A/N: *visibly sweats under the scrutinizing gaze of the JojoFumi fans*
Guys I can explain!
It's the plot bunnies! I can't control 'em!
Anyway, here's a new part of the Snippet series, this time a Naruto x One Piece fic!
Same rule as the Naruto x PJO one! If you like it and feel like you can develop it, hit me up!
This prompt/fic is also my attempt to write a maybe decent OP fanfic which is honestly something that I've been seeing less and less of nowadays.
Seriously, if it's not cringy highschool AUs, it's either a LawLu or ZoSan fic, both of which are not my cup of tea.
Anw, without further Ado, enjoy!
"My little Maelstorm, the world is such a big place"
"It contains countless wonders but just as many dangers"
...
The words echoed in the head of a young ten-year-old child. The boy did not look up from the ground and dragged his feet despite the thick sea-stone chains tugging at them.
…
"I want you to go out there and live your life"
"Meet people and make friends"
…
"HEY HEY HEY! Move it you brat! We dun' got all day!" A man in a black cowl shouted at the blond-haired boy, tugging him harder and almost tripping him.
The lad gritted his teeth in anger and accelerated his pace, never looking up from the cobblestone path in front of him.
...
"But the most important thing my little Maelstorm"
"Become strong enough to protect your precious people"
"Become strong enough so that nothing can chain you down"
…
At the end of the hall, the door began to open, letting light and a roaring sound enter the tunnel that the boy was trudging in.
The lad did not react to the light or the sound, moving almost robotically towards the exit, even as the man holding his rattling chain tugged harder.
Subconsciously, one of his hands drifted to his small yet somewhat defined chest, scratching the healed scar of the "Hoof of the Soaring Dragon".
...
"Because at the end of the day, is there any better way to live?"
"I won't be long for the world but I don't regret it"
"I gave birth to such a strong, strong boy"
…
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! DO WE HAVE A TREAT FOR YOU TODAY!" the loud voice of an announcer echoed into the tunnel, amidst the cheers of a large crowd.
"AS SMALL AS A CAT YET DEADLIER THAN A TIGER! YOU KNOW HIM! YOU LOVE HIM!" the announcer continued to hype up the crowd, whose cheers kept increasing in volume.
…
"Mommy loves you Naruto… Always"
…
The boy briefly muttered an "I love you too" under his breath before the light of the midday sun struck his head as he finally exited into a large sandy arena.
The little blond finally looked up, thick bangs moving aside from the movement to show a pair of cerulean eyes gazing upon the bleachers emotionlessly.
"I GIVE YOU THE DEMON BOY! NARUTO UZUMAAAAKIIIIIII!" the announcer, now revealed as a man dressed in a gaudy jester's outfit, screamed once more as the crowd's screams reached their crescendo.
Naruto gazed upon his audience, most of the crowd were men and women dressed in business suits. They stood idly around the sources of the loud cheers, a few dozen people dressed in what looked like a white Scafandro with an oily bubble for a helmet.
Naruto waited for the guard to unlock his chains before standing at the ready for his opponent.
As the opposite gate opened and the roar of a fierce creature resonated, the boy felt the distinct tingling of his power coming out in preparation.
The blond briefly pondered the truth behind his later mother's words.
Because if this was Marijois, the "Most Beautiful City in the World"...
He dreaded to think what kind of Hell awaited him outside of it...
"AGHH" an injured and bleeding Naruto yelled as he was thrown back in his cell, sea-stone bracelets strapped to his wrists. The heavier chains strapped to his feet were unlocked by a mechanism and pulled out from between the thick bars of his cell.
The bracelets gave his power enough leeway to allow its passive healing property to appear, yet still restricted him from actively using it. They were designed to keep him alive but unable to use his abilities offensively.
However, it never stopped him from fighting back and breaking more than a few of his captors' bones. Which explained why he was always chained more heavily when taken out for his fights. He was treated like one would a rabid animal and that fact always sent an untold amount of rage coursing through his skin.
As he panted on the ground, he looked around his cell, one corner of it had a small pile of hay with a sheet covering. The hay itself looked like it would crumble to dust at any moment while the sheet remained untouched.
That was his late mother's bed. The only thing she left him beside his name and the one thing he never allowed anyone to touch.
As he sat there bleeding on the ground, his nose suddenly twitched as a delicious smell assaulted him. A sizable bowl filled with fresh, almost raw meat was slid into the by one of the guards with nary a grunt of acknowledgment before the man resumed his position.
Naruto got up on his knees tiredly and crawled towards the bowl. The contents of it would've disgusted anyone else, but Naruto honestly did not care enough to comment.
Food was Food, and Food was Delicious.
The numerous gashes on his limbs and upper torso slowly started to emit steam as he ate, the wounds knitting themselves close and not even leaving a scar, showing just how potent the Devil Fruit he was cursed with was.
It was never his choice to eat it, after all, the Tenryuubito had a tendency to feed some of their slaves with the "Treasures of the Sea" to entertain themselves with the results.
If the Slave turned out strong, they would be sent to the fighting pits like Naruto was.
If the Slave turned out weak, they were usually killed to pass the fruit to another.
But if they were pretty enough?
...
"Oi oi! Girlie! It's time for your daily show!" a grating voice emanated.
The opposite cell to him was opened as one of the fatter guards squeezed through, unaffected by the protests that emanated at his entrance.
He reemerged dragging a young black-haired girl that looked to be Naruto's age by the arm. The girl seemed obviously against the treatment, as were her two other cellmates. The guard was unaffected by her cries however as he squeezed her forearm harder, making her cry in pain.
'That bastard, it'll bruise' the blond boy thought bitterly, his eyes briefly shifting to a scarlet color from rage.
"Oi, you fat fuck" the boy growled in a deep voice unfit for his tiny body, making the offender pause.
If that attitude were taken by any other slave it would have gotten them a severe lashing with a potential death penalty for their disobedience.
But that was Naruto, the Demon Boy, the undefeated champion of the Grand Coliseum.
His voice alone had the man sweating like a pig.
"W-w-what do you want b-b-brat?" The pig in question stuttered out, not daring to turn to face the blond.
"If you hurt her, I'll kill you" Naruto almost hissed in anger.
The man shivered, before loosening his grip on the young slave and tugging her less forcefully but more hurriedly down the hallway.
The girl had the time to turn back and send him a smile in thanks for his outburst.
Boa Hancock and her two sisters, Marigold and Sandersonia, had been slaves for about four years now, the circumstances of their capture were unknown to him; mostly because he never broached the subject with them.
All he knew was that they came from a Pirate country called "Amazon Lily", they had bonded with Naruto and his late mother, Kushina who had taken a shine to the three young beauties.
The older woman had made sure to care for the sisters, even if she could never approach them due to being in different rooms, she offered all the maternal love and support she could and even had Naruto pass some of her meals to them.
Something that they desperately needed seeing as they had to dance every day for the Tenryuubitos' entertainment.
The young blond had at the time been vehemently against his mother risking starvation in such a way, he had even begun to hate the three girls for their indirect effect on the elder Uzumaki's health.
Kushina had, however, quickly smacked these negative feelings out of his skull with gusto. She had admonished him for being a selfish brat, among other less favorable things, and made him promise to be nice to the girls.
It took some time and his mother's passing for Naruto to take her words to heart, if only out of loyalty for his only parent.
But he came to see the three siblings as part of his family.
It hurt that he could not save them
…
It would be hours before the young black-haired girl was dragged back, still garbed in a skimpy dancing outfit.
Thankfully, dancing was the only thing she and her sisters had ever had to do.
Seeing as she was back with her siblings, Naruto finally let himself succumb to the day's fatigue.
BOOOOOM
Naruto's eyes snapped open as the entire building shook from the explosion, dust falling heavily from the ceiling and covering him.
He stood abruptly and ran to the bars of his cell to look out of it. The guards stationed in the hallway had run in the direction of the disturbance and left the cages unguarded.
Before he could ponder anymore, a gigantic shadow covered his frame as a figure came out of the other end of the hallway.
The figure immediately started opening cells by simply punching through the locks. The prisoners who for the most part, were non-Ability users, took the opportunity to dash out and sprint to freedom.
As the figure approached his own cell, the boy barely had time to duck and cover his head before the attacker kicked and dented the wrist-thick bars of steel making up one of his walls.
Naruto looked up at the man, for it could only be one from his size alone, and briefly paused at the crimson skin and webbed hands he sported.
'Fishman' the boy thought, not at all disgusted, but only intrigued. He had seen his fair share of fishmen and even fought some of them in the arena.
He briefly glossed over the man's chest, noticing the presence of a red brand in the center. A brand so similar to his, yet also different.
One in the shape of a Sun.
The man didn't spare the boy more than a glance, turning around to open the opposing cell in a similar manner to his.
Before he could, however, Naruto had to ask.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" he couldn't help his curiosity at the man. After all, his actions showed he was willing to go against the Tenryuubito, whom his mother had aptly described as the "false gods" of this world.
The mand paused before answering gruffly "Name's Fisher Tiger kid… and I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do"
Naruto looked at the man in awe, barely managing to whisper his following question "...What now?"
"You're free" Tiger's gruff voice softened a tad as if he expected such an innocent question.
'Free'.
The word was almost foreign to Naruto, a concept he was unfamiliar with ever since he was born.
"What do I do?" the words escaped the boy before he could catch himself.
…
At that moment, Fisher Tiger and Kushina D. Uzumaki's voices almost seemed to overlap, the sentence being uttered sealed the boy's fate.
"Go out there and live your life"
A/N: A real tearjercker am I right? I'm only just getting started.
Spoiler for what awaits Naruto with no context : *insert Pein gif*
For those wondering, Naruto is obviously a D, but Kushina, maybe as a way of protecting her son, has made it clear he should never mention that part of his name in Marijois.
For obvious reasons.