To Walk the Path of Freedom
"Naruto sweetie! Breakfast is ready!" Spoke the voice of a woman, slightly muffled as the voice originated from another room. The voice in question caused a young boy to stir in his bed before opening his eyes. The boy got up from his prone position on the bed and rubbed his eyes before looking around his room. His gaze went from the window where the sun shined through and a gentle breeze rolled in to across the toy covered floor to the half open door located on the opposite side. He was dressed in a simple light blue short sleeved shirt with maroon shorts that came down to just above his knees. He then moved some of his dark red hair out of his face and sighed.
The young Naruto then cracked a yawn before sliding his feet off to the edge of the bed and pushing himself off of the bed to stand on the floor. Before any other movement was made, the voice from the other room sounded again. "Naruto! Don't forget to get your brother!" The boy looked in the direction of the sound before direction his attention to the cradle positioned in the corner of the room.
Walking over and then looking inside of the cradle, Naruto cracked a smile. "Hi Ace. Did you have a good nap?" He asked rhetorically, not expecting the baby to respond to him. Looking at Ace, he could be seen wearing a light yellow onesie which made his black hair contrast heavily. After a few seconds of watching the new born stir he reached in and pulled him out, supporting him with both of his hands as he turned and walked out of the room.
The two brothers then walked down the hall together as Naruto's eyes glued themselves onto every picture they walked by. Almost all of the pictures were of the same four individuals, Naruto, Ace, and both of his parents. All except for a few which were of Naruto's father and his friends he made during his journey across the treacherous Grandline. A steady pace was kept as he walked down the hall to reach the stairs until the brothers crossed a certain picture of the wall. Looking at it caused the oldest of the two brothers to crack a small smile. The picture itself displayed a plethora of familiar faces to the young boy, as it was his father's crew which he, his brother and his mother had all travelled with for as long as he could remember. "Gaban, Rayleigh, Spencer, Crocus, Shanks, Buggy. . ." He whispered their names. "I wish I could see you all again." He continued in his original quiet tone before turning away and continuing to walk down the wooden stairs with his brother in hand.
After a few steps down the stairs, Naruto and the baby Ace arrived in a kitchen that was decorated in white paint and various pots and pans. In the kitchen was two adults that Naruto and Ace referred to as Mom and Dad. The lady was the lovely Portgas D. Rouge, one of the fairest maidens in the whole world. She was dressed in a simple white dress that hugged her waist nicely, and flowed down to her mid shin. With the dress she wore a patterned pink and yellow apron as she made food. Moreover, she had a reputation among friends and strangers alike to be one of the most caring and loving people to ever exist on the planet. This reputation she had built as she sailed the seas with her husband, assisting whoever needed it wherever she went. The man in question was one of the most respected yet feared people to ever sail the seas in all of existence. This man was Gol D. Roger and he went by a lot of names. Some were good, some were bad depending on who you spoke to but everyone agreed that this man was the King of the Pirates and the Captain of the legendary Roger Pirates who had successfully found One Piece. But instead of sailing the seas further he had decided to become a full-time father and husband to his family. Now he could be seen sitting at a table reading the newest addition of the paper with a white tang top on with simple navy blue shorts.
"Goodmorning Mom, goodmorning Dad." Exclaimed Naruto who put Ace in his high-top chair before taking a seat himself beside his father
Rouge who was standing by the stove cooking turned to face the oldest of her two sons and walked over to him. "Goodmorning sweetheart!" She told him enthusiastically before planting a kiss on the top of his head, Naruto cringed as a response to it as he felt embarrassed being smothered by his mother. She then repeated it again with Ace who giggled as a response.
"And mine?" Roger asked with his trademark grin as he lowered the paper to look at his wife
She chuckled and shook her head at his antics before walking over and placing a kiss on his cheek which Naruto playfully gagged at. This action did not go unnoticed by Rouge as she quickly made her way back over to her son. "And just for that you're getting a second!" She told him as she planted another kiss on his head
"Awww Mom!" Protested Naruto as he waved his arms around to get her away
Roger laughed in response to his son's antics. "I doubt you'd be complaining if it was from Hiyori, eh Naruto?!"
The boy blushed and in response he covered his face with his shirt to hide it. "Dad! Stop ittttttt!" The boy complained as both parents chuckled
"Roger that's enough, it's time to eat." The lady of the house proclaimed as she presented both Naruto and Roger with plates of food all the while giving Ace a bottle of baby formula
Rouge then pulled back her own chair and sat down herself with her own plate of food. She looked over at her son which just sweat dropped at the sight of his father practically inhaling food and not paying any attention what-so-ever to any table manners. "Ahem! Dear, did you see anything interesting in the paper?" Rouge asked, attempting to start a conversation with the Pirate King
It took a second but Roger finally took a break from eating to look up at his wife to respond to her previous question. "Ah nothing! Just something about Newgate becoming the new strongest pirate!" He spoke roughly, with food still on his face
Rouge then made a silent gesture to her husband to notify him of the food on his face which he caught and wiped off. "Well it's good to see that he's still up and at it. And what about you Naruto? Anything new with my little prince?"
The boy puffed his cheeks at the name, "No! But I do have a question!" He proclaimed to everyone at the table
"And what might that by?" Rouge followed up by asking
His eyes went over to his mother and then his father. Naruto inhaled deeply as to calm his nerves before he spoke once again. "Can we see everyone again!" He asked his parents who immediately knew who he was referring to
Rouge avoided eye contact with the boy as she looked down to the floor and Roger leaned back in his seat and took a deep sigh. "I'm sorry son, but I'm afraid we can't. Everyone has gone their separate ways from us, and I've even heard that little Shanks and Buggy have even begun to create their own crews and forge their own paths. And certain circumstances have made it so it isn't safe anymore for all of us to travel on the seas like we used to." To no ones surprise the answer Roger gave was not one which Naruto wanted to hear as he was about to protest again
"But-" He began but was interrupted by a violent cough that came from Roger
Naruto watched as his father fell from his chair, knocking some dishes off of the table and began to cough violently on the floor and Rouge ran to his side to help him. As this began Ace began to cry at the sudden loud noise. "Naruto, take your brother upstairs and see if you can comfort him! Don't come down until I say!" Spoke the matriarch of the family
The oldest of the two siblings was about to protest so that he could help his father but chose to obey his mother's wishes and took Ace up the stairs away from his parents. After climbing the wooden stairs, the two siblings walked down the hallway to reach their room except this time Naruto took no time to look at the old pictures decorating the walls. Once he reached the room he pushed the door shut and put the crying Ace back in his cradle. Naruto took a minute to look at his brother before he lowered his finger into the cradle and began to poke him in the stomach. This worked in making Ace be quiet but he gave Naruto a questioning look as to why he was doing what he was doing. Though the look was short lived as Ace began chuckling and making happy noises as Naruto kept touching his stomach lightly with his finger.
The elder of the two cracked a small smile at the laughing baby. "If only you were there to see it Ace, you would want to go back too." Naruto told his brother before removing his hand and walking over to the window on the opposite side of the room of the door. The 6 year-old boy looked out to the sea and noticed how vast it was but yet it didn't intimidate him, in fact, Naruto welcomed the challenge of exploring the sea.
After another few minutes of looking out to the sea an idea hit him. "Wait!" He exclaimed as a lightbulb went off in his mind. "If Mom and Dad won't tell me what's happening then I'll just spy on them myself and figure it out! Besides Dad doesn't listen to anyone and he's the coolest guy to ever live! And I can be cool, like a ninja!" He continued to explain his elaborate plan to his brother who couldn't understand a word, yet sweat dropped anyway.
Naruto then fell to his knees and looked under his bed for any supplies he would need on his "mission". He looked for only a few seconds before finding a scarf that would help conceal his face. 'Coooooool!' He thought to himself as he put it on. His eyes then scanned the room for another important piece of clothing which he found in only a few seconds as it was hanging off one of the posts on the bed. "I can't be a ninja without my hat!" Explained the boy as he put on the hat which was far too big for his head
The hat in question looked a lot like Ace's hat which he'd eventually dawn just minus the beads and faces and instead substituting them for a red piece of clothe that circled it. The hat was also a midnight black in colour, a particular colour that Naruto found to look really cool. Moreover, the object also held great significance as it was one of the first things he could remember his parents getting him for his birthday. Before long, Naruto was ready to embark on his noble crusade to spy on his parents. The boy quietly opened his door and to avoid any creaking on the wooden floor he crawled all the way down the hall, over to the stairs that looked down into the kitchen.
Sitting in a chair, Naruto saw his father with his white shirt now stained red and with a very tired look on his face. The boy went wide-eyed before quickly moving out of sight to assess what he just saw. 'W-what! W-why is Dad bleeding?! Did him and Mom get into a fight?! What's going on!?' His mind flared with questions as curiosity got the best of him and he looked back onto the scene
"Here, take this it should help with the cough." Rouge spoke out as she came into Naruto's vision holding what seemed to be a glass of water and 2 pills. Roger nodded, too weak to speak, and swallowed the pills without a second thought and used the water to wash it down. "I can see it's getting worse." The mother of the house proclaimed in a sad tone of voice
Roger made another sigh, "Yes, yes it is." He began to say. "I don't have much time left Rouge, and we've had more and more incidents with those pesky Marines snooping around these isles. Just the other day I managed to intercept a squad that was only 2 kilometers away from the house. It's only a matter of time before they find us and learn of you and the boys and your connections to me." He finished, looking down solemnly at the wooden floor
The onlooking Naruto could not believe what he was hearing. 'The Marines?' He thought. The boys mind went wild with questions again but also with worry as this was one of the few times he saw his father without a smile adorning his face.
His wife pulled up a chair beside him, sat down, and rested her head on his shoulder. "What do you suggest we do?" She asked him
Roger looked up at her and held her hands with his. "I'm afraid this time I think the best solution is for me to embark-" He began to say but Naruto quickly went back to his room, not listening to the rest of the sentence. He quickly scooted back down the hall until he reached his room and then stood up in a flash. Though the young Portgas D. Naruto was by no means an idiot his father's words went right over his head and the boy was confused as to what was going on.
"Ace!" He looked down at his brother. "It's time! Dad is heading out again! On another grand journey! And this time I'll be at his side the whole way and not miss out on seeing One Piece! I'll be his first mate! And keep this between us but I'll make a way better first mate then Uncle Rayleigh!" Spoke the boy, as he whispered the last part to his baby brother
"All I got to do is pack up and then I'll be off and be a famous Pirate with Dad! I'll live however I want and do whatever I want! When you get old enough I might let you join us! Only if you're super strong like Dad!" Naruto continued to talk to his brother, unaware of what was happening in the other room
Back in the kitchen a few hours later. . .
"A-are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Rouge asked her husband with a shaking voice
He nodded, "Even if I were to stay I can feel my body getting weaker by the hour. Crocus told me before we left to go on our own that I'd only have a matter of months left and that was 7 months ago. I feel it could be any day now before. . .you know." The King of the Pirates told his bride as she began to tear up at the thought of losing him.
"When will you tell Naruto, Ace is too young to remember much of anything but Naruto adores you to a fault. Remember he got into a fight with a bunch of children last week who told him that the King of the Pirates was a fool." Rouge expressed to Roger who was now clutching his shaking hands
Roger pondered for a few seconds but to him it felt like hours. "I-I want to give him a proper goodbye but-" He was cut short by Rouge
"Don't you dare! That boy idolizes you! You're his hero and his father! If you walk out that door without telling him anything he'll be broken! The last you could do is tell him that you're leaving and you still love him!" Rouge argued back to Roger who took in the words like a sponge
"In all my life no task has proved itself to be as hard as the one I'm about to partake. I would rather fight the Rocks Pirates a thousand times over then tell my son that I'll never see him again." Roger answered, still looking at the floor and unable to meet his wife's gaze
Rouge sighed as she sat further back into her chair. "Then what are you going to do then?" She asked him and Roger stood up
"I'll wait until sundown until I go, in the meantime why don't you take the boys into the market while I get my stuff ready. I'll write him a letter as well so that at least he can have closer." The tall man explained to his wife who eventually agreed to the plan
Rouge stood up and tied her hair off with a piece of clothe after tucking the chairs on which the two adults previously sat back into their normal position. "Naruto!" She yelled upstairs to get the boy's attention. "Get your brother, we're going to the market to shop for a little while!" She finished as she walked over to Roger and hugged him. She took a step back and looked up, "I hope you know what you're doing."
He cracked a smile, "Don't worry sweetie! Everything will be just fine!"
Seeing his trademark grin again only made her tear up again. "I really hope you're right Roger, I really do." She released him from the hug as she heard her two sons come down the stairs and into the kitchen
Rouge then seemingly put on a smile like it never left her face at the sight of her children. "And are my two strapping young gentlemen ready to accompany me to the market?" She asked in a playful tone of voice as Naruto smiled in response and baby Ace began to laugh. Naruto walked over to his mother with Ace in hand and took her hand but then quickly looked back at his father. "Mom! Is Dad coming too!?" The young boy asked as Rouge went silent for a second before responding
"No I'm sorry Naruto. Your father just has a few things he needs to do around the house so we'll be getting out of his hair for a few hours." She sent a silent look to Roger in which only couples would understand. "But aren't you excited to spend the day with Mommy!?" She asked, turning the mood around very quickly
Naruto pouted for a second and puffed his cheeks. "Yeah I guess." He spoke in a low voice
Rouge just chuckled to herself after taking Ace out of Naruto's grasp and and walked out the door with the two boys. "You're brutal to me Naruto." She said with that same chuckle, exchanging one last look with her husband, a silent goodbye
Roger watched as the door closed and his family walked up the hill and away from the house towards the nearby settlement before he pulled out a mini Den Den Mushi and tuned the communication device. "Tomorrow morning at sunrise, Baterilla Island in the South Blue. . .don't be late Garp." He finished before pocketing the Den Den Mushi
Later that night. . .
Naruto, Ace and Rouge had all returned from the market before Roger had departed, still unknown to both Ace and Naruto that he would be leaving. While at the market Rouge only got a few groceries of things that the family was out of, and being the nice person she was she gave Naruto a few beli to spend on something. Thinking that her son would come back with candy or a snack, shock was an understatement when she saw him come back with a metal staff. Since that afternoon, the young boy had been determined on learning how to properly use it in hopes of using it as a weapon when he becomes a sailor. However, Naruto did have some difficulty with the weapon as he managed to hit himself with it numerous times resulting in bruises all along his shins and arms.
Now it was time for both of the boys to go to bed and instead of Rouge doing her usual nightly routine of telling her son's goodnight, Roger had elected to do it himself. "So Dad, why are you tucking us in? Doesn't Mom usually do it?" Naruto asked his father who chuckled
"What, do you think I can't do it!? I'll have you know I'm the Pirate King!" He proclaimed in a playful voice before attacking Naruto with his hands, tickling the boy
In response, Naruto kicked and laughed, "S-s-stop it Dad!" He laughed out as Roger smiled at the happiness his son was experiencing. "Hey!" Yelled Naruto as he stood up on his bed to face his father with a serious look on his face. "You better be prepared old man cause someday I'm going to conquer the Grandline like you did and become an even greater Pirate than you!" After hearing the proclamation from his son Roger grinned and shook his head
"Naruto I didn't conquer anything. All that Marine nonsense has really made me out to be quite the villain." Began the older man as Naruto looked onto him with a questioning look. "Well if you didn't conquer anything then what'd you do?" The boy asked him
Staring at his son's confused face Roger smiled before saying, "I did the greatest thing any man could do! I didn't live like a King and I didn't live like a criminal! I lived my life of piracy as a free man! And let me tell you Naruto, there is no greater treasure then being a free man!" The look of confusion did not drop from the young boy's face as he asked another question. "Freedom?"
The response to the question was a stern nod from Roger and a huge grin. "That's what being the King of the Pirates is all about, being the most free person in the world!" Understanding what his father was trying to tell him Naruto nodded with a big smile. "Yeah!" He voiced before Roger put out his palm and pushed his son's head down to the pillow. "Now it's time for you to go to sleep! Cause if you don't then your mother will get mad at me for keeping you up!" Roger told his son as Rouge stood nearby at the entrance to the room shaking her head at his antics.
The older man then used his arms to push himself up into a standing position and turned and walked towards the door. "I love you Dad!" Came a voice from behind him which caused a lone tear to swell up and fall down his face. When the tear hit the floor boards it sounded to the man that a cannon had just been fired. He pushed his sad thoughts of leaving his family behind him before turning back around to face his son. "I love you too Naruto, and you as well Ace. Both of you are my greatest treasure and have made me to most proud father in all the world. Do me a favor and never change the way you are." He finished, walking out of the room and closing the door to see his crying wife who quickly enveloped him into a hug.
Back inside of the room Naruto listened to the sound of the footsteps of his parents moving further away from his room and into theirs before the light went out and their door shut. "It's time!" He exclaimed in excitement, though not too loud to alert his parents. He flung his feet out of the covers and onto the floor and then got up. Running around to the other side of the room he fell to his knees and looked under the bed. Seeing what he was looking for, Naruto grinned as he pulled out his backpack full of "essential" things he would need on a journey. The following included his toy pirate ship, his telescope that he found broken on the beach one day, a single change of clothes, and last but certainly not least a half eaten cookie. It was a full one to begin with but while packing Naruto got hungry and ate half of it. He then reached for his hat and put it on along with grabbing his new staff. Without a second thought he made his way to the bedroom door before looking at the nob in a puzzled way. "Wait! I can't walk out the front door! I gotta sneak out the window!" Explained Naruto out loud as Ace just watched his brother run around their room with a confused look
Before Naruto hopped out the window he walked over to his little brother and scratched the underneath of his chin which made him giggle. "See ya Ace! The next time you see me I'll be a famous Pirate! As free as the wind just like Dad said I should do!" Finished Naruto as he ran over to the window and opened it up and climbed out onto the shingled roof below before using the drainpipe as a means to climb down to the ground. "Nailed it!" He congratulated himself before turning to the dock they had at the end of their property leading out to the ocean. There he saw his father, dressed in the clothes that he remembered he used to wear when he commanded the Roger Pirates on the Oro Jackson. Brimming with excitement, the young boy ran over to meet his father. It didn't take long for Roger to catch on of his son's presence, even with his illness and his struggle to use to use his haki he still had a sixth sense to tell him when either him, Ace, or Rouge were nearby. Roger turned and faced Naruto who stopped short of the small boat he was standing on. A smile was plastered along his son's face as Roger came to the conclusion that his son thought he would accompany him on the boat. "Are you ready to go Dad!?" Naruto asked, not dropping his smile
Roger took a deep sigh and stepped on the boat in front of his son and bent down. "I'm afraid you can't come with me on this journey son. The voyage I'm about to make I need to make alone." His voice explained as the smile on Naruto's face was quick to fade. "What?" He began. "B-but I thought you always said if one of us were to travel we travel as a family! You told me after we left everyone else behind that no matter what we would always stay together!" The boy raged as tears began to swell at the corners of his eyes
Seeing the boy's rage, Roger knew that he needed to tell him the truth. "Son. . .the reason I'm leaving is because of the sickness I have." He answered Naruto who immediately shot back. "I thought that was j-just a bug o-or-" Began the boy but he was cut off by Roger. "No. . .the disease I have is an incurable one. . .it's only a matter of time before I depart from this life and move onto the next." Roger explained which shattered Naruto on the inside as tears now freely flowed down the sides of his face
"B-b-but where w-will you g-go!?" Another question was asked by the younger of the two which Roger answered immediately. "I'm going to hand myself over to the Marines. And before you ask why it's because they won't stop hunting us as long as they know I'm out there. This way, at least you, your brother and your mother will be sparred from my crimes." He told his son who looked up to meet his eyeline
"W-will I ever see you again?" He asked in a soft voice and in response, Roger pulled him in for an embrace. "Naruto I'll never leave your side. Though you may never see me walking beside you I'll always be in here." He finished, pointing at his son's heart. "I need you to take care of your mother and brother for me, and I don't want you to become like me. I want you to live a life of freedom and pave your own destiny."
The words "live free" echoed in the boy's mind for a minute before he watched his father get onto the boat. Roger took the rope holding he boat onto the dock off and began to slowly drift out to sea. "You have made me proud Naruto, you and your brother will go on to become fantastic people. Never forget, don't live by anyone else's rules. Live free." Finished the old Pirate as the fog on the sea consumed him and he was out of sight.
Alright! We're back and better than ever! I would just like to say thank you everyone so much who reached out about the story, mt thanks go out to each and every one of you! As for this story I have decided that I would get all the prologue and backstory elements out of the way first before I upload anything. So when you are all reading this there should be a few chapters with this one kicking off the story. I would just like to make a DISCLAIMER: NOT ALL ELEMENTS OF THIS STORY WILL BE THE SAME AS PORTGAS D. NARUTO. I've elected to do something different in terms of Devil-Fruits and I've decided that instead of skipping straight to Sabaody I would have Naruto and his crew travel through Paradise first. Moreover, I can confirm that most of if not all of the original characters will be returning in this story however, they will be used a little differently. By that I mean just different backstories and just more flushed out character moments. DISCLAIMER! THE NARUTO IN THIS STORY IS MORE OF AN OC THAN THE NARUTO UZUMAKI WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE! I just wanted to explain that so people wouldn't whine and complain as to why I didn't write about Konoha and all that. Anyways that's enough from me for now! I hope that all of you enjoy!
Qwert out!