I own neither One piece nor Naruto.

When he opened his eyes, he was in a broken town, if it could even be called as such.

He could tell that there was a big fight. The familiar town had turned to rubble, and it looked like remains of a battlefield from straight from the Fourth Great War, with the constant orange glow of fire shining ominously in the background. But that did not last long either. The fire had died down by the time anything moved. The tall wall of flame had shortened, and most of the buildings had fallen.

A green-haired swordsman knelt before a towering tyrant.

...It felt strange, being the only one in thing in this place that could not move, and aside from those two, they were the only ones who were alive around here aside from some faint presence in the background.

The green-haired swordsman was injured, almost fatally so and he felt that since the swordsman had survived, he should live on despite the bloodlust emanating from the large tyrant before him.

He started walking aimlessly because he thought it would be dangerous to just stay there unguarded, keeping a careful eye on the swordsman and the Tyrant. He was not really concerned about getting noticed by the other people lying around him probably because over and above the caution that had been hammered into him, he had a stronger feeling in his mind.

That what was happening before him was important. That it was something he had to see.

It was already a wonder that the swordsman was still conscious, so he couldn't expect to be saved if the Tyrant moved against him. He won't survive. Whatever happens, he won't be able to escape from this red world. It was such an absolute fact that even he as a distant observer could understand it.

And then the swordsman bowed his head.

Was it because he had no hope? Was it because he had nothing left to give in his body?

This should have been the end.

The broken body of that swordsman should have fallen to the ground.

But it seemed that fate had found a different path, for he could hear the two speaking amongst themselves with words he could not hear. Yet the very fact that the tyrant seemed willing to listen had seemingly lit a fire within the figure of that swordsman, so subtle that he could have missed it if not for these keen eyes of his.

Though the swordsman remained unwavering he could see tears welling in his eyes, delighted from the bottom of his heart that he had found a way to save someone who must live. It was because he looked so happy...

As Sasuke moved closer, a single sentence from the swordsman penetrated the haze.

"Luffy is the man who would become the Pirate King!"

The cool morning air was already starting to warm as the sun slowly rose into the sky. Ariel clutched the hem of Sasuke's sleeve in a tight grip as they walked through the streets of the only town on this small island. She was a step behind the raven-eyed man with black hair, peering carefully from around his torso at the city as it slowly came to life around them.

She had never been to such a large human settlement before, having only seen them from a distance whenever her ship had docked to resupply. Whisps of smoke rose from countless chimneys in the winter. She had always wondered what it must be like to live in such a place, a place so very different from anything she had ever known.

Never would she have thought she would see it for herself one day. There were so many people, too many humans.

It made her feel very uneasy. Some of them looked their way, and she desperately tried to avoid meeting their eyes because of the instincts gained from her time as a slave. She was very much aware of how her cloak moved as they walked and she kept adjusting it out of fear of her wings being exposed on accident and possibly causing them any trouble.

Sasuke had reassured her numerous times that nothing would happen to her- that even if people saw her wings and actually dared to do anything untoward, he would protect her. The way he had said it so calmly had made her feel strangely secure, but it did not get rid of the unease completely. Moreover, it was far more rational to avoid trouble in the first place.

They were heading for the market in the middle of the city and according to Sasuke, it was there that they would be able to get some clothes for her. She had protested at first, insisting that she was fine with what she had and that Sasuke did not have to go through the trouble but he would have none of it. She had to admit that wandering around without any underwear was somewhat uncomfortable and a bit... embarrassing, but only if she thought about it.

Which she most certainly had been since the last hour in which they navigated the market. She kept readjusting the cloak Sasuke had given her, even if it was not riding high or anything of the sort since it went down to her knees— between her constant adjustments to her cloak, looking around at the city, and keeping her platinum hair in check, she appeared very fidgety. Not that Sasuke seemed to mind.

"We are here," Sasuke announced as they rounded yet another corner. This was only supposed to be a small town, but there had been so many that she had lost count.

Ariel heard the sounds and breathed the smell of the market well before they reached it thanks to her superhuman senses, and the apprehension inside of her had only been growing because of it but to finally see it was something else. She paused in her tracks when they entered the market, causing Sasuke to stop as well since she had been clutching at his sleeve this entire time and had not let go.

Colours, so very many colours. The multitude of colours that greeted her eyes were astounding and beautiful in a certain sense. Then there was the actual size of the market itself- it spanned the entirety of the main square which also served as the heart of the city. There had to be close to a hundred stalls, maybe more which sold all sorts of things and the food!

Just the various kinds of aromas that greeted her as soon as they had entered the market caused her stomach to growl a bit in anticipation even though she had just eaten at the inn and going by the delectable odor, she was sure that she would enjoy whatever food was available. Ariel secretly hoped they would get some, not that she would ever actually ask for any since they had just eaten.

She had no desire to appear needy nor did she want Sasuke to think of her as a burden, financially or otherwise.

The very thought of it made her extremely anxious and she found her grip of Sasuke's arm tightening as she clutched the hem of his sleeve even tighter than she had before, as if he were going to vanish on her right then and there. It was a terrifying thought, to be lost in this crowd of humans alone.

As if sensing her thoughts, Sasuke turned and poked at her forehead with his index finger. "I am not going anywhere. But we should get done with our business before it gets really busy. Crowds can be troublesome."

"Okay," she simply nodded in agreement, not knowing what else to say.

They plunged into the market. There was a low hum of noise that constantly hung over the market that was only enhanced by the occasional laughter or shout. The sights and smells felt quite overwhelming now that she was in the midst of it all, and Ariel was glad that she was keeping hold of Sasuke because she knew might have gotten lost otherwise. It was the most amount of humans she had seen together.

Sasuke spoke to a few of the merchants, who pointed them toward a certain corner of the square that focused on women's fashion. It took them about five minutes to make their way through the somewhat narrow passages between shops with Sasuke stopping at a few to take a look at some of the items being sold. He pointed out a few trinkets to her that looked interesting as they walked but she did not say much, though she did take it all in.

She tried to ignore the curious glances cast her way by some of the people because of her rather attractive appearance. Their focus on her made her anxious, both because she was afraid of being identified and because she was not used to such gazes.

Sasuke simply told her to get what she needed when they finally reached a corner that sold all manners of clothing for women, from dresses and shoes to cloaks and most importantly underwear.

She just stared at him in response. She had thought that he might pick things out for her and that would be that, but to actually have a choice in what she would wear was new and surprising. "I... get to choose?"

It was his turn to stare at her, an amused expression on his face.

"Of course. I am not going to tell you what to wear. You are free now." he spoke those words as if it was the most natural thing he had ever spoken, and she stared at him in astonishment as he shrugged, "Besides, I have no idea about women's fashion. So even if you told me to choose, I would probably pick something that would ill suit you."

"But I do not know anything either," she responded with a frown.

The problem with being given the choice was that she did not know what to choose at all. She had never gone shopping before, and any clothing she had ever had was something someone else had given her. Whether it was the clothes thrown her way back home or the rags that her masters had made her wear, the fact remained that someone had always done the choosing for her and she simply wore what was given to her without complaint.

Sasuke sighed. "I suppose that is a problem. But the solution seems simple enough, we ask for professional help."

He walked into the nearest shop, only to be greeted by a wide tarp of various blues, greens, and yellows that covered the space. Wooden racks full of dresses, shirts, and pants packed the square space underneath the tarp, along with plenty of other items of clothing. In the middle of it all was a small wooden desk, behind which sat an older woman with brown hair and a purple dress with black designs.

She appeared to be the owner, and Sasuke approached her with Ariel following close behind.

It was the older lady with brown hair tied up into a bun who spoke first. Her brown eyes seemed to size them up, and her gaze stayed on Ariel for a few heartbeats longer than it had on Sasuke making the Lunarian fidget under her gaze.

"Good morning!" the woman greeted enthusiastically, happy to have someone enter her sizable shop. It had been empty when they arrived. "Welcome to Violet's Vestments, I'm Violet. What can I help this dashing couple with today?"

"W-We're not..." she tried to say as her cheeks suddenly turned red, and Sasuke diverted the focus back on him with a small frown which seemingly drew all all eyes towards him in a way that seemed almost surreal as his presence grew.

"Are all these made by you?" he asked curiously, his gaze sweeping across the rows of clothes even as Violet subconsciously straightened her back and snapped to attention whereas the Lunarian remained quiet and tried to busy herself by looking at the various clothes on sale next to her.

"Most of them. Some were made by a few of my business partners, others I bought if they looked good," Violet nodded, she gestured to the rows upon rows of clothes before mustering the courage to smile at him again. "But the majority of it was the product of my own hands."

"Excellent. Ariel here would like some help picking out some new clothes and some..." Sasuke paused momentarily, the usual stoic mask on his face before pushing on, "Underwear."

The brunette smirked, one eyebrow raised as she glanced between the two mischievously as she eased back to her practiced casual tone which seemed almost custom-made for serving customers, even though Sasuke's expression remained unchanged "We would be happy to help, sir,"

"I do have a budget," Sasuke told her, "I want to see what you come up with whatever I can get for this." he placed a pouch of money on the counter. It sounded all too heavy, and the way Violet's grin stretched seemed to indicate that she had noticed. "For now, that is. I may come again soon if the need arises and I find your service acceptable."

Ariel's head whipped around to look at him, not that she knew he could sense her motion since she was behind him. She could not tell if he was serious, but if he was, then that probably meant he was probably going to buy her more things from this place in the future. Unless... there were other women in his life, which was entirely possible.

Yes, that was probably it. He probably meant that he would purchase those for other women, not her. He would not buy her more than she needed, that would be absurd, she thought. They had only just met after all, and she was not all that important to him. Ariel realized then how little she knew of him.

"Very well, good sir." the vendor spoke evenly as she swiped the rather small pouch of coins that he had put down, feeling its weight in her hand. There was a twinkle of excitement in her eye. "I accept the challenge."

"Hm." the raven-eyed man grunted again, sounding pleased. "Now, I do have some other errands to run. I trust you would take the utmost care of Ariel in my absence?"

"But—" Ariel started to say, worry washing over her like a flood that threatened to drown her.

"Of course," Violet assured him. "We would take very good care of her and when you come back for her, I'm certain you'll be wanting to return here for more."

"We shall see," Sasuke's voice remained the same despite her words. He turned on his heel and went up to Ariel who looked very much as if she was going to break down in the middle of the place as fear gripped her heart at the thought of her savior abandoning her here with these strangers.

"You're leaving me?" she asked, her voice sounding a bit hoarse and her heart clenched at the thought. She did not know why she felt that way, how could she get attached so quickly?

Here she was thinking about trying not to be too needy just moments, yet now she was being so astoundingly needy right now. But she could not help it, somehow the thought of him abandoning her was too much to bear and her heart simply broke. He had saved her— the one human who had shown her kindness, to have treated her as something more than property or a tool. The very thought of being rejected by him sounded worse than anything else she could think of.

Sasuke's face was unreadable as he stood in front of her, and she braced herself for whatever harsh words he might have to say but then he reached out and poked her forehead with his finger once again. It felt really good and she found herself relaxing as almost as if someone dear just had embraced her, she rubbed her eyes with her hands.

"I promise to be quick, Ariel. I need to check something and plan our next route" Sasuke spoke so quietly that only she could hear, almost as if he had read her eyes. "Did I not come back every time I went out before?"

She nodded, her eyes downcast as she felt really glad for reasons unknown, almost as if a burden had been removed from her soul. Why did she feel that way when she herself was more than capable of surviving on her own?

"Is everything alright, sir?" asked Violet carefully from somewhere behind Sasuke, even as Ariel continued clutching his sleeve tightly and he made no move to push her away.

"Yes. Everything is fine," he said calmly, "She is just not used to being on her own."

"How precious!" came the reply from the older woman whose eyes sparkled as she glanced at the two of them. "I would take good care of you, Ariel. Don't you worry about a thing!"

Sasuke finally made to pull away and Ariel could only reluctantly let him go as he gave one last look to Violet before he walked out into the rest of the market, conveying that they better take care of her or else, "See you soon."

Ariel held her hands together and fidgeted uneasily as the other woman came up to her.

"We've got our work cut out for us," said Violet as she looked the timid platinum-haired girl up and down. "Let's get started."

Blue. The world was filled with a myriad of blue as far as the eye could see, roaring and twisting as if it were power incarnate for all of eternity. For almost all, the Grand Line was overwhelming and suffocating, as the brutality inside this sea torn between pirates, marines, revolutionaries, and kings threatened to crush any foolish being that dared to callously step foot into the watery graveyard. For most, this sea was a death sentence. For Aokiji, this place was Paradise.

The Admiral girl seemed to float in the middle of the ocean, seemingly standing still on nothing but a pad of ice as wide as his shoulders, as his curly black hair which was usually tied now cascaded down his back. Cloaked in the white marine uniform gothic, the Admiral's eyes stared at an empty space in the middle of the sea strange combination of apathy and annoyance. His ears seemed to twitch at the sounds of warships blaring their horns off in the distance, as the sound seemed to radiate throughout the void.

This was not the emptiness he had expected. It seemed that CP0 had been dispatched far before the Navy ever had, seeing that this empty expanse of sea was practically swarming with them. Frowning, Aokiji felt the energy inside of him begin to seep out beneath his feet as the platform beneath his feet expanded an inch or so but just as he was about to calm himself and curb his annoyance, he stopped. The icy power slowly began to recede as the Admiral turned to his right, his eyes instantly catching onto the faint trail of Haki floating throughout the gap. It was pure unbiased power yet it felt so dark…

With a thought, he moved over to the trail and carefully ran a hand through it, only to nearly dissipate it entirely. His eyes traveled upward, to the empty skies above and he sighed. This was not just a random string of power, but a carefully placed declaration.

Her interest peaked and he almost began to follow the trail, despite the knowledge it would lead to a dead end. But before he could his portable Den-Den Mushi rang.

"Hello, this is Admiral Aokiji speaking," He sighed and picked up the call, knowing that this could not be ignored in his usual manner. Those who knew this number were all in high positions of power and would not contact him casually.

"Admiral Kuzan, it is a pleasure to talk to you once again." A sickeningly sweet voice drawled out, purposely drawing out its words. "My operatives report that you have arrived at the scene. That was rather quick of you."

"What do you want?" He questioned, deflecting the small talk and narrowing his eyes as he glanced at the ships in the background. He recognized the voice, it belonged to a rather mysterious operative who oversaw the World Government's numerous intelligence agencies, an extremely prominent portfolio her one of the most trusted and influential individuals of the organization, "The CP0 has been all over the place already, and I can tell your organization has long finished its investigation. I do not understand why the government would want me to investigate the incident again."

"It is good that you understand the situation already, I would not have to waste my time then." The voice drawled, again purposely stretching out the words. "Yes, we have finished our investigations and located the target. Your role is to capture the criminal who dared make a mockery of the World Nobles and secure the stolen goods at any cost, you may use full force at your discretion."

"Located already?" Aokiji could not help but ask, almost impressed if not for the identity of who he was speaking with.

"The trail was rather beautifully concealed, using perhaps one of the best methods our organization has ever seen." The voice sounded almost impressed as it spoke of the criminal, "But the target was too rash afterward, considering he decided to rent a room at an inn some islands away. These sorts of things rarely escape our notice, especially when the entire organization has been put on a high alert by Saint Nicholas who was furious at the sheer audacity of the criminal."

"Is that so?" Aokiji hummed, the sea beneath him freezing ever alongside his small movements. He was impressed by the organization's prompt response to the emerging threat but was less than convinced by his orders. The Admiral stroked his chin, a habit of his from his days as a seaman whenever he entered serious contemplation, "This rules out pirates and the revolutionaries then, they would have sent support by now had they been involved. That makes things easier, I would have to sent a report to the headquarters otherwise,"

There was a pause and there was no trace of amusement in the voice this time as it spoke once again after a moment, "The coordinates would be sent to your location soon. But you should know better than to ask too many questions, Admiral."

And that was the end of it, a single beep signifying the end of the call rang across the empty sea.

Admiral Aokiji frowned, once again annoyed as he stared at the turbulent waters ahead which represented uncertainty. Whoever had left the trail was powerful, strong enough to cleave whose warships using single blows but even more importantly, he was careful. So much so that even the head of CP0 had to admire his skill in subterfuge.

But both the power and the skill of this new unknown were useless, for his days were numbered now that an Admiral supported by the CP0 was after his head. His eyes flashed and a cold snort escaped his nose as his frown deepened.

"I would find you…" And with that, the Admiral's form flickered in a burst of speed, as he headed toward the ships in the distance. Disappearing in an instant, there was an eerie silence radiating throughout the area.

Sasuke worked his way through the morning crowd at the market, walking forward with a purpose. Soon he found himself among some food stalls that he recognized from yesterday and he purchased a few items with the money that he had at hand. Almost casually, he placed his purchases and his money purse into one of his hidden shinobi pockets, grateful that he had such a thing.

It was so very convenient and was clearly one of the greatest ninja inventions of Konoha that certainly made space management a trivial concern and with that out of the way, he now focused on the main task at hand.

Sasuke kept his expression level as he walked back towards the northern end of the market before leaving the crowded square altogether, passing through the Town Hall and weaving left and right through a few streets before he found himself somewhere between the market and the outer edges of the town. There were not too many people about in this area, especially during this time of day.

When he finally rounded another corner and saw that nobody was in sight, he simply vanished into the shadows using a clever trick of subterfuge which was standard practice for all shinobi and ordinary back in the Elemental Nations. Here though, it was too useful to be ignored.

He did not go anywhere else, however. He simply stepped to the side and waited, arms crossed as he leaned against the side of a stone wall. There was a man following him, and based on how the stalker had tried to hide himself and mask his presence, Sasuke quickly came to the conclusion that the man was no real threat to him.

He did even not have to wait long as a man in a grey cloak hurriedly turned the corner, took a few quick steps down the street and then stopped abruptly when he saw an empty corner in sight. The man appeared to be slightly out of breath and his head swiveled around a moment later as if looking for something or rather someone important, then he cursed. Several times

When the man turned to walk back the way he came, whispering curses something to himself, Sasuke calmly walked up to him without making a single sound and placed a hand around the man's shoulders who yelped and reflexively tried to jump away using all his strength, Sasuke's arm held him tight and kept him from going anywhere.

The man's brown eyes were wide as saucers as they stared at the dark shadow with pure raven hair that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Why were you following us?" Sasuke simply asked, unfazed as the man's breathing quickened and the panic started to set in— his right hand reaching for one of the daggers hidden in his cloak ever so slowly.

"Answer my questions and you might-" Sasuke began to say, but then the man had already brandished the dagger and stabbed him in the gut, only for the dagger to bend as it could not pierce the pale skin underneath his dark clothing. The man's eyes bulged as he strained to push the dagger against Sasuke's gut even further, but it simply would not pierce through his skin.

"How...?" the man asked weakly.

At his level of strength, he could not be anything more than the part of a support team who most probably worked for an intelligence department that had recognized Ariel out of chance. Her brown skin and platinum hair were rather distinctive, after all.

He was not anyone relevant enough to know about their exact circumstances though, but him following them most probably meant that information about Ariel had already reached the World Government. They must have ordered every personnel near the location to search for them and the result was now clear before him.

"No, I am the one asking questions here," Sasuke stated and then sighed as the man pulled the dagger back and tried to stab him again and again and again. He paused for a moment and finally spoke again when the dagger refused to pierce his skin for the seventh time, voice almost bored. "This is not going to work no matter how many times you try. Perhaps if you were a ranked officer but you are not strong enough."

"Th-This can't be happening..." the man stammered, shaking his head in dismay and horror as the hand which was clasped so tightly around the handle paled. Then in desperation, he lunged for Sasuke's throat only for the dagger to be turned away as again if his skin itself was made up of iron.

"That is enough," stated Sasuke as he grabbed the blade of the dagger with a firm grip, the gleaming edge not drawing blood despite its sharpness and broke the man's wrist with a quick twist when he tore away the blade from his grip. Sasuke casually flung the blade into the nearest stone wall, the metal sinking deep into the stone and creating a web of cracks.

"Agh!" the man groaned painfully as he clutched his now broken wrist with his other hand. "You broke my wrist!"

Sasuke extracted his hands from around the man's shoulders, spun around and grabbed a fistful of the man's cloak— jumping when he saw that there was nobody around.

The two of them vanished in the blink of an eye, reappearing five hundred meters above the city. The aerodynamic cloak worn by the avenger moved as if it were being gently led by a simple breeze and Sasuke appeared to be perfectly at ease despite the surroundings. The wind roared loudly at this height, smashing painfully against the man but not doing anything to Sasuke

"What the hell?!" cried the man, astounded and very much afraid. He was looking frantically around, his hands suddenly grasping at Sasuke's arm for dear life as he became acutely aware that they were now somewhere very high up.

In a single jump, Sasuke had leaped across more than five hundred meters and reached the very skies themselves. It was a level of strength almost unheard of for such a low-ranking marine who had perhaps only worked on paperwork before, the fact that he was so scared by a feat that Rear Admirals could perform casually only added more weight to his theory.

"We are a few thousand meters above the island," Sasuke casually informed the man as if he were speaking of the most normal thing in the world. "Comply with my demands and I might just let you go."

His tone was level and no emotion was visible on his face but on the inside, his mind was racing. The fact that Ariel had been recognized already and the presence of this man meant that the marines already knew where he was and were most probably preparing to strike as soon as backup arrived.

Someone must have seen him leave the inn with Ariel by his side, and that alone had been enough to alert the marines.

"This is not real. This is not real. This isn't real..." the man kept repeating to himself over and over, his eyes shut tightly.

Sasuke had been careless— he never should have stayed in a single place for more than a day and he should not have allowed Ariel to be seen by anyone. But then again, she would not have survived without proper rest and going by how quick the response was, chances were high that the World Government would have found out about them even if he had been more discrete...

"The terms are simple enough." Sasuke continued, a menacing gleam in his eye as he ignored the minor panic attack his actions seemed to have caused. The man whimpered. "I would ask you a question, and you are going to answer"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! P-Please do not drop me!" The man pleaded, tears streaming down his face. "Please! I will... I'll tell you anything! Anything at all. I'll do anything you want! Name it!"

Sasuke sighed, looking almost disappointed as began his interrogation.

Ariel was poked, prodded, and measured by the woman who seemed needlessly enthusiastic— embarrassed and ashamed all the while as she casually made remarks about her body that she thought Ariel could hear. Perhaps the woman even thought she would appreciate what she was saying but she really did not and rather than speaking out her true thoughts, Ariel just quietly endured and cooperated whenever needed so that she could get this all over with.

Surprisingly, she was not as apprehensive about being alone with this human as she thought she would be. Whether that was because Sasuke had seemingly trusted them to take care of her or because she was a woman and therefore did not resemble the cruel men she had once been at the mercy of as much, the Lunarian was not sure. But it helped that she was friendly and kind in her own way.

When they were finished, the Lunarian was given a moment of respite as the older woman went to gather a few specific items from their stock that Ariel was supposed to try on and see if she wanted. But she soon came, looking excitedly at Ariel who fidgeted uncomfortably under her intense gaze.

"So, you need underwear, huh?" Violet asked with a mischievous grin which only widened when Ariel gave her a shy nod, she could not anticipate where this was going.

Violet's grin inched wider. "What happened to your old underwear?"

Ariel's face turned beet red as she shook her head, finally understanding where she was going. She was rather certain that she was about ready to faint from the embarrassment, and had to resist the compulsion to run away and hide under her bed in the inn. The older woman's grin improbably widened at the girl's rather cute reactions.

"Something happened to them, right?" the older woman whispered mischievously and Ariel did not appreciate what she was insinuating. "Was it him? Did he destroy your underwear?"

Ariel spluttered and shook her head vigorously, looking simultaneously aghast and embarrassed. "N-No!" she managed to say though her tone lacked force as if she could not trust herself to speak, "That's not—"

"Oh, so you can speak? Come now, dear. You can tell me, I can keep a secret," the woman interrupted her rather pitiful attempt at explaining her situation and licked her lips, her tone conspiratorial. "I bet he's quite the man in the bed-"

"Epp!" Ariel's cheeks reddened even further and before she could speak anything else, a helper came in and placed a huge set of clothes on the desk upon her return. Violet looked almost pleased with her reactions, her grin widening but she did not further pursue the matter when she sensed her growing discomfort.

Violet expertly changed the topic and continued as if nothing had just a moment, "Anyways, I've got a few things that would look great on you. The trying room is in the back, so we can begin right away."

What followed was perhaps the most strenuous hours she had experienced since her saviour had freed her…

The women gazed at each other, after having spent several hours trying to dress her in all manner of clothes as if she were some human-sized doll. Violet had first fixed up her platinum hair which she apparently found to be extremely beautiful, and it now fell straight as a platinum waterfall onto her shoulders where it pooled and cascaded down her back.

But then she had insisted on Ariel actually trying on these dresses and showing them to her without her rather overbearing cloak which overwhelmed the rest of what she was wearing.

That had been a challenge she could not overcome and a big surprise to the shopkeeper. They had to practically chase the girl down as she repeatedly refused to let them touch her cloak at all despite promising that they were only trying to help her and that would not do anything bad to it.

If she had not been so thin, then she might have destroyed the entire shop trying to escape Violet's grasp. Unfortunately for her, Ariel was leagues stronger and faster than she ever could be and the result was Lunarian quickly entering the gaps behind one of the bigger racks of clothes faster than Violet could react, covering her ears up and seemingly folding in on herself on the floor.

Then she whimpered and looked at Violet with a gaze that made it seem as if she was begging her not to hurt her. Violet could only share a sad look as she spent almost an hour talking to the poor girl and coaxing her to get back out. When the Lunarian finally calmed down, the cloth vendor who also worked as a seamstress Violet decided to ask her several questions that though uncomfortable were something she needed to know.

Questions about Sasuke— if he had been abusing her or treating her poorly in any way, all of which the Lunarian had vehemently denied. Apparently, the mysterious man had actually saved her and that made Violet quite glad.

They took things a bit slower following that debacle, and the older woman seemed to be even more enthusiastic about spending picking the best outfits for Ariel. Though the younger woman barely spoke throughout it all, she seemed to at least be a bit more comfortable in their presence which was significant progress considering how everything had started.

But Ariel remained tense throughout, the Lunarian held a deep mistrust and fear toward all humans not named Sasuke in her heart. It was something that could not be changed so quickly.

"Yes," Violet grinned approvingly, sweeping a critical gaze over the Lunarian, "I think this would do nicely, but what do you think, Ariel?"

Ariel looked at the clothes Violet was showing her and could scarcely believe how much everything changed for her, she used to be a slave just days ago but was now looking over dresses and shoes. The one that Violet was pointing towards was a simple white dress adorned with an intricate flowery design that tightened more around her waist, it was long enough to go a bit below her knees and had long sleeves of white lace that displayed some of her dark skin, giving her an almost elegant, ethereal look.

"It's beautiful..." Ariel hesitatingly spoke as she continued to admire the dress.

Violet placed the other clothes she had selected for Ariel into paper bags for easier transport and the vendor looked almost exhausted by now, serving this unexpectedly cute customer had taken both a physical and an unexpectedly emotional toll.

"Then why don't you try it on? It would look good on you." Violet urged, eyes practically sparkling as she urged Ariel for what seemed like the thousandth time.

Usually, her customers were more than eager to try on the dresses that she so meticulously selected and prepared for them, increasing the popularity of her shop with its high-grade customer service and also providing her ample entertainment which helped her pass her time. But for some reason, this shy girl who was also the cutest customer to grace her shop seemed more hesitant to try on some clothes than any other customer she had seen before.

She was the most troublesome customer that had ever graced her shop in a recent memory. Never had she seen any person as troublesome to handle as Ariel, who at times resembled a shy cat trying to behind the corners of her shop whom she had to patiently coax with gentle words time and time again to get anything done. It was frustrating in an almost sweet way, but the results and her reactions were more than satisfying.

"Sasuke-san would be quite pleased by this dress, don't you think?" she continued, in another attempt to get Ariel out of that boorish cloak. "You should show it to him."

"Um…"

Ariel finally hesitated for a single moment, and Violet almost cheered in triumph as her customer showed signs of thoughtfulness for the first time since entering the shop. But her excitement was short, as Ariel vehemently shook her almost as if trying to remind herself of something important.

"I must not…" she finally ended up whispering, after a thousand different emotions Violet could neither understand nor comprehend as flashed through her face.

"Oh, come on!" Violet almost pouted in frustration, acting in a manner that did not suit her age as she reached out in a pitiful attempt to try and direct her customer toward the changing room. Her hands unknowingly grazed her unguarded back…

Oh…

Violet felt two soft bumps as her hand barely grazed the back of Ariel who jumped back at her touch. She almost could not understand what had happened.

There were two huge protrusions growing from Ariel's back which had been hidden by her cloak all this time and suddenly everything seemed clearer and all started making sense to her, as everything clicked into place—

Oh….

For Violet, it was just a normal touch that revealed the answers to some questions, for Ariel that simple act almost broke her happy world.

It already seemed as if it were a distant past, a world long gone where she and Violet enjoyed that pleasant fleeting friendship. Perhaps these nice conversations had broken down the walls of caution which had always guarded her or perhaps time without any master to lord over her had made her forget what a single careless moment could cause.

It was not as if she was not aware of what might happen if the worst came to be.

She could not remember how or why it had happened, but the very fact that it did broke her small happy world. She had let a human discover her secret and there was only one kind of shock worse than the totally unexpected- the expected for which one had refused to prepare. Her heart continued to beat, but against a chest that felt hollow. Her amethyst eyes continued to see, yet the world that was so close around him seemed far away. Her mind began to shut down, unable to think anymore.

Being rescued by Sasuke, she had almost forgotten the danger she was constantly in. But she was now reminded with startling severity about the truth of the matter, the fact that her race was being hunted in almost every part of the world. She had always been vulnerable and everything seemed so hazy now as she remembered those moments of hunger, death, and endless, meaningless violence.

BOOM!

A single shockwave tore through the entire market at that moment, and every piece of glass in the town broke as a force equivalent to a meteor crashing into the earth from the heavens above exploded outwards. There was an enormous roar of sound that followed, the loudest bang that the residents of this town had ever heard. It blasted and bored its way into anything in its path, not with the gentleness of a summer breeze but with the power of a nuclear shockwave.

It moved over the small town, reducing the windows of generations to shards and tearing the eardrums of many. It was an event seen with more than just the eyes and it was over in a single second.

Ariel trembled, and when she opened her eyes, she saw that her small hand was caught by another larger one— one that belonged to her saviour.

The large hand covered hers perfectly, the smooth skin of a man felt strange against the rough textures of her caused by calluses formed over years of hardship. His hand was much warmer than hers and the heat seemed to rush into her, dusting her cheeks and driving away any cold doubts she had.

As if struck by a thunderclap, Ariel felt her wings twitch and her knees grow weak.

"I do not know what exactly happened but please calm down and breathe slowly," His voice just as always seemed so calm and collected and just hearing it drove away the haze that had taken over her mind. "Given your reaction, I imagine that she became aware of your wings, did she not?"

Then she saw what exactly she had done with these hands of hers, one rash movement was all it took and it all came crashing down. It was as if the world was right there waiting for it—eager and ready to bury her in the wreckage.

The elegant furniture which was meticulously chosen was now broken and wrecked into shattered fragments of no value, the large decorated mirrors which no common man could have bought were practically gone, and the beautiful clothes were ripped to shreds as sharp shards of broken glass had torn holes through entire shop which was once so bright and radiant was now torn as if a wrathful God had unleashed his divine judgment upon it.

A wrathful god in the form of a platinum-haired woman.

And the worst part of it all was the purple-red bruise which was slowly becoming prominently visible against the pale skin of Sasuke's hand, an injury that would surely swell. From personal experience alone, she could tell that the bones of his hands were cracked…

Just that single clash had broken Sasuke's hand— a minor fracture caused more by the awkward angle of the clash rather than the impact itself but to her, it felt as if it was her heart that had broken instead.

"Umh…"She whimpered once again…

"A tap at a certain bundle of nerves situated at the backside of the neck can induce acute amnesia with far more efficiency than a concussion, I might teach you more about it in the future for such moments," Sasuke spoke again, ignoring his own injury as his eyes carefully took in the destruction she had caused. "That punch would have sent her straight to the Heavens above, both literally and metaphorically. You used excessive force."

"You were too reckless and acted out of impulse, but I should have also been more careful. It's clear that you are not exactly accustomed to being around humans," Sasuke chided both himself and her in the same breath, glancing at the unconscious Violet who had mostly been protected by his back and seemed unharmed aside from the single droplet of blood that slowly trickled down her head.

Ariel found herself rooted to her place— dumbfounded and unable to speak. She found no anger in his voice.

With a single motion of his wrist that Ariel was barely able to follow, a heavy black pouch appeared atop his mismatched hand which Sasuke carefully placed above the unconscious woman before picking up the plethora of clothes she had spent hours collecting. Another series of practiced actions and the clothes that had been so painstakingly selected for her were now gone.

Packed inside another black bag no larger than a hand purse which noblewomen were so fond of.

It seemed almost inconceivable, but then again so was everything else about this man. Her sharp amethyst eyes once again trailed towards the heavy black pouch Sasuke had placed on Violet and they saw something round and golden shine inside.

"I would teach you to control your strength and deal with such situations later. But for now, we need to leave." Raven eyes narrowed as if what had happened did not mean much at all, "This incident might have altered the agents of World Government around her,"

Ariel barely even had any time to find her voice and comprehend his words, before Sasuke swept her off her feet as if she were a princess in one of those fairy tales that her mother used to tell her during warm nights.

"Eep!" she tried to protest, she really did but heat rushed to her cheeks as she was held by Sasuke, once again dusting her cheeks pink as all resistance instantly escaped her and she leaned ever so slightly against Sasuke's chest.

With a single jump, they took off once again, leaving the small island behind in seconds as they headed towards a destination Sasuke had only dreamt of. It was a place that he had only heard of in stories and legends, a destination whose location he had most probably imagined. Chances were he would find nothing but open seas and vast oceans if he took this risk. But foolhardy though it may be, he had to investigate...

There were legends in Skypiea about warriors using Mantra to see the future and it was about time Sasuke put them to the test.

Thanks for reading.

Questions about Ariel's looks were asked and I would not go beyond what I have already done in the previous chapter. But to make it simpler, I suppose she resembles Okita Alter from Nasuverse in mind— just with bigger boobs, amethyst eyes, and black angelic wings.

As for her strength, well she broke Sasuke's bones when he blocked her punch so she is high up there. Not surprising considering her race but Sasuke would beat her in a fight with zero trouble so don't worry about power levels.

Sasuke practically blitzed her when he appeared out of nowhere before she could react and the awkward angle was what broke his hand more than sheer strength but she's certainly strong. If you think he should be stronger then consider that this Sasuke does not have chakra and is at his potential weakest.

It is confirmed multiple times in Naruto that Chakra boosts physical strength— Chakra augmentation is real, guys. Moreover, One Piece focuses more on physical strength than Naruto does.

This was a short arc and we got a crewmate out of it. And yes, the dream Sasuke had was indeed a future shown to him by his Observation Haki.

Your suggestions regarding crew members kept me motivated so thanks for reading and have a nice day.