Meet the elite
Asuka knew that the Yonkos wouldn't meet at Alabasta because Whitebeard told her that she could meet them in Drum. It wasn't that far to sail to the winter island.
Asuka liked how the crew was like a family. They bickered and fought a lot. These 12 pirates remembered her of Whitebeard and her own crew, only that Naruto was their leader and didn't throw the overboard in a fit.
Naruto was happy to have somebody else than Sasuke willingly to fight against him and his devil fruit power. He had to experiment a lot with his wind to not accidently snuff out Asuka's flames completely and taking her breathing air. But the girl was stubborn and fought with everything she had. Once Naruto needed to put her out with a directed blast of Haoshoku Haki to stop her flames catching his ship. That was the first and last time he warned the woman that she needed to keep her temper in check.
Asuka held great respect. Nobody fought her off as easily as the blond, not even his other crew members and every one of them were incredibly strong. She didn't know if the young captain could match Whitebeard's power but she believed that the only thing that would hinder the boy was his experience.
The weather became colder and she took a walk on deck of the ship when most of the crew was under deck, sleeping, training or reading. She was surprised to find Naruto sitting in the figurehead of his ship and walked up to him. The blond, with the red streaks in his hair, seemed to meditate. She waited for him to notice her…
"You know, if I didn't know it better, I would demand that you would get back under deck. But you are a living heater." He snickered and she smirked.
"Says the airhead that can condition himself in the desert." She bit back and they laughed but she became once again concern.
"Why are you sitting out here? Shouldn't you be with your crew?" She asked him and he shook his head.
"Sometimes it is better for me to take my time out. I love them with all my heart but the wind is always on the run. It feels too closed in there. The wind cannot be contained, just like the sea or a wildfire. I need to meditate whenever my power gets a better of me. And it is the only time I can think about everything without concerning my friends."
"Thinking about what?" She asked curiously and regretted the question as soon as it left her. That was a too personal question…
"About my family, my career, how I ended up becoming a pirate. You should know I never wished to become a pirate at all." He told her. Naruto told her his story from his childhood to the day they met in Alabasta. Asuka somehow as touched and when she saw the small marine tattoo on the shoulder of her new friend that someone tried to claw off, she shuddered. And then… she told him her own story.
"It must be good to know your parents." Asuka sighed and Naruto snorted.
"My mom is a hothead. You and her would be good friends. My dad concerns too much in the world politics and my uncle is a goofball in disguise of a pirate leader. I should have listened to them. Then a crew full of good men wouldn't be gone." The blond captain said and looked up into the clear blue sky that started to darken.
"But without these experience you would have never meet your friends. One door closed, another one opened. Be happy with everything you have." She said and patted her temporally captain's back. Naruto smiled at her and waved her off.
"Our captain is head over heels into the fire chick." Ino squealed and danced around the table. The crew was happy that their friend found someone. All girls on their ship were already in relationships. Hinata and Kiba, Ino and Choji and the last couple were Sasuke and Sakura. The other males didn't bother to get a girlfriend because most of the already had their liaisons back home. The only really single on was their captain.
"Ino, be quiet." Sasuke moaned. The Uchiha had a bit too much booze the day before and still nursed his headache because Sakura denied him to heal a headache.
"But it is true! See! They are talking a lot to each other and he smiles at her! Not the normal cheeky smile. It is a smile full of love!" She said. The crew rolled their eyes and ate in silence.
They reached Drum and Naruto smiled at the sight of the Red Force and the Hirashin. His own ship was docked next to these two and Naruto puffed his chest. The Hi no Ishi was a sight by herself and for him she outclassed the other ships.
"Airhead, stop aweing at your ship and walk! It is freaking cold out here." Sakura growled at him and he dodged a swing directed at his head.
"Aw, Sakura, look at the sight! Ya know, we'll maybe never see the Red Force, the Hirashin and the Hi no Ishi in the same port again!" He whined and she wacked her captain.
"Move!" Sasuke barked and they walked into the city. They just had to follow the biggest noise in the village to find the Yonkos. They had rented a tavern and now the crew members wrecked it.
"Kiba behave!" The blond demanded when the feral man's eyes glinted in joy. Naruto bit back his anger because Asuka had left them as soon as she spotted a fellow Whitebeard Pirate. Naruto entered the tavern and was followed by his crew. He felt the glances off the other crews and he searched for familiar faces. Soon he found the masked one of Kakashi, his adopted brother.
The silver haired man looked up from his cards when a shadow fell over his table.
"Can I help you? That is a private gathering." Kakashi asked and let one hand wander to his tanto.
"I am hurt, aniki. I am truly hurt. Don't ya remember me?" The blond said in a faked hurt tone and grinned widely.
"Naruto." The silver haired pirate breathed when he saw the marks on the blond's cheeks. "You are alive! You are truly alive! Your father never tried to hope that the pirate that named himself Namikaze D. Naruto would be you! He thought you died near Sabaody Archipelago!" The man said and hugged his little brother.
"Are we welcomed now? My friends are tired and would like to have one or another round of good old alcohol." The blond captain asked and Kakashi nodded. The crew scattered and took their places around, playing cards or bickering with other pirates. Naruto seated himself next to Kakashi and stretched his leg underneath the table.
"It is truly good to see you again." Kakashi mumbled and Naruto nodded. "It is good to be back."
They sat in silence and watched the crews fooling around, waiting that their captains came back.
The first captain that appeared was Kaido who gathered his crew and left ASAP. Naruto ignored it and waited for the next. Whitebeard marched through the tavern and was happy to find his daughter back in his crew. He and his pirates went to one corner of the inn and talked to each other. That only left Shanks' and Minato's crew with Naruto's own.
The other captains took their sweet time and Naruto decided to doze off.
Shanks' forehead wrinkled at the sight of people he had never seen. He found 12 people that didn't belong to the Yonko crews but when his sight landed on a whiskered man that dozed next to Kakashi his concern vanished.
"Kushi-nee, look who is here to greet us." Shanks whispered in his sisters ear and gestured to Kakashi's table. The redheads eyes widened at the sight of her son who she believed was dead until know. Shanks gestured to her to silently get Minato and she nodded. The older Uzumaki gestured to Kakashi to leave which the scarecrow did willingly and seated himself next to his nephew. Soon a wide eyed Minato and a giggling Kushina followed his lead and they sat at the table. Shanks saw the eleven interested glances of the unknown crew and smirked at them.
"Naruto, wake up or you mom is going to kick your ass!" Shanks barked out and the blond nearly jumped.
"No, please kami, not the cold water mom!" Naruto screamed out and everybody in the tavern barked in laugher. Naruto glared at the usual idiots of his crew but he felt the aura of a lot of people he knew and missed.
"I am going to kill you, Shanks." The tall young blond growled and elbowed his laughing uncle.
Naruto turned to his mom and dad and his hard glance softened. He had missed them so much. Kushina nearly threw the table away to reach her son and she hugged him. Minato was included into the embrace and smiled softly at his family. As soon as everything settled Naruto told his tale to his family and introduced his crew. Most of them weren't too eager to greet the two Yonkos and Kushina personally so they only waved when their name came up.
"What happened to your hair, Naruto? Don't tell me that you are dyeing it!" Kushina asked sternly but the blond held his hands in surrender.
"The red streaks came after I awakened my Haki! They are naturally, mom. Shouldn't you be glad that I got something from you?" Naruto asked and she shook her head.
"Kushi-nee doesn't want her Sochi as a red head. I am hurt Kushi! My crew is named the ´Red Haired Pirates." Shanks said in a mock hurt tone and snickered only to be smacked by his sister.
"That is your own fault. You clearly didn't choose the right name." She growled at her childish brother and waved him off. Shanks mock-cried and the two blond captains laughed at him.
Suddenly Edward 'Whitebeard' Newgate stood at their table and grabbed the youngest blond by his coat. The Konoha Pirates jumped up from their seats and readied their weapons but Naruto gestured them to stay put.
"You are the guy that helped Asuka in Alabasta and brought her back?" Newgate asked Naruto who nodded and slowly gathered his devil fruit power. The tiny wind blades didn't do much to the hard skin of the old pirate and he scoffed.
"That would be me. Please let me down, there are three crews ready to strike and I don't want to cause a national conflict!" Naruto asked the tall man who let him back to his feet. The blond took a deep breath and faced the strongest man alive.
"I want a simple match, boy. Just to see how powerful the next generation of captains is." Edward asked and Naruto nodded against his mother's wish.
"Edward, please reconsider. I don't want to pick my son up in pieces." Minato tried to get the other Yonko out of his funk but the tall Whitebeard ignored his fellow Yonko and leaded their groups out of the tavern to a frozen lake that gave enough space for them. Shanks just patted Minato's should but the blond captain growled at him.
"Relax Minato. Both of them have to limit their powers because they are standing on a lake. Whitebeard just wants to test him. And Whitebeard's devil fruit is weaker than Naruto's Logia type. He cannot hurt your son physical." Shanks explained but the blond Yonko still scowled at the sight.
Naruto was surrounded by his friends. They have him tips that he didn't really needed our encouraged him to give his best. He would make them proud! Their concern warmed him and he smiled at every single one of them. Sasuke even gave him his trusted sword since Naruto let his own on the ship. The Kusanagi was a tad to light for the blond but he could handle the katana since he and Sasuke tended to switch blades whenever they needed a heavier or lighter sword. He smiled when his wind element surrounded the already sharp blade and sharpened even more.
Naruto looked up to Whitebeard who was twice as tall as himself. And swallowed the lump in his throat. That would be a fight he was going to remember.
"Ready?" Kakashi asked the two of them and received nods. He jumped out of the way and both pirates attacked. Edward's bisento clashed against Naruto's katana and the younger boy had to force a lot of power in his muscles to hold Whitebeard's strike but the blond grinned smugly when his wind grooved sharp edges into the blade of the other weapon. With a dark grow and another push of power he destroyed it and got a surprised cry from the watchers.
"Nobody could ruin my weapon until now." Edward muttered and threw the rest of his bisento away. They switched to hand-to-hand combat, Naruto's personal favorite way to fight, and charged their punches with their Busoshoku Haki. The blond smirked, dodged Whitebeards attack and in the last moment a dagger made out of wind appeared in his hand and he slashed at Newgate's bare chest. First blood was his.
"Enough. You showed me enough. Let's stop here before someone is getting hurt." Edward barked and he jumped back, the wind vanishing around his body. The blond nodded thankfully for the fight and sighed. It took a lot out of him and he needed to go back on Chakra to hold Whitebeard's attacks at an equal term. The young blond man knew that he wouldn't hold a candle to the experienced pirate in a real fight. The man had seen three times more of the sea in his 72 years and still could fight like his prime.
The Konoha Pirates cheered for their captain and even the other crews clapped for the achievement that the youngest captain of these three could match with Whitebeard. Naruto smiled brightly and let his crew fuss around him. He gave Sasuke his katana back. The raven haired swordsman nodded in silent approval, and bickered with Kiba that the fight wasn't as easy as it looked like.
Then Whitebeard approached them again and smiled. The new thin wound that Naruto left in the man's chest wasn't bandaged but it already stopped to bleed. All of the Konoha Pirates knew that a small wound like that didn't bother the tall man. It was just a scratch but the strongest pirate alive was proud that a pirate of the new generation was able to get first blood in a sparring match. A promising young captain non less.
"I approve your strength, Arashi no Namikaze. And i want you to take Asuka with you." Newgate said and shocked his own pirates and the Konoha crew.
"Father?!" Asuka yelled but was ignored.
"I know about her plan to catch Blackbeard but I am not willingly to let a brat drag me around the globe for petty revenge. You on the other hand seems to like herding cats." Whitebeard laughed about his own joke and got a growl and a bark from Akamaru and Kiba.
"My crew is my family, Whitebeard. I endure them and they endure me!" The blond laughed back and ignored the protesting yells of his friends.
"That's the spirit!" Edward said and pushed Asuka on the side of the Konoha Pirates.
"We'll see each other again, Asuka. Maybe then you can match me a bit more." Whitebeard said and left. Asuka cried when she saw her old captain leave and Naruto comforted her in promising her that they would meet them again.
The crews moved back to their ships and Naruto laughed at the faces his parents and his uncle made when they saw the Hi no Ishi. His ship was still the most beautiful ship in the harbor. He commanded that he crew would ready the ship because they would leave the haven by midnight. Shanks walked next to him and snickered.
"From a nutshell to a ship worth for the next king of the seas! What a beauty. But what is up with the name? Hi no Ishi?" Shanks asked confused and Naruto smiled.
"I am the wind to fan the will of fire. I am watching and defending my precious people and only together we can illuminate the world. It is a believing from the people in Konoha, the village I ended up after I shipwrecked. It may seems bold but I claimed that island and hopefully when my adventure ends I can settle down there. It is a beautiful place." Naruto told him and the red haired pirate nodded.
"With Asuka…" Shanks nagged and Naruto blushed which only increased Shanks laughing fit.
"I. Hate. You." Naruto said Naruto growled and tried to walk away but Shanks stopped him.
"Here, take this with you and raise the flag. It gives you my protection on the sea." Shanks explained and gave the blond a small flag with the Red-Haired Pirates jolly roger but Naruto shook his head and gave it back to his uncle.
"I am my own man now, Shanks. I'll not sail under another pirates flag for all the money and protection one could promise me." The proud young captain said and walked to his ship. With a ´gust of wind the blond appeared on the figurehead of the Hi no Ishi and waved him his goodbye. Shanks sighed but watched the young crew leaving the port.
He hoped he would see his nephew again…