I am back from the...well, not dead. But I am back from not having updated this story in so long! It is all my fault; in addition to Medical School, I can never get my muse to stay focused on one chapter at a time. Never mind my ranting, however; it is time for our disclaimer; please welcome our special guest for today, Vice-Admiral Garp!

Garp: Bwahahahaha! Hey, Author-san, have you thought about becoming a Marine?

Well, uh, I don't really think the military is my thing...

Garp: Nonsense! You'll make a great Marine under my guidance! Bwahahahaha!

Could you please just give the disclaimer?

Garp: Wahaha! Author-san does not own One Piece, Naruto, nor any other characters or other fandom referenced herein; these works belong to their respective owners. Now, where are my jelly donuts...HEY! MY JELLY DONUTS!

Oh no, oh no...got to run!

Garp: You're not getting away that easily! FIST OF LOVE!

The Uzumaki clan, if one were to ask a historian of the name, would very rarely have elicited a response, even though Uzushiogakure no Sato's ruins stood for all to see. It was supposed, and with good reason, that the name 'Uzumaki' was merely a commoner's name inspired by the many whirlpools surrounding the island where the ancient Ninja village had once stood tall, dominant, and defiant. Nor would anyone have even heard any tales of a 'secret' to do with the name. The ramblings of fools, many on the streets would say. Who were the Uzumaki? What secret? Others would laugh out loud, perhaps, chuckling and bellowing that there was as much of a secret as there was a chance of another person finding the One Piece. Still others, consumed by the sickness of greed in their hearts, would grasp at the promises of wealth, fame and power whispered by the forbidden knowledge.

Vice-admiral Issho did not really know what to make of these words. Neither Naruto nor young Himawari had ever claimed to be of any mind towards the ramblings of the common folk on the existence of any Uzumaki secret. There was really no need to, he supposed, for the Uzumaki of old were gone, Uzushiogakure no Sato reborn as G-U base. Nor did he seem to be of any mind to wish to ask, for he respected them both far too greatly to pry or prod into what he would stake a great bet on was a very personal and treasured matter to the Uzumaki. Leaning back, he allowed himself to enjoy the art of Himawari's painting – and wasn't that strange indeed, a blind man gazing upon art!

"Who is the young woman?"

Himawari frowned as she continued to work her brush. "You wouldn't know, Vice-Admiral. She's not a Marine or anyone…"

"Please, do tell."

Sighing, Himawari set down her painting tools before gently waving her hand over, the painting setting and drying immediately. "It's a legend from our clan's history. A sad tale, one I find to be repeating itself."

Moving to sit down next to Issho by the central table of the central cabin, Himawari spoke again, her voice subdued. "'The Children of the Sage'…have you heard the story? Did Father…"

"He never mentioned such a thing."

"I wouldn't think so, sir." Himawari paused. "I'll begin, I guess, with Otsutsuki Maria, the legendary founder of the Uzumaki clan, and her brothers, Indra and Ashura…"

Commander Yamanaka Inojin was quite confused.

This was quite the common sight for the Marines that served under Captain Mitsuki, as their lovable second-in-command was always the direct and blunt guy, though, come to think of it, the men thought again, Captain Mitsuki himself wasn't really that different. Whenever Commodore Uzumaki gave an order, the two would always race to see it completed quickly and efficiently – scarily to the point that there would often be whispers abounding that perhaps the Commander and Captain had other designs on the Lady Commodore. Where these rumours came from would presumably have been simply an exercise in futility given the nature of rumours themselves, much less rumours on a Marine battleship wherein no Marine was truly ever alone nor isolated from any happenstance around the ships. Perhaps, one may think, it would have been the continued enthusiasm and zeal the two would execute their assigned tasks – though Himawari never seemed to favour them in any way in return.

Yet even Inojin's normal deference to the Commodore did not smother his need to find out just what the hell Boruto was doing – and his old friend and classmate, as he still remembered him as – certainly did not hesitate to astound and befuddle those around him in just about everything that he was involved in. Even before he left, branded a criminal…much less after that! After that incident and then a massive fiasco that happened probably on some random Grand Line Island – he couldn't really remember what happened and there was no way he could check – well, not anymore – now Boruto shows up, just like that?

For in his hands – and did he have to be careful with his hands, with what he held in them – lay a headline which stunned him, his mouth frozen into an 'o':

'DON' KRIEG DOWN; UZUMAKI'S RAMPAGE HEATING UP?

By Lucy Heartfilia

This reporter had been privileged to follow along the exploits of Uzumaki Boruto and a crew of pirates that he has been reported to be in the company of. However, this may be the most outrageous act from the 'Silent Ninja' himself…

What had his old friend gotten up to after spending six or so years away from the world stage, Inojin asked, as he placed the newspaper down, lifting his head up to meet the gaze of Mitsuki.

Though Mitsuki and Inojin were former classmates and, dare it be said, friends (well, for as much as Mitsuki could have or make friends, anyway) Inojin could never say he fully understood the character, the enigma that was Mitsuki. See, Mitsuki was blunt, direct and often quite indifferent (Inojin would refuse to acknowledge any irony present as he made the assertion), though these traits were accompanied by a cheerful disposition, a fervent admiration for both Vice-Admiral Issho and Vice-Admiral Uzumaki Naruto – both rightly considered legends amongst the Marines of the 99th division – and a dogmatic loyalty towards Himawari (one, his traitorous mind would whisper, which had been set aside, earlier, for Boruto before that). Just how exactly Mitsuki could maintain all these complex facets of a personality baffled and frightened Inojin – he should know, really, for his mother Yamanaka Ino was part of the G-U Medical staff and her family had a history of practicing Psychiatry.

Mitsuki's gaze, though staring into Inojin's eyes, did not seem to focus on him either. Rather, his attention seemed to be drawn towards the transponder snail on the table, its eyes glowing white and its face resembling that of a horrific burn victim.

"…do I make myself clear?"

"Yes. However, I wonder…"

"We will catch up to them in the Grand Line." That was the Commodore, Inojin recognised; he could pick out that voice from anywhere, anytime. "Focus on our patrol…for now."

"Did something major change?" Mitsuki simply smiled, before replying.

"It seems my dear cousin," the snail paused for a moment, "will be hunting him at this time."

"I see. I feel sorry for him, almost. Vice-Admiral Laxus is very strong. If he catches them, only the heavens can save Boruto from him."

"Do you have any further questions?"

"No, Lady Commodore." Mitsuki answered as the snail began to sleep. Focusing his gaze onto Inojin, Mitsuki smiled, his eyes suddenly narrowing into a cheery grin with his lips. "Well, commander, it seems that we will have quite the amount of free time on our hands."

"I don't like this," Inojin began to speak. "This whole patrol we've not really had a chance to do anything. And this whole situation seems rotten…"

"Since when did you start sounding like Kawaki?" Mitsuki laughed as he set down a stack of forms he had kept in his other hands, passing them over to Inojin, who would wave his hand as it suddenly began to shimmer black, drops of ink as dark as the midnight sky scattering from his fingers, before landing on each form, dancing across the leaves of paper before they died and were reborn, producing complete forms all perfectly filled. Who would have thought that the Inku-Inku no Mi (Ink Ink fruit) would have been used for this sort of situation? Perhaps, the questions should be reconsidered as who would have even imagined the Inku-Inku no Mi could even be useful in combat at all, one could say. Then again, Special Paramecia fruits, though Logia-like in all but name and semantics were rather difficult to utilise, it could be argued; the refined characteristics of Special Paramecia fruits unable to compete against the raw destructiveness of fruits such as the Goro-Goro, Hoshi-Hoshi or Ganma-Ganma fruits. "Your impatience is quite showing," Mitsuki chided as Inojin re-stacked the papers, placing them down at the table. "We will undoubtedly encounter many ignorant pirates to be disposed of on the patrol; that is our major priority at this time."

Nami would miss those idiots, she supposed.

Then again, she mused as she stood on the deck of the Merry, she should never have gotten involved in the first place, really. That pirate crew was – weird, she supposed, for pirate crews never left treasure behind for a town ransacked by the crew they – uh, liberated, ahem – the treasures in question from. Nor did pirates not try to hold a young heiress hostage or loot their entire estate, but to actually offer payment for services rendered – and to be refused, no less! Who would have thought?

For a moment she had considered just telling them, pleading with them to help her in exchange for properly joining the crew – but could she? For one, that Boruto guy – Nami was quite scared of him, she had realised, and it didn't seem that he would ever trust her. The rest of those Straw Hat Pirates, well, sure, they were strong in their own right, and maybe, just maybe, they would have helped her, helped Cocoyashi village…

No, she lamented. She couldn't. Arlong was too strong; how many times had she tried to kill him? And after every failure, every crushing defeat, he would simply howl in laughter, ordering her back to work drawing charts. The number of bounty hunters, Marines and wandering warriors in the East Blue that she had nudged, all to their deaths, haunted her.

At least this trip wasn't empty-handed, she comforted herself. Although Don Krieg's wreckage had nothing left of value to loot, her previous treasure lay untouched and was still hers to use. It was indeed a shame that none of the money held by that First Mate would be in her hands, but what she had was enough.

For now.

"Uncle."

"Laxus!" Naruto held his soft smile – a smile that few Marines would see with their own eyes – and that was the norm, one would understand, for the man who held the title of the "New Hero of the Marines" would laugh bitterly and refer to himself as a man broken by the perils of life. A radiating grin would be plastered upon any photograph that would make its way into the newspapers – the face that the common Marine would see. Oh, how Laxus (and, it should really be said, Gaara, Kiba, Kawaki, Konohamaru and the remaining of the Whirlpool Ten's vice and rear-admiralty) loathed the artificial smile that Uncle had to project towards the world around him; the self-destructive and loathsome nature of that smile nagged at their sensibilities and tugged at their heart-strings.

Naruto was most-aptly the sun (and was that not ironic, for his daughter to wield the power of that very fruit?) to which they were drawn to, especially the true, honest smiles of the man who restored to them a hope – a path towards a brighter future…

"Is everything okay? If you need…"

"I'll be fine, Uncle." Laxus' stern countenance found itself nicely expressed through the Transponder snail as he responded. "There's no need for you to worry so much; I can handle anything in the East Blue! You made me strong, after all."

"I can't help but worry, you know? Nephew…"

"Trust in me, Uncle. Laxus out."

As the snail began to snooze, Naruto turned around in his seat to face Gaara, who himself was leaning against the walls of the office. "Your nephew is strong, Naruto. Not unlike you in your youth." Gaara smiled as he began to recall days long past.

"You know that I wasn't that strong…"

"I do not believe the one cadet who caught the eye of the famed 'God of Shinobi' would not be considered strong."

"How can I be considered strong if…"

"Don't." Gaara broke in. "Hinata's death was not your fault. Nor should you keep blaming yourself for what happened with Sasuke. You are not a god, Naruto; you cannot save everyone."

"I know," Naruto sighed, slumping into his chair. "It's just…I miss them, you know? And I don't want to lose anyone else…Hima, Laxus, Kawaki…they're very precious to me, and I fear?"

"And the rest of us are not?" Gaara asked, bemused. "I kid, Naruto." His smile faded, however, as he drew some files from a pocket of his shirt. "This news…"

Naruto, having received the papers, grimaced. "Nagato…what is he doing now? Consorting with Kirigakure?"

"Most troubling news indeed. Panther Lily himself confirmed the takeover of the Kirigakure archipelago under the banner of the Red Dawn Pirates. Furthermore, Orochimaru's ships have been spotted around…"

"That fucking snake." Naruto seethed, "He has finally emerged?"

"Thankfully, nowhere near us. The outer border of Totto land remains secure; neither Katakuri nor Cracker dare to attack." Gaara replied.

"Good." Naruto rose from his chair, his Marine coat billowing in the slight salty breeze of Uzushiogakure no Sato blowing into his office from a window left just slightly ajar. "Then we can prepare to finish what we had started soon enough."

Gaara too began to walk, following Naruto. "What do you intend to do?" he questioned as the two vice-admirals began to descend the staircase of the main building of G-U base.

"Operation: Cataclysm isn't really finished, you know?"

"Naruto…"

"When I give my word, I don't go back on it." Naruto asserted. "And I had promised to obliterate any remnant of Big Mom's Pirate Empire."

"What the hell happened here?"

That one shout brought the monotonous journey on the seas – perhaps it was days? Weeks? It was hard to tell – to an end. Frankly, it may not have even begun, so the Straw Hat Pirates were perhaps fortunate. It was a stroke of luck that Boruto had remembered Nami's reaction towards Arlong's name, the very same stroke of luck that had set the Straw Hat Pirates towards the Conomi Islands – where, should the many merchants moving through the East Blue were to be believed, was infested with Arlong and his ilk – bad for business, they called it, for the land was under the cruel yoke of the fish-men who arrived some years ago, and not the honourable fish-men who were spoken of in awe and reverence that served at G-U. No, these were scum comparable to filth, it was said, hardened criminals whose hearts knew no kindness.

Indeed, the brutality of the Arlong Pirates was left for the world to see as the wreckage of a Marine ship could be seen, floating, drifting through the waters of the archipelago. Only one sail was left somewhat intact, a red '77' emblazoned on it.

Boruto frowned. From what he remembered, Arlong was no match for the beasts of the Grand Line, having been kicked out of the Sun Pirates and left unable to fight back. Yet the Marines of the East Blue were left helpless against these Arlong Pirates, he thought. Just how weak were they? Why did he even waste so much of his chakra on those lightning blade attacks against Morgan?

"I'm still not sure why we're following after the damn witch," Zoro grumbled as he hobbled towards the bow of the small boat. "She stole the damn ship and abandoned us. Why…"

Boruto sighed. "Luffy insisted – and he seems to have taken a shine towards her for whatever reason, that stupid idiot." Placing his hand over his face, he continued. "I told him that she couldn't be trusted…"

"Oi!" Sanji, picking up the commotion, went up to join the two men. "Don't you badmouth dear Nami! What do you know of her, Moss-head?"

"Tch," Zoro grunted as his hands hovered over his swords. "You want to fight?"

"Idiots!" Boruto, irate, smacked both Zoro and Sanji to the deck. "Shut the fuck up and let's get this ship somewhere safe!" Snarling, he strode into the small cabin of the ship, dragging out a napping Luffy. "Captain! Wake up!"

"Oww!" Luffy whined as he rubbed at his head. "Boruto, you didn't have to…"

Yet Luffy's would-be tirade had its life snuffed out of it as land came into his sight, with the lush lands of the Conomi Islands the first thing he noted, before his attention was drawn to the beach. And it was quite nice a beach, with sand a clean white, left untouched by the elements or scarred by man. Perhaps the most important thing to Luffy on that beach was the lone figure standing on the sand, staff in hand and gazing towards the horizon. As the vessel reached the shores, the crew disembarked, Zoro being supported by Boruto as he eased himself down towards the sand.

"Nami!" Luffy exclaimed as he began to rush towards the young woman. "Yoohoo! Nami!"

"Cut it out, Luffy!" Nami, having seen the Straw Hat Pirates arrive, held a disgusted look on her face. "What did you come to this island for?"

"What are you talking about?" Luffy was confused, looking around as if he were trying to make sense of the situation. "Aren't we crewmates? We've come for you, of course!"

"Don't make me laugh!" Nami's tone began to show hints of despair. "It was nothing but a stupid cooperation! Besides, why are you still here? Arlong doesn't like anyone trying to muscle in on his turf, and he wants the Silent Ninja dead – I let him know you were coming. It doesn't matter anyway! No matter how strong you may be, none of you can match the real monster."

At this, Sanji moved to speak, but a harsh glare from Boruto stopped him in his tracks. "Where's the ship?" he snarled out, hand resting upon his straight sword. Perhaps he would have simply drawn the blade and thrust it through Nami's heart, had Luffy not fixed him with a look. No.

Captain, she –

She's our navigator. She must be.

We can find any navigator throughout the East Blue! Besides, I told you that she couldn't be trusted!

I don't care! It must be Nami!

"If this is all about the ship, I'll give it back; just get of this island as soon as possible!" Nami yelled, incensed. "I only ever stuck around with you for money, but since I couldn't even get a Berry off of you, I couldn't care any less about you now!"

Sanji, having stood at the side and withholding the urge to speak, finally called out. "Nami! It's me! Do you remember…"

"Shut up!" Zoro, turning his head as he clutched at his chest, snarled. "Can't you see you're making things more complicated by interfering?"

"What would you know, shitty moss-head?"

"Idiotic cook!"

"Crippled moron!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Boruto glared as Luffy, disinterested, simply lay down upon the sands of the beach. It was rather comfortable for him, and certainly that was a boon, for Luffy's eyes seemed rather dulled and his posture screamed apathy. "I'm tired," he muttered, "I don't really want to leave this island yet, but I also don't care about what's going on here…"

"What the fuck?" Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji all exclaimed in surprise, with Boruto only letting out a sigh, resigned to what was to happen. Nami, having turned her head back in surprise as she had begun to stride back from the beach, grew incensed. Her face, initially a pearly white, grew rather hot, her visage akin to a demon's face.

"FINE, DO WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT! YOU CAN DIE FOR ALL I CARE!"

As Nami stormed down the well-trodden pathway through a large, sprawling grove of tangerine trees surrounding a simple wooden house with a rather modest appearance, one could feel the pressure of her wrath, her anger, bearing down upon any onlooker unfortunate enough, one would suppose, to be caught within the crossfire. Yet her wrath did not rattle the young woman picking at the tangerine trees to harvest the fruit – and what a harvest indeed this year, for the tangerines were full of colour and vibrancy, plump and great in shape and size. Then again, it would not have surprised anyone that this woman would be free of Nami's wrath, not when Nojiko herself had been Nami's sworn sister for many years onwards.

Indeed, had it not been known that Nojiko and Nami were sisters of bonds and not blood, one could have been forgiven for mistaking her as Nami's blood sister; her stature and features bar the colour of her hairs matching those of her sister. In a simple sleeveless shirt to accommodate her work amongst the groves, she worked, carrying a wicker basket filled to the brim with tangerines just as glass-shattering could be heard from the house proper.

"Nice mess you've made for me, Nami," Nojiko sighed as she stepped over the threshold to see the windows broken and furniture hewn across the living room. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" Nami insisted. "I only came here to take a little rest…"

"If you only came to take a rest," Nojiko interrupted as she set down her basket, "there would be no need for you to go and break all the glass and furniture." Her gaze followed Nami's, resting on a spread-out piece of battered paper. "And why would you be staring so intently at that treasure map if there was really nothing wrong?"

As Nojiko sat down, she continued to press the issue. "Didn't you promise to tell me everything?"

"I just lost my cool a bit…"

"It was them, wasn't it?" Nojiko interrupted. "The ones who you were talking about…"

"…you've met them?"

"No," Nojiko chuckled. "But from you've told me, who else could it be?"

Eventually, Nami, spent from pouring her heart out to her sister, collapsed onto the table. Nojiko sighed, watching over her sister's sleeping form. So, they've come to bring you back, she thought. Friends, huh…the one word that hurts you more than anything, isn't it?

Boruto sighed in exasperation towards Nojiko as the two stood opposite one another at the shore of the island. "Come again?" he asked. Who could blame him? Luffy had run off earlier, not wanting to hear anything from Nojiko as she arrived to see the remaining Straw Hat Pirates sitting upon the shores of the island. What use did he have for hearing Nami's history, he had said. It didn't matter; she would become part of his crew anyway. Boruto, sighing, let him leave; Luffy's stubbornness matched that of the shitty old man, and did it seem that Nami's would too…

"Ever since that day eight years ago, that girl…" Nojiko repeated. "…she swore not to show her tears to anyone, and never ask for help! All because she didn't want anyone to be killed by Arlong, as our mother was…"

"So, in order to save her village, she forced herself to join the very pirates who killed her mother…" Usopp was deep in thought. He knew himself to be a liar, but to live such a lie for such a time? Nami had strength, had conviction! It moved him, the Great Usopp; moved his heart!

Sanji was not so restrained. "How dare they cause pain to my beloved Nami! I'll kill those pirates…"

Immediately, Nojiko's fist slammed down on his head. "What did you do that for, Nojiko-chan?" Sanji whined, clutching at the very spot that Nojiko struck him.

"Idiot!" Nojiko snarled. "That's exactly what I've come to tell you not to do! Now that Arlong knows that you've come to this island wanting to get Nami back – and being complete nuisances about it, too – the whole town knows of you guys! Now those Pirates are starting to doubt her, putting her eight years of hard work in jeopardy! Please, don't make her suffer anymore!"

"But…" Usopp weakly tried to raise his voice, though he found not the courage to follow through.

Sighing, Boruto stepped forward. "This whole situation is a mess…our shitty captain isn't going anywhere without Nami – and you'll find no other person under this sun more stubborn than he is." Turning his head, he barked out, "Zoro!"

Immediately, the swordsman was roused from his nap. As he began blinking, Boruto turned back to Nojiko. "Can you lead us to Cocoyashi village?"

"I already told you not to get involved! Do you really want the blood of the village on your…"

"I promise you the village will be fine. Believe it."

"You can't possibly be strong enough…" Nojiko protested, to no avail.

Boruto chuckled. "Trust me," he spoke, as he drew a piece of paper from his cloak. As Nojiko took the paper, her eyes widened. "You…did you really…"

His only response was a small smile.

Groaning, she finally caved as she directed for Boruto, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp to follow her as she ran across the island, returning to her house.

Meanwhile, as Luffy wandered into the village, he was struck dumb by an absurd sight. A man with a pinwheel on top of his head? How strange! And followed by a bunch of Marines…

Those Marines looked ridiculous, Luffy thought. One of them rather resembled a rat, even, with shifty eyes and whiskers protruding from his face. As he swayed side to side whilst striding after the man with the pinwheel – and wasn't that man a ghastly sight, face hidden by his cap, body and face marked by scars – Luffy overheard them speaking.

"What business do the Marines have with Nami?"

"Chichichichi…" the rat-like man laughed. "That's none of your business. Just lead the way."

Something's not right, Luffy felt. It just didn't seem right for those Marines to move that way –

"Luffy!" Boruto called out, approaching him from down the road that he stood on, as the Marine contingent began to move out of sight for the Captain and First-Mate. "Where did those Marines go?"

"Huh?" Luffy was confused. What did those Marines have anything to do with getting Nami back?

"Just tell me, Captain!" Yep, Boruto was serious, Luffy realised, for he hardly ever called him Captain. To do so…

"They went in that direction," Luffy pointed, still confused. "But what does this have anything to do with…"

"Don't you want Nami back, Luffy?"

"But weren't you the one who said that she couldn't be trusted and all that?"

Boruto sighed. "You want her as our navigator, don't you?"

"Yeah, but –"

"Don't worry too much," Boruto muttered, "She'll join us if we deliver her Arlong's head."

"Then why didn't she ask us for help?"

"When have you ever asked for help, Luffy?" Boruto, not waiting for a response, dragged his captain as they attempted to follow the Marines. It was not hard, after all, for the Marine soldiers were quite loud and boisterous, if not erratic, perhaps undisciplined. Boruto scowled. He had seen better long ago; heck, even when Himawari was maybe only eight years old, perhaps, did she have a much better posture and cadence than what that rabble held…

He was soon snapped out of his past thoughts by a rather heated commotion as both he and Luffy saw, in the corners of their eyes, the tangerine groves that surrounded Nami and Nojiko's rather unassuming house. Indeed, there were the Marines Luffy had seen earlier, not one wearing a "Justice coat", though it was noted that one did adorn himself with a long-coat and the Marine symbol emblazoned onto its back. A booming voice interrupted Boruto and Luffy as they moved up, leaving the two momentarily stunned before their own curiosity piqued them to listen in.

"That money is for the sake of every resident here in Cocoyashi village!" the pinwheel-wearing man roared towards the Marines. "Do you still believe you have the right to take it away?"

The rat-faced man merely chittered in laughter before scoffing. "Is that how a mere villager should be addressing a Marine Captain?"

Nami, standing behind the now-identified Captain, could not believe the words from the scarred man. "Genzo…" she stammered out, "…how did you know…all of that?"

So, his name is Genzo, Boruto muttered to himself as his hand rested on his straight sword. He so wanted to look away, wanted to tell himself that this was just a matter of getting Arlong out of the picture so he could just move on with making Luffy the pirate king, wanted to just let himself not bear the thoughts of dealing with any more Marines likes these ones, mooks in the East Blue, nothing in the grand scheme of things, not like Sengoku, the Admirals, the old geezer and shitty old man…

So why could he not look away? Why did a burning loathing fill his mind as he looked upon the rat that had now ordered his soldiers to begin shovelling throughout the grove?

He had little time to ruminate on these thoughts, however, as yet another voice made itself heard over the din emanating from around the house. "If you have no intention of saving this village," Nojiko, enflamed with wrath, howled at the Marine soldiers as she approached from the town proper, "then get the hell out of here this instant!" Almost mockingly, she continued to speak, though in a slightly softer tone. "Arlong might attack your ship if you're around for too long, you know!"

"Arlong, attack our ship?" The Captain merely pinched at his whiskers with his right hand, before turning his gaze upon Nojiko. "I wonder about that…", he said, his voice honeyed with mirth. Nami, hearing this, suddenly felt quite uneasy.

No, she realised. Are they…

"Have you still not found it? There should be around one hundred million Berries hidden here; it's not impossible to find it!"

Genzo was dumbfounded. "How could you possibly know how much there is?", he demanded, spittle flying from his mouth.

"Just a feeling…chichichichi!"

It can't be…Nami suddenly felt sick. Arlong…he couldn't, could he? But…he…he promised… "Was this Arlong's idea?" Nami blurted out, desperate; her shoulders tense, anticipating the answer that she so desperately wanted to deny, to ignore.

"I wouldn't go that far…after all, we're workers of the government, just doing our natural duty of persecuting thieves…"

Neither Genzo nor Nojiko were satisfied by this answer. How could they, after all? For that accursed Marine Captain Nezumi to all but admit his status as the Arlong pirates' lapdog, though a truth that permeated the atmosphere of Cocoyashi village and the remaining Conomi Islands for many long years, was nonetheless a betrayal of the highest order –

"How could Marines let themselves be ordered around by a pirate?" Nojiko asked, though anything she had left to say was cut off by the impact of a bullet – thankfully, only modest in size – lodging itself into her abdomen, sending her crumpling down towards the ground. At this, the whole town appeared to come alive; villagers swarmed out of alleyways and houses, crowding around Genzo and the two sisters.

"Nojiko!"

"What's going on? What–"

"Don't tell me – the Marines actually shot her?"

Arlong said he'd never break a promise regarding money, Nami murmured to herself, desperate, rage wafting off from her person. Arlong…Arlong

"Hey, Nami!" Luffy called out to her as she was crouched near Nojiko's prone form. "Need any…"

"This has nothing to do with you!" Nami, broken by grief, snarled into his face as she yanked at Luffy's vest, though the fabric did not yield; Luffy's form was instead hurled from the one or two steps away from Nami to being in front of her. "Why are you still here? Just get off this island!"

Throwing an unresisting Luffy down, Nami dashed off into the distance. Answers, she told herself. Arlong said…he said…

Face flushed as she finally reached the entrace of Arlong Park – a majestic building it appeared to be at a first glance, and perhaps even to the ignorant observer the structure seemed to be rather magnificent. Yet none would perhaps speak of any such beauty no longer, for the headquarters of the Arlong Pirates were built indeed on the blood and livelihoods of the Conomi Islanders. Nonetheless, the many-floored building towered over Cocoyashi village, a grim reminder of the cruel rule of the Fish-men imposed upon the archipelago.

"Arlong!"

"What's wrong, my talented little cartographer?" The sawfish Fish-man relaxed into his chair as he noticed Nami at the corner of his eye. "Your face seems quite flushed."

"The Marines in your pocket just came to steal my money!" Nami howled as she began to shake Arlong at his shoulders. "Didn't you say you'd rather die than break a promise involving money?"

"Hmm?" Arlong, replied, nonplussed. "But I did keep that promise, didn't I? When did I ever break it?"

"Don't play dumb with me! Those Marines stole my mon…"

Arlong, covering Nami's mouth with his hand gripped at her jaw, simply responded with a fearsome grin. "When exactly did I ever break our promise? Tell me! Shahahahaha!"

As the remainder of the Arlong pirates joined in with his laughter, Arlong shifted his grip to wrap around Nami's neck, taking care to avoid obstructing her airway. "The Marines stole your money? That's quite unfortunate, but a promise is a promise. Without one hundred Berry, I can't just return your village to you…"

You vile monster, Nami seethed, tears running from her eyes as she looked on, helpless.

"But you know, it's only one hundred million Berry. All you even need to do is save up that much again! In fact, I'll throw in a kicker – I heard that the Silent Ninja has been sniffing around here. You bring me that dog's head, and I'll cut it down to ninety million Berry, how's that?" Loosening his grip, Arlong laughed. "Besides, you're not going to run away, are you? Just keep in mind that if you do, I'll have everyone in Cocoyashi village killed because of you…"

As Nami whacked away Arlong's hand, fleeing from the fish-man crew, Arlong's mocking laughter rang out from behind her. "What's wrong, Nami?" he taunted. "Are you going to run away? Shahahaha!"

Lost in her thoughts, turbulent as they were, Nami ran. Running towards Cocoyashi village's square, nothing around her mattered anymore. Not the sweet winds that normally she rather enjoyed rushing against her face, not the cries of the seagulls, nor the palm trees scattered throughout the archipelago. Don't do anything rash, she begged of the Cocoyashi villagers, though such sentiments were kept within her thoughts, for she had not yet reached their location. We have to live on, she kept thinking as she ran onwards.

Her heart sank, however, as her ears picked up upon the shouting from the town square – there was Genzo together with the entire multitude of Cocoyashi's able-bodied men and women – and sprinkled throughout were one or two elders, perhaps – all clutching weaponry of various kinds, from cutlasses that were most probably well concealed family heirlooms to makeshift spears and clubs salvaged from flotsam throughout the shores of the Conomi Islands. Genzo was at the forefront, arm lifted into the air, shouting.

"We shall never forgive those Fish-men who dared toy around with the kindness of that girl!"

The remaining villagers, emboldened by Genzo's rage, let out their own cries of assent.

"Let's go get them!"

"We'll go fight!"

"Give those fish-bastards hell!"

She had to stop them before they just gave their lives up like that! Arlong was too strong, she had always thought. She had witnessed his strength first-hand; how else did the 16th branch manage to stay here for so long otherwise? Arlong had annihilated the 40th. Crushed the 22nd. Even the 77th, known for its valour throughout the East Blue, had fallen prey to the Arlong Pirates' brutality…

"Wait, everyone!"

"Nami?" The villagers were stunned. Why was she telling them to wait?

"Please…just wait a little longer! I'll try my best again, so…please! I promise I'll have enough money once more! It'll be much easier this time!"

"Huh?"

"Nami-chan…"

"That's enough." Genzo's voice cut through the murmuring as he brought Nami in for a hug. "You know that doing such a thing would be futile. We've made you carry our hope for far too long." Tears began to well up in Nami's eyes as she felt the warmth of Genzo's hug. "Working with them must have been more painful than the stabbings of ten thousand knives. But you've fought well; you can now leave this island. Leave the rest to us!"

"But…"

"Nami," Nojiko interjected, "you're cunning; you have all you need to survive out there! Besides, don't you have a dream to fulfill?"

Nami, however, refused to budge, drawing a small dagger from her person, clutching it tightly with both hands. Though her hands were unsteady, her conviction kept the blade pointed at the multitude of Cocoyashi. "NO! Please stop, everyone! I don't want to see any one of you hurt by them again! Not after…"

"We understand." Came Genzo's sombre reply.

"You'll die. You know that, right?"

"We know." Genzo did not waver, though his hand closed on Nami's blade, blood dripping onto the pathway. "But our hearts are set. It's no use!". To this, the crowd roared their agreement. "Now, move out of our way, Nami!"

"Let's go, everyone!"

"Show them our spirit!"

Nami could only watch in despair as she was left behind by the charging crowd, the blade having been tossed away in the mayhem just prior. No…Arlong was going to kill them all, she wailed. The thought of that despicable Arlong soon began to incense Nami, for all she could hear was that bone-chilling sick cackle…

As she moved to grab the blade to cut away at the tattoo of the Arlong Pirates that she had soiled herself with when she had first made her gambit to save her village – a reminder of the suffering that she had unwittingly inflicted upon her people – Nami began to cry, her tears traversing across a face marred by hatred and wrath.

Howling curses upon Arlong's name and his ilk, Nami began to hack at her arm – the tattoo was there, after all – bearing the pain of the lacerations, for to her, this was nothing compared to the pain that the village had endured throughout the years…

The next cut never came.

Her eye caught Luffy's hand clasped tightly over her own just before she lost her strength, sending the blade clattering off to the side of the road. "What is it?" she growled; patience spent. What did these persistent idiots want with her? That straw-hat wearing moron just did not give up, did he? "You don't even know the first thing about anything!"

"Nope, I don't."

"This has nothing to do with you…or that ninja friend of yours! Didn't I already tell you to get off this island?!"

"Yeah, you did."

And to think that this dumb pirate was still so persistent, after everything, Nami thought. Maybe, just maybe, she could…

"Please…Luffy…" Nami begged with tears streaming down after a long silence. "Help…me…"

Luffy did not say a word, instead suddenly doffing his treasured Straw-hat before placing it on Nami's head; the same hat that Luffy just days ago had thrashed Buggy the clown over for a mere scratch on the hat; the same straw-hat that Luffy had never let anyone else touch…

"I had thought that you'd never ask," Boruto's voice cut in as the cloaked figure began to unsheathe his straight sword as he sauntered through the path, coming from behind Nami. "Ready, Luffy?"

"Of course! Let's go!" Luffy bellowed out, harrying the remaining crew members to action as they, too, stood up from where they had sat down on the path itself. When did they arrive, Nami began to wonder, before cutting herself off. It didn't matter anymore, she counselled herself. She just needed to trust them, and that was something she could believe in this time.

"Oi, Boss…" one of Arlong's lieutenants suddenly thought as he remembered. "What are you going to do if the Silent Ninja is actually here?"

"Pfft, him?" Arlong laughed. "He's just a puny human. Why are you so worried?"

However, the thought was not well received by some of the other Fish-men, who began murmuring too. "I heard," another of the Fish-man said, "that the Silent Ninja once massacred six entire Pirate crews all by himself on the Grand Line."

"Didn't he kill Don Krieg without a scratch?"

"I heard he survived Mihawk and lived!"

Arlong let out a bellow. "Enough! He's still a human, and we are Fish-men! The superior race! We don't need to worry about any 'Silent Ninja', not when those stories floating around are lies that the weakling humans have released to the world to hear. Moreover, the East Blue doesn't have anything that he could possibly want…"

Arlong never finished his rant, however, as the door was smashed into a multitude of tiny pieces raining back down onto the surroundings throughout Arlong Park. Flanked by the remainder of his crew was Luffy with arm swung out and Boruto with blade engulfed by lightning.

"Which one of you motherfuckers is Arlong?" Luffy demanded.

"Vice-Admiral Laxus Dreyar, Sir!"

A Marine soldier, panting, hurriedly handed over a slip of paper he had been holding, drenched in sweat. The ink was still barely legible, having been smudged quite a bit, though it did not conceal the grim nature of its contents.

Laxus glanced at the form as he took it out of the Marine's hands, scanning over the documents as a frown grew on their face. "What the hell?"

"We intercepted this communication near…"

"No, no, no," Laxus hastily corrected as he waved off the Marine's explanation. "Good thing that Uncle let me come here…," he kept muttering to himself as he paced around the cabin. "It's been a long time since I had seen this…"

"Uh, Vice-Admiral Sir?" the Marine asked, confused. "Could you please explain…"

"These messages are revolutionary code."

"Revolutionary code, sir?"

Laxus chuckled. "You're a newbie, aren't you?"

"Petty Officer Takeda, Sir." The now-identified Petty Officer responded. "I only enlisted just before we started preparing for the Totto Land Campaign, sir, but what…?"

"Uncle and I had a run in with some of the Revolutionaries at Iwa." Laxus answered as he continued to stare at the paper, his mind weighed down by the sudden emergence of the memory of Iwagakure no Sato, one of the few Ninja villages active in the modern era – perhaps not to this day, not after the carnage left from what historians would know as the 'Siege of Iwagakure no Sato' – though, had Laxus heard the name, even he would have known it as the 'Horror of Iwagakure no Sato', for it was nothing but. Grimacing, he forced himself to focus, lest he lose himself in weakness, in agony. He had to be strong, for Uncle, for Bickslow, and for the remaining brothers of G-U who depended upon his strength.

"From what I can remember, it seems they're planning something in Loguetown quite soon, from what I can see. And I thought what we heard near Alabasta was bad." Seething, he crushed the paper in his hands. "We'll have to change our plans yet again. Cursed revolutionaries and pirates," he snarled as his fist began to crackle with lightning, burning up the paper.

"What are your orders, sir?"

"Set ourselves a course for Loguetown again. We'll have to get there quickly if what we have heard here is any indication. I'll call Uncle; he can decide what to do about that pretentious 'Sir'."

The Red Force was a loud ship, perhaps even more so whenever there was a party aboard the decks of the great vessel. Though the celebrations were in full swing as the sun's twilight had faded, not all of the entirety of the Red-Haired Pirates were on the deck. Sitting in a well-furnished yet dark room, illuminated by a small candle-light – not for Shanks refusing to outfit the ship, really, for the occupant of this room merely preferred the warmness emanating from the sputtering tongues of flame as it greedily gobbled at the wax pooling in the dish – was a young woman obsessing over the next words she wrote on a piece of parchment.

One who did not know 'Scarlet' Erza may have been astounded by the sight of her hunched over a ornate mahogany desk at the night, scribbling and scratching at parchment – indeed, the sight of her throwing away yet another snapped quill may have elicited laughter had not her reputation as an elite sword-wielder and officer of the Red-Haired Pirate crew terrified many an onlooker into despair. Perhaps more shocking, however, would be the very same reaction from those who knew her, preoccupied with her own frank admission of her inability to write anything of value. Heck, Bonk Punch and Hongo would always tease her of the time when Beckman had let her write a thank-you note when an allied crew had provided the Red-Haired Pirates with some whisky just as the sake stock aboard the Red Force had run out after a massive week of partying.

To this day, rumours abound that the Sea King Pirates died from rage – or was it shock, or maybe terror? Not one member escaped to tell of the tale.

Erza, grumbling, set the letter down as she moved towards her bed. She'd finish that damned letter tomorrow, she told herself. Though having excused herself from the festivities as Building Snake and Limejuice called for her to finally join a drinking contest before Beckman, hearing the absolute lunacy flowing from the officers' mouths – did they not remember the clusterfuck that was the last time Erza had been drunk – sent two fists flying towards their heads, the letter had sapped her of her mental fortitude; she could not figure why it was so hard to just let her heart out into that piece of parchment…

Dear Uta,

I want you back so badly I wish that you didn't need to leave us at all. It is quite boring and dull without you here. Uncle would never tell me why I had to sail with him could join his journey whilst you were abandoned had to stay with Gordon. There is only so much training that I can do before Beckman insists that I 'take a break', as he calls it. I don't understand. If I don't train, if I can't feel my armour on me and Benizakura in my hands, I don't feel secure. It still haunts me…

Speaking of Beckman, I swear that man acts more like the captain than Uncle does sometimes. As the News Coo landed today, all he did was laugh and cry with the paper in his hand. Benn had to organise all the arrangements for today's party by himself. I'm not too sure why he always insisted that I stay away from the Sake, though. Building Snake and Limejuice tried to sneak me some, but I'm sure you know what happened next.

Maybe I'm making you sad, that I'm living as a pirate and you're not and your dream is to see a world full of peace and happiness. Why can't I write this properly? Dammit, Uta, now I'm feeling sad as I'm writing this. Speaking of Pirates, have you heard what Luffy has been up to lately? And our cousin – did you ever meet Boruto? I never got the chance – they're both sailing together. And he didn't have the decency to tell me! I had to read the newspaper to even know anything about that. The two idiots somehow managed to surprise Mihawk Maybe I'll see them on the seas one day, and maybe you'll get to see them again.

No matter what, though, you're my friend. I wish that I could see you sooner.

Write back soon,

Erza

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