A/N: Hello! So, I apologize for the late update, but I promise you I have a reason! Um, remember how I told you I got covid? Well, so did my immediate family… one of them being my great-grandmother. I'm sure you know where this story goes, and let's just say I haven't had much time to write…
Still! I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and I'm excited for what's to come in the next one! Again, I love you all for stopping by, and Ajax… out!
What have I gotten myself into? Nami thought inanely, because she already knew the answer to that question when she first joined this insane crew. Ah, I keep forgetting I'm a Straw Hat Pirate; I'd go insane trying to answer that question.
"Yo Nami, not going to wish me luck?" His voice bounced itself around her eardrums, and she frowned.
Rolling her eyes, she turned to retort, "Haah? You don't need luck, Mr I-can-beat-up-all-the-admirals."
He lifts up one eyebrow, "You know that was a fluke… right?"
"Bah. Not according to the press; in fact, I hear the world government's thinking of making you a Yonko-level pirate,"
Naruto's face switched between one of wonderment and worry, no doubt because of the troubles and excitement this new title would bring. Seeing him like this, Nami couldn't help but smirk.
"Heh, don't worry about it too much! I'd say you should be celebrating; I know those boys will,"
He sighed, shaking his head, "You got that right… sometimes they can be the most annoying people in the world, and other times they almost make the patience worth it,"
Nami leaned on the deck-rails, a melancholic look on her face, "You really are different from the 'False Sage' I thought you'd be; I guess looks can be deceiving, huh?"
"Tell that to your captain. His smile is even more innocent than my daughter's," He grinned, nudging his chin below deck, where Luffy was almost certainly scarfing down bucket loads of food.
Before Nami could reply, Sanji cuts in from afar "Oi, Naruto! We have everything ready; it's time for you to go!"
Naruto waves his way to signal he understands, then turns to Nami with an apologetic look on his face.
She shakes her head, "Go. We're all rooting for you,"
"Mn… Thanks," She watched him leave, jumping out the ship with that same unshakable nerve back in Marineford, where he went toe to toe with the titans called admirals and lived to tell the tale.
His silhouette slowly shrank the deeper he went. Smaller and smaller and smaller until… nothing.
Seeing no use in staring into the black abyss any longer, Nami sighed and headed back in, muttering to herself all the while, "For Robin's sake, good luck."
The first thought that crossed Naruto's mind when his feet touched the seafloor was: cold.
Despite his water breathing, it sadly did nothing to stop the freezing cold water from enveloping his entire body and chilling him to the bone. Still, he weathered it and began walking.
Now, where to go… At first, Naruto did what anyone would do when they were lost(which was walking in a straight line until you either reach your destination or get mugged; whichever comes first), but after an hour straight of walking, with neither lake nor mugger in sight, he was forced to stop and reconsider his plans.
As far as the eye can see, there were flat planes of sand and dirt stretching out to infinity. In fact, what scarce flora he could spot all already had one foot in the grave. For miles and miles on end, this mind-numbing scenery repeated itself, each and every rendition no different than the other.
Apparently, the lake is supposed to be about yay big. Full of life and colour and all the things you'd see in a normal body of water the size of a city. He turned a full 360 degrees in some vain hope he'd somehow find it somewhere. I… think I'm in the wrong place. Unfortunately, there was no such luck.
"Damn it, how the hell does someone hide something like a giant lake so well—" Naruto went to take another step, ready to keep up this aimless wandering for a few more hours yet when suddenly, he felt the stomach-dropping sense of vertigo hit him, and the world came tumbling down.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!?" Was all he could utter before his screams were deadened by the dense layers of sand that had magically appeared…
Thud! Naruto crashed into the ground at breakneck speeds, sending plumes of dust flying as a crater took form below him.
"Ow…" He groaned as he got up, more than a little winded from the fall. When he was finally on his feet though, his eyes widened, and the dull pain on his left side was immediately pushed to the back of his mind.
He chuckled to himself at what he saw, "Guess I wasn't in the wrong spot after all,"
There, in all of its glory was a ginormous body of water, spanning the full length and width of the underground cavern he found himself in(apart from the tiny island he was standing on). And just like Chopper said, it was teeming with wildlife and vegetation.
Anywhere he looked— no, everywhere he looked, there was something new to be found. Intricate rock formations the size of galleon ships; schools and schools of unique fish gently gliding through the marine undergrowth; the crystal clear waters that shone from the suns' rays.
He frowned, looking up. Wait. How can sunlight even reach this deep… Oh. What met him wasn't the sun, or the moon, or any celestial body really. The reason he could see so well, and probably the reason this lake could be so prosperous in the first place was because of—
"Ah! I see you've found my Ilummocoral quite interesting. I take it that they've caught your fancy, hm?" Naruto swivelled around faster than a top, shocked.
How did she sneak up on me? His eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as he studied the newcomer.
She was of slim build; thin arms and legs that should denote a frail constitution, though with her earlier stunt, he wouldn't trust this off-the-cuff examination very much. On her body was a frilly, blue one-piece dress that covered everything from head to toe, but with the way her breasts jutted out suggestively, 'barely' might need to be appended in front of it.
"And I see you're interested in my girls! It takes a lot to care for them, you know? Would you like to try touching them?" She said teasingly, smiling almost playfully at his blushing.
"I'm married, doncha know?! I won't cheat on Hinata!" He growled, "And who are you, anyway?!"
The woman chuckled quietly to herself, the laugh carrying a wicked quality to it, "I'm sooo glad you asked! Y'see… This is my home! And you're trespassing!"
Before Naruto could react, the woman transformed into a gigantic barracuda and charged him with nary a delay.
"Die, intruder! For Decken-sama!" She cried out, her maw opening so wide he could see the rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth itching to stab themselves into him and rip apart.
[Frog Kata: Pressure leap!]
With one foot, naruto easily vaulted over her. However, before she could turn around and pursue him, she was suddenly knocked to the ground with a boom.
"Urgh!" She struggled to right herself up, "W-What happened to me?! You! What did you do to me?!"
Naruto didn't answer, he merely watched her struggle.
Eventually, after she had run out of energy and reverted back to her humanoid form, he spoke:
"Is what you said true?" She eyed him warily as he walked over to her.
"Hahh? What the hell are you talkin' about?!" He kneeled down to study her, and her him. She frowned at his rigid stare, though not cowed by it.
"Are you really this place's caretaker?" He repeated, this time gentler, in hopes that his shift in tone would ease her into answering.
"Yeah, what about it? What's it to you?" She growled.
"I see…" Naruto stood back up, mumbling something she couldn't hear, but after he finished, she was suddenly able to move again.
Cautiously, she lifted herself, her movements slow and methodical. Just in case…
However, before she could fully stand up — by this point she was sitting-cum-kneeling — Naruto did something that stopped her in her tracks.\
Thud! Naruto fell down to all fours, his head bowed down to the ground, "Please! I need your help! My friend needs something from your lake; a berry! I beg of you! Tell me where it is!"
"W-Wuh?!" She staggered back in surprise, "The hell are ya sayin' man?!"
"I just need a handful! I'll be out of your hair the moment I get it!" But he was steadfast and refused to move from his spot.
"Ah! Ah..." She hesitated at the face of his desperation; on one hand, she was beholden to no one but Decken-sama, and he had expressly told her not to let anyone in before "that day". On the other, she was handily beaten by him, and she didn't doubt for a second that he could do it again, even in his current state.
And she did feel kinda weird, seeing him like this. Who the hell gets on their knees to someone they just beat up?
Argh, screw it! The faster I get 'im outta here the better! What Decken-sama doesn't know won't hurt him!
"Grr… Fine! But you gotta split the second we finish or I'm callin' for back-up, got it?"
Finally, Naruto looked up, and he. was. ecstatic.
"Now, what the hell does that berry o' yours look like? I know everything there is to know about this place, so leave it me!"