Here we go, chapter 12. And I was remiss last chapter by not mentioning that we would be returning to the Straw Hats this chapter, so I apologize to anyone who was looking forward to more of Matatabi and Myukuru. We'll get back to them another time. But now, the Straw Hat Pirates are about to reach their first stop on the Grand Line. Let's see what happens.
Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or One Piece
Ch 12: Welcome to Whiskey Peak
Exhaustion was all Naruto knew, and he was sure the rest of the crew shared that feeling. Even for the high energy Uzumaki, the chaos the Going Merry had sailed through in the past hours had pushed him to the limit.
Only a short while after leaving the Twin Capes, the weather turned cold, and snow began to fall. At first things were harmless, with Luffy, Usopp and Naruto engaging in an impromptu snow sculpture contest, which ended when Luffy decided his snowman should punch Usopp's snow queen, thus starting a snow war.
The wintery fun soon ended as Nami burst from the cabin, where she had been holed up to hide from the cold, to order them to turn the ship around. Somehow, the waves of the Grand Line had flipped the Merry's course. And from there, things got worse.
The winds shifted, now more spring like. But they weren't the sign of calmer seas, as the wave grew larger, fog rolled in and icebergs threatened to crush the ship. Nami shouted orders from her spot on the upper deck, as the crew, even their mysterious passengers, worked to combat the ever increasing insanity.
After what seemed like hours of fighting the sails to keep their course, holding on for dear life as giant waves threatened to capsize the Merry, and rushing around patching up holes in her hull, the seas and winds grew calm. And once Nami stated that they were on the right course and the skies were clear, did they all slump to the deck.
Only then did Zoro wake up from his nap.
"That was a good nap," the swordsman said as he stretched the slumber from his limbs. He cocked his eyebrow when he saw everybody was down for the count.
"Hey, I know the weather's nice, but you guys all can't laze about like this."
He turned his head towards Nami, who was rested on the upper deck, her arms hanging boneless over the side, "Are you sure we're still on course?"
Naruto wasn't sure, but he thought her heard the navigator swear breathlessly at Zoro, still too burned out to fully verbalize her displeasure with him.
Zoro, blissfully unaware of Nami's ire, noticed Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday.
He frowned, "And why are you two on our ship?"
"We're giving them a ride to their town," Luffy said, from atop the upper deck's railing.
"Are you even tired Luffy," Naruto muttered as he pushed himself into a seated position, his legs reflexively folding into the lotus position.
Zoro, either not hearing Naruto or ignoring the blond ninja, addressed Luffy, "You know we're not obligated to give these guys a ride or anything, right?"
"Ya, I know," came Luffy's carefree response.
While Zoro struck up a conversation with their passengers, though from his tone and posture it was more of an interrogation, Naruto settled into a meditative respite. As he calmed his breathing and stilled his body, his inconstant perception of people's emotions flared to life. Only his hard fought sage training allowed him to maintain his focus in the face of this sudden sensory input.
'Whoa,' Naruto thought as he ran his extra sense over his crew mates, mainly feeling phantom echoes of exhaustion from the crew, though he could feel growing rage from Nami and cautious suspicion from Zoro. And rocketing fear from their two guests.
Naruto focused on them, vaguely noting that Zoro seemed familiar with them in some way. While both were radiating fear, the emotions from Miss Wednesday were far more intense and complex, almost like two different flavors of fear mixing together.
'She's afraid of whatever Zoro knows about them, but there's something more. Why is she more freaked out than her partner?'
His musings on Miss Wednesday were cut short when a wave of rage crashed into his perceptions followed by a knock of pain when Nami slammed her fist into Zoro's head.
Naruto jerked out of his meditation as Nami berated Zoro for sleeping through the insanity, beating him over the head a few more times for good measure.
"Alright," Nami addressed the crew, "I finally understand how terrifying this ocean is, and why they call it the Grand Line. I understand that because all my skills have been useless here!"
"Uhh, "Usopp interjected, "Are we going to be fine?"
"Yes, we'll be OK," Nami said, "Things will work out one way or the other. As proof, just look over there."
She pointed out over the bow, where a dark shape loomed in the foggy distance, "Looks like the first leg of our journey is over."
"Hey," Luffy exclaimed as the fog broke, "It's an island. With giant cacti!"
Luffy had already leaped to his spot on the Merry's figurehead, manic grin splitting his face, as the rest of the crew gathered behind him.
"So this is Whiskey Peak," Sanji said.
"Thank goodness we arrived alive," Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday exclaimed in unison, before they jumped onto the ship's railing.
"Now then," Mr. 9 said, "You can drop us off here."
"Thank you for us here, my honeys," Miss Wednesday continued.
In sync, they said, "If fate wills it, we'll meet again. Bye bye, baby!"
And then they jumped into the seas below, much to the shock of the crew.
No time was spent on the strange actions of their former passengers as they drew neared to the island, electing to sail up a river to dock inland.
And while most of the crew argued over whether there may be monsters on the island, and that they may be stuck on the island for a while while the log pose resets, Naruto approached Zoro.
"Hey, what was up with you and those two weird guys, Seems like you knew them."
Zoro shrugged, "They reminded me of some guy that wanted me to join his organization a few years back. He used a number for a code name too. The whole group's about secrets; no real names, they don't even know who their boss is, or where he is. And they don't take no for an answer."
Naruto sighed, "Great, another secret organization that might want to kill me."
Zoro raised an eyebrow and Naruto shrugged, "Long story, I'll tell ya later. Think the island's a trap?"
"If those two live there, yeah, we might be heading into trouble."
"We gonna tell the others?"
"Nah," Zoro said dismissively, "you guys look like you've been through hell. No point of making them panic over what might be nothing."
Naruto nodded, "You'll be keeping your guard up?"
"A true swordsman never lets his guard down."
No ambush came as the Going Merry sailed up to the town along the island's river, only the joyous cries of townspeople as they welcomed the pirates. Before long, they were swept up by the party atmosphere as food and drink freely flowed, all provided by the town's mayor, a man with curled hair named Igarappoi.
What followed was hours of partying and merrymaking as day fell to night and each of the crew eventually fell into food and liquor induced slumber, with Nami lasting the longest, failing her 15th drinking contest against a dark skinned nun.
"My what a lively bunch," Igarappoi said as he gazed up at the cacti that rose over the town, "O' how beautiful the cactus rocks are, as they dance again, beneath the moonlight."
"Quite the poem, Mr. 8," came the remarks of Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday as they jumped down from a rooftop, "The pirates..?"
"Oh, they've fallen," the newly identified Mr. 8 said, "Fallen into hell that is."
The door to the building the Straw Hats were in opened as the nun Nami had drank against exited the building, complaining about the pirate's drinking skills.
"Miss Monday," Mr. 8 greeted the woman.
The now named Miss Monday ripped off her habit, reveling shocking pink hair, "I don't get why we didn't just crush them at the harbor. We aren't exactly overflowing with food, and I doubt we're getting any whale meat soon."
"Hey, don't talk about us like that," Miss Wednesday said, indignant.
"Yeah, we tried out best," Mr. 9 added.
"Now calm down, all of you," Mr. 8 reprimanded his colleagues, pulling out a bounty poster from his coat, "I've done my homework on this crew. Look at this."
He showed them Luffy's bounty poster, drawing shocked gasps of the others.
"That glutton's worth thirty million Beri," Miss Monday said, shirking off the rest of her disguise, revealing her muscular form clad in a checkered dress.
"Let's not judge a pirate's strength from his appearance," Mr. 8 cautioned them before clearing his throat, "But this will make for a great report for the boss. Now go and collect what valuables you can from their ship and tie up those pirates. The government will take off thirty percent of the bounty if we hand them over dead. I guess they like having live criminals to execute."
Before they could set about with their tasks, a voice sounded from above them.
"Sorry, but if you could let my friends sleep a little longer. They're quite tried from the trip here."
The four number and day named agents looked up at the voice, even as their subordinates burst out from where the Straw Hats were resting, shouting that one of the pirates had gone missing.
Mr. 8 stared up at Zoro, mouth agape, "How..? You were passed out cold from all the drink you had!"
"What kind of swordsman would I be," Zoro said with a smirk, "If I let a little drink take control of me. So that's your game, set up a town of bounty hunters and take advantage of overconfident newbie pirates."
He paused to look out over the assembled crowd, "Looks like there's about a hundred of you. You'll make for fine opponents, Baroque Works!"
Naruto jerked up when he heard the cacophonous ring of gunfire. A quick look around the room relieved no enemies, but also showed that the crew's swordsman was absent.
"Guess Zoro sprung the trap," he mused, "or they were ready to capture us."
The rest of the crew remained asleep, oblivious to the fighting outside. Naruto stretched out the stiffness in his arms, his face thoughtful.
"Should I go help Zoro," he thought aloud, thinking back to their brief conversation back on the Merry. More shots rang out, followed by distance screams of pain. "Sounds like he's handling things well enough. Maybe I can find something about what those guys are about."
He still couldn't shake the feeling that something more was going on than agents of some secret organization acting as bounty hunters and whalers. There was something that weighed heavily on that Miss Wednesday that he couldn't get off his mind.
He slipped out of the building, pulling on his years of ninja, and pranking, training to so without a sound, and took to the rooftops in a blur of motion. He moved away from the sounds of Zoro battling the town's bounty hunters, heading away from the center of town. He soon found himself high atop on of the rock formations that dotted the island. From his high perch, he noticed a ship docking at a small inlet a fair distance from the town.
"Now who's coming to town this late at night," Naruto muttered as he hurried over to the newly arrived ship, "Reinforcements, maybe?"
Naruto slid to a stop and hid behind a rock as two people disembarked from the vessel. The were a man with a long, brown coat with a "5" emblazon on the left breast and a women in a yellow dress and matching hat holding an open umbrella.
"Can't believe we have to come all the way to the edge of the Grand Line," the woman complained, twirling her umbrella idly.
"We shouldn't be here long," he partner replied as he adjusted his sunglasses, "We'll deal with the traitors and then we can present the Boss with the fruit we found in that wreck. I can't imagine he won't be please that that little bonus."
'Traitors,' Naruto thought, 'Is that what was weighting on Wednesday? She's a traitor to their organization.'
Naruto remained still as he thought about what to do. The pair continued up the path towards the town and Naruto stealthy circled around the rock to remain unseen. Then an avian cry sounded above him. Naruto turned his gaze skyward to see a vulture circling above him.
'Is that bird wearing goggles,' Naruto pondered before a horrible thought entered his brain, 'Wait, what if they're with…'
He jumped away from the rock right before it was shattered by an explosion. Naruto flipped back, drawing a kunai as he landed, facing his enemies. The male of the pair stood with his hand extended, outstretched towards the smoldering crater that was once his hiding place.
'Great, he's got some exploding power.'
"What do we have here, Mr. 5," the woman said, "some random pirate separated from his crew, all lost and alone?"
"I don't care who he is, Miss Valentine," the now named Mr. 5 said, picking his nose, "dead people don't matter."
He then withdrew his finger, a booger sticking to it. He took aim at Naruto and launched his mucus.
"Nose Fancy Cannon!"
Naruto jumped to the side on reflex and the snot shot sailed past him and impacted on another rock, detonating immediately.
Naruto looked at the new crater his face a mix of disgust and shock.
"A snot bomb," he said incredulously, "Oh come on! At least that Deidara bastard use clay."
A flicker of shadow drew Naruto's attention upward and he gulped as Miss Valentine dropped down from above. He rolled out of the way barely missing her descending form. The yellow woman's impact shattered the ground with a dull thud and Naruto reeled away form the debris.
'Crap, that was like Granny and Sakura's super punches. But how the hell did she do that? Did she kick the ground before she landed.'
Sick of only dodging attacks, Naruto went on the offensive. He rushed at Mr. 5, his eyes trained on the bomb slinging man's trigger finger. Mr. 5 fired his shot, and Naruto jumped in time, up and to the right, throwing his kunai in the next second.
The snot bomb sailed harmlessly under Naruto while his attack flew true, aimed dead center. Mr. 5 made no move to dodge and only cupped his still extended hand.
"Bomb Hand!"
A blast emanated from his hand, the shock wave knocking Naruto back and deflecting his kunai. The ninja, gritting his teeth, quickly regained his footing and shot forward, hoping a quick counter attack would catch his opponent off guard.
Naruto burst through the smoke his open hand already twisting upwards as he thrust it into Mr. 5's chest.
"Spiraling Strike!"
The open palm strike hit the dark skinned man before he could react. The man was knocked back, spinning as his feet left the ground. He was still spinning as he crashed into the cold ground. Naruto was about to follow up his assault when he heard, "Ten-Thousand Kilo Press!"
He quickly dove away as Miss Valentine slammed into the ground again, kicking up more dust and debris. The umbrella carrying woman jumped back into the air, floating above Naruto.
"Kyahahaha," she laughed, "How long do you thing you can keep dodging my blows. My Kilo-Kilo ability can make me weigh up to ten thousands kilograms. Just a glancing hit could turn you to paste."
She dropped down again and Naruto leaped up to avoid the impact.
"I can keep this up all day, lady," Naruto taunted, drawing a kunai.
"You don't have all day, sweetie," she taunted back, "In fact, I think you'll be done right about, now!"
"Nose Fancy Cannon!"
Naruto turn his head towards where Mr. 5 stood, his finger flicking a booger right to where Naruto was. Naruto quickly brought his arms into a defensive cross against his body right before the explosive bit of mucus ignited as it struck him.
The blast filled the air with light and sound and once it faded, Miss Valentine took to the sky, floating high above the battlefield, eyes narrowed in search of their blond adversary.
"Kyahaha," she laughed in sadistic glee, "I think you launched him into the ocean."
She landed next to her partner, who was adjusting his coat.
"That blond bastard almost got in the way of our mission," Mr. 5 said, "Let's hope there aren't any more surprises. Let's go."
Naruto gasped for air as he broke the surface of the water, his hands grasping the hull of their ship. Mr. 5's last attack as propelled him clean over the ship and into the water below. He worked to still his breathing as he waited for any sign they knew he was alive. Minutes passed before Naruto let out a sigh of relief.
"Guess they think I'm dead," Naruto said quietly as he fished put a pair of kunai and began to scale the ship, "Wish I could still tree walk."
A few minuets later, Naruto landed on the deck, eyes sharp for any sign of Mr. 5 or Miss Valentine. Finding that they had left the area, he relaxed a little and went over his options.
"Those guys are going to fight whoever is their traitors are and only Zoro's up as far as I know. And even at full speed, I don't think I can beat those two into town. I need some kind of edge."
Naruto's eyes lit up as he recalled what Mr. 5 had said before he had been alerted to his presence. "He said something about a fruit for their boss. A Devil Fruit! Maybe, maybe..."
Naruto looked at his hands. "All I've got right now is my taijutsu, and I know it's not weak, but I never was the powerhouse like Lee or Gai Sensei, not without my Sage or Kyubii modes anyway. And we're just going to keep running into people with weirder abilities the more we travel. I think I'm going to take the gamble."
His mind made up, Naruto stalked over to the lone door on the ship and wrenched it open.
"Cocky bastards, don't think they'll be here long enough for anyone to break onto their ship."
Naruto slipped into the cabin and kept his eyes peeled.
"If I was a pair of evil secret agent types on a mission to kill some traitors, where would I hide valuable things," he mused aloud, his eyes landing on a picture of a bowl of lemons. He tore the picture frame of the wall, revealing a safe flush with the wall.
Naruto tried to handle, but this they had locked. The combination dial taunted him as he pondered how to get this safe open.
"I don't think I can stab it open," he muttered as he idly toyed with the dial. He stopped short when he heard the small click from the lock. He looked at the safe as a grin broke on his face. In a flash, he pressed his ear to the cool metal.
'OK, Naruto, nice and slow.'
He worked with a precision he didn't know he had, carefully turning the dial around until he heard the telltale click. He repeated the process in the opposite direction, slowly spinning the dial, as sweat built on his brow.
Then, click, and the door opened.
Naruto peered into the safe. Inside were a number of papers, several stacks of Beri, a small, worn book and atop the book was a peculiar fruit. It was a vibrant red, no larger than one of Nami's tangerines and covered in a swirling pattern.
Naruto gingerly picked up the Devil Fruit and eyed it carefully.
"One bite, right," he said quietly, "And I'll get some kind of power and the bad guys won't."
Before he bit into the fruit, he placed it down on a small desk and emptied the safe, pocketing the cash and paper. When he picked up the book, however, it fell apart. He scrambled to pick up the pages, stopping when he saw what was written on them.
'….The carvings speak of the village shaman,' it read, ' and the power he wield. He could project some form of entity from himself, like an echo of his own presences. It seemed able to interact with the world. I'm certain it's the work of a Devil Fruit…'
Naruto scoured the remaining pages, hoping to gain more clues on the nature of the Devil Fruit he held. Many of the pages were a ruined mess, most of the words washed away. He found one page that perhaps could enlighten him.
'… The carving called the entities spirits. That seems an apt description, from what I've translated, each entity bore differing forms and powers based on what they were called from, shaped by the varied experiences imprinted on them… Spirit Spirit Fruit, seems like that would be a good name for it.'
Naruto slipped the pages back into the book and pocketed it carefully. He picked up the now named Devil Fruit and eyed it critically.
"Spirit Spirit Fruit, huh. I never really liked ghosts but Old Man Sage wasn't so bad. And I guess I can't really be picky."
He took a breath.
"Bottom's up!"
He took a large bite of the fruit, his face immediately contorting as the horrible taste burned into his tongue, his eyes watering to the point where he couldn't see. He forced the fruit down his throat and let out a pained gasp.
He coughed as he gagged, "That was the worst thing I've ever tasted. I need some ramen to wash out that taste."
For a moment he didn't feel any different and he wondered if somehow it was a dud. Then a sensation rippled though his body, starting in his core and radiating outward. The feeling past, but Naruto felt something else, a sort of weight in the back of his mind.
Naruto touched that new part of himself and power flowed through him. He instinctively ran the power down his right arm and gasped as his forearm was lit up in transparent yellow flames. They swirled around his arm tightly, ending in a ball just larger than his closed fist. He brought his left hand to the ghostly flames and let them lick it. The flames carried the warmth of fire, but his skin didn't burn.
Naruto focused on the spinning flames and willed them to go faster. In a moment, his arm looked like a flaming drill and his closed fist the legacy of his father and teacher. He snapped his arm back in dramatic fashion, extinguishing his power. A fierce smile bloomed on his face.
"Time for round two!"
And it's finally here, Naruto's Devil Fruit, the Spirit Spirit Fruit. I won't tell you how long I've work on making this fruit. And before you ask, his fruit is different from the likes of the Soul Soul Fruit and Revive Revive Fruit, but I will say that they, along with the Shadow Shadow Fruit, are a sort of Devil Fruit family. Related, but different. And there's still more for Naruto to uncover about his new powers.
Next time, Naruto catches up to the Mr. 5 pair, but things have taken a turn for the complicated. And how did Zoro fair against the bounty hunters of Baroque Works? Tune in next time. See ya!
