Naruto of the Marines
Chapter 3
-X-
I own nothing!
-X-
For those of you worried about age things like with Naruto being 38, don't worry, he's a Uzumaki remember? He'll still have the Uzumaki longevity and age with grace!
-X-
Relaxing on his ship, a slightly larger than your run of the mill Marine ship outfitted with the standard deck cannons as well as the ones hidden behind hatches on the front and each side, 38 year old Naruto Uzumaki laid in a lawn chair in a pair of orange swim trunks with his arms behind his head while a pair of binoculars and a empty bowl of what had been ramen sat on the wood deck next to him as he soaked in the sun.
That is, until a shadow covered him, blocking the sun, "Do you mind?" he hummed without opening his eyes, "I'm trying to relax here,"
The shadow didn't move, instead, something fell and slammed into his head but due to his haki training and takkai, it rolled off his forehead and onto someone's foot, making him yelp.
Recognizing the voice, Naruto opened his eyes and to his surprise, he saw Garp standing there… or hopping in place while holding his foot. "Garp!" he exclaimed in shock at seeing the now white haired, but still tough looking old man, "What are you doing here?"
The man calmed down as his foot stopped hurting, "Well brat," the man started before sporting a large, proud grin, "Sengoku sent me to find you and your crew, something about you taking too long on your vacation or something like that," Garp then looked around and laughed, "Who would've thought that you'd hang out at a place like this for your time off."
Naruto stood and joined him, his ship, along with Garps, were anchored a right good ways away from a uninhabited island, now it wasn't unheard of for an island to be uninhabited but they were usually in the Calm Belt, two bodies of water that block off the Grand Line and have no current or even wind, or the Grand Line itself due to the dangers with both. But they were in the East Blue, the so-called weakest area of the sea in the world yet famous for being where Gol D. Roger was from.
The 75 year old man then looked around and noticed something, "Hey ah… where's your crew?"
"Training," Naruto told him without pause, almost suspiciously, which made Garp look around again with a raised eyebrow.
There wasn't a soul on deck aside from him and Naruto and he couldn't hear the sound of swords clashing or guns firing like when a crew was told to spar or have target practice. In fact, had he not seen the blond tanning on the deck from his ship, which dwarfed the blonds, he could've mistaken it for a ghost vessel.
"What kind of training?"
Naruto didn't reply and in the silence, he heard something off in the distance and turned to the island. It was too far for him to see without help so he grabbed the binoculars from the deck next to the chair and looked out to see a group of marines running from a group of Kung-Fu Dugongs, which were three foot tall walrus/seal looking animals renown for their Kung-Fu. Straining his ears, Garp was just able to hear them screaming, 'Mercy Naruto-sama!', 'Please help us!', and 'Save us Boss!'.
Garp couldn't believe his eyes, Naruto had sent his men up to an island inhabited by Kung-Fu Dugongs while he relaxed on the ship, "How are Dugongs in the East Blue, aren't they from the costs near Alabasta?"
Naruto shrugged, "I guess, but I guess they come down here every now and then, kinda like a migration."
Garp hummed and chuckled at the sight of one man getting caught and beaten by the animals, "Violent little things aren't they?"
The blond shook his head, "Of course not, they're actually pretty peaceful until you challenge them. I came out here a few years back and kinda disturbed their mating rituals by accident. But after beating them all they became my loyal minions!" he chuckled making Garp bust out laughing.
Dugongs were smart, honor bound animals and by their code of honor they believed that once they'd been defeated, they must become the follower of the one that defeated them. They also had certain 'alphas' which were better at Kung-Fu than the others, which gave them their own followers. That code also extended to them if the 'Master' Dugong was defeat.
He looked around some more and found that apart from the group that was trying to run, there was a smaller group of the animals being held back by a single marine, "Oh ho!" he chuckled, "Looks like that girl right there is holding her own,"
Naruto crossed his arms, he couldn't see who it was but he had a pretty good clue, "Must be my Master Chief Petty Officer, Tashigi…" he mused with a grin, "She's good with a sword, but that's why I had her leave it here,"
"Hasn't stopped her, looks like she's made herself a wooden sword out of a tree limb." he shot back which made Naruto laugh while leaning on the railing.
"She's resourceful, I'll give her that, but you said that Sengoku sent you right, I guess it's about time to go home anyway. You coming too?"
Garp shrugged, "Nah, I'm gonna wait awhile before I go back, maybe take a vacation myself." he chuckled knowing that Fleet Admiral Sengoku would be annoyed, "Oh and by the way, I never got to congratulate you on your last promotion. Youngest Vice Admiral in history, I always knew you'd make it. Too bad my foolish grandsons never followed your lead."
Naruto nodded slowly, having been told about Luffy and Ace by Garp hundreds of times over they years, how he pushed them to grow up and become strong Marines just like them and trained them even harder. But both had fallen to the allure of piracy, Ace because of the freedom that life seemed to have and Luffy because he wanted to be like his hero the Yonko known as Red-Haired Shanks and surpass him to become the next Pirate King.
Reaching under his chair, he pulled out a pistol with a large barrel before pointing it up into the air and firing a flare into the sky, signaling to the marines on the island that they could come back and to signal to the Dugongs that they could stop kicking ass.
"Hey you still testing those special thingies you got from Vegapunk?"
Dr. Vegapunk was the leading scientist in the employment of the Marines. He was most known for his work in discovering the secrets and uses of seastone, the secrets of how Devil Fruits powers work and a vast number of other scientific achievements that were said to be 500 years ahead of current technology.
Vegapunk had contacted Naruto years ago asking if he'd test out some special equipment every now and then since he was out in the field a lot more than most. One such thing was a more recent experimental weapon made to use against Devil Fruit users. They already had cuffs and nets made out of sea stone to capture and restrain the pirates that had powers thanks to the fruits, but sometimes they were just too quick or could get out of reach before either could be used. So the good doctor came up with a more… brutal solution.
"I haven't had a reason to use them yet." he exclaimed as his crew finally made it back to the boat, having taken the row boats to the island as well as back. They were all dirty and haggard looking, most beaten and bruised from their torture… I mean training.
"Alright everyone, get cleaned up and take a rest, in the morning were heading to Marineford." Everyone groaned in pain, although it almost sounded like annoyance.
"You know, I'd have them go on and work through the pain," Garp hummed, finger in his nose as usual, making the men and women of Naruto's crew sing praises about their commanding officer, how he was so good to them and generally kissing his ass.
"I would, but I figure that Sengoku can wait another day so that my crew can rest." he exclaimed with a grin which the other Vice Admiral mirrored before laughing once again. Turning to his crew, who had yet to leave as they awaited their orders, he waved them off, "You're all dismissed for the rest of the day, but be ready to sail in the morning."
They all gave him a staggered salute and hobbled off to recover for the rest of the afternoon and night, they'd be sore as all hell in the morning but it was better than having them fall asleep on duty and end up messing something up.
"Well Kid, looks like I'll be going now," the child-like old man told him after the crew had gone below deck, "Oh and before I forget, you still got that pet fur ball of yours running around ship? I got a score to settle with it for last time."
The blond sweat dropped, "Yeah, Kyu is still here and no you can't hurt her," he deadpanned while looking the man straight in the eye.
Kyu was fox that he'd found some years back during one of his vacations in the Grand Line, she had been the size of a small horse at the time and had attacked him out of hunger while he'd been walking in a forest but had been beaten easily. At first, he was shocked to see that the fox was so large but chalked it up to being one of the many strange animals that inhabited the Grand Line.
But imagine his surprise when the fox suddenly shrank to the size of a small kit and started crying about being hungry and how there was barely anything on this stupid island. As it turns out, one of the few things she'd been able to find was a rare Zoan Devil Fruit and despite it's horrible taste, she ate it.
From what he could figure out, it had turned her into a Iki-Kitsune or Spirit Fox, giving her the ability to speak and change her size like a mythical Spirit Fox was said to be able to do. He suspected that she might be able to do more later on but that had yet to be discovered.
But back to the story.
After feeding her, she practically begged him to take her with him, promising not to get in the way and to do anything she could to help. Even telling him that she'd barely take up any room at all and showing him by shrinking down to the size of a new born kit that would fit in his hand. To further strengthen her case, she jumped and grew to a even larger size saying that she could help him fight before showing him her mouth full of razor sharp teeth and equally sharp claws.
She often didn't have to do anything when it came to fighting but she did follow him around and acted as a sort of guard when he went out into towns when they made port. But she proved herself one day by ambushing Garp when he tried to 'test' Naruto by sneaking up on him to see if he'd been keeping up on his training. When he thought that he was about to get the teen, Kyu suddenly popped up and sank her teeth into his rear, making the older man scream to the high heavens and refusing to let go even as said man ran around like a chicken with it's head cut off and set on fire.
For the past couple of years, Garp had been trying to get revenge only to fail when Kyu out smarted him or when Naruto was around.
For you see, few people could stand up to Garp and have a chance at winning in a fight, even fewer had enough of the mans respect for him to listen to what they tell him when it comes to talking him out of something, Naruto was one of those rare few and should talking to the man and trying to convince him fail, it was a coin toss as to who would win the fight and by proxy, the argument.
"Fine then," Garp snipped before turning around and pouting childishly as he started back to his ship, "Didn't wanna see that mangy fur ball anyway,"
Naruto waved goodbye to the man, "Yeah, yeah, I'll see you later old man,"
"Bye Brat!"
-X-
Marineford was more than just the Head Quarters of the Marines, actually the center of it was only a base while the surrounding buildings was actually a thriving community for the families of the Marines stationed there. It had everything a town needed to thrive and be self sufficient while also being able to trade and ship things in and out that they might not otherwise be able to make, such as luxury goods and such.
The crescent shaped island was build like a fortress but was still city, the families there accepted the permanent military presence there and actually felt that it was safer there than anywhere else, after-all they had a massive standing force ready at the drop of a hat not to mention the fact that the most powerful marines such as the Admirals and Vice Admirals were often there for one reason or another.
In the center of this city was a massive stone base with a tower standing high and proud in the sky, it housed the offices of all the most powerful men of the Marines as well as the Fleet Admiral who, surprisingly enough, didn't have a office in the top floor but instead took the humble route and had one many floors down with the Admirals and Vice Admirals.
And that was where Naruto found himself standing right now.
It was an impressive to say the least, the man had a large aquarium built into the wall behind his desk where a school of fish swam around, it had once housed a shark but the man had it released due to the tank being too small for it when he was promoted by the former Fleet Admiral Kong. He didn't have much on his desk aside from some blank papers and forms he needed to look over, there were a few paintings on the walls and some book cases with random books on it but none of it seemed personal.
Sengoku was a tall and muscular man that was younger than Garp but said to be just as tough. He had a Marine cap on his head with a life-sized seagull figurine on the top that covered the top part of his large afro. The man also had a long braided beard that reached his belt and a trimmed mustache above his lip while a pair of black circle rimed glasses sat on his nose.
Like all officers, he had on a Marine great coat that symbolized his status and rank which seemed more regal and distinctive than a standard one. He was also the only one to actually wear his white and gold Admiral uniform, which he had all his medals pinned to at the chest.
"You called for me?"
Sengoku looked up and saw the blond standing there grinning and almost mistook him for a younger version of Garp because of the way he spoke to him. That thought gave him chills, Garp was bad enough and while Naruto sometimes acted just like the man whom trained him, the blond would get serious when the need arose. He didn't know what he'd do if a young clone of Garp showed up, probably send him to the furthest corner of the world and assign him to a base out in the middle of nowhere…
"Yes…" he started before clearing his throat, "First off, why didn't you answer any of the calls we sent you through your Den-Den Mushi?"
A Den-Den Mushi was a special species of Snail that have the ability to communicate with each other telepathically through radio waves. They were able to use them to communicate with others by attaching buttons and receivers to them which surprisingly don't even bother the animal at all, in fact, most just look bored about the whole thing. Most Marine ships were outfitted with them and Naruto himself had one in his quarters since as a Vice Marine, he needed to be reachable.
Naruto shrugged, "I was on vacation so I decided to give it one to," he told the man which made him sweat drop, "Why is something wrong?"
The man twitched, "No… but your vacation ended and you were suppose to return a week ago."
"Really?" the blond asked, looking shocked, "Wow… I thought it was two weeks ago, I must be running a little slow hehehe!"
The Fleet Admiral took a deep, calming breath, "Anyway… I'm sending you on a mission." Naruto turned serious, "As you know, the Shichibukai are given a pardon for their former actions and have their bounties rescinded in exchange for a tenth of whatever they make, even if it's from stealing and such, they must also perform certain tasks should they be told."
"I know this, what's with the history lesson?"
"I'm getting to that. Now, as you know, we gave Boa Hancock, Captain of the Kuja Pirates and Empress of Amazon Lily a position in the Shichibukai a few years back. But recently, she's stopped giving us the ten percent of her treasure and we know that her crews been busy pillaging. Recently, we sent a crew to find out why but we've yet to hear back."
"So you want me to go and find out what happened to the Marines you sent and what their problem is?" Naruto said, already figuring out what the man wanted him to do.
Sengoku nodded, "With your skills I'm certain that you can handle the situation and if needed, fight your way out. Now I don't want this to turn into a war with the Kuja no matter how much we of he Marines outclass them so handle this carefully,"
The blond nodded and grinned, "Of course, careful is my middle name,"
The man hummed, 'Yeah right after 'Sometimes but not always',' he thought to himself while dismissing the blond.
-X-
"AMAZON LILY!"
Naruto winced at the loud voice and leaned away from it while sticking his pinky in his ear, "Oww, I'm not deaf, Tashigi-chan." he pouted childishly to the younger woman next to him as he stood on the deck of his ship while they made preparations to leave.
Tashigi was a young, 21 year old Marine that had been serving under him as a sort of assistant and protégé. She had dark, chin-length dark blue, almost black hair and dark brown eyes behind a pair of box frame glasses and opted to wear her civilian clothing over a uniform since she felt like it restricted her movements when she used her katana. She often word various button up shirts with floral patterns and tight jeans with a special made belt to hold her sword making the men, even Naruto find her attractive.
But for all her skill and promise with her sword, she was very clumsy and often forgot to put on her glasses of all things, making for some interesting times on the ship. All the men found her attractive due to her swordsmanship and beauty, despite the fact that she was a Master Chief Petty Officer, even the few higher ranked crewmen listened to what she told them and were happy to do as told… so long as it didn't go against the Vice Admiral that is.
"But, but it's in the Calm Belt! A breeding ground for Sea Kings!" she franticly told him while he watched the men haul their supplies and store them below deck.
He shrugged, "So what?" he replied to her statement before pointed to a group carrying a crate full of ramen labeled, 'Property of Vice Admiral Uzumaki' with another sign taped to it reading, 'Touch it and be charged with treason!'
"So what? So what-"
He stopped her before she could continue making a scene, "Tashigi-chan, have you forgotten that our ships are outfitted with Sea Stone on the hull? A Sea King won't be able to sense us while we sail."
Blushing, Tashigi laughed nervously while rubbing the back of her head, "Oh yeah… how silly of me…" she said making the men gush while she was actually thinking, 'damn it, how can I embarrass myself like that in front of Naruto-sama! He must think that I'm such a loser, how will I ever impress him now!'
Naruto didn't mention that it only worked when they were on the move, if they sat in one place for too long then the Sea Kings would eventually sense them and come to investigate.
-X-
Sitting in his office, Sengoku looked over the file he had on Vice Admiral Uzumaki Naruto, it was a highly classified file containing the known information of said man which could make things very hard if that information got out. But unlike most, which would contain family information, home villages, next of kin, and such, Naruto's only really had the information on his skills seeing as his home village had been destroyed.
His Kenbunshoku Haki had been trained to the point that if he was serious, he'd be able to predict and counter attacks before they were made but when he wasn't it usually was to the point where he could sense an attack and dodge with his eyes closed, as shown by Garp's little surprise tests every now and then.
His Busoshoku Haki was just as impressive. He often used a pair of hidden blades and imbued them to make it so that he could cut nearly anything, even if his blade missed by an inch or two, almost as if a blade of wind had cut the target. The level he was at wasn't quite matching Garp's but it was still very impressive, especially when he recently started throwing cannon balls back at Garp.
A knock at his door broke his train of thought before he called the person to come in.
"Ah sir… we got this package for you in the mail…" the Marine told him uncertainly, "I'm afraid that it doesn't have a return address but it's got the OK from security."
Telling the man to bring it in, he found himself looking at a box wrapped in brown paper and tied in twine. He opened it and to his shock found a birthday card.
"What the… it's not my birthday…" he muttered before shrugging, security had checked it over and there wasn't any danger of poison or it being a bomb, besides he liked cake!
Opening the box he gaped at what he saw.
There he was, nude and fornicating with his little pet goat.
It was so insulting… but oh so tasty! If he ever found out who made the thing he'd have them arrested and face a firing squad, that is, of course that is after he had them tell him the recipe.
-X-
Two miles out from the island known as Amazon Lily, Vice Admiral Naruto and his crew found themselves anchored in the middle of the calm belt and waiting for a Kuja ship to arrive. They knew that they could see them from their island and would soon be there to meet them, after all, their agreement stated that as long as Hancock was working for them, no Marine vessel would come within three miles of their home. So as an attention getter, he had them get closer.
Due to the stories about the Kuja women, the entire crew was nervous, frightened by the stories of monsters in human skin that turned people into stone. So every marine on the ship was on the deck armed with a rifle while Tashigi held her katana and Naruto…
"Naruto, what are you doing!" the woman gaped at the sight of him shirtless and in his orange swimsuit as he laid out on his lawn chair with his two weapons on the floor next to his chair, a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, and sunscreen on his body, making it shiny… oh so shiny…
She shook her head to clear those bad thoughts.
"Tanning, what do you think I'm doing?" he deadpanned before smirking, "Why don't you join me? I'll even help you put your sunscreen on if you like." his smirk then vanished as his head jerked to the side, looking out at the sea.
Blushing, she started to say something only for the ship to shake, making the crew scared before a massive fish rose from the water. It was all white with darker colored fins and lips with pointed teeth and solid white eyes.
"SEA KING!" someone screamed before they all started shooting, but it was useless. Bullets and cannon balls bounced off it's flesh as if they were rubber, making them scream out that they were doomed as it turned and bared it's teeth at them.
"It's gonna eat us!" Tashigi cried out before a orange streak flew past her, making her hopes sore as she saw Vice Admiral Naruto sailing through the air with his twin blades in hand, both glowing a blue-white color as he neared the monster.
It roared loudly and moved to crush them before stopping as a massive wound opened up across it's face that ruptured it's left eyes and cut the right side of it's mouth, followed by another that destroyed the right eye and cut the left part of it's mouth. In a bright white flash, the center of it's head slid apart before it's right and left half both separated and fell into the sea.
There was a silence over the waters before Naruto landed on the deck, his short swords red with blood as he smirked, "That, Tashigi… is why I do not fear the Sea Kings."
To be continued…
-X-
Review and tell me what you think, as past readers will know, I'm hopelessly addicted to reviews and can't go without them.
So anyway, next time, Naruto meets Hancock!
