A/N: REJOICE! YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER UPDATE! Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. I'm finally done with surgery for the time being- hurts like hell!-and I managed to put this up here at points between the forced anesthetic. Bad news is I still feel HORRIBLE. Still, best to be positive, right. Really. I'm hanging tough though, having just come out of the frying pan...now begins the long recovery! 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 all to reread the story? Just in case you've forgotten anything. Now bear in mind, this chapter is a little sad at first. Hope you have some tissues!

"The blessings of one are often the burdens of another.

~?

Legacy

The news spread like wildfire; but its embers wouldf forever smolder in the minds of man like red hot coals in the years to come. Uzumaki Naruto, grandson of Whitbeard, had done the impossible. The unthinkable. He'd broken out of Impel Down, into Marineford, and then walked out again. Not as a prisoner, but as a free man...

...leaving a trail of corpses in his wake.

Word of Akainu and Sengoku's deaths were more than just the talk of the world; footage of the World Government's defeat at Marineford was now sinfully seared into the eyes of nearly every man, woman and child. No amount of superior propoganda or false advertising could cover up Naruto's broadcast. It was impossible to forget the images of those severed heads, their faces still frozen in the agony of their last moments to blot the thought of your mind simply wasn't possible. Naruto had done more than given the World a black eye, as Monkey D. Luffy had at Enies Lobby.

He'd waltzed right in and broken her back.

Recruitment would plummet-if not stagnate entirely-over the next two years because of his actions here today. No one wanted to face a force like that; and so they in turn would be forcibly inducted into service. For the sake of Justice, or so the Government claimed.

Most of her best soldiers were either listed as dead or as missing in action and those who weren't were sorely wounded; Kizaru was captured, Smoker had be, leaving only the wounded Aokiji and Garp behind to marshal their foces. And by marshal, that meant take stock of those who lived and those who did not. There was no grand push to force Whitebeard's armada's and the Wraiths off Marineford-nay, such an effort would've been suicide.

Instead they'd been forced to watch as the fleet departed-of their own volition-their mission completed. The day was theirs. Fire Fist Ace was alive and well. Whitebeard was alive, if not as hale and healthy as he'd been before the invasion. It was a complete and total defeat for the marines. Bounties would skyrocket after this day for all involved, astronomical numbers that would catapault them to nearly legendary status. Once, such a thought would've made Uzumaki Naruto laugh. But not now.

Now, not all was well for our so-called conqueror...

"Whaddya mean he won't wake up?!"

"It means he's still in that godamned coma!" Ace barked back, thrusting his newly-scarred visage up against that of the blonde's. Up close, Naruto could see that the younger man would likely carry those pale red scars on his face and neck where Momonga had nearly stabbed him, for the rest of his life. Even Unohana simply couldn't erase them entirely. That was good, he supposed. They would serve as a constant reminder of today's foolishness, of how close to death he had come were it not for the man with whom he was butting heads.

That was the only thing that kept Ace from tearing the older man's head off. That and the knowledge he likely wouldn't survive the attempt. Naruto's crew was only a single deck above and they likely wouldn't take too kindly to an attack on their captain. With the Moby Dick and her allies retreating towards distant waters and with no ship of their own they'd nowhere else to go; and it was becoming abundantly clear, that they weren't interested in entertaining Marco's gesture of hospitality much longer.

'Relax,' he willed at his stiff muscles, struggling to supress their urge to srike the windman. 'You don't want to fight this guy. He helped you. He's an ally. Besides, if we fought here, we'd burn the ship down...

As though sensing this very fact, Naruto drew back.

"What's his condition?" he asked someone in a much calmer tone.

"Its just as he said." Jozu replied, the swarthey man remained unmoved, still-rooted in his stoicity despite the conflict only an arms-length away. "Pops hasn't woken up since he collapsed after the battle." He too, bore the marks of battle, his body wreathed in bandages from his own wounds, injuries inflicted by Dracule Mihawk before his retreat. "If it weren't for that doctor of yours, he wouldn't have lasted even this long." Indeed, a finer doctor couldn't be found in Unohana Retsu. As fate would have it, she was the medic Kenpachi had spoken of. Apparently she owed him a favor...or several, depending on who you asked.

They'd all suffered, but victory was theirs.

"That's another thing!" Ace blazed, his temper getting the best of him once more. "She's a marine! An admiral for crying out loud! How can we trust anything she says or does?! We should just toss her overboard before she starts-

"Watch your tone, boy." Naruto replied with an angry hiss, drawing himself up to his full, towering height. "I don't take kindlly to threats against me or my own. She's one of mine; knows which way the wind is blowing, and she's a damn good field medic. Now, you'd best take them words back...or get ready for a fight."

"Fine by me!" Ace growled without thinking. "Let's take this thing outside-

"Oi oi oi!" Both bristled as a blur of golden-blue flame interposed lf between the two of them. "Calm down!" Seconds later it resolved into the familiar shape of Marco, his wings spread wide to prevent either Logia-user frm doing anything rash.

"Marco, he-

-is right, Ace!" the phoenix interjected forcefully. "You'd have done the same damn thing if he insulted one of us! Now apologize!"

Jozu nodded in solemn agreement; faced with such a front, Portugas was forced to back down.

"Tch, sorry...

"Forgiven." Naruto replied after a long moment. "I know our tempers are...high right now. Its no fault of yours." He laid a hand upon the hothead's shoulder in recompense for his earlier temerities. "Why don't you go above and check on your brother? I think we could both use some famiily time right now."

"Right." Ace agreed readily; truth be told, he didn't like the idea of Luffy spending so much time with those veterans from Naruto's crew. They were killers, each and every one of them. Sure they had heart, but some small part of him knew more than one of them wouldn't hesitate to attack the rubberman once aggravated. Especially the big guy! As if to mirror that very thought, he heard a familiar shout:

"Hey, do any of you guys wanna be my nakama?"

Ace was off like a shot!

"Oi, Luffy! Stay out of trouble, ya hear me?!"

Marco sniffed sullenly in agreement, never taking his eyes from Naruto, not until Ace finally cleared the stairs. In a single bound, one might add!

"Thanks." the whiskered blonde demurred softly.

"No problem." came the reply. "Family's gotta stick together.

That earned him an arched eyebrow. "So we're family now, eh? What happened to me being a good-for-nothing bastard?"

"I...that was in the heat of the moment!" the phoenix replied, his feathers momentarily ruffled. "I'd thought you were going to kill pops, or worse! C'mon, Jozu! Help me out here!"

The diamond-man nodded slowly, wincing quietly when his wound threatened to reopen from the motion. "Marco's right. For whatever mistakes we might've made in failing to recognize you, you were always one of us, from the very beginning. Even if you don't have the old man's mark on your back."

"Oi oi, you're not going to get all sappy on me now, are ya?" Naruto sighed, but there was no rancour to be had in those words. "So are we good? I don't have to worry about you folks sticking a knife in my back?"

Marco nodded.

"Look, I know we haven't always seen eye to eye kid, but its been nearly eight hours now. We have to look at our options. You helped us rescue Ace and for that, I'm grateful. Really, I am. But we all know what the old man would've wanted us to do. You're his last living relative...he wouldn't have wanted things to end like this, ya know? He'd want you to lead-oi!"

The change in his fellow blond as as abrupt as it was terrifying.

Naruto rounded on Marco with such force the man was almost certain that head would fly clear off his neck. There was such pain in that gaze; there mere act of looking almost drove him mad. Kami, the things that this kid must've gone through to become like this. When he finally spoke, the word was cold and chilling, almost glacial in its finality.

"No."

"But-

"I said no godamnit!" his fist swung through empty air. The effect was as immediate as it was surprising; because it didn't simply phase through as it would have normally. Cracks fissured out across the atmospheres like hairline fractures upon ifce, spreading and tearing as though he'd reached into reality itself and given it a good hard yank. A reverberating crash resounded from somewhere deep within the ship, unbeknownst to all the Whitebeard Pirates, the precious stolen cargo from Marineford, now stored deep within their vessel, began to stir within its cylinder.

But that was not all that stirred.

"What the hell?!"

Tayuya yelped as the Moby Dick suddenly shook from within, the very deck seemed to come alive and heave beneath their feet. The seas swayed. The heavens lurched. Despite that fact Hashirama remained completely unperturbed by the titanic quake, his wood afffinity rendering him completely at one with the ship herself. Sasuke and Shikamaru each expressed a modicum of concern, while Kenpachi and Yachiru didn't even so much as stir from their slumber. Stubborn as a rock, those two! Bee cackled meerily at the pandemonium.

Mei quietly steadied herself with a hand, her jaden gaze displaying only the slightest concern.

Retsu simply sighed and continued dressing Tenten's wound; earning a pained yep from the brunette, followed by an equally livid demand to know what was happening. Luffy made the mistake of stumbling on the deck and tumbling into the sharpshooter's back -for no lack of effort on his part- and promptly found his head wedged within a mast.

"Pops!" Ace yelped over the din and darted into Whitebeard's cabin.

(Across the sea)

Shanks sighed and took a long draught of his bottle, savoring the sake as it warmed his stomach, not dilluting his senses in the slightest. He'd felt it just now, a shift in the powers that be; the forces that governed not only the Yonkou, but the world itself. Something had changed. And once more, his nephew-Kushina's son-was at the heart of it all. An era was about to end, and a new one would rise in its stead. He did not pretend to know what fate might havein store, but his far-reaching Haki told him more than enough.

A legend was about to die.

Poor Naruto...he'd be heartbroken. Instead of Luffy suffering the loss of Ace, it was Naruto who would mourn the loss of another family member. He'd already wept over Minato and cried over Kushina; this time, he just might break from the pain. But if he did not break, he would emerge from it harder. Better. Faster. Stronger. (Oh yes, I did!) If the boy could somehow manage to overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacle that was his own heart, he'd get through this. Shanks prayed he would.

Quietly, he raised the bottle in a toast to the fallen.

"Rise above it, kid...

Whitebeard felt the tremor as well; that weak shock of his own power was more than enough to wake him from his medically induced coma. Dark eyes fluttered open, the world returning to him in darkened swirls of hot flashes and cold, numbing pains. It wouldn't be long now. Most-many in fact-might have shivered at the fact that death stood so close to them; wept to know that their end was near and that all they had done would be laid bare before the eyes of the void. They would've wept and blubbered and begged for a second chance, anything to stave off judgement day. But not him.

Edward Newgate stared Death in the face and smiled as she pulled him into her cold embrace. He had no regrets. He'd lived his life to the fullest. Ace was safe and sound. His powers were now made manifest in his heir in that little Uzumaki squirt that was his grandson. The only thing he wanted now was to rest. That was all he could really ask for after a campaign like this. He knew that he would be mourned by his sons but so too did he trust in Marco and the others-if not Naruto himself-to hold the men together, give them new purpose in this new age about to be born.

"Gurararara," he chortled weakly to himself, mustache bristling beneath his mirth. "I'm leaving it to you, boy."

He could see the horizon now, where all his friends and family waitied. All those he had lost over the years. Even Roger. Minato was there too, ready to welcome him with open arms. His son was waiting for him. He had no hate in his heart for his father, no anger at his shortcomings. Edward realized that now and sighed. He'd blamed himself for so many things in the past, losing Minato to the marines, then Kushina to Blackbeard -may that man's soul burn in hell forevermore-not bringing their up right like he should, nearly failing to save Ace in time. For so long he had gone on with this heaviness in his heart. For so long. Now it was time to rest, long and peacefully...

"Pops!"

With the last of his strength, Whitebeard willed his eyes to open, one last time. He saw the tears in the eyes of Portgas D. Ace-the disbelief that someone so strong would just surrender to death after all this. Heard him pleading, begging, sobbing for him to hold on just a little longer. Despite his impending demise, Newgate smiled.

"Goodbye, my son." he rumbled. "Live well and prosper...

And then he was gone.

And so ended an era.

"Holy fuck," Naruto stared at his left hand in amazement, gawping at the damage he'd wrought. "I just...what the hell did I just do?! Let's try that...again!" Marco and Jozu seemed to share in his amazement; their eyes bugged clear out of their heads when the blonde raised both hands and grabbed the air itself, tugging it slowly southward with great care not to cause another quake. The very effort seemed to drain him however and a second later he was forced to relinquish his hold upon the new technique.

Jozu nearly choked on his own spit.

"That's-

"MARCO!"

All eyes darted to the south as a tear-stricken Ace burst back into the room.

"The old man...he...he...he's dead!"

Naruto felt all the air rush out of him in a painful gasp, the joy at discovering his new power all but withering away. What? No. Oh no no no. He hadn't even...they didn't...he hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye, to say anything at all...

NO!

But Marco and Jozu weren't focused on that; their attention remained fixated on the young man before them, the cracks still spiderwebbing across the air, reacting to his grief. Those powers were unfocused, untrained, but that first shock had been enough to shake the Moby Dick to her very foundations. Who knew what might happen if he actually put some oomph behind the next one? Naruto seemed to realize it as well; because he all but bolted into the bowels of the ship, vanishing in a swirl of mournful wind.

There was a silence as the commanders watched him go.

And then.

And then.

"Hey, Marco. Before, wasn't that...?"

"Yeah...it was."

Marco gulped, the words seemed to stick inside his throat. Jozu was right. Just now...that had been the old man's power! His ability! The Gura Gura no mi! Unbidden his mind flashed back to when Whitebeard had laid a hand upon his grandson's head, the act all but reeking of power and finality. It had seemed ludicrous at the time, impossible to believe. But now...he wasn't so certain. Was that when?

"Pops...

Naruto wept.

Grief was a constant companion, lingering heavily on his shoulder. But there was also anger. Rage. He'd done so much, fought so hard, and in the end, it didn't even matter. Yes, their bounties were now skyhigh after what he and his crew had done to Marineford, but what did it matter? The old man was dead. After all he'd said and done, Whitebeard was gone. Dead. He'd succumbed to his injuries only hours after Madara's answer of war; declaration of Akatsuki and all the hell that had come with it.

He'd felt him go.

And all he had to remember him was this strange tingling in his arms. Whatever Whitebeard had done to him before death had seemingly transferred the power of the Gura Gura no mi to him; but that knowledge only made him wander deeper into the bowels of the Moby Dick; their temporary base while the crew recovered from their wounds. As soon as they were up and about, he resolved to be away from here. He just could not bring himself to be on Whitebeards ship. He just couldn't. When the old man had gone he'd just looked so..peaceful. Now the world knew who his grandson was. And they wanted him gone.

To hell with that; he needed to get to Water Seven. Build a ship of their own. Just forget about this awful mess. A small part of him almost wished Shanks were still here. But he wasn't. The man was gone back out into the Grand Line, though he'd promised to write and keep an "eye" on his nephew. That was it. His uncle, the last remaining link to his mother, was gone. And now so was Whitebeard. He had no one to speak to save for his crew, but he wasn't ready to talk. Not yet.

And so Naruto kept walking.

Eventually, he stumbled upon it in the cargo hold; the strange cylinder Bee had absconded from Marineford. Hmm. He'd never really looked at it before but didn't it look rather...strange? The fluid within it moved eerily back and forth eerily now, almost as though it were seeking something. The surface of the tube was cool to the touch, almost soothing-

Hello...?

"Kami!"

Without thinking he struck the transparent tube with all his might-lashed out with a boot to shatter the glass. Water gushed forth from the wound, spouting in nearly every direction, most of it onto him. He glared at it, bloody red daggers, as though he could somehow wreak his weariness out upon the liquird. Imagine his surprise when the water began to move. Droplets slipiped off his soaked form, dripped from the walls and ceiling, pooling rapidly before his feeet as he lookd down, trailing down his body until not a single bit of moisture was left.

"What in the world?"

As he looked on resolved itself into the shape of a woman. A very naked woman, her heartshaped face framed by sea-blue hair, the long locks plastered to either side of her face, her bright eyes gazing beffudedly about in a vain search for something. She didn't even try to cover herself, instead her gaze roamed the room, as though she looked...lost, somehow. He coughed quietly and she turned to face him, the helpless look contained deep within her sight struck a chord deep within him.

"Who or what are you?" Naruto muttered.

She uttered one word, then. Her own name.

"Juvia...?"

The blond sweatdropped slightly. "Well then...its, ah, nice to meet you...Juvia. The name's Naruto-

"Naruto-sama!"

"Why me...?!"

"The fuck is she?!"

Naruto would've almost considered that a rhyme, were it not for Tayuya's unmitigated rage. The musician's face was redder than her hair; an impressive feat when one considered the deep color of her scarlet locks. He didn't blame her for her ire one bit though, he'd have been a little shocked himself to see a half-naked girl walking around on the deck with only his cloak to shelter her from the elements. Oh wait...that was happening, actually, right here and now. As Shikamaru would-and did-so obliquely put it...

"Troublesome...

"Who's the babe?" Zaraki asked, grinning. A few hours had passed since his captain had departed into the bowels of the ship-since Whitebeard had passed-and the Wraiths found themselves to be the only ones on deck at present. Even Luffy and Ace had gone down below to pay their final respects to the living legend. Naruto -having already made his-found himself beginning to wish he'd stayed down there with the others. That would have been preferrable to nine pairs of eyes ogling the poor girl with obvious curiosity.

"Ah! Naruto-sama! A giant!" the young woman promptly darted behind his back for cover when she laid on eyes on the hulking swordsman. "Juvia is frightened!" Great. As if he didn't have enough problems to begin in the first place, now he had to explain this away!

"Naruto-sama?" Tayuya glanced between the pair-was that a glimmer of hurt in her eyes?-her anger flickering away like a candle in the wind.

"Naruto-sama was the one who let Juvia out, so Juvia belongs to Naruto-sama and Naruto-sama belongs to Juvia!" the bluenette declared, glomming him happily.

Aaaaand just like that the inferno returned!

"HAH?!"

"No no no!" Thats not it! That's not it at all!" Naruto tried his utmost to explain as much it to them; this was not what it seemed, him "venting" and all as Kenpachi obliquely put it. "Its nothing like that! She came out of the cylinder when I broke it, ya know?!"

"Yo, and why did ya break it fo-ouch!"

WHAM!

"You be quiet, blockhead!" Naruto lowered a trembling fist, his now-pointed teeth gleaming menacingly as he stood over the rapper's prone form. "I'm not in the mood for you right now!" He spent several seconds with the dark-skinned man, insisting he learn to control his tongue, trying to explain to the others that Juvia wasn't one of "those" types of women...

Ironically, Retsu was the one to bail him out.

"Ara," she soothed softly, reaching around to stroke the trembling girl's back. "You're freezing, dearie. Let me get you something warmer than that coat."

"Hey, what's wrong with my-

Her glance could've sent a Sea King sobbing with fear. As it were, Naruto simply gulped. He'd already learned the hard way that the former marine was not to be trifled with. She was genuinely terrifying when that side of her emerged...no wonder she'd been an admiral!

"Ahahahaha, yes ma'am."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted; if he had an opinion on the girl or the medic's intimidating persona, he certainly didn't share it. Far be it from him to enrage an enemy of such high calibre; ally or no he wanted nothing to do with that long nodachi of hers, the weapon that stank like so much blood...

But when Retsu tried to reach for the trembling woman the bluenette simply flowed around the medic like water, her body undulating in rippling motions as she simply phashed through the outstretched arm. Unohanna paused, baffled by this sudden phenomena and not sure what to say. Tenten wasn't quite so reserved. Especially when Juvia clung even tighter to Naruto.

"What the heck?"

"She's made of water?" Hashirama immediately took a vested interest in the girl. "How is that possible?"

"That's crazy!" Tayuya scoffed. "There's just no way! Even if she is an ability user, there's no fruit like that!"

"J-Juvia did not eat a fruit! Juvia was born like this!"

There was a shocked silence.

"Bullshit! You're lying!"

"Juvia is not lying!

"Then prove it, bitch!"

Oddly enough, that provoked a strange reaction in the woman. Instead of cowering as she'd done untilt his very moment, the bluenette tucked a strand of damp hair behind her ear, her eyes dark with thunderclous the like of which promised a good deal more than rain.

"Are you challenging Juvia for Naruto-sama?!"

Tayuya's response was as unexpected as it was immediate. "You bet your pretty little ass I am!"

Everyone-even Sasuke-facevaulted so hard the Moby Dick actually jumped!

"RIVAL!" The water woman shrieked! "Juvia will not tolerate it! She will not accept a lova rival for Naruto-sama!"

"I ain't asking, bitch! Sonata!"

Juvia squeaked at the renewed surge of sound and tucked herself closer behind Naruto's back for shelter. That of course did her no good, as the redhead simply followed her, eliciting a rather humorous game of chase that was resolved only when Naruto reached down and plucked both women off their feet by the scruff of their necks. Tayuya yowled in surprisea and clawed furiously at the offending arms, but to no avail. Her captain gave a gruff gunt at her feeble attempts at resistance.

"Oi! Lemme go!"

"Nope."

"Why ya-mmph!" Her words ended in a worldess gasp as his lips met hers. Her body went boneless, her cry of surprise warping to a moan of delight.

"Sati

"Naruto-samaaaaa!" she wailed! "Please kiss Juvia, too!"

"Well, I usually like to break a girl out of prison first, but what the hell?" he leaned in and laid a chaste kiss upon the bluenette's lips. She swooned!

"Juvi!"

"Wish he'd do that to me." Tenten muttered.

"You say something?"

"A-Ah?! No, nothing!"

"Aw, how cute~!" Mei cooed, her attention falling upon Juvia once more. "But you'll have to let go of him, sweetheart. Senchou may be a good kisser, but I doubt he likes clingy girls."

The watery woman flinched as though she'd been struck.

"Juvia is not clingy!"

"Your actions say otherwise."

"But...you're wrong! Juvia loves Naruto-sama!"

"Then

Sasuke actually laughed at that.

"Enjoy the fangirls, dobe."

"EH?! What'd you just call me?!"

"Dunno." his first mate shrugged. "Probably just a one-time thing?"

"Riiiiiight..." The blond facepalmed so hard he hearly broke a mast. He would've broken much more, had not he realized something. They were no longer alone aboard the deck. At some point during Juvia and Tayuya's little spat. During their little battle, nearly the whole of Whitebeard's crew had emerged. He was fairly certain Luffy and Ace were somewhere there amongst them but he could barely make heads or tails of all the faces staring back at him. And there, standing at the head of them all...

Marco.

"Naruto." there was not a hint of nonsense or even remonse in the normally lackadasical man's voice. "We've talked it over for the last hour, and we've decided...we want you to lead us. I know you don't feel like you're up to the task, but its what Pops would've wanted. If you won't do that, then at least accept this and his title!" Naruto suddenly found himself peering at a flowing, white jacket; the spitting image of the one Whitebeard had worn into battle, but smaller. Tailored. His size. As if it had been meant for him. And there on the back. A mark.

"Heh?" Zaraki grinned. "Scary looking thing."

Sasuke and Hashirama nodded their agreement; the others were simply too stunned to speak. Not that Naruto blamed them.

It resembled the old man's in a way but instead of a purple skull and crossbones, that skull was a ghastly color that much was true, the grinning rictus of its cobalt smiles seemed to leap out at him from deep within the storm around which it had been fashioned. A pair of shattered swords lay thrust between its teeth, completing the illussion that the skull was actually biting clear through them, a feat Naruto had once performed during his early days as a pirate. It was angry and vengeful, yet at the same time, maddened and mirthful. In every way, it was a...

Wraith.

It was his mark; just as he'd envisioned it to be when he was a boy. Before he'd eaten the Kaze Kaze no mi, back when he'd first dreamed of being a pirate. How the hell had the old man known about that?! Everything seemed to click then, his gaze snapped up to the clouds, and for a moment, he thought he saw the old man's mark there, lingering in the heavens before the clouds drifted away. And then, just then, he thought he had a hand on his shoulder, thought he heard a voice in his ears.

"You are my grandson!"

Harsh tears stung at his eyes. "So you were watching after all, eh, old man?"

Numbed, he accepted the offering; since Juvia had his old coat, there was really no reason not to. Then he realized what he'd just done. Marco had mentioned something about a title...wait a second! His own jaw nearly dropped clear off his face at the implications of such a thing. Him?! Yonkou?! One of the Four Emperors?! Absurd! Ridiculous! A small part of his mind screamed these things as he slipped into the sleeves. But the larger part held tight to rationalty; he need not lead the Whitebeard pirates. But they could certainly be his allies.

Naruto met Sasuke's gaze, then Tayuya's, then Mei's, tracing across each member of his crew, the approval and admiration there. This gallery of rogues had followed him into hell, and would do so many times more as he knew. Just like Whitebeard's crew, they'd laid their lives in his hands...

...and he was honored.

He lifted his arms and shrugged on the jacket a this shoulders. Then he hoisted high the halberd they forced into his hand, brandising the pike-like weapon with intent. When the tears came this time he let them flow in a rush, realizing just how blessed he truly was.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!" His words were a teary roar, splintering the very skies with their force. "Men! You honor me with the burden of leadership! I will not let you down!"

"Captain!" they chorused.

Naruto roared even louder; and the Wraiths roared with him.

Well, this was certainly proving to be an interesting voyage...

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've racked up quite the body count thus far: Sengoku-Akainu-and of course Moria are dead; Kizaru and Donflamingo are questioniable, and Tenten survived. The War of the Best is rapidly wrapping up, and sadly, we're about to see a casualty on the pirate side. The thought breaks my heart, but it has to happen. Don't read the preview below otherwise!

To those of you who are delighting in the chaos Juvia is causing, you are welcome. I do believe the Wraiths are a dysfunctional little family, that's what makes them so much fun to write! The fights were furious and fierce throughout these chapters a bit, but we're not done yet! More crew members are coming, and battles aplenty loom on the horizon! Look forward to it, ya'll! Also, expect an update to Passing the Torch and Prince of Darkness very soon!

Also!

Stop SOPA. 2014.

Stop SOPA. SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Acts. In this case, all fanart will be deleted, all fan-pages, fanfics, fan made videos, etc. Please help us stop SOPA.

Spread the word to your readers, due date for it is March 19th of this year! Go to .Gov on Goggle and vote to stop this atrocity!

So...in the immortal words of Atlas...

...Review, would you kindly? We're entering an original arc, next chappy!

R&R! =D