A/N: Sorry for the delay and the short chapter. Life intervened. Slifer's dealing with tax hell and I'm still suffering from long covid. Glands under my chin are really hurting...T_T
Life may be beating us down, but we're still here, still fighting the good fight, still writing in the dead of night.
Once more, Slifer wrote the bulk of this chapter, so many thanks to that madlad.
He's an absolute godsend, I don't know what I'd do without him.
With my sixteen year anniversary on this site fast approaching, I find myself reflecting on the little things in life. What was once a lazy pastime meant for me and a few friends really grew and evolved over time. There are days when I look back on the last fifteen years here and I wonder if anyone will remember me; if I made an impact, despite never making a single cent on any of these stories. Some days were happier than others, and some stories I enjoyed writing WAY too much; to the point where I'd stay up all night working on them.
And of course, there are times when I look to the future and wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.
Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. Feels like everyone's lost their minds sometimes. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.
I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, one word at a time.
Time and feedback will determine if this remains a story. Simple as that.
In other words...its up to YOU, the reader. Do let me know~!
"Monster, am I? You should speak more softly to me, then.
You see, monsters are dangerous, and these days...
...my enemies are dying like FLIES.
~?
Special Part II (Interlude)
"Unfurl the main sail and raise the anchor! Move like you've got a purpose, you chequered cretins! If we aren't underway in the next five minutes, then it's no dinner for any of you!"
The orders were barked at amidships by a tertiary deck officer who looked just as harried as the rest of the Queen Mamma Chanter's crew. While the majority of them stepped to their jobs with gusto, there were a few, attired in their Sunday best, who floundered at the call to battle stations, slipping on the deck that was polished a bit too brightly before running off to their muster stations to hand out weapons. Hundreds of counterweights, each one weighing north of half a tonne, were unlashed to allow the colossal canvas of the main sails to billow in the sudden mistral that had picked up in the aftermath of Naruto's proclamation of murder.
And despite their initial reticence at taking orders from the so-called newcomer, a bloody euphoria had soon settled over the Chanter, the colossal galleon soon scything through the water, the winds and waves seeming to match and give their blessing to the course of action.
Naruto was perched on one of the crosstrees of the main mast, overseeing the entire spectacle with narrow eyes, an unfamiliar bloodlust swelling in his chest. It was a curious thing, the simple knowledge that you were setting out with the intent to kill, so much more than any little maxim that Kakashi had said to him and his teammates what seemed like a lifetime ago.
It was oddly familiar, though, not the steeling of self that had come when he had to kill Sasuke but something further back, something-
"You felt the exact same way when you confronted Nagato," Kurama informed him from the back of his mind, watching the goings on with a keen interest.
'Ahhh, right.' Naruto replied in thought, recalling the sound of blood thundering in his ears as he tore the faux tree that he and Konan had been hiding in. 'When I found out where he was, I was sure that I was going to kill him; you growling in my ears to do it didn't help.'
Kurama rolled his shoulders and grumbled. "Can you blame me? I had just nearly gotten out of this annoying sixteen-year-old when the ghost of a man I hated the time stopped me, and then I saw Nagato staring at us with my old man's eyes claiming the world needed violence and pain… it was like a bad fathers day reunion for both of us, and I didn't have the luxury of being able to sink my fist into his gut."
Nodding in understanding, Naruto allowed himself to slip off the crosstree and fall towards the deck, landing silently between a pair of crewmen who squealed in fright before running off, likely thinking he was about to punish them for slacking off. The blonde smirked at wry amusement; while the crew's mix of fear and reverence grated on him, it did have its moments and served to blunt his steadily rising ire.
No…not blunt. Quite the opposite, it sharpened it to a laser focus on the so-called Celestial Dragons that they were on their way to kill.
"I never got why you didn't just off Nagato...although leaving him alive in such a state would hardly have been mercy."
Descending a flight of stairs, the Uzumaki went to the ship's edge and peaked over, spotting two World crew members, the square-themed Gairam and blind Fishman Sebastian, quickly affixing metal plates to the front of the Chanter. He initially thought they were creating some kind of ram, but something about its shape was wrong.
'Because… for whatever he did, it was born of stepping off the path Jiraiya walked before us. The evil he did, and it was evil, had good intent as much as weak an excuse as that is… these Dragons? They have no such excuse.' Naruto thought, fingers twitching and eyes a pair of cool blue fires that would have chilled any that looked upon them. 'When you treat the suffering of others as nothing more than filling the time till you get like you want, like a kid burning ants with a magnifying glass, then you've succeeded in burning through most of my capacity for second chances.'
"Hmph," Kurama sniffed, stretching out within the mindscape, knowing that he may just be in for a chance to stretch his legs. "That other you, the dark one, he's still in there." he mused, remembering the black and red-eyed doppelganger revealed by the Waterfall of Truth.
It was Naruto's turn to sniff at that before he said, "Nah, I just don't shun my negative emotions anymore. Seeing and living in this world has shown me that there are times when it's okay to feel anger."
And it seemed he wasn't the only one feeling anger. Redfield was the image of cold fury on the top of the front cake-shaped superstructure. His cloak billowed in the wind, and his elongated fangs poked from his top lip in a predatory rictus, but his eyes glowed with wrath that his aloof persona could not hide. While the Count of Shikkearu Kingdom claimed that he stood alone, he was chomping at the bit to run those who would dare to slight those under his protection.
The sound of sharp heels clicking upon the deck alerted Naruto to the arrival of Linlin, and he turned to see his statuesque paramour tucking a fresh flintlock pistol into her belt as she came to stand beside him.
"Everything good up here?" she asked Naruto nonchalantly, his words having turned him into the Chanter's unofficial Executive Officer.
Twitching at the brusque opening, Naruto faced forward alongside Linlin to see the crew all moving to their posts. "Well, I didn't know much about sailing, but the sails are all out, the anchor's raised, and the wind's with us. I guess that means we're good."
"And the people bellow?" She asked in reply, cocking her bicorn-clad head to look down at her shorter partner.
"My clones helped all the non-combat dignitaries to the panic rooms with the kids," Naruto said simply, the memories having filtered back to him shortly before Linlin's arrival. "But I think everyone's spoiling for a fight."
She nodded at that, crossing her arms beneath her blouse-covered chest and causing something else at her belt to glint in the sun. Looking closer, Naruto was confused to see the cracked handle of a cutlass, its blade having snapped off almost the whole way but still held to her side by a loop in her sword belt. "Did they run out of decent swords in the armoury?" he asked jokingly.
Linlin cuffed him upside the head while he chuckled, placing her left hand on the end of the red fabric-covered sword handle, the underside of her rings clicking against the pommel. "If they ever ran out of weapons, then I'd have them hung by their feet off the mast for an hour till they remembered tardiness. No, I'm just ticked off that whenever I fight with you, my swords get dinged or broken."
"And your solution to this was… using an already broken sword?" he questioned in confusion, causing Linlin to laugh.
"Mamama! God no. I'm going to fix the issue before we head into battle and need some… sentimental items to bring out the best results from my Devil Fruit." Long, thin fingers extended and ran through Naruto's spiky gold hair fondly, a pleased smile on Linlin's rosy cheeks, "I'm going to have to ask you for some more of your hair, though, once we finish with that stupid World Noble, Jailback or whatever."
Mirth filled Naruto, and he couldn't be bothered to correct the name; then he squinted at the sword, his face positively vulpine as he looked closer at the broken sword. "Wait… is that the sword I broke the first time we fought?" The rest of what she had said registered with him, "Woah, woah, why do you need my-"
"Barorororo!" came a boisterous laugh, and the pair turned to see World landing on the deck with a thump, his brother perched on his shoulder. "Ah, Mama! You have some crew here, you would need it to man a ship this big!" he blustered enthusiastically, scratching at his beard in thought. "I want to have a ship this big and fast one day. That would be a sight to see!"
"Yes… a sight indeed, World," said Byojack as he adjusted his horned helmet, feverishly checking a stopwatch in his hand. "Despite the sudden start, they are running as well as we can towards Kuriagana…" he trailed off, intimidated by Linlin and Naruto's presence.
Seeing that he was afraid to speak by himself, Naruto broached the subject, "Everything okay, Byojack?"
Byojack swallowed thickly, "Oh… no… of course not… but well…" World patted a trashcan-sized hand to his brother's back tenderly, coaxing him to speak as Naruto and Linlin waited. Finally, he spoke. "Even with the ship running at peak efficiently and the tailwind keeps a'sturn, our timeframe for arrival is still at least 48 hours. And for every hour that passes…" he trailed off, casting a glance to where Redfield stood at the front of the ship, hands clasped around his bat-themed umbrella.
Naruto's smile thinned, keenly aware of the cost of time. For every hour that passed, Saint Jalmac had threatened to shoot a number of Redfield's subjects. While Naruto was confident he could make the distance, he didn't know where the island was, which left them reliant on sea travel… and was slow even at the best of times.
"We'll find a way," Naruto said with determination, only to be entirely caught off guard when World began to laugh with gusto.
"Barororororororororororo!" he laughed, thumping a hand against the chain bandolier around his chest, "Ah, that's the spirit, kid; no wonder Mama has you as a trusted ally. To be a pirate is to spit in the face of the impossible!"
As the large pirate had been talking, Linlin had made it to the starboard railing and peaked over to look at the small commotion that was building at the bow. Her eyes widened, and she shot World an annoyed glare. "Oi! World! What are those dumbasses of yours doing to the front of my ship?"
Indeed, it now appeared that the cartoonish figurehead attached to the prow of the Chanter now wore some form of protective steel helmet.
"Oh, that?" World replied, scratching his nose nonchalantly, "Gairim didn't want the seafoam getting in the figurehead's mouth once I get us up to flank speed."
Naruto eyed the sails, at full billow with a heavy wind, and while they were pushing a bow wave, the ship was so damn big that it barely rose a tenth of the way to the figurehead. But he could see the excitement in World's eye. "What are you up to?"
"Baroro! Just you wait. Everyone!" the allied man shouted, bringing a pause to the crew, who all looked at them with bated breath. World cracked his knuckles before raising both hands in the air, "Best hold onto something as it's about to be a bumpy ride!"
"Do as he says!" Linlin ordered a mix of annoyance and excitement in her eyes, knowing what World was about to do. She also placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder to ensure he wouldn't fall. The blonde, who had adhered himself to the deck using chakra, felt his cheeks warm at the gesture, even if it wasn't necessary.
World gave one last grin before his hands flashed dark with armament Haki, the blackened palms having a note of green to their sheen, before swinging them down against the deck. "MORE MORE: 100-Fold Speed!" he yelled, a pulse of energy vibrating out over all of them. At first, nothing happened, and many of the crew, who had grabbed lengths of thick rope or held onto the rigging, blinked in confusion.
Then they were moving.
Moving fast.
Very fast.
Exceedingly fast!
The mistral at their back was forgotten in the face of the wash of intense wind that washed over the front of the ship as it blasted forwards, churning the waters as it passed into a fine vapour as the many thousands of tonnes of wood thundered through the waves with unnatural speed.
A light laugh tore out of him despite his shock as he clung on for dear life.
"Weeeeeeeee!" squealed the Chanter's Homie figurehead as almost the entire mighty ship lifted out of the water, only its keel remaining submerged to hydroplane along the water's surface, the speed stabilising to a blistering 200 Knots.
Naruto squinted in the face of the oncoming gust of wind, taking a step forward to peek at the front and notice that Redfield was still standing proud at the prow.
Linlin held her Bicorn to her head, making sure it didn't fly off. "World ate the More More Fruit, it lets him multiply the speed and size of anything he touches up to 100 times over."
While Naruto wasn't the best at maths, he got the message: Their travel time had just gotten 100 times shorter with what World had done. "We're not going to have much time to prepare before we arrive now," he said, sobering Linlin's enthusiasm.
He expected her to make a snide remark about how it meant they could just get to cruising the Dragon quicker, but instead, she slowly removed her Bicorn hat and drew the broken cutlass, using the latter to skewer through the former. "Whiskers," she began, "All this is… still kind of weird to me. Not the battle, but going to save a country rather than destroy it, even if we're still about to kill a lot of people, I want to do it with you. Grinding people into the dirt because they attacked what we're building, not just because… because I got hungry."
Naruto knew she wasn't referring to the hunger pangs, she meant the endless desire for more violence.
"So I think the first step for that is going to be making a weapon that doesn't just snap when I run into battle with you, either by your side or to keep each other sharp."
Lastly, she slipped her hand into her coat and gently withdrew the gold Vivere card, gently pinning it to the edge of the blade where it stuck. She looked at World and jabbed the ramshackle object at him, "Oi, World! Where do you get off upstaging me at my own holiday party?" The big man had the decency to look sheepish, which made the young woman grin, her long pink hair billowing in the wind. "If you want a show, I'll give you a show!"
The hairs on the back of Naruto's neck began to stand on end as he felt a familiar unearthly tinge to the air, forcing him to take a step back. Spotting movement out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Zeus and Prometheus popping their heads up from the deck to watch, each having seemingly felt the presence building around Linlin.
Kurama creaked an eye open in his mind. "Oh? What have we here...?"
Thumping a palm against her chest, a purple aura emerged from the Linlin like mauve fire, roiling off her in coils of pure Psionic energy. She gritted her teeth, slowly pulled her hands away from her chest, and brought something with her, a ball of brilliant white light hewed in purple. He recognized the sight of it, that telltale shape could only be one thing.
A piece of her soul.
"Come, oh piece of my soul! Come and be born anew." She intoned, lifting both arms above her before she drove the ball of pure spiritual energy into the eclectic collection of items. "Become a weapon of war, become a weapon of peace, become my raiment, become my Homie!"
As he looked on, the edges of the bicorn hat began to vibrate violently, and the shattered remnants of the cutlass grew red hot. And then the vivere card, glinting gold even amidst the squall, ignited a plume of pure golden fire at the heart of the tumult. Using the fire of what Naruto realised to be his chakra, Linlin thrust the object heavenward and let out a roar of exaltation, a pillar of purple and gold light exploding skyward with a keen wail of life.
When the pillar cleared, having rendered more than one crewmember temporarily blind, Linlin held a sword, one that was a marriage of a hat and a serrated blade proportionate to her size.
A gold blade with a fanged face and wicked blue eyes.
"Come! Napoleon!"
A/N: Aaaand we'll cal it there. Slifer and I are exhausted.
Do let me know if you want weekly updates! Feedback is important!
Hope you enjoyed this little ficlet. Well? Should this remain a story? Yay or nay? What say you~?
As ever, the Embers rule still persists. If folks don't like this story? Well...I'll not continue it. I can't bear to write something no one likes. Its the simple truth, though a sad one. So by all means, speak up! Raise your voice! Make yourself heard! Your reviews matter! Really, they do! I'm literally working every day now, so I have less and less time to write. Daily updates might...slow down in the interim, but I know that would upset a lot of people. We're trying our best to keep up, but things are getting rough. Feedback really is the wind in our sails.
So, in the Immortal words of Atlas...
...review, would you kindly?
And of course, enjoy the previews!
They're quite different this time around~!
That said, you know the drill: SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS AHOY! Sail these waters at yer own risk, yar~!
(Previews)
Sengoku scowled, fixing his anger filled eyes squarely on the other Vice Admiral standing before him. "What you're doing could nad you with a court marshall Garp, or even treason if the Gorosei find out!"
"What are you talking about?" Garp replied, his smirk vicious, the scar on his face contouring into a grin of its own. "I'm was simply being flexible with how I enforced the blockade, if its anyone's fault its yours for not being clear enough."
Gritting his teeth, Sengoku felt his hands clench into fists, "You don't want this fight, Garp."
"Oh I think I do!"
Power flowed through Naruto, a gold and cobalt coloured tide of concentrated energy that flowed along the length of his Sea Prism Stone Bo and into the gathering maelstrom between him and Linlin. It built and built until finally they both swung, unleashing the pent up power across the sea with a wrathful cry.
"Storm's Sovereignty!"
And thus, with a swish of wind, the world came undone.
"You… you're the one! The reason for this infernal side trip!" Jalmac squealed, pointing a gloved finger at Naruto as he advanced on the World Noble. "You… spoiled our fun!"
"..." Naruto stopped, eyes turning dangerous, "What?"
Jalmac backpedalled, hands searching for his fallen pistol, "God Valley… was to be our playground… but you, you took away our chance to play! So I had to come here instead!"
It clicked in Naruto's mind and brought him up short before with no warning he stormed forwards and smashed his Bo down on Jalmac's leg, his protective suit doing nothing to prevent the splintering of his kneecaps.
"Galaxy Impact!/Smash Buster!"
The Giant Vice Admiral tightened the grip on his sword, "You are a monster, a country destroyer, Big Mom!" John shouted, channelling Haki into his sword and the metallic length turning black. "Mother Caramel should have strangled you at birth!"
Linlin's smile dropped, "...what did you just say to me?"
John Giant bristled, puffing his chest up and strengthening his body to its utmost limit, ready to unleash everything he had in a single blow, "Mother Caramel raised me as well! Sent me to the Marines! Made me a bastion of justice! But you? You laid waste to Elbaff and made Mother Caramel disappear, stole her Devil Fruit! I bet you killed her yourself!"
Linlin's long pink hair shadowed her eyes.
Seeing the lapse in judgement, John pounced, bringing his sword in a mighty overhead cleave hoping to split the woman stem to stern, "DIE MONSTER!"
Napoleon flashed in an arc of purple and gold, arresting the movement with a sonic boom. And when Charlotte Linlin looked up into the face of John Giant, her eyes were whited out with abject wrath.
"Let the sea's boil, let the elder stars fall! Though it takes the last drop of my blood, I will see these oceans free of your filth, Celestial Dragons. And if I cannot, then let the Heavens BURN!"
"Please...?"
R&R~!