A/N: Well, at long last, here is an update to "My Pride is a Hurricane". I've been fairly devoted to "Passing the Torch" as of late, and I haven't been able to dote upon this story as I'd have liked. So here it is then, my friends! The chapter that I have been promising you for so very, very long! Consider it a warm up for Naruto vs. Magellan and Naruto vs. Blackbeard! And, yet another surprise guest from the Naruto-verse joins the crew!

HERE YOU GO!

"Life's a bitch, so if its easy you're doing it wrong."

~?

Mist

Magellan was furious.

Nay, he was beyond furious. He was enraged. His was a rage that seeped from his very bones; a fetid, fermented fervor that grew stronger and fouler with every step. Poison seeped from his every pore, splattering across the staircase as he descended to the innermost depths of Impel Down. Ordinarily, he would have used the elevator and arrived there immediately, had it not been disabled by the very insurgents that besieged his beloved prison.

One of which had already slaughtered half of the guards, freed a number of dangerous inmates and currently had no intention of going quietly into that silent night. Magellan already had his suspicions as to the culprit's identity. In fact, he was quite certain of it. It was none other than the grandchild of the great pirate Whitebeard himself; Uzumaki Naruto. It had to be.

But how?

How on earth had Newgate's grandson gotten free? He'd been chained up with enough Seastone to sink a navy vessel! Was his strength truly so great that he had broken free of his prison, or-and this Magellan dreaded most of all-had he somehow found a way to surpass even the powers of the sea itself? He found himself cringing at the absurdity of such an idea.

No, that wasn't possible.

The boy was strong, strong indeed, but he wasn't immortal. Not by any means. He'd been captured once before, after all. Just barely. Now, as he felt the great undersea ghaol quiver beneath his feet, Magellan began to realize the true extent of what he faced and in doing so, he realized his peril. This was not some sodding drunk who couldn't control his own power or hold his drink, as he hadn't when he'd first been brought to the prison.

This was the grandson of Whitebeard that he faced.

This was a titan, a god amongst men. He wielded the power of the heavens itself, and years of captivity had likely tempered his resolve even further. Who was to say that he'd not somehow honed his powers in the deafening silence of level six? Who was to say, that he did not posssess some measure of his grandfather's strength and ability? While it remained to be seen, the likelihood that he possessed-or might eventually inherit-the powers of the Gura Gura no mi was a frightening one.

Unchained, the boy just might be stronger than Magellan was.

Just like that, it began to sink in for him. Was it possible for the children of Devil Fruit users to inherit abilities that were not their own? No one knew who Shirohige's son was, whether he was alive or dead, and, for the moment, that didn't matter. What did matter, was the fact that Shirohige had an heir. The man who was said to have competed with Gold Roger himself, had a child who was capable of succeeding him in his old age.

If he escaped his captors, that is.

It had been difficult enough to capture him the first time; and he'd been drunk as a dog! Even then, it had been no mean feat to capture Whitebeard's only known offspring. It had been a pitched battle, and victory had only come at a great and terrible cost to the World Goverment. That day, the mole they'd planted in his crew had come to them had alerted them, the Marines, to his prescence, and, his fortunate lack of sobriety.

Unfortunately, Naruto hadn't gone quietly.

Back then, it had taken an admiral to bring him down.

Back then, he'd taken out score upon score of marines, even going so far as to critically wound Admiral Aokiji, before they'd finally had Seastone Shackles slapped on him. He was strong. Of that, Magellan had no doubt. In fact Magellan strongly suspected that, should he confront the wielder of the Kaze Kaze no mi a second time, the circumstances of their last battle would be greatly reversed.

Somehow, the boy had grown stronger.

Even here, on the stairs leading toward level two, he could hear the tormented shrieking of his men. It was a hideous, gut-wrenching sound. They screamed, and it was like a thing possessed; snapping and snarling and snickering at him, mocking Magellan and his every achievement, his every goal, all that he had aspired to in the course of his life, and now, all that he had failed to do.

Fury washed Magellan to his toes.

He would not allow it.

He refused to allow that impudent whelp to sully the reputation of the world's most impenetrable prison! Methodically, he trapsed down the steps that would eventually lead him to the perpetrators, fighting against his own treacherous bowel movements. Facing down Newgate's dread offsrping be damned if only he could combat his own diarrhea with such ruthless effeciency...

Ah, if only.

(Meanwhile, on Level 5)

"Tatsumaki!"

A wicked and wild wind tore through the snow of the fifth level of the undersea ghaol that was Impel Down.

It scoured the stones clean; spiraling, sweeping and sundering the rank-and-file guards that stood in its path. They raised their weapons, some of them, but soon realized that there was little they could do against the destructive forces of nature that assailed them. Instead, they were swept away and across the cobblestones tumbling head over their heels and crashing into their fellows at the bottom of the stairwell.

They flew.

Literally.

One moment their feet had been firmly planted upon the frozen tundra. The next, gale force winds drove them back, casting them about like so many leaves in the wind. Their was no chance of victory for them here, and yet, in their foolishness, they persisted. Some screamed, uttering great and terrible oaths as the unstoppable forces of heaven took them in their sway; spending the last instants of their life in flailing futility.

Others were smashed against the rocks again and again and again, until their was no life left in them and they stopped resisting. Arms were raised, then rattle as the invisible force broke upon them like a great and terrible wave. Broken bodies skittered across the ice, unable to prevail against the imperious elements that assaulted them. When they finally found purchase upon the ice, it was already too late to do anything but be beaten into submission amidst the snow plains of Level Five.

When the wind finally subsided, ruination surrounded them. It was the calm amidst the storm, a calm that did not last all that long as the trio moved on to the next contingent of guards barring their entry to the cells that they sought.

The unlucky few that managed to survive the initial surge, soon found themseleves wishing they hadn't. A terrible keening sound split the silence between them and the dark, causing their eyes to wither and their ears to bleed as a terrible thrednody wedged itself into each of their minds. One by one they went mad, one by one they toppled, left to splatter across the floor of the prison, each of them, like so much refuse.

The ice split beneath this supersonic peal, dragging the unwary to their doom.

Any that had survived that, well, let us say that Uchiha Sasuke was a great deal less accomodating than his traveling companions. He flicked his wrist; once, twice, then thrice and many that still drew breath abruptly did so no longer. Some fell, their heads lolling unnaturally to one side, broken. Others tried to turn tried to evade his blade, but they, were far too slow. Still others managed to survive long enough to bring their weapons to bear, aiming, tracking him with their rifles, only to meet a similair if less grisly fate. It was a massaccre. There was no mercy given. No quarter offered. Whomsoever dared to bar their path was summarily cut down, be they innocent or guilty.

"I'm not in the best of moods right now." he murmured, his words little more than a whisper. "If you attack me, I won't show any mercy." And a moment later a dozen black-fletched flames pierced the man's heart in recompense for his temerity. He fell, still burning, gagging and gasping and groveling as he burned from the inside out. Before such a sight, the guards quailed in their coats, helpless to anything but watch. Watch as their fellow guardsmen died, watch, as he was slowly devoured by the slow burning flames, his screams falling abruptly short as the blaze reached his lungs, turning them and the rest of him, to ash.

The Uchiha turned, regarding those that remained with a blood red iris. To stare into those eyes was to stare into the face of death. To stare into his eyes was to stare back at the gruesome creature of bone and fire that loomed over him like a second skin. Well, it certainly didn't inspire confidence now, did it? Sasuke raised his blade and the burning skeleton complied; mimicking the move as if it were its own, wielding its own weapon of blazing violet violence.

Sasuke waved the blade about ponderously, as if testing its weight, then scowled.

"I'll say this once, and once only." He began slowly, drawing out every syllable. "Run. Run. Away. Now. If you don't, I'll slaughter you, each and every one of you, captain's orders be damned." The 'captain' in question coughed at that remark, but it was already too late. The Uchiha's bloodlust was palpably obvious. If these men did not flee, then they would die. Most likely they would die whether they fled or not. The latter remained to be seen.

"I said beat it!" Sasuke snarled.

"Hai!" The guards squealed as one, bolting over the drifts with such speed that it left one to wonder why they had not fled earlier. Within seconds, they were well out of sight, leaving little more than a cloud of dust in their wake; much to the amusement of the Uchiha. Not so much for his companions. Naruto, garbed in a warm fur cloak, stomped a few yards through the snow, shuddered from the cold, and frowned.

Regardless, with their retreat, Level Five was clear, for the moment.

"Damnit, Sasuke!" Naruto moaned loudly. "You overdid it again! I mean, I'm glad you didn't kill them all, but the keys, man! You could have at least taken the keys! How are we supposed to open their cells without the friggin' keys?"

"We cut them open, of course." Sasuke said, thumbing his katana's hilt.

"What is it with you and the cutting, huh!"

"It's what I do." Sasuke said simply, as if this somehow explained everything. "Remember?"

Naruto sighed.

"Honestly...

Naruto was exhausted, filthy, and hungry. He and Sasuke, along with Tayuya, had thoroughly explored all the cells leading up to level five. Amongst them they'd discovered a fair share of infamous criminals. Most of them lay facedown in the evergrowing pool of water. The last one had a dreadfuly irritating ability, but they had been dealt with much like the others and now they too joined them in the blissful blackness of sleep.

Now, after a short stop at Level 5.5, they had come here, at last, to Level Five. It was here that he'd hoped to find their next crew member, but, thus far, most of the seemed to be either frozen, unwilling to leave their cells, and, those who had, well, they hadn't lasted through initiation. Which of course, left Naruto several crew members short of a crew, and very, very, displeased.

He still wanted a cook, a navigator, a shipwright, a sniper, a doctor,

"Oi ,oi...

Before he could further imagine the potential grandeur of his would-be crew, the sound of chattering teeth dissuaded him from his own imagination. He turned, half expecting, half dreading that another pack of wolves had come out of the forest. Instead, he found only Sasuke and Tayuya, the former seemingly unaffected by the cold, the latter, well, the latter, wasn't faring quite so welll...

"Are the two of you q-quite done?" Tayuya hissed through chattering teeth, wrapping herself tightly within her own fur jacket. "I'm f-freezing my tits off out here!"

"Now there's a sight I'd like to see." Sasuke snorted, silently bringing up the fact that he, and he alone had elected not to wear winter gear of any sort. In fact, he hadn't even changed his attire since they'd returned to Level 5.5. Much like the rest, Naruto and Tayuya had immediately chosen heavy fur coats for themselves, and both, had bemoaned the lack of warmth ever since they'd reached the fifth level of the prison.

Not Sasuke.

"F-Fuck you!" Tayuya snapped back, flushing. "You dickless prick!"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Sasuke retorted snidely, taking no small pleasure in his vicious reply as the flustered redhead darkened, cheeks and all. After that, Tayuya fell strangely silent and would speak no more on the subject, leaving the unlikely duo to press on in deafening silence as she pushed on ahead of them. For a moment Naruto held a small fear that they might lose her in the blizzard, as she dipped in and out of sight.

Thank the maker for her flaming red hair...

"Alright, I can't believe you're dressed like that." Naruto said at last, desperate to breach the impenetrable void that stretched between the three of them. "Aren't you cold?"

"Not at all."

Naruto gawped.

"Not even a little?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Nope."

"Why?"

"It's thanks in part to my ability." A trace of pride entered Sasuke's voice. "My cursed fruit renders me immune to the cold."

"So it keeps you warm, is that it?" Naruto drew closer, sensing a story behind Sasuke's answer. "That's why you haven't said anything?"

"No, actually it-

"Yes, yes," Tayuya pushed between the two of them before Sasuke could elaborate further. "Sasuke is big and strong. Now, if you're done stroking your ego, Uchiha, I think I might've found what we were looking for." She stormed off again before either could protest, an annoyed look on her face. Above, the wolves howled plaintively, drowning out her plentiful expletives and other oaths that would make even a hardened sailor flush like a schoolgirl.

"?"

Both boys blinked as the unamused redhead laboriously clomped up yet another drift, and imperiously pointed into the distance. Shrugging, they had little choice but to follow, her down the rise and up again. Then, and only then, did they see that which she had been speaking of. As they joined her on the small hillock, it was impossible not to. What had this been doing out here, all by itself?

They were staring at a cell.

"Is it this one?" Tayuya pointed towards a lone remaining cell, little more than a hardened block of frigid ice in the frozen tundra. Ivankov had insisted that they free a certain prisoner, and he'd been so adamant on the issue that Naruto had taken it upon himself to-once again-stay behind and seek them out in the hopes that he might find additional recruits for his crew. Granted, he had a swordsman and a musician already, but what he really, really wanted, was a cook.

He wasn't going to say that aloud of course. The last time he'd done so, Tayuya had practically laid him out with an ear piercing-who knew the girl could yell so loud-shriek. So he pretended that his main focus was finding a navigator-hopefully one that could cook-and pushed his way through the drifts, trying to drive some semblance of warmth back into his boots as he traversed the distance between them and the cell.

He didn't get very far.

"Well, hello, handsome." A woman's voice arose from the darkness that encompassed the bars within, clear as a clarion bell. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

"Abode?"

Sasuke dubiously inclined his head a fraction of an inch.

"This is who we're looking for?" Clearly, he was unimpressed. "Sorry, I don't think I-urgh!"

Tayuya's withdrew her elbow from Sasuke's stomach slowly. Very slowly, allowing the Uchiha to feel the full extent of the pain plugged into his ribs. The Uchiha offered a mute groan of protest, but said nothing more and did not retaliate in the slightest. Naruto ignored their antics, and not just because of the easy familiarity that they'd settled into as they left Level 5.5; because that had come naturally.

Speaking of natural...

"G-Greetings." Naruto had managed to stammer out, before he likewise found himself entranced.

...she was naturally beautiful.

A beautiful woman with flame-colored curls and dressed in simple white and black prison garb, sat cross-legged behind the bars. Her shirt was half ripped from her body, and only her voluminous hair stood between her bare breasts and the bitter cold. Likewise, her clothing was filthy and bloodstained, but none of it seemed to be hers. She looked up at Naruto, also covered in blood, with eyes so incredibly green, he couldn't looke away. She waited patiently as the blond struggled to regain control over himself, his eyes his mind, and still, she peered at him; staring with wide orbs of brilliant jade hidden behind the bright orange tresses of her hair.

"It sounds like Ivan-san is causing quite the raucus out there." She smiled thinly. "Has he finally sent someone to break me out?"

"You know Ivankov?" Naruto asked, stunned.

She laughed; it was a soft, chiming sound. Leaning forward on her haunches, she regarded the newcomers with thinly veiled amusement, an emotion that gleamed within her green eyes and set them asmoldering. It took all of his strength to tear his gaze away from hers, and then, like a siren's call, her voice dragged him back.

"Do I know him?" The woman laughed. "I'm his little sister! Of course I know him!"

Everyone sweatdropped.

"SISTER?"

Ivankov had a sister?

Unsurprisingly, this was difficult to believe. When the term Ivankov's sister came to mind, the mental image they'd conjured was...not this. Not this graceful waif of a creature that sat before them, patiently awaiting their judgement. The results were

"And for what possible reason should we want to release you?" Tayuya scowled. "Just because you're the sister of that queer, it doesn't guarantee anything."

"Tayuya!" Naruto cried out in disbelief. "You can't be serious!"

"Look at her." she replied. "She'll only slow us down."

Sasuke nodded his agreement.

"I hate to say it, but she has a point. If this woman doesn't have any skills, then why should we bother to bring her along?"

"Because its the right thing to do!" Naruto insisted. "We can't leave her here!"

"And why not?" Tayuya asked sharply. "Give me one good reason we shouldn't just leave her here."

Naruto paused, taken aback by the lack of anger in his comrade's tone.

"B-Because she'll die!"

"That's your reason?" Tayuya spat scornfully, the saliva already frozen before it reached the snow. "She's probably totally useless-

"Could you please not talk about me as if I'm not here?" The woman's voice settled upon them like a gentle mist; doing little to settle their frayed nerves, but demanding their attention all the same. "And do not treat me as if I am some worthless wench." Her voice hardened abruptly, her teal gaze no longer softer, but hard and piercing. Apparently, this woman was not as weak as they had been led to believe. Not in the slightest.

Inexplicably, her gaze fixated upon Naruto.

"You there, boy." She began sternly, abandoning all manner of flattery. "Unlike these other two, you seem to care for my well-being, do you not?"

"Eh?" Naruto blinked rapidly, suddenly aware that she . "Well, yes, I suppose I do."

"Then I have a proposal."

"P-Proposal?" Naruto didn't like the way she'd worded that. "W-What sort of proposal?"

Those eyes of jade softened, somewhat strangely.

"There's a certain ingredient I'm searching for."

"Ingredient?" Naruto blinked. "What ingredient?"

"One that exists in the New World." The woman explained. "It's been my dream to find this ingredient. Unfortunately, I cannot accomplish this goal while I am imprisoned here now, can I?" She shook her head dismissively. "No, of course not. Therefore, my proposal is this: free me, and I will be yours, so long as you let me search for this ingredient, as I please."

"W-What?"

"If you set me free, I will render my...services to you." The way she said services caused Tayuya to frown. Services? What possible services could a harlot such as she hope to offer other than the obvious? Surely Naruto wasn't considering allowing her to join them solely for that, was he? If so, then clearly, she'd overestimated him. A trickle of doubt wormed its way through her thoughts. Perhaps she should have stayed in her cell after all. At least it was warm there. At least it was safe.

At least there, she didn't have to watch while Naruto fawned over this slut.

Wait.

Where the fuck had that come from?

"Wait, what kind of services are we talking about?" Sasuke interjected, unknowingly saving Tayuya from further embarassment. "I'd at least like to know what you are capable of before we consider taking you along."

"Well, I offer much." The woman began. "But if you're wondering about my skills in combat, then let me assure you, I am more than capable of defending myself. I appreciate your sentiment however." Against Sasuke's stuttering protestation that this was not what he had meant, she continued: "I'm handy in the kitchen too, if I do say so myself. If by service, you wish to inquire of my culinary skills, then-

"Just a moment!" Naruto shouted, over the blizzard, his eyes wide and gawping. "Did you just say what I think you said?"

"Yes?"

"You can cook?" Naruto all but drooled. "You can cook food?"

Sasuke groaned.

"Great...I don't suppose you can prove it now, can you?"

Tayuya facefaulted, both at her own stupidity and the woman's response.

"Why, of course darling." She smiled benevolently. "I've eaten the Kiri Kiri no mi." A harsh gasp went up at the mention of that. But if Mei Terumi was at all concerned by the sudden scrutiny, then she did precious little to show it. Instead, she steepled her fingers together and leaned forward even further until the bars finally prevented her from risking the wrath of the frozen manacles binding her wrists and legs.

Still, she was almost close enough to touch, and certainly close enough to whisper:

"Simply put, dear boy, I'm a mist woman."

"Ah." Naruto inhaled sharply, and Sasuke flinched as if he'd been struck. Of the three, Tayuya alone did not react. At least not verbally. Her eyes hardened and became stony, an expression most unfitting for such a beautiful vixen. Sasuke noticed this, but said nothing. Despite the mild animosity that he bore her, he did not feel that it was his place to force his opinions upon a fellow crew member.

Even when was contemplating the many means by which she might kill their captain.

"She comes!" Naruto declared loudly, utterly oblivious to all that had just occurred. "And that's final!"

"Truly?" The woman asked.

"Truly!" Naruto laughed, such was his joy. "But ah...who are you, exactly."

"My name is Mei Terumi." The woman said with a smile that could melt ice. "It'll be a pleasure serving you, captain."

Naruto felt his cheeks darken.

"Y-Yes, ah...well, good, that." He waved at the cage of ice which entrapped her. "Now, stand back. Well back."

She complied.

He flicked his fingers, once, twice, thrice, and the bars to her cell shattered like so much broken glass. Seconds later, her now sundered shackles fell to the wayside. Gawping, the woman flexed her fingers, watching them move and form a fist, then unclench again. She smiled. She laughed and her shoulders sagged, as if she'd been relieved of some great and terrible burden.

"Naruto, was it?" She gasped between breaths. "Thank you. A thousand times, thank you. You've no idea how much this means to me."

With his help, she found her footing. As she stood up, she attempted to keep her tattered shirt together, much to Tayuya's dismay. It was hardly possible. Naruto removed his fur coat and put it around her shoulders and Tayuya felt her face burn when the woman did not comprehend his actions. Instead, Mei stared at him with confusion and tried to get away from his cloak.

"There's no need." She began slowly, perplexed by his actions. "I'm quite warm already."

"P-Please." Naruto insisted, trying to ignore the thin line of blood leaking down his nose. "I insist." He could feel Tayuya's gaze, such was its intensity. It bored into his back and threatened to turn him to stone, should he turn to face her, should he attempt to offer some manner of explanation. Best to keep silent, then. Kami, what had he done to anger her this time...

Reluctantly, Mei allowed him to close it around her, and, unlike Tayuya, she did not blush, nor did she look away. Ironically, Naruto found himself staring. Not at her eyes, but at her neck, at how gracefully it flowed into ample cleavage only barely concealed by the cloak. She seemed like such a delicate creature. How had she survived, alone and all but forgotten amongst the frozen tundra? And why was she smiling so suddenly...

Oh.

"Well now, aren't you the charmer?" When he raised his gaze, Mei was suddenly a great deal closer than he remembered her being. "Lending your coat to a lady." She paused, tilting her head as she regarded him amidst the snow. She reached out and silently ran a slender finger from his exposed bandages up along his chest. His skin shuddered and shivered where she touched and he gulped. It was the only sound, save for the braying of the wolves in the distance.

And yet their faces were only inches apart.

Naruto was breathing heavily, every breath wafting past his lips in a thick cloud of steam, and he was beginning to regret his decision to forgo his cloak, but still couldn't bring himself to look away from her. Even her smell was intoxicating, like a rare flower than only bloomed in the darkest gardens. Despite all the time that she must've spent in that cell, she was enticing and sweet without being cloying.

"You're kind of cute," Mei whispered, and Naruto felt his cheeks burn. Her very touch suffused him with warmth, a warmth that drove the chill from his veins and left him twice refreshed and energized. It was as if it were a warm summer day that enveloped him here, not a bitter frigid winter contained within the world's greatest prison. She breathed and her breath was a good deal warmer than it should have been when she finally spoke again:

"Say, you wouldn't happen to be married now, would you?"

"EH?" Naruto gawped, the moment forever ruined in his eyes.

Sasuke snorted; such was his disbelief.

"WHAT!" Tayuya shrieked! "What kind of question is that!"

"The kind of question a woman asks a man." Mei replied matter-of-factly, pausing only as an afterthought. "Oh, I'm sorry, is he yours?"

"N-No!" The redhead spluttered defensively. "Not at all!"

"Oh." Mei blinked. "Pity. He's quite the catch, though IF you ever wanted him, I'd be more than willing to share...

Tayuya felt her entire body darkening, a deep, cherry red.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"Well, we could always fight for him if you really want...

"I'm not fighting you!"

"Ladies!" Naruto whined, "Can we...please not discuss this? Here? Now? EVER?" He shot a planitive glance toward Sasuke, but the Uchiha was already gone. Moving on ahead of the their little group, shaking his head and muttering incorherently to himself all the while, he paused only when the cries of his captain grew desperate. Tapping the hilt of his blade across his shoulder, he offered an exasperated sigh and came about.

"Captain," He began, choosing his words carefully-he knew well when to avoid the wrath of women-very carefully, "I hate to interrupt, really, I do, but shouldn't we be on our way now? We're going to fall behind Ivankov and the other escapees at this rate." At the mention of the infamous newkama queen all notion of romance was abruptly perished on the spot; like a dried, withered flower in winter snow.

"Oh, that's right." Mei murmurred, as if only now recalling it. "I wonder how Ivan-san's been, perhaps we should go after all..?"

"Yes!" Shuddering, Naruto wriggled away from Mei before he could be ensorcelled further. "Right away!" It could be noted that he practically sprinted from Tayuya and Mei, or was that just his eagerness to escape at work. Regardless, he'd soon outdistanced even Sasuke himself, leaving the rest of his crew hard-pressed to follow, let alone keep pace with their determined captain.

Tayuya slapped a hand to her forehead, and willed the last remnants of a blush from her face.

"Men...

And that was only the beginning of Naruto's troubles...

Next time: CHAOS! Riot in Impel Down! Battle on Level Four! Blackbeard vs Naruto! Magellan Vs. Naruto! STAY TUNED! Next chapter will be the longest and most epic yet! Promise!