Naruto hadn't been expecting to receive a new mission so quickly. He wished Kakashi could have found someone else to transport Orochimaru's body. Although it was less than a day's sailing to Enies Lobby from Leaf Island. That was probably part of the reason he'd chosen them for this task.
Normally he wouldn't be so eager to be finished with a task, but something about being around Orochimaru's unmoving, barely breathing body was disconcerting to him. He didn't know what it was, as he wouldn't say he was afraid of the former Shichibukai. It was just that being around it seemed to cause him a dull headache. Whatever was going on, he'd be glad when they could hand off the body.
Naruto, however, was not about to let a simple headache stop him from getting to work on learning Haki. They'd hardly set sail before he found an empty spot on the deck and began his training. But now that he'd been at it for several hours, he was beginning to get frustrated.
Naruto didn't think he was making any progress. But even worse than the lack of progress was the fact that he couldn't be sure. He'd assumed he'd be able to feel something, much as he'd felt Blackbeard's own Haki, but he wasn't even sure that was the case. The old man had given him some basic advice on focusing his will and projecting it outward, but he hadn't even mentioned how Naruto would know if it were working.
The whole situation really just wanted to make him hit something. A particular bucket that happened to be sitting near him seemed all but fated to be pounded into sawdust when it was saved by the ship suddenly lurching to starboard. As it continued to turn, Naruto stood up to complain to whomever was steering the ship. His harsh words were cut short as a quick glance revealed no one standing by the helm at all.
In confusion, Naruto walked over to helm, allowing him to see what had happened. Kiba's body was lying prone on the ground, hand still gripping the wheel he must have held onto as he fell. That explained the sudden turn. Inspecting the eternal pose that Guy had delivered along with Orochimaru, Naruto resumed the correct course before checking on Kiba. But a quick examination showed nothing wrong with the young lieutenant.
"You fell asleep at the wheel?" Naruto asked Kiba, not that he really expected an answer.
Naruto kicked him roughly out of the way, but when even that didn't wake him, he decided to leave Kiba there. Hopefully he'd wake up with a few aches and pains from sleeping funny. Maybe that would teach him not to doze off on the job.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes somewhat irritably, Naruto climbed above deck. Not even a good night's sleep had been able to rid him of his headache. After giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the morning sunlight, he spotted Nojiko leaning over the railing and gazing at the ocean.
It wasn't unusual for her to up before him; she usually was the ship's earliest riser. The oddity was in the fact she'd found nothing to occupy her. Usually she would be busy with cooking, target practice, or simply reading the news, if a paper had been delivered.
Naruto wasn't always the best at reading people, but something just seemed off about the way she was slouching over the railing like that. And being the captain, he supposed it was his responsibility to see if anything was going on. Decision made, he walked over to where she stood.
"Is everything okay?" he asked her.
She jumped a bit at his question, spinning around to face him.
"Oh, Naruto," she replied. "I didn't realize you were up yet."
"It looked like you were pretty deep in thought," he told her.
"Yeah, it's really nothing serious," she responded. "I was just thinking about Nami. I mean, I know she has to be alright, but I can't stop myself from worrying. We haven't heard anything about her crew since they left for Sky Island."
"Well, we don't usually get a lot of news from Sky Island," Naruto replied, hoping to cheer her up. "But they didn't seem like the type to keep a low profile. I'm sure as soon as they're done with whatever they're doing up there we'll be hearing all about it. I'd wager we won't have to wait long either."
"Thanks," she told him. "I know you're probably right, but I just wish I had something to keep me distracted until we do."
"We should be arriving at Enies Lobby any time now," Naruto pointed out. "It's supposed to be incredible to look at. Where else can you find Islands floating over a pit with waterfalls on every side?"
"I appreciate the effort," Nojiko told him, "but are you really trying to cheer me up by going on about a heavily fortified marine base? One where pirates like my sister are tried for their crimes?"
The smirk on her face betrayed that fact that, contrary to her words, he had succeeded in cheering her, somewhat.
"Sorry, I guess I didn't think that through," Naruto answered jokingly. "I could tell you about Impel Down if you prefer."
"Jerk," she declared as playfully punched him in the arm. "Although, truth be told, I am sort of looking forward to seeing Enies Lobby."
"Land Ho!" Naruto's clone called down from the crow's nest.
"Looks like you won't have to wait long," he replied.
The two of them walked to the prow of the ship, able to see the small island off in the distance. Naruto motioned up to crow's nest where his clone responded by tossing down the telescope. Catching it easily, Naruto held it up to his eye to get a better look at the landmass they were approaching.
"That's odd," he said out loud. "It almost looks as if there's smoke rising from the island."
"Let me see," Nojiko requested.
Naruto handed her the telescope and she stared through it for a bit herself.
"Is it just me, or do those buildings look damaged to you?" she asked after a while.
His curiosity now in full gear, Naruto took the telescope back for another look. The island was still far off, but he was able to make it out better than the last time he'd looked. And it quickly became clear that Nojiko had been right. And this looked to much worse than simple poor maintenance.
"Go wake the rest of the crew," he ordered two of his clones, who had been loitering around them trying to overhear what was going on.
Nodding they ran off to do as he'd ordered. Shino made his appearance so quickly that Naruto wondered if he'd already been on his way up. But it was a few more minutes before Kiba, Akamaru, and Tashigi were led above deck by his clones.
"This better be important," Kiba complained irritably. "It's too early to be getting up for anything less than an emergency."
Naruto didn't immediately answer, the sight before him having drawn him in almost hypnotically. In the time it had taken for them to arrive, they'd moved close enough to see the true extent of the damages. To sum it up, Enies Lobby was entirely in ruins. He couldn't spot a single building left standing that wasn't at least half collapsed or missing an entire wall.
But even without a reply, Kiba and Tashigi were soon joining him in his impression of a fish, as it was now apparent even to the naked eye that something was very wrong.
"What happened?" Tashigi asked, finally breaking the collective silence.
"I don't have a clue," Naruto answered.
But her words did snap him out of his stupor. So he began to search the area around the island for any sort of clue. But the only thing he saw was a single vessel, and it was a marine battleship. It didn't seem likely they had anything to do with the destruction, but maybe they would know what was going on.
"There's another ship over there," he told them, pointing out its location. "Let's see what they have to say about this."
It didn't take long to reach the other ship and pull up alongside it. A large officer, sporting a mustache and a Mohawk of some sort, moved to the edge of his ship to address them.
"I'm Vice Admiral Momonga," the man called down to them. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm Captain Naruto," he replied. "We were sent to deliver the prisoner Orochimaru to Enies Lobby, sir. If I might ask, what exactly happened here?"
"There was a pirate assault," Momonga replied. "It was instigated by Straw Hat Luffy, with the help of a band of criminals from Water 7."
"What happened to the pirates?" Nojiko demanded of him a bit more forcefully than could be considered polite.
"I'm afraid all of them escaped," he answered, thankfully not seeming offended by her question.
The man's news almost caused Naruto to doubt his own hearing. A group of pirates attacked one of the most heavily fortified marine compounds in the world, lay waste to it, and then escaped unharmed?
What exactly was this criminal organization that had helped him, the Yonkou? The scary thing was, that getting their aid almost seemed plausible compared to Luffy's crew doing this with just a local group of thugs to help.
"What should we do with Orochimaru?" Naruto asked, deciding to switch topics since he was getting nowhere trying to grasp just what had happened.
"Ah," Momonga said, slapping a fist into his palm. "I should have realized it when you first said you had him aboard. I knew I recognized your name from somewhere. You're the young marine who captured him in the first place, aren't you?"
"That's right," Naruto said proudly.
Next to him, Kiba coughed loudly and gave him a nasty look.
"Although I did have the help of my crew," he quickly added, realizing they deserved some credit as well.
Well, most of them did. He wouldn't have minded stiffing Kiba, as Naruto still had the strong urge to disembowel him for his recent actions. Wait, disembowel? For a moment there, he'd almost felt a genuine bloodlust. The headache must be affecting him more than realized.
"Well, I'm looking forward to seeing what your career yet holds," Momonga told him. "As for the prisoner, transfer him to my ship and I'll see that he reaches Impel Down."
"Right away, sir," Naruto saluted.
The exchange of the prisoner went smoothly, and as their ships pulled apart, Naruto was pleased to find that his headache was already receding. Without it distracting him, maybe he'd have a chance to sort through the recent revelations.
"I told you they survived their trip to Sky Island," Nojiko pointedly declared to Shino.
"Their survival doesn't prove they went to any such place," he responded. "The far more likely conclusion is that Blackbeard was lying about their departure."
"We have more important things to worry about than how they survived," Tashigi interjected. "They just took out Enies Lobby. We can't let them get away with that."
"You don't really believe they did this, do you?" Nojiko asked. "I'm sure there's more going on here than we've been told. They mentioned a criminal organization from Water 7. They're probably the ones behind this, and the Straw Hat Pirates are just taking the blame."
"Whoever did it, Tashigi is correct that they should be brought to justice," Shino announced. "While we can't be certain they returned there, it might be valuable to take a trip to investigate Water 7."
Shino and Tashigi were right. While Naruto had no real desire to cause Nojiko any undue emotional harm, this was something that simply couldn't go unpunished.
"Yes, let's set course for Water 7," Naruto ordered. "We'll bring the culprits to justice, whoever they may be."
"Fine," Nojiko replied belligerently. "Since I know Nami had nothing to do with it."
"Aren't you forgetting that we don't have an eternal pose that will take us there?" Kiba asked.
"There are tracks for a sea train that lead from Enies Lobby to Water 7," Shino told them. "We can follow those tracks to our destination."
"Then let's do so," Naruto proclaimed. "We need to show them it isn't that easy to mess with the marines and get away."
Nami could hardly believe what she was hearing. Franky had used the money he'd stolen to buy this legendary wood, and now he was going to use it to build them a ship. Although she might have to take a look at this blueprint of his. Anything Franky came up with was liable to be weird to the point of being embarrassing to ride in.
Everyone else looked pleased by his proclamation, but most of them didn't even have a sense of shame. They'd probably ride in giant clown ship and find the whole thing amusing. Nami, however, had much higher standards than that.
Nami was about to make her thoughts known when the door flew open and a number of figures rushed through. Her heart skipped a beat when she the flash of an officer's coat.
"Nobody move!" the officer ordered loudly.
After Nami had been given enough time to get a look at just who had barged in, a second beat was passed over by heart..
"Nojiko, what are you doing here?" she asked loudly.
"Hey, Naruto, Nojiko, it's good to see you again!" Luffy proclaimed, his broad smile showing he was completely oblivious to the situation they were in.
Looking around the room, she found she recognized most of her sister's companions. The one wearing the marine coat was their captain, Naruto. The wild looking one with tattoos on his face was Kiba. The swordswoman who had seemed upset about letting them go last time was Tashigi.
She couldn't recall the dog's name, but that hardly seemed important. There was also a new face, or part of a face technically as some of it was obscured by a pair of sunglasses and a high collared coat. He was the biggest unknown factor so she'd have to keep an eye on him if things got ugly.
"You know what we're here for," Naruto declared. "We came to bring you to justice for what you did to Enies Lobby."
"Naruto!" Nojiko berated. "We're supposed to find out who's really responsible. It was that criminals from here in Water 7, right?"
"You'd better not be talking about us," Franky shot back angrily. "Because we're not the ones at fault for this mess."
"And none of us were behind it," Sanji added. "We were just rescuing Robin-chwan. It was your own marines that destroyed Enies Lobby."
"That's ridiculous," Tashigi replied. "Why would the marines destroy their own island?"
"It's called the buster call," Nami told them. "CP9 was determined to stop Robin from escaping, no matter what the cost."
"There's no such thing as CP9 or a buster call," Naruto insisted stubbornly. "You should try to come up with a better lie than that. Even if the organization was real, why would they care so much about a single woman?"
"It's not a lie!" Nami shot back. "And if you want to know why they care, maybe you should start asking around about the Void Century and see what sort of reaction you get from the marines."
"Void Century?" Naruto asked dubiously. "Are you just going to keep making up terms in hopes you'll confuse me? I should warn you, I've never been the type to believe in crazy conspiracy theories."
Having been distracted by the argument, Nami only then noticed that Kiba had been slowly creeping over next to Sanji. She tried to call out a warning but was too late, as Kiba had already sent a fist into the side of the unprepared cook's face, knocking him to the ground.
"What was that for?" Sanji yelled out angrily as he jumped back to his feet.
"I never had my chance to pay you back for our last encounter," Kiba answered with smirk.
Just great, it looked like fighting had already broken out. What else could go wrong? Nami should have known better to ask that question, even in her thoughts. For almost as soon as she had, a wall burst inward letting another marine officer inside. This one was a large man considerably older than anyone else in the room.
"Garp!" Naruto called out in surprise.
He didn't say Garp, did he? He couldn't possibly mean that Garp, could he?
"Naruto?" he replied. "What are you doing here?"
Rather than answer, Naruto simply took on a new aura of confidence before turning back to them.
"You may as well surrender," he told them. "You might have stood a chance of escaping before, but there's no way you can deal with a vice admiral and us at the same time."
Nami wasn't certain she disagreed with his assessment. She only hoped she could convince Luffy to run rather than fight. She turned to her captain to make her suggestion only to find him in the middle of a nap while still standing on his feet.
"When did you fall asleep?" she shrieked angrily at him.
But while she'd been talking, Garp had already begun making his move. Franky and Sanji made an effort to block his path, but the elderly man slipped past them as if they were standing still. Almost before Nami had realized he was moving, he'd reached the still sleeping Luffy.
She was at least relieved to see he was using his fist to attack, which was no threat to Luffy. His fist collided with the top of Luffy's head waking him. Although to Nami's surprise, he did seem to be rubbing his head in pain.
"That hurts," he proclaimed. "What did you do that for, grandpa?"
The whole room was brought to silence for a second as his words were being processed.
"He's your grandfather?" Nami asked, hearing nearly everyone else in the room shouting out their own variation of that question.
"Yeah," Luffy confirmed.
"Anyway, what are you doing as a pirate?" Garp berated him. "I trained you to be a marine."
"And I told you I was going to be a pirate!" Luffy fired back.
"You let that stupid red head poison your mind!" Garp shouted at Luffy.
"Shanks saved my life, don't speak about him like that!" Luffy yelled out angrily.
"Sir, shouldn't we discuss this after we capture them?" Tashigi suggested.
"We already told you, we weren't the ones that destroyed Enies Lobby," Nami insisted, hoping that Garp might go easy on them since Luffy was his grandson.
"We'll see about that," Naruto said. "Garp, they claim CP9 was behind what happened at Enies Lobby. You're a vice admiral, so you'd be sure to know of any such organization if it existed."
"Never heard of it," Garp answered. "Sounds made up to me."
"See," Naruto answered smugly. "You shouldn't have used such a transparent lie. You could have at least claimed it was CP7 or something like that."
"That wouldn't have helped," Garp argued. "CP7 sounds just as fake."
It was Nami's turn to feel smug. She was going to enjoy rubbing this in Naruto's face. Maybe it'd teach him not to doubt her word.
"Looks like your source of information isn't all that reliable," she quipped.
"You're just kidding, right?" Naruto asked. "You do know that CP1-8 are real, don't you?"
"Are you sure?" Garp asked. "I think I'd have heard of them if they really existed."
Nami's smile grew even wider at Naruto's obvious frustration.
"Yeah, and it's a ridiculous name," Luffy interjected. "Who would actually believe in a place called CP9?"
"What are you saying?" Nami yelled at him. "We fought them ourselves."
"When did we do that?" Luffy asked, scratching his head.
"Back at Enies Lobby," she told him. "You remember, Rob Lucci, Spandem and all of them."
"Are you sure that was CP9?" he asked dubiously.
Nami clenched a fist in frustration.
"You two really are related, aren't you?" she asked rhetorically.
"He's nothing like me," Garp protested. "If he was he would have become a marine instead of a pirate. After Dragon, I hoped Luffy at least would listen to me. But he's proven to be just as rebellious as his father."
The room was shocked into silence a second time as Luffy's relationship to the leader of the revolutionaries was announced.
"Your father is Dragon?" came simultaneous cries from numerous occupants of the room.
"I have a father?" Luffy cried out after the initial roar had died down, being a little slower on the uptake. "And who is Dragon?"
"Ah, that was supposed to be a secret," Garp answered, not sounding very remorseful.
"Luffy, I'm coming!" Nami heard Zoro calling out from outside.
"Oh, that's Luffy's crew member isn't it?" Garp asked. "You two, try to stop him."
"Yes sir," two young looking marines that had come in with Garp replied.
The two of them ran toward Zoro, attempting to intercept them. He easily blocked their attacks but had to twist his torso to the side at an odd angle to avoid getting skewered by a thrust Tashigi sent his way. Nami hadn't even noticed the other woman had followed the two boys until just then.
"What are you doing, you crazy woman?" Zoro questioned her.
"Stop!" Garp ordered. "I didn't say anything about you attacking him. Now get back here this instant."
Tashigi looked reluctant, but sheathed her sword and followed orders. The two boys stopped their attack as well, one of them approaching Luffy.
"Wow, I'm still no match for Zoro," he declared. "Anyway it's been a long time, Luffy, Zoro. Do you remember me? It's, Coby."
"Coby?" Luffy asked. "I have a friend named Coby, but he's smaller than you."
"I am that Coby," the boy replied.
"We're not here to catch up on old times," Tashigi complained. "I don't mean to keep repeating myself, but when are we going to capture them?"
Tashigi was really starting to get on Nami's nerves.
"We're not," Garp answered simply. "I'm letting them go."
"What?" Tashigi screeched. "You can't be serious."
"I'm completely serious," Garp answered.
Honestly, Nami was about as shocked as Tashigi. She was hoping he would hold back to hide the fact that he was letting them get away, but to openly say they could leave?
"I can't accept that," Tashigi declared firmly. "Even if Luffy is your grandson, he's still a pirate. And regardless of who's responsible for most of the damage in Enies Lobby, he still attacked it, right?"
"Yeah, I don't think I've ever beat up so many people at once," Luffy confirmed.
"You're not helping!" Nami shouted, running over and slamming him over the head with her Clima Tact.
"You're beginning to bug me," Garp told Tashigi. "I suggest you shut up and do what I say."
"Or what?" Tashigi asked sharply. "You'll report me for insubordination?"
"No, I'll hit you until you stop whining," Garp threatened.
"We're going to have to let it go this time," Naruto told her, apparently a bit more levelheaded than his subordinate."
"He is your superior officer," her sister chimed in. "You are supposed to follow his orders right?"
"Fine," Tashigi finally said. "Just let the pirates escape. Why should marines worry about pirates after all?"
In a final act of defiance, Tashigi stormed off out the hole in the wall without even asking for leave to depart.
"Tashigi!" Naruto called out after her, before following her retreating form.
"I'll try to meet up with you later," Nojiko told Nami, giving her a quick hug before following after her captain.
The rest of their crew soon filed out after them, although Sanji was sending Kiba nasty looks as he departed. She was almost worried he was going to attack his retreating form.
"Goodbye," Luffy waved happily as they left. "Nice to see you again."
"You should get busy fixing that hole you made," one of Garp's marines told him.
"What?" Garp asked. "I don't want to. You guys fix it."
"You're the one who made it," he replied. "We'll help you fix it, but we're not going to let you get out of the work."
"Alright," Garp conceded. "I guess we should find some tools and materials.
"Naruto really is a nice guy," Luffy declared after Garp had left. "He came all this way just to see us. Most of the other pirates we run into seem to be jerks, so I'm glad they're not like that."
"Wait, you did realize he was wearing a marine uniform, right?" Nami asked him.
"Yeah, that was pretty funny," Luffy agreed. "You may not have noticed, but my grandpa is pretty dumb. Naruto just had to wear a uniform as a disguise and he thought he was a marine."
"Should we tell him?" Nami asked the rest of the crew as Luffy was busy laughing at his grandfathers 'stupidity.'
"It's probably kinder not to," Zoro replied.
"Tashigi!" Naruto called out running out of the hole Garp had created and after the young woman.
However, if she'd heard his words, she was ignoring him, continuing to head away from the building. Getting a little worried, he hurried after her. Despite her brisk pace, Naruto quickly caught up to Tashigi, which finally convinced her to stop.
"Look, I'm sorry about what happened back there," he told her. "Garp isn't always the easiest person to deal with."
"He's not just hard to deal with," Tashigi replied. "This is the first time I've ever seriously considered disobeying orders."
"Before you do anything rash, let me give Kakashi a call," he suggested. "Maybe he'll be able to do something about this."
"Alright," Tashigi agreed. "It's better to go through the proper channels if we can."
"Great," Naruto replied.
He then quickly switched places with a clone he'd left back on the ship. He had to admit, this new trick was very convenient. Although he was a bit nervous about actually calling Kakashi.
He'd refrained from reporting in after they'd completed their mission, afraid that Kakashi might not allow them to go to Water 7. But he'd promised Tashigi, so he couldn't back out now. Going to the den den mushi, he picked up the receiver and made the call. It took surprisingly little time for them to get Kakashi on the line.
"I'm afraid I have some dire news to report," Naruto began. "Enies Lobby has been destroyed."
"I know," Kakashi answered. "There's hardly a marine officer who hasn't heard the news yet. That Luffy really is a bold kid isn't he? But back to your report, what happened with your mission."
"I was able to hand off the prisoner," Naruto replied. "He's being taken directly to Impel Down. After the transfer, we gave chase to the Straw Hat Pirates and are currently in Water 7."
"And did you find them there?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes," Naruto answered. "But Vice Admiral Garp is here as well. And it turns out that Luffy is his grandson."
"Really?" Kakashi queried. "I guess I can see why Luffy is such a troublemaker now."
"And if you think that's surprising," Naruto continued, "you won't believe just who bridges the generation gap between them."
"Oh, now I am intrigued," he replied.
"Luffy's father … is Dragon," Naruto said as dramatically as he could.
He was greeted by silence for several seconds on the other end.
"Actually, that explains a lot," Kakashi muttered.
"What does it explain?" Naruto asked, a bit confused.
"That's not important," he answered. "Anyway, I take it Garp is giving you trouble."
"That's right," Naruto confirmed. "How did you know?"
"He's Garp," Kakashi said simply. "That's what he does."
"I suppose that's true," Naruto agreed. "And he's forbidden us from capturing the Straw Hat Pirates. He insists that we let them go."
"Well, I can't override his order myself, but I will get in touch with someone who can," Kakashi promised. "Until then, stay put in Water 7, and keep an eye on them. You should probably run some surveillance on Garp too."
"Understood, sir," Naruto confirmed. "I'd better go see what they're up to now."
"Very well," Kakashi told him. "I'll call if the situation changes."
Hanging up, Naruto switched back with the same clone, finding himself again next to Tashigi. While he'd been gone the rest of his crew had caught up as well.
"Kakashi's orders are to stay here and keep an eye on Luffy," Naruto announced. "He's going to see about getting Garp's orders overturned."
"I thought that might be wise, so I'm already tracking them," Shino declared. "They haven't yet moved."
"Okay, Shino is being weird again," Kiba claimed, prompting Shino to send him a look.
Despite, or perhaps because of the look being as emotionless as ever, Kiba looked a bit intimidated by it.
"But putting him aside for the moment," he continued a little nervously. "That's a pretty neat new trick you have."
His memories from the clone told him it had already explained to them how he was using his clone as a sort of teleportation power.
"I like it," Naruto replied proudly. "Anyway, we can't act yet, but we can come up with a plan for what to do if that changes. So let's get busy."
With Shino assuring them he could track the Straw Hat Pirates, the crew was currently making their way back to the ship. As they walked, Naruto, Shino, and Kiba were already in the middle of a discussion about what they knew about Straw Hat Pirates.
Were any of the unknown people who had been with them new members of the crew? What did they know about their fighting abilities if anything? Those sort of questions. Nojiko, however, couldn't bring herself to pay much attention to the conversation. Partly because she was disgusted that they were still acting as if a fight with Nami and her crew was a foregone conclusion.
The other reason, however, was Tashigi. The swordswoman had fallen a good way behind their group and still seemed quite disturbed by what had happened. Despite Nojiko being as pleased by Garp's decision as Tashigi was depressed by it, she couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the other woman. Deciding to do something, she turned around and retraced her steps until she was next to Tashigi.
"Come to taunt me?" Tashigi asked bitterly.
"Not at all," Nojiko replied. "I was actually hoping to console you."
Tashigi just looked at her dubiously.
"I won't lie and say I'm not happy we're letting them go," Nojiko continued. "But I do respect how strong your sense of justice is. I just wish you'd realize that good and evil isn't as simple as marine and pirate."
"I'll admit that there might be a few marines who don't join for the best of reasons," Tashigi conceded. "But pirates are pirates. You choose to become one. What is calling yourself a pirate if not a declaration of ill intent?"
Nojiko really didn't think this debate was helping either of their moods. So it time to try another tactic. Moving in front of Tashigi, she turned around, walking backwards as they slowly moved along. She wanted a good look at Tashigi's face for this conversation.
"I think you need to get all of this out of your mind for a while," she suggested. "Do something to distract yourself."
"What exactly would you suggest?" Tashigi asked.
"I don't know," Nojiko replied, grinning mischievously as she pretended to think about it. "Maybe you could ask Naruto on a date."
Tashigi stopped dead in her tracks at the suggestion, getting a look that could almost be described as horror on her face.
"W-what are you saying?" she asked. "Even if I wanted to, which I don't, do you think I could just do something like that so easily?"
"It's not that hard," Nojiko assured her. "Just say something like this."
Nojiko cleared her throat as if preparing for a major theatrical performance.
"Naruto," she began. "As long as we're stuck here, I was hoping to have a look around Water 7. So I was wondering if you'd like to come with me."
Tashigi must really have been uncomfortable about the whole situation. She wasn't even looking Nojiko in the eye anymore but seemed to be staring at something behind her.
"Sure, that sounds fun," Naruto answered from behind her, startling Nojiko as she spun around. "Just let me tell the guys where I'm going and I'll be right back."
Naruto walked off before Nojiko even had a chance to say anything.
"I didn't realize he was back there," Nojiko assured Tashigi as she turned to face her once again."
"You don't have to explain anything to me," Tashigi replied icily. "If you want to go on a date with Naruto that's none of my business."
Great, now Nojiko needed to straighten things out with both Naruto and Tashigi. Actually, maybe she didn't have to. It would be difficult to explain things to Naruto without giving away how Tashigi felt about Naruto, and Nojiko had no intention of being that cruel to her.
So maybe she should actually take some advice from Kiba. Judging by the daggers Tashigi was glaring at her, going on a date with Naruto might be just the shove the young woman needed to make her own move.
"Well, if that's how you feel, I guess I might as well enjoy myself," she responded. "I mean you said yourself you weren't about to ask him, so one of us may as well have some fun."
If Tashigi's glare had been sending daggers her way before, she was being rained on by cannonballs now. She almost expected Tashigi to openly challenge her right there. But she somehow restrained herself, allowing Naruto the time to return.
"So, where would you like to go?" Naruto asked.
"Actually I was thinking we could get something to eat first," she replied. "We passed a place not too far back that caught my eye."
"That sounds good," he told her. "I'm pretty hungry myself."
So they departed, leaving Tashigi behind. Earlier, Nojiko had been too worried about Nami to pay much attention to the scenery. Now, however, she was surprised by how damaged the city looked.
Compared to Enies Lobby's state, it was practically pristine. From a more absolute point of view, however, it was clear that there was junk just lying all over the streets and more than a few buildings looked to have sustained real structural damage.
But they soon came to the restaurant she'd told him about and entered the building. As nice as it had looked outside, inside the restaurant was a mess. There were only a couple of tables standing, despite the fact that is looked made to handle at least 10 of them. The rest of the room was pretty barren save for a large pile of what appeared to be junk in the corner.
Said junk pile contained a number of broken chairs and tables, explaining why so few were left. She and Naruto stood just inside the entrance for a while not sure how to react. But a smartly dressed man quickly approached the pair looking pleased to see them.
"Forgive the appearance," he told them. "I haven't had a chance to fully clean up from the Aqua Laguna. However, we are open and I assure you the quality of the food hasn't suffered in the slightest."
The man almost forcefully ushered them to one of the tables where they sat down as he handed them some menus. One thing she could say about the restaurant was that the service was great. She supposed that was to be expected when they were the only customers.
That didn't stop her from enjoying their own personal waiter or how quickly the food arrived after they'd ordered. Both of them had opted to try the local specialty meat. Although Naruto had gotten the prime cut mizu mizu meat while Nojiko had settled for a salad that featured it.
"This is really good," she told him, after trying her meal. "It's nice to get out and enjoy a restaurant from time to time."
"Yeah, it's pretty good," Naruto admitted. "But it's hard to get too excited. The whole crew is spoiled by your cooking, it's almost like eating every meal at a restaurant. Although I suppose it is nice for you to not have to cook it."
Nojiko hadn't been expecting such a compliment. Was he just trying to butter her up because they were on a date? No, she'd expect such behavior from Kiba, but Naruto didn't seem the type. Besides, he'd already gone back to eating, seeming more interested in his food than in her.
"I'm really not that good," Nojiko replied humbly. "There's not even all that much I know how to make."
"Well, the stuff you do make really is good," Naruto assured her. "And you can always expand your repertoire. If you're worried about it, maybe we can grab you a cook book or two before we set sail."
"That might not be a bad idea," she agreed.
They quickly finished off the meal and were brought the bill.
"I've got it," Naruto quickly told her, taking out his wallet.
"Are you sure?" Nojiko asked. "I am the one who wanted to eat here."
She felt it was only polite to offer to chip in, but secretly she was hoping he wouldn't take her up on it. Her own funds were dangerously low.
"There's no need," Naruto told her, allaying her worries. "You're part of the crew but you don't even get a salary. It's only fair I take care of these things from time to time."
Thanking him, she got up and left the restaurant as Naruto finished paying. As she did, Nojiko thought she caught movement on a nearby roof, but it was so brief she wasn't entirely certain. Even if she hadn't imagined it, it was probably just a bird or something, so she put it out of her mind.
"Now that we've eaten why don't we explore the city a bit," Nojiko suggested to Naruto, who had just followed her outside.
"Sure," he answered simply.
They resumed walking around the city, but Nojiko couldn't bring herself to pay much attention to the scenery this time. That flash of motion must have spooked her more than she'd realized, because she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. Despite being cognizant of how silly she was being, she couldn't resist the urge to quickly look over her shoulder to see if anyone was there.
When she did, she had to smirk at what she saw. She hadn't been imagining things after all, as this time she'd been able to get a good look at Tashigi before she ducked behind a chimney. She must consider this her business despite her words to the contrary, not that Nojiko found that at all surprising.
"If you don't mind my asking," Naruto began, interrupting her thoughts, "why would your sister join a pirate crew when it was pirates that killed your mother?"
It seemed Naruto just couldn't let go of the fact that he was being forced to let Luffy and his crew run free. Well, maybe this would be a good opportunity to get it through his head that they didn't deserve to be imprisoned.
"Don't misunderstand," she answered. "My sister always hated pirates more than anyone. After all, killing our mother was hardly the end of Arlong's crimes. He enslaved and oppressed our village for years. And beyond that, Bellemere wasn't even our real mother. Nami and I were the only survivors of a pirate attack on our original village."
"That doesn't answer my question at all," Naruto complained. "If she hates pirates so much, what would possess her to become one?"
"That just goes to show you how different Luffy is from a normal pirate," Nojiko replied. "If Luffy had even a drop of the cruelty that pirates are known for, Nami would have been the first to put a stop to him."
"That still doesn't explain what happened in Enies Lobby," Naruto told her stubbornly.
Nojiko fought down the urge to argue further. While she did, she spotted a sign shaped like a book, hanging from a building further down the road. That created an opportunity for some small mischief. She only hoped Tashigi was still shadowing them.
"That looks like a bookstore," she declared to Naruto. "How about we go see about those cookbooks?"
Grabbing his arm, she began pulling him along, speeding up into a jog. Tashigi would probably have a hard time with stealth if she meant to follow them on the roofs at this speed. They were about halfway to the store when she heard a large crash from an alleyway behind them.
"What was that?" Naruto asked, startled by the noise.
Nojiko was just trying to determine that herself, seeing that the alleyway was pretty wide, with a large gap between the buildings. Could Tashigi have injured herself missing the jump?
"We should go look," Nojiko suggested, worried about the other woman.
The two of them hurried over and peered down the alley, but all they found was a pile of garbage containing what appeared to be rotting produce. If Tashigi had fallen, at least she was well enough to make a quick getaway.
"Maybe it was a stray animal," Naruto speculated.
"Something like that, I'm sure," she replied, fighting back a smirk.
There were no further distractions prior to reaching the bookstore. Somehow, the owner had managed to protect most of the books from water damage. Thanks to that, Nojiko was able to find a couple of cookbooks that had some recipes she wanted to try. Naruto was kind enough to buy both of them for her. They didn't have all the ingredients they would need, however, so they did some quick shopping as well.
They ended up walking around a good portion of the city finding everything, considering how few places had reopened since the storm and the limited stock many of the stores that were open had.
By the time they'd finished they were both more than ready to return to the ship. Naruto sent a couple of clones ahead with the groceries while the two of them walked back at a more sedate pace.
"Thanks for inviting me, I had a lot of fun," Naruto told her.
"I did too," Nojiko replied.
She wasn't just saying that to be polite, either. This may have just been a way to motivate Tashigi to act, but she'd found it to be an all around pleasant experience. It was too early to tell if this would prove the push that Tashigi needed, but judging from Tashigi's actions, it wouldn't be motivation that was lacking if she didn't.
"Great, then we should do this again sometime," he suggested.
Before she could answer, a blur passed through her vision. The object causing said blur fell into one of the waterways creating a large splash. She almost thought it had looked like a human. And while she hadn't gotten a good look, she could think of only one person who would be hanging around on a nearby roof while being clumsy enough to fall from it. At least she had water to break her fall this time.
"We can talk about that some other time," she responded. "Let's just go back to the ship for now."
She was unable to hide her smirk this time, but that was no cause for concern, as Naruto was facing the other way examining the source of the splash. He was looking in the wrong place, however, as Nojiko spotted a familiar head quickly bob above the water for air much further down the waterway.
Naruto soon gave up and the two of them turned back toward the ship. Or Nojiko did at least, Naruto decided he wanted to go check on what Garp was up to, wished her well, and departed.
When Nojiko arrived at the ship, she was a little surprised to see that Tashigi had beaten her back. Her present state, however proved a source of amusement to Nojiko, seeing as her clothes were currently soaking wet and quite filthy.
"I'm back from my date," Nojiko announced, trying not to laugh openly at Tashigi's appearance.
"Oh, that's right, you were on a date," Tashigi replied with feigned disinterest. "I'd forgotten. I was too occupied with all the important work we have to waste time on such frivolous activities."
"Important work like swimming?" Nojiko quipped.
"I just slipped, that's all," Tashigi fired back sharply. "Now if you'll excuse me I'm still quite busy."
So saying, Tashigi spun around to head below deck, but Nojiko placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
"You have a tomato in your hair," she informed Tashigi.
Finding that there really was a partial tomato matted into her hair where Nojiko had indicated, she quickly removed it, her face turning almost as red as the offending vegetable. Tashigi once again turned to march away, but her efforts to do so in a dignified manner were somewhat hindered by the giggling that Nojiko could no longer suppress.
It didn't take long for Naruto to find a marine who could direct him to Garp. As he neared his destination, however, he began to have second thoughts. His past experiences with the man left him a little jumpy.
He had to keep fighting the urge to activate Tekkai just thinking of him. But he resisted his body's instincts and continued on. When he entered the building, he found that Garp was indeed there, currently stuffing his face at an unsightly pace.
"Ah, Naruto!" Garp called out when he entered, spraying food out of his mouth that he hadn't even bothered to swallow before speaking. "I'm glad you came."
"I trust you've been keeping up with your training," he declared, continuing to eat as he spoke.
"Of course," Naruto assured him.
Garp would probably be surprised by just how far Naruto had come since they'd last met.
"Then let's see how much you've developed your Tekkai," Garp suggested.
Without even waiting for a reply, he leaped out of his chair and over the table, pulling his arm back for a punch as he approached his target. Already having been on edge, Naruto prepared his Tekkai in moment, planning to take the attack head on. However, as Garp neared him, Naruto's senses were assaulted by an aura of some type that felt very much like what Blackbeard had used before making a pincushion out of him.
Not wanting to see what a Haki aided punch from Garp would do to him, Naruto quickly dodged out of the way, letting the vice admiral's punch break a hole in the wooden floor.
"Why did you dodge that?" Garp asked in annoyance.
"You were using Haki!" Naruto shouted angrily. "You don't expect me to just stand there and let you beat me up, do you?"
"Ah, that's right, Tekkai doesn't work against Haki," Garp declared. "I forgot about that. Anyway, where did you learn Haki?"
"I only know about Haki," Naruto admitted. "I've been trying to practice it myself, but I'm at a bit of a loss. It just doesn't feel like anything is happening."
"You can't feel your own Haki," Garp informed him. "Haki is about will, and it's not like you want to hurt yourself."
"Really?" Naruto asked excitedly. "So you just need to train with someone else to see if you're making progress?"
"Yeah, like this," Garp declared, turning to another marine who was standing guard at door.
Garp just stared at him, but the man looked as if he'd taken a physical blow. His eyes then rolled up into the back of his head and he fell to the ground unconscious.
"Is he alright," Naruto asked worriedly.
"He'll be fine," Garp assured him. "He'll probably wake up in a few hours."
Wait, that time Naruto had assumed Kiba had fallen asleep while steering, hadn't he been in the middle of practicing his Haki? Perhaps he'd been making much more progress than he'd realized.
"Great, then let me know if you feel anything," Naruto told Garp.
Then he sat down on the floor and tried to remember what he was doing right before the ship had lurched beneath him. He was so focused that he only had a moment's warning of an incoming attack, not giving him time to anything but put up a hastily formed Tekkai. One that did little to protect him from Garp's blow.
The aging man's punch sent him into the building's wall, which hardly slowed his progress as he continued his flight. He finally landed on pathway and rolled along it, burning off enough momentum that the wall of the second building was able to stop him. Although whoever owned it might want to check that spot's structural integrity. Naruto was sure he'd heard something crack and he was hoping it wasn't one of his bones.
As he climbed back to his feet he saw his tormenter standing about a hundred feet away in the hole of the building he'd just left so dramatically. At least Garp didn't use Haki this time. Although whether that was out of kindness, or so Naruto wouldn't sense it coming, he didn't know. Regardless, the man was laughing uproariously at the sight of his own handiwork, which didn't do much for Naruto's mood.
"What did you do that for?" He asked angrily.
"Do you think your opponent will let you sit down and meditate?" Garp queried. "If you can't use Haki in a real battle it's useless. Now get back in here and we can continue where we left off."
Naruto reluctantly complied. Although he was muttering to himself about idiots who've never heard of taking things one step at a time as he went. This should prove to be good training … if he actually survived it.
Their time spent watching the Straw Hat Pirates had proved an unexpected stroke of good fortune for Nojiko. She'd been spending as much of her time as she could with Nami. Although their first meeting hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped. She'd been planning to floor her younger sister with the news that they'd captured one of the Shichibukai, keeping to herself the fact that she hadn't actually participated in that fight.
To be fair, Nami had been shocked by the news. But it was Nami who got the better end of the exchange when she announced that it was really her crew, and not Tashigi's old captain that had defeated Crocodile and his criminal organization.
Also, there wasn't much Nojiko could brag about beyond the encounter with Orochimaru. Certainly nothing that could compare to traveling to Sky Island or rescuing a crew member from Enies Lobby.
To be honest, she was more than a little worried for Nami's safety if they did that sort of thing as regularly as it sounded like they did. Still, outdone or not, it was worth every minute she got to spend with Nami. Although today she was having trouble finding her sister. She was still in the process of looking when she saw Tashigi sprinting her way.
"What's going on?" she called out to the young marine.
"No time to explain," she answered as she ran past. "I've got to find Naruto."
Curious as to what was going on, Nojiko ran after the other woman. She soon found she was having great deal of difficulty keeping up. Thankfully, when she had nearly lost Tashigi, the woman tripped over some fallen roof tiles that hadn't been cleared away yet. The sent her falling to the ground and allowed Nojiko catch up.
She managed not to fall too far behind before she arrived at a midsized building that Tashigi proceeded to enter. The noises emanating from inside gave the impression of quite a commotion going on within the building. Right after Tashigi had entered, a loud crash punctuated the clamor as the building transitioned to silence.
Was Naruto under attack? Was this what Tashigi was in such a hurry about? Suddenly finding herself quite worried she rushed forward and burst through the door that Tashigi had recently entered, knocking said woman over as the door flew open..
"Hey!" Tashigi protested. "Watch it."
Ignoring her, Nojiko scanned the room, but rather than a pirate attack, all she saw was Garp standing over a hole in the floor. A hole that appeared to be one of a rather impressive set that extended to the walls as well. In fact, the whole building was beginning to look decidedly unstable.
"Tashigi, Nojiko, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked.
Until he called out to them, Nojiko hadn't even realized Naruto was in the room. Now she saw him pulling himself up out of the hole Garp was standing by. The state her captain was in was quite shocking as well. His clothes were torn, he had numerous bruises, and he looked to be bleeding from what she hoped were merely cuts. He even had his left eye swollen shut.
"Forget about that, what happened to you?" Nojiko replied forcefully.
"Just a little warming up," Garp answered. "We were about to start the real training."
Nojiko just stared at him mutely trying to determine if he was joking or had snapped in a very dangerous way.
"We don't have time for that," Tashigi interjected. "Their ship is finished and they're preparing to depart. We have to stop them."
Nojiko was expecting Garp to veto that suggestion, but noticed that he'd been pulled aside by one of his subordinates who was now discussing something with him.
"Fine!" Garp finally yelled out. "If Sengoku says I have take care of Luffy, than I'll do as he says. Luffy made his own decision, anyway, now he'll have to live with it."
"We'll help you capture him," Naruto offered.
"That won't be necessary," Garp assured him. "If I can't handle my own grandson I don't deserve my rank."
With that he stormed out of the building, using one of the holes in the wall rather than the door.
"We have to do something," Tashigi insisted. "He was doing his best to protect Luffy; you can't believe he'll actually seriously try to capture him."
It was a great relief to Nojiko that she agreed with Tashigi's assessment. Garp would simply put on a show but make sure Luffy somehow got away. They were family after all, there's no way he could bring himself to harm family.
"I'm not entirely convinced that's the case," Naruto declared. "But at the very least we should go watch how this all plays out."
What did Naruto mean by that? He was just trying to appease Tashigi wasn't he? They had proof that Garp didn't want Luffy captured and was willing to go against marine creed when it suited him.
Then again, she took another look at Naruto and realized that if this was something Garp did to a fellow marine he was training, could they trust him to show restraint against anyone?
"Let's hurry," she told them, following Garp out the hole and breaking into a run.
By the time they made it back to the ship, the Straw Hat Pirates were already sailing off in their new vessel. In addition, Garp's ship had left dock and was giving pursuit. Naruto's clones were already finishing preparations for their own departure, but Luffy already had a head start, and Naruto wasn't confident they'd be able to match the other ship in speed.
If anyone was going to stop them, it would probably be Garp. And if that pile of cannonballs next to Garp was any indication he was planning to do just that.
"What's he doing with those?" Tashigi asked. "Shouldn't they be firing their cannons?"
"He's planning to do worse than that," Naruto informed them.
"What do you mean?" Nojiko queried, understandably sounding worried by his statement.
Rather than explain, Naruto just motion toward Garp as he began rapidly hurling the cannonballs harder than any cannon could hope to match. His aim was impeccable as well, with all of them descended upon the pirate ship. But rather than tearing through the hull, every last projectile was intercepted by the pirate crew.
Naruto had to admit that it was an impressive display. Their captain didn't even seem to be paying attention to the attacks anymore, instead focusing on something happening on shore. Naruto tried to locate whatever had drawn Luffy's interest and spotted a familiar figure.
"Is that Usopp?" he asked aloud.
"They're even willing to abandon one of their own crew members to save their own hides?" Tashigi asked disgustedly.
"Stop jumping to conclusions!" Nojiko ordered angrily. "See, Luffy just rescued him."
Sure enough, Luffy had made use of his special ability to extend an arm all the way back to shore and pull in the wildly flailing Usopp.
"So you're saying they would have waited for him if he hadn't shown up just then?" Tashigi asked.
Naruto was going to try to break up their argument, but found himself suddenly at a loss for words as he caught sight of what Garp was doing just then. He had pulled out what had to be the most massive metal sphere in existence. The monstrosity was connected by a proportionally huge chain. Garp then proceeded to lift the whole thing with his bare hands and launch it into the air.
"Nami!" Nojiko cried out, running to toward the edge of the ship, despite surely knowing there was nothing she could do.
The oversized cannonball was larger than the ship it was hurtling toward. Was Garp really trying to kill them all? Luffy might actually survive if someone could pull him out of the water fast enough. Maybe some of the others would abandon ship fast enough as well.
Naruto had barely registered that their ship had started to inch away from the dock, but now he was already setting course for the soon to be wreck to see if there would be anyone they could rescue. But what happened next was probably even more shocking than the attack itself.
The pirate ship shot out from underneath the cannonball right before being hit, actually shooting into the air at high speed before landing back in the water a distance away. They were all left speechless as the pirates continued to sail away toward the horizon.
The raucous laughter of Garp that could be heard despite the large distance between the two ships wasn't enough to break him from his stupor. Nor was the fact that Garp was making no effort to pursue.
Not even the rocking of the ship as the waves created by Garp's most recent attack reached them got through to him. It was only the ringing of their den den mushi that finally snapped him to his senses. Entering the dining room, he lifted the receiver on the creature.
"Hello," he said simply, still a bit too shaken for a more complicated greeting.
"Ah, Naruto," Kakashi's voice came through from the other end. "I'm glad I got you."
"The Straw Hat Pirates got away," Naruto reported, seeing no point in hiding that fact.
"Well, that's not what I'm calling about," Kakashi responded. "You're being ordered to return to Marinford. It seems there's going to be an inquiry of sorts into the events related to your whole not really dying thing."
"What?" Naruto asked in surprise. "I already explained what happened to you. What need is there for an inquiry?"
"Now, now, calm down," Kakashi answered. "I'm sure it's just standard protocol or something. They probably do this for every marine who reports for duty after they bury his body. Anyway, I'll be showing up personally to explain things to them, so there's nothing to worry about."
That thought was a little reassuring, although it probably would have been more effective if he had a commanding officer who could be considered reliable.
"Very well, when am I supposed to be there for the inquiry?" Naruto asked.
"Ah, there's no need to worry about that," Kakashi told him. "Just leave as soon as possible and I'm sure you'll be fine. I'll see you there."
Naruto quickly realized the connection was now dead. He fought back a surge of annoyance at his commanding officer. After all, it could be worse. He could work for Garp.
"I bet they bust you back down to ensign," Kiba quipped from behind him, where he'd apparently been listening in on the whole conversation.
"You're just as tied up in this whole mess as I am," Naruto reminded him. "What makes you think they would punish me but not you? I'm not even the one who falsely reported a death."
Naruto was pleased to see the smile slip from his friend's face.
"You don't really think we'll get in trouble over that do you?" he asked nervously.
"We didn't do anything wrong," Naruto insisted. "So we shouldn't have any trouble convincing them of that."
He only wished he felt half as confident as sounded.
AN
First off, I'm somewhat annoyed they brought up a G-5 base in the manga recently. I know it's a fairly trivial matter, and I'm likely to ignore any events that occur in the manga from this point on in favor of my current plans. Despite that, I'm still probably OCD enough to go back and change all the references to G-5. So if you find me using a different number in the future, that's why.
Some of you may be annoyed by how I never seem to get any good action scenes with Naruto and Luffy's crew both together. I can assure you, however, that the drought won't last too much longer. Although whether they'll fight as allies or adversaries, I won't say.
Come to think of it, I've been pretty light on the action overall these past few chapters. I don't expect the next chapter to change that either, but for those who enjoy a good fight, the coming arcs have more of them than I know what to do with. I'm honestly a bit intimidated by how I'm going to write some of it.
As a final note before my obligatory begging for reviews, it came to my attention that the website processed my last chapter hours before it processed my update to the prior chapter. So if you read the note at the top of the previous chapter, but found no new content when you followed the instructions, you may want to give it a second chance. You probably just have read the chapter too soon after I posted.
Now, as promised the part I'm sure you'd all prefer I skipped entirely. The part where I try to entice people to review so that I can have my ego stroked. But seriously, I really do appreciate all the great comments and suggestions, so please do continue to offer them.