Naruto watched as Luffy interacted with the different crews aboard the ship; he had sent out clones to retrieve the Heart Pirates.. well, really... he only needed Law, but the rest of the crew had to follow along like little ducklings and Naruto didn't see a problem with It; not like he could turn them away with a cold shoulder. White Beards ship seem to be the place where legends meet due to the numerous pirates that crowded the deck, and like a beacon of some kind, it had drawn in red-haired Shanks and his boisterous crew. The red-haired pirate claimed that he had heard of Luffy running off to save Ace and had to 'check' up on him in person; Luffy was more than happy to talk the man's ears off as he recounted every adventure he could possibly think of that had happened within the amount of time he had last seen Shanks.

Despite asking permission to bring Law aboard, Naruto still felt the need to apologize to White Beard for the over populated deck considering the fact that four crews were just settling down after a three hour party filled with sake. He had a feeling that Whitebeard didn't care, though; taking into account that the said man was drunk off his ass from his drinking contest with Zoro and Shanks. It wasn't clear as to whom had won the contest as they all appeared equally hammered and the furthest from sobriety. Whitebeard was having to rely on the wall of the cabin to hold himself up straight, but it didn't stop his head from rolling side to side with his mouth wide open as he drooled; old man was passed out cold. Zoro laid on his back with a empty bottle of sake clutched tightly to his abdomen, fluttering in and out of consciousness while Shanks... well, he had been sitting up but now he had fallen face first with his legs still crossed beneath him Indian style; very... flexible. Despite Shanks strange position and the fact that he was most likely passed out to rid his system of the excessively heavy amount of alcohol, Luffy still rambled on about the battle at MarineFord.

Naruto closed his eyes as he leaned back across the crates stacked against the cabin, it made a comfortable enough bed and the gently rocking of the ship made him feel a little drowsy. It had been a few days since the incident with Teach and it was safe to say that everyone have done a good job of ignoring the blonde shinobi as best as they could; well, the ones that were present during that time, that is to say. If it wasn't for his troublesome brats, he would be back in his 'hermit shell' as Ace called it; dealing with drama wasn't really on his bucket list, that had been checked off a long time ago. He felt his limbs grow heavy as the sun heated his skin. Perhaps being outside wasn't so bad, it was more soothing and peaceful than cold stone walls with only a campfire to provide warmth. It reminded him of his time in Konoha when Kakashi would take the team out on missions and camping was a necessity.

"Oi! Ace!"

Naruto allowed a small puff to escape his lips as Luffy deemed it necessary to scream across the ship for his brother that couldn't be more than a few yards away. Ace had been seated directly in front of the door to the cabin where Teach had stayed holed up ever since he woke up from the genjutsu. Naruto had yet to visit the pirate, he wanted to give it a little more time before he faced the man again; he saw no need to rush things. He didn't get the chance to listen to what Luffy wanted from the fire-user due to his sixth sense giving off a low hum of acknowledgement that someone was staring quite intently at him. It really sucked that he didn't develop his senses when he was in the academy, but he learned through hands-on field missions over time, eventually.

"Why did you call me here?"

He was reluctant to open his eyes, but did so after a few seconds. Law stood a safe distance of a few yards away with his sword Kikoku and what could be considered a frown. Naruto stretched his legs out to rest on a the side of the larger crate in front of him, his arms pillowing the back of his head. He really hadn't planned out how he was going to go about the conversation, seeing as how his reason for even summoning Law wasn't even present. He could beat around the bush with a few dropped hints in hopes that he didn't have to spill the words from his lips directly, but then he remembered how much he had hated that when Jiji, Jiraiya, and Kakashi did that to him. Well, shit.

"I wanted to speak to you about topic you would consider rather important, Law-san." Smoothing it out as easily as he could, he added. "However, I would like to address this later tonight." It was still considered beating around the bush, but he found that in this certain situation, there was no other way he could go about it without seeming like an insensitive asshole or a fucking creeper.

"And you know me how?" Law narrowed his silver eyes warily.

Fuck, creeper it is then.

"I know everyone the Gaki has met, especially the ones he considers friends."

Law raised his eyebrows. Who the hell was 'gaki'? Naruto must have sensed his confusion as he lazily waved his hand towards Luffy who had his arms wrapped several times around Ace's torso as he attempted to pull the older teen away from the door he had been sitting at, awaiting Teach to walk out. Naruto had already forbade him from entering the room, not wanting to deal with any dramatics that would surely happen.

That was another thing that Naruto had to put on his to-do list; talk to the boys about all this revenge drama. He had raised the boys based on his morals that had stuck with him all these years, giving lessons he had learned through his perverted senseis and friends; so he wasn't certain how much his teaching reached their heads. After all, the best way to learn is through experience; Naruto knew that much.

"Oi!"

Naruto watched as Law's eyes twitch at Luffy's loud shout that made everyone look over. Zoro couldn't honestly understand how the blonde man dealt with Luffy's obnoxious volume. Shanks grumbled as he flopped over on his side, his limbs feeling extra heavy as he buried his face into the swordsman side. Zoro raised an eyebrow when he heard the redhead mumble, "Mihawk" quietly. The swordsman grinned widely; oh, the blackmail material was about to come rolling in.

"Old man!" Luffy had snapped his head around to where his father was laying with a pout. "Ace fell asleep! Again!"

Naruto shrugged as he closed his eyes again. "What do you want me to do about it, gaki?" The rubber captain removed his arms from around the older teens chest causing him to fall bonelessly to the deck. Marco winced at the sound Ace's face made when it met the boards; no doubt, going to leave a bruise.

"Wake him up!"

Naruto rolled his eyes as he sat up from his comfortable position on the boxes. Truthfully, he should be use to Luffy's reactions to his brothers narcolepsy after so many years of the fire-user suffering from it; it didn't change the fact that the rubber boy hated it, though. Naruto didn't like his oldest boy having to suffer from it, because it honestly made him worry more than he should. If his narcolepsy ever kicked-in in the middle of a fight… It was another reason to have clones follow the boys. He hopped down off the crates to make the short distance to his two kids. He pulled Luffy away from Ace's sprawled out body so he had room to work.

Law couldn't see what the blonde was doing, but it didn't seem like it was waking the fire-user up anytime soon. Luffy giggled as he slapped a hand over his mouth in a poor attempt at stifling it.

Law felt his lips twitch downward in annoyance when the blonde moved back to show his work on the fire-user. Whatever level of maturity he had originally believed the blonde to have,it had been cut into a fourth of that. Luffy busted out laughing as he held his stomach; giving a full display of all his pearly whites. Law couldn't see what the blonde was doing, but it didn't seem like it was waking the fire-user up anytime soon.
Luffy giggled as he slapped a hand over his mouth in a poor attempt at stifling it.
Law felt his lips twitch downward in annoyance when the blonde moved back to show his work on the fire-user. Whatever level of maturity he had originally believed the blonde to have,it had been cut into a fourth of that. Luffy busted out laughing as he held his stomach; giving a full display of all his pearly whites. Zoro looked over at his captain's outrageously obnoxious laughter, deadpanning at the sight he saw. Ace had been in the same exact position as he had been earlier, except he was out cold... With some interesting... -designs. Since the last time the swordsman had looked over at the fire-user, he had gained a thick unibrow and thick 'eyeliner' with fake drawn on eyelashes. On the raven haired man's cheeks, the subtle freckles had been used like connect-a-dot to form crood spirals. The 'art' didn't end just there, though. Instead of the thin pale lips, Ace was sporting comically thick voluptuous lips colored in black. Zoro cringed at the horrible sight. It kinda looked like one of Big Mom's pirates or something. His gaze immediately traveling to his captain; because if being honest, only Luffy could do something this childish. However, the straw-hat was too busy wheezing for air through his fits of giggles that he could barely stand up straight... And he was a fair distance away from his brother. Zoro shifted his attention when he heard a scoff come from his left; Law looked as repulsed as he felt, but he wasn't looking at Luffy. He followed his fellow swordsman's gaze to see Naruto crouched on the railing near Ace's head... A black permanent marker tucked beneath his fingers.
What the hell..? It took a moment for the marimo to process what he was seeing, because… Naruto was just too…. Creepy- or intimidating- to do something as childish as coloring on people's faces… right? Maybe it was a serious case of misjudgement on his part, he had only known the blonde for little more than two days; but his judgement of character was typically spot-on, so he had little reason to doubt it… until now, that is.

Marco couldn't hold back his chuckle that slowly grew into a boisterous laugh that almost rivaled Luffy after getting to vividly inspect his pseudo-brother. It was wonderful pay back, in his mind, for all the times Ace had called him by the wretched 'pineapple'. Now, if he only had a camera, it would be all the more magnificent. He tried to rein in his laughter, because honestly it was starting to make his bruised stomach hurt.

"OI! Ace! Tou-san invited Gramps to train us!"

Law raised an eyebrow when he saw the sleeping man jump up from his spot as if he had been stabbed with a hot poker, his eyes wide as he frantically looked around. It seemed he hadn't got his bearings as he yelled, "No!" and then rambled on how horrible of idea that was, then questioning what Luffy had done to cause Naruto to bestow that type of punishment on both of them; not noticing the snickering crowd and wide smiles.

Zoro blinked as he watched a eerily familiar all-teeth smile stretch across Naruto's face as he watched Ace have a mini-panic attack for all of thirty seconds before the young man realised his surroundings. It was hard to place if Luffy had gained his smile from Naruto, Ace, or Garp himself. Especially since Naruto seemed to have no biological ties to either of the boys. Or maybe, the blonde got it from one of the them.

Marco grinned as he raced into the cabin to fetch a mirror. He wanted to be the first to show the fire-user his new make-up. It was settled in his mind: Uzumaki Naruto was the best. How Ace hadn't even mentioned the man before had him confused; how could you hide someone as awesome as that?! He had to get some information on Ace from the blonde that he could use to his benefit, because how could you possibly pass up the chance to get revenge for all the years of pranks and teasing on his hair?

"You sleep well, gaki?" Naruto slipped his marker into one of the many pockets that was well hidden within the fabric of his pants; one of the many reasons he loved anbu pants. It was a pity that the shinobi dress code had faded out of time, but he wasn't about to give up the shinobi pants in any lifetime. The amount of pockets at his disposal was the most satisfying thing he could think of; however, remembering what he put where was always a reoccurring issue.

"Wha-..y-yeah…?"

Naruto had long since mastered his facade of innocence; it was a requirement for self-proclaimed pranksters. He gave a small smile, trying not to seem suspicious in any form. "That's good. You knocked out pretty quickly there for a moment."

Ace's unibrow wrinkled together as his large lips tipped downwards. The red tint to his swirly cheeks not lost on anyone.

Marco, in his eagerness to get to Ace, tripped over a slightly bowed board in the deck; the deck itself rushing fast towards his face. The idigitant squawk that escaped his lips was embarrassing, but his mind wouldn't process any of it until Ace had the mirror in his hand. The stinging pain in his chin and elbows was nothing compared to the large grin that came acrossed his face at Ace's drawn on expression. Oh, how he wished he had a camera.

"Portgas, you might want to take a look." He didn't give the man a chance to reply as he shoved the small mirror into his hands with high enthusiasm. Ace fumbled with the mirror, feeling a cold sweat break out across his skin. He had a sick feeling within his stomach… he hoped it wasn't what his mind was screaming at him. He looked in the mirror.

There was a dead silence filled with slight anticipation as everyone sober enough to be awake trained their eyes hard on the 2nd division commander. Law was scowling, but the slight gleam in his eye gave him away immediately that it was mostly a facade. Zoro shifted his weight awkwardly when Shanks practically crawled up into his lap, his grip like a vise as he continued muttering under his breath. It was not worth any level of blackmail, anymore. Shanks needed to move. He tried to first remove the red-haired pirates fingers from the sash around his waist, but the more Zoro tried, the harder Shanks clamped down. When he saw the beginning of a thick line of drool coming from the corner of the man's mouth, he immediately tried shove the older man away from his person; but Shanks was like glue.

"Oi, get the hell off me!" It didn't matter how much he squirmed it was undeniable that he was officially stuck under the drunk captain who hadn't even budged at all the movement or yelling from the marimo. What the hell kind of alcohol did this guy get his hands on? No amount of liquor could get this kind of response out of Zoro; sure, he was highly hammered from the drinking contest, but by kami… did he ever respond to alcohol in this manner when he first started drinking? He hoped not. Latching onto someone that was practically a stranger was unacceptable. Using Wado Ichimonji, Zoro slammed it down in between himself and Shanks, before attempting to pry the man off once more. Thank kami that Sanji was in his own form of intoxication from just being around Nami and Robin; he would never let the swordsman live this down.

Naruto casted a glance off to the side at the green and red-haired duo, his smile never fading. He would probably help out the former pirate-hunter after a little while. Just as he started to turned his attention back towards Ace, he saw a blur of an object flying straight towards his face at high speeds. His chakra flared subconsciously at the sight causing him to reappear a few feet away from Luffy who was closer to Ace than the blonde previously was. The seal. Naruto had momentarily forgotten he had given Luffy's hat a seal just like his brothers. He didn't have time to think about that though, as a plume of fire engulfed the area he was standing.

"Old man! How many fucking times do I have to say it?! Stop drawing on my face, you asshole!" Ace shouted as Naruto, with annoying ease, dodged his attack. Naruto's grin grew as he hopped back up onto the railing that overlooked the ocean; it was hard to not laugh with the fire-users face having such ridiculous drawings. The way Naruto seen it, the boy should be happy that he at least hadn't drawn anything inappropriate, this time.

"Mah, Mah. Calm down, gaki. It's all in good fun."

It was. Marco and Luffy's laughter was obnoxiously loud as they used each other to hold themselves up. Law's face cracked into a ill-defined smile as he lowered his white fluffy hat over his silver eyes; his body slightly slumped against the crates that Naruto had occupied earlier. Ace felt his face grow hotter as he glared at the three. He found nothing humorous about drawing on his face. It was one of the few things he couldn't tolerate about his tou-san; the blonde always drew on his face when he fell asleep during the day... or used another 'prank' that was 'all in good fun'. It was hard as fuck to remove the marker because it was always permanent; Luffy never got this treatment. Sure, he got pranks, but it wasn't anything that could stain his skin or anything like that; it was usually confetti popping out of a box, something innocent. Ace remembered vividly as a child that he had woken up with his mattress out in the middle of a lake, duck-taped down spread-eagle. It had taken him an hour and a half of floating to finally get himself free.. then swimming back to shore to make the long cold walk back to the tree house. Oh, you can't forget the marker art all over his body... permanent marker.

"Oi, som'one get 'his drunk off of meh!" Zoro yelled as Shanks had a death grip on him and ichimonji, his drool sliding down the sheath, dangerously close to the marimo's shirt.

Naruto acted as if he hadn't heard him, expecting one of the guys friends to go over and lend a hand. But he blinked when he saw that everyone had basically followed his lead and had turned their heads on the former pirate-hunter. Huh. Maybe the guy did something to deserve that type of punishment.

Post what I have so far before I forget it and it gets deleted or something. I was going to continue, but I decided that it was enough to publish. Next chapter is going to focus on why Law was called to WhiteBeard's ship by Naruto.