Growth through Chaos

by Animephilosopher1

As they return from the Land of Waves, Team 7 fall into somewhere far more chaotic and divided than the Ninja World. Follow Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi, after they find themselves in the World of the One Piece. Growing through a Special brand of Chaos across trials, battles, training and more as members of the Straw Hat Pirates on the Grand Line.(LuffyxNami, Kakashi x Robin)

21. Chapter 21: Garp vs Kakashi

Growth Through Chaos: Chapter 21: Haki and Chakra collide:
Monkey D. Garp vs. Hatake Kakashi

"…."=speaking.

'…'=thinking.

"'Inner thoughts'"=images or memories within somebody's head.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or One Piece They are the property and brainchildren of Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda, respectively.

Please, Read and Review. I really, really like Reviews.

The Straw hats were barrelling through the rain-swept street of Loguetown. Six turns and a mad dash later they could see the Merry rocking at the pier.

"Good, the storm is just about ready to break," Nami announced. "We have to get out of here now, or never." The ninjas leapt for the hull and each ran straight up while the remaining crew came behind them up a rocky gangplank. At once they were one deck, came a surprise.

"Eh? Who in the heck are you?" A cloaked figure was standing, right where Naruto and Nami had left him. Gin's question called the stranger's attention to them, and his face was certainly unnerving.

"Uh-uh-wh-what are you here for? G-g-g-g-get off, b-before I send my ten-thousand men on you. And if those don't work, I-I-I-I'll I'll pull out the dragons!" Usopp's stammering barely helped, going utterly unnoticed beneath the hood. "Who are you. What brought you to our ship?" Zoro challenged him.

"Oh, hey, hey, stop, there are no worries," Naruto spilt over the tension, turning his back to their 'guest' and holding both arms up before everyone. "He saved the Merry when we got here. Then he stayed since we had to save the captain. This guy's okay."

"Tell me," the looming wraith spoke. "You are the ones who follow this, Monkey D. Luffy? Even to so treacherous and unyielding a place as Grand Line?" Luffy was still knocked out, and once he was mentioned the crew closed ranks between him and the strange.

Nobody answered, at first. The silence coaxed another enquiry. "If you hold doubt in your hearts, this shall be your final chance to leave. Whatever goals you carry, pursuits that you chase, or debt you may hold for him. Fuelling yourself on that alone will not suffice. Every day you spend on his journey, every further league you sail, the dangers and obstacles will only grow worse than the ones before them. Why do you wish to join this voyage, if you cannot answer this question?"

"Shut up." Two men spoke at once: Gin and Zoro. "I've got no idea who you are, but those questions barely matter by this stage. None of our motivations really line up" the swordsman answered, "and everyone's here for their own reason. If anybody's weak, your question won't matter before too long, so why worry or it?"

"Don Luffy saved m'life, an' then some," Gin took over. "He's a captain worth following an' we know th' sorta dangers waiting in that...cursed sea. Ah already came from there half dead once, but Ah want t' go back t' conquer that fear. To aid my captain an' my crew whatever we find in those seas." Giving some members their backbone again, the next proclamation was the last person most thought would lend their share to the matter.

"It's not only for Luffy! Or only for us," Nami proclaimed, standing tall in the storm. Each of the crew and their guest turned their attention to her. "We're going for the Grand Line to live out everything we aspire to be. You know nothing about us, whoever you are," she accused him. "Luffy set us free, he gave us our lives again and a way to live them, or our paths home are through those seas. We're not going just for him, and what gives you the place to ask any sort of question about us like that?"

"Hh. Well-spoken, Nami," Zoro found his own voice, gesturing to the idiot over his shoulder. "He wasn't willing to leave any of us, and everyone here might be dead or lost if was hadn't crashed into him, somewhere. But it's not only for him or ourselves that this is our journey."

Looking away from danger and straight for Sasuke, Zoro captured everyone's focus "I don't know who you are, but all of us aren't really usual pirates. Our captain is an idiot, and everyone does their own thing in their own way. We're not some iron-discipline crew, but different people doing different things with our own strength, and a bit lent to the others. We all have our own aspirations, but nobody is striving to meet them alone. Our captain places himself at risk for our sakes, we do the same and turn to others expecting the same from them. Have you ever met a crew like us before?"

The swordsman's conviction was infectious, shifting the mood so far even their visitor joined the others with a grin. Both arms came up, taking hold of his hood to unveil it. His full face, framed with a mane of wild black hair met the crew with a grin echoing in their memories. "No, and your answer bears a wonder and strength all its own. I have disabled the warship a certain vice Admiral arrived in. Should you escape now the Marines won't have the means to pursue you from here."

"Oh. Hey, thanks Mr. Tattoo. But we gotta wait for Kakashi…" His words dying on his lips, Naruto turned back towards the city, obscured behind a veil of rain.

"Little brother? He'll get back to us," Nami tried assuring him. "Right now we need to move the ship, away from here." Ignoring his sister, the Uzumaki kept staring, remembering, thinking…then called to his teammates.

"Sakura. Sasuke. You remember Sensei's bell-test? And what sensei said to us that day?" Ignoring further questions from their crew, the pair of Genin recalled it easily as spotlights came to the absent space where their guide, their anchor, their strongest link to the Leaf Village was held. The empty space of his presence invoked a fresh sense of indecision between all three. "With Zabuza, we didn't run. And at the end things were fine. The Merry is safe, and we can water-run just like he can," Naruto went further. "Breaking orders are kinda like breaking rules. Those who do break rules are scum."

"But those who abandon somebody," Sasuke took over, "are lower than scum. Let's go!" All three shinobi leapt back over the railing, Sakura half a second behind them. The trio were going back for their teacher, ignoring curses and calls from the others they left behind. "Naruto! No, little brother, come back here!" Nami screamed after them, as the trio dashed behind the buildings.

"Damn it, there's no way those kids are good enough to handle a Marine Vice-Admiral," Zoro spat out.

"Enough!" the force of a thunderclap silenced them. Turning around, everybody left felt the winds around them stirring up, while a hurricane of power was emerging over their visitor's face. "Your course lies ahead, not behind. I will go for them, and ensure you meet the four together. "

"Hey-hey-hey-hey-hey wait! Wait mister, thanks for this help and all, but who are you?" Stopping the looming figure at the gangplank, Usopp would've scurried had he been able to move. While looking past his shoulder, lightning streaked the sky beyond the stranger; casting him further in mystery.

"My name, you'll discover one-day yourselves, I'm sure. If your decisions are to follow him, building one another towards the goals you strive for, what reason could grant someone the power to stop that? Now go!"

0…..0

Simultaneously as the four reinforcements departed, searching for the late-coming Kakashi, a particularly anxious Monkey D. Garp tore another building up to reach the basement. "Ah-uh, G-G-G-Grandpa!" Behind their scrambling Captain, nine fellow-Straw hats braced for a fight; most crossing their fingers as Garp came swinging. "Enough with these fakes. Tell me where my Grankid went."

As the jig was up up, each of the assembly was struck with a fist and vanished. Each one that dissolved left the massive bulldog furious.

"Ahhgr. No. More. Fakes. Those ain't Luffy, so come'ere you—" Mid-shout, something struck his temple and Marine's sight went white.

Even tumbling head-over-heels, Garp caught the landing on his feet. Shaking his head to clear it, the man barely bothered lifting one massive hand to block a follow-up punch, then parried four tight, successive ones behind it. Striking the ground, the opponents met one another face-to-face: one a bearded, wild, immovable mountain, the other masked, focused and with two mismatching eyes.

"I don't wanna fight you. Luffy is my goal." The suited man turned away and ran up the road, around one corner then bashed through a solid wall, or, part-way through. "Huh? Who put that wall in my way!" With one hand and his head stuck inside, Garp reared back his other fist, then shattered the whole obstruction with a single hit. Next, the man noticed a series of dog faces shaped into the mud-bricks of that wall. Curious, but before he had a chance to ask, something snatched his ankle.

"Whaa!—Uh-urrr!" pulled right down under, Garp found himself submerged, with dust or dirt filling his eyes, nose and mouth. While his opponent came back above the ground and stared down at the tuff of hair left uncovered. 'Let's see how he escapes this. Nobody here has utilized chakra thus far,' Kakashi reasoned, 'and if he defeated Captain Luffy so frequently then Garp-san might have these Devil-fruit powers. The longer I delay him from reaching the water-front, the—'

A tremor shook the ground beneath him, as one hand burst out and seized a chunk of pavement. Immediately, it flexed and a certain grey-faced mug pulled itself back out, fixing its eyes on Kakashi "What is this! You put a wall in my way, then you pull me under? What kinda Devil-fruit did you munch on?"

"Well," the Jonin answered, shuffling back a few steps with each word. "It's past 8 at night, and I don't share secrets that late on this week of a month. Your Grandson is fine, and we will—"

"LUFFY NNNNOOOOOO!" Casually, terrifyingly, Garp burst his other arm free, planting both on the edge of his hole. "Quit blockin' me from Luffy! He'll head for the Grand Line as a pirate, next. That boy'll follow the other idiot when I'm twelve feet under first!" The rest of Garp erupted free from the hole. Next, he turned about to find Kakashi a mere 10 meters away: a sentinel beneath the narrow tunnel of a bridge.

"I'm afraid the sole way to reach your Grandson, will be after passing through me, Vice-Admiral. I have my own reasons for Luffy to remain a pirate and give the Marines some distance. The Captain has proven to me he is a true comrade. And he earned my friendship. He's already chosen a pirate's life, so the idea you have for him as a Marine appears long overdue for the trash bin."

A fresh roar answered him, with Garp right behind it barrelling for Kakashi. His target didn't bother moving; "I gotta punch you down to get to my grandkid? Okay!" Ready to flatten the cocky bastard, seconds from connecting with his fist Garp noticed sounds, smoke, flames and more erupting around the two men. The foundations of the bridge were shattered by explosions, as one outdoor patio table replaced Kakashi outside from the blast. Now behind his foe, the Sharingan-wielder eyed the cloud carefully; 'He likely won't die beneath that rubble. All the same-'

Dropping in a duck, Kakashi lost some hairs to another wreaking-ball arcing above him. Training saved him from Garp's attack, some instinct warning of the punch and pairing with his eye, he evaded flying debris, then had to duck and weave between the barrage of fists that followed. Eight, fourteen, twenty-two, the numbers continued folding over themselves as Garp wailed into his target and Kakashi wove around each hit by inches. Until one came too fast and the Jonin tried to block. The impact sent him backwards through three different buildings, briefly knocking the breath from his lung.

Too fast for his mind to follow at first, waves of pain over Kakashi's back and arms rapidly fixed that. "Ackhhhhhh….eeeehhh" Shifting, the man found nothing broken but it barely eased the real impact left in his mind.

'That hit…does Guy strike that hard against real enemies? I don't remember him going that hard with me in sparring, but that's not a real fight. Did, can this impact alone outweigh Luffy's nature as a rubber man and injure him?'

Then Kakashi grasped that another punch hadn't come; he was alone.

Kakashi was no coward, and after pulling himself free the former ANBU took a whiff of the air. 'This rain is obscuring it, but his scent is heading right for the warf!'

0…0

Lightning lit up the skies, while thick waves collided together on the water almost driving the Going Merry off-course.

"Tie down the yard arm, and watch the knots," Nami cried. "If anything blows loose we'll risk colliding with the rocks! Gin, hold the steering steady." More of the navigator's commands rang over the deck, guiding the ship towards the open seas was a tricky challenge.

"Nami, we ain't too far the ninjas might get left behind, ain't we?"

"Never. I'm not leaving my brother behind, ever," Nami bit back with a screech.

"I can still see the warf," Usopp answered his crewmates, pulling in one of the lines with Sanji behind him. "Let's hope they hurry and get here, quick. I didn't get to eat anything and am feeling hungry."

"Hungry….food?...huh?" Luffy was stirring beside them.

"Oh, crap! Usopp." Zoro cursed as he watched a particular, unconscious captain pull himself up to his feet then look around.

"Oh. We're on the ship. That's nice. Sanji, can we have some meat?" The crew paused, watching for a moment as Luffy looked between all of them.

"Luffy," Nami called at him. "We're making preparations to sail out of here a bit, can you ensure everything is set away in the Lounge?"

"Okay. I'm going to get something, then we can leave and make for the Grand Line and—WAAAHH!"

One step inside the doorway and something lopped around the Monkey D.'s heel, pulling him upside down in a trap.

"Huh? Ah thought Kakashi got rid'a that?" At Gin's question, Luffy became a frozen statue. Nami did the same, while Zoro let go of his line and barrelled for the lounge.

"Old Man! He hit me," Luffy recalled, "and where is he? I don't see him-wait, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke. Nami, where are they all!" Twisting left and right, Luffy's panicking broke when he threw an arm for the doorway; stopping Zoro with a hit to his face, the arm grabbed the railing. Pulling himself for the port side, a chunk of the roof ripped out with the noose around Luffy's ankle.

"Luffy! Kakashi did stay behind to handle your Grandfather, but the others went back too before we could stop them. And I'm making sure we don't leave the bay without them too."

"No, Nami, Grandpa will kill them and—"

"LUFFY! All the passengers aboard the Merry, even Zoro with a bruise on his nose, froze. GET BACK HERE NOW OR-" they looked back to the port, to find Garp standing right on the warf staring straight at them.

The man was seconds from diving in and swimming for the ship, but-

"Fire-style: Great Fire-Ball jutsu!" Too tied up in tunnel vision, Garp barely clicked into the wave of heat growing on his left arm. With a leap, the massive man cleared the fresh fireball that struck the place where he'd stood. "Naruto, he's above us!"

"Shadow Clone Shuriken Jutsu!" All at once, nine different voices called in unison. Finding the Marine air-born from one massive leap, each clone threw one star and executed the same technique. A vortex of sharpened stars took form; slicing through raindrops as they flew straight for the Vice-Admiral. From the ground, Naruto and Sasuke grinned at their teamwork, with Sakura hanging back for the next move. Up above them, Garp gathered both his hands, forming a hammer fist while gravity took hold. Ignoring all the sharp stars that bounced from his skin, the falling man reared his hammer back.

"Meteor-Dead Slam!" the impact broke everything inside of 10 meters, clones included. Sasuke and Naruto each flew backwards; both of them wide-eyed, dumbfounded and afraid. 'How strong is he?'

"Which punks are in my way now!" Garp roared. "Stay out. I'm swimming after Luffy!" Ready to dive in and with nobody around to stop him, Garp left the shore to plunge under. Fighting the stormy waters with ease, he swam out 3/4er's to the escape ship until everything began spinning in fresh current. 'WHaa? Who's moving water like this—a—aahhh-aaaaahhhaaaaahhhhhh….'

Caught in a vortex the fighter could only feel himself spinning. Gradually the sensation evolved into some shifting force, all until something solid hit his back, followed by a second dose and a third close behind.

"Water-style: Giant-vortex jutsu." Up above, Hatake Kakashi's Sharingan watched his jutsu sweep up the swimming man. His genin assembled on the roof of the same building.

"Hey, thanks for grabbing me Kakashi-sensei," Naruto called up, with Sasuke sitting beside him and Sakura behind the Uchiha.

"Naruto," Kakashi turned towards them, with ire. "I commanded you all to depart on the ship. Why did you three remain here, and disobey me." The weight of authority hit the Cabin-Genin hard, two pausing from fear and respect. "Why wouldn't we, sensei? We came because you gave us a bigger order, and we gotta follow it, ya know." Frowning up, ignoring the cue of command, Naruto was stubborn as ever.

"The day we got to stay ninjas. You said anyone who breaks a rule is scum, but everyone who leaves somebody behind is worse than scum. We didn't leave you with Zabuza, so why did you think we'd do it now?"

Shaken from his task, Kakashi turned his face to his knuckle-head student. Then over to the other half of their quartet.

"And we arrived at the perfect time again, Kakashi," Sasuke stepped up beside Naruto. "Everything wound up well and we can run over water now to reach the boat casually."

"Sasuke's right," Sakura joined in. "Sensei, you said so yourself we have to stay together to survive. If anything happens to you then we can't learn about ninja-arts. When Naruto brought up the bell test we came out here together. If we can beat the Vice-Admiral that way, then we get to stay together too, right?"

Caught in his own trap, Kakashi let a chuckle mix with his sigh. "I suppose…I truly did teach this to you. And again, you came up with an excellent plan. That distraction let me execute a water-vortex jutsu and I'm certain that enemy has a devil-fruit as well. I have a clone trapping him inside a Water prism right now. Our roles here are finished."

Leaping back to their feet, Team 7 made for the base of the building then continued jogging to the water's edge; hardly in a rush in their confidence that danger was gone.

"That old guy sure was strong. Good thing he was stupid and dived into the water after we got knocked away." At Naruto's comment, somebody came to a screeching halt. "What? Naruto, you witness Garp diving in to swim? My jutsu didn't trap him in that vortex?"

"Yes. Didn't you see it, Kakashi?" Sasuke questioned his teacher, bringing the other to pause.

"You Brats!" Up above them, something was falling with a fist cocked and ready. Scattering, the team weren't struck dead-on but the shockwave that followed knocked every ninja off their feet.

'He broke out from the water? Aren't devil fruits supposed to weaken somebody when they get submerged?' Grasping his bearings again, Kakashi felt a stone in his belly at the enemy Marine right before him; turning around with dark eyes.

"Try and drown me, that makes me mad!" Garp barked out. "But you tore me away from chasing Luffy, again. I shouldn't even be giving you runt my time!"

"No, you're not capturing our captain! Multi-Shadow-Clone jutsu!" On rooftops, walls, gardens and the ground several scores of Naruto's surrounded them. Everyone charged in while Sasuke made for the roof-tops too and Sakura made to hide behind a portico.

Lunching punches, kicks and more, none of the Naruto's made any dent while Garp scythed threw all as a mower over weeds. "Fire-style: Great Fireball jutsu!" Up above, another fresh fireball came for the Vice-admiral, driving his anger a notch higher.

"Quit spitting fire at me, punk. Those ain't gonna hurt at all!" True to his word, Garp drew in one massive breath and let it loose. Slowing to fireball until the flames withered away. Quickly only the trace embers from the flare shifted around to land beyond their target.[2]

Glaring up, Garp found a certain boy wearing a terrified face. They only met for a second before the Monkey caught a foot flying right for his face!

Throwing himself in a side-flip, Kakashi's opposite ankle missed the old man's chin. So he pulled in the foot that was caught, except another fist nearly met the ninja's head. Bending his neck, cheek-to-shoulder, the punch met only the air under the Sharingan's gaze.

Now the Jonin was scared. 'Guy has been faster, but none of his blows carry that kind of impact. Is this man like Lady Tsunade-?'

"Got-ya!" Lacing both arms in a bear hug, the Vice-Admiral started squeezing. "You think back up and a trap like that'll stop me?" The two men were struggling together, Garp crushing down on Kakashi until something very, very strange happened.

"Stop picking on our sensei! Take this!" Naruto's voice announced where he was, running straight behind Garp as something made the man stop cold. Above them, another Genin was running with a sword drawn in the rain.

"I'm going to crush you!" Naruto made his own mad dash while Sasuke let out one burst of speed; both Genin stealing a tiny fraction of their foe's attention away from Kakashi.

Swivelling to free his arms, Kakashi's hands were dancing. "Naruto, Sasuke, abort! Lightning style: Electric Needle Spark!" raising his right hand to the sky, electricity grew coursing through Kakashi's body right into the man holding him.

"GGHHHHRRRR!" Gritting his teeth at the shock, Garp's powerful grip slackened; letting Kakashi escape untouched to join Sasuke's aborted run. But somebody hadn't heard the order and was too close now! "Take my kick-"

"No!" barely close enough, something hit Naruto, sending the boy skidding across the rain-soaked road. Struggling to push himself up, the duo with Sharingan found Sakura materializing in view right above her teammate. "Naruto, you fool! That was our plan, but take a second look next time! Sensei electrocuted him and you nearly got hit too!"

Beyond them, Sasuke and Kakashi watched Garp pull himself out of the shock. "Whada ya keep doing to me! Why're kids like you jumping into this fight?"

"Hey, we aren't kids, believe it!" Naruto called back, careening his head to try and see. "We're ninjas and we're pirates. All of us are going to the Grand Line, so you're not getting Captain Luffy at all. Ugly old man!"

"Huh? Why'd you say that? Did Luffy give such an idea to you shrimps?" Garp growled across to them. The menacing downpour cast Team 7's enemy in a darker shade, cracking both knuckles together with a grin. "Well, maybe this is a problem worth my attention. If you all want to play at being criminals, I'll tan your rears like a bunch of criminals."

Each of the Genin was sweating, the picture of his threat giving their minds a shock of indignity. While Garp was moving with both hands raised, Kakashi met the charge in front of his students. "Earth-style: Mud-Wave!"

"Shave!"

"Scatter!" Dropping in a roll, Kakashi watched Sakura copy him, barely escaping a fight-ending hit drop from above. Naruto was nailed, yet vanished in smoke. Sasuke wasn't seen anywhere near Garp as the Jonin and Marine began a round of kickboxing. Trading blows and blocks, the Jonin sent two spinning kicks hen weaved under a triple-punch combo. Ducking around sledge-hammers, smoke erupted from under Kakashi's feet.

"Huh-Chhr—CHHH!" leaving his opponent coughing, the Jonin snuck away through his own vanishing skill, a shushin, to land on a roof above him. Forcing his mind and heart back to a steady pace, new thoughts were coursing through Kakashi's mind. 'Sasuke must have witnessed the same thing I had through our sharingan. That Naruto was the real one. Perhaps another shadow clone was waiting to bail him out. This Garp, I didn't even manage to plant my hand and trigger the mud-wave jutsu before he was on top of us. Not only did he vanish like a substitution, but—'

"Meteor Fist!" Something tore through the wall close by, sending splinters in a shower mere centimetres from Kakashi's head. "You found me again?" A curling lip answered the question, as Garp seized Kakashi by his shoulder, the man ready for a punch that never came. Instead, the hand came down on Kakashi's hip, pressing around for a nasty surprise.

"How ya like this?" Pulling together, too fast to switch away, Garp sent Kakashi for a spin, spiralling in place so fast the world became a blur. All until one, fresh punch landed on him, driving the Jonin back to ground level to collide with the pavement.

"Sensei!"

Dazed and shaking, Kakashi nonetheless felt the full impact that time; dragging one hand around his ribs. 'Nothing…feels broken…at least," barely pushing aside the shock to reach his feet, the man felt a separate blow land even deeper than that hit. 'This man…he's a monster….bigger than anyone I've fought with before. Can we…survive?'

"Hey, you giant, farting, Meany! Take this! Shadow-clone Jutsu!" For the second time, a company of Naruto's filled the block, charging right for Garp with a fresh idea in their minds…grinning together dangerously as silently snuck around.

"That power ain't gonna do nothing to me, squirt. Time to end your sensei here, whoever he is. Then you three get my full attention." Garp leapt down with his promise, to watch something unseen dragging the downed Kakashi away from where he landed.

Distracting the Monkey D. just enough for all the Naruto to get close, with a certain surprise. "Transform: Sexy Harem Jutsu: Swimsuit Edition!" On command, every clone replaced itself with a lady sporting blonde pigtails and clad in some form of swimsuit. Pink, orange and red bikinis, a few polka-dot one-pieces, one in a halter-top, two black underwire, plus even a leopard-print Monokini. Even under a storm, Kakashi froze at spotting an outfit with cheeky bottoms and a second in a thong. Every female-"Naruko" was wearing something this time, yet the libido factor rose by a notch.

'Hehehe, this always works on old guys,' Naruto chuckled. 'Sanji-senpai sure was right about mixing some variety. Those magazines he showed me—" A solid fist broke the moment, nailing the real Naruto square in the face.

"What's up with you, punk!" Flying backwards, again, with a steaming lump on his head, bewilderment for the impossible filled Naruto. "WHa..did that not…how can-"

"What the heck was that for? You think I just won't punch anyone if they're a girl?" Garp was standing tall, alone, after getting rid of all the girls. "I punch anyone no matter who they are. Did you think just lookin' like a girl would stop me?"

Even Sakura and Kakashi were stumped. "Is he, that guy wasn't bothered by all those girls at all?" Sakura questioned, incredulously. "Okay, he really is related to Captain Luffy," Sasuke replied. "Neither were bothered by that useless skill. And the one time a distraction is exactly what we need, Naruto pulls the wrong thing out from his hat."

Each Genin felt a tap on their shoulders, while Naruto was back to his feet at a certain cerebral loss. "That…that distraction always works on everyone. Why didn't you fall for it? Aren't you a guy too?"

"BWahahahahahahahaha! I don't get distracted this deep in my job, brat," Garp answered him, his head thrown back laughing. "And what was the point about girls that close to naked? I don't see any-huh? WHaa?" His words becoming prophetic, Garp indeed couldn't see anything. Around him, the neighbourhood was beset with Mist, again. Too dense to see beyond a foot and growing thicker by the second.

"Huh? What smells like it's burning?" A fresh explosion answered his question; so intense that while it engulfed the Marine, a wave of heat could be felt two blocks away; where Team 7 was running.

"How come that failed? I was sure it would work! Maybe the bikinis were a bad idea and only fully naked will-"

"Drop the matter, Naruto!" Kakashi stopped his student's thoughts. "It was worth a shot. Though be careful with how Nami hears about that. Somehow I don't think she will be very thrilled with it now that you both are brother and sister."

"Sensei, those paper bombs I set on Mr Garp. Do you think they'll work and stop him?" Sakura's question soon found its answer, as another building behind them collapsed; its roof bending over and into the misty layer below.

All of Team 7 look on, swallowing another blow to their chances of winning the fight.

"Is that man made of concrete? Kakashi," Sasuke asked, fearfully, "he broke away from the water and can swim, so he shouldn't possess a Devil-fruit. But nobody except a ninja should have that much power in them. Is he a human at all, or something else like Arlong and his fishmen were?"

"I'm not certain, Sasuke," Kakashi answered him. Glancing around, the squad were on a separate pier one with the wooden docks. The Going Merry was still close by, where the Jonin's Sharingan found Zoro, Sanji and Gin dog-pilled over a struggling Luffy.

All as a wave of something staggered Kakashi. 'I've spent too much chakra here, between several clones, getting to the ship and having my Sharingan out for so long. Wait…chakra?' Going back to everything he'd seen, details from his eye passed through Kakashi's mind. 'He hasn't been using any! Whatever source lends to Garp-san's strength, it isn't drawn from chakra at all, or anything that leaves a similar trace. I can't copy anything he does, nor found a weakness to it. This is bad.'

Turning back between his team, fighting back a flare of desperation, Kakashi devised a plan. "Everybody. This fight needs to end, and quickly. That might only happen if we leave Garp too crippled or dazed to pursue us. Listen closely."

A minute later, Monkey D. Garp reached the scene, finding Kakashi standing there waiting for him and spotting the Going Merry further out in the water. "Luffy! Get back here now you little miscreant! You almost die right in front of me, then go running off? Is that any way to treat your Grandpa?"

"Well, is bursting through a wall to punch him any sort of way to treat your Grandson, Monkey D.-san?" With one hand raised and ready, Kakashi's efforts barely survived a fresh interruption:

"Grandpa! I'm sorry, but I'm still staying a pirate!" Luffy's call sailed over the water from the Merry. "Being a Marine is too boring, and don't hurt my nakama!"

Kakashi found Garp moving his eyes, then lent a signal to somebody out of sight. "Nooooooo! I'm not losing you, boy," Garp exclaimed. "Not like Ace—huh?" A tiny, dark-red ball fell inches from Garp's face. Explosions followed, from the Marine's feet as a shuriken sliced the air-born pellet. Red sauce of some kind splattered out, staining his eyes. Garp let out a roar, throwing his face to the sky while flames erupted, fighting against the dark smoke engulfing the rest of the man.

"Naruto, take your shot!"

"Here I go! Shadow clone jutsu!" Bursting through a doorway, three orange ninjas ran straight for the blinded Marine. One held a kunai in his hands, with two copies ahead of him. Garp swang around, yet connected with air; one clone duct low, sliding over puddles around Garp, as the other stopped to grab the third. It threw the kunai-wielding clone left, while said human projectile crossed both hands. "And another, shadow-clone: Jutsu!"

A fourth materialized, forming a platform to let that one jump-off, launching for the other clone. Garp sent out a shout, turning around and bent over to strike both together; yet the thrower-Naruto behind him grinned.

"Come right here and hit us!" the pair taunted together, throwing the kunai back to the thrower, while Kakashi spotted a paper bomb wrapped over the handle. The thrower-Naruto caught it, as Garp slammed both fists on the duo-Naruto's, both vanishing under his touch. 'The original stayed behind him,' Kakashi realized, 'but what for-'

"Take this! Hidden Leaf secret Taijutsu. Straight from the teachings of Kakashi-sensei: One Thousand Years of Death!" Naruto shot forwards, as his sensei's world hit a full stop. "What? Huh? Naruto I said-"

"Got'em!" Cutting off the complaint with his success, Naruto grinned at feeling his kunai sink into something and then leapt away. While the flames and rain dissipated the smoke, Kakashi felt himself melting when he spotted something sticking out from Garp's rear; and smoking.

"Boom!" The umpteenth explosion of the day engulfed the Marine, even making the monster hop in place. "Ow-ow-ow-ow-what made my butt start burning!" Garp exclaimed. Even the fabric of his suit had a hole blown open, showing dark black boxers.

Fittingly, the one person who'd seen this before didn't skip a beat. "Demon-wind Shuriken! Windmill of shadows!" slicing through the air with sounds, the weapons honed in for their target. Naruto was skidding backwards until something collided with him. Kakashi had to shake his head to get back in the game. 'Sakura caught him and maintained her jutsu after dropping those smoke bombs and the tobasco star around Garp. When I told Naruto to 'distract' Garp…actually I should have known that would happen. But now, I need to end this.'

The demon-wind shuriken made a single pass around Garp, then split apart beyond him. Circling back on separate vectors, the Vice-Admiral swept the hot sauce from his eyes and caught sight of them before meeting each with a punch. The weapons shattered, one after the other, to sprinkle the ground with metal shards. But once Garp turned around, something struck him dead on the chin.

The massive man went skywards, dangling in the air from a kick to his jaw. Down below, Kakashi was crouching low until he became a blur; reappearing behind Garp and muttering "Gate of Opening." A rush of power followed, with strength flowing about Kakashi's muscles to deliver several more kicks. Each one propelled Monkey D. Garp further into the air, Kakashi even noticed bruises forming from his impacts.

'He's not invincible. This should work.'

Drawing a line of wire from his hand, the "Copy-ninja" circled it around the Marine and held fast. Binding the man's arms with too much strength to let him escape, Kakashi wrapped both arms and both legs around his foe and started spinning.

Gradually at first, the speed of this rotation grew steadily. Faster and faster, both men quickly resembled a dropping spin top as the ground below grew closer. "Huh-, Bwa-, whadaya doing to me? Ahhhhhhhh-!"

"Konoha Secret Technique: Hidden Lotus!" With no chance to catch his bearings, Garp struck the ground harder than a pile-diver. Hammering through concrete, the hole under him grew deeper until a splash flew up through the opening.

Kakashi quickly reappeared, skidding away from the impact to a stop beside Naruto and Sakura. 'I hope that would make you proud, Guy.'

"Whoa!... Sensei, sensei, sensei, that was so cool!" Naruto leapt up, shaking with glee towards his fatigued sensei. "What was that? Another big secret! You gotta teach me that. What's it called? What's it called? What's it called? What's it called?" More and more demands followed until Sasuke rejoined the group and Sakura reappeared amongst them.

"Naruto," Kakashi answered the pleading. "I'll tell you of that move later, but while each of you did spectacularly, why did you use…..that move…on Garp? It weakened the ground underneath him, and my Hidden Lotus smashed through the stone with ease." Kakashi admonished his student, rising back to his feet.

"I wanted to leave him stuck in the ground, not fall underwater beneath it. Now there may be a risk he could die from drowning. I need to fish him out from the water. Or call a few Marines over to save him."

"Kakashi, why bother with that?" Looking over to the hole, Sasuke lingered on the mangled remains of his shuriken, then drew out a kunai. "A shinobi would make sure they aren't being followed. If we do not make sure he is finished, that man might hunt us later and—"

"No!" That single word became a brick wall to Sasuke, stopping not only him but the other two close by. Kakashi was glaring at his student, echoing a certain disapproving mood each could recognize. "The goal was never to kill this enemy, Sasuke. Obstacle, or ally, he is still Captain Luffy's Grandfather. Why should..? No. How can we end his life and still travel with Luffy? Do you truly want to test the limits of your abilities by killing somebody else's family? As one man…once did to yours."

That sucker punch slammed deep into Sasuke's gut, so much more literal than verbal. Folding over, the Uchiha staggered for breath under Kakashi's accusation about…that night. While one of them tried to recover, Kakashi closed his right eye but kept watch on this student and spoke with Naruto and Sakura. "The three of you will make for the Going Merry. I will—"

Behind the four of them, Kakashi was silenced by a spout erupting from the water. Whirling around, lightning lit up the skies to highlight a horrifying sight. "THAT. HURT. YOU. MAGGOT!" Monkey D. Garp, impossibly, was attacking the four again. His Sharingan tucked away, Kakashi failed to predict how this juggernaut wasn't aiming for him. Dropping low, Garp bypassed Kakashi and nearly struck Naruto and Sakura had Sasuke not body-tackled them out of the way.

His fists sinking into fresh crevices, Garp withdrew both to spin around and punch the closest thing in reach: Naruto. Taking the blow to his chest, the Uzumaki went flying, skidding over the water until he fell below it with a splash.

"Sakura, Sasuke, grab Naruto," Kakashi ordered them both, while he reached for a scroll. Both Genin looked from their sensei to the water, neither moving as something loomed over them both. Garp's furious temper was blazing on his face, ready to snatch both the brats inside his reach until a fresh crackling sound drew his attention.

Looking to his right, a jagged scythe arced around to cleave into the Vice-Admiral. The Hero was too quick, grabbing the blade by one jagged edge with his hand and holding it there. Kakashi held the hilt of his weapon, his Sharingan uncovered now as he pressed further with the Saw-blade that once belonged to Arlong.

"Do whatever you wish to me, Garp-san. Strike one of my students…all bets are off. If you want to pursue the Captain, you will need to get me off from your tail first, Vice-Admiral," the Jonin promised, pressing hard into the Hero's monstrous grip. "Chasing Luffy, and taking the others is something I won't allow."

"Why? You think you can stop me? ME? YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM, YOU DAMN FOOL?" Grap continued glaring, then his hand flexed and cracks split along the solid steel of the Saw blade.

Kakashi upped the ante by channelling chakra down the length of his weapon. Lightning crackled to life about the Saw-blade. In a wince, Garp faltered his grip, to meet a kick to his face for the trouble. Rain mixed with an acrid scent of burnt flesh, lighting chakra still running the length of the saw-blade as Kakashi swung it about. Pressing his enemy back, the Sharingan pulled double duty: predicting Garp's moves to box him in, and tracing Sasuke and Sakura pulling Naruto out from the water.

Pressing in, Kakashi sent several more swings that Garp either dodged or blocked; the sleeves of his suit paying the price. Until on one swing, Garp's massive fist closed over the weapon again. Both men held tight, but this time Garp was utterly unbothered holding the lightning chakra-laced weapon in his hand.

"Uhhr….rrrrrr. What the hell are you, kid? These many powers shouldn't exist in just a random nobody," Garp complained.

"Sensei! We have Naruto!" Sakura called over from the water and sealed Kakashi's decision.

"WHAAAAAA?! That-what-how-when-who are you?" Garp's voice matched his head, shaking left and right to look back over at the Genin. "What is that? A power that lets you stand up on the water?"

"I'll tell you about it. If you manage to kill me," Kakashi replied, pulling his weapon free and ready for a self-sacrifice. Turning his head, the man's eye met each of his students.

"Ninja Arts: Mist-jutsu!"

0…0

"Lemme off. I gotta get back and help them!"

"Luffy, eeghhhr, didn't you say you never won a fight with this guy? They're doing this so we can get away. Don't let it be for nothing!" Sanji was struggling with the Captain's arms. Zoro lay over top of the cook with Luffy's legs, as Gin and Usopp worked together trying to tie up the limbs into knots.

He wasn't the only one trying to go back either. "Naruto! Usopp, I need to have to help him!" The sniper and the navigator were wrestling by the railing, Nami trying to dive in after her brother was punched by Garp.

"Uggh…Nami, what can you do? It's too dangerous, and Sakura and Sasuke can help him too," the sniper replied, fighting down his own guilt. 'Buggy smashed my slingshot when they captured me. If only I had one spar, I'd be able to shoot from here with covering fire!'

"Nami, Luffy, we can't run back into that fight," Zoro berated his captain. "Captain, you've been thinking a little bit lately, so do some more. Your grandpa might be after you, but do you think he'll just let the rest of us go? Like Gin and me after what we've done to the Navy?"

"There's worse at hand than that, Moss-head," Sanji replied, now with a bruise over his face. "The ninjas chose to come with us to get them back home. If they tried going with the Marines, bastards might force them to enlist, then won't let them go. Somebody who can walk over water like they can are too valuable. If we get caught, Naruto and the others might lose their freedom. Kakashi had that in mind and that's why he stayed to fight alone."

Looking up for the pier, the cook was fighting his own instincts to swim back and help protect both Sakura and his fresh student. Until something drew a smile on his face.

"Miss. Nami! We're here!" Four little words brought every action on board to a halt. Looking up together, the Straw hats found their ninja-nakama vault over the railing of the Merry. Sasuke was carrying Naruto, with Sakura beside him and Kakashi bringing up the rear.

Nami broke free from Usopp immediately, dashing for the boys. Luffy threw each of his men off but could only flop around with each of his limbs tied up with each other. "You guys are back! You're back, you're back—"

Sanji and Gin made for Sakura, noting all the bruises covering her. Kakashi stood back apart from them as Zoro stared beyond him…for how little they could see. The entire bay was engulfed in dense mist, made even more terrifying by a massive roar erupting from inside.

"Everybody," Kakashi drew their attention. "I managed to execute this jutsu, but it cost me a large amount of chakra. We-" immediately, the jonin's knees buckled underneath him. Usopp caught the man, barely, and both exhausted crew-mates stayed upright on willpower alone. "…we…leave…leave…" Kakashi didn't finish, but his message got through.

"Nami! Sail us away from here! Naruto and Usopp need help! And somebody please untie me!" Luffy's orders hit everyone, the crew driven into a buzz of activity. "Set loose the sails. Gin, grab onto to helm," Nami called.

"Moss-head, help Kakashi get inside," Sanji barked, "Usopp and Naruto as well. They're way too out of it to help here."

"Alright," Zoro nodded. "You untie Luffy," Zoro replied while lopping one arm around his grey-haired crewmate and slinging Naruto over his shoulder.

Nami kept delivering instructions without moving more than two meters from Naruto while she helped Usopp after Zoro to get inside the Lounge. Cruising just along the edge of the mist, the Going Merry caught strong winds leading out from Loguetown. Speeding over waves and rain, the ship quickly moved beyond the town while the mist within started dissipating the further their distance they grew.

Once Luffy was up he helped with sailing the ship before charging into the Lounge for Naruto and Kakashi. "Hey! Are they okay?" Kakashi was sitting on a barrel while Naruto was laying over the dinning-table, both conscious again. "I…I think I'm okay, Captain Luffy. Ow…" rubbing his middle, the Uzumaki took some deep, sore breaths. "Your Grandpa hits real hard, ya know."

"Okay, but you!" Luffy whirled around on Kakashi, grabbing the man by his collar to hoist him right up to his face. "Why did you hit me over like that! My crew got hurt enough, it'd be better if I stayed to fight with Grandpa, not you! Why, old man? Why? Why?" Nami felt torn, between getting Luffy to drop Kakashi and wanting to stay close to Naruto.

"Captain," Kakahsi answered. "I did so because you and I want the same thing. We'd both rather not see any comrades in danger. Us getting hurt is fine, or even if we die it wouldn't bother us. Watching someone else take that pain, though…"

"Stop that excuse!" Luffy demanded while the others inside the room and even out on the deck felt a chill running up their spines. "Yeah, I'm okay with that. All of us decided to do this, and if we die, we die. There's nothing to it but that. I'd rather I get hurt than my crew, though. You are my crew, so don't go do that again without me, Kakashi. You got that?"

"No, I don't." The jonin's reply sent heads spinning between him and the captain.

"Why. Do I gotta hit you until you get it?" Luffy asked him, raising one fist level with his shoulder. Naruto even flinched at how much Luffy even mirrored the behemoth they'd just got away from.

"No, and if that didn't work when you're Grandpa tried it, doing the same to us isn't really a good choice," Kakashi smoothly answered. "I don't get it…because I am afraid…I am not really here."

Water droplets spilt on the floor beneath "Kakashi." Luffy's knees buckled under him, and the Devil-fruit user was hit with a sudden drained of any energy he had. "If any of you turn back," "Kakashi" kept talking looking over the occupants of the room, "then the real me won't rejoin any of you. He can escape from Garp easily, then steal a boat. Stay out from Loguetown, then wait for him to catch up."

His message delivered, "Kakashi" melted before them, quickly becoming only a puddle of seawater.

0….0

"Lightning-style: Thunderbolt!" Inside the misty blanket obscuring the bay mixed with a sudden high-volt lightning burst. Channelling his power, a certain painful exclamation signalled the ninja his own target was struck. Ending the jutsu, Kakashi slipped away deep underground.

'That…the genjutsu I cast on Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke must have worked. None of them noticed how I wasn't moving until after the Mist fell around. Hopefully, the clone will fool everybody and they won't come back.'

'All of this…' The man was panting now. Both chakra and muscle fatigue partnered together, warning Kakashi of how little he had left to fight with. 'I only need to escape and lie low. The Hidden lotus and so many jutsu's haven't left me with much to spare.'

'I might have just enough to move part-way across the town through this Underground-Move jutsu. Then finding a way to hide and recover are the first priority.'

Shifting through the earth, nearly swimming about, Kakashi spent what little chakra he could safely spare moving away from the port. Some minutes later, hoping the crew had actually followed his orders that time, the slippery ninja moved near to the surface where he felt building foundations.

'Slipping up from here might only meet wooden planks. Tenzo would be useful to have right now. Perhaps I can find a garden and—' Everything stopped when the superstructure above him shook. Reflexively, Kakashi slipped deeper as the earth above him buckled and shattered.

Feeling the now very-thin layer of earth above him, a voice declared what was happening: "I know you're down there, red-eye! Luffy got away. And you're the only one left for me to punch! Get up here, you!"

Grasping that Garp was above him, Kakashi slid forwards as fast as he could manage. 'What is happening? Garp can move through water, so this cannot be a devil fruit's power. Unless there is something else I'm not aware of. Do these Marines train members to sense where a person is? What don't I know?'

Moving about, another rumble above him appraised that Jonin that Garp was following him, and too close for comfort. 'I'm low on chakra, I can't summon Pakun or separate help, nor can I escape with him this close. All the enemy pirates are beaten or might have retreated by now, and this is the most dangerous man I've even been in a fight with.' Pushing himself further, Kakashi worked to set as much distance from the nearly-rabid intensity he felt under this pursuit. And every effort, or all his delicate care, drained what little he had even further.

'I have maybe enough chakra for two A-rank jutsu and only taijutsu. Genjutsu won't be effective on Garp, and a Hidden-mist technique to enclose the ward took more than I could spare. My Sharingan is too draining, but I can barely trace his movement's without it! What usable things do I have left?'

Nearly a minute continued, mixed with tremors to signal how many buildings were flattened behind the Jonin. Finally, after a stretch too safe for comfort, the space ahead of Kakashi shook like a bomb. And within the two seconds he had to alter direction, something seized his leg.

Yanked out from underground, Kakashi flailed around until something solid met his back and skull. White light burst in his eyes, briefly, while he coughed blood under his mask. Kakashi's sight returned in time to see solid ground coming up to his face. Realizing something held his ankle, somebody kept failing the Jonin around to slam him on the ground in any random direction he chose. Five-impacts later the grip let go and the Hatake flew up into the air.

"Ooops!" The shout from the ground was little-comfort, but it gave the ninja a window to grasp his bearings and land softly on a wall. Finding nothing was broken, instinct saved Kakashi from another wrecking ball. Leaping away to watch a hole form in the space where he stood a second earlier, Kakashi went on the run, working to build space between himself and the angry Vice-Admiral.

"You ain't getting' away from me now, brat! Quit makin' things harder for you!" Garp was hot in pursuit, knocking apart one chunk from a building after the other, somehow always getting away ahead of them collapsing down over him.

With enough space between them, Kakashi spun around and planted both feet. Between each hand, he held some 20 shuriken with something else mixed in over his fingers. 'Saving these don't matter at this point. All I need is some way to escape.'

Tossing all of them straight for Garp, Kakashi's hands were flying. "Lightning style: Shuriken Lightning-web trap!" True to its name, first every spinning star became alive with lightning; second an intricate web of electric currents spread between them in a massive projecting spider-web.

Kakashi's timing was perfect, enough without his Sharingan, as Garp met the trap head-on. The Vice-Admiral clenched his teeth but didn't stop. The move only faltered his charge for under a moment; all the time that Kakashi needed. Every star that wasn't stopped flew around their target, spinning the last of Kakashi's ninja wire behind them. Dozens of strands encircled the Vice-admiral, the man pulling against them and taking his focus off Kakashi.

"Fire-style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" 'Please, let this work, else I'll need to fall back on that,' Kakashi pleaded, while he released his jutsu: casting forth a massive body of flames swirling in the spectre of a dragon.

Their intensity built into a roar as the flaming dragon made straight for Garp, covering the short span between both men…too slow to work. The fewer restraints weren't enough and Garp Broke free, bursting them apart and met the attack straight-on with his fist.

Echoing his moniker, "Garp the Fist," that punch carried the force to hold the Dragon in place and then propelled the flames back where they came from. Watching the inferno, Garp waited to spot his enemy, but a fresh distraction came first.

"Huh? Wha…." Trying the follow his ears, some ringing echoes and whining of birds range throughout the street Garp stood in. Enough to number a thousand, this distraction occupied his attention while Kakashi dashed in.

"Chidori!" Crouching low, his Sharingan backed out, and holding a wild pocket of lighting in one arm, Kakashi honed in for his target: Garp's left leg. 'I'm sorry Luffy. If this man can still run, we won't meet up again. A leg injury will stop him.'

Or it wouldn't. Kakashi's eye widened as it predicted the impossible. 'No.'

True to what he saw, Garp spun around in a crouch without even looking at Kakashi, his fist travelling in one arc at ankle level. Without sacrificing balance to deliver his strength, Garp's bare fist met Kakashi's Chidori and a battle of wills ensued.

Crackling lightning raised to higher volume, while Garp's face morphed into absolute focus; a level Kakashi had never seen before as desperation built-up in his soul. Both men pressed forwards, the Ninja channelling what little he still had while searching for some trace or hint of a crack to press in on. Garp was the picture of a mountain: solid, imposing and unmovable. Gradually the iconic weapons of both fighters clashed together, lasting for over a minute and generating crackling spurts of black energy around them both.[3] All until one ran dry of its power.

Kakashi felt the power of his jutsu ebbing away and he bent over to avoid the upwards-arc of the punch. Garp's opposite hand snagged the jonin by his collar, pulling the man into a fresh bear hug. Letting out a roar to echo his strength, the Marine bent backwards. A Supplex drove Kakashi straight into the ground again, hard enough to nearly crack his skull.

"You're not making any fancy hand moves on me! Time to end this and lock you up so Luffy has to come back to me!" Garp delivered on his promise rising back up and shifting Kakashi a few notches higher in his grip. Both hands trapped and separated, Garp followed with a sickening powerbomb, dropping Kakashi forwards to slam on the ground, right over the back of his skull.

Experience rang through what little of his mind Kakashi still had to think with. 'That hit should at least cause a mild concussion, so I don't have much left. He's learned too much about me, too. Taijutsu is out, and I don't have any ninjutsu that can be—' Trapped in a desperate situation, a single option appears in the back of Kakashi's memory. Out of anything else, and aware he had very little of anything to work with, the man tried for it. Wiggling his arms as Garp held him back up, one got free and opened its palm.

"What?" Garp frowned, feeling something coming up, but the picture was quite fuzzy; unlike the other warnings he'd had from Kenbushoku Haki throughout that night.[4] Inside Kakashi's left hand, a spiralling pocket of chakra was forming. Pressing further power inside it, the Jonin felt the last of what chakra he still had fed into the move. Forcing himself to focus, the power began rotating over itself, compressing together to form a tight, whirling sphere. A bewildering orb took shape, stabilizing in the centre of Kakashi's palm. His final chance for escape. "Rasengan!"

The move met Monkey D. Garp's right shoulder. Grinding his teeth, the Vice-Admiral felt its power, in a very, very bad way.

'Huh? This thing? It's grinding into me, and even through my Haki?'

"You gotta move that can beat Haki!" Garp exclaimed. In shock, his grip loosened only enough for Kakashi to free himself. Still pressing forwards, the Rasengan left his palm and grew larger against Monkey D. Garp. Not waiting to see the results, Kakashi spun around and ran for all his life.

Garp kept struggling, the last attack of the battle still pressing against his shoulder, then growing outwards across the man's whole form. Nearly encompassing him, the figure inside the sphere planted himself and did not budge. Then a mighty black fist slammed over the Rasengan, driving it towards the ground and compressing such power with it.

The ground exploded, throwing a fresh dust cloud into the air, before rain settled the debris and showed Garp sunk into a wide, spirally hole so deep he could stand up and his head wasn't clear of the wide maw. Glaring down at his handy work, Garp flexed his hand slightly. 'Damn. I nearly channelled Conqueror's Haki to contain that move.' the man confessed, honest to a fault.

'Why'd that guy hold-out on a move like this until now? If that spinning thingy had been coming for my head, I mightda had to pull out my Blue Hole to counter it.'

"But if I go and do that, this whole town ain't gonna be standing anymore. BWAhahahahahahaha!"

Leaping out from the shallow crater, the Hero of the Marines looked about before choosing which direction to follow. 'I don't feel where this guy went like before. Did he finally escape, or drop dead?'

A handful of turned and several various roads followed. After not finding his prey for several minutes, looked about to find a tall building close by. "I'll look up there." Clearing the building in a single leap, the man landed atop the tower to search across the storm-beset city.

"Hmmm. Where'd that guy go for? He's my key to force Luffy to come sailing back. And, maybe he'll share a few doughnuts with me. I haven't had this much fun in a fight since Roger gave up and couldn't brawl anymore. Whoever this Kakashi is, he sure is excited to brawl this good."

"Hmmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmhm." A new, and dangerously familial chuckle came behind the Hero of the Marines. "Quite a feat to accomplish, and only you would complement somebody after nearly trying to kill them."

Garp froze! Nothing….of….him….not even a breath…..moved.

A voice. One he hadn't heard for decades. The tone of the singular greatest foe to all the World Government stopped him—cold.

Skywards high above him, the storm clouds were circling above, a mirror of the spirals that partner a maelstrom. Winds grew bolder, stronger by the second. Ink-dark shades were moved in, far too unrelenting to be pacified with the sun. Tension was building on the spot, ready to spark into a fight with any kind of clap.

Garp drew himself together, his absolute focus centred on exactly the man he knew was mere meters away.

Turning around, the Hero of the Marine found him: covered by an ink-green cloak and with somebody draped over his shoulder. Lightning lit up the sky, its flash casting light beneath the hood of the late arrival. The tattoo across his face betrayed the man's identity, the singular Worst Criminal in the World.

Merely a single foot shorter than the Vice-Admiral, the difference in size held nothing against the measure of danger both men could unleash should they fight. Neither feared the other, but Garp wanted to pray nothing would happen from knowing how much demand from him a fight would steal. They were ground zero for a perfect storm.

One hesitant tiger atop a fearsome mountain and one dragon within a wild vortex.

"What are you doing here?" Garp muttered towards this man. "Why wait this long then step in? Did you come to drag more souls off on that crusade you're waging?"

"You still understand so little," the man spat full of contempt. "My purpose here is unfulfilled, that I shall not deny. As for waiting this long." Dragon looked over at one prone figure draped over his should. Garp noticed it was the very person he had been fighting.

"His name is Hatake Kakashi, if you didn't bother to learn it," Dragon continued. "To match you, even at a fraction of your real strength, is nothing short of amazing. And willing to sacrifice himself while those he called his allies could escape. That boy holds both fate and luck on his side."

"He nearly died tonight," Garp shot back, "And you were nowhere to be found. Why? Has he never mattered to you? Or do you believe that much in fate there was no reason to do anything?"

Across the rooftop, Dragon was glaring at the Marine. Controlling himself with something not natural at all for their family, he looked to the heavens and spoke. "I had been watching since before you ever reached here. At first, that was enough, but quickly the ones he asked to be crewmates captured my respect. Bonds have been made between them, with power far greater than any Marine would ever hope to forge. Curiosity left me to stand apart, and with each day the need to intervene diminished."

Silence followed this speech. Garp watched on while his company turned their head towards him. 'Huh? He's not looking at me but…' Following the line of his sight, the Marine and the Revolutionary gazed out at the same target.

"At the onset of your arrival, I decided to ensure he could still escape," Dragon explained. "After someone declared that one of his crew would die, half the group made to rescue him while the others came for their ship. I met them in that place, and spoke with this man directly."

"WWHHAAAAT!" Garp spun about, his mouth open like a gate. Until it shut with a shrug. "All right. Coming out in the open is hardly your style, but choose what you will."

Nodding, more than used to his company's habits, Dragon continued. "When they announced that my son would die, his friends took off to save him. You would arrive as well, yet that fate would close their escape the second you made for your own ship. I prevented that, and did you wonder why none of the Marines you sailed here with have joined in that battle?"

Monkey D. Garp cocked one head aside. Then realized how little he felt of anything from his own men of the 153rd Marine Branch. Looking around from their perch, and casting out with his Kenbushuko Haki, images of one squad after another were scattered about Loguetown. From the plaza to the pier, even the streets and back alleys, every Marine in the town was out cold.

None were dead, but neither were they moving.

"Most were too strong to intimidate and inhibit," Dragon continued. "And casting that power would have been too conspicuous for word to remain silent. I couldn't be in two different places and want to avoid more exposure than I need. I hoped Luffy's group would manage to evade or hold out against you long enough. But one of them fighting with you to purchase sufficient time for the escape on their own was surprising."

Slowly, deliberately, Monkey D. Dragon looked out to the sea. "That man is no longer a boy. Nothing can stand in his way from the destiny he chose for himself."

"Even when that destiny comes to kill him!" Garp growled to his company, curling both hands together. "Standing in my way will mean I gotta fight you. Actually, maybe I should, since you weren't there when Luffy needed everybody. I raised you, and yet you don't come running to save your own boy? Did abandoning him in Goa Kingdom make doing the same here so easy? How can you claim to be saving the world when you won't come and save your own son? You Fool!"

Slowly, the storm around them began churning into a cyclone. Monkey D. Dragon turned about, glaring at Garp with the power to leave even a Logia-type in agony. "All these years, and you still understand so little," a dangerous whisper emerge.

"You ahead of all others have seen the horrors practised by those who claim the world is there's. How many of them believe something trivial as bloodlines dictate what a person will become? And do they hold any credit for the efforts you made against the Rocks?"

"SAY nothing." Monkey D. Garp snarled back, with dark shades of power engulfing his fists. Worse, thin streams of black lightning flew out from both, indicating the further those words had coaxed Garp into answering with such power. Yet across from him, Dragon stood unbothered.

"So many claim the positions they were born to will dictate their lives, and throw away all they deem undesirable," Dragon continued. "Even from their own kin. I did leave Luffy behind, but not with ease nor without purpose."

"My goals are to build upon freedom, and to break the cycle those who lead the world are trapped inside of. Humility and exemplary means are the answers I will stand accountable to. Had he come with me, and others new who was my son, would these events have passed or been smothered without any chance to live?"

Slowly, Garp's fury wanned, easing away as his fist uncurled and both hands slid into his pockets. Between both men, the rain continued falling as Dragon looked out in a separate direction. "No matter where I stand, I always felt some urge to look out towards the East." A thin smile crept over his face. "Perhaps the idea somebody shared with me rings true. But if Luffy had been raised with me, how many from my own ranks would expect him to follow at my side. Worse, they would press him to lead in my stead? How many would place one target over his back and deny him any life but one tethered to my goals and mission?"

"Leaving my son behind," Dragon explained. "It freed him of the cage my lineage would lock him inside of. Luffy does not know of me, and neither does the world. Now, even should some Marines learn of him, his life and fate are his own to choose."

After his last words were ended, Dragon felt one-half of the pressure surrounding them dissipate. Turning back to face his father, Monkey D. Garp had his mouth dropped so wide a du-gong would leap inside it. The man was barely moving, a picture shock so impossible Dragon even laughed.

A grin, one that only could be called wild, grew over Dragon's face. "I won't deny I have a desire to meet him again. Whether he will know who I am is not of any matter. Though selfish it may be. And for that same reason, I will not let you follow him and steal that freedom away, Old Man."

Still, for entire minutes now, the Hero of the Marines could barely respond. After mustering the effort to close his mouth, the man look out to the same direction his Grandson sailed. Several dozen moments followed, neither man breaking the silence from their thoughts. Even Kakashi, still slung over Monkey D. Dragon's shoulder wasn't moving at all.

"Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," An impossibly long sigh escaped from Garp's mouth. "Maybe…for once, you aren't wrong, kiddo," the man shared with his company. "I'm not stupid enough to chase after you. But if that's what you think I won't go after Luffy either."

"So, you beat down all of my men here? How long are we gonna be stuck around here for?" At Garp's question, Dragon still smiled.

"Your old friend Bogard gave more fight than the rest. Those pirates who did try and kill Luffy won't be going anywhere."

"BWahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! BWahahahahahahahahahaha!" Throwing his head back, the Hero's laugh carried all around through the town. "You're still that strong, eh? I'd be disappointed if you couldn't pull off something on that scale. Good luck to you, son."

Garp nodded to Dragon and then strode away. Leaving Dragon alone, with Kakashi out-cold over his shoulder.

0…0

Elsewhere on the East Blue, hardly a stone's-throw from Loguetown, a small squadron of Marine-ship battled against the storm. Aboard one vessel, an alarm bell cut through the silence of the dark night. Beset by powerful winds and an endless, diagonally downpour, men ran all about shouting about a child.

"The girl escaped. Find her! Search the entire ship! Use any means necessary! But don't rough her up, remember she's still a child!" Following orders, the half-decent Marines split up to track their quarry.

Many questioned how long such searching would take until an answer gave itself away. A scream cut through the deck, drawing attention to a child sliding in the water and stop was provided by a boat, the girl barely had a minute before-

"There! Get her!" Half running/half struggling against the weather, the Marine failed to reach their target before she was climbing. Scaling the rope ladders up to the crows nest, some men called up from below.

"You're too high!" "Come down from there!" Some tried to follow, but one choice led to near-disaster. Cutting the ropes to keep them at bay, the girl severed the only support anchoring the mast in place.

Her scream followed the mast while it bent over in the wind; colliding with the second one. The impact knocked the sail loose, immediately catching the wind some unholy force sent the ship side-over, almost capsizing the whole vessel. "Take in that sail! Or we're all dead!" As the Marine held on against all their odds, the girl up above peered over the side of the crow's nest. Spotting one boat down below, she steeled herself; holding a small token about her neck.

'Grandpa Ryu. Please protect me.'

A fresh gust of went sent the vessel further on its side, and closer to the rowboat far below. With total faith, Apis leapt over the side and was lost from anybody's sight. Hopeful that she'd find her way back and meet the Dragons, someday.

End.

So. In this chapter there is a lot I wanted to explore. Especially one subject which has been in my head for years now: Why Dragon abandoned Luffy. This answer to why Dragon left his son behind is all my own, yet it also would be the total opposite of everything the Celestial Dragons and other Nobles of the One Piece World obsess over. He is a highly complex individual, and I promise this will not be the last time he appears in Growth Through Chaos.

Separately, Garp vs. Kakashi was THE, THE hardest fight I have ever written before. Yes, Kakashi did contend with Garp, but at most was only able to wound him and had no idea just how dangerous that man could honestly be. For every who loves Kakashi: the Sharingan Warrior grew and evolved over the course of Naruto, almost as much as the rest of Team 7 did. For this fight, my benchmark was Kakashi in the Nami no Kuni Arc, not the one who could fight Akatsuki members 2-on-1 and live to talk about it.

Kakashi is powerful, but in this setting he wasn't only out-matched, but he could copy or dissect anything in his opponent. Kakashi, in general, is specialized for fighting Ninja's; dissecting their moves and habits, copying their techniques, and using a natural weakness against them linked to chakra-arts or ninja-arts. Here, several x-factors were removed since Garp is a One Piece Marine, not a Naruto-ninja.

Still, he put up a damn good fight, so what will happen to him next?

The next chapter is already in the works, and as for Warship Island; I had to let Luffy get a bounty on his head somewhere before the Grand Line. The net chapter will have some fresh surprises: including one that is critical for this entire story and will impact all of the Straw Hat Pirate-Ninja's, to their souls.

[1]-Think of Whitebeard spearing a magma-rock and blowing it cool with only one deep breath. If can do that, what not have Garp do the same?

[2]-When two individual clash Haki-against-Haki, black spark often form between them (unless both possess Conqueror's Haki). Here, I image Garp's focused power against the Chidori, or similar concentrated-jutsu would result in the same.

[3]-Throughout the Fight, Garp could feel/predict Kakashi' location and action through Haki; at least while he was focused on him, or somebody else was focused on Garp. The more deliberate and detailed someone thinks against a Haki-user, the easier it is for them to predict what is coming. Hence why a certain move here nearly hit when Kakashi was only semi-conscious or had a mild concussion. And why certain moves worked when Garp was distracted or focused on somebody else.