A/N: REJOICE! YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER UPDADE! Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. I'm fresh out of my surgery-hurts like hell!-and I managed to put this up here at points between the forced anesthetic. Bad news is I still have more surgeries ahead. Still, I'm feeling a bit better now. Really. I'm hanging tough though, having just come out of my first surgery...with two more to go! UUUUUGH! I'm on painkillers almost daily and I feel like crap, as to that effect. But nevertheless, despite this pesky little hiccup-I wanted to get word out any way I could, and since for some strange reason the site is being buggy, I wasnt able to work on this anywhere near as much as I would've liked. Still...
I love you guys so much! *Cries*
So I'll skip the introduction, but might I advise you to reread the story? Just in case you've forgotten anything.
"Give them nothing, but take from them...EVERYTHING!"
~?
Let the Sparks Fly
"YOU PEOPLE ARE CRAZYYYYYYYYY!"
"Says the man who became a pirate!"
"I'm starting to regret that now!"
Naruto cackled heartily, his laughter momentarily ovperpowering their navigator's screams as their vessel plummeted from the frozen wave...dropping directly into the battle raging below. But not just any base battle was this, no mere clash of marines and pirates towards which they were falling.
This was Marineford.
The center of the Marine might. Their base of operations on the Grand Line. Gathered down there were the greatest men and women that the navy had to offer. Their Admirals, Shichibukai, Vice-Admirals, strongest of soldiers, best swordsmen, most accomplished of snipers. The best of the best, were here. The grunts and incompetents-those not fit to fight a battle of this magintude, had been left at home. If one were to smash the marines here they would shatter like like so much glass, and the World Government would never truly recover. With their back broken, the world would be easy pickings...
But you can't hurt Hancock! Luffy's words rang through his mind. She helped me!
'Then I'll leave her be.' Naruto decided to himself. 'But if she gets in my way...she's dead, just like the rest.'
Zaraki seemed to mirror this thought, an unsettling grin had taken up residence on the large man's face. Naruto didn't have to look to know he wore the same sinister smile. His blood sang at the thought of a fight like this, even the thoughts of confronting his grandfather were pushed to the back of his mind. They had that much in common, at least. Both loved a good fight. Naruto, simply knew when to choose his battles; Kenpachi didn't care who he fought, so long as they were strong. Here was a man who had come up from nothing, carving a name for himself with the sword. Killing was simply in his blood.
"Are we there yet, Kenny?"
Aaand then there was that. Naruto willed himself not to look at the little girl perched on Zaraki's shoulder, but it was almost impossible not to stare at her pink hair and be confounded. Yachiru Kusajishi. She was a tiny thing, a seemingly innocurous bystander amidst a band of cuthtroats. Kenpachi had made her a part of the deal, releasing his "daughter" from Level One shortly before their departure. Her bounty was a mere Seventy-Five Million as opposed to the whopping Four hundred and eighty million placed on the swordsman's head, and with his subsuquent escape from Impel Down, it was boundto
"Oi, Yachiru, didn't I tell you to keep out of sight?"
"But I was boooo~ooored!"
"Well, go be bored somewhere else!" His slate grey eyes, no longer that eerie yellow, turned to regard an irate Tayuya. "Go hang onto Red over there, will ya?"
"Hai~!"
"I ain't her damned babysitter!"
"You'll have to be," Naruto chuckled softly, "I'm going to need him once we land; we'll be cutting a path right through the enemy."
"Yehahahaha!" the man bellowed with his strange laugh, voice roaring in their descent. "This is why I follow you, kid! Big battles! It doesn't get any better than this! Ain't thar right?!" His enthusiasm was met with a few grumbles of annoyance on the part of their comrades, and a bright grin from Yachiru.
"That doesn't change the fact that we're still falling!" Shikamaru shouted, struggling to make himself heard over the increasingly high pitched wind. "Someone do something before we crash!"
His words were met with silence.
"Well?!"
"I'm already doing all I can." Naruto shrugged. "My wind is the only reason we haven't dashed ourselves on the ice yet."
Kabuto, a peculiar marine they'd found aboard the ship-and the sole survivor of the massacre made to hijack this very vessel-quietly adjusted his spectacles with an off hand. "If you'd like, I could calculate our chances of being shot down before we'd hit the ground. There's a seventy-five percent ratio a cannon will target us long before-
"I don't wanna hear anything from you, introvert!"
"Why not?" the young man inquired. "We're both fugitives from justice now, aren't we? The only difference is that I know which way the wind's blowing." The subtle dig left the normaly level-headed navigator flush with anger, his cheeks flaring a rare red in the wind/
"I...you...we are you still here, anyway?!"
"My charming personality?"
That earned a few laughs from the Wraith Crew, the silver-haired man hadn't indicated his allegiance toward either side yet, he was merely along for the ride. He claimd to have no special skillset, no weapon save a odd-looking scalpel strapped to his belt, and subpar medical talent at best; he knew how to bandage a wound and keep it from becoming infected-something of a staple considering the wounds Kenpachi had sustained after his brief scuffle with Naruto in Impel Down. Not a pirate, and yet no longer a marine. Neither enemy, nor ally.
They didn't know what to make of him. He'd proffessed a willingness to go his own way once they reached Marineford; that seemed impossible now as they fell to their doom!
"There's nothing we can do now, anyway." Sasuke sighed; the Uchiha having secured himself safely in the rigging the moment they'd broken free from the frozen tsunami. "Look." He indicated Luffy's falling ship with a slender finger, the first galleon already well ahead of them, making for lone point of water amidst all the ice. "They're in no better shape than we are." Mugiwara had commandeered that vessel back at Impel Down and they, this one, not wanting anything to do with the boy's foolhardy plan. They just so-happened to share the same destination. That was all.
Killer Bee harumphed agreement at that, clinging to the mast with all his might. "Yo, bro! Just go with the flow!"
"That 'flow' of yours better not involve us getting crushed against the ice!" Tayuya piped in, her hazel eyes nervously regarding the fast approaching glaciers below, red dress fluttering wildly. Naruto's wind had slowed their descent enough to try and make their landing "salvageable" but even then there was only so much he could do. In a few seconds-a minute at most-they were going to announce their arrival. Whether they wanted to or not.
"Relax," Tenten chirruped happily, steadfastly sharpening a knife as she hung upside down from a rail; she, of all the Wraiths, seemed most as ease with their current predicaments. "I mean, the worst we can do is die, right? I'm just happy to be out of Impel Down again."
"Again?"
"Tried to escape, once." Her chocolate brown eyes glanced briefly in Naruto's direction before returning to the knife in her hand. "Almost worked, too. I was right there at the docks before they caught me. But heyt, at least I got a bounty rise out of it." Well, in hind sight, that made sense. Why else would the price on her head be three hundred and fifty-five million? If she really could make a weapon out of anything, shoot anything, then the lithe brunette truly was a force to be reckoned with; an enemy not to be made lightly.
"How'd ya do it?" Just like any musician, Tayuya loved a good story. Even if had to be told while they were falling to their death.
"Lured a guard in close and gouged his eyes out." She replied matter-of-factly. "Remember babe, men are easy, its the women you gotta watch out for. There never were enough of them in the marines..."
"You were a marine?!"
"Was." For the first time since they'd met her, a touch of anger entered Tenten's tone, her slender fingers grinding around the hilt of her knife. "I'd always wanted to be one ever since I was a little girl. It was a dream of mine, you know? Go out to sea, travel the world, kill a few pirates. Oh, my bad." Her words faltered at Naruto's questioning stare. "I'm not like that now. You guys are alright. Its just, back then, I was convinced he was right, that absolute justice was the way to go. I mean, he was my dad, and all."
There was a silence.
"You mean...?
"Yeah, my career was fast-tracked by Akainu himself, alright?" Her eyes cut bloody red dagger into the lot of them. "He's my pappa. Its not something I'm proud of; not anymore. I signed up for the marines to be more like him; ended up a Vice-Admiral almost before I even knew what was happening. Tends to happen when you're the daughter of the Red Dog himself. People make way for you; fear or respect you. I didn't care. To me fear and respect were one and the same. I was so sure of myself; I didn't think anything could touch me, or the men I led. Thought I was invincible. Maybe I was. But I wasn't infallible."
"The hell happened?"
"Apparently the World Government likes their marines corrupt, sweetheart; they don't take kindly to meddling, especially when you try to weed out said corruption. Doesn't matter if you're an Vice-Admiral, Admiral, or even Sengoku himself. I got curious; wondered why more and more civilian casualties kept appearing on the reports. My reports. I knew I wasn't the one doing it; turns out my men were enjoying their privileges more than I thought, if you know what I mean."
"The second I investigated those allegations, I found myself clapped in irons and hauled off to Mariejoa. I was presented with a choice. Either kill my men or spend the rest of my life in prison. But I knew how to pick a lock, and they forgot that I wasn't some weak-willed woman who could be ordered around. So I cut myself loose; instead of butchering my men for their misconduct, I ended up slaughtering a few government officials before anyone knew what was happening. Maybe even a Tenryubito or two before they took me down. That was, what? Four or five years ago? Time gets funny in a cell. By all rights they could've made me one of their slaves, but da-Akainu had me tossed in Impel Down instead. Said they wouldn't let me out until I "reconsidered" my actions."
"And you still haven't?" Naruto frowned; something about her being the daughter of Akainu didn't sit well with him; how would she react to facing her father down there. On the other hand, he knew a thing or two when it came to familial issues; though he couldn't claim his past with Whitebeard to be anywhere near as storied.
Just like that, her cheery grin returned. "Still haven't. If I see my old man down there, I'll bury a knife in his chest.
Tayuya sweatdropped.
"Where did you find this crazy bitch, boss?!"
"I think she's quite chipper." Mei, much like Naruto, didn't share the fear of falling to death; her logia body prevented any such happenstance. What did worry her however was the water. She'd never been that much of a strong swimmer even before she'd eaten the Kiri Kiri no mi, the thought of coming so far, only to be met with a watery grave...was disquieting. Naruto shared her fear but he refused to let it show, or leat Shikamaru's shouts of concern derail him from his excitment. Why couldn't that lazy fool see? It wasn't the destination that mattered, it was the ride along the way! They were finally here!
"Maybe the boy's right," the grave voice of their shipwright finally interjected, making his opinion known. "If we hit the ice, even I won't be able to salvage the ship and without it...how do you plan to escape from here, captain?" Naruto craned his neck and squined toward Senju Hashirama, regarding the newly-armored man with a faint curiosity. He'd spoken very little since they'd first met, preferring instead to relegate himself to the task of tending to the ship, mending the wounds it had sustained during their hostile takeover.
"Relax, this one's a loaner, remember?" the words came easily to him; even if they did survive, he wanted no business sailing on a marine ship. Former or otherwise. "If we do make it out of here, we can always swing by Water Seven and ask them to build us a ship. I've got a couple hundred billion berri stashed away in one of my old safehouses; assuming it hasn't been ransacked, we can get ourselves a warship, bigger and better than this one! Whaddya say, Senju?"
The shiprwright frowned. "It feels...wrong, scuttling something so beautiful." His hand touchd the mast lovingly, fingers working into the wood.
The great galleon was indeed massive; Hashirama had been fussing over it ever since they'd climbed aboard, tinkering with it ways that Naruto couldn't comprehend. Naruto silently applauded Sasuke for finding the shipwright; the man was a born natural-a complete master of his craft. It certainly helped that he had command over wood thanks to his devil fruit. One might think that the Paramecia wasn't suited for combat, but Naruto had seen firsthand what he could do when provoed. A logia he might not be, but the man wielded his power in ways Naruto wouldn't have thought possible. He was a fighter alright, just like the rest of thems in his own way; how else would your head be worth four hundred and twenty-five mil? Whatever he'd done, he must've really pissed someone off.
But what the devil had he done to land himself in Impel Down? That was truly the question of the hour, an answer Naruto didn't think he'd ever have.
...very well." he conceded at last. "Assuming we survive the battle to come, I'd welcome the chance to sail on such a ship."
"I'm liking the sound of that, too." Mei smiled.
Tayuya grinned. "Hell yes!"
"Why don't we think up a name for it first?" Sasuke added as the ground roared up to welcome them with open arms. "I'm not sailing on sone nameless ship."
"We're deciding this now?!" Shikamaru gawped.
"Why wait?" Kabuto snipped back.
"The kid's right, now's as good a time as any." Zaraki shrugged.
"Aye!" Yachiru chirruped. "Kenny's right! So...
"Dorgenark?"
"Nah, that's been done. Wouldn't want to get sued."
"We're pirates, how would anyone sue us?"
"Next!"
"Konoha?"
"Are you crazy? That's the most common name there is!"
"Malestrom?"
...maybe?"
"How about "My Pride is a Hurricane?" Naruto interjcted. "That sounds like a good one-
"DENIED!" Everyone, save Mei, shot that idea down in an instant. Petulant, their captain tried again.
"How about just "Hurricane" then? Would that work?"
The aging Senju actually craked a wan smile at that idea.
"Say, I actually like that one...
"Seconded." Sasuke grunted.
A chorus of approvals followed, reaffirming his decision.
"In case you've forgotten, some of us aren't superhuman! I hope you have a doctor on hand, because we're going to need one!"
"Oh, right." Naruto smacked a fist into his palm. "A doctor! Did we get one of those? No?" His grin only grew as a shudder ran through his crew. "Huh. Knew I forgot something." For a long moment there was a silence, broken only the howling of the wind and the sound of conflict below. And then. And then.
"YOU FORGOT?!"
"If'n yer lookin' for a doc," Kenpachi spoke up suddenly, sounding strange. "I might just know one."
"Really?"
"Ask me if we live through this!"
Then there was no more time for thought. The ice was mere millimeters away now-any and all conversation would have to wait until later. Much later. The galleon convulsed as Hashirama's fortifications came apart, the keel all but shattering as the heavy vessel made contact with the frozen bay. For a terrifying instant everyone feared the ship wouldn't hold. But then the ice broke beneath them, exploding outward in a sea of salty and spray. But their ordeal wasn't over yet.
"Brace yourselves, we're going to hit the-
BA-KRAM!
Everything stopped. Everyone one stopped fighting. The world simply ceased to be. All eyes turned toward the mighty crash, gawping at the great galleons that had landed right in their lap. Noe one but two each bore a crew that would make even the most hardened of hearts quiver in fear. It certainly didn't helpt that the second wreck remained shrouded in an eerie fog-preventing any and all eyes from peering into the gloom. But the silence prevailed in the end, the marines eventually recovering first as they beheld the two scuttled ships.
"Arararara," Aokiji murmurred, peering down into the wreckages. "This can't be good...
"That surpriiiiiised me." Kizaru drawled.
"..." Akainu remained decisively silent as the smoke began to clear.
"We actually made it."
"And we're here!"
"Bout damn time."
"Quit complaining, Kenpachi! You wanted a fight, now you've got plenty!"
"Aye, Red's right! Ken-chan's going to kill everyone!"
"...she does mean everyone but us, right? Seriously guys, I'm not ready to die yet...
"Relax, Tenten. Nobody's going to lay a hand on your, alright?"
"As expected of my captain! You really are protective!"
"Still," a woman's voice intruded, "Perhaps I should lift the fog? It wouldn't do for us to be shot without being seen.
"Hnn, good point. Raise it!.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku felt his jaw fall from his face as he beheld the gallery of rogues standing before him. Not only had Monkey D. Luffy landed in the thick of the fighting, but there, on the ship opposite him,a second vessel, carrying perhaps the most deadly criminals the world had ever seen, and more than a few traitors to the cause of justice. And there, standing at the helm of the second vessel, a visage as legendary as it was all but terrifying, his whiskered face pulled back in a fearsome smile.
"What's he doing here?!"
Indeed, Naruto's grin could've made the darkest demon look tame. A black gale circled his body to tug at his scarlet jacket and rustle through his battered hair, belying his almost hellish appearance. Cruel crimson-blue eyes balefully regarded the score of pirates and marines down at his feet as though they were naught but ants, his lips pulling back to expose those deadly canines. Two words snaked past his lips, and yet they inspired fear in every single soldier and pirate assembled before him.
"Hello, corpses!"
Across the battlefield, Edward Newgate felt his mouth twitch in the beginnings of a grisly grin. Even in old age these eyes of his did not lie-he knew that face. The same visage that had spat upon him and cursed him for failing to save his mother, now older and worn, endowed with experience and power beyond his years. He felt strength return to these old bones of his, a fierce joy that outstripped even the love he had for his sons and Ace surging through his veins, leaving him feeling stronger than he'd ever felt before.
"Gurararara, so you finally decided to show up, boy!"
"Is he still alive?" Naruto nudged Shikamaru's prone form with a boot. The poor navigator had collapsed the moment they'd hit the ice, the whites of his eyes showing in that haunted face.
"No, I think he's dead now." Sasuke replied.
Unintelligible gibberish streamed forth from the former marine's mouth.
"Pirates...why did it have to be pirates...
"Yup, he's alive. Hashirama, do me a favor and revive him while I take care of this." Chuckling, the blond turned to regard the vessel opposite him. "Oi, Mugiwara! You're on your own, for now! We're going our separate ways in a minute!" With that he unsheathed his blade, eyeing the scaffoldings that blocked him from his objective. Its keen edge glistened in the sunlight, shimmering with untold power.
"Hrmm...that wall's going to be a problem." he murmurred. "But not for long...right, partner?"
Sasuke blanched. He knew that look...
...what're you going to do?"
"I thought up a new move when we took down Magellan." the blonde confessed. "Did you know a Hydra's an actual dragon?" His hand drew back, fingers clenched into claws around the hilt of his blade. Sasuke always'd meant to ask him where he'd gotten that weapon, whom he'd claimed it from. It seemed to glow now in his grasp, the seafoam-colored blade pulsating an unnatural green as he held it. A crazed grin tore across his face just then as he breathed in and out, the silent harbinger of what was to come. The wind rose around him, angry and keening for marine blood. Blood he would gladly give.
Atop the wall, Aokiji bristled.
"Oi oi, he isn't going to-
"Daishinkan!" (Great Dragon Shock)
With a grunt, the blond dropped it. He did not drop the blade, as in release it, he simpl dropped the sword, cutting down in a motion so sudden and swift, it was nearly invisible to the human gaze. Uchiha Sasuke's eyes were anything but human however, he saw what Naruto was aiming for; not the admiral, but the wall itself. Marineford exploded. Chunks of stone and masonry blew outward and drifted like paper on the breeze, debris and bodies sailing as one in all directions as the slash made its mark.
There could be no other word for it; one moment the walll was there the next it was just...gone. One swing of his blade had done the deed, its edge naked one moment, then sheathed the next.
"He cut through the wall with just one swing!" A marine screamed.
"S-Someone do something! Get the admirals!"
Naruto wasn't listening.
"Alright you dogs...listen up! This is an order from your captain!" His voice thundered across the frozen tundra, making itself known to all alongside his wilde smile. "I hereby order you, each and every one of you, to...
"...GO WILD!"
A/N: And there ya be! Despite my illness, I was so moved by your many reviews that I worked REAAALLLY hard to get this up. I delved a bit into everyone's past in this chapter, we see just what motivated them to follow after Naruto. It should be mentioned in any case that absolute CHAOS is about to ensue, what with Naruto telling his crew to go all out and wreak havoc! He'll finally get to chat with his gramps as of next chapter, and their body count will nothing short of enormous! Look forward to it, ya'll!
So...in the immortal words of Atlas...
...Review, would you kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview! Next chapter! Of Gods and Men!
(Preview)
Everything was falling apart. Their fortifications were collapsing, their flank was all but broken, not even the timely arrival of Sentomaru and the Pacifista's had done anything to hamper the Wraiths they'd simply blown through the portly man and his small army of cyborgs. He had no idea what their goal was; Naruto and his crew seemed intent to cause as much chaos as possible. But they hadn't yet reached the courtyard. Their was still time, time to execute Portgas D. Ace and put an end to this farce of an invasion.
Now if he could just get past Whitebeard and join the battle! He hissed in pain as a bloody trench opened his chest, the crimson stain virtually invisible amidst his coat. Ever since that boy had set foot in Marineford, he had caught a second wind. If he didn't know better, he'd wager that the old man was actually happy...
"Inugami Guren!"
Halfway across the battle
Shirohige plowed forward, uncaring for the burst of magma that struck him square in the chest. Sakazuki actually started, the man just kept coming!
"That damned grandson of yours...
Edward Newgate spat out a bloody gob, and incredibly, stood up again. His white mustache bristled above his smile, a throat "Gurararara!" tearing its way out of his throat. Pride swelled in his chest as he watched that boy; pride not just for himself, but that his son's-Minato's-legacy lived on through his pchild. His grandson. Gripping his halberd with renewed purpose, the strongest man in the world dragged his aching body upright a second later, rising to his full, towering height. Even wounded he was was a fearsome sight. How much more could he take?!
What had that boy said to him back there to give him such resolve?!
"He's not that easy to kill!" Cracks formed as his fist slammed into the air, the Tremor Tremor fruit wreaking havoc on the battlefield once more. Akainu had only an instant to register that before he was flung forth from his feet, the man's massive hand closing around his throat in a crushing vice.
"AND NEITHER AM I!"
For a long moment Akainu said nothing, his right arm pulsating an eerie shade of scarlet/crimson as he hung there, trapped within the larger man's grasp. "Hell-hound." A single word hissed through clenched teeth as he brought that arm around, sheathing the molten limb elbow deep in the man's chest. For the first time in nearly a decade Whitebeard staggered. He tasted blood when he breathed. Crippling pain his chest, numbness in his legs and heat in places where it should not be, heat everywhere...
"Guh...!"
Halfway across the battlefield, Naruto froze. He felt something lurch in his chest, those all-seeing eyes turning back to regard the underhanded attack. Time seemed to slow, the currents of fate and destiny dragging the moment to a standstill in his eyes.
"Old man?!"
R&R! =D