"Normal conversations"
'Internal dialogues'
"Kushina, I feel a storm brewing in the distance" Naruto stated, he had taken his place upon the figurehead of Red Queen, feeling the wind rushing by his face.
"I can see that" Kushina replied as she piloted the ship, "Get to safety now, I don't want you getting thrown overboard in the storm".
"I can handle myself" He replied, "Being blind isn't all that bad if you can use Haki."
But he still begrudgingly got off the crown and walked towards Kushina.
"Haki is useless against sensing non-living things like the oceans and land. You are as blind as a bat right now".
"But I can still feel them using my other senses" he replied as he tried to find a chair to sit on.
Helping him with the chair, Kushina continued, "I know a doctor at the Twin Cape Lighthouse." seeing Naruto's puzzled expression, she elaborated "It's a lighthouse that guides ships coming down from the Reverse Mountain and into the Grand Line".
"I know what a lighthouse is!" Naruto exclaimed, "I was just thinking what's a doctor doing managing a lighthouse".
"He had a clinic but due to some circumstances he had to shut it down" Kushina explained, "Anyway, he'll check your eyes and tell if the blindness is temporary or permanent".
"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about" Naruto replied as he got comfortable in the chair beside Kushina.
"The winds are picking up, you should really get inside" She warned.
"Will you be ok alone out here?" Naruto asked in concern.
"I'll be fine" Kushina reassured "I just have to follow the current we're currently on, it'll take us past the Reverse Mountain and into the Grand Line without any issue".
Naruto nodded his head as he got up to leave.
"I know you don't like this but it can't be helped, If you were to fall off the ship there'd be no way for me to retrieve you or turn the ship around".
"I know" he sighed as he entered his cabin "Call me after we've passed the Reverse Mountain".
After few minutes passed, Naruto could feel the winds pick up and the water currents strengthen as the ship picked up speed.
"Naruto! We are entering the Reverse Mountain! Hang on to something!" Kushina yelled.
Holding on to nearby support, he thought 'Why is she making such a big deal, I'm sure it isn't as bad as she makes it sound.'
XXX 5 mins later XXX
''What the hell'' Naruto exclaimed as he clutched the support for his life. The ship was rocking so hard that even standing had become impossible, suddenly everything went silent as the ship began to stabilize, 'Finally! it's over!' he thought as he moved away from the support, 'That wasn't so bad'.
"We're halfway there!" he could hear Kushina yell "Get ready for the descent!".
"Descent?" he thought as a sudden feeling of weightlessness overcame him, "Descent!" he realised but it was too late, the ship crashed into the waves below causing Naruto to slam into the ship's floor, blindly grabbing the bedpost, he didn't let it go even after they had safely entered the Grand Line. Kushina had to break the bedpost to make him release it.
"Damn... That was scary" Naruto muttered after Kushina helped him calm down a little.
"I told you to hold on tight" She replied.
"Let's forget about that" Naruto changed the subject "I'm sensing a large life form in the water ahead, we better check it out".
Walking onto the ship's deck, Kushina came to the railing and exclaimed "It's Laboon!".
"What the hell's a Laboon?"
"He's an Island whale from the West Blue, I met him a few years ago when my brother visited Crocus"
"Island whale? West Blue? Crocus?" Naruto rapidly asked.
"I'll it to you explain you later" Kushina replied "We're coming up on the lighthouse. Look's like your friends have already made it here".
"Friends?"
"Naaaaruuutoooo!"
"I see" he sighed.
"No, you don't" Kushina replied "You literally don't!" and burst into a fit of laughter.
"Too soon Kushina, Too soon".
As they walked out to the deck Naruto greeted Luffy.
"Yo! How's it sailing".
"I don't know, I can't sail a ship" Luffy replied.
"He meant 'How are you guys" Usopp exclaimed "He didn't mean it literally".
"Kushina!" Crocus exclaimed as he hugged her, "It's been a while, You were this small the last time we met!" he laughed as he lowered his hands to his knees.
"It's nice to meet you again" Kushina replied as she hugged him back.
"Oohhhh such beauty!" Sanji suddenly exclaimed as he took Kushina's hand in his, "If I didn't know any better then I'd say your an angel descended from heaven".
Kushina stood awkwardly as she didn't know how to react to such advances. When she was with Shanks, no one would dare talk to her this way as he would scare away anyone brave enough to even approach her.
"Naruto!" Luffy exclaimed as he pointed at the cloth wrapped around Naruto's head "Is that a new style? Wouldn't it impede with your vision?"
"This?" Naruto replied as he pointed at the cloth "I lost my vision while I was trying to help Apis".
"What!? How?"
"Ehhh, it's a long story" Naruto shrugged.
"Crocus can you please check his eyes," Kushina asked as she walked back to Naruto, "He did something reckless and lost his vision".
"I'll have a look" Crocus replied as he guided Naruto into his lighthouse.
"Naruto says you are a swordsman as well" Zoro stated as they watched Crocus guided Naruto into the lighthouse, "If you are free I'd like to cross swords with you".
"Sorry, Who are you?" Kushina asked as she tried to remember his name.
"My name is Roronoa Zoro and I plan to become the world's strongest swordsmen".
"Hmmm Zoro... aren't you the one that Mihawk absolutely destroyed. He told me about you".
"I wouldn't say absolutely destroyed..." Zoro muttered under his breath "Wait, You know Mihawk!?".
"Of course I know him, he was the one who introduced me to swordsmanship, My brother and he are old friends, he used to visit him from time to time for spars".
"Someday I plan to beat him and become the world's greatest swordsman. It's the goal of my life".
"Well, good luck with that but if you ask me, you'd be better off aiming for something easier. I've seen him fight seriously and believe me, you don't want to be anywhere near him when he lets loose, I once witnessed him bisect an Island with just a swing of his sword and he did that without any effort".
"You stupid Mosshead! Don't bore the lady with your dreams" Sanji yelled as he kicked him to the side, Offering a dish to Kushina, Sanji continued "The most delicious dish for the most beautiful lady..."
Before Kushina could try the dish, Zoro kicked Sanji aside as he unsheathed his sword "I was talking to her you, perverted cook!".
"I leave you alone for few seconds and you already have men fighting over you" Naruto teased as he returned from the lighthouse.
"I didn't..." Kushina blushed as she muttered something under her breath.
"He'll be fine by night" Crocus informed, "His eyes appear to be over-exerted for some reason like he's been awake for an entire month or so. With proper rest, he should get his vision back before the nightfall."
"Miss Kushina! I request you to fight me!" Zoro suddenly exclaimed as he bowed before her.
Again, Kushina didn't know how to react as she waved her hands to stop him from bowing.
Taking pity on Kushina, Naruto intervened "Why the hell are you bowing to her! stop that!".
"But I-"
"I know you want to fight her to test yourself but believe me you'll be extremely disheartened by the gap between you and her. In terms of skills, she is even superior to me so I don't think fighting her is the right choice for you, at least for now."
"Don't listen to him" Kushina stated, "The true strength of a person is revealed when he's at his lowest, if you rise from there then you have a chance to achieve your dream else your goal will be as far as the moon is from the earth."
Zoro looked back at Naruto, "It's your choice, I just want you to be prepared when you lose".
"So, are you going to fight me?" Kushina questioned.
Zoro thought for a while and answered "I accept." Zoro replied, "I promised Luffy that I'll never lose in a sword fight against an enemy. It's better to lose here against a friend and improve than to lose to an enemy and break my promise".
"That's more like it!" Kushina exclaimed as she unsheathed her sword and stabbed it into the ground.
Holding the sheathe like a sword, she continued "I would never do something so humiliating as to fight another swordsman with anything but my blade, but since your dream is to be the greatest swordsman in the world and you have shown sufficient will to impress me. I'll make sure to show you the gap between you and your goal."
"Now come!" she motioned Zoro.
"How does she plan to fight with a blunt weapon like that," Usopp asked as he observed Kushina dodge Zoro's strikes.
"A master swordsman doesn't need sharp blades to cut an opponent, even a wooden stick is deadly in their hands" Naruto replied and sure enough, Kushina was blocking and deflecting his attacks without even getting a scratch on the sheathing.
"She's a monster" Nami muttered as the fight continued with Zoro making absolutely no progress, "I know how freakishly strong Zoro is and she's fighting him like he's a child".
"Oph!" Zoro grunted in pain as Kushina stabbed the sheathe in his stomach and kicked him in the chest.
"Are you done?" Kushina asked, pointing her weapon at him.
"No" he grunted as he stood up and readied his swords "Not yet".
"You are holding back for some reason" Kushina stated, "Is it because I'm a woman or is it because I'm fighting you with a wooden stick. No matter what the reason you may have, I'm not an opponent you should hold back against".
"I know..." he replied as he crossed his swords across his chest, "OniGiri!" he exclaimed as he dashed forward to slice Kushina.
With a simple stab, Kushina managed to block his strike. The tip of the sheathe blocked all three of his swords at their point of contact and restricted them from moving forward.
"That attack would work against a slower opponent but if your opponent can keep up with its speed, it'll leave you open for a counter-attack" Kushina stated as she stepped forward and kicked him in the chest again.
"I've never seen Zoro lose like this before" Nami muttered.
"You never saw him fight against Mihawk" Usopp replied "That was worse than this fight, he defeated him using only a butter knife".
As Zoro got ready to attack again, Naruto intervened "That's enough for today!".
"But I-" Kushina tried to argue but Naruto shot her down.
"We've just entered Grand Line, It's a cause for celebrations, not meaningless fights" he argued, "You'll get lots of chances to cross blades again. For now, let's enjoy our accomplishment".
"He's right" Luffy agreed, "Let's party for now!".
Kushina sighed as she walked back to her sword and sheathed it.
"No point in arguing now, I know how stubborn he gets" She muttered, "We'll continue our fight at a later date, hopefully, by then you would've improved enough to be a challenge".
Zoro silently nodded and sheathed his swords as well and walked to the table set by Sanji.
"Let the party begin!"
Naruto and Luffy's crew partied all night and by the time sun rose up again, Naruto had regained his vision as well.
"Who are those two tied on your ship?" Naruto asked as they got ready to set sail.
"Who?" Luffy asked as if he had no idea what Naruto was talking about.
"They are pirates who were trying to kill Laboon for his meat" Nami replied since Luffy hadn't met them yet, "We captured them and now they are helping us get to Whisky Peak in return for their freedom, we can't navigate there since our compass seems to be malfunctioning".
"How stupid..." Kushina commented, "Don't you have any knowledge of navigation in the Grand Line".
"No need to be snappy because Luffy ate all of your ramen" Naruto calmed her down, "I'll make you more when get sailing".
Kushina glared one last time at Luffy and turned her face away, "See to it that you do" and walked into the navigation room.
"Luffy's really trying to test her temper" Naruto muttered as he turned towards Nami and continued, "Anyway, common sense is useless in this part of the sea, it's not that that compass is broken, it the magnetic field lines that are all messed up".
"Magnetic lines?" She asked.
"That's right. the islands in the Grand Line contain lots of magnetic minerals because of that, they cause abnormality throughout the Grand Line making a normal compass useless. Furthermore, the currents and winds don't have constancy either. As a navigator, you should know how scary that is".
Nami rubbed her head in embarrassment "I-I didn't know that! Oh well..."
"Hey, That's bad!" Usopp exclaimed at her, "If we can't navigate then how will we move forward?".
"You need a device called Log pose to navigate through the Grand Line".
"Log pose? I've never heard of such a thing" Nami replied.
"You should have learned more about the Grand Line before you came here" Naruto stated, "It is your duty as a navigator to make sure you know everything about the ocean before you set sail and with Luffy as your captain, you'll need to be even more alert."
Ignoring the hurt look from Nami, Naruto continued "Anyway, as I was saying, the log pose is a special type of compass that records magnetism of the island".
"Is it strange looking?" Luffy suddenly asked.
"Yeah, its shape is unusual that's for sure" Naruto replied.
"Is it something like this?" he continued as he fished something from his pant pocket and handed it to Naruto.
"Yep, that's a log pose" Naruto replied as he handed to log pose to Nami.
"Without that thing, it is impossible to travel in the Grand Line".
"Where did you find this Luffy," Nami asked as she inspected the log pose.
"I found it on our ship's deck" Luffy replied. "I guess it belongs to those 2 weirdoes".
"How do you use it, it has no dial face?" Nami asked as she tried to understand it.
"The islands in Grand Line follow a certain rule, that is, by recording the magnetism between two islands pulling against one another, you can find the route to the next island. Since it's impossible to figure out your location when you are in the sea, the magnetism record of the log pose is the only thing you can depend on to reach your destination. There are seven such routes you can pick from here, but no matter which of them you choose the magnetism will eventually pull against each other and link themselves to a single route, ending at the final island of the Grand Line known as Raftel. It's said that The One Piece is located on this island and only Gol D Roger, The pirate king, has sailed there since him no one else has managed to reach there till now."
"Yes!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed, "I'm gonna reach that Island, get the Legendary treasure, One Piece, and become the King of Pirates!".
"Not if I reach there first" Naruto replied, "You aren't the only one who plans to become the Pirate King".
"Narutoooo!" Kushina called for him "Are you done? Its getting boring in here, Let's set sail!".
"Coming!" Naruto shouted back and jumped aboard his ship.
"It's a race then" Naruto stated, "And I don't plan to go easy on you just because you're my friend."
"I'd expect nothing less" Luffy replied with the same passion as Naruto's.
"See you then" Naruto bid him farewell and started to open the sail.
"Wait!" Nami suddenly yelled "How do you read this damn thing!"
"Just follow the red needle!" Naruto replied as his ship left the dock.
XXXXXXXXX
"So, where are we heading," Naruto asked from his place on top of the crown.
"Whisky Peak, It's a small town on the Cactus Island, we'll have to stay there till the log pose resets and points us to the next island."
Naruto nodded as he stood up and walked towards the sails, "I'll draw a pirate flag on the sail to officially make this a pirate ship, it always bugs me when people mistake our ship for a merchant ship".
"Have you thought of a design?"
"Yes," Naruto smiled as he retrieved some paint from the storeroom.
"Tell me then!" Kushina exclaimed "Enough with the suspense".
"You'll see it when you see it" Naruto replied as he started to paint.
He was done painting the Jolly Roger within few minutes.
"So... what do you think?" Naruto asked as he wiped some paint off of his face.
"It's... amazing!" Kushina exclaimed, "I didn't know you were such a talented artist".
Naruto shrugged as they both observed the Jolly Roger, It was that of a black skull with a golden crown on its forehead and red eyes menacingly looking off in the distance with two swords crossed behind it.
"It will truly strike fear in the heart of onlookers when they see our ship sailing towards them" Naruto commented.
After a few hours passed, Naruto had to get indoors as it had suddenly started to snow.
"I know the Grand Line is a mysterious place but this is ridiculous!" he exclaimed "It was sunny just a few minutes ago!"
"As you said earlier to that girl, common sense is useless in this part of the sea".
After passing through snowy, stormy and rainy weather, they finally reached Whisky Peak.
"Remind me to thank your brother" Naruto spoke as he closed the sails, "This ship is truly an extraordinary one, I don't think any other vessel could have passed through such climates with only two members sailing it."
"Of course the ship is awesome!" Kushina replied as she puffed her chest with pride, "It's my brother's gift, after all, he wouldn't accept anything but the best for me".
Jumping down from their ship, Naruto commented "Such a funny looking island and What's with all those cactuses" he said as he pointed at the cactus-shaped structures in the distance.
As they were walking through the town, people suddenly started to cheer for them.
"Welcome to the Grand Line!"
"Welcome to our town!"
"They did see our terrifying Jolly Roger right?" Naruto whispered as he waved at them, "They can't mistake us for anything else but pirates".
"I have no idea what's going on either" Kushina whispered back "I have never visited this island before".
As they walked to the town's centre, a man dressed in a gentleman's outfit with a trumpet in his left arm, greeted them.
"Welcome, My name is Igarappoi, I'm the mayor of Whisky peak".
"My name is Naruto" Naruto introduced himself and Pointed at Kushina, "And this beautiful lady is Kushina" he teased causing Kushina to blush.
The mayor froze for a second when he heard their names and continued with his speech.
"Whisky Peak is a town that thrives on making Liquor and Music. Hospitality is the pride of our town. As for our proud liquor, it's as bountiful as the seawater. Would you allow us to throw a party for the two of you so that we may hear your tales of adventures?".
"That will not be required", Naruto declined "We will buy some rations and explore the island while our log pose sets, we don't want to intrude on you guys".
"It won't be a problem for us-"
"As he said" Kushina interrupted "We will take some supplies and explore the island".
"Understandable" The mayor replied as he moved aside to let them pass.
As they walked a few distance away from the town, Naruto finally asked "Did you notice?".
Kushina nodded "There weren't any children present in the entire town, there weren't many merchant's either and though not powerful, every one of them was giving off a bit of killing intent".
"They are all probably bounty hunters" Naruto muttered as he looked around the barren mountains filled with crosses, "And now that I've had a better look at those mountains, they seem to be filled with graves".
"Hmmm" Kushina hummed as she adopted a thinking pose "From the way they welcomed us, I can tell they have done this a couple of time. They probably get the pirates drunk under the pretence of a party and then rob them and hand them over to the marines after they pass out."
"You're not a pretty face after all" Naruto teased "But I agree with you. Did you notice the mayor freeze up when we mentioned our names, he probably remembered it from my wanted posters and judging by his reaction, I don't think he'll risk capturing us because of the amount of my bounty. Or maybe he will" Naruto continued, "We'll find out either way".
As he finished, the townspeople began to cheer again as another ship entered their town.
"Looks like another pirate ship has entered the town, we should complete exploring the island and return to our ship before nightfall".
Kushina nodded and began to walk forward followed closely by Naruto as they explored their surroundings.
The evening passed uneventfully as the town continued to party with the newly arrived pirates.
Laying on the tallest building while staring at the sky, Naruto asked "So, what is your goal in life, Why did you want to set sail so eagerly?"
Kushina was silent for few seconds as she laid beside him, "I wanted to explore the world on my own. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every second I spent on that ship with my brother and his crew while they sailed across the seas but they'd get a bit overprotective at times, which meant I wasn't allowed to do reckless and dangerous things like fighting other pirates or plundering with them. I wanted to feel the world without the safety bubble of my brother." She finished "And what about you, We have entered the Grand Line now, Don't you have any goal you want to complete as well?"
"I was thinking about finding that Poneglyph your brother mentioned. I want to know more about the mysteries of my strange eyes, and become the King of Pirates as well" he finished as an afterthought.
Their conversation was interrupted by the commotion down below. Peering down they found Zoro talking to the mayor.
"You bastard...! I thought you were passed out as well!" the mayor spoke.
"Swordsmen never make the mistake of letting their guard down that much, especially on a strange town like this one" he announced, "So, let's see if I've got this right. This is a nest of bounty hunters. You dupe pirates who are in high spirits after they've just entered the Grand Line".
"Looks like he isn't completely hopeless after all" Kushina whispered.
"What I find hopeless is we running into Luffy and his crew again and again. It's almost like someone is trying to make sure we stick together" he said looking at the author(a little fourth wall break).
"Where are you staring at" Kushina replied "Anyway, both of us are following the same path to cross the Grand Line so it's natural to bump into one another."
"Let's watch how he does against these bounty hunters" Naruto changed the topic as he sat comfortably on the edge of the building.
"I'll fight all 100 of you... Baroque Works!" Zoro exclaimed.
The bounty hunters seemed afraid for some reason as Zoro revealed the name of their organization, "You Bastard! How do you know our company's name?"
"When I used to be in a similar line of work, I was recruited by your company once, Naturally, I rejected. The organization's employees don't know each other's identity and are called by code names, It clicked to me when I met those two weirdoes" he said pointing at a blue-haired girl and an orange-haired man with a crown. "Of course, the boss' whereabouts and his identity are also a mystery. Baroque Works is a criminal group that faithfully carries out their orders without any questions" Zoro smirked "I'd hardly call it a secret organization".
"This is surprising, If you know of our secrets then we have no choice but to kill you" The mayor spoke in a menacing tone, "Another gravestone will be added to the Cactus Rocks!"
"Kill him!" He exclaimed as he pointed at Zoro.
Zoro quickly jumped down from the building he was standing on and started to plough through the bounty hunters.
"He's doing well all things considered" Naruto stated as he saw Zoro slash through several bounty hunters while simultaneously dodging the gunfire.
Kushina nodded as she silently kept on observing him.
After taking down 20 or so bounty hunters, Zoro vanished from their sights and adopted a hit and run strategy.
"That's smart" Naruto commented, "It would be foolish to fight so many people at once".
"Didn't you fight Don Kreig and his 100 or so cronies at once as well?" Kushina asked with a smirk.
"That was different!" Naruto exclaimed as he inadvertently called himself foolish.
As the fight stretched on, Zoro began to get close to where Naruto and Kushina were hiding, spotting them he immediately dashed towards them.
"What the hell are you doing!? Don't bring them here" Naruto exclaimed as he and Kushina jumped down from their hiding spot.
"Help me out a little!" Zoro exclaimed as he dodged another round of gun fire, "I have to go save my stupid crew, they are all passed out in the bar" with that he ran away leaving all the bounty hunters to them.
"Well, we were going to get involved sooner or later" Naruto muttered as he stretched his neck, "Might as well do it now"
Surrounding the two, the mayor stepped forward as he pointed his trumpet/shotgun at them.
"Naruto of the Scarlet eyes, bounty 80 million and Red Death Kushina, bounty 70 million, it's a pleasure to meet you again"
"So you know of us" Naruto stated with a smirk, "And you still think it's wise to raise your swords against us?"
"Of course it isn't wise, I had decided to let the two of you pass since you were clearly way out of our league but now that you know the secrets of our organization as well, I can't let you leave" he replied as he pointed his weapon at them.
"Now that you've pointed your weapons at us, are you sure you want to use them" Kushina suddenly spoke as a menacing aura surrounded her, "Those things are meant for actions not threats, Once you've fired a bullet from it you've decided to gamble your life as well".
Understanding what she was doing, Naruto continued, "If you're willing to take someone else's life then be prepared to lay down your own life as well" Naruto stated "So tell me... Are you ready to risk it?"
Silence followed as nobody dared to move a muscle since the threat was issued, suddenly a few of the bounty hunters began to drop their weapons and move back.
"They've got a total bounty of 150 million, no way I am fighting someone as dangerous as them".
"Yeah, I heard he defeated the Krieg Pirates all on his own!"
"And she sunk 20 marine ships back in the East Blue!"
As more bounty hunter began to drop their weapons, a tall dark-haired woman suddenly stepped forward and readied her metal knuckles.
"Ms Monday!!!" they all exclaimed.
"You don't scare me!" she exclaimed as she punched Naruto in the face.
The bounty hunters began to cheer as they picked up their weapons again, "Why were we scared when we have her with us!"
"Yeah! no man can best her in terms of strength!".
"Is that so" Naruto replied, Ms Monday's knuckles still pressed on his nose.
They immediately stopped cheering as they heard Naruto speak.
"I guess she must have missed my head that time" Naruto replied as Ms Monday jumped back to create some distance between them, Naruto stepped forward and spread his arms in an open invitation, "I'll let you hit me again, make sure you don't miss me this time".
"Don't underestimate me!" she yelled in anger as she jumped towards him and punched with all her strength again.
"Superhuman Brass Knuckles headshot!"
There was a loud cracking sound as her knuckles met his face.
"Did she break his face?"
"Serves him right! trying to be so overconfident with us!"
Suddenly, let out a loud scream as she held her arm in pain.
"What the hell?!" the bounty hunters whispered as they saw her broken arm, the brass knuckle seemed to have crushed through her fingers and into her palm, with a quick kick, Naruto smashed her into a nearby building, where she fell, unconscious.
"Anyone else wants to try!?" Naruto asked, he didn't have even a single mark on his face from that punch.
"Naruuutooo!" Luffy's voice echoed in the distance as his stretched fist slammed in Naruto's face.
"What the hell are you doing Luffy?" Naruto whispered with a threatening tone.
"What the hell am I doing?" He repeated, "What the hell are you doing!?" he screamed, "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to all these people!"
"What nonsense are you spewing? Haven't you figured out the situation yet" Naruto replied as he realised Luffy had yet to notice that these people were not common villagers but bounty hunters.
"Shut up! Everyone in this town welcomed me and offered me lots of delicious food, I can't forgive you for harming them!" He yelled as he readied his fist again and launched it at Naruto.
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
His punch didn't reach Naruto as Kushina stepped forward and deflected it to the side, destroying the building it hit.
"You can't attack the captain without going through me first" Kushina muttered as she walked towards Luffy.
"I don't care! I'll kick your ass too!" Luffy screamed as he threw a punch again.
This time, instead of dodging or deflecting it, Kushina caught the punch and yanked him towards her.
"Gomu Gomu no Bell!", Luffy exclaimed as he stretched his head back and snapped it forward as his body reached Kushina, delivering a devastating headbutt to her.
However, instead of Kushina, it was Luffy who seemed to clutch his head in pain.
"Idiot" Kushina muttered as she let Luffy regain his bearings.
"Let it go Kushina" Naruto tried to intervene, "Its just a misunderstanding".
"No!" Kushina firmly replied, "I haven't forgiven him for eating all of my ramen this morning, It's finally time to make him pay for that".
"You're still hung up on that!"
Ignoring Naruto, Kushina jumped forward "This is for eating all of my ramen, you food-stealing bastard!" and punched his face as she landed.
"Ramen's revenge!"
Luffy's head was smashed into the ground, cratering it from the impact of Kushina's punch, his body followed soon and stayed there as he was knocked unconscious.
"That was a bit extreme..." Naruto muttered but fell silent when Kushina glared at him.
"We are done here" Kushina declared.
"I don't think so" A man called out as he walked towards Igarrapoi.
"Losing against a man who hasn't even raised his finger yet" he commented, "How pitiful...".
"Mr.5! !" Igarappoi exclaimed.
"Were you guys kidding around with them?" he asked in annoyance.
"We saw how scared you all got when all he did was threaten you. How disgusting, but what can I say? this is the difference between our rank and yours, isn't it? pissing your pants with mere words!" The girl with him laughed.
"Have you come here to mock us!"
"Yes, that and to complete our mission".
"Mission?"
"'They've found out my secrets' these are the boss' words. Of course, I have no idea what kind of secrets they are but our company's motto is "Mystery". No matter whose identity it is, the rule is that you never nose around for it and If someone finds out the boss' secrets, then that's of course, a sin worthy of death." The man explained.
"After careful investigation, we've found the one who knows the secret!" she laughed, "It's a VIP from a certain kingdom who managed to sneak into Baroque Works".
"H-Hold on, although I'm wearing a crown, I'm not a king or anything!" Mr.9 exclaimed.
"It's not you, you idiot!" The woman exclaimed.
"The sinners are those who're missing from the Alabasta Kingdom right now..."
Suddenly Igarappoi pulled his bow tie causing tiny cannons to emerge from his extensive hair-do and fired them at the two Baroque Works agents.
"I won't let you lay a finger on our princess!" he exclaimed, "I swear on my name as the Squad Captain of Alabasta Kingdom Security!".
"Alabasta?" Naruto wondered.
"Igaram, the second Captain of Alabasta Kingdom Security" Mr.5 revealed Igarappoi real name and as the dust from the explosion settled, Mr.5 and Ms Valentine were revealed to be completely unharmed, "And its princess, Nefertari Vivi," he said pointing at, "In the name of Baroque Works' boss, we'll eliminate you both!".
"This seems to be a personal matter" Naruto interrupted, "We'll take our leave for now" and turned away to leave.
"You are not going anywhere either" Mr.5 stopped him, "I was ordered to execute anyone who may have discovered the secrets of our organization, none of you are leaving here alive!".
Mr.5 then flicked something at Naruto who dodged it with ease, the small projectile struck Igaram and exploded like a bomb.
"Ewww" Naruto recoiled with absolute disgust "Did you just throw your booger at me!".
"Gross!" Kushina also shuddered at the thought of someone's booger hitting her, "You better not flick that disgusting thing at me" she warned.
"Igaram!" the now revealed Nefertari Vivi yelled in concern.
"Vivi-sama, don't mind me just escape from here" he grunted as he laid on the ground, "I'm ready to sacrifice myself for our motherland... But without you, our kingdom is all but doomed, So please hurry and leave!"
"It's no use" Ms Valentine replied as she laughed and seemed to float in the air as she flew to kick Vivi's head off.
Vivi barely dodged the kick but her hair clip wasn't so lucky as it broke apart from the impact, causing her hair to come loose.
"You monsters!" she exclaimed.
"This is one screwed-up night!" Naruto muttered as he and Kushina walked away from them, "But since it doesn't concern us, we'll be taking our leave. You freaks can do whatever the hell you want after that".
"As I said, No one is going anywhere" Mr.5 muttered as he started to pick his nose.
"I'm having a hard time swallowing what's going on here but we've been partners for a long time" Mr.9 exclaimed as he stepped forward to protect Vivi, "Princess or not, you've been a great partner to me so as a favor I'll buy you some time and keep them busy till you escape."
"Mr.9..." Vivi was speechless at Mr.9's sacrifice.
"Bye-bye, Baby!" he exclaimed as he jumped at Mr.5, with his iron bat ready to strike.
As Mr.9 was inches away from hitting him, Mr.5 flicked the booger right into his open mouth causing him to get blasted away from the explosion.
"That's some dangerous snot he's got" Naruto commented from his place at the top of a nearby building.
As the explosion cleared, Vivi was seen running away on some type of duck, followed closely by the two agents.
"Well, that was fun while it lasted" Naruto commented as he got down from the building, "We should get going, the log pose has probably adjusted for the next island. I really don't want to fight someone who throws boogers at people".
As he turned around to leave, someone suddenly grabbed his leg, turning around he found Igaram at his leg.
"What the hell?!" Naruto exclaimed as he tried to free his leg, "Let me go, you weirdo!".
"Mr Naruto!, please save the princess. I beg of you!" Igaram pleaded "I know the two of you are extremely strong, with your help she'll surely make it back to Alabasta safely".
"Why should we help you guys," Kushina asked, "You were just trying to kill us a few minutes ago."
"Those two possess Devil Fruit Powers, I have no chance of stopping them. I'd be in your eternal debt if you protect the princess in my place!"
"It seem like you didn't hear her well, so I'll repeat it again for you" Naruto replied, "Why should we help her, we have nothing to gain or to lose from the death of your precious princess".
"If you can safely deliver the princess to the great kingdom of Alabasta, I promise that you will be rewarded immensely!"
"Money isn't really an incentive for us, we already have more than enough of it" Naruto replied.
"If this 'immense reward' for real?" a voice called out and was revealed to be Nami who was observing everything from a nearby balcony, "I'll take up that offer! How does 1 billion berries sound in exchange for the safety of the princess".
Igaram took one look at her and exclaimed again, still holding Naruto's leg, "I beg of you! Please save the princess!"
"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Nami yelled in anger as she jumped down from the balcony.
"I thought you were asleep" Zoro called out as he returned from the back where he went to drop Luffy.
"Come now" She muttered, "Who is their right mind would sleep carelessly in an overly suspicious town that welcomes pirates?"
"That would be your entire crew right now," Naruto remarked.
"Ohhhh nice burn!" Kushina exclaimed as she high-fived Naruto.
"As I was saying.." she continued, Ignoring Naruto and Kushina's antics "Will you promise us 1 billion Berries in exchange for the Princesses' safety?".
"Does she speak for you two as well?" Igaram asked.
"She speaks for no one" Naruto replied, "She not a part of our crew, she doesn't possess the strength to save the princess either".
"He's right" Zoro added, "Please ignore her, she's just a greedy wench looking to earn quick money".
As Zoro and Nami began to bicker amongst themselves, Naruto suddenly thought of something.
"Hey Kushina, Doesn't your brother own several Islands in the new world" Naruto suddenly asked.
"Well... he doesn't own them but they are under his protection" Kushina replied as she realised where Naruto was going with it, "But yes, you could say that he owns them as his word is law there".
"Ok!" Naruto declared, "I have decided, In exchange for our services you'll have to declare the kingdom of Alabasta as our territory!"
"I'm a mere soldier, I can't promise you something like that" Igaram replied.
"Are you suggesting that your princess isn't even worth that much to your own kingdom?"
Igaram refused to accept such terms so he didn't reply, "Answer fast, your princess doesn't have much time left if we don't intervene"
"In that case, If you're willing to safely deliver the princess to our kingdom, it would be best if you negotiate the terms directly with her!" Igaram replied.
"Fine" Naruto agreed, "Look like we'll be owning a kingdom soon, how cool is that!!"
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