Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or One Piece.
Beta Read by: Syrisna
Chapter 8
After leaving their ship at the closest dock Naruto and his crew were making their way through the busy streets of Gokudo City.
The hidden metropolis was filled with bright lights and vendors seemingly on every street corner looking to sell their goods. From foods, weapons, and even exotic pets the local venders embraced the four tourist with open arms and their best charismatic smiles.
Knowing that his crewmembers were getting overwhelmed with the attention they were getting and that they would be bursting with questions to ask him Naruto decided to take them to a nearby restaurant. The establishment was thankfully out of the way of the busy main street and had a much more relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant did not have a lot of patrons inside and had a very laid back feel; the small number of people present simply enjoying their meals and drinks.
Finding a secluded corner for his comrades Naruto paid for a table big enough for all four of them to sit comfortably. A pretty waitress named Ayami soon came over, took each of their orders, and the the four hungry men were finally able to fill their empty stomachs.
"So Naruto what's the deal with this place anyway? I never heard of Gokudo before or seen it on any map." Ideo asked the blonde while eating a T-bone steak.
"I'd be surprised if you had. Gokudo started off as a hidden fortress for a well known Yakuza syndicate formed by four great houses that used to control the South Blue. However with the start of the Great Pirate Era and the resulting increased Navy presence the Yakuza had to adapt and go underground. The four families then decided to change this place into an important port and eventual city for the exchange of black market goods throughout the Four Blues and the Grandline. It became such a well kept secret that even now its only known by those with connections to the Underworld and important figures in the New World." Naruto explained while stuffing his face with a bowl of spicy curry.
"So that would explain why those gate guards almost blew up our ship." Said Scotch who along with his brother was slurping on a large bowl of ramen noodles; how he could accomplish this and still not remove his gasmask however was still a mystery.
"Yea they take their security very seriously. Marines have been trying to find this location for years. That's why I decided this place would be perfect for us to gather supplies and hopefully get a proper ship without the marines bothering us."
"About time. My back has been killing me from all those days sleeping on that canoe." Rock added, hoping they could leave this island with a proper ship with beds big enough for the furry giants.
With their questions answered the crew's dinner became far more lighthearted with the four men laughing, drinking, and eventually arguing over what type of ship they would buy.
"I'm telling you we need a ship with a metal hull that we can use to break icebergs!" Exclaimed Rock.
"That way we can sail through the cooler parts of the Grandline with no problem!" Finished Scotch drunkenly as the brothers lifted their giant beer mugs.
"And I'm telling you two morons that a steel hull would make it too heavy and hard to maneuver! We need a ship that's fast enough to leave those marine battleships in the dust!" Argued Naruto loudly while slamming his hands against the table, his cheeks red from the sake he'd been drinking.
Unfortunately the crew's good time was interrupted by the doors of the restaurant being loudly pushed open by a fairly skinny mustached man who looked shaken by fear.
"THE MADAM'S MEN ARE BACK!" He exclaimed causing the once lively bar to go dead silent.
Soon hushed whispers of distress began flooding the bar. Patrons began debating on whether or not it would be safer to run to a safer location or bunker themselves inside the bar until this disaster passed.
His curiosity finally getting the best of him Naruto called over the waitress from before, who was still dutifully bringing drinks to customers.
"Excuse me Miss Ayami can you explain what's happening and who these Madam's Men are?"
"You must be new here. The Madam's men are part of a repel group led by a mysterious woman known as the Madam whose been making trouble recently. They first started showing up over a month ago and since then her group has been expanding their influence in Gokudo while leaving nothing but death and destruction in her wake." She explained evenly, obviously not intimidated by the group's reputation.
"Well if they are so dangerous why don't you look more scared? Aren't you worried that they'll destroy this bar?" Questioned the blue eyed pirate.
"No we have nothing to worry about because this place and the rest of the stores in this part of the city are protected by one of the Four Great Families. They've been clashing with the Madam's Men and have been in constant conflict with them since they arrived. Your group should have nothing to worry about. It's best for everyone to just stay inside and let them handle those lowlifes." Stated Ayami firmly before leaving their table; completely missing the irony of her calling them lowlifes when she lived in a city publicly ran by the Yakuza.
"So what's the plan Captain? Are we getting involved?" Questioned Ideo who already saw the gears turning in the Uzumaki's head.
"What makes you say that?" Asked Naruto cheerfully; knowing already that his plan was spoiled.
"Because I've known you for 3 years and other than having a knack for getting into other people's business I know you like a good fight almost as much as me and I definitely want to see how tough these Madam's Men are."
"Actually I'd be more than happy to sit here in this nice bar and finish my drink but since you brought it up fine we could just go and observe this little gang war for awhile." Naruto said casually even though the smirk on his face wouldn't go down. Ideo mirrored his smirk before both of them quickly left the bar, intent on throwing down with hopefully powerful gangsters.
Begrudgingly following behind them the slightly drunk Yeti Cool Brothers shook their heads at the rashness of their captain and crewmate. Both of the twins wishing their friends could be as coolheaded as they were and just be able to get drunk in peace like normal people.
-X-X-X-
When word got around the neighborhood that the Madam's Men had come around the previous lively streets quickly became deserted.
Unfortunately shop owners who were in their path had no where to run to.
"Please, I'm begging you don't hurt my cabbages! I'll pay you what you want." Begged the old cabbage cart owner as a group of around 10 armed men started smashing his produce to pieces.
"We told you before old man that the prices have tripled; Mistresses' orders." Said one of the men who, judging by the way the others flocked around him, was the leader of the group.
"Please Shigure I don't have that kind of money. Please just let me pay the normal rate and I swear I'll pay back the difference in a few days." Begged the shopkeeper who bowed at the gang leader's feet only to be grabbed by the scruff of his neck and slammed roughly into a nearby wall.
The now named Shigure was a tall imposing man with spiky brown hair with a strip of gauze covering his forehead, stitching on the right side of his mouth, and two scars that ran up his cheek; one of them being over his one closed eye. Unlike the other men in his group he had no visible weapon on him besides the umbrellas strapped on his back.
"That's Shigure-sama to you peasant and we don't take IOUs. All those who can't pay must suffer the consequences." Threatened Shigure as he formed a fist in his free hand while tighting his grip on the shopkeeper's neck.
Fortunately for the cabbage salesman before Shigure could beat his head in his wrist was grabbed by a gloved hand.
Turning to face whoever was dumb enough to interfere with his business Shigure noticed the hand restraining him was connected to an impossibly long arm that stretched several feet behind him that belonged to a muscular purple-haired man. He wasn't alone either as he was standing next to an equally built blonde who had tiger-like scars on his face.
"Hey! I think that's enough. Only the weak prey on those that can't fight back." Naruto said before nodding to Ideo who released his grip on Shigure's wrist and let his long arm return to its usual high shoulder position.
Sneering at the two unwanted visitors Shigure released his hold on the cabbage salesman's neck who after catching his breath wasted no time and ran away.
"I'd watch my mouth if I were you small fry. You two must be new around here if your dumb enough to interfere in our business. Now get lost before you end up hurt." Threatened Shigure are he reached one of the umbrella handles.
"I'd like to see you try." Challenged Naruto before the two groups collided and a fight broke out.
-X-X-X-
[10 Minutes Later]
Due to their size and slight drunkenness Rock and Scotch had struggled to keep up with their smaller crew mates so when they arrived at the street corner the cabbage salesmen once occupied the battle was already over.
The street corner and surrounding buildings were cracked and covered with metal needles and the unconscious bodies of several armed men.
"Looks like we missed the party." Said Rock.
"Na these guys were a bunch of pushovers; not worth our time." Answered Ideo who was unharmed and sitting on a pile of knocked out and slightly charred gangsters while he cracked his smoking knuckles.
"Now I wouldn't say that." Interrupted Naruto who smiling while carrying the badly beaten and restrained body of Shigure over his shoulder. Unlike Ideo he did have several bruises and wounds from his fight; the most noticeable of them being the few tiny senbon needles that peppered his body.
"This guy proved to be more than helpful." Naruto said as he dropped the large man onto the ground like a sack of potatoes causing him to whimper in pain.
"Okay now that I've really got your attention I'd really appreciate it if you tell me more about your boss, the Madam. If she's as strong as people say I'd love to meet her."
"Trust me you don't you may be stronger than I am but the Madam is in a whole other league, she is a monster. You might as well kill me because there is nothing you could do to me that is worse than what she'll do if I betray her." Shigure said as his already bruised face began turning a sickly white.
Idea was about to add in his own brand of threats to get the underling to talk but before the words could leave his mouth he was silenced by the sound of multiple guns being cocked in their direction.
The momentary distraction from the newcomers proved to be just what the Madam's Men needed as one of the underlings Ideo defeated set off a smoke bomb that blinded the crew and allowed them to escape; leaving Naruto and the gang alone at gunpoint.
"Freeze Madam's Men you are in Sabaku territory! Surrender now or we will shoot to kill!" Ordered a very stern, feminine, but oddly familiar voice from the unknown group.
"Shit. Listen this is all a big misunderstanding we don't work for the Madam those guys that escaped did and we were fighting against them. We're simply pirates passing through nothing more." He explained calmly against the false accusation.
"A likely story. If you want us to believe you then turn around, put your hands over your head, and don't resist." Ordered the voice.
Seeing the reluctance on his friends faces Naruto decided to set a good example and comply. Giving Ideo and the Yeti Bros a slight nod to stand down Naruto put his hands over his head and turned towards the group of men and women with firearms aimed at him; only to freeze again when his eyes met a familiar face.
It was the centermost figure, a striking blonde woman with teal eyes and sandy blonde hair who wore a black kimono with a red sash and a large war fan strapped across her back.
"Temari?"
"Naruto?"
The previous tension seemed to disappear and no other words were needed as the two blondes left their respective groups and embraced each other in a tight hug that had both groups cocking their heads in confusion.
"Wait, don't tell me you two know each other?" Ideo asked as he watched his captain embrace a woman who mere seconds ago threatened their lives.
"Yea Temari and I go way back since we were kids. After I joined up with Mom we docked here. Apparently she had some business with the Four Houses and during the meetings Temari and I met. At first I thought she was just a servant or underling like me but imagine my surprise when I learned I was talking to a princess." Naruto teased making Temari's face tighten up in anger.
"Wait, so does that mean?" Questioned Rock.
"Yea Temari-chan is the first born child of the Sabaku clan head which around here makes her as good as royalty." He explained to his crew before Temari roughly pinched his cheek and pulled the taller blonde to her eye level.
"Actually Naru-chan if you insist on referring to me as royalty then now I am a queen. I'm the new head of the Sabaku clan." Temari clarified in a husky, attractive tone as she leaned into Naruto's now blushing face.
However before their lips could touch the female Yakuza boss playfully flicked him on his forehead.
"Ouch!" Naruto exclaimed as he heard nursed his sore head while mumbling how much of a tease the woman was.
"Anyway is there a reason your in my neck of the woods and getting involved in my turf war? I didn't get any word that Big Mom was making a visit?" asked Temari.
"She isn't Big Mom allowed me to leave so I could go out on my own and start my own crew. I would've visited you sooner but I needed to go off and train so I'd be ready to handle the Grandline by myself." Naruto explained as he went into detail on his journey so far in the South Blue leading up to his eventual conflict with the Madam's Men.
"Temari-sama do you wish for us to send out a search party they couldn't have gotten too far?" Asked one of her subordinates; a tall bald man with a sheet covering half of his face.
"No Baki it would be pointless the cowards are experts at running away. Gather a street team to handle the damage to the area and then do a sweep to make sure all the nearby residents are okay. We're already late as it is for the gathering." Temari ordered as the older man bowed in understanding before following his mistresses' commands.
"Gathering? Gathering of who?" Asked Ideo.
"A gathering of the Four Royal families. We rarely ever meet as we prefer to leave each other to our own devices but with the emergence of this Madam and her various assaults in all of Gokudo's territories she no longer can be ignored. I was hoping this time we could confront her underlings directly and take one alive for questioning on their hideout location but this looks like another dead end." Temari explained solemnly only for her Dark mood to be ruined by Naruto's sudden laughter.
"Did I say something funny?" Temari asked hotly, not liking Naruto making light of her problems.
"No Temari-chan you just so happen to be a very lucky girl. Consider your problems solved because as long as I'm around there is no place these guys can hide." Encouraged Naruto as he pointed to his ears. The simple gesture making her sad face light up in understanding.
{-X-X-X-}
(Elsewhere on Gokudo City)
Shigure and the rest of the Madam's Men limped though a dark corridor before opening a large pair of double doors that lead to a throne room. The room was large and heavily decorated with a jade throne at its center that was occupied by a distinctly female figure.
The group kneeled towards the ornate throne before addressing their master, "Madam we are here to report that our mission was a failure. While collecting for you we were interrupted and defeated by unknown pirates then encountered the Sabaku gang but we were able to escape as the groups were arguing." Shigure debriefed swiftly.
The minute those words left his mouth the tension in the room thickened and a strong breeze forced the large double doors shut.
"Did you tell them anything about our plans?" The figure asked evenly; hiding the underlying danger the wrong answer would result in.
"No Madam we would never. They still don't know anything." Shigure assured fearfully hoping to keep himself and the others from being killed.
His words seemed to do the trick as the pressure in the room lessened.
"Fine that will be all. Inform the others that the operation will be moved up to 3 days from now." She ordered as the group left her throne room.
'Those idiots almost gave the entire plan away! If I didn't need the extra manpower I'd have killed those fools by now!' She raged internally before calming herself. Patience was a virtue and soon her months of plotting will pay off, this island will be all hers, and her ultimate goal will finally be in reach.
{-X-X-X-}
Temari and her followers led Naruto and company to the centermost part of the city where they found themselves at the entrance to a grand multi-story palace that dwarfed the surrounding structures.
The front gate of the palace was protected by huge muscled guards who while giving Naruto's group distrustful glares still let the large group through at Temari's insistence.
The inside of the palace proved to be just as elaborate as the outside with the hallways being lined with expensive works of art.
After entering the building the diverse group of yakuza and pirates were greeted by a small but well dressed man who judging by his attire was a servant or butler.
"Good evening Temari-sama. Your presence is much appreciated seeing as how the others have been waiting on you for quite some time now and have become very ornery." Stated the servant respectfully after bowing to the blonde Yakuza member and leading the group deeper into the palace.
"Very well then, we shouldn't make them wait any longer shall we." Temari said casually, not caring one bit if the other bosses were offended by her tardiness.
The short man shook his head at Temari's joke before giving each member of Naruto's crew strange looks; especially towards Rock and Scotch who thanks to the palace's large size were able to follow them through the hallway without crouching.
After going through a final corridor the group found themselves in an enormous dining room with a large circular table at its center with Yakuza members standing around it. The gangsters themselves seemed to be divided into three distinct groups that each seemed to flock protectively around one individual that Naruto assumed were their bosses.
"Well its about time you arrived Princess. Back in my day we didn't believe in showing up late to important occasions like this. What took you so long?" Growled out a short old man with a white beard and mustache whose balding head had a tradional topknot.
"I had some business to take care of. Apparently that woman thought it would be smart to send her goons again, in broad day no less, to go and threaten the people under my territory." Temari matter of factly, her voice going noticeably dark at the mention of Madam Shih and her subordinates.
"Understandable." Commented a fairly young redhead with grayish brown eyes who was wearing an all black kimono. "However now that everyone is present I feel it's time for this meeting of the families to begin."
Temari and three other bosses then all took their place standing near their seats at the table with each of their respective groups taking their place behind them with the room going completely quite.
-X-X-X-
"I will begin." Stated a blonde man, finally breaking the silence.
He was a rather unassuming man in his early 40s with long ash blonde hair that reached his back that was also wearing a blood red haori. He had blue-green eyes with strong facial features which highlighted his defined jawline.
"I am Yamanaka Inoichi current leader of the Yamanaka family. Our bloodline can be traced back to a tribe of fortune-tellers and swindlers who later on became infamous spies. We continue to walk the true path regardless of its obstacles." Stated Inoichi before he removed his haori and exposed his back which was completely covered in tattoos. The largest and most noticeable of them being a center piece of a circular symbol that appeared to be some type of bush flower (1).
Following his example the short elderly man from earlier who removed his own robe in order to show his wrinkled bared back. Like Inoichi before him the old man had an elaborate tattoo which depicted a detailed Rocky Mountain terrain with the kanji for earth inscribed on the old man's left shoulder blade.
"My name is Tsuchikage Onoki, current head of the Tsuchikage family. Our family comes from a small family of stonemasons from Centaurea before migrating in order to avoid the influence of the World Government. We all have decided to walk the true path regardless of the obstacles we may face." Onoki stated firmly before closing his top.
Next the red headed man began to remove his black kimono in order to show off his tattoos.
The largest and most distinctive of them being of a demonic puppet mask on his spine which had a symbol on its forehead; a red scorpion.
"I am Kugutsu Sasori, current head of the Kugutsu family. We are descended from a puppeteer theatre troupe in Briss Kingdom. Despite its obstacles we continue to walk the true path."
Turning away from the other bosses Temari shamelessly opened her kimono top and showed her ink. Like the male family heads before her all of the skin on Temari's body that was hidden by her kimono was covered in tattoos. The most elaborate of them being the one on her back which displayed an elaborate night desert landscape that at its center depicted a large tanuki creature with blue markings, seemingly roaring at the desert moon (2).
"I am Sabaku Temari current head of the Sabaku family. We can trace our roots back over 100 years ago when my ancestors were a simple band of traveling desert bandits. Despite its obstacles we continue to walk the true path." Repeated Temari before she closed up her kimono and turned to face her fellow bosses.
After all of the introductions were out of the way the heads of the four families took their seats at the round table.
"Now that our introductions are out of the way Sabaku-San don't you think it's time for you to introduce us to your friends that you've invited to our meeting?" Asked Sasori politely while gesturing towards Naruto and his crew.
"There is no need I already know who these men are." Inoichi interrupted Temari before she could answer as he was handed three pieces of paper from an underling which he presented to the rest of the room. Each of the papers were a bounty poster with the faces of every member of Naruto's group.
Dead or Alive
"Killers of the Snowy Mountain" Yeti Cool Brothers: Rock & Scotch
10,000,000 Beri (Each)
The twins bounty poster was actually a rough sketch of the twins that had a dark outline of their faces along with their massive fur-covered bodies.
Dead or Alive
"Destruction Cannon" Ideo
12,000,000 Beri
Ideo's photo was taken of him during their fight with Glassjaw's men when he was blowing away some of the marines with his signature explosive punch.
Dead or Alive
"Hellscream" Uzumaki Naruto
40,000,000 Beri
The bounty photo was also of Naruto during their break in of Snowbelle Town. He had a smirk on his face while the splintered remains of the town gate and fallen marine grunts were at his feet.
"These bounties are barely a week old but it's not everyday that we get an up-and-coming pirate like yourself acquire such a large bounty so quickly." Complemented Inoichi.
"Bounties aside that still doesn't explain why Miss Temari allowed them to join this meeting. You'd think the head of the Sabaku clan would have more faith in the strength of her followers without the help of outside pirates." Sniped Onoki dismissely causing Baki's face to tighten in anger.
"Actually Lord Tsuchikage Naruto and his crew are not under my employ. He was in the area when some of the Madam's Men were making trouble in my territory and he decided to intervene. Unfortunately they were able to escape but Naruto here was able to come up with a solution for our problems. He tells me he will be able to find the location of Madam Shih's hideout." Temari finished, causing an audible gasp to travel across the room.
"That's impossible! My best men have been searching for weeks for information on the location of her hideout what makes you think this one man could have discovered it on his own?" Asked Inoichi in disbelief.
"The same way I know the exact number of people in this room right now and how many rooms are in this building, I ate the Voice Devil Fruit. I can hear a person's heartbeat from miles away and once I get a specific heartbeat on my radar I never forget. I fought one of the Madam's Men and he was able to slip away. I can still hear him, he's making his way towards the hideout as we speak and I already know it's somewhere underground. It'll still take me a day or two to make a full mental map of the underground so we can follow him."
"This is great news! With your abilities kid you can navigate my men underground to deal with that pesky woman once and for all!" Inoki states happily, only for his mood to be crushed by Temari.
"I hate to break it to you Tsuchikage-sama but your people won't be apart of this mission. My men and Naruto's crew will be more than enough to handle her." Exclaimed Temari firmly before giving Onoki an almost knowing look that stopped any further protest he might have had.
Naruto also noticed that Temari's statement created an unspoken somberness throughout the room; especially between the family heads.
"Then it's decided Uzumaki and Sabaku-San will take the lead on this matter and combine their forces and invade Madam Shih's base in two days and take her out before she can gather anymore followers. We can no longer afford for her to threaten the peace our families have established in this city." Finished Sasori, causing all the people in the room to cheer in agreement.
-X-X-X-
With a final respectful bow to Sasori and the other Yakuza heads Naruto, Temari, and their respective groups were dismissed from the grand hall and shown to their given suites that they would use for the night.
"Hey Temari I think we need to talk." Naruto said quietly to the female Yakuza member.
Deciding to let both of their groups get aquinted with their rooms Naruto and Temari found an empty hallway where they could talk privately.
"There is something more between you and this Madam Shih that your not telling me."
"What makes you say that?"
"Lets just call it a pirate's intuition. Listen Temari I'm not trying to judge you but if we're going to work with one another then we need trust so that we can watch each other's backs. As a captain I can't afford to put my crew's life in the hands of someone with a possible axe to grind that we don't know about." Naruto lectured the female Yakuza head whose face stayed neutral.
"Don't tell me your making excuses because you have cold feet now Naruto. Listen if you don't want to help me fight then you don't have to. If you and your group are too scared then you can fall back and let me and my people handle it ourselves." Snapped Temari who tried to make her way back to her suite, only for the larger blonde to block her path.
"This isn't about me being scared Temari it's about the rage you have towards this Madam Shih. I know this has something more to do with her just disrespecting your territory so spill it." Naruto said to the blonde, causing a frown to form on her previously calm and beautiful face.
"Fine I hate her, are you happy now? I want her dead for trying to take Gokudo from us, the innocent people her men have killed in the crossfire of this turf war, and most of all because..."
"Because..." Stammered Temari before taking a big breath and then showing Naruto her teal eyes that had turned cold.
"Madam Shih was the one who killed my family."
Chapter 8 End
(1)- Google the Yamanaka Clan Symbol for visual.
(2a)- The act of showing your family tattoos is a tradition in the syndicate that symbolizes trust and represents family affiliations. It's the responsibility of every head to carry their family history on their back so symbolically they are given tattoos to represent what they and their family stands for.
(2b)- The concept behind the Yakuza head tattoos comes from actual Yakuza tattoos called Irezumi Suits where every part of the body except the hands, feet, and center strip of chest are tatooed. This way they could not be identified as being a criminal when wearing suits.
[Reviewer Responses]
Reads too much- Already on it in terms of a fishman/woman who can join.
Guest- Never really thought about combining King's Haki with his Voice Power but your comment has now got me thinking.
Kidswow1- Thanks for the bounty name recommendation.
bangladesh3610- Another interesting idea but I think I'll save that for when the crew enters the Grandline.
Pete's Sake- Yes and the similarities between the two are intentional. Also I understand the criticism of Naruto's personality and my stories current lack of Naruto influence but with the number of Naruto characters I plan to introduce in the future it will more than earn its crossover status. I will continue to try and give my Naruto his own unique personality from this point on.
[Recommended Story]
The Devil Fruit Encyclopedia by Lemon Grenade: Great fic and the author just recently used one of my recommendations for a Devil Fruit you guys should check out.
Anyway Review, Follow, and even Favorite if you want.
Also Happy Holidays