Chapter 2: Koala
Paradise; Grand Line
"Capatin!" Hatchan shouted, rushing through the door slammed open, where everyone gathered "Capatin! Capatin! I just spot a enemy ship!"
Everybody turned to Hatchan, who was supposed to be on spotting duty but apparently he saw something.
"Shut up Hatchi, damn it." Arlong responded, looking annoyed.
"Calm down, just tell us first what's going on." Jinbe asked the octopus fishmen
"Is it the navy?" Tiger asked Hatchan.
"It is," said Hatchan. "I just spot their flag. But it's just one ship."
"Must be a scout ship, which be very easy for us to take out," said Jinbe before he turned to Tiger and asked "Alright Capatin , what's next?"
"War!" Tiger says, which greatly excited the crew. "Same tactics like before. Naruto, you'll attack from the air while we'll attack from the seas."
"Yes sir!" Naruto responded.
From what the crew of the Sun Pirates had been aware, the strength of the Yoroi Yoroi No Mi allows Naruto to create and generate an enormously strong and impenetrable energy exoskeleton body armor. Besides granting him protection it also granted him physical boost, further increased his skills, strength, and durability. Yet training with his devil fruit powers, Naruto proved to be very unorthodox as he learned to shape the armor into new forms for equipment, weapons, or transportations to adapt to virtually any situations. As example, Naruto uses his power to created armor wings that allows him to fly in the air in great speeds.
The commanding officer of the marine scout ship, Rear Admiral Kadar of G-2 Base, had been ordered by his superior, Vice Admiral Borsalino to locate the Sun Pirates and then report back on their position. However, Kadar lacks experiences of the fishman's fighting strengths. For example, the members of the Sun Pirates uses the water as their advantage. As they are all Fish-Men, their incredible strength makes them a formidable crew. On top of that, having a devil fruit user also makes a dangerous asset.
Arlong spear through a crowd of marine soldiers with powerful force. Kuroobi, a highly skilled expert in Fishman Karate, karate shop a marine in the head with deadly prowess. Jinbe, also a Fishman karate specialist, through with superior skills than Kuroobi, smash any marine soldier or officer that got in his way. Chew spits a shot of water from his mouth at such speed and pressure that it has the same affect on his opponent as being shot by a pistol. Hatchan cuts down marine soldiers with his Rokutoryu skill. Marco, laughing sadistically , gunning down with pistol with his hand.
As for Naruto...many marine soldiers begin focusing their attack on him, thinking a human child can be easier to beat. Yet between Naruto's devil fruit powers and fighting skills he learned as gladiator while begin a slave to the World Nobles, they'd badly underestimated. Coating his whole body in armor, Naruto was immune to all their attacks while defeating one marine after another.
"Damn it to hell!" Kadar curses. "Blast them damn it!"
"But sir we can't gets a accurate shot when their underwater!" a marine soldier pointed out.
Seeing a lose battle, a defiant Kadar shouted "Blast you fish-man bastards! We know you have slaves on this ship! Give them back and maybe your crimes will be forgiven...like that boy there!"
Naruto realizes that Kadar was pointing at him. However, what Kadar don't realizes that he just made Naruto very, very, very angry. Having been free from slavery, Naruto was reborn person who take pride of his freedom. And idea begin called a slave is enough to cause him to see Red with fury.
"I'M NOBODY SLAVE!" Naruto angrily shouted for everyone to hear. "I'M A FREE MAN AND I'LL DIE A FREE MAN! BUT IF YOU REALLY WANT TO TAKE ME BACK TO THOSE CELESTIAL BASTARDS...THEN YOU BETTER FIGHT REALLY HARD TO ACHIEVED THAT GOAL!"
In an instant, Naruto, while in armored mode, charged at Kadar and dropkick the marine rear admiral in the face, sending him crashing into the ground.
"Ok Naruto that's enough!" Tiger quickly ordered.
Naruto didn't seems to hear Tiger. He jumps in the air, landing his feet into Kadar's stomach with brutal force. He then smashes his armored fist into Kadar, breaking his nose in the progress. He smashes his face again, breaking his jaw in the progress.
He was about to hit again when Tiger grabs Naruto by the wrist, snapping "Naruto, I says that's enough! Have you forgotten my orders! No killing! Remembered?"
Despite begin brutal and reckless, Tiger was compassionate and very merciful, and did not approve of senseless violence, and make sure his crew does not kill nay humans they fought in battle. Naruto, look up to Tiger greatly, follows his rules without question. Yet begin called a slave can easily invoke his wrath enough to ignore Tiger's strict orders of no killing.
Although Naruto's angry eyes continued to gazed down on Kadar, Tiger's voice seems to calm him down and motivated him to stop beating down the Rear Admiral. From the sideline, everyone, fishmen and marine, were stun of witnessing Naruto going berserk.
"Take all their treasure, food, and weapons, and return to the ship." Tiger ordered his crew.
"Yes sir!"
"Y-You're not going to kill us?" one of the marine responded, confusedly.
"Don't worry," Tiger coldly says. "I'm not a savage like the rest of you all. We won't killed you!"
It was without warning a commotion occurs that attacks everyone's attention. All eyes turn to sees, Arlong, armed with a giant saw-like sword, the Kiribachi,was standing over a marine soldier.
"Sha, ha, ha, ha!" Arlong laughed before he cruelty says "Stinky human! Your existence is the ultimate sin! And the penalty...is death!"
"Arlong!" Tiger shouted as Arlong raised his Kiribachi to kill. "Stop!"
0o0o0
Marineford
Paradise; Grand Line
"Vice Admiral Borsalino….Rear Admiral Kadar of G-2 Base, has his ship sunk."
Vice Admiral Borsalino was an incredibly tall man, middle aged man with a moderate amount of wrinkles on his face, black hair, and a very thin beard. He was sporting a large dark grey hat, dark gloves and had a cigarette in his mouth. His trademark pinstriped suit was light grey, matching his tie.
Speaking to him was Rear Admiral Strawberry. Strawberry is a relatively straight shaped person with a goatee and wears a very long bearskin version of the standard Marine uniform cap due to his head being abnormally long.
"Why did they attack?" Borsalino questioned Strawberry, looking displeases. "I told him to report on their whereabouts, not engaged them."
"By the time they got close enough to see them," Strawberry explained. "They were surrounded from below the surface."
"In the seas they're extremely formidable than in the land," Borsalino estimated. :Quiet scary. Can we confirmed the identity any known members of the Sun Pirates?"
"Well sir," Strawberry begins to explained. "According to put sources, we recognizes one member of the Sun Pirates Arlong the Saw, the Capatin of the Arlong Pirates. Not much information about him is known as he always active near Fishman Island, so it was difficult to gauge their strength."
"We also confirmed another unknown figure amongst Tiger's crew," Strawberry continued. "Whoever this fishmen is, he's as big and strong as Tiger himself. Plus, he seems to served Tiger as second-in-command of the Sun Pirates
"Anything else?" Borsalino asked, getting more curious.
"Well sir," Strawberry added. "This information is very surprisingly to me but believed that human has been spots amongst the Sun Pirates."
"A human in a crew of fishmen and merfolk?" Borsalino reacted. "Are sure?"
"The information maybe surprisingly but it's confirmed positive sir," Strawberry assumed. "We identified him as a child to be eight years old, blonde spikey hair with foxlike whiskers."
"Is he a prisoner of the Sun Pirates?" Borsalino asked.
"I thought so too when I heard about him, but according to marine survivors that fought the Fishmen, they confirmed that this boy was fighting alongside the pirates," Strawberry explained the details. "Whoever he is, he strong and skillful enough to handle his own in a serious fight with strong veteran marine officers despite his age and giving him edge is a devil fruit power that protects him from harms."
0o0o0
Paradise; Grand Line
Back on the Sun Pirates' ship, Arlong appears to have been hit in the head by Tiger for killing that marine on Kadar's ship.
"Ow!" Arlong howls in pain, from the blow he receives from Tiger. "Why did you hit me? So what if I killed a few members of that inferior species."
"I told you not to killed any humans," Tiger sternly reminds Arlong before speaking Naruto "And you Naruto, you needs to learn how to not lose control of your temper."
Addressing both Jinbe, Arlong, and Naruto, Tiger sternly says "You three always go too far. We're not a pack of killers...know when to stop!"
"But Big Brother...I mean Capatin...they're after your head," Jinbe assumed his words. "They're trying to kill us, but we can't kill them? So what if we get bloodthirsty."
"If we start killing humans we'll lose," Tiger replied. "Do you really wants to stoop to their level? Our campaign is not revenge for the humans' history of discrimination, and neither was his raid on Mary Geoise. I 'am doing all this to break the hardened rules of society and free the oppressed."
The Sun Pirates are about liberation and freedom, no more, no less," Tiger carries on. "We taking revenge on the humans would only result in the humans taking revenge on our species. Understand this, we will fight, defeat, and rob anyone that attacks us...but we will never kill...do you understand me?"
Yes Capatin, and I'm sorry," Naruto quickly apologizes. "I'll try my best is to honor your orders, more strictly and fiercely as long as I have the mark of the Sun Pirates on my body."
"But Big Brother Tiger," Arlong objected. "I just wanted to make an example of them! Are you that afraid of their wrath? We should strike fear into their hearts! You need to be cruel! So cruel the humans will cower at your-"
"This is Tiger's crew Arlong! The Sun Pirate crew! Not the Arlong Pirate crew!" Naruto interrupted him angrily. "And within this crew is his noble idea...an idea we must all respect...even you! So as member of the Sun Pirates crew you got follows his orders to the letter!"
Angry that a human interrupted him, Arlong snarl "Why are you even here brat? You're a human? We all fishmen! You don't belong here!"
Ever since Naruto was revealed to be a official member of the Sun Pirates, Arlong and some of his shipmates from Arlong Pirates would do their best to avoid him as if he has the plague. Some of them still hold prejudice and beliefs that humans were a inferior species to fish-men. Naruto did everything in his power to prove himself to everyone who looked down on him for being human that he was not deadweight to the whole ship.
"Because I believed Fisher Tiger's cause," Naruto shots back at the sawshark fishmen. "I believed it so much I'm willing to bleed for it, suffered for it, and die for it, more than you!"
Getting angry, Arlong snapped "You think you're better than me, just because you're the most self-proclaimed loyalists on this ship to Tiger? Pleases...you're no better than the humans that oppressed us and torment us! Plus you're the only one the crew that don't breath underwater or swim prominently as a fishmen. If Tiger wasn't so laid back, he-"
Jinbe punches Arlong in the back of the head, cuts him off. Angry, Arlong turns to Jinbe and asked "What the hell is your problem?"
0o0o0
Three Years
In the three years that follows, the Sun Pirates continued to voyages the seas. Marine ships that came after them were defeated. Even Pirate ships, that went after the Sun Pirates just to make a name for themselves, were also defeated as well. This increased the fame of the Sun Pirates, including Tiger. Jinbe's fame was also increased, earning a bounty of 76,000,000 berries. For Naruto, he had changed progressively in both physical and mental fields. Besides begin eleven years, his fighting abilities and devil fruit powers developed more formidably. He was small but good built as he went through some training to keep his body healthy. Also, in the last three years, he was promoted from Cabin Boy to Pirate apprentice.
The Sun pirates had to stop on an island to restock their food but came across some folks who incidentally had marks of the World Nobles branded on them with one of them.
Naruto was on the ship carrying some of the supplies and then giving it to one of his fellow crewmates who grew to accept Naruto as their fellow pear due to him sticking for years and becoming accustom to his presence, even changing the minds of Kaneshiro who grew a great bond with him over the years.
One of the men approached them, saying "Excuse me sir, could we have a moment of your time for a favor?"
Naruto turns back around to see what was around Tiger asked "What is it?"
Next to the man was a little skinny with long, unkempt brown haired girl who had this huge unusual smile and wide eyes like an animal. She wore an dirty, short-sleeved collared shirt, which she wore under dark overalls.
"This girl here has escape from Mariejois with the rest of us," the man explained. "She's a former slave that you liberated us from slavery three years ago...Here, look!"
The man made the girl turn around and pulled the shirt and showed the mark of the World Noble.
"She, hasn't see her parents in many years and her home is far away," the man continued. "We would like to help I'm sure they miss her, but it's hardly doubtful we can safely cross the ocean."
The girl approached the three nearest fishmen which were Fisher Tiger, Jinbe and Arlong who just stood there while the little girl introduced herself "My name is Koala and I'm thankful for saving me, I'll do my best not to cause you anymore trouble."
0o0o0
On the ship, Arlong expresses his disgust of another human on the ship the moment he saw Koala.
"The brat is one thing, but girl-this is too much!" Arlong complained over Koala begin allowed on the ship. "I don't know how long can I stomach this any longer of humans crawling on the ship like the cockroaches that the are!"
"Just drop it Arlong!" Tiger ordered.
"Yeah Give it a rest!"Aladdin agreed. "You have no idea how much I'm tired of your complaining since you learned Naruto is part of the crew."
The girl Koala begins to give out a creepy smiles that begins freak out everyone on the ship. Annoyed, Alrong raised his fist against the girl and yelled "Quit smiling, damn it-it's annoying!"
He struck her in the face, causing her to crashing across the deck, shocking the crewmates for his action as Hatchan stopped him before he could do more harm to the girl.
"Arlong no!" Hatchan protested as he grabs Arlong to prevent her from attacking the girl again. "Calm down, it's just a girl."
"Let me go, Hachi," Arlong shouted, struggling to get free. "I'm not done yet!"
Choo argued for Arlong's defense "But he is right," Choo says, arguing in Arlong's defense "It is kinda creepy how she won't stop smiling."
It was when the girl found the strength to pull herself up. She stopped when she got on her knees and then a simply drop of blood dripped out of her nose, causing her to do something that caught them off surprise. She ripped a piece of her clothing and started scrubbing the part where the blood fell.
Arlong even looked surprised "What are you-"
"I'm sorry!" Koala to apologize instantly "I'm a hard worker! I clean and I won't need to take a break! So please don't hit me!"
She kept bleeding from her nose while repeating "I'm sorry! I will keep my best!"
Jinbe walked over to her and sat right in front of her while she kept cleaning saying "Stop, what are you doing?"
Koala just kept cleaning "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"Hey, you're bleeding." Jinbe pointed out.
"I'm sorry!" Koala kept saying with that smile "I'll never ever cry, just please don't kill me!"
Jinbe tried to ease with her "It's alright, are you…scared of us?"
"Yes," Koala confessed. "But I really miss my mother so I made myself get on board. I won't stop cleaning, I know if I do you think I'm useless and kill me, but I'm a hard worker so please let me live!" she just kept cleaning.
Having enough of this, Naruto steps towards Koala, kneeling down for her to sees and says "Hey-there is no needs to do that! You're free! You don't ever had to do cleaning again!"
Koala looked at Naruto, strangely, through still keeping that creepy smiles and asked "You-You're a human."
"Yeah," Naruto replied. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, the first human of the Sun Pirates! (Arlong, Chew, Kuroobi, some Fish-men who still holds old prejudice towards, grew angrily annoyed of that Naruto just says) And like you I was a slave to those World Noble bastards that lived in their so-called castle in the Mary Geoise. But thanks to Tiger he'd free me, and above all he help me regain myself again! He could you the same! Seriously!"
Koala kept staring at Naruto but then started scrubbing again "No! It's a trick! I got to keep cleaning! This a another test! I know it! If I failed this test I will be killed!"
Naruto couldn't believed what he just heard. But he refused to give up and says
"No it's not a trick!" Naruto tries to convinces her. "I swear to you, nobody here is going to hurt!"
"Got to keep cleaning!" Koala continued to scrub the floor. "Must keep cleaning!"
Desperate, Naruto refused to give up and was about to persisted when Tiger steps and says "It's ok Naruto, I'll handle this!"
Looking at the girl, Tiger ordered "Pick up this girl and have her taken to my room. I think I know how to deal with her condition."
A few minutes later, Koala was brought inside Tiger's room with everyone standing outside, waiting to know what the captain was planning to do
"What is he going to do with her?" a Sun Pirate asked. "Lecturing won't do her any good."
"The kid is too far long gone. another agreed.
It was without warning a scream was heard from within the Captain's room, startling everyone. The door opened, and the crew sees Tiger standing with his hot iron and he threw on the ground an unconscious Koala with her back exposed and smoking. Naruto realized what happened. The Capatin has given Koala the Sun Pirates mark.
Moments later, inside the infirmary, everyone gathered around Koala who was laying on the bed and waited for her to be awake.
"Boss Tiger," one of the fish-man asked "Why was it necessary to give her the mark her that fast?"
"It was necessary," Tiger replied. "Although it was a harsh cure, she will never been the same as long as she has that damn mark on her back."
It was that moment Koala finally woke up, alerting and exciting everyone. Hatchan said joyfully as Koala sat right up straight with that smile but more frighteningly.
"I guess I passed out," Koala says, trying to regain her creepy smile. "I'm sorry! But I didn't cry did I? So you don't need to kill me! I promise you I will never cry! So please let me live!"
Annoyed, Tiger walked up to Koala placed his hand on her shoulder, making her pupils turn smaller while she began to tremble.
"IT'S OKAY FOR YOU TO CRY!" Tiger shouted. "We are nothing like those evil Celestial Dragons, so don't you dare act like we are."
He pulled out a pistol which made the young girl shriek. He turns around and walks out of the infirmary with everybody following him
Tiger walked up to the edge of the ship and waited for a moment. Then, he threw the gun into the all watched how Koala ran over to the edge and looked down into the sea while her facial expression was that of a raised eyebrow.
As Koala kept staring into the ocean Fisher Tiger turned around and spoke to his men "No killing, not now, not ever!" By this everyone dropped their weapons, batons, rifles, pistols, swords and they all focused on their captain.
"Is everyone with me!?" Tiger asked his crew.
"Yes sir!" the while crew shouted in union.
"No matter how far the journey may be," Tiger addressed everyone. "We're taking this girl home!"
Loud cheering started to cover across the ship while Naruto only smiles at his captain. Naruto then noticed that Koala was still standing there, not moving a walks towards her and notices she was holding back with all her strength, the tears in her eyes that were flooding through her eyes but refused to leave out something. Decided to give her a final push over the edge, Naruto walked up to Kola putting his hand on her back, making her turn slightly and saw a smiling Naruto looking at her.
"It's okay," he says in encouragement. "You can finally cry now! It means you're free! And nobody will ever take that from you again!"
Koala started to crack and finally, in full relief, she cry out loud in happiness.