after all. The captain did not think the red-haired child was capable of higher level thinking so he gave a ridiculous offer, one the naive redhead would no doubt take up. The woman seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep so he figured she wouldn't have paid much attention to what was said and would go along with the younger male's decision.

"Nah, we're cool out here. The wind's pretty good. Plus, now that I think about it, your ship probably stinks of old men so we'll pass."

*Twitch Twitch*

"I know a great deal of master shipwrights and merchants who can make or get you a ship that can surpass my own! A word from me and you'll have the greatest ship to sail these majestic oceans in no time. I welcome you to come onto my ship for further discussion."

'That sounded incredibly stupid. I cannot believe I said something so dim-witted. But the boy is an imbecile. Surely something like this will be enough to convince him.'

"Hmm...that's great and all but why can't you tell me now? Why do we have to get on your ship?"

'I may have underestimated him, he is sharper than I gave him credit for. Though, that could also be attributed to him finally being fully awake. But, no matter, there are ways to deal with his type.'

"I had a feeling you would prefer to discuss such matters in a more comfortable environment. Also, it's not every day that you run into another ship and I always make a point of bringing those I meet aboard for a nice chat - it helps me meet new people and forge connections for the future."

After he was done speaking, the captain waited for the younger redhead's response with the confidence that he'll accept the invitation.

"When you put it like that...no."

The child's eyes had sharpened and he was looking straight into the captain's eyes with an intensity that would make a lesser man flinch but he was no lesser man. He was the Maelstrom and he would be damned before he let himself be frightened by a child.

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

He had expected the child to answer him with some derogatory remark followed by some cheap words and obscenities. What he did not expect, however, was for his eyes to become colder and stare into his with an increased intensity. Truly, he admitted, he had underestimated this child but he could not back down and, therefore, met his stare head-on with his own.

The air had become heavy and thick with tension. The two males were locked into a battle of wills; their gazes were sharper than any knife and their minds faster than any avian. Through their eyes alone, they were fighting an unseen battle and soon one of them would be forced to admit defeat.

That moment came when the captain averted his eyes, swore and then began glaring heatedly at the younger male.

"Who are you? Someone with eyes like yours would have been well known in these waters. State your name and the reason why you rejected my earlier proposal."

He had to know. The child had seen through him, no doubt, but that was impossible. He had spent years mastering his abilities and was one of the best at deceiving in the world! Yet a child - no, he couldn't be called a child. Eyes like his could never belong to someone so young.

"My name is Naruto and I don't need to explain anything to a devil."

Devil? He had been called that numerous times in the past but the word had never been uttered with as much venom as it had been just now. He didn't get a chance to respond as Naruto had resumed speaking.

"I'm surprised someone like you is so far from the Underworld. I didn't believe it at first but the more time I spent talking to you, the more obvious it became that you and everyone on your ship is a devil. You all give off the same feeling and I've lived more than enough years with your kind to recognize a devil anywhere."

Underworld? Devilkind? The captain could vaguely recall those words from some Christian texts he read years ago. He had been interested in reading about a religion that many around the world followed but was quickly disappointed by the lack of evidence to support the various biblical tales. To him, it was nothing more than a storybook for children. The only devil related thing that was proven to be real was the Devil Fruits.

Naruto looked like he had more to say but was interrupted by his blonde companion.

"Naruto, they are humans, not devils."

"You're wrong! They're devils, I can tell! They give off the same feeling so they have to be!"

The captain watched the woman sigh and shake her head. She cupped the younger redhead's hands with her own and spoke to him in a slow, soothing manner.

"I have lived for many millennia and have seen countless devils. I was there during the fall of Lucifer, the father of all devilkind. I spoken to many devils and have fought and killed countless more. Believe me when I say that those people up there are human, ones with their hearts darkened by evil, but humans nonetheless."

"But...the feeling-"

"-is something we shall discuss later. For now, let us deal with the situation at hand. Our audience is getting quite agitated."

She was right. The captain and his crew had been observing the exchange and were bewildered by the woman's words. She talked of things that were only found in stories as if they were the truth and even claimed to live for over a millennium. The captain had enough of it.

"Enough with all this rubbish! I had thought the two of you would have more use than being another tally on my body count but it's clear the two of you are a simple waste of time. Men, we have wasted enough time. Finish them off."

"Aye, Captain!"

---

"What's gotten into them?" Naruto asked while seeing the captain walk off and the rest of the men scrambling about. Some were taking off their clothes while others were putting more on. Everyone was getting weapons.

"This must be what they call a pirate ship!"

"Pie rate?"

"Yes, though I have a feeling we are not thinking of the same thing. From what I have heard they are akin to bandits. Instead of villages, they plunder ships instead."

"Oh, so they're bad guys?"

"Some pirates are vigilantes who help those in need while breaking the laws of their area while most are thieves and murderers. Seeing as these men are arming themselves against us, they are the latter and are, therefore, bad guys."

"I see. Hey, you think the feeling I got was them being bad?"

"...it is a possibility. We will have to look into it later but for now, we should prepare for combat. Are you capable of fighting?"

"A little. I sometimes used to sneak peeks at the guards while they were training so I know some stuff."

"That should be enough. I cannot use my powers with you so close so I will be fighting like a normal human. My base strength as an archangel should be more than enough to deal with these people so do not put yourself under any unnecessary risk by confronting the enemy directly. Stay behind me and only engage if they slip past me and attack you. Do you understand?"

Gone was the gentle, clumsy woman and in her place stood someone who had commanded scores of angels during the great war and had slain countless devils - Heaven's strongest woman, Archangel Gabriel.

While not preferring to stay back and let his friend do the fighting, the commanding aura and overbearing presence Gabriel exuded at that moment did not allow Naruto to even think of going against her.

She was the commander while he was a simple soldier under her command. He could not defy her even if he wanted to.

"O-okay."

"Excellent. Now then, let me teach these people to not pick a fight with Heaven's strongest angel and her friend."

After directing a confident smile at him, Gabriel leaped into action...literally.

"Uwwwahhhh!"

A single jump was enough to almost sink her own ship while elevating her far above the galleon. She was far enough from Naruto to open up her pocket inventory and pull out an ordinary bronze spear in a split second before descending onto the ship.

The pirates on the deck had yet to recover from the shock of seeing a someone jump so high when Gabriel landed in their midst and began stabbing and hacking those around her at a speed far faster than which the pirates could keep up with.

"Is this all you are capable of? I have yet to get serious!"

---

Note to self: never stand next to Gabriel when she jumps.

"Ghaaaaah!"

Ouch. That must hurt. Gabriel's really handing it to those pie rates, huh? Well, she is Heaven's strongest angel.

….

Wait, if she's the strongest angel then why's Micheal their leader? Shouldn't she be the leader of angels since she's the strongest person there besides God?

Ahhhhh!

Dammit! I forgot about that. Stupid huge guy in the sky with his stupid rules.

But seriously, what's up with the name pie rate? Do they have pies? Or do they rate them? Or are they the price of a pie. The human world's really confusing.

I should get going as well since I can't really see anything from down here. And I gotta help Gabriel.

But what will I help her with?

She's way stronger and faster than me even when she isn't using her holy energy and can use spears. Those pie rates should be easy to beat so I don't really have to do anything.

I could go watch her back. One of those pie rates might get a lucky shot in so I've gotta at least try to stop those.

All right! I've made up my mind.

But wait...how do I get on the big ship?

Gabriel jumped so that's a way. I can't jump that high but my instincts are telling me I can. They didn't fail me when it came to Transformation, Substitution, and Wall Walking. They did betray me when I tried walking on water so maybe they aren't that right. But then again, 3 out of 4's better than nothing so I might as well give it a go.

All right. I've made up my mind again.

Now how do I do this? It's like Wall Walking but with pushing instead of sticking? I don't know if I want to know how I knew that. Damn, that was confusing. My head is weird. Should I have Gabriel check it? Nah. Knowing her, my head's gonna blow up as soon as she touches it.

Ah, I'm getting distracted. Focus Naruto! Gabriel needs you - not really - so you gotta get up there fast!

Let's see...focus on my feet...guide that weird, watery feeling to make me stick on the ground...then increase it...keep on increasing it...and then release it!

*Crack Snap*

I did it! I'm in the air...wait, I'm not going up! Why's that ship's side getting closer...? Oh...this is gonna hurt...

*Smack*

"Ugh..."

*Splash*

---

"Do not say what I think you're going to say."

"Whatever do you mean, Captain? I was merely going to congratulate you on your plan's failure and say you should have done things like normal."

"Dammit, why did you have to say it?"

"Someone needs to talk sense into you every now-and-then - better it is me than some grunt who you'd end up killing and decrease the crew's morale."

"...sometimes I hate it when you're right."

"You made me your quartermistress so deal with it. So...got pissed at someone who believes in religion?"

"You have no idea. The way those two kept talking about it was giving me a headache. How can anyone seriously believe in unseen beings governing over the world? The only gods that exist are Gal D Robert and his rival Greybeard - men of immense power who rule the seas."

"The two lords huh...I can see why you would liken them to gods. Just thinking about what those are capable of sends shivers down my spine."

"Indeed. Now then, the men should be done dealing with those fools and plundering their ship. Shall go have a look?"

Despite having said that, what greeted the two were not rejoicing pirates, a redhead and blonde tied up, their corpses or a small fortune. Pandemonium is what they beheld while witnessing the blonde woman from the sloop making quick work of their crew with a simple spear.

"Wha...what is going on here?!"

The captain couldn't help it. While his crew might not be on the same level as many of the higher ranking, legendary pirates, they were still very capable. To see them taken down like this was a huge blow to his pride.

"Captain! She's a demon! She flew in the air and started killing everyone as soon as she landed on the ship!"

"How untruthful. I am merely making them unfit for further fighting. They are all still very much alive."

"Hiiiiii!"

*Whack*

The woman had heard his subordinate speak and had struck him on the head with her spear. Seeing a grown, well-built man crumple to the ground like that at the hands of someone who looked more like a princess than a warrior made it clear that this woman was dangerous and not to be taken lightly.

Now that the woman was close to him, he got a better look at her features. Her beauty was even more breathtaking than before and not a single one of her golden locks were out of place even after fighting against his crew.

"I have been searching for you. I take it you are the captain of this unruly bunch?"

Seeing as he had been directly addressed, the captain composed himself as much as possible and answered.

"Indeed. Who might you be? A woman as beautiful as yourself must have an equally beautiful name to identify herself with."

"Oh? I am surprised you have the gall to speak to me in such a way after ordering the deaths of my friend and me."

"That-"

"You do not have any need to speak. I will simply take care of you like the rest of your men!"

The woman who had until now been speaking normally, suddenly exuded a presence and killing intent that far surpassed his own. It was enough to freeze him in place so he was unable to act when the woman struck her spear towards him.

*Clang*

"Ghaah!"

The spear struck his flesh but it was off target. Instead of its original mark, his heart, it had been lodged in his shoulder.

By a stroke of luck, his quartermistress had been fast enough to deflect the spear in time and save his life. He wondered how she had overcome the paralyzing fear the woman before them had no doubt brought her and was answered by the sight of her bleeding palm.

'She dug into her own flesh with her nail. The momentary pain had given her control over her body so she was able to save me in time.'

"Thank-"

The captain never got finish thanking his subordinate. He was interrupted by the one who had a spear lodged in his body.

"Oh, my. To think there was actually someone capable of fighting on this vessel."

"You haven't seen anything yet. For daring to attack Captain, I will have you relinquish your life!"

The blonde spear wielder gave the quartermistress an amused look.

"You are quite arrogant in assuming that I will fall under your blade. I will warn you now, this is the first time I am having to control myself in a fight so I am unused to it. My control can slip at any moment and your life will be forfeit when it does. Surrender now and save yourself from an untimely demise."

"Go screw yourself. I'd rather die than stand down before someone who threatened the captain."

"Such loyalty is admirable. However, it will do you no good against me."

The blonde pulled her spear out of the redhead, causing him to wince, and turned to face his quartermistress. The two women with the same hair and eye color, though the quartermistress' were a shade or two lighter, sized each other up and were looking for an opening to attack from.

The captain was watching with wary eyes. He had full faith in his quartermistress' skills but the woman had proven herself to be a force to be reckoned with so he wasn't sure if that skill was enough to achieve victory.

*Splat*

The tension was broken by the new arrival on the ship.

---

I had to walk up the ship in the end. Good thing Gabriel taught me how to swim because I would've drowned after falling into the water.

Now, what do we have here...damn that must hurt...and that guy's crying...is that crap?...and why's that guy rubbing his penis and injured thigh at the same time? It's weird...and those guys are all knocked out...and there's that annoying guy from before...some girl and...

"Oi, Gabriel!"

"Naruto? You just arrived? And why are you wet?"

"Ah, I tried to jump in the air like you did but I hit the ship instead and fell into the water. I had to swim to the ship and then walk up to it."

"That explains the wetness. As for the delay, I had begun to think you had tried to make me happy by not putting yourself in danger at all by staying behind."

"But I can't let you do everything alone!"

"Hence why I allowed you to come along on the condition you did not engage the enemy directly and only if they attacked you."

Is she scolding me? What'd I do? I just got here!

"But that's boring! Let me fight as well!"

"Absolutely not. The only enemies left are these two and they are the strongest among the pirates. They are too dangerous for you to face so I shall deal with them alone. If you wish to fight then I shall gladly spar with you later."

She totally brushed me off! Come on, Gabriel! I can totally take any of these guys on!

*Swish*

*Clang*

*Clang*

*Swish*

*Clang*

Whoa…that's really cool. Gabriel's doing great but the other woman's not bad either. Too bad she can't do anything against Gabriel.

…

…

This is boring. Just watching isn't any fun.

…

…

I wanna do something, dammit!

But what?

I can't fight since that'll make Gabriel mad. I can't keep watching because it's really boring.

What to do…what to do…

Ooh! I know! I can explore the ship! Gabriel won't have anything to say about that!

…

Well, she might, but it's her fault that I'm doing this so it's okay.

Now if I were a ship entrance where would I be? That staircase in the center is too obvious so that can't be it. The fancy door up those stairs isn't also it for the same reason. I should walk around to see if there's another way in.

*Clang*

*Clang*

*Swoosh*

*Crash*

Things are really heating up back there. I wonder if Gabriel's doing fine? Who am I kidding? Of course she's fine. The person she's fighting isn't as strong as her so she can't do anything to her and what are the chances of the red guy having a mysterious power and using it to catch Gabriel off-guard? Zero.

---

Gabriel was confused. One moment she was fighting a rather skilled opponent and the next she was sent crashing into a stack of crates by a sudden gust that appeared out of nowhere.

While not injured, she was quite put out at having been blindsided like that. She was an archangel and, even without using any of her holy powers or angelic strength, far above any human when it comes to combat. It wasn't a boast on her part - just a simple fact.

While the woman Gabriel was fighting had proven herself to be formidable with a saber, it was nothing she couldn't handle and as such, she was toying with her to prolong the fight. Such an act would normally be unfitting of her but with Naruto watching, she wanted to show off and have him see a cooler side of her.

That had come to bite her back spectacularly as by being so caught up in making a grand show for her friend, she failed to notice the impending attack until just before it hit her. Granted, it did come from her blind spot but that was no excuse for her negligence.

'That was a foolish error on my part. I should have been more vigilant. Oh no, what does Naruto think? I was doing my best to fight gracefully for him and ended up being made a fool of! How embarrassing!'

Any further thoughts were cut off by the captain's words which broke the silence that had ensued the deck.

"Kaze Kaze no Mi: Gale Palm"

Gabriel saw the attack, a large formation of violent air currents in the shape of a palm, heading her way and rolled to the side to avoid it. The attack tore through the wooden crates before dissipating into the air.

"Oh? Your reflexes are quite good to have dodged my attack."

"I am surprised to see a wizard this far out at sea. You people normally remain in your secret societies and academies so I cannot fathom why you would be commandeering a pirate ship…unless there are more of you amongst the crew?"

The captain, much to her surprise, began to cackle loudly after hearing her. His laughter rang across the deck and continued to reverberate for some time. It was starting to get on her nerves.

"Wizard?" the captain asked after composing himself. "Those crippled old men who wield staffs and command the elements? They're nothing more than a part of some fairy tale. What I wield is true power, and not some fabrication made for the sake of entertainment. My power is that of the Kaze Kaze no Mi, the wind Devil Fruit!"

The captain expected fear, awe, disbelief or any combination of the three to show on Gabriel's face. It was a given, after all, since Devil Fruit users are amongst the strongest beings to be found at sea. Each pirate bestowed with the power of the mysterious fruits has made a name for himself and many are capable of decimating entire naval fleets single-handedly.

What he did not expect was the simple tit of her head, her eyes blank and her mouth opening to utter a single sound, "Eh?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"What do you mean 'Eh'? Don't you realize exactly who and what you're up against?!"

"Not really. What you are telling me sounds like something from a children's book. Devil Fruit? Such a dimwitted name."

*Twitch*

"How dare you…how dare you undermine the might of the ultimate source of power! Eating one makes you a literal king of the seas! No ordinary mortal can stand against those who consume one. What's more, I possess a Logia, the rarest and most powerful class of Devil Fruits."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Pardon the insult, but I do not see how any of that is important. From what I have seen, you ingested some substance which gave you the ability to manipulate wind, yes? While it may be a fearsome ability for one such as yourself, you will have to forgive me for doubting your claims of 'ultimate power' when apprentice level magi can perform similar feats - with multiple elements if I may add - which makes your ability less special than it is."

The captain was silent for a while before fierce winds began blowing around him - raising debris in the air and knocking away fallen members of his crew. His gaze bore into Gabriel and promised nothing but death.

"Kaze Kaze no Mi: Vicious Slice!"

A horizontal wave of wind rushed towards the angel with a gesture of the redhead's arm. Gabriel hopped up to avoid the attack and then sidestepped a vertical wave of the same kind. She then dashed to the side to dodge a flurry of smaller slashes and got on the ground to let another horizontal wave fly over her before pushing herself away from the ground to avoid a large wall of wind.

She landed in front of her adversaries in a smooth motion with a calm expression on her face.

"Is that all?" she asked the large man who was showing signs of exhaustion after such a liberal use of his power.

"I'm not even close to being done," he proclaimed as he outstretched both of his hands and pointed them at her. His quartermistress understood what he was about to do and quickly brought out a dozen throwing knives from the pouch attached to her waist.

"Kaze Kaze no Mi: Twin-"

His words were cut off by the sudden burst of immense killing intent from deep within his ship followed by the sounds of wood breaking which was growing louder until the floor of the deck burst open and his torturer, Luc, was shot into the air.

---

Alight, I'm in! Did they really think a locked door could stop me?

Muhahaha!

Ahem, now then, what do I do now?

…

…

I came inside without plan, didn't I? Gabriel's going to scold me when she finds out, isn't she?

Dammit. I'll be lectured after everything's over.

This sucks…but it's not like I can do anything about it now. I'll apologize later. I might as well look around the place since I came in and all. If I'm lucky there'll be some pie rates inside for me to fight!

Now, where should I look first? There's a hallway that leads away from this place on one side and a flight of stairs heading down on the other. I can't look everywhere with the time I have so I'll have to choose between them.

Hallway, stairs, hallway, stairs, hallway, stairs…

I think I'll go with the stairs. Nobles have all their good stuff hidden in the basement of their manors. These pie rates don't seem so different from them so they probably do the same thing as well which means down is the way to go if I want to find something cool.

Don't!

What was that? I heard something just now.

Please!

That's a person's voice! But where did it come from? I heard it from everywhere at once.

No!

It's getting louder the closer I get to the stairs!

Don't hurt him!

Someone's in trouble! I have to help them.

Mother, I'm scared!

I have to move faster!

Argh!

Leave him alone!

Shut up!

Mother!

Faster! If I don't hurry then they'll die!

What should we do with them?

The females are rather good so they're obvious. The sons, not so much.

We could throw them overboard and let them sleep with the fishes.

I believe I have a better idea.

That was that captain guy! What's he doing down here? Shouldn't he be outside fighting Gabriel? Did he run away? Dammit! Where are the voices coming from? There are only empty rooms here. I'll have to go further down.

What the hell do you want, bastard?!

Boy, is that any way to talk your elders?

We can talk to you any way we want you piece of shit!

Both of you? It seems your parents did a poor job at raising you. No matter, I'll be sure to have my men drive into your heads exactly what happens when you go against your superiors.

Where?! Where?! Where is everyone?! This place is empty!

GHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

Hahaha! Yes, scream louder!

Ha…ugh…

*Splash*

No, no, no. You're not blacking out on us. Stay awake through it all like your brother.

Damn you…

What was that? I should be rougher? Well, if you say so.

AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Where are they?! Where-

"-are you?! Can you hear me?! I'm here to save you!"

You bastards will never get anything out of my husband. He's strong, far stronger than you filthy swine.

*Slap*

Don't talk big, bitch. Your husband will break like all the men before him.

*Spit*

Shows what you know. Only real men have the courage to stand firm against the oppressive. If any of you were in his place, you'd blab at the first chance you get to save your hides since every one of you is a spineless coward!

You..!

Why are you getting mad? Does the truth hurt? Did the big, bad pirate get his feelings hurt?

Watch your mouth, woman. We've been nice to you so far but if you push your luck, we'll-

Do what? You captured my entire family, took my husband away to torture him for information, and separated me from my children because of which I don't know what's happening to them. For all I know, you barbarians killed them and now it's my turn. Well, you know what? I won't go down sniveling! I'll defy you bastards till my last breath just like my husband is defying your captain at this moment!

*Slap*

Ugh

You talk too much, bitch.

Who the hell do you think you are? Acting all high and mighty like that.

Wenches like you are only good for one thing.

Yeah! Let's get started already!

You think I'm afraid of you?! Huh?! Do your worst you damn apes! Hell, I doubt you can even get it up, or in with how small you all are!

You!

What happened to those guys from before?! What are they going to do to the lady?!

"Don't you dare hurt her! When I get my hands on you guys, you're going to wish you never touched her, or any of them in the first place!"

But where are they? I don't see anyone here.

Sniff…sniff…please mister, let me and my f-family go…please…

Now that won't be possible, my dear.

W-why…?

You see, young girl, your father has some very important information - information that is vital for my goals. And until he gives it to me, you and the rest of your family will remain as my guests.

Sob…then if we're guests…why did you hurt my mother and brother?

Tell me, what happens to children who misbehave?

T-they get p-punished.

Exactly. Your mother and brother were misbehaving on my ship and so, like all naughty children, they were punished. They are also being punished now.

What a-are you doing t-to them?

That's none of your concern. Young girl, do you like candy?

Yes…

Wonderful! You see, I received a large crate of some of the most delicious candy in the world recently. I will give you some if you promise to be a good girl and wait for your family's punishment to be over with.

Really?

Yes, all you have to do is promise.

I promise…

"Don't take anything from him! That guy's no good!"

What's the point of me even saying it? It's not like there's anyone here. Dammit…what's wrong with me?

I have to be reaching the very bottom by now. If there nothing here then…wait, what's that?

Stains? They're really dark…and fresh. They're all over the place. In the hallways, the rooms…and especially on those tools and weapons… Don't tell me this is-

"...blood? There's blood everywhere."

"That's right."

"!?"

There's someone here. That voice just now was too clear and close by for it to be my imagination. But more than that, I feel disgusted. Like something's crawling under my skin. The feeling I had before on our ship is stronger here. In fact, it had been getting stronger the deeper I went, the more voices I heard. I'm only noticing it now.

"Yer a strange kid. I heard ya shouting from all the way down here. What's wrong? Who're ya talking to?"

"Who's there?!"

*Step, Step*

Whoa, that guy's huge. And his clothes…they're the same color as the walls and floor…they're covered in blood. So are the huge knife-like swords he's holding. And beside him, what are those…?

*Growl*

Two large creatures are next to him. They look really ferocious and there's blood on their mouths.

"Who're you?"

"The name's Luc. I'm the guy in charge of this area. Though the better question is, who're ya runt?"

"..."

"Not gonna answer? Even after I told ya my name. Bah, forget it. So tell me, how'd ya get down here, intruder?"

"...what is this place?"

"Hey now, that ain't how it works. Ya can't just ask me stuff without answering yerself. But, since I'm a nice guy, I'll tell ya anyway. This is the torture zone, where I can have fun breaking shits like ya all day long. I was cleaning the place up from the mess we made with the last group, a family of five, when I heard ya shouting."

Torture zone…? Torture…

GHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

IT BURNS!

KILL US!

GAHAHAHAHAHA!

PLEASE STOP!

SHUT UP BITCH!

Now that we're done, it's time to get rid of you.

No…

*Chop*

Hey, mister, can I have more candy? Come one, give me more! If you don't then I'll hit the doggies!

Hehehe.

I'm going to hit them! Come here doggy! Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh! M-mister! The doggy bit me!

*Growl* *Crunch* *Wail*

Hahahaha! Mister the doggies are eating me!

*Crunch* *Munch* *Sob*

M-m-is-t-ter…t-the doggy-

*Snap*

"Ghaah!"

"What's wrong, runt? Ya feeling uncomfortable I said torture?"

My head's hurting. I feel like someone's trying to split in half. Sounds and scenes are appearing and none of it is making any sense. Stop. Someone make it stop.

"Oi!"

That guy won't shut up. I'll-

KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"

"Hey hey, don't tell me, yer actually insane?"

"SHUT UP! KILL! SHUT UP! KILL! SHUT UP!"

"Don't ya dare talk to me like that! Bol, Farch, sic him ya mangy mutts!

"RRRGHHH!"

"WOOF!"

Why do you make this harder on yourself, friend? Just tell us where you hid Jose Pelilad's compass and we'll set you free.

Ha...ha...my family...you bastards...what did you do to my family…

Your family? If you must know, my men, as per my instructions, have taken care of them for the duration of your stay here. They're perfectly safe, I assure you.

Never...

Ho...? So you won't disclose the information? Not even for your family?

...my answer is still no.

Well, that is quite a shame. And here I thought you actually cared about your family. I guess they were fools for thinking you'd save them.

Your sons were very defiant, such valiant young lads. That valor didn't last much once we started skinning them alive. Their screams gave my men a morale boost and they only got louder once we started dipping their bodies in acid.

Your wife was a feisty one. She was so sure that you would come save her and repeatedly insulted my men with that mouth of hers. The same mouth was then screaming for them to stop while they spent an entire day pounding her. Sadly, all good things must come to an end and for her, it was after we dismembered her.

And last but not least, your daughter. My men were already raping your wife so it wouldn't have been creative of us to do the same with her - or even the right thing as some of us have standards. Instead, we addled her mind with an entire create worth of drugs and pitted her against our hounds. Even being torn to shreds did not stop her laughter and demented sentences. It was quite an entertaining spectacle if I do say so myself.

If you want proof then here it is.

None of this would have happened if you told me where the compass was when we first met. The blood of your family is on your hands and your hands alone.

##############################################!

So you did possess the Conqueror's Haki? Though it seems you weren't aware of it and therefore don't know how to properly use it, Anton D William.

It's a shame that someone of your talent has to go out like this. With your heritage and hidden power, you could have been among the strongest men that sail these waters. Instead, you chose to whittle your life away in the shadows of an archaeologist.

It's time for me to conclude this little meeting of ours. I have places to be, people to meet and hidden compass' to find.

This is the end, William. I would say it's been a pleasure knowing you but that would be a lie and I never tell more than half a lie.

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

*Crunch*

"Guh!"

It hurts. My arm and head…they hurt.

"Gyahahah! What's wrong? What're ya spacing out for, brat?"

*Slam*

"Ugh…"

I'm feeling pain. Why am I feeling pain?

*Tear*

"Agh!"

"Stop it ya damn mutts! It's no fun if ya kill him. Step back, I'm going to have some fun."

I ran away to escape the pain. I ran away so I wouldn't get hurt.

"It's ya and me now!"

*Slam* *Bash*

"..."

What was the point? What's changed?

*Slap*

"Why won't ya make any noise?!"

*Slap*

What's my purpose? What am I alive for?

*Bash* *Bash*

"Say something!"

Maybe I should just-

Pathetic.

Huh…?

You're so pathetic.

I know…

And you're fine with that?

Why not? It's not like I can do anything. I'm too weak. I'm scared of facing more pain. It'd be better to just die. Nothing's changed from back then.

Then change.

What?

If you're too weak, too frightened, then become strong.

Why? What's the point? I have no reason to become strong.

You won't get hurt. The strong can withstand anything.

But won't I get hurt while trying to become strong? It won't be easy.

I never said it would be a comfy journey. The best things in life can only be attained by striving for them.

Then why bother living? If good things only come through pain then what's the point?

So you would rather throw your life away?

Yeah.

Even if it'll hurt those close to you?

What do you mean?

Your friend for instance. She would be deeply saddened if you died.

Gabriel? Why would she be sad if I die? I'm only a burden to her. If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have left Heaven. If I die, she won't be forced to look after me and can return home.

Is that what you really think? Or have you fallen so low that you can no longer see what's in front of you. Listen, that angel doesn't stick with you out of any obligation. She honestly considers you her friend. She left Heaven to be with you, not because she was forced to.

But why? I'm not strong. I'm not brave. I'm nothing special. Why would someone like her want to be friends with me?

This moron…You're asking me why she'd want to be with you? It's obvious, isn't it? You accepted her. You looked past her position and history and accepted her for who she is. And as for the rest, would a weakling enter a battlefield to help their friend despite knowing how outclassed they are? Would a coward rush blindly into enemy territory to save someone they don't know? And as for not being special, who's to say you aren't? You're special to quite a few people and that's what matters.

"..."

What would you do if Gabriel's in danger?

She's stronger than anyone out there. She can do anything. There's no way she'd be in danger, unlike me.

What if she faces someone stronger than her?

That won't-

What if she loses to them and is about to be killed? What will you do then?

That won't happen!

And if it does?

I...I…I'll…I'll protect her…

What was that? I couldn't quite hear you.

I said I'll protect her, dammit!

And how will you do that? You're, like you said, weak. What chance will you have at stopping someone stronger than her?

I'll…become stronger than her…stronger than the one who beat her…I'll become stronger than everyone else so that she'll never get killed!

There's your reason. Become strong, if not for yourself, then those precious to you. You can do that, right?

I can…that's right…I can do that…I can become strong enough to protect her! But…how will I do that? Become strong?

You know how without even being aware of it. Search within the very depths of your mind, body, and souls and you'll find the answer.

Mind, body, and soul…? That doesn't make any sense!

It will. Now stop wasting time and FIGHT!

---

Naruto's eyes snapped open. The young devil had been knocked unconscious by Luc, who was throwing him across the room for sport. He was in midair when he woke up so he quickly adjusted himself to land safely on the floor.

"Oh? Ya awake already? That was fast. I got tired of ya not reacting so I was trying different ways to make ya feel pain. But now that yer awake," he lifts up his large, curved swords and gives a nasty grin towards the young redhead, "I can have more fun!"

"...disgusting."

"Hmm?"

"You're disgusting, piece of shit. I'm trying hard to stay awake because of your stench. Please do me a favor and go drown yourself out in the water."

"Why ya…!"

Luc lost the ability to speak once Naruto looked up at him. His blue eyes had darkened and were far more frigid than an iceberg. It unnerved him. Brats do not have eyes like those, he thought.

"You know, I don't really understand what's happening. My head's a mess and I want nothing more than to sleep with my head resting in Gabriel's lap. But, before I can do that, I have to make you pay for what you've done to all the innocent people that have been brought here. You, companions, and your captain, all of you will pay."

"Ha! I'd like to see ya try!"

Luc charged at Naruto with his swords raised for an overhead swing. The younger male stepped out of the way and planted his fist in the older man's stomach.

"Ghaa!"

Luc fell to his knees and lost his grip over his swords. Naruto's attack had caused him to expel all the air in his lungs, thereby causing him to take deep, labored breaths.

'It's strange. I feel like I'm not in control of my body. It's moving on its own, doing things I couldn't do before. Is that what the voice meant? Mind, body, and soul…it told me to look deep inside myself. I…don't quite understand it, but there's this feeling. I know what to do but not how to do it. Deeper…this energy in my body…it's different from what devils and angels use…deeper…it's something I was born with…deeper…its name is…deeper…chakra.'

"Chakra…huh. Never heard of it. How messed up is that? I'm using something I didn't know existed. But…I think I get it now. This chakra…it lets me transform, switch places, walk on walls…it'll also let me become stronger than I am."

"What are ya talking about? Ya seem crazier the longer I'm around ya…"

"Oh? Are you better already? That was fast. I got tired of you just sitting here so I began talking to myself since it was so boring."

"Kuh! Damn brat, I'll make you eat those words! Bol, Farch! Dinner!"

The two dogs that were nearby sprinted towards Naruto, intent on tearing him to shreds and feasting on his corpse. The redhead watched them make their way towards him with a disinterested expression. Just when they were within biting range, he jumped up to avoid them…but never came down."

"What in the name of Davy Jones' locker!? Ya…how are ya sticking to the ceiling?!"

"...it's not just them…I can hear those who came before. You starved them, beat them, performed unspeakable acts on everyone - whether they be man, woman or child. They're calling out to me…they're screaming for your death."

"Ya…stop with the crazy blabbing, ya freak!"

Luc grabbed his swords and swung them upwards. Naruto rolled out of the way to avoid the attack, his body still attached to the ceiling despite the sudden movement. He swiftly placed his feet on the flat ends of the swords and with all his might, pushed them downwards and onto one of the dogs. It was bisected from the center and didn't even give out a whimper before it died.

"GHAAAA!"

*Clang*

Naruto's actions had the unsuspected result of robbing Luc the use of his hands since the force he used was enough to snap the bones of the man's wrists.

"Does it hurt? It hurts yeah? You hurt me and so many others. How does it feel to have that pain turned to you?"

"Damn ya…"

Naruto let go of the ceiling and landed feet-first on top of the head of the second dog.

*Splatter*

The canine's skull was crushed, its blood and brain matter spread all over the floor, walls and the two males.

"I put too much strength into that one…"

Luc stared open-mouthed at the blood covered teen. He was performing feats the likes of which he'd never seen before and had more power than any boy his age and size. It wasn't normal, he screamed in his head. The boy was a monster.

"Ya, ya're a Devil Fruit or Haki user, aren't ya? That's the why ya can do all that, right?" he stammered. He wanted an explanation, anything to put his mind at ease. Devil Fruit and Haki were the only sources of beyond-human ability he knew of - and were the only known ones throughout the world. If those weren't the reasons, then…the redhead was no human.

"Devil Fruit? Never heard of it. Is it delicious?" Naruto asked with the beginnings of a smirk forming on his face. He felt so alive at the moment, so free, so…conflicted. He felt like a different person yet he wasn't. He felt at ease, and a sense of familiarity, with his new found power yet it was alien to him. It felt right yet wrong, wrong yet right. He didn't know what to make of it all so he settled for ending the fight.

"I, I, I'll kill ya, monster!"

Luc charged at him. While he could no longer use his hands, he could still knock the younger male to the ground and break his body by stomping on it. That was his plan.

He may even have succeeded were it not for Naruto seeing through it right from the start. He cocked his right fist back and lowered himself. He waited for the larger man to get within striking range and immediately got within his guard and struck with a chakra enhanced uppercut.

"Die."

*BOOM*

---

Gabriel watched the large man come flying out of the floor with a morbid fascination. He landed with a painful thud and, surprisingly, was still alive. Though, she mused, I would not consider leading the rest of my life without a single, functioning joint or intact bone as living.

What surprised, more like horrified, her even more though was Naruto leaping out of the same hole with his clothes covered in blood and his right arm hanging limp. He was also having trouble standing which led her to believe his legs were damaged as well.

All in all, he looked like a mess and she could not see the sweet, innocent boy she befriended - he had been replaced by a hardened warrior.

"Naruto…?"

He spared her a glance, acknowledging her presence, before fixing his stare on the only other man standing on deck, the captain.

"Wha…what is the meaning of this?!"

The captain was appalled by the state of one of his best subordinates. Luc was barely alive but death would be a better alternative with the way his body was. He never imagined a day would come when Luc the Terrible, crusher of men, women and children alike, would be broken in such a manner.

"Yo, you're the captain of this ship, right?" The one who had defeated Luc addressed him casually. But his eyes, they were sharper than steel and were directed at his own, unblinking, watching him intently.

"You already know the answer to that question. Tell me, are you the one responsible for my subordinate's current state?" he asked, gesturing to Luc's unconscious form.

"Yeah, I did that. The same thing's gonna happen to you after you answer a question of mine."

"Wh-"

"Why did you torture all those people?"

"...what?"

"You heard me. Why did you torture all of those innocent people? What could you have possibly gained from doing it?"

The captain looked at the younger male incredibly. He was stumped by the question. Stumped by the naivety behind it. The boy possesses the strength to utterly destroy a man more than three times his size yet he doesn't know of one of the most common practices at sea?

It was enough to almost make him laugh. Scratch that, he actually did end up laughing.

"Bwahahaha! Why I had them tortured, you ask? Boy, you are nothing but a child if you don't know the answer to that. Aside from gathering information, torture is the best way to satisfy the urges of a group of bloodthirsty killers. Inflicting pain curbs their need for violence, committing sexual assault handles their lust and the sheer act of watching others suffer serves as entertainment. Without torture, us pirates would quickly turn on each other when waiting for weeks between raids. Those 'people' are nothing more than spoils we attained and like all goods, they were made use of."

"How deplorable! You degenerates would destroy the lives of others simply to sate your own needs and desires? There is a special place in purgatory for people such as yourselves and I intend of personally sending you there."

Gabriel was angry. She could hardly remember the last time she felt this way but that didn't matter. What mattered was how low these humans, her father's favored creations, had fallen. They no longer had the right be called children of Adam and she would rid the world of them.

"Wait, Gabriel."

"Naruto? Why do you stop me? This man-"

"I know. I can hear them. Their screams, pleas, and resignation. I can hear it all. I also hear them telling me to do it. They want me to get rid of him."

"Who? What are you speaking of, Naruto?"

She never got an answer because her friend had begun running towards the captain. The until-now silent quartermistress appeared partway to intercept him.

"You will not proceed any further, boy," she said with her blade poised to stab Naruto's throat.

"Out of my way."

There was a puff of smoke and the quartermistress found herself ahead of her original position with the redhead she was aiming for behind her.

Naruto, not wasting any time, executed a high-kick on the back of her head which knocked her to the ground and broke the bones in the lower part of her face. Fortunately for her, she was knocked out instantly and was saved from any followup pain.

"You're next."

The captain had seen his second-in-command downed with frightening ease. The apathetic eyes of the who dealt with her had yet to leave his own as their owner closed in on him. It made him angry. The way those eyes regarded him, the way they dismissed his very being, all of it enraged him.

"Don't get cocky, brat! You're a hundred years too early to be threatening me, let alone fighting me! Kaze Kaze no Mi: Twin Tornado!"

A pair of violent, twisting columns of wind erupted from his palms. He directed them towards Naruto and made them join together by connecting his palms. The result was a massive tornado that tore through the floorboards of the deck before impacting against Naruto.

A normal person would have been blown away and torn to shreds by the debris in the tornado but the young chakra user was not normal. By utilizing his chakra, he stuck himself to the floor to avoid being blown away and reinforced his body just enough to limit most of the damage by the tornado.

Despite surviving the initial impact of the attack, Naruto had to put all his effort into defending against the continuous stream of wind. He was making sure to keep his body rigid to prevents any part of it from snapping backward while slowly inching forward at the same time.

The captain noticed this and increased the power of his move. His target, in response, increased the amount of chakra he was using but his body was not used to using so much in a short burst so he was quickly approaching his limit.

"It's futile to struggle! I don't know what trick you're using, but it's obvious you're exhausted. You are only walking towards a painful death. Surrender now and I may consider making it as swift and painless as possible!"

"..."

"Why won't you answer? Oh, that's right, you can't! It's taking all of your concentration to withstand my ultimate attack. Your determination is commendable but you'll soon be dead and all of your efforts will be for naught!"

"I don't think so!"

"!?"

"Ugh!"

*Woosh*

The great tornado had been killed by Gabriel. Her holy-energy-infused spear had cut through the violent current of wind like butter and broke the technique. The backlash of having his technique disrupted caused the captain to be knocked backward. Naruto quickly overcame the pain induced by the holy energy and capitalized on the captain's current position.

He sped forward, aided by chakra, and tackled the flying body. Instead of painfully landing on the floor, the captain flew over the edge of the ship and headed straight down towards the water with Naruto falling alongside him.

"You bastard! Do you have any idea what you've done!?"

"What should have been done to you long ago."

Naruto sent a burst of chakra through his legs and out into the air to speed them up and adjusted his hold on the captain to make sure he fell into the water headfirst.

*Splash*

The two males penetrated the water's surface and dove quite a distance. After a while, Naruto let go and swam to the surface. Once there, he waited for the captain to come up but the older redhead never did.

He had drowned and his body was sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

---

*Yawn*

"...where am I?"

"You are awake at last, Naruto."

"Gabriel?"

Naruto once more found himself waking up with his head in Gabriel's lap. The soft sensation of her thighs gave him a great amount of comfort and the way she was running her fingers through his hair put him at ease.

"The one and only. It pleases me to see you recovered and in good health."

He looked towards her face - not that he could see it - and asked the question that was plaguing his mind.

"What happened?"

*Pinch*

"Ow! Ow! Gabriel! You're pinching my cheek too hard! Ow!"

"What happened you ask? Well, for starters, you disobeyed my instructions to stay behind me at all times and sneaked into the ship where you fought a giant of a man and got heavily injured in the process. If that was not enough, you took that wind attack head-on and then had the brilliant idea to jump into the ocean and hurt yourself even more!"

"I did all that?" Naruto asked in wonderment. From what Gabriel described, he was really reckless yet extremely badass at the same time.

"You do not remember?"

"Nope. The last thing I remember is walking deeper into the ship. Everything after that is really fuzzy."

Gabriel gained a contemplative look on her face. It only lasted for a few seconds before she shrugged it off and buried Naruto's face in her bosom.

"Mfff?!"

The young redhead struggled to break free but the sound of sniffling brought his efforts to a stop.

"I was frightened. When I saw you covered in blood with your body as bruised and battered as it was, my heart came up to my throat. You were so hurt, yet despite that, you kept pushing yourself and damaged your body further. It pained me just to see you like that. It was even more dreadful when I saw your wounds up-close while healing you."

"..."

He felt bad. Even though he didn't remember any of the things he'd seemingly done, he felt bad for making Gabriel sad enough to cry.

"Promise me…"

"?"

"Promise me you will not put yourself in danger like that again. You are my first and only friend, Naruto. I cannot bear the thought of losing you. I know this world is a dangerous place, and sometimes fighting is unavoidable. But please, think of those who care about you before putting yourself at risk."

Naruto stayed still for a little while before giving a small nod. Gabriel's mouth morphed into a small smile at the action and she tightened her hold on him.

"You do not know how happy that makes me. There is nothing more I want in this world than seeing you safe and sound."

He would have felt touched by her words was it not for the guilt that was filling his heart.

'I'm sorry, Gabriel. I'm sorry for lying. I'll try my best to stay safe like you want me to but if a time comes when you're in danger, I'll gladly put my body and life on the line to keep you safe. That's a promise of a lifetime. And even…if…'

"But do not despair. I will make sure to help you improve and get stronger, as the more powerful you are, the less likely you are to get hurt. What do you say?"

"..."

"Naruto?"

"..."

"Naruto? Oh no, you are not breathing! Did I miss something while healing you?! Wake up, Naruto! Please open your eyes! NARUTO!"

---

"You sure about this?"

"Certainly. These people have committed too many atrocities to be left alive. Their punishment shall be death by fire in this world and the eternal flames of Purgatory in the hereafter."

"It just doesn't feel right, y'know? I feel like there could be a better way."

"Such as?"

"I…don't really know. Like I said, it's a feeling."

Naruto and Gabriel were standing on top of their ruined ship, watching the larger pirate ship burn. It had been Gabriel's idea of relieving it of anything that was of use and then destroying it - with every pirate still on board.

To prevent any of them from escaping, the two had confined them to the cells they used for prisoners. As there were no prisoners on board, Gabriel had no qualms about setting the whole ship on fire after liberating the notes and maps in the captain's room.

Naruto had been curious about how they would set something huge on fire. He asked his friend if she knew any fire spells. She told him that angels could not use elemental spells like devils in as their bodies were designed to use only light. She did have quite a few techniques that had enough power to blow the ship up but, as she put it, he'd die if she used any of them anywhere nearby.

So what they did was empty all of the kegs of alcohol and let it spread throughout the ship. Then, Gabriel used a minuscule amount of holy energy - Naruto grit his teeth and silently bore the pain when she did so - to heat the alcohol at one point to ignite it. After that, it was only a matter of time until the whole ship was on fire.

While Naruto agreed that the pirates weren't good people and needed to be punished for what they did to people they captured, he felt uncomfortable with killing them. He felt he had a better punishment but nothing came to mind so he stopped dwelling on it and simply chose to watch the burning ship break apart.

"Now then, shall we be off?" Gabriel asked her friend with a smile on her face.

Seeing that, Naruto couldn't help but forget his own worries and smile back. "Yeah! But, where are we going?"

"Kyoto."

"Hmm? What's that?"

"It is the main territory of the Youkai faction. The strange energy you utilize is chakra, yes?"

"Yeah. I don't remember much from when I was fighting but I do know what I use is called chakra."

"And the only beings I know of that utilize chakra are Youkai. So if anyone can help you understand and learn to use your power, it will be them."

"Ooh! I'll train to master the hidden secrets of my mysterious power and become a badass!"

"Why would you want to become a bad donkey?" Gabriel asked with a tilt of her head. Naruto sometimes said things that greatly confused her, like right now.

"It means I'll become super cool!"

"Really? Well I for one think you are already really cool."

Naruto felt his cheeks heat up at that. His friend giggled at that causing him to blush more.

"W-well, anyway, let's get going!"

"Right!"

"..."

"..."

"So…how do we get there?"

Gabriel adopted a sheepish expression and rubbed the back of her head, a habit she picked up from her red-haired friend.

"I am not sure actually. I have only ever been to Kyoto once by teleporting to a nearby town and making my way there on foot. I do not know how to reach it from our current location. But worry not, I am sure that we will eventually find a way, all we have to do is take the first step and the Lord will guide us."

Naruto was initially skeptical but the earnestness in the angel's voice was such that he didn't see any point in doubting her. If Gabriel said they'd make it then they certainly would.

"Dunno if he'll like guiding me but we won't get anywhere if we don't start moving. I'm going on ahead!"

Naruto leaped from the ship and landed on the surface of the ocean. Ever since his fight on the pirate ship, he'd been able to walk on water with ease.

Gabriel waited until Naruto was a suitable distance away before bringing out her wings and taking to the sky. She caught up to him but remained a few hundred meters above his position.

This method of travel was devised by the redhead. He figured that since he could run on water, Gabriel could fly above him to not affect him with her holy energy and together the two could travel faster than they were able to on the ship.

And with that, the unlikely pair of a devil and angel began their journey to the land of Youkai, not aware of the chaos they would get caught up in along the way or the fact that it would be many, many, many, many, years before they got anywhere near their destination.

---

So…how's it going? You doing good? Me? I'm feeling great.

If you've reached the end then congratulations! You are a fan of mine and love reading the walls of text I throw your way.

I was initially planning to release this chapter around the 20th anniversary of One Piece (Good job Oda even though it's way overdue!). The first draft sucked and the second was no better. Around the time I was working on the third, and final, draft, I got invited for a month-long internship at a tech company. Naturally, I accepted so that really ate into my writing time. (An office job is not fun no matter what your parents say!)

Initially this chapter was planned to be around 5k words long. When I exceeded that I decided that it would be no longer than 10k words. I ended up going over that limit as well so I put my foot down on 15k and that was final.

I went over it…FML.

The next chapter will be a long one as well but after that, you'll be getting a handful of short ones before the next batch of long ones. I hope.

My writing will slow down - like it was ever fast lol - for some time since I'll be busy clearing my game backlog, watching anime I missed out on and reading a lot of new light novel releases.

So expect the next chapter to take some time.

In the meantime, to sate your desires for an update, I've prepared a preview of the next chapter, which I haven't even written a single character for! Yay!

Oh, and by the way, on the insistence of my owl, I am digitally prostrating before you, my audience, and asking for constructive criticism! Not that I need it or anything. My story's perfect. Right guys? Guys? Hello? Is anyone here? Where'd everyone go? I'm lonely.

See you all next time!

---

Next time on Whose Bright Idea Was It To Stick A Bunch Of Immortals Together?

"Man this place is awesome!"

"Naruto, come play over here!"

"Ehhhhhhhhhh…watch out!"

"Huuuuh…you're a cat!"

"Hey! Don't sleep over there!"

"I'll call you Naru! And you're Gab!"

"Youuuu won't like me when I'm angryyyyy!"

"Oh? So you're the one that insulted my possession. For that, I'll treat you to my special service!"