Straw Hat Naruto

by SmoK1ngP4pers

3 long peaceful years has passed since the Fourth Great Shinobi war and since Sasuke returned back to the village. After a heartbreaking conversation with Sakura, Naruto acted rashly on a mission costing him being sent to another universe. Waking up on the Straw Hat ship, what adventures awaits Naruto and can someone in this universe fix his broken heart? NarutoxNami? ZoroxRobin

18. The Devil's Pit

AN/ Hey readers, in my last chapter I said updates for this story should come sooner, but over the holiday I've had some motivational issues with writing. I'm sorry about that. Do not worry though. I'm back now, more determined to finish this story than ever. Secondly, in a previous authors note, you may have caught that I said that all water style jutsu that Naruto uses that isn't sea water won't work on devil fruit users because that's what I truly believed. Since then, I've read that Oda himself has confirmed that all types of water do affect DF users just some do more than others. So, wanting to stay true to the story, all water jutsu Naruto uses from now on are effective on DF users. Finally, I've added more content on Naruto's and Jagger's fight on chapter 11. I re-read the chapter not too long ago and it didn't feel as long as I thought it was. Naruto also didn't use as much chakra as I thought he did too. That's my bad. So if you're interested, go ahead and check that out.

Please enjoy

Chapter 18

"So, this is The Devil's Pit after all." Robin commented, confirming her previous theory about their location.

"Eh? You knew about this place, Robin?" Nami questioned hastily, receiving an innocent smile from her friend.

"When you're in the Revolutionary Army for a couple years, you learn a thing or two."

Still in his shock and awe phase, Luffy took a step forward. "W-wait, so if you were a member of the pirate king's crew, then you must know Rayleigh right?!"

Stark nodded with a smile. "Why of course I know Rayleigh, right before you made your sudden reappearance after a two year absence in Sabaody, Rayleigh informed me that you were training under his watch and that I could be expecting to see you soon. And now here you are, I'm glad that I'm able to greet the brother of Roger's son in person."

Luffy formed a wide, ear to ear grin.

"I'm actually quite a big fan of yours, Monkey D. Luffy." Stark continued, observing the rubber captain's crew mates. "And I must say, you've acquired yourself an impressive crew over the years." He praised, matching their faces to their pictures of their wanted posters.

"Roronoa Zoro, Black Leg Sanji, Cyborg Franky, Tony Tony Chopper, Dead Bones Brooks, Nico Robin Naruto Namikaze, Cat Burglar Nami, judging by the nose, sniper king, and…"

Stark's eyes narrowed from the sight of the busty red head. "I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with you young lady."

Angel blinked in surprise as Luffy interrupted. "This is Angel, we met her on the last island we went to. She's been travelling with us for a while now so she's basically one of us." Luffy gave his usual chuckle.

"P-pleased to meet you, Ariel Stark." Angel nodded with the best fake smile she could conjure. For a split second, Angel frowned and felt a tightness in her chest as soon as Luffy acknowledge her as one of his own.

"You don't need to be so formal, young lady. Everyone here, please call me Stark and start to enjoy yourselves. That is the purpose of the Devil's Pit after all."

The Straw Hats did felt somewhat relaxed after his statement, it was then Nami who stepped forward. "Um, excuse me Stark-san, but for those who don't know, what is The Devil's Pit? How is an island like this even structurally possible and why are there so many pirate ships here?" She took a look at the hundreds of docked ships all around and the gigantic hole behind the two men.

Stark and his shorter company shared a smirk. "Follow me."

Both turned around and begun to march the long walk towards the edge of the stone surface.

The Straw Hats quickly caught up to walk side by side with the two men.

"The Devil's Pit has received many names in the past-"Stark explained. "Pirate Paradise-"

"The Pit." Toshiro Added.

"'Hell', the list goes on and on. But what it really is, is a city that acts as a neutral safe zone for pirates. A place where pirates can regroup, restock, relax, share information or permanently live peacefully without worrying about the Marines. Only pirates or ex-pirates can enter here."

All eyes except Robin's expanded in amazement as Stark continued. "How is this place structurally possible you ask?" The older man gazed at Nami with a chuckle. "I'm not surprised you asked that since this island is one of a kind, no other island is shaped like this throughout the entire grand line." He explained.

"Think of this place as an enormous empty glass of water, cylinder in shape with a perfect circular circumference. The entire island is made from a rare stone called Aizstone, one of the strongest organic materials in the Grand Line. It helps withstands the water pressure from below and erodes at a much slower pace compared to other stones."

Nami nodded in understanding. "So going back to your glass of water analogy, it means that the surface we're walking on right now is actually only the rim of the glass."

"That's correct." Stark returned the nod.

"Ow! How big is this place exactly? I mean, that opening is SUPER wide!" Franky questioned with his usual flare.

"See for yourselves." Stark voiced, arriving at the very edge of stone surface.

The Straw Hats stopped and stared down below, only to be astounded by the endless space and the great depths of the pit that seemed to never end. The sight was mesmerising, almost hypnotic and even induced fear in some of their hearts. At the very bottom of the pit, signs of civilisation manifested. The vague shapes of roofs from buildings, the distinct lines of walk paths and the movement of inspect sized people, all visible under careful inspection.

Seeing the pirate's astonished expressions and speechless voices, Stark opted to resume his explanation. "15 miles in diameter, 1,500 feet in height with a population that averages 70 thousand… it's quite the sight isn't?"

Stark and Toshiro smirked at one another, amused by the reactions from first timers who witnesses The Pit.

"Sugoi!" Luffy announced excitedly. "It's so far down!"

"Look at this place! This is the last place where anyone would expect to find a city." Naruto commented.

"D-d-do we have to go down there?" Usopp shivered in fear.

Sanji puffed a cloud of smoke. "An island just for pirates huh, I'm starting to like it here already."

As each Straw Hat gave their two cents about their new destination, Stark grabbed Toshiro's attention in the background. "Get on the transponder snail, call for the platform."

Toshiro nodded, fully aware of his order. "Yes, sir."

Nami diverted her eyes from the pit to the eyes of Stark. "Stark-san, earlier you said that place is for pirates and pirates only, if so, wouldn't an island like this be a major target to the Marines? I mean, I'm surprised we didn't sail into a Marine armada outside?"

The navigators question silence the crew and focused their attention on the older fellow.

Stark looked up to the sky before responding. "It's true that this island is a major target for the Marines, for years they've done everything they possibly could to destroy it. Buster calls, giants, you name it, but none of their attempts so far have seen any success, and that's all thanks to my devil fruit powers."

This news took the crew by surprise, never seeing a Roger pirate with a devil fruit power. It was Naruto quickly snapped into attention. "Devil fruit powers? Then I'm guessing that weird barrier outside is yours?"

Stark looked back down with a smile. "Correct, I'm the user of the atom-atom fruit." He explained, crouching down to pick up a small rock beside his feet.

He stood back up and pinched the rock with his thumb and index finger. "Everything in existence has an atomic structure, this piece of rock, animals, plants, objects, people, everything in life, is the total sum of their own individual atomic structure. Another fact, atoms are held together by a small electrical field, and it's this electrical field that maintains an object or a person's physical shape."

The pirates listened intently, with only some understanding the concept.

"However, my power has the ability to cancel that electrical field and therefore destroy the atom structure of anything it touches."

Stark pinched the rock with the slightest of force, causing the rock to burst and disintegrate into nothingness, not even dust.

"Which means the Marines can fire as many cannon balls they want, but as long as my barrier is intact, no physical object can get through my defences without my permission."

Mouths suddenly felt dry and bodies froze like statues as the Straw Hats admired and feared Stark's power.

'He can destroy the atomic structure of anything his power touches, one hit from him and that's it.' Zoro anxiously thought to himself.

'So this is the power of someone in the pirate kings crew, sugoi!' Luffy eyes lit up like fireworks.

'This guy's abilities is insane!" Usopp screamed in his head.

Naruto placed his hands in his pockets, 'He's powerful alright, his devil fruit power sounds exactly the same as old man Tsuchikage's particle style jutsu.'

Toshiro grew a smile from witnessing the pirate's amazed faces. "And oh, if you're wondering why the inside of the barrier is so different to the outside, it's because Stark-sans made it so that his de-atomising abilities doesn't apply on the inner walls, that means you are free to leave here any time you want."

Understanding the situation, Robin formed an intriguing question. "Stark-san, what would happen if, hypothetically speaking, someone, somehow managed to force their way through the barrier without your authority?"

Stark hummed in questioning and thought deeply about his answer.

"Something like that has never happened before so I'm not entirely sure. If somehow something broke through the barrier by force, I guess it would instantly fade and leave The Pit vulnerable. Nonetheless, to my current knowledge, there are only a small number of devil fruit powers with the ability that can achieve such feat, and most of those powers belongs to pirates anyhow. So I wouldn't worry about an imminent Marine attacks anytime soon."

"We even have Yuki-chan and Yumi-chan to protect us from submarine attacks just in case the Marines try to sneak below the barrier." Toshiro added reassuringly.

"Yuki and Yumi?" The whole Straw Hat crew questioned.

"Personal friends of mine-" Stark answered. "A two headed seaking I met during my times as a Roger pirate. They now protect the island under my request."

The Straw Hats gawked at the older fellow. "THAT SEAKING WAS A FRIEND OF YOURS?!"

Stark narrowed his eyes in interest. "Seems like you've already been acquainted?"

Nami exploded angrily. "Oh we've been acquainted alright! That seaking almost cooked us alive no more than half an hour ago!"

"Nami-san is right-" Brook interjected. "If it wasn't for Luffy-san and Naruto-san, we'd all be nothing but burning skeletons. Oh wait, I am a skeleton, yohohohoho!"

Stark dropped a sweat drop as he pulled a guilty smile. "Oh I see, you have my sincerest apologies, something like that shouldn't happen. It's probably because the girls haven't had much excitement for a while so they're attacking ships indiscriminately. I'll make sure to have a chat with them soon."

Stark laughed gracelessly. "You see, Yuki-chan and Yumi-chan are originally from a unique island in the New World called Elemental Kingdom. It's an island inhabited by wild animals with a special ecosystem. This unique ecosystem speeds and modifies the animal's evolution in a peculiar way that it gives them the ability to control the elements. That's why Yuki-chan and Yumi-chan can generate fire and ice."

As the crew took a moment to absorb this new information, the clicking of a continuous mechanical device grabbed the attention of everyone present. When the noise stopped, all eyes landed on a large, metallic platform in front of the pirates.

"Ah, I see our transport has finally arrived." Stark announced, looking at younger Toshiro.

"You're coming down as well aren't you? Your watch shift has ended, who's guarding the northern post now?"

"Suzuka, sir. She's already waiting on ground zero." Toshiro answered.

Stark nodded and stepped on platform, followed by the Straw Hats. "Very well."

Once everyone was on board, the mechanics of the lift immediately kick started and made its gradual drop to the ground floor.

As the pirates savoured the view of The Pit, Zoro's lone eye studied the former Roger pirate.

"Earlier you said you were the Lord Commander of the Neo-pirates, what is that?"

"Oh that-" Stark chuckled to himself. "The title Lord Commander isn't as formal as it sounds, it's actually a nickname my crew gave to me a long time ago as a joke, overtime the name just stuck."

"Your crew?" Nami questioned. "Does that mean you're a captain of your own pirate crew now?"

Stark folded his arms and hummed unsurely, pondering on the question. "Not exactly? I call them my crew but they're also my employee's so…" He gave Toshiro a look for some verbal aid.

"I guess you can say that we're like the Marines of The Devil's Pit, we are the ones who are paid to maintain law and order inside The Pit." The grey haired young man answered. "As we all know, we pirates aren't exactly law abiding citizens, some are famous for stealing, rape, murder and all sorts of nasty shit. Don't get me wrong, Neo-pirates don't discriminate other pirates, I was a pirate from a different crew once before. That was until they abandoned me here, those bastards… Anyway, Stark-san was the one who found me and offered me a job as one of his crew members. At the end of the day, that's who most Neo-Pirates members are, pirates who lost their former crew mates who needed a new purpose in life. But enough about that, the point is, what visiting pirates do outside The Pit is their own business, but as soon as you step inside, you are required to play by the rules and behave yourself accordingly."

Toshiro spoke with such determination, highlighting his profound pride as a Neo-pirate.

"Down at ground zero, there are hundreds of small businesses owned by retired pirates who come here to live a peaceful life and to make an honest living. But what's to stop these younger pirates from eating at a restaurants without paying? Or staying at a hotel for two weeks, trash their rooms, then leave the island without paying a single belli? What's there to prevent pirates from doing whatever they pleased and create chaos for all the business owners?"

The crew remained silent, contemplating Toshiro's rhetorical question.

"A land without rules is a land destined to crumble under anarchy, that statement couldn't be any truer for an island specifically for pirates." Stark added, smiling to himself.

"That's why, however ironic it sounds, Neo-Pirates take the law very seriously here. No drugs, no illegal arms trading, you eat something, you pay for it, you break something, you pay for that too." Toshiro placed his hands in his pockets. "However, there is one rule we priorities above all else, the one rule we take most serious."

"Wh-what is it?" Chopper asked softly.

Toshiro looked at all the Straw Hat members with a rigid expression. "Under no circumstances must there be any fighting, especially fighting between other pirate crews."

The Straw Hats did well to process the piece of information.

"I see-" Naruto spoke, "conflict between two pirate crews with a bad history could stir a lot of trouble here."

"If those two crews each had alliances with other crews inside the island as well-" Nami added, horrified to imagine.

"It could start a chain of events that could lead to a war." The blond stated.

"A war between numerous pirate crews using The Pit as the battleground, something like that would cause an absolute bloodbath." Nami finished, swallowing a lump in her throat.

"Precisely-" Stark interrupted, smiling and raising his index finger. "That's why you guys need to look after yourselves and avoid trouble at all cost, I would hate to have to lock any one of you up in the city I built." Stark suddenly burst out laughing all by himself.

Nami quickly pinched Luffy's rubber cheek and continuously stretched the piece of skin.

"You hear that Luffy! Stay out of trouble! Just because Stark-san is a friend of Rayleigh's doesn't mean he's giving us any special treatment!"

Luffy faced his navigator, angered and annoyed, though he looked ridiculous with half of his face stretched. "I know that, Nami! Why are you only reminding me to stay out of trouble!?" He shouted incoherently.

Still holding on to Luffy's cheek, Nami shot a look to Naruto. "I'm not, I'm also reminding him."

"Eh?!" Naruto flinched in surprise. "Why me? I'm not as bad as Luffy?!"

"Oh don't give me that, you two are like magnets for troub-" Nami suddenly stopped as she remembered something, something she missed.

She released her captain and looked back at Stark in disbelief, "Y-you built the city?!"

Stark merely smiled brightly. "Did I forget to mention?"

Toshiro smiled, "He's not only the leader of the Neo-pirates, he's also the founder of the city."

The Mugiwara's gawked at the smiling Stark in amazement, then looked at the magnificent sight ahead of them.

Thanks to their transportation, the shapes and colours of the buildings were closer and clearer to see, the walk paths is more recognisable and those with superior senses began to hear and even smell the life from below.

"When I found this place many years ago, there was nothing here but earth and slabs of metal." Stark explained. "I founded The Devil's Pit for one and simple reason, to honour Roger's memory."

The crew remained quiet and listened intently.

"The death of my captain was the start of the great Pirate Era, giving birth to thousands of new pirates who took off to sea in search for his treasure. To honour Roger, I wanted to build a city that would be safest place for any pirate, a city so secluded that we could walk freely without having to worry about Marines or other pirates."

"You made all of this for people like us?" Sanji spoke with high respect, admiring the vast city below them.

"That's amazing!" Chopper added excitedly.

"You can say that again!" Luffy joined in.

As everyone marvelled at Starks achievements, there was one member who was still curious.

"Stark-" Zoro called, "You said The Pit's population averages 70 thousand, if so, how do you guys manage to keep that many pirates in check?" He asked sceptically.

The man in question smirked, "I was wondering when someone was going to ask that, I've been dying to show you guys these-" He reached for his handguns on his hip holsters, unclipped their seals and withdrew his beloved weapons.

Everything apart from its black handle was pure silver, the barrel was thick and long, its design and sharp edges that cut the gun's shape trimmed to perfection. The weapon's power rivalled only by its beauty.

"Say hello to The Twins." Stark smiled happily.

"The twins?" Usopp questioned, dropping an awkward tear of sweat, "Is that really what they're called?"

Stark rolled his shoulders, "Yeah? Don't like it?" He replied lamely.

Usopp glided closer to Nami, leaned in and whispered in her ear, "This guy has a way of naming dangerous things with innocent names."

Nami nodded stiffly.

"These are how we maintain order inside The Pit." Stark clarified.

Angel's eyes narrowed and asked the question in everyone's minds, "But how? They're just ordinary pistols aren't they? I bet there's hundreds of Devil Fruit users down there who wouldn't even flinch from the sight of a gun?"

Both Stark and Toshiro accidently smirked at the red head's statement.

"Oh yes, hundreds-" The younger Toshiro informed, showcasing his single, silver pistol to the Straw Hats, "However these guns that the Lord Commander made only for his Neo-pirates are anything but ordinary."

Toshiro's weapon was an exact identical to his leader's, except for one factor, its size. Even with just a quick glance, it was obvious that Stark's guns were larger in every aspect.

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked, very much confused, "They look like any normal guns to me?"

Stark closed his eyes for a moment before explaining, "Currently, my Neo-pirates is an organisation with a number over 10 thousand strong, and each and every one of them has a custom built pistol made by me."

"So is that why they're special?" Sanji asked.

"Because they're made by a legendary gun smith?" Usopp added.

Stark laughed, a tiny bit embarrassed, "Legendary huh? I'm good but I don't think I'm that good? Well I was the Pirate Kings only gun smith so that must say something? So that must mean I am legendary?" He laughed louder, a chesty laugh this time, making the all Straw Hats to drop a seat.

'This guy…'

"But no-" The older man continued, "The weapons themselves isn't what makes the guns unique. It's what's inside them is what ensures peace inside The Pit."

Starks comment left confused faces and silence in the air.

"I just realised how vague that must have sound, I'm sorry, allow me to explain. Toshiro's pistol itself is constructed from ordinary steel. The ammunition, the bullets, on the other hand is another story. Remember when I said that the first time I came here, I said the only thing lying around was earth and metal? Well, it turned out that that metal wasn't just any metal, it was Sea Assimilation Stone, and there was a lot of it, almost fifty tons in total."

The Straw Hats confused expressions didn't falter.

"Sea Assimilation Stone? Never heard of it?" Zoro spoke for the crew.

"You guys haven't?" Stark asked, a little shocked. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, S.A.S is pretty rare to come by." The man spun his pistols around his index fingers and place them back in their holsters.

"I assume you all know what Sea Prison Stones are right? You can't have gone this far without encountering it once or twice."

"Yeah, they're a real pain in the ass." Luffy whined, earning a chuckle from Stark.

"Sea Assimilation Stone is the twin sister of Sea Prison Stones. Instead of nullifying Devil Fruit powers, it absorbs it, assimilates it, adapts to the unique powers of each individual fruit, becoming an extension of one's Devil Fruit abilities."

Every pair of Straw Hat eyes expanded in disbelief.

"You can't be serious?!" Nami yelled.

"Something like that really exists?!" Angel added just as surprised.

"So does that mean, that those guns, the guns carried by Neo-Pirates have bullets with the powers of your Devil Fruit?!" Franky asked towards Stark.

"That's correct." He nodded.

"If you think that's impressive, you should know more about Lord Starks 'Twins'." Toshiro spoke, "Both of his pistols are made entirely from Sea Assimilation Stone. That means he never has to bother about reloading since they absorb his Devil Fruit powers as soon as he touches them! Pistols with unlimited ammunition, no reload time and unstoppable bullets! Isn't that amazing?!"

"That is amazing." Nami whispered under her breath.

"Impressive indeed." Robin smiled her usual smile.

Stark did his best to brush off the kind and blush worthy remarks, "And that's how we keep things peaceful. Our weapons deserve the people's respect, anyone foolish enough to deny that and think they can start trouble for others can leave The Pit or suffer the consequences."

"There's been plenty of those, I tell you-" Toshiro commented, "Every now and then, some crew would try to use The Pit for illegal purposes. Trafficking, sex trafficking, kidnapping, drug and arms smuggling, you name it, we've seen it all. But you know what's the most frustrating thing about this job is, sometimes we would get tips or hear rumours about a certain crew and their illegal activities, but we can't take any action because we haven't got sufficient evidence." Toshiro groaned in frustration then followed it by a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, I can lose my cool sometimes. I shouldn't be talking about work."

Stark suddenly straightened up and clapped his hands together. "Toshiro's right, we shouldn't be talking about boring stuff like work. Let's do something to entertain ourselves until we reach ground zero."

The crew shared looks at one another, shrugging shoulders, shaking heads with no ideas, until,

"Oh, I got it!" Luffy yelled with high energy and gleaming eyes.

"Stark, you said you were the Pirate King's sniper right!? Usopp's a sniper too!"

The long nosed man flinched in fear, "Luffy, you're not gonna say what I think you're gonna say are you?"

The captain grinned, "Let's have a shoot out!"

"Fine with me." Stark replied easily, his body language revealing his excitement for this challenge.

"NOOOOO!" Usopp screamed, crying rivers in his hands. "Luffy! Why would you do this to me!?"

"Shishishishishi"

Zoro folded his arms, closed his eye and smirked, "What's wrong Usopp? Scared you'll lose?"

"Of course I'm gonna lose Zoro! There's no need to point it out! He's the Pirate King's sniper!"

"Oh come on, Usopp. It's just a little fun." Franky encouraged.

"I'm sure everyone would like to see that, Nose-san" Robin added.

"B, b, bu, ,bu, w, wha-"

After much encouragement from every one of his friends, Usopp finally and reluctantly succumbed to peer pressure. Everyone uninvolved gathered at the back of the platform, leaving the two snipers standing on the edge.

Stark turned around the face the group, "Would someone care to give us a target?"

Usopp nervously prepared his slingshot Kabuto while the Straw Hats looked amongst themselves.

It was Naruto who stepped forward with three kunais in hand. "These will do right?"

"Those will do just fine." Stark replied comfortably.

Naruto looked at the back of his friends head as he place three red pellets in Kabuto's pocket, "Usopp?"

"Y-yeah, l-lets just start already."

"Alright then, let's get this show on the road." Naruto announced with great anticipation.

Stark looked to jinjuuriki once again, "Since they're your weapons we're using, why don't you decide the stipulations for this contest?"

"Okay, sure." The blond sage accepted, "The rules are this, three kunais, three targets. The one who shoots the most kunais wins."

"Simple enough." Robin folded her arms.

"The kunais will be thrown simultaneously and will pass in between the two players, but here's the twist, when the players finally see their targets, they're not allowed to fire until I say so."

"Interesting." Nami formed a cheeky smile.

Angel linked her arms with the navigator, "I'm getting excited too, Nami-chan!"

Sanji pinched the cigarette in his mouth and exhaled, "I see, Naruto's not only testing their aim, he's also testing their reaction time."

"You're missing something else, Curly-" Zoro interrupted, popping a vain on Sanji's forehead, "Since Naruto's deciding when to shoot, the longer he waits, the smaller the targets and therefore the harder the shot."

"Wow-" Sanji replied mockingly, "I don't know what was more impressive, your analysis or the fact that you knew the word 'therefore'."

"YOU SON OF A BIT-"

"There's also this lift to consider-" Naruto's voice cut Zoro's explosion short, "You guys have noticed we're standing on a moving platform, right? In order to hit their targets, they have to match the speed of the lift to the velocity of kunais. Only a true marksmen could hit their targets under these conditions."

An enraged Usopp looked back at Naruto, "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE THIS HARDER THAN IT ALREADY IS?!"

He gave an innocent looking smirk, "My kunais. My rules, you ready?"

The Straw Hat sniper mumbled something incoherent, cursing his friend's little rules. Starks voice snapped him into attention.

"I'm aware that there's quite a big gap in our experiences. That being said, don't think I'll be going easy on you, I gave my all in everything I do." He advised harmlessly, sliding his hands in his pockets.

Usopp gave a small laugh, pulled on Kabuto's sling and aiming at the vast space ahead of them, "Even though I know there's no chance of me winning this, I wouldn't want you to go easy on me anyway. You're the Pirate King's sniper, and I'm sure he expected only the best from his crew."

"He did." Stark smiled down on the long nosed boy, finding his determined face inspiring.

"If you really are crew mates with Rayleigh, with everything I've seen him do, seeing how strong he is. If your skills are anything close to his, then there's no doubt it my mind that you are the greatest marksmen in the world. I didn't know it before but this shootout is actually good for me, I can finally see where my skills stand against the very best."

Usopp's crew members all smiled with pride.

"Seems like we're all set." Naruto spoke, eager to start, "Now! For the main event, on the left we have Mr Ariel Stark, the Lord Commander of the Neo-Pirates and the man who served under the Pirate King himself-"

Finding Naruto's introductions completely pointless, Nami dropped her head in defeat while Luffy and Chopper were practically jumping in excitement.

"On the right, we have the challenger, coming all the way from the East Blue, he calls himself the King of Snipers, the guy you go to if you want something fixed when Franky's busy with something, the Straw Hat Pirates very own sniper… Usopp!"

Luffy and Chopper were now actually jumping and screaming encouragements. Nami's hands began to curl into fists, twitches on her forehead started to show.

"IT. IS. TIME! The battle between two snipers, the showdown we've all been wanting to see for the last five minutes. Ladies and gentlemen are you rea-"

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP AND THROW!"

Naruto winched, rubbing the inside of his ear with his finger, "Okay, I'm sorry, Nami. I was just trying to bring some tension, geez." He pouted.

"Well it sucked!"

All jokes aside, the atmosphere turned serious. It was so silent, enough to hear a pin drop.

Naruto placed the three kunais In between his fingers and readied himself, "Are we ready?"

"Yeah." Stark and Usopp said simultaneously, focusing on the space in front.

Most of the Straw Hats noticed something unusual, while Usopp had his weapon ready to fire, Starks hands were still in his pockets.

Naruto ignored it and concentrated on his job, aiming at the free space between the two snipers.

Adjusting his grip, Naruto finally threw the weapons with full force. Both snipers felt the sensation of the kunais flying past their heads, inches away from their ears, though it didn't faze them one bit.

The kunais travelled with insane speed, quickly becoming dots in the distance. Due to the tense situation, Usopp's visual haki activated, gaining a clear view of his targets, a tear of sweat rolling on the side of his forehead. Stark however looked and remained calm, hands still in pockets.

For those in attendance, following the targets, milliseconds became minutes, seconds felt like hours, tension growing to great heights.

Naruto continued to wait, closely monitoring his kunais. He waited until they were approximately one hundred meters away.

"NOW!"

Three explosions in the distance, one right after another, like miniature fireworks in the daylight, stunning every single Straw Hat member. Wide eyes, open mouths, faces in disbelief.

"W-what just happened?" Nami questioned, bewildered to her core.

"S-Stark won." Zoro managed to answer, trying to process what he saw.

Everyone looked at the two snipers. The image looked exactly the same before Naruto threw the kunais. Starks hands in his pockets and Usopp still pulling on Kabuto's sling.

"Stark… hit all three." Luffy said, amazed.

"That's unbelievable." Robin added, losing her usual cool exterior.

"Usopp-san didn't even have a chance to shoot." Brook stated.

"Not just that-" Angel spoke, "I didn't even see Stark's hands leave his pockets, let alone aim and shoot!"

It was never said, but the only ones who did spot Starks movements were Zoro, Naruto, Sanji and Luffy.

'What kind of monster is he?!' Zoro stared at Starks back.

'So fast! I would have miss him move if I wasn't paying attention!' Sanji gulped involuntarily.

'Note to self-' Naruto thought, 'Keep him on our side.'

Though his body froze on the spot, Usopp's hands shivered and shook. Cold sweats running down his face, still aiming at clear space. A hand on his shoulder broke him out of his daze.

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to improve. You can trust me on that."

Usopp finally relaxed and lowered his weapon. "Yeah, and I'll need every single second to catch up to you someday."

Stark looked down on him with hope. 'Luffy choses his crew well, this kid has already unlocked visual Haki at such a young age. There's no doubt that this kid could surpass me one day.'

"Usopp right? Come and visit me at the Neo Head Quarts a little later, I want to give you something for that, rather one sided yet enjoyable challenge."

"O-okay." Usopp stutter, noticing his crew mates and Toshiro approaching.

"Bad luck, Usopp." Angel comforted sincerely.

"Seriously though, should we have had expected anything less?" Zoro shrugged his shoulders

"You can shut it, Zoro!" Usopp exploded.

"There's no shame in losing against the best." Toshiro voiced, "There's a reason why the Lord Commander is known as 'Never Miss Stark.'"

The older male rubbed his right earlobe, "It's not as catchy as 'The Dark King' but I guess it's accurate enough."

"It's true, Usopp-" Sanji added, "There's nothing wrong with losing against the best, just look at Zoro."

"YOU'RE ASKING TO GET CUT!"

Spotting how bigger and closer the buildings were, Angel stood next to Usopp and pointed at the several sky scrapers in the distance. "Look guys! We're almost there!"

As everyone showed their excitements and anticipation, Naruto looked the round inner walls of The Pit and saw something new, a platform with a glass barriers and an open roof. "What are those? Balconies?" He searched deeper and found many more all scatter around the wall.

"Yup-" Toshiro answered, "The first 500 feet has balconies scattered all over the place. The views you get from there are second to none. You see, The Pit has four main staircases, from the northern, eastern, western and southern sectors. They all lead to the very top of The Pit, they're mainly for emergency when these lifts experience mechanical errors but you can also use them to enter the balconies."

"What about that?" Nami pointed at the very centre of the city, the biggest and most noticeable building in the whole island. "Is that… a colosseum?"

Luffy and Zoro twitched at the word, remembering their experience in Dressrosa.

"I called it Roger Stadium." Stark voiced proudly. "The heart and soul of The Devil's Pit, the only place where fighting is allowed. Well, I say allowed, the more accurate word is encouraged."

"Every six months, we hold a grand tournament there." Toshiro described, "We call it, The Battle of The Best, or 'TB2' for short."

"It's an elimination style tournament where any pirate crew can participate." Stark informed.

"Alright!" Sanji yelled with flare. "The last time we were at an island with a colosseum, I didn't get to have the chance to have any of the fun. Not this time!"

"But there are rules-" Toshiro interrupted, "A pirate crew can only submit three members to participate in the tournament."

Stark continued, "And those three members must have a bounty higher than or equal to one hundred million belli."

Sanji's whole life shattered in an instant.

"Ha, Ha-" Zoro mocked, "Looks like you're not eligible to participate, Mr 77 million."

"You lot couldn't have arrived at a better time, it just so happens that the next tournament is precisely a week from now." Stark looked down on Luffy, "What do you say? Care to participate in my tournament?"

Nami's eyes shifted into belli signs and moved closer to Stark. "Um, excuse me, before Luffy decides, does the winner receive any rewards like jewels or prize money?"

"No, not really." Stark answered bluntly, shattering Nami's belli signs for eyes, "The winner receives status. He or she will be known as the strongest pirate in The Pit. That, and because these tournaments are so rare and intense, when the Marines finally hears who the winner is, they usually raise their bounty's by 100 million belli."

"100 million!" Usopp and Chopper screamed in surprise.

"So?" Stark gazed at Luffy once again.

"We do have enough members to participate." Robin pointed out.

Nami looked at all her crew mates, "You're right. Luffy has 400 million, Zoro has 120 million and Naruto has 100 million." Sanji was still frozen on the spot.

All eyes landed on the captain, waiting to hear his response.

A big grin shaped Luffs lips before replying, "Nah."

"Ehh?!" Shouted the majority of the crew.

"I can't believe this!" Nami rushed to her captain's side.

"Did he really just say 'no' to a fight?" Usopp did likewise.

"Are you feeling well, Luffy? You're not sick are you?!" Chopper performed some medical check on him.

"You guys are taking things too far," Luffy laughed, "I don't want to fight in the tournament because I've got no reason to. The reason I fought in Dressrosa was because I wanted Ace's Mera Mera no mi from Doflamingo, if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have fought in the first place."

Zoro and Stark smirked at Luffy's reasoning's.

"Don't you want to raise your bounty?" Naruto questioned.

"I'm sure that will take care of itself. Besides, wouldn't it also be fun to watch the tournament?"

This silence the crew, they looked at their captain in a new light.

"Is this what they call 'maturing'?" Usopp whispered to Nami.

"It must be?" She whispered back, sceptical if the man she's talking about is actually her captain.

Stark switched his weight from one leg to the other, "Seems like your mind's set. A shame, I've been wanting to see you fight for myself. Guess it can't be helped."

The captain gave his signature chuckle, "Sorry."

Stark shook his head with a smile, "No that's fine. Registration for the tournament is open until one hour before the first fight, if you ever change your mind I'm sure everyone will look forward to seeing you."

"If Luffy doesn't want to compete, then I don't see the point neither." Zoro claimed confidently.

"Yup-" Naruto voiced, "It's not like I have anything to prove. I know I can kick both of your asses with one hand tied behind my back."

"What did you say, whiskers!?"

A big verbal brawl lashed out between Naruto, his captain and first mate. The brawl ignited many laughs to everyone on the lift, so much so that no one was paying attention to how close they were to ground zero.

Then all of a sudden, the platform stopped and rattled like a small earthquake, ending all laughs and verbal assaults. The Straw Hats took in the magnificent sight in front of them. A long, busy street with wooden buildings, ranging from a wide range of sizes on both sides. Their senses were the next thing to be hooked. The endless chattering of multiple conversations in the background, the yelling of shop owners, persuading customers to buy their products. The smell of earth beneath their feet, they have arrived at ground zero.

"Look guys! We're here!" Angel shouted, breaking the crew's momentary daze.

"Yeah-" Nami whispered quietly. "This place is amazing."

Everyone hopped off board the lift, with Stark turning around to face the new comers. "This is me, I must return to Head Quarters. Before I leave, please accept this-" Stark gave Nami a gold, shiny card.

"What is it? She asked, inspecting the item.

"Find the tallest building you can find and hand it over to anyone who works there, they'll know what to do with it."

"Okay?" Nami questioned with Luffy creeping over her shoulder trying to study the card.

"Right, now I really have to go-" Stark smiled and waved, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention, a friend of yours is currently staying here. If you want to see him, walk down this long road behind me and take the second right, there's a restaurant with a very gloomy atmosphere, I recommend you start there."

"A friend?" Luffy tilted his head to the side.

Stark gave everyone a farewell nod, "It was a pleasure meeting you all, please enjoy your stay here and take care of yourselves."

Stark's body suddenly shone brightly like a new born star, almost blinding the Straw Hats. His body looked like it imploded on itself, vanishing his entire existence.

As the light simmered down, Stark was no longer present.

"Sugoi!" Luffy, Usopp and Chopper all yelled from the awesomeness of Stark's devil fruit powers.

The familiar, mechanical noise of the lift vibrated in the air. The pirates turned their eyes to Toshiro, waving goodbye to a girl with an identical uniform.

He faced the Straw Hats and spoke, "I have to go too. I'm patrolling the southern sector." He smiled, waved bye and started running at the opposite direction "Stay out of trouble alright?!" He yelled as he ran.

"Looks like we're all on our own." Naruto told his crew mates.

Luffy punched the air with excitement, "Let's eat!"

Five minutes into their walk, the crew was starting to get comfortable and adjust to their new environment. The street was busy, filled with pirates minding their own business. It was also louder and livelier than most islands they've been to.

Though the scene was entirely peaceful, the majority of the Straw Hats have noticed the looks, stares and hushed whispers from people as they marched through the street. These looks however varied greatly, some were looks of admiration, others of nervousness, and a few were stares of loathing.

"Hey, is that the Straw Hat crew?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Amazing, they all look so strong and collected, don't they?"

"Oi, look, the Straw Hat pirates are here."

"Look at them walking all smug thinking like they run the place."

"Looks like we're already gathering some attention, yohoho" Brook stated.

"The only attention I'm looking for is from the ladies-" Sanji nostrils puffed out steam with love eyes, "I'M COMING FOR YOU BABY'S!"

Zoro closed his eye and kept his head low, "I can live without all these looks and whispers. They're a pain in the ass."

Naruto studied his environment closely until a voice broke in his psyche.

"Can you feel that?" Kurama quizzed.

The blond gave a tiny nod, 'Evil intentions? Yeah I can feel it, it's impossible not to, this place is overflowing with it.'

"It shouldn't come as a surprise, not all pirates are like your crew mates. Don't let your guard down."

"I never do."

Wanting to lighten the mood, Naruto studied the little stores and hit a sense of nostalgia, he turned to Nami and said, "These streets remind me a little bit of back home."

"Oh yeah?" She asked happily, "How so?"

"I don't know, the shapes of the buildings, the busy atmosphere, even the ground we're standing on looks the same as Konoha."

Just as Nami was about to reply, the crew saw Angel accidently bump shoulders with someone and hit the floor. The Straw Hats gathered with Nami and Robin kneeling down to assist while Angel rubbed her own behind and laughed at her own clumsiness.

"Ah, I'm sorry about that Mr, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"You're right, you wasn't. Touch me again and you won't live to regret it."

All eyes shot to the man with the threats. He had spikey, burnt orange hair with eyes to match. He wore dark blue trousers, no shirt, showing his muscular and lean physique. Finally, tied around his forehead was a white bandana with orange stripes. He had two companions standing behind him, one with jet black hair and the other was a blond. These two dressed identically as the man who bumped into Angel except their bandanas matched their individual hair colour.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled, standing over Angel protectively. Luffy, Zoro and Sanji quickly followed. The captain to Naruto's right and Zoro to the blonde's left.

"Why are you threatening our friend!? It was an accident and she apologies didn't she?!" Luffy called out.

"So what? The bitch got in my way." The orange haired man spat with venom and a cocky, intimidating stare, making his two companions chuckle in the process.

Standing eye to eye with this man was beginning to boil Naruto's blood, "The bitch got on your way? You think this is funny? Who do you guys think you are? Threatening someone's life so easily over a little accident?"

The man facing Naruto spoke, "The name is Cruz."

The guy with jet black hair stepped towards Luffy, "Chaz."

The blond came face to face with Zoro, "Clint."

"We're the 3 Cousins-" Said Cruz, causing Zoro to twitch.

"And if you know anything about us or what we're capable of-" Followed by Chaz, never breaking eye contact with Luffy.

"You and your little red headed friend down there would run to the hills with your tails between your legs." Clint winked at Zoro.

Luffy refused to blink, "Never heard of you."

"Likewise." Naruto added.

"I have," Zoro shocked the group, observing the blond Clint, noticing he's a swordsman by the katana in his hand. "The 3 Cousins are notorious in certain circles. They're pirate mercenaries, willing to do anything, take any job so as long as they're paid with the right price."

Nami helped Angel to her feet, the rest of the crew in defensive positions. A small crowd slowly begun to gather, spectating the conflict.

Zoro continued, "Chaz Storm, bounty, 250 million, Clint Heart, 250 million, and Cruz Mikaelson, 300 million."

"So you do know us." Clint smirked playfully.

Naruto stared into Cruz's eyes, seeing no fear, only anger and self-confidence. "It doesn't matter whether we know you or not, what matters is who we are, Naruto Namikaze, Straw Hat pirate."

"Monkey. D Luffy. Captain"

"Roronoa Zoro."

"Straw Hats? Never heard of ya, we don't follow the news, only the job." Cruz spoke in disdain.

"Do your research." Zoro spat.

"And when you do-" Naruto followed, "You'll learn two things, first, we don't react very well when you've hurt one of our own. And two, we're not afraid of a fight. Any place, any time."

Their individual stare down blazed one, never breaking, never faltering.

Nami and the rest of the crew began to spot the many eyes focusing on them, "Guys, we need to stop this, we're attracting too much attention." The navigator's voice was like a whisper in a hurricane to her three crew mates.

The 3 Cousins started to tense, "Are you implying you want take us head on?" Cruz questioned.

"If we have to." Luffy fist curled to a clench.

"This is going to get real messy if you don't say you're sorry to Angel." Naruto warned.

Zoro's grip on his katana tightened, ready to react at any moment.

A concerned Angel stepped forward, "Hey, it's okay. I'm really okay, you don't have to do this for my sake."

Her words were left in the air with no response.

Nami's frustration suddenly sky rocketed, "Guys! You need to stop! Did you forget what Stark and Toshiro told us!?"

"We're not leaving until this guy apologises!" Naruto raised his voice by a several decibels, adding more fuel to Nami's anger.

Cruz removed his hands in his pockets, "You're playing with fire, you know that right."

"I'm not a stranger to playing with fire, I have been my whole life. Ask my friend Sasuke."

The three Straw Hats began to emit an aura, one with killer intent.

"Doesn't seem like he's apologising-" Luffy warned with venom, "Zoro, Naruto."

The swordsman nodded, showing his readiness.

Naruto did the same, slowly reaching for kunai in one of his shinobi pouches. "Oh I'm ready, let's show these guys-"

Three massive punches to three unexpected heads. The crew and 3 Cousins watched as an infuriated Nami drag a semi-conscious Naruto, Luffy and Zoro away into the distance.

"Seriously?! Five minutes! Five minutes we've been here and the three of you have already found trouble! When Stark specifically told us to avoid it!"

"But Nami-" Luffy slurred dizzily, eyes spinning around like a pinwheel.

"What about Angel-" Naruto added in the same manner.

"No buts! Angel said she's fine so let's just go to this restaurant without causing another scene!"

The rest of the Straw Hats soon followed with the 3 Cousins carefully eyeing the men dragged by the navigator.

Minutes later, Nami arrived on the street Stark directed them to. All shops on said street was vibrant and colourful except one. A wooden building painted in all black.

She pushed past the saloon doors of the restaurant she suspected that had the 'gloomy atmosphere.' She released her male crew mates and let them lay on the floor. "Now behave yourselves! Bakas."

She looked around the room and was confident she was at the right place. The floor room was dark, quiet, with only a small handful of customers. Empty chairs and tables littered the place, with only one customer sat at the bar counter on the opposite end of the room.

"This goes way beyond gloomy." She whispered as Luffy, Zoro and Naruto finally stood.

"Where are we?" Naruto queried, rubbing his head.

"A restaurant? Can we get some food?!" Luffy aggressively searched for a meal.

"You two sure got over the 3 Cousins business pretty fast." Zoro said to himself, swiping dust off his clothes.

The rest of the Straw Hats passed through the doors and reunited with the Nami and the boys.

"Ow! We made it!"

Usopp took a look around, "It's scary in here, and it could use another lightbulb or two."

"Are you sure this is right restaurant, Nami-san?" Sanji questioned.

The navigator opened her mouth to reply, but then she saw the man sitting on the bar counter and felt something familiar.

Said man, with a smile on his lips, adjusted the hat on his head, stood from his seat and slowly spun around, "Those voices, don't tell me it's…

Of course, Straw Hat-ya."

"Law!?" Yelled the Straw Hats with the exception of Naruto and Angel.

Smiles formed on the majority of the pirate's faces and an air of comfort and nostalgia developed. Angel's aware of the Straw Hats alliance with Law so she wasn't surprised as much, this however was new territory for Naruto, never having met a friend of his crew mates. Law wore his signature hat, a black and yellow hoodie with his pirate symbol on the right shoulder and rolled up sleeves, clearly displaying his tattoos. He also had dark trousers and carried his long katana in hand.

"Traffy!" Luffy called out, "It's good to see you!"

"It has been a while, Straw Hat-ya. I see you're as loud as ever." Law replied, earning a chuckle from Luffy, "What a coincidence though-" Law continued, "I wasn't expecting to see you h-"

The captain couldn't finish his sentence due to the sudden cleavage thrust against his face.

"Law!" Nami squealed joyfully, hopping on the spot, unable to contain her excitement. "What are you doing here? It's been so long, is your whole crew here? How have you been?"

A shade of red coloured Law's cheeks as he held on to dear life, "It's good to see you too Nami, I'll-answer your questions if you let go of me."

Watching at the back, Usopp awkwardly stared at the sudden act of affection, "Oi, this scene looks kinda familiar." He whispered to himself, referring the time he and Nami reunited for the first time in Sabaody.

Nami finally released the captain, allowing him room to breathe. The Straw Hats walked up to them, "How long you've been on the island?" Sanji questioned.

"Just a couple of days." Law replied. "Our log pose won't be ready for another week so we'll be staying here until then."

Zoro took a deeper look around the room, "Where's your crew?"

"Yeah, I don't see Bepo, Shachi and the rest?" Usopp added.

"They're out exploring somewhere." Law answered. "We're supposed to meet up later."

"What are you doing here of all places, it's so dark and depressing." Nami asked.

Law laughed at her comment, "It may not look like it, but I've heard this restaurant makes the best rice balls in the whole city."

Robin giggled, "Of course. The rice balls."

Law then spotted the two new faces in the group, causing them to twitch in surprise.

"Oh right, you haven't met them yet-" Luffy spoke, slinging his arms over a certain blonde's and red head's shoulders. "This is Naruto and Angel, our newest nakamas."

Naruto gave a slightly formal nod, "Nice to meet you."

Angel waved and giggled uncomfortably, "Hi, Law-san, I'm not really a part of their crew, I'm just a friend needing a ride."

Law gave the two a nod of acknowledgement, "It's a pleasure to meet you both. I sure hope these guys haven't said anything bad about me." He joked.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "When I think about it, your name has come up in conversations one or twice. But no, they haven't said anything bad."

"That's a relief." Law sighed.

Naruto watched as Nami playfully punched Law on the arm, "Are you an idiot? Why would we say bad things about you?" A big smiled curved her lips.

Law rubbed his arm, pretending to be hurt, "Who knows? Maybe you guys have secretly never liked me all this time?" The two shared a giggle and an intimate smile.

A cute waitress, one too cute to expect to be working in the dark restaurant introduced herself to the group, "Hi, sorry to interrupt, but would you like a table for 12? I can move some tables around to fit everyone?"

"Yes, that would be perfect, thank you." Robin spoke for the group.

The waitress kindly nodded, "Please, follow me."

In minutes, the waitress connected multiple square tables and shaped them into one long rectangular table seated for twelve. Naruto sat near the end frame, where Franky took his seat. To Naruto's left was Angel, Usopp, Zoro then Brook. Sitting on the other end frame, directly across Franky was Luffy. Next to the rubber captain was Law, seating next to Nami, Chopper, Sanji and finally, across Naruto was none other than Robin.

"Have you eaten already?" Nami questioned Law.

"I haven't, no. I only just got here." He replied.

The cute waitress stood between them and handed some sort of leaflet. "This is our menu, take as long as you like to decide what to order."

Nami quickly flicked through the pages as Luffy shouted the word 'meat' in the background, "That won't be necessary, we've already decided. We would need all the meat currently you have to feed our captain aaanndd-" Nami gave Law a cheeky and mischievous stare, "we would like all the variety of sandwiches you have in your menu."

Law developed a face of dread while the waitress shot bullets of sweat about the 'all the meat' statement.

The heart captain teasingly squinted his eyes and shake his head as Nami smirked at him, "Why? Why would you do that?"

Much to Angel's and Naruto's confusion, the entire crew, knowing how Law hates bread, giggled and chuckled from the captain's distress.

The red head bumped Naruto's shoulder to gain his attention, "What was so funny?"

"Dunno, private joke I guess?" Naruto answered.

"W-would that be all?" The waitress asked nervously.

"No, she was just kidding-" Law added, "Can we also get an order of rice balls too, please."

"Of course." The waitress took her menu back, "If that's all then your order should be ready in twenty minutes. I'll be back in a minute with water."

"Thank you." Usopp said to the retreating waitress.

Law leaned in and studied everyone on the table, "So, Zou and Dressrosa. That was something huh?." He joked, earning laughs from the majority.

For the next twenty minutes or so, the Straw Hats and Law reminisced on their time together on both islands. Sharing stories, jokes and laughs about their own individual experiences. Angel and Naruto were the most quiet in the whole group, not being involved at that time left them no other option but to listen to their adventures, ask a question here and there, sip on their glass waters and smiling when an inside joke was told even though they didn't understood it.

Neither Angel nor Naruto would confess it to one another or to anyone else, but sitting there and listening, was probably the first time they've felt out of place, a little isolated since their time began with the Straw Hat pirates. Though they did a brilliant job at hiding it.

As soon as the food arrived, their table was jam packed with plates of meat and sandwiches. Their previous group conversation broke into numerous ongoing chats with their immediate neighbours. Some were still talking about past events and others a completely different subject, whatever they were talking about, the atmosphere in the room was comfortable and felt like home.

"Are shinobi allowed to fall in love?" Angel asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

Naruto's brows scrunched at her question, "Love? I… don't get what you mean? Why wouldn't we be?"

"Well you've told me that a true shinobi is willing to give up their life for the mission and for their village. Wouldn't love… oh I dunno… get in the way with that somehow?"

The blond scratched his cheek with his index finger and thought, "It is true that love can effect a shinobi, I've heard stories where team mates who've fell in love that had to be transferred to different teams because their team work were off. There's also been people who have refused to take a dangerous mission to avoid the risk of death in order to be with their loved ones-" Naruto unconsciously stopped talking and gave a quick gaze at Nami, talking happily with Law.

He quickly snapped out of it and refocused on Angel.

"Umm, but that goes against the law of the village. So that's not good. Um-" His eyes wondered to Nami once again, this time, against his will, like an involuntary reflex. "In my village, there's this group called the ANBU Black Ops-" His voice weakening by the sight of the navigator giggling and bumping shoulders with Law. "Um, they're the elite of the elites-"

Angel wondered what was taking his focus away, but judging by the direction he was looking, she had pretty good idea what the answer was. Without moving too conspicuous, Angel shifted her position to follow his eye line.

"It's because they're the best, they're discouraged from having relationships-" Naruto explained with little effort in his voice, sounding almost like a whisper.

Confirming her previous theory, Angel formed a lean smile and refocused on Naruto. At the same time, Naruto broke out of his little moment by shaking his head a little.

He met Angel in the eyes, smiled and regained his voice, "Because you know, the village doesn't want them being distracted." He hastily broke eye contact, fake coughed and took a bite of his sandwich, a poor attempt to regain his composure and normality.

As Angel continued with her meal, she retreated to her thoughts, 'Oh Nami, I bet you're not even aware of what you're doing to poor Naruto. It's not your fault though, you're new at this. As a friend, I believe I have an obligation to show you how he feels. You'll thank me for this someday.'

Angel reached for her hair and scrunched it up to give it volume as she prepared herself. She faced Naruto with flirty eyes, "The ANBU Black Ops huh, the best of the best you say… I bet you were one of them." She whispered flirtatiously, slowly closing the gap between them.

Noticing the receding gap, Naruto grew a little sceptical and nervous, "Um, actually I wasn't, but that was by choice… I thought about it though."

"Oh I see-" She linked arms with him and rubbed her breast against his muscles, "Say, if you were in the ANBU, even though relationships are discouraged, if I asked you out, would you say no to me?"

Naruto gulped to cure his dry throat as a sweat rolled down the back of his neck, "A-angel, wh-what are you doing? You're acting like the first time that we met. I thought you were, you know. Don't tell me you've changed teams again?"

Angel's erotic eyes never faltered, never breaking eye contact with Naruto's as she placed her free hand on his thigh, "Why must we narrow our horizons by picking one side." She leaned in closely to whisper in his ear, "I go both ways."

Angel leaned back, finding his nervous look a little cute, 'That should have caught her attention.'

Nami can hear her name being called but to her it sounded more like distant echoes in a dark empty cave. She couldn't take her eyes off the sight of Naruto and Angel as the two shared an intense look at one another. She also had troubles trying to understand how and why they're so close.

"Wait, are you saying that you like me?" Naruto asked uncertainly.

Angel head lowered, hiding her eyes while a smirk shaped her lips.

"Of course not, idiot! I was just playing with ya! Who do you take me for? You know I'm all about the cute girls!" Angel laughed hysterically to herself, pounding Naruto's chest repeatedly.

Overhearing the conversation, Nami couldn't help but feel a rush of relieve running through her veins.

"Nami? Are you okay? I've been called your name like four times already?" Law asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No, I'm okay-" She shook her head, smiling, "What were you saying?"

"I was asking what were you guys plans for later?"

Nami reached for another sandwich on the table, "Well, Stark gave us this card and told us to..."

The navigator's words became echoes to Law, his eyes followed to where Nami's were, leading him straight to the new blond member of the Straw Hat pirates.

Smirking mischievously and understanding the entire events, Robin quietly giggled to herself, 'I see what's going on here.'

However, that smile on her quickly disappeared once she took a glance at the silent Zoro,

'Am I just being paranoid or is he ignoring me? He's barely said two words to me today and he's been more distant than usual.'

She banished those thoughts for now and opted to focus on more important issues. She adjusted in her seat to focus on the Heart captain, "Law-san, may I ask you a question?"

The seriousness in her voice stopped all other conversations, gaining everyone's attention on Robin.

"Sure?" Law answered unsurely.

"I assume, you being a former Warlord, you must have some information or connections to attain information on certain things that normal people couldn't possible acquire. Am I correct in my assumptions?"

Narutos eyes widened by a fraction, 'He's a former Warlord?'

"That's right? I have my ways." He replied still unsure where she's going.

"Then, do you know anything about a group known as The Chosen Ones?"

The entire room was consumed by silence, all live inside the restaurant ceased to be. The small handful of other customers all had their eyes on the Straw Hat's table while Law's face was restructure to one that could only convey dread and anxiety.

The Mugiwara's all looked around the room, bewildered by the people's gaze and sudden silence.

"Oi, what's going on?" Sanji asked out loud.

"Huh?" Luffy murmured during mid chew.

Law snapped, "You idiots!" He stuck his right hand out, forming a ring underneath it, "Room."

The crew felt Law's devil fruit powers pass through them as he created a dome that covered their entire table.

Law snapped his fingers, "Mute. Alright, people outside my room won't be able to hear us now."

Question marks still remained in the Straw Hats heads as Naruto and Angel studied their new dome shaped environment.

The Heart captain had a hard look in his eyes, observing each one of his allies, "Okay, start from the very beginning, how do you guys know that name?"

Luffy swallowed the food in his mouth, "We're at war with them." He replied casually and continued eating.

"YOU'RE AT WA-" Law stopped, exhaled deeply. He pinched the bridge of his nose while shaking his head. "I know how easily you lot can find trouble but this, this takes the cake." He whispered to himself, finding this almost humours.

"Law, please, tell us what you know." Nami urged, hints of fear and anxiety in her voice.

He paused for a second to gather his thoughts, "Okay, I'll tell you everything I know about them, but I want you to know something first. Everything I'm about to say, I can't confirm that any of it is fact. They're all just rumours. Not even that, whispers. Whispers from the deepest darkest corners of the Grand Line and leaked information from the Marines themselves."

Tension was building for the Straw Hats as the gravity of their situation began to pull.

"The rumours say that The Chosen Ones is a secret organisation with four members in its ranks."

"Just four?" Sanji questioned, previously expected a number of an army.

"You wouldn't be asking that if you knew who the four members are."

Zoro crossed his arms, "What's this organisation's goal anyway? What are they after?"

"That's the thing, no one seems to know." Law answered, "It's reasonable to believe that they are looking for something. According to the stories, they've been jumping from island to island, and digging for miles and miles underground. However, most people believe they're looking for a weapon, a weapon that matches the Ancient Weapons and use it to threaten the world."

"The Ancient Weapons!" Robin's eyes flared in horror.

"You've got to be kidding!" Nami asked with disbelieve.

"Afraid not." Law replied, "Whatever it is, it's gotten some people pretty shaken up to the point they're starting to believe the legend about The Chosen Ones."

"Legend?" Brook stated.

"What legend?" Chopper asked.

Law adjusted in his seat, "It's said, that those who talk about The Chosen Ones too much are marked for death, including the death of the island they're standing on. That's why the number of people who know anything about this group is so small, and for those who do know-" Law pointed his thumbs to the small number of men behind them, "Are too scared to speak a word about them to anyone else. It's the reason why everything I'm telling you now are just rumours, not facts. No one dares to investigate for the truth."

"W-w-wa-wait a minute here-" Usopp panicked, "If people are believing this legend then shouldn't we stop talking about this now!?"

Nami spoke up, "Come on, Usopp. Don't tell me you actually believe something as fictitious as that do you?"

"Actually…" Law interjected.

"Woah, are you saying that this legend is true?" Franky asked.

"That's not what I'm saying, I don't believe it myself but there's been certain occurrences that people say are proof that this legends legit. I don't know if you know this but in the last year, ten islands have been flattened to the ground, completely levelling all signs of civilisation. Entire cities torn to rubble and dust, trees some as high as 100 meters ripped out of their roots, no survivors found in any of the islands. Some are saying that The Chosen Ones were the ones responsible, saying they destroyed whole islands just to shut the mouths of a few. That's who The Chosen Ones are, that's what they're capable of."

"I don't believe this-" Nami replied in shock, "I've read about those ten islands but this has to be just a coincidence right?"

Law shrugged his shoulders and passed the question before turning serious, "If by some chance that this legend is true, then you guys have gotten yourselves in some serious business. These people are on a completely different level to Doflamingo, some of them were even yonkou candidates after Whitebeard passed on."

"Do you happen to know the identity of the four Chosen Ones?" Robin quizzed.

"There's been rumours of that too, yeah." Law responded, leaning in towards the table, "I don't know much, but the first name I heard was the hardest one to swallow. This Chosen One, he's no more than a year older than you, Straw Hat-ya. But don't let his age fool you, he's perhaps the most dangerous out of all of Chosen Ones."

All Straw Hat eyes widened as Law continued, "His name is 'Sky King' Kazama, a former pirate captain and former right hand man of the Revolutionary army."

Gasps tempted to leave in the mouths of the crew while their attentions shifted to Luffy and Robin.

"Luffy-" Zoro called, "If what Law is saying is true, then this Kazama used to work for your father."

Luffy silently nodded, looking innocently at Law.

Sanji turned to Robin, "Have you heard that name before when you were in the revolutionary army?"

"No, that name is new to me, too. He must have left the army some time before I got there for me not to have learned about him."

"Now do you see why I say he's the most dangerous Chosen One?" Law spoke, "The right hand man of the Revolutionary army isn't appointed to just anyone. They're the second in command, just below Dragon himself."

"So he's strong." Sanji said quietly.

Nami focused on the Heart captain, "Why did he leave?"

"No one knows. His decisions and motives are all very erratic. Pirate captain, revolutionary army, now Chosen One, no one can explain his reasoning's for anything. Though I'm certain with one thing, Kazama is the last person you want to meet. The bounty on his head doubles the price of yours, Straw Hat-ya."

Whispers of gasps did escape from lips this time around.

"Double!?" Nami, Usopp and Chopper screamed.

Zoro leaned forward, "Oi! That would make his bounty-"

"800 million belli." Law answered.

Absolute silence subjugated the room. Expressions varied from downright horrified to thoughtfully anxious.

"Should I continue or do you want me to stop?" Law asked, taking their unresponsiveness to proceed.

"The second name I came across was Tokiomi Matsumoto. The Marines are calling him 'The Rogue' since he was a former rear admiral that betrayed them. Apparently, this guy has a personal vendetta against the Marines, something about being refused the status of admiral?"

Usopp spoke up, "He wants revenge because they said he couldn't be admiral?"

"It's a little more complicated than that-" Law explained, "Before he was a Marine, Tokiomi was a ruthless mercenary. I can't tell you what made him switch professions but that's what the stories say. His previous skills in combat allowed him to rise in the ranks pretty fast and soon he became rear admiral, one rank below vice admiral. Then the war happened, then the fight between Akainu and Aokiji on Punk Hazard. All of a sudden, there was a vacant spot for the title admiral. You see, the Marines have a long tradition that there must always be three admirals at all times. And Tokiomi believed he was the obvious right choice for the position. But things didn't turn out how he hoped. To Marines and citizens, admirals are the epitome of justice and good. With Tokiomi's history of mercenary, they told him he had no chance of ever becoming admiral. Soon, other marines had heard of his request and they ridiculed him. They thought he was a joke, a hopeless fool with a stupid dream who should have known better. This drove him to seething anger and hatred towards his own Marines, till eventually, he snuck in to the Marines Black Archives, a top secret facility hidden deep inside Marine HQ containing every single dirty secret the Marines have ever kept in its long history. This is top class information, highly classified information, information that could destroy the Marines if fallen into the wrong hands. And that's exactly what Tokiomi did, he sold Marine secrets in the black market to the highest bidder, and that's how he received a 550 million belli bounty on his head."

The Straw Hats took a few moments to absorb the new information.

"Please-" Robin spoke for the group, "Continue."

Law nodded slightly, "Right, the third member is a pirate captain with over a crew over one thousand under his command. He's also the older brother of the Whitebeard pirate's third division commander, Diamond Jozu. I don't know much about him, except that he is the personification of the word 'unforgiving'. Apparently, if a crew member fails a task they've been assigned, a member of their own crew would track them down and kill them on sight for their incompetence. People are also saying that this captain's devil fruit powers has the greatest defensive capabilities of all paracemia devil fruits. Some are even saying of all devil fruits, period. But there's another rumour, one that's been bothering me for a while now. As every devil fruit users know, all types of water, whether sea water or fresh water, has a nulling effect on our bodies and abilities, some more than others of course. However, I've heard that his devil fruit powers are unique, that it's weakened by sea water only. Something like that should be impossible, but I've learned that nothing is impossible for The Chosen Ones so I'm not ruling anything out just yet. Besides that, I know nothing else but his name. He's called Juggernaut-"

"Jagger." Answered by The Straw Hat crew, emitting a dark aura and surprising Law in the process.

"Oi, how do you know that name? Do you know him?"

"Oh we know him, alright." Nami spoke with seething frustration.

"We had a little encounter with him not too long ago." Sanji's voice containing unlimited anger.

"What!? How?!" Law panicked.

Luffy answered, "He did things that we didn't like. So we stopped him."

"You idiots!" Law spat, "So that's how you've started war against The Chosen Ones?! Do you have any idea who Jagger is and what he's capable of!"

Angel raised her hand and forced an uneasy smile, "Actually, he's my former captain."

Law choked on his words, eyes and mouth round as dining plates.

Naruto raised his hand too, "I fought him? And won. It was only a clone though."

Attempting to remove the proverbial foot in his mouth, Law froze on his spot, staring at Naruto and Angel in disbelief and mass bewilderment.

"Wh-wha-h-ho"

"You were right, you know." Angel interrupted, sadly looking down on the table, "About The Chosen Ones, they are searching for something. For the last year, my old crew and I were sailing from island to island, hypnotising civilians to dig underground and create tunnels that would go on for miles below the entire island."

"So it's true-" Law managed to reply, "What were you looking for?"

Angel started playing with her sandwich with her finger, "I don't know. No one did. Jagger-san wouldn't tell us anything about what we were doing or what we were looking for. Of course, no one dared to question him or his motives. I've never even heard of the name Chosen Ones before until these guys saved me, let alone be secretly in it."

A moment of silence passed as everyone sympathized for the former Jagger pirate.

"The rumours about Jagger-san's devil fruit powers are also true-" Angel continued, "I don't know anything about this whole sea water and fresh water rumour, but I do know his defensive capabilities are second to none. In my many years of serving him, I've never seen him shed a single drop of blood. Not once."

Faces of shock made its way around the table.

Angel turned to the blond to her side, "So you can imagine my surprise when I heard that this little cutie defeated him." Her energetic and playful manner returning.

Naruto developed a tiny blush as he scratched the back of his head and chuckled innocently.

"Yeah?" Nami wondered, "Now that I think about it, you've never told us the details about your fight with Jagger."

"Most of us don't even know what he looks like-" Zoro added, "You finished him off before we could have any part of the fun."

"Please, tell us what happened, Naruto-san." Robin said.

The jinjuuriki sighed, interlocking his fingers and leaning forward on to the table. His laughter died like a fading wind, alongside his playful demeanour.

"He was about 6'10, bald, muscles coming out of everywhere, arrogant, over confident-" He turned to Angel, "That's about right?"

She responded with a so and so nod.

Naruto continued "Jagger's clone was strong. So was his Haki." He explained, "He is the user of the Vin Vin devil fruit. He can change his body and inanimate objects into this metal called Vinamantium. He said it was the strongest metal in the world. And I believe him, when we fought, none of my weapons or jutsu could penetrate through his metallic armour."

"Vinamantium?" Franky asked, "I've never heard of it."

"I'm not surprised." The blond answered.

"Why not?" said Sanji.

Angel chuckled awkwardly, "Let's just say it's a type of metal you can't get around here."

Eye brows raised all across the table.

"It's a metal from out of space." Naruto replied bluntly, stunning his friends, "It's a long story. He said his devil fruit was created from a meteorite from space." He paused to recollect his thoughts,

"His main style of attack is shooting human sized spikes from underground. They're fast, and can attack at any time. But I calculated his maximum range of attack to about a forty meter diameter. He can also shoot projectiles from his body and even transform his limbs into weapons. But since the Jagger I fought was a clone, there's no telling the true extent of his powers are."

"I see, so that's what that metal monster was made of-" Sanji said quietly to himself,

"What monster?" Law quizzed.

Sanji faced the dark haired captain, "Jagger's powers also allows him to create living, moving beings. Me, Brook, Nami-san and Chopper fought a gigantic monster made of metal."

Naruto spoke up, "There's no question in my mind that his devil fruit powers are unique."

Zoro's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean 'unique'?"

He took a second before responding, "Because the rumours are true. His abilities can only be weakened by sea water alone. I know that because I remember hitting him with a water jutsu more than once. Those kinda attacks should have been fatal for any devil fruit user but it didn't even leave a scratch on him."

The Straw Hats stayed shocked and silent, contemplating what kind of monsters they have gotten themselves into.

Robin crossed her arms, "Perhaps the reason your water jutsu were powerless was because Jagger's devil fruit was constructed from a material out of this world? Maybe the rules we know about devil fruits don't apply to him?"

A confused Law raised his hand, "Um, I'm playing catch up. Can someone tell me what a water jutsu is?"

Nami almost smiled at his unknowing, "It's complicated, I'll speed you up to date another time."

"If his metal armour is the strongest metal in world-" Chopper said, "How did you beat him? He must have a weakness, right?"

Naruto raised his left arm, gesturing his left, bandaged forearm, "I have my katana to thanks. It can absorb chakra and devil fruit powers from anyone touching it but me. I set him up to make him want to finish me off with my own weapon, but by doing so gave me an opening. Then there was nothing left to do but-" He paused and held his right hand, "Finish the mission."

Law's brows scrunched in confusion, 'What katana? I don't see him carrying one? And why did he point to his forearm?' He questioned himself, finding no answer in sight.

Naruto broke from his little phase and shrugged his shoulder a little, "That's about it, that's all I know about Jagger."

Luffy took a glance at Law, "What about the last Chosen One? Do you know anything about him?"

The captain adjusted in his seat and sighed, "Nope, nothing. Absolutely nothing."

The crew were about to protest until Law interjected, "Except, throughout the New World, there's been one word that I keep hearing over and over again. I don't know if it's a name or a place or an object, but this word is definitely associated with The Chosen Ones."

Usopp can almost feel his teeth chattering from fear, "W-what word?"

Law took a second to reply, "Azazel."

"Azazel?" Repeated the crew.

"That's right. I have no idea behind its meaning, but if 'Azazel' is the fourth and final member, then it's only reasonable to believe that he or she is the person in charge."

"What makes you say that, Law-san?" Brook asked.

"Think about it, Kazama, Tokiomi and Jagger all have different motives and histories. Not to mention they have personalities that are certified to clash. A former member of the revolutionary army teaming up with a former marine and a madman of a pirate captain? That just doesn't seem right to me?"

Angel pinched her chin in thought, "It is hard to imagine someone wanting to team up with my old captain voluntarily? I mean, he isn't the most pleasant person in the world."

"That's why I think this 'Azazel' is the one pulling the strings. He's the glue holding the group together." Law replied.

Naruto nodded in understanding, "Are you saying 'Azazel' is offering them something for their cooperation and loyalty?"

Law tiled his head unsurely, "Must be? I don't see how they would have any reason to work together if Azazel isn't bribing them with something?"

"Oi-" Sanji spoke up, a tiny bit panicked, "What kinda power house must this Azazel be if he can lead three men with a bounty over 500 million?"

The table turned silent, contemplating the cook's question.

Angel turned to Naruto, spotting his thoughtful face, "What's on your mind?"

He took a second to respond, noticing that all eyes were on him, "'When we find the thing we've been searching for, we will obtain limitless power. A power so great that we will transcend into the ultimate beings and restructure this world to the way we see fit.'"

"What?" Asked a very confused Angel.

"Jagger said that to me when we fought. I could never get it out of my head." Naruto answered plainly.

"Huh? What did he mean by 'transcend into the ultimate beings?'" Nami asked out loud, "What's an ultimate being anyway?"

"'Restructure the world to the way we see fit.'" Robin recited, "So the rumours are accurate. Whatever their plans may be, if they succeed, the repercussions would be on a global scale."

As the Straw Hats discussed, Law took a look at the clock on the wall behind him, realising the trouble he's in.

"Um-" He smiled awkwardly, ceasing multiple ongoing conversations, "I kinda have to go." He chuckled.

Nami faced him hastily, "What? You have to go? Already? But we were just starting to catch up?"

"I know, I'm sorry. I promised my crew I would meet them back at the hotel ten minutes ago. I'm not gonna hear the end from them now, lately they've been saying that I've picked up a habit of arriving late to things."

The heart captain took his sword and stood from his chair, "The Chosen Ones. Don't underestimate them." He fixed his gaze on Luffy, "I'm serious, Straw Hat-ya. I know you don't back away from anything, you're also reckless most of the time. Knowing that, I'm not gonna tell you to stay away from them because I know you would ignore it. I bet you're already planning to confront them soon."

Luffy crossed his arms and pouted as Law continued.

"Just don't let your guard down. And since we're still allies, I guess my crew and I would have to do the same. You're involvement with them may have gotten us involved too."

The Straw Hats all looked away in silent guilt.

"I'm sorry, Traffy." Luffy's hand slowly curled into a fist.

"Don't be." Law answered with a smile, shocking Luffy and his crew. "You have my full support. I know you would do the same for me and my crew if we were in your position."

Luffy's hand suddenly relaxed and gave his friend a grateful nod. "Thanks."

Law returned the nod then snapped his fingers, eradicating his Room in the process, "Now I'm really late-"

He nodded and waved goodbye to the rest of the Straw Hats.

Receiving similar nods and waves with a couple of friendly goodbyes, Law turned around and headed for the exit, "My crew and I will be staying here for a while, make sure to visit. Don't be strangers now."

As the crew watch his receding back, with some still waving farewell, Nami quickly faced her friends, "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go see him out."

She shot from her seat without a second to waste. "Law! Wait up!"

Most of the Mugiwara's refocused their attention on the table and resumed talking to their neighbours. Except one.

Naruto couldn't take his eyes off Nami walking away with Law from the corner of his eye.

The navigator and captain pushed past the saloon doors with Law turned around to face her, "It really was nice to see you again, Nami. It's been too long."

She smiled widely and cheerfully, "Way too long."

One of her bangs hiding behind her ear suddenly fell out of place. She was about to fix it until she felt Law's hand grazing past her cheek. He slowly replaced the orange strands of hair in their original place and retracted his hand. She then met his eyes, sensing something different in his gaze, something she couldn't interpret but quickly ignored.

"Oh, thanks?" She said bluntly.

"Can I be expecting a visit from you anytime soon?"

Nami shrugged by a fraction, "Sure? I don't see why not? Our crews are friends right?" She said plainly. Majorly failing to identify the hidden meaning behind his words.

Her reply caused him to mentally shake his head and laugh 'This girl sure is hopeless, I wasn't talking about a visit from all of you. Honestly, how did I end up liking a girl like you?'

Law responded with a defeated smirk, "See you soon then."

Nami silently waved to his retreating back, smiling happily at the dark haired captain. 'I'm so relieved to have Law as an ally. He really is a reliable friend.'

AN/ As you can tell, I never really went into details about what happened to Law and the Straw Hats after Dressrosa and Zou. That's because, I couldn't. The Dressrosa arc just finished and I can't predict the future. So it's up to the imagination to decide what happened.

Also, since The Devil's Pit is a place for pirates, I'm willing to add old characters from the series to be included in this arc, if I can somehow fit them in the story of course. So leave a review telling me who you want to possibly be involved the story. Thank you for reading, see you in chapter 19!