Misbehaving Puppies
By Silver Dragonfly
"Another Round!" Shanks called out gleefully as several of his crewman and a few locals cursed and groaned while the blonde-haired teen collected his winnings. The scene had become a familiar one in whatever port the Yonko and his crew made berth. They would find their choice tavern in the nearby village and settle in for a night or two of drinking, gambling, and a good time.
There had been a few minor incidents with locals who felt the pirates were cheating them, but when it was pointed out that the kid beat everyone, including their Captain, well, what more could they say? The kid was a good sport about it, and usually tipped the tavern staff well, which kept everyone happy. The Red-Haired pirates had always made it a habit to try to keep on friendly terms with their more favored ports and supply posts, after all.
No sooner had the round of drinks found their mates, and the well-used deck of cards been shuffled, than there was a bit of commotion at the doorway.
Several pairs of eyes watched casually as what appeared to be another pirate crew stumbled in through the doors and began shouting out orders for drink and food. The bartender glanced at those already present, and when they remained calm and unaffected, quickly set to serving the new patrons.
"So what's all this?" One of the new arrivals demanded as he studied the poker table and the large pile of winnings next to the blonde teen.
"Poker, of course; would you like to join us?" Naruto offered brightly.
The pirate scoffed, "Aren't you too young to be in here kid?"
Naruto only laughed, "My sensei always said if you were old enough to kill, you were old enough to drink. What do you say, Mister?"
The pirate snorted and pulled up a chair. As a few more of the new arrivals came over to see what was of interest, several of those already sitting offered up their places claiming they were done losing for the night.
Shanks watched, amused, from across the room. The kid had it down to an art; it was no surprise Naruto had managed to clean out his entire crew and himself that first night. He wondered idly if he'd get the chance to meet some of Naruto's surrogate family, if they ever did visit Naruto's home and the island of Uzu. He would love to meet whoever it was that taught the kid to gamble, or learn if the kid had been uncannily lucky from the start. His musings were interrupted, however, when Yasopp slid into the seat next to him.
"They're Puppies." The currently strawberry-blondish-haired man stated with tones of both amusement and disappointment. "They somehow managed to work their way through Paradise under the Marine's radar. Hell, they didn't even go through Fishman island to get into the New World. They 'legally' crossed the red line. From what Rockstar got out of a few, and what we overheard, they have the "wolf in sheep's clothing" act down to a science. Merchant ship on the surface; pirate cut straight through to the bones and down to the keel. As for strength, without knowing anything about who they may have faced or taken out, and with no bounties, it's hard to say. No mention of devil-fruit abilities though."
Shanks raised an eyebrow at the news, his eyes and senses passing over the newer arrivals a little more carefully this time than they had before, not that anyone outside of his crew would notice.
No further warning or orders would be needed. The Red-Haired crew knew what cues to watch for. They would keep an eye on these Puppies without seeming to, but they would not let the Puppies spoil their fun either. The bar served another round of drinks, and the friendly drinking atmosphere continued, unaffected by the darker undertones of the pirate patrons.
It was not until several hours later that the tension began to spark and snap.
"I don't care what you or your buddies say!" One of the pirates at the poker table snarled. "You're cheating, kid, and you're gonna pay for it!"
The man rose to his feet in a rush, upsetting the table and sending cards, drinks, and coins flying. His buddies rose on either side of him, all of them looking ready for blood.
Naruto blinked, "Hey now, there's no need for that. How about I buy you guys another round?" the blonde offered trying to prevent what he suspected would soon become a full-fledged bar fight.
"Oh, it's much too late for that." The man said darkly then lunged forward, bottle upraised and coming down at the teen's face quickly. The blonde caught the man's wrist and tried to untangle himself from chair and table. One of the others darted at his unguarded side forcing the blonde to twist and block the dagger with a kunai. The first man's other arm came down with a knife aiming for the blonde's shoulder and sliced into orange fabric. Time seemed to freeze and then the blonde vanished in a whoosh of displaced air.
The three would-be brawlers stared in open mouthed shock.
"Where did he go?!"
"What did you do to him?!
"A devil's fruit?!"
"How the hell should I know?! I only hit him with my knife and then he was gone!"
"Boss."
"How does someone just vanish?!"
"Boss!"
"BOSS!"
"What!?" The first man snarled once more and then froze as he took in their surroundings. He spotted several of the bar's other patrons pinning his crew against the walls and tables. The crewman who had called for his attention clutched a bounty poster displaying the blonde kid that had just vanished. The so-called Boss's eyes opened wide and an uneasy feeling spread up his spine. A throat cleared behind him and he slowly turned, taking in the crowd now surrounding him and his men. Weapons were drawn and not one of the surrounding individuals had a smile on their face. His gaze stopped to rest on vibrant red hair and he whimpered.
"My nephew," the red-haired man spoke slowly, "does not cheat at poker."
"I…"
"Oh, don't even try. There is no excuse you can make that will make this any better." A man that could only be the Red-Haired Pirate's first mate stated flatly. "In fact, it will likely only make it worse."
The cornered man whimpered and his crew members began to faint and crumple to the ground all around him.
"Ignorant, insolent, and foolish Puppies without anything to back it up do not belong in the New World. I think you should find your way back to Paradise, Puppy." The Redhead spoke slowly, his voice filled with disdain and mockery.
The 'puppy' promptly fainted and fell to the floor a dark puddle spreading from around him.
Several of the Red-Haired Pirates snickered. "Oh you got him good, Captain."
Shanks sighed and the tense air dissipated. "Raid their ship, boys, and give them a good sendoff back to Paradise." He wrinkled his nose as he approached the bar and sat down; letting his men get to work. The tavern owner set a glass and bottle before the red-haired man who nodded in thanks. "Sorry about the mess."
The tavern owner just nodded, then paused, "The blonde kid… he…"
Shanks smiled, "He's fine. It's a particular trick of his, is all."
The tavern owner nodded and smiled in return, he had liked the kid.
Thank you for reading!
One Piece and all its characters © Eiichiro Oda
Naruto and all its characters © Masashi Kishimoto
Special Thanks to my beta readers (and sounding boards): Blue Melodie, Mira Inazuma & Aria Ino.
Edit: One of my beta's got back to me with some additional tweaks and edits, just small grammar and a few word and sentance adjustments.