Disclaimer: I own neither One Piece nor Naruto.

Hey guys!

The third chapter is done! I want to thank everybody who followed, favorited, or left a review! It makes me very happy to see that people like this story.

Important: Until recently, it was stated in the One Piece wiki that Shanks was already a Yonko when he arrived at Dawn Island. The continuation of the manga has apparently changed that and it became clear that Shanks has only become a Yonko six years after he left Dawn Island...
Since I've already started the story with Shanks being a Yonko I won't change anything to adapt. This will not stay canon for too long anyway, since we have Sakura in the equation.

Enjoy~

:)

Last edited: 12/01/20

When Sakura and Luffy arrived back at the village, the pinkette told Makino about her situation. That she got attacked, likely kidnapped, and didn't know how to get back. Makino was sympathetic towards her, and when Sakura explained her plan to wait for Luffy's grandfather, the young woman immediately determined that the kunoichi was to stay at a guest room of her bar for the time being. Sakura opened her mouth to protest but Makino's gaze was resolute and any objections died in her throat.

That's why Sakura was currently living with Makino and her new friend in the Partys Bar. She found out that 'Monkey D.' Luffy didn't know his parents—Makino really would've been a bit too young to be his mother—and lived in Foosha Village since his grandfather left him there shortly after his birth. Apparently, the villagers took turns in keeping an eye on him and while Luffy was full of mischief, he was loved dearly by all of them.

Still…leaving his grandchild on some island while he—Luffy's only blood relative—is off to work, seems negligent and thoughtless to me. Although he supposedly makes an effort to stop at Dawn Island as often as possible, Sakura pondered.
I'll just have to wait for his next visit and hope it won't take ages until then. Well, it's not like I'll be idle during my stay here.

On the contrary. The first thing Sakura did was to take up her training again. For that, she usually left the village and went to a small bay that was surrounded by a line of jagged cliffs. The kunoichi had discovered it by chance when she had been looking for a suitable training ground. The sheltered bay was located to the south of the village and nobody ever went near it. Protected from curious gazes and without being disturbed, she spent a lot of time there while she tried to regain some of her previous strength.

Resuming her training had different effects. Apart from her feeling like crap all the time because of slight chakra exhaustion and her sore muscles, her appetite increased greatly. It even reached the point where it rivaled Luffy's. Makino always raised an eyebrow when Sakura asked yet again for another portion of food, but didn't question it.

The medic couldn't train all day though. People—especially Luffy—would become suspicious if she vanished for too expanded periods of time. Furthermore, her frail body couldn't cope with overly rigorous training yet. Instead, Sakura spent a lot of her time reading.

There weren't that many books in Foosha Village, but the ones they had were very informative. The newspaper which was distributed by 'News Coo' even more so. She found out about Marines, Pirates, the World Government, and Revolutionaries. It was fascinating.

Sakura had always loved to learn new things but the more she read about this strange world with its dangerous seas and foreign islands, the more intrigued she was. The pinkette was enraptured, even though she started to realize that the chances of Konoha existing somewhere in this world were very slim.

After two weeks, she had already read every book and newspaper that they had in Foosha three times over and memorized them.

At some point, Sakura deduced that sailing and navigating were skills of fundamental importance in a world covered by a vast ocean. That's why she asked some of the local fishermen if they could teach her what they knew. Of course, they agreed and enthusiastically explained everything to her. Who would turn down the poor, shipwrecked girl that was so sweet and kind?

Sakura always made sure to maintain her innocent front and had managed to build up a good relationship with everyone in the village. It was a wonder what a few friendly words and pleasant conversations could do. She especially liked the mayor; his name was Wood Slap, he always wore a funny hat and he took his job very seriously.

Being treated like a child got on her nerves though. The villagers loved to gush over her and constantly pinched her tiny cheeks. It was tiring.
Sakura was a grown woman and she had to keep up her facade, but their behavior had her temper rising. Never since she'd become a shinobi it had been so hard for her to stay calm and keep her temper in check.

Honestly, the next person to call her cute or comment about her pink hair would be in for a nasty surprise!

Moreover, Sakura had some time to properly investigate the problem with her sensing ability. On several days she sat down on the small pier of the village and closed her eyes.

She could physically hear the few fishermen while they practiced their day's work, the seagulls, and even the busy street from a distance, but she couldn't feel anything. Irritated, the pinkette started to meditate earnestly because like hell she'd just give up.

After hours upon hours of just sitting there, she was finally sure that there was…something. The medic couldn't quite grasp it, but it was there.

What is this? It's not like chakra. It feels different. But why?

Another few hours passed until she identified the problem.

It…doesn't move? Yeah, that's it!

Sakura had to fight down a sudden impulse to giggle with delight.

Chakra moves, it circulates through the body and every individual has it. Whatever I can sense right now…stands still. Doesn't move. That has to explain why it is so difficult for me to sense anything!

Her satisfaction vanished when she realized, That means it isn't chakra.

She'd thought that something was wrong with her ability to sense it but the issue was a different one. There simply wasn't any chakra in the conventional way.

That'd confirm the theory about being in another world further…

The kunoichi pushed that thought from her mind. She concentrated again and frowned. There's something else that differs from chakra. If it—let's just call it aura for now—was chakra, only intelligent beings would possess it.

The thing is, while I can somewhat sense the aura of the fishermen and even the people on the street, I can also feel—no, more like hear other things around me.

Sakura scrunched her eyebrows together in concentration. She began to tune everything around her out.
The sound of the sea nearby, the warmth of the sun's rays on her skin, and even the buzzing thoughts in her own head, trying to search further than the auras she was sensing. There was something else there...

Eventually, it felt as if she was left floating in an absolute void. All that was left was emptiness when suddenly, after what felt like days, she was finally able to grasp what exactly she was hearing.

"There are Voices," Sakura breathed and it was like a veil had been lifted.

It's not physical. It's like…the fishes and seagulls are humming, the ground below me is growling lowly, and…the sea is singing. I can't really discern it though. Like…they're saying something but I'm too far away to make it out—

She stopped her line of thought. The harmony of voices had vanished again.

The sea is singing to you but you can't understand it? Yeah, sounds believable Sakura. Maybe you stayed too long in the sun?

A resigned sigh escaped her but since that day the medic made an effort to meditate regularly at different places. She needed to regain her sensing ability even if it presumably wasn't chakra she was able to feel.

Every time, Sakura could recognize the people nearby better through their aura. The Voices of the world around her didn't vanish; they were getting clearer and she came to like their gentle tone. Especially the Voice of the sea calmed her and she loved to listen to it. The kunoichi tried to not question her sanity too much.

It still took a high level of concentration to sense or hear anything though. She wouldn't be able to do it in a fight anywhere in the near future.

It doesn't matter. I can do it, I'll just have to continue training, Sakura told herself.

She was getting stronger.

When she didn't train, read or meditate, Sakura helped Makino at the bar. Of course, she didn't have to do that; everybody believed her to be a child and nobody would let a small girl work for her daily meals even if she had wanted to. The kunoichi inwardly was an adult though and she felt better if she did small things for her kind host to support her in any way possible.

Often enough, Luffy kept her from doing what she had originally planned to do. He would just suddenly take her hand and pull her away to the beach where they'd spend some time together. Sakura didn't feel bothered at all by his actions. She loved to sit or lie next to him on the beach and just to listen to the waves. The kunoichi would imagine all the different kinds of islands and people who were out there.

Sometimes they played catch and while Sakura would never openly admit it, she had a lot of fun while doing so. And it was great endurance training too! Luffy, she discovered, was exceptionally strong and fast for a civilian boy, which always presented a challenge for her current physical shape.

He was a great friend and she genuinely liked him even though he was a child. Maybe it was just because she was a child too but who knew? There was something about Luffy that simply drew people in.

Regularly, Sakura told him about the book she was currently reading or one she had read a while ago. Whether it was about medicine, the World Government, the Grand Line, or even cooking. The raven-haired boy always listened intently and then started to ask questions. Luffy seemed to be truly interested in the things Sakura explained to him and they managed to have surprisingly good conversations—even if you took into consideration that Luffy was only six years old. When she asked him why he didn't read any books himself, he pouted and told her that he didn't like reading because it was boring.

One time, when they were watching the sunset, Luffy inquired about the 'purple diamond-thingy' on her head. Sakura's eyes became dull when she remembered Tsunade and she felt a pang of pain. The kunoichi turned her head away and just stated, "It's a sign of my conviction." Luffy didn't ask again.

A month went by like this.

It's been four weeks already, Sakura thought. This morning, Makino had asked her to deliver two bottles of sake to someone who lived outside the small town in one of the numerous windmills. The kunoichi would've loved to drink the sake herself, but had refrained from doing so. She blamed Tsunade for her particular liking of alcoholic beverages.

The woman that Sakura had delivered the sake to had been incredibly courteous and the kunoichi had found herself yet again surprised by the kindness that the people of the village were constantly showing. It was an alien concept to a shinobi like her who had grown to accept violence and death as a daily part of her life.

By now, the pinkette was on her way back to the village. Gazing up to the clear blue sky, Sakura took in the tranquil countryside of Dawn Island and sighed wistfully. A part of her longed for that peace to last forever.

How time flies! This place is so bright, but I can't stay here forever. I improved a lot during the last month and it won't be too long now until Luffy's famous Gramps pays us a visit.

When she arrived in front of the Partys Bar, the medic halted in surprise when clattering noises and a loud babble of voices reached her ears from the inside.

Sounds like Makino has her hands full. Sakura frowned. That's unusual, it is still early afternoon. She inwardly shrugged and entered the bar.

Immediately, she had to duck a bottle of wine that was thrown across the room. If it weren't for her sharpened reflexes, she would've been hit. Sakura looked around but it was too chaotic to spot the idiot who was responsible.

There was a huge party going on. Alcoholic beverages were everywhere and spirited singing and loud laughter echoed around the room. She scanned the present men and quickly came to realize that the bar was full of pirates. Albeit carrying weapons, they were acting harmless, so she didn't spare them a second look and wasn't overly concerned. Apparently, some pirate ship had dropped anchor off their small pier.

Surely, they'd be gone by tomorrow.

She made her way through the crowded room towards the counter and froze when she saw a handsome, red-haired man on one of the bar stools who was talking excitedly to Makino. He had three scars running across his left eye and a straw hat was placed on his head. Sakura's eyes widened in shock and then narrowed slightly.

What the hell? That's 'Red-Haired Shanks'! He's one of the Four Emperors; they're four pirates that successfully managed to assert their power against every competitor. They are ruling over the second half of the Grand Line. He has to be impossibly strong! What is a notorious pirate like him doing in one of the Blues?

Was this the end of the peace in Foosha? She inwardly cursed and was thankful that nobody seemed to notice her amidst the ongoing chaos. The medic didn't feel prepared to meet someone so strong yet. If she was honest, she was terrified by this new development. Sakura had been so proud of her improvement during the last month. Now she felt weak all over again because she knew, this man could kill her with a waggle of his pinkie.

Is there a reason for him being here? What if he hurts somebody? I wouldn't be able to defend anyone! I'm not strong enough yet to pose any threat to him, let alone be a worthy opponent. He seems to be friendly but it could be a front he puts up. He's a pirate after all.

There weren't many books that praised pirates to be friendly people and Sakura found herself to be greatly influenced by what she'd read. Of course, she knew that not every pirate was bad. That would be like saying that every Missing-nin was an unscrupulous murderer—Uchiha Itachi had proved the opposite.

It was the same with pirates and Sakura refused to lump them all together. In fact, she loved to read about Gol D. Roger. There was a book about some of his adventures and his story on some shelf at the bar. It was so interesting!

The few words Roger had said on the execution platform had ignited a fire in the masses and sparked a whole new age—the 'Great Age of Pirates'. The kunoichi was fascinated by this legacy and if she was honest to herself, she would've loved to meet him. What did he think during his last moments? How did he inspire the whole world like this? What if—

Sakura inwardly scolded herself since she got lost in irrelevant thoughts again, while a potential enemy sat just a few feet away and the rest of the bar was filled with his crew. She couldn't remember ever being so thoughtless and airheaded as an adult...

What should I do? There wasn't a choice but to approach Makino and Red Hair since Sakura still had to tell the bar owner about her successful sake delivery.

Just be a charming, innocent girl. The pinkette gathered her courage and slowly advanced towards Makino and 'Red-Haired' Shanks.

Okay, mission 'trying to get on good terms with one of the most dangerous pirates ever' starts now.

The kunoichi knew Red Hair had noticed her presence when his body shifted ever so slightly towards her. It was impossible to see for untrained eyes, but Sakura knew what to look for. She would do the same if an unknown person approached her. The emperor was perched on a barstool, and his elbows rested on the counter while he chatted with the bar owner.

Makino spotted Sakura when she came near and smiled warmly in her direction. "Hello, Sakura! Thank you for doing that delivery. It helped me very much."
The bar owner promptly introduced Shanks to her, "The Red Hair Pirates are making a stop over here! This is their captain, his name is Shanks." The green-haired woman pointed at the pirate and sent Sakura an encouraging smile.

The kunoichi stopped in front of the bar counter, next to Shanks, and turned her gaze from Makino to the red-haired captain. Shanks grinned cheerfully at the small pink-haired girl, his eyes were curious. He leaned downwards, uncaring about any personal space, put his hand out to greet her, and chimed, "Hello there! My name is Shanks, it's nice to meet you! You're so cute!"

The medic was baffled. She had expected a lot of things, but for him to call her cute? Hadn't she heard that word enough during the last four weeks? Her temper flared.

Cute?!

No way! I'm not. cute. I'm a deadly assassin, don't talk to me like some stupid child! I'll show him cute!

She was furious. Why did people always underestimate her because of her appearance? By now, it was like a red rag to a bull to her. (Had it always been that easy to provoke her temper? Maybe.)

Sakura pinned Shanks with a deadly glare and downright ignored his extended hand. She tilted her face up to his, until only a few inches were between their noses, narrowed her eyes, and angrily hissed, "I'm not. cute."

Red Hair was puzzled by her reaction and raised his brows. Then he pouted and remarked, "But your hair is pink. You like a cute little fairy!"

That was the final straw. Sakura lost it. She punched him hard in the face.

An audible crack was heard and his head flew back from the impact. In a matter of seconds, it was completely quiet in the bar and every pirate was staring at her. Makino had put a hand in front of her mouth and looked shocked.

Mission failed. Great, Sakura.

The kunoichi was frozen in horror and looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Didn't she want to get on good terms with Shanks?
Instead of acting like the friendly girl that she tried to project, Sakura had just broken his nose. The nose of an emperor! She had even used chakra for the punch. Damn her nasty temper!

Shanks held his nose and groaned. The silence in the bar was deafening, until one pirate hollered, "Hahaha the small, pink-haired girl broke your nose, captain!"
Red Hair snorted and answered, "Yeah she did. I didn't see that one coming." He sounded slightly sour and looked thoughtfully at a wide-eyed Sakura.

The awkward silence stretched.

Suddenly, the emperor tossed his head back and started laughing. His whole crew joined in and they dissolved into fits of laughter.

Sakura was stumped. Ehh? They're laughing? But, I just broke his nose! Aren't they angry?

Luffy's voice came out of nowhere and managed to break her out of her paralyzed state. "Shishishi, Sakura doesn't like to be called cute! She doesn't say it, but I know it since I'm her friend! Also, she's not a fairy but a ninja," he boasted.
Sakura turned her head and saw him climbing the barstool next to Shanks's. Damn, where does this boy always come from? It's like he appears from nowhere.

The kunoichi's gaze went from Luffy to the red-haired captain and noticed that they seemed to be acquainted. Great, so Luffy already got to know Red Hair. Shanks will have a really bad influence on him.

Now the emperor's eyes were fixated on the pinkette. His gaze was intent when he curiously inquired, "A ninja?"

Sakura's blood ran cold.

My hit came too fast and was too strong. No civilian girl would be able to throw a punch like the one I just did. Of course, he would figure out that I'm not a normal girl and Luffy's comment made it even worse, she analyzed and inwardly sighed.

Well, cat's out of the bag right? Sakura could work with that. She'd just play it down somehow... after all, she wasn't a kunoichi for nothing, right?

Biting her lip, she sent Shanks a sheepish look. "I wanna be a ninja, you know, but it's so frustrating to be a ninja when you have pink hair. Even Luffy thought I was a fairy, although it should be obvious that I'm not!"

The pirate frowned in confusion. Sakura could almost see how he tried to make sense of her words and how he began to doubt his first impression of her.

"So you're a ninja?" Red Hair dug deeper.

"Of course," Sakura replied heatedly, "a ninja is so much cooler than a fairy!"

Shanks relaxed. Hook, line, and sinker. Let him believe that I'm a harmless girl pretending to be a ninja.

He seemed to be somewhat embarrassed at hearing her reply and apologized to her, "Oh, I'm sorry then! I didn't want to offend you!" It sounded genuine. A wry smile flickered across Sakura's face and she added, "It's all right. I am very sorry about your nose, by the way."

Red Hair smiled reassuringly at her and held out his hand again. "So you're a mini-ninja with pink hair. Got it. How about we start all over again? My name is Shanks and I'm very happy to make your acquaintance! Luffy couldn't stop talking about you and I was very curious about his friend." His smile was dazzling and his brown eyes were shining warmly.

He looks pretty handsome when he smiles like this…

Sakura only managed a faint curl of her lips and shook his hand. His fingers are warm.

She introduced herself, "I'm Sakura, nice to meet you too." Her tone was soft.

As soon as she let his hand go, Luffy cheered, "Yay, we're all friends now!" The kunoichi inwardly rolled her eyes. Her gaze lingered on Shanks.
Friends? Yeah, sure. The pirate emperor, the de-aged kunoichi that has complexes about her hair color, and Luffy, the boy who always picks his nose. Sounds like a perfect combination.

Not going into Luffy's statement, Sakura looked around the bar and announced, "I'll be going outside again. See you later." The faster she got out of the room, the better.
Waving at Luffy, Sakura sent Makino a smile and just wanted to leave when her gaze was drawn to the red-haired pirate once more.

The medic glanced at Shanks's nose and saw that it was already slightly swollen and turning blue. Acting on impulse, Sakura took a hesitant step towards him. Raising her hand, she reached out gingerly to touch his nose.

Time seemed to stand still. She could feel every pirate slightly tensing and watching her closely. The emperor stayed absolutely motionless as if he didn't dare to even breathe. He stared unblinkingly at her.

Sakura lightly brushed her fingertips against the bridge of his broken nose. She only needed half of a second to make out the small fracture with a medical scan.

Her delicate fingers touched the exact spot where it was broken and lit up with a gentle green light. In a matter of seconds, Sakura had healed the fracture and taken care of the swelling. When she withdrew her hand, Shanks seemed awestruck. He touched his nose and his eyes were wide.

Sakura made a step backward. She gave him a wry smile. The red-haired pirate looked at her searchingly and opened his mouth.

She didn't wait for him to find his voice. Instead, Sakura turned around and fled from the bar.

(Had she always been this impulsive?)

On her way to the sheltered bay that served her as a training ground, Sakura wanted to bang her head repeatedly against the next tree.

Why did she always act on impulse? Not only had she shown some of her strength to a pirate emperor and afterward just barely managed to keep her cover, no! In addition, she had to fucking heal his nose afterward! And she didn't even know why she did it.

Stupid Red Hair. I'll have to be more careful now.

She just wished for him to leave soon. Unfortunately, nothing ever went the way she hoped.

To anyone who doubts that Sakura can know about Shanks being an emperor: I'm convinced that the Yonko/emperors are commonly known all over the world; not only to the residents of the New World. The Marines, the Yonko, and the Warlords make up the Three Great Powers. People have to somewhat know that there are four great pirates who rule part of the Grand Line :)

I'm not one to follow canon and the facts meticulously. I just write what I want to happen and plan the loose frame of events. Just wanted to inform you about that.

Thank you for reading! I hope you liked the chapter:)

See you in the next one!