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Chaoter 6 is finally up. I want to say a big thank you to skg1991 for being my beta for this story.

Hope you enjoy!

Marine HQ. 2 Days Post Naruto Fight with Enel

Once every month, all admirals and vice admirals are summoned by Fleet Admiral Akainu to discuss the latest news, facts, and rumours on upcoming threats on the Grand Line. Most marine officers found the monthly meeting a nuisance but since it was an ancient tradition, attendance is mandatory.

The meeting room was spacious and adorned with paintings and expensive décor with a large rectangular wooden table in the centre. Akainu and his admirals side by side on the end of the table.

"Information from our spies have all suggested a new threat is dawning upon the Grand Line. Rumours have been brewing that a great change is fast approaching, some are calling it a revolution, others the apocalypse." Akainu informed his vice admirals.

"A revolution? Apocalypse? No one in the New World could possibly have that much power." One of the Vice Admiral added.

"Alone, yes. Our intelligence have lead us to believe that in the past year a secret alliance has been formed. An alliance between some of the most dangerous men in the New World."

A shiver ran through all the spines of the Vice Admirals.

"Who are these men that can cause this so called revolution?" Admiral Fujitora questioned.

Akainu summoned lava in his fit. "Juggernaut Jagger, Sky King Kazama and rogue ex-rear admiral Matsumoto Tokiomi."

"Ohhh that's one hell of a team." Admiral Kizaru playfully added.

An extremely anxious vice admiral spoke. "That's preposterous! Two pirate captains with a bounty over 500 million teaming up with a former marine, the idea is simply outrageous!" He yelled violently.

"Watch your tongue!" The Fleet Admiral snapped.

"It all seems impossible however, it seems that they did not form this alliance on their own accord. A fourth party lead by a man who calls himself Azazel is involved, we don't know what he's offering for their loyalty and cooperation but they're calling themselves The Chosen Ones."

The Vice Admirals took a moment to acknowledge the new information.

Akainu continued. "This Azazel is a complete mystery but to be able to form an alliance with those three, it's certain that we cannot underestimate him. We have still yet to discover their goals or what this 'revolution' could be, so be on guard at all times." The lava man finished.

"Fleet Admiral Akainu!" The shock from the unexpected visitor caused the marines to shoot their attention towards a tall brunette receptionist.

"What's the problem Lilia!? What could be so important to disturb this meeting?" Akainu replied infuriatedly.

The receptionist bowed. "My apologies sir, but Lieutenant Kage has returned from his mission with information relevant to the nature of this meeting."

"Fine send him in." He replied dryly.

Several steps behind Lilia stood a man in a dark cloak. He stepped forward, removed his hood to reveal his long dark hair and brown eyes. Kage saluted to his superior officers.

Akainu nodded. "Report, Lieutenant."

"Hai, two days ago I was sent on a recon mission on Mila Rose to spy on the activities of the lightning man, Enel."

"Ahh yes, the mad man who think he's God, what did you find out?" Akainu replied.

"Sir, Enel is dead."

Every pair of eyes in the room popped open.

Akainu clenched his lava fist. 'This could be troublesome, Enel may have been delusional but his devil fruit abilities were formidable.' "Who's responsible for his death?"

Seconds later, Kage disappeared then reappeared over Akainu's shoulder. Kage placed several photos on the table in front of the Fleet Admiral. "He said his name is Naruto Namikaze, the newest member of the Straw Hat Pirates."

Admiral Fujitora shook his head. "Those Straw Hats are as bothersome as always."

The lava man picked up one of the photos with his normal hand. He inspected the picture in detail. "Wait, so are you telling me that this Naruto killed Enel by himself, and what's with this black energy around him?"

"Hai, he did kill Enel alone, also the black energy is lightning sir, black lightning."

Minor gasp were released from the mouths of the Vice Admirals. Small confused conversations brewed in the air.

"Ohh? I thought only Enel had the ability of lightning?" Kizaru questioned.

"I assure you that these pictures do not lie, this Naruto displayed power I've never seen, and I could have sworn he nearly detected me." He asked with a hint of confusion.

One of the vice admiral couldn't hold his tongue. "Impossible! You possess the ability of the sense-sense fruit which allows you to fully mask your presence does it not? That's the exact reason why you're the Marines top spy!"

Kage nodded. "I cannot explain it myself but it is the truth."

Akainu slammed his fists on the table rattling everyone present. "Take these photos to the Wanted Posters Department immediately! Assign the maximum bounty for first time offenders, Go!"

The lieutenant grabbed the photos, saluted then vanished. Leaving an anxious group of admirals and an irritated Fleet admiral. 'Those Straw Hats are becoming more difficult every day, what to do…'

2 days later. In a moonlit room located somewhere in the New World.

"Welcome back Kage, I assume you were not followed by pirates or the Marines?" A deep voice in the shadows declared.

Kage kneeled down on one knee. "Hai, I always take precautionary measures when coming to these meetings."

"Excellent, Now down to business, report on your realmission on Mila Rose."

Kage's answer was interrupted by sinister snickering originating within the shadows.

"He failed obviously." One voice to Kages left announced his presence.

Another voice to his right spoke. "He couldn't even accomplish a simple recruiting mission."

"Why do we even bother with this incompetent idiot?" A third opinion voiced itself behind him.

Kage bit his lip to prevent himself from exploding with rage.

"Silence! You three hold your tongues, let Kage speak." The first deep voice commanded.

The three unrecognisable figures obliged.

"Arigato. However, my mission was indeed a failure. The Straw Hat pirates had eliminated Enel before I could recruit him to our ranks. My deepest apologies." Kage said disappointingly.

A nerve wrecking silence brewed in the air making the lieutenant sweat.

"I already knew, word travels fast however, do not fret. This will not harm us or our plans. Enel's unstable psychological mind frame would have been burden anyhow."

A relieved Kage replied. "How about the Straw Hats? What are we do to about them? Shall I inform Jagger, Kazama and Tokiomi?"

The voice hummed in wonder. "For now, we do nothing. Those bothersome pirates were merely in the right place at the right time and I'm sure they are not aware of our plans. However, if they display hostility against us then we shall take action."

"Understood." Kage replied. "What shall be my next orders?"

"You are to maintain your position in the Marines as my spy without being discovered until the time is right."

Kage lifted his head and then flashed a menacing smile. "As you wish, Azazel-sama."

A Few Weeks Later

"Gear Second!" Said Luffy before he dug his bare foot into the sand.

A long defeated sigh escaped the mouth of the former Leaf shinobi as he and the rest of the Straw Hats stood behind their captain.

Zoro noticed quickly. "Stop your complaining, Luffy said this was his mess so let him clean it up."

The blonde dropped his head childishly. "I know that but we've got the numbers, we should be fighting him as a team. This goes against everything I've ever learned as a shinobi."

"Don't forget that you're not a shinobi anymore? You're a pirate now, get used to it." Zoro crossed his arms

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Hai Hai."

"Your 400 million beli bounty's mine Mugiwara!"

Earlier that day.

Three and a half weeks have passed since the electrifying events on Mila Rose. The Mugiwara pirates remained on the peaceful island for another two weeks until they were eventually chased out by the Marines.

It was a bitter pill to swallow but Naruto had fully accepted Nami's secret past and continued to be close friends. However, as much as he enjoyed her company, he thought it wouldn't be fair to seek a relationship with the navigator or anyone else for that matter until he was positive that his affections for a certain pink haired kunoichi were no more.

After his welcoming party, Nami had been doing her best to keep her distance from him but was failing miserably. That night she may have had discovered romantic feelings towards him but decided to bide her time and let these feelings bloom naturally. But Nami being Nami, that didn't stop her from giving the occasional wink or dressing up in eye-catching outfits.

Even after the awkward talks on Sunny's head, Luffy, Naruto and Nami continued being their old cheerful selves. There was an unspoken agreement to accept but forget everything that occurred that night. And that's what they did. Luffy was as energetic and loud as ever, Nami kept scolding him for every idiotic thing he did while Naruto smiled awkwardly as he could see much of himself and Sakura in Luffy and Nami.

The Straw Hats were in the middle of the New World Sea and have been sailing non-stop for a week and a half.

Robin entered the main deck with a fresh cup of morning coffee, instantly smiling upon noticing the new but common phenomenon on the Thousand Sunny. Luffy, Usopp, Chopper and Nami all gathered at the side of the ship deeply viewing the ocean below.

The Demon Child joined the small group to witness the show. "He's at it again?" She asked totally surprised.

The four nodded in union.

"No matter how many times you see it, it never fails to amaze you, doesn't it?" Robin spoke highly with a bright smile.

"Well he is standing on water." Nami answered without taking her eyes off the sight.

The sight, drenched and topless Naruto on the ocean surface accumulating chakra. The water beneath his feet swirled violently as his prepares his jutsu.

The raven haired women took a sip of her coffee. "What's he planning to do now?"

The four sustained their stare in wonder. Usopp shrugged. "Who knows? But I bet it's going to be awesome!"

Satisfied with his chakra levels, Naruto flashed his eyes open followed by a series of hand seals. "Ushi, Saru, Oo, Ne, Ee, Tori, Ushi, Uma, Tori, Ne-"

Luffy, Chopper and Usopp tensed with excitement. "Here it comes!"

Nami leaned on the wooden rails and smiled brightly. "I wonder what it will be this time." She said quietly to herself.

"Tora, Mee, Nae, Saru, Oo, Ee, Tatsu, Hitsuji, Ne, Ushi, Saru, Tori, Jin, Ne, Ee, Tori!"

The rotating water under Naruto stopped.

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!"

Jaws hit the floor as a dragon shot up from below and made its assent high in the sky as it revolved around its caster, continuing its climb until it reached higher than the mast of the ship. The dragon roared deafeningly, revealing the full extent of its magnificence.

Content with its size and power, Naruto deactivated the jutsu consequently obliterating the dragon into millions of tiny water droplets which crafted a dazzling rainbow in the process.

"Beautiful." Robin whispered, mesmerized by the breath taking sight.

A faintly fatigued Naruto smirked. 'About time! My water dragon's finally at full power. It took a while but I guess it's not called one of the hardest water jutsu for no reason.' He gazed up to see his clapping audience. 'That should be enough water training for now.'

He pumped chakra to his legs to jump up onto the ship. Nami passed him a towel she prepared earlier. "That was some session you pulled today, 2 hours and it's not even noon. I swear you're more addicted to training than Zoro." She said while Naruto dried himself.

The blond chuckled. "You're making it sound like a chore? Training's just one of many things I like to do. And besides, I can't afford to let my jutsus get rusty. What would happen if someone gets kidnapped again?" He teased playfully as he placed his V-neck vest over his head.

Nami blushed but steadied her fists. "You little-"

Robin interrupted before the navigator could explode. "Speaking of jutsu, I'm still a little confused. Does it mean you can use wind, lightning and water?" Asked the ever curious archaeologist.

"Yeah what's that about?" Chopper added.

Naruto forced an awkward smile as he sensed a long winded explanation was required. "Um sort of? Some shinobi are born into clans that inherit chakra that are naturally inclined to one of the five elements." He explained. "For example, one of my teammate is from a clan whose chakra is inclined to fire."

They all nodded.

"My clan are one of few who possess chakra that are inclined to two elements, those elements being wind and water." Naruto chuckled to himself. "I really should have noticed sooner since Nami means wave and kaze wind."

"Ohh, I see."

Naruto bobbed his head. "Yup."

The calling of a seagull mercifully interrupted their discussion. A rolled up newspaper plummeted from above and landed next to Nami's feet.

She grabbed the newspaper and unrolled it. Hey eyes popped followed by a smile at Naruto's direction. "Minna! Come out here!" She called.

Moments later Sanji, Franky, Zoro and Brook exited the kitchen to join the rest.

"Nami-swan! Did you call for me my love?!"

She sighed deeply, exhaling in sarcasm. "Yeah yeah, gather around, I think you all want to see this."

Nine individuals obeyed and stepped closer. "What is it now?" An irritated Zoro added.

Everyone jerked as Nami held up a page from the newspaper. "It's official, 'Black Lightning' Naruto Namikaze is the tenth member of the Straw Hat Pirates!" She said happily and proudly.

Smiles grew as they studied Naruto's new wanted poster. The image displayed the blond coated with his black lightning at full power gripping his katana.

"Not bad for a first bounty." Zoro hid the surprise in his voice.

Usopp twitched. "100 million beli's not bad!?"

Confused by some of the surprised faces, Naruto couldn't comprehend the magnitude of the poster. "Can I take a look at that, Nami?"

Receiving the newspaper, Naruto begun to read the poster.

"Wanted, dead or alive, Black Lightning Naruto Namikaze. 100 million beli for acts of piracy and connections with the Straw Hat Pirates." He scratched the back of his head. "Is a 100 million bounty really that impressive?"

Robin giggled at his cluelessness. "It's the maximum bounty given to first time criminals, Naruto-san. Only two others on this ship have higher bounties, Swordsman-san with 120 million and Senchou-san with 400 hundred million."

"400 hundred Million!" Naruto yelled in astonishment. He switch his attention to his grinning captain. Taking another glance at the poster, the blond smiled faintly. "Looks like I've got some catching up to do."

Sanji puffed smoke. "I think this calls for celebration, anyone have any ideas?"

"The next island should be an hour away, how about a beach party?" Nami suggested optimistically.

"Wait a second! I've been asking for barbeque for nearly a week now!?" The captain protested.

Nami gasped as she came up with a fantastic idea. "Barbeque beach party!"

2 Hours Later. 

Arriving at their new destination, The Straw Hat pirates celebrated Naruto's official membership in high spirits. It didn't take them long to set up the minor equipment for the celebration. Soon enough the smell of Sanji's cooking infused the air, Luffy filled his stomach with another piece of meat and Chopper, Franky, Usopp and Brook were occupied sculpting an enormous sand castle. Nami was enjoying herself with a warm swim and Robin peacefully sunbathed while she took comfort in the sound of blades crashing into one another.

'He's good, speed, power and technique, it's obvious that he's a master with a sword, Woaw!' Naruto thought as he dodged one of Zoro's attacks. Digging his back foot on the wet sand, he countered to switch from defence to offense.

The sudden shift of the battle made avoiding Naruto's blade even that much harder for Zoro. 'I've never seen a fighting style like this before, I can't predict a pattern of attack.' 

Forming an X with his swords, Zoro obstructed Naruto's downward slash. The two found themselves in stalemate as their weapons fought for supremacy.

Deciding that further fighting would be futile, the two swordsman leapt backwards to create distance. The topless men smirked at another before Zoro spoke. "That fighting style of yours is annoying as hell."

Naruto smiled brightly. "I'll take that as a compliment, you're not so bad yourself." The blond responded genuinely.

"Jeez, you're training again?!" Nami popped out of the water, surprising the unexpected swordsmen.

"There's so no such thing as too much-"

Naruto finally took a glance at their new spectator only to instantly forget his next set of words. Nami's wet skin glistened beautifully against the bright sun and her white bikini wrapped tightly around her curvy physique. She stood exquisitely as the water level reached mid-thigh.

The jinchuuriki gulped. "…Training."

Nami quickly noticed the effect her body had on him. She smiled proudly. "Um, you know my eyes are up here." She said playfully.

Naruto immediately blushed and adjusted his sight. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, I don't mind" She winked.

Zoro rolled his eyes in disgust and wondered why they haven't got together already since it was so obvious they liked each other. However his thoughts were rudely interrupted by an uninvited guest.

"Mugiwara!"

The 10 Straw Hats pirates shot their attention to the new, hostile voice. Every set of eyes widened with the exception of Naruto when they discovered the identity the intruder.

Luffy swallowed the meat in his mouth. "Oh it's you" He said overly calmly.

The crew relocated behind their captain while shifting in their fighting stances. Naruto narrowed his eyes, questioning the identity of the tall, red haired, well-built trespasser wearing black khakis and a red unbuttoned shirt.

"Who's this guy?"

A newly nervous Nami stepped closer to Naruto. "Do you remember your first day here nearly a month ago?"

"How could I forget?"

"Well, a few days before that, Luffy got himself into another mess with him before we could resupply the ship."

Zoro gripped his swords. "His name is Takumi. He's ranked in the top ten bounty hunters in the world." He said with a hint of familiarly

"You sound like you know him?" Naruto asked.

"I met him in a bar a long time ago, we even did a job together once. No bounty hunter in the world doesn't know that man."

The red headed male smirked. "I see you still remember me 'Pirate hunter' Zoro." He said mockingly. "It's a shame you became to what you hunted down most of your life. You had talent kid."

"Spare me the pleasantries, Takumi. How did you find us?"

"Is that anyway to treat an old acquaintance? Whatever." Takumi shrugged. "You should know word spreads like wildfire in the New World, all I had to do was listen and ask the right questions. But I must commend you for choosing to come to this island."

"What do you mean by this island?" Robin asked worryingly.

Takumi narrowed his eyes. "What? You don't know? Haha, then that makes you the biggest bunch of idiots in the entire Grand Line. Every pirate knows to avoid Tesa Island."

"W-w-why do they avoid it?" Usopp chattered in fear.

Takumi snorted. "Why should I help filthy criminals like you? Besides, it doesn't matter since you'll all be leaving here in body bags soon enough."

Zoro grunted. "Like that's gonna happen, this is not the same as last time where you fought Luffy by himself, even you and your powers can't take all of us on your own."

"Don't be so sure of yourself, Roronoa Zoro. Killing you pathetic excuses for pirates will be child's play for someone like me."

Naruto tightened the grip on his sword. "Luffy, let's take him down together."

The unusually quiet rubber man held his hand out. "No, I'll take him on alone. It was my fault that got us into trouble. If you didn't help us back then I don't know what would have happened." He spoke deeply with absolute seriousness that sent shivers down several of his crew's spine.

"And it's all because of this guy."

His tone made his intensions unconditionally clear. His crew reluctantly accepted their captain's orders knowing well that further negotiation would be pointless. Luffy stomped his foot. "Gear Second!"

Smirking delightedly, Takumi prepared for combat. "You're actions are commendable, but stupid nonetheless. Your 400 million beli bounty's mine Mugiwara!"

Steaming Luffy disappeared in a blink of an eye, even Naruto lost his trail of thought seeing how fast he was. Reappearing at Takumi's right, Luffy, withdrew his right arm. "Gomu Gomu no – Jet Pistol!"

Leaning back at the last moment, Takumi smoothly evaded the punch. Luffy reappeared once again but this time behind the bounty hunter. "Gomu Gomu no – Stamp!"

His feet connected with air, Takumi side stepped to avoid the attack. Believing he calculated Luffy's maximum speed, Takumi underestimated his opponent and failed to prepare for the following attack.

"Gomu Gomu no – Jet Bazooka!"

The red headed man shielded his chest with his arms to block the attack but that didn't stop him from sliding several meters in the opposite direction.

To say Naruto was impressed by what had transpired was a huge understatement.

'I had no idea Luffy was this strong! I knew he had to be powerful to call himself captain but this exceeded my expectations. His taijutsu may be unorganised and unusual but it works. He can extend his limbs freely allowing him to switch from short to long range attacks any time he wants which makes predicating his attack pattern near impossible.' 

"Gomu Gomu no – Muchi!"

'On top of that, his speed matches my raiton shunshin and if those attacks of his make a clean hit, it can cause problems even for the most experienced Jounins including me.' The edge of his lips curved. 'and something tells me that he's got plenty more up his sleeve' 

Gazing up at the airborne Luffy, the blond questioned his captain's new darkened arms.

Takumi tensed 'Shit!'

"Gomu Gomu no – Jet Gatling Gun!"

Luffy's bombardment of punches created a thick sand cloud that concealed the bounty hunter.

Overly excited Usopp punched the air. "Yeah! You got him Luffy! That teaches him not to mess with Captain Usopp and his crew!"

The rubber man failed to respond, he keep his attention on the cloud of sand.

"Don't celebrate yet, this fight is far from over." The first mate countered.

"What are you talking about Zoro, no one can take that many-"

A menacing snicker from Takumi's direction cut Usopp's sentence short. "I can't believe you've pushed me this far to use this already, not bad, Mugiwara."

Hearts pumped harder as the sand cloud slowly settled, gradually revealing Takumi's true form.

Luffy's opponent's hands were transformed into huge black pincers, his skin distorted into what seemed like layers upon layers of armour. But the main modification of Takumi's alteration was the armoured tail that curled above his head.

"What the hell is he?" Sanji asked dubiously.

Zoro kept his lone eye on Takumi. "What you can't tell? He's a scorpion."

"Scorpion!" Screamed Usopp and Chopper.

"It's what makes him one of the most deadly bounty hunters in the world. On top of his Haki, the poison in his stinger can paralyse his targets in a single strike."

Shrugging his newly formed shoulders, Takumi spoke up. "I see my reputation precedes me. But knowledge of my power won't matter in the slightest, now I'm at full strength, none of you have the power to stop me."

Luffy clenched his Haki enhanced fists. "There's no way in hell am I going to let you hurt my friends!"

Takumi smirked. "We'll see about that."

Dashing at his opponent at eye popping speeds, Takumi aimed his stinger at Luffy's chest, only to connect with the remnants of the rubber man's steam.

Reappearing behind the scorpion, Luffy withdrew his arm. "Gomu Gomu no – Pistol!"

His punched connected cleanly, but what widened Luffy's eyes was the outcome of his attack. Takumi didn't budge an inch, the punch was unquestionably ineffective.

The bounty hunter rushed back to Luffy's proximity striking multiple jabs at his rubber target. Utilising everything he learned from Rayleigh, Luffy's observation Haki permitted evasion from Takumi's lethal attacks with relative ease.

After dozens of failed attempts, the scorpion man hastily became irritated. Collecting all his strength into one powerful jab, Takumi withdrew his tail and aimed for Luffy's chest. His frustration doubled when his tail connected with sand.

Rematerializing in front of his nakamas, Luffy prepared a counter. "Gomu Gomu-"

His attack was cut short by some green, steaming liquid flying towards him.

Zoro's eyes broadened. "Acid!"

Hearing the warning, Instincts took over, Luffy dodged the lethal substance at the very last second. He may have avoided the attack, but that didn't stop the acid from striking his friends. "Minna watch out!"

Years of shinobi experience triggered, Naruto unconsciously executed multiple hand seals at striking speeds. He took one big breath before activating his jutsu.

"Water style – Water Wall Jutsu!"

Naruto formed the protective wall just in time to stop the deadly acid and startling his friends in the process.

Knowing his nakamas are safe, Luffy sighed in relief before returning his menacing attention on Takumi. "You're going to pay for that."

The bounty hunter smiled triumphantly, acid leaking from his stinger, dissolving the sand beneath his feet. "I highly doubt that. But you should consider yourself lucky, you and your crew are the only people alive that knows about my secret ability. " His expression shifted to one of pure malevolent. "I think it's time to change that, don't you?"

Gritting his teeth in rage, Luffy vanished into thin air. Appearing as various after images, he circled the bounty hunter at never before seen speeds.

Takumi shock his head. "You really think your petty little tricks will work on me and my Haki?"

Luffy kept the barrage of after images for another minute, he tensed as he prepared for his attack. Reappearing a centimetres from the bounty hunters face, Luffy withdrew his arm and launched to what he thought would be the finishing move.

What shook the Straw Hat captain was the immense sensation of pain in his arm as soon as he threw the punch. His crew were left in disbelief, struggling to process at what occurred.

"H-he caught it!" Robin stammered in fear.

Luffy was too preoccupied by the extreme pain from his arm to question how the hell his opponent caught his jet pistol. The rubber man groaned in agony, blood seeped out of the area confined by Takumi's pincer.

Mustering all his strength to disregard the pain, Luffy bit his lip, withdrew his free arm and launched another punch aimed directly at the red haired man's face.

Cries of fist clenching anguish rang in the ears those in attendance. Takumi had caught and immobilised Luffy's other arm, quickly changing the golden sand beneath to rose red.

The immense pain had token over Luffy's ability to process any form of cognition. Centimetre by centimetre, Takumi's razor sharp pincers dug deeper into his arms.

Spreading Luffy's arms out wide, Takumi slowly positioned his stinger above his head in preparation to subdue the 400 million beli man. Chuckling cockily, Takumi chuckled mockingly. "Is this the best that the great Monkey D. Luffy has to offer? Well I for one am truly disappointed."

Said man ignored all sensation of torture to lift an eye lid. "Bastard- AHH!" Luffy unleashed an ear melting scream as a response to the tightening of the pincers wrapped around his arm.

Slowly recovering from the initial pain, the Straw Hat captain continued his sentence. "Don't think… you've won just yet. T-this is far from over."

Sighing in disillusionment, Takumi shook his head. "Considering the situation, still you believe in your ridiculous ideas that you can beat me. Your defeat was inevitable as soon as you stepped a foot on this island."

Shrugging cockily with a victorious smile, Takumi spoke once more "If only you surrendered sooner, I may have shown some mercy and let your nakamas live." He lied unconvincingly. "But I guess now I have no choice, don't worry though, you'll be seeing them in the other side soon enough."

The remaining Mugiwara pirates stood frantic as they watched helplessly at their distressed captain. Each cry of agony felt like a knife diving deeper into their stomachs. The fact that Takumi was openly taunting Luffy enraged several individuals, and Naruto was one of them.

He may have been the newest member but he'd grown fond of his new friends, especially Luffy who was like a mirror image of himself in so many ways. So standing idly feeling useless while Luffy suffers wasn't something Naruto could accept so easily.

Toughening the grip on his sword, Naruto readied himself to remove Takumi's arms off his body, Naruto grated his teeth and took a footstep forward.

But his plans were abruptly interrupted by the hand of his fellow blonde. "Don't. Luffy's fine."

Naruto snapped, questioning Sanji's sanity. "What the hell are you talking about?! He's seconds away from being killed and we're standing here doing nothing about it, why aren't we helping him?!"

Although they didn't show it, several of his crew mates shared Naruto's feelings. The only difference was that they knew Luffy, they knew that he's been in far worse situation than this and escaped victoriously.

"Sanji-san is right, Luffy will be alright, and you'll see soon Naruto-san" Brook reassured confidently.

Despite the relieving comment by his friend, Naruto remained sceptical. However, taking a closer inspection at their unwavering faces, the blond reluctantly conformed in believing in the strength of his captain.

Luffy desperately squirmed trying to free himself from Takumi's grip. But the red headed bounty hunter had his fill in taunting the rubber man, he steadied his stinger and aimed for Luffy's heart. "I thought I told you already, resisting is pointless." He said uninterestedly. "Would you like to say a few last words to your nakamas before you depart this world?"

Luffy ceased his wriggling and cries of pain. "Armament Hardening." He whispered to himself.

Takumi lifted an eye brow as his targets right leg darkened.

"Gomu Gomu No – Jet Battle Axe!"

In a blink of an eye Luffy's earth shattering attack crashed down upon Takumi's skull releasing his hostage in the process. Luffy took several unbalanced backward steps while the bounty hunter savoured the taste of sand.

The immense pain coursed throughout Takumi's body, every single nerve felt as if it'd been lit on fire. This sensation was foreign to him in this form, he hailed his armoured skin to be the ultimate defence to any devil fruit user which is the reason why he loved to mock his targets before eliminated them.

Assembling everything his body had to offer, Takumi slowly picked himself off the sand, his body strangely felt heavier while his knees threatened to cave in at any moment.

Takumi's overconfidence lead him to believe he could take his eyes off Luffy. "I got to give it to you Mugiwara, not a lot of people have ever pushed me this far." He finally rook a glance at his rubber adversary. "You should be proud of yours- what the hell is that?!"

"Gomu Gomu no – Red Hawk!"

Luffy's fire encased fist buried itself in the scorpion man's stomach with cataclysmic force, shattering his opponent's armoured skin into tiny pieces. Spluttering blood at initial contact, Takumi was sent flying at the opposite direct as the attack scorched his abdominals, receiving amounts pain that the bounty hunter never thought possible.

Relieved smiles elevated on faces of nine individuals while Naruto mentally slapped himself for ever doubting his captain.

Luffy stood weakly, clearly fatigued from him battle and excessive loss of blood. His breath was heavy, his knees felt exhausted from the prolong use of second gear while blood continued to pour down his arms. Luffy left his crew questioning when he started to walk over to the damaged body of Takumi.

Standing over the near unconscious, human form bounty hunter, Luffy noticed he hadn't had the strength to fight any further. His attack seared Takumi's stomach to an extent making even moving difficult, but that didn't stop the scorpion man from trying.

Using every last bit of power he had left, Takumi groaned aggressively as he attempted to return to his feet. But the immense aching in his body could only allow him to rest on one knee. He clenched one of his fist with sand knowing he lost this fight.

"Do it." He spoke defeated.

"Do what?" Luffy questioned.

"Kill me, I know you want to, so just hurry up with it already."

Luffy looked down on the bounty hunter with hard eyes. "Even though you threatened my friends, I don't want to kill you." Turning around and walking back to his crew, Luffy spoke again. "Get out of this Island and leave us alone."

His commanding tone scared even some of his nakamas.

Receiving orders and mercy from a pirate infuriated the bounty hunter, he gritted his teeth together before struggling to his feet. His actions didn't go unnoticed by the Straw Hat captain, but Luffy believed the bounty hunter was fulfilling his instructions.

Takumi felt a whole new batch of hatred flood his system, he couldn't fathom how he lost to a naïve brat. Watching the retreating back of his target, Takumi silently utilised his devil fruit powers to grow his armoured stinger. 'Time to die, Mugiwara!'

Luffy's face splitting grin directed to his friends was quickly exchanged for one of confusion when out of nowhere, Naruto Shunshined leaving only streaks of black lightning in his place and Zoro dashing past him like a green human sized bullet.

Luffy's eyes quickly followed Zoro's direction only to find his first mate hovering the tip of his sword inches away from Takumi's heart and Naruto stood behind the red headed man with his blade pressed against his throat.

"I'm not sure you heard him correctly." Naruto whispered.

Zoro continued. "My captain told you to leave. But I think a disgraceful piece off trash like you doesn't deserve such a generous punishment, what do you think, Naruto?"

"I totally agree." The blond replied as wide eyed Takumi choked on his words. "But Luffy made himself clear, leave this island or you'll have to deal with us." Naruto warned with frightening killing intent.

Takumi's surprised, choked up face quickly shifted to a beaten smirk. "Fine, I'll admit defeat and leave." Naruto and Zoro slowly and reluctantly retracted their swords.

To everyone's confusion, Takumi released a sinister snicker as he turned around to make his retreat. "However, you should enjoy your victory while it lasts, because setting foot on this island means you have all signed your death wish."

Usopp felt a bead of sweat drop down his neck while Chopper and Nami gulped nervously.

"Good luck getting out of here alive." Takumi finished. He paced down the beach to return back to his ship. The pirates kept their stares on the back of the bounty hunter for a while until his figure disappeared in the distance.

Nami sighed intensely, relieved the fight was over and no one was seriously hurt. She looked over to inspect Luffy's condition only to find him smiling childishly and rubbing his stomach.

"Oohhh that was a close one." He giggle to himself. "Sanji! Is there any food le-"

A sudden wave of dizziness stopped the captain in is tracks, his knees caved and body dumped itself on the sand.

"Luffy!" The Straw Hats shrieked in fright.

His nakamas rushed to his aid with Chopper being the first to arrive. Flipping Luffy on his back, the doctor administrated his examination.

"Oi Chopper what's wrong with him, he looked alright just a second ago!?" Asked by an anxious Zoro.

"He's lost so much blood, but I can't begin his treatment here. We need to get him back on the ship!"

Later that day.

Several hours had passed since the threatening scare to Luffy's life, Chopper did everything medicinally possible to get him to a stable state but the doctor wasn't certain when he would wake up, it could be 2 hours or 2 days, Luffy has always been so unpredictable.

Although it was a scare, the remaining Straw Hats were confident in their captain's full recovery. However, as Naruto rested on his bed, fingers interlocked behind his head. Only one thought came to mind.

'You should enjoy your victory while it lasts, because setting foot on this island means you have all signed your death wish.'

The final few words of Takumi left a bitter taste in Naruto's mouth. The blond had received such intimidating lines before but most turned out to be empty threats by scared cowards. But the manner in which Takumi spoke those words, Naruto couldn't help but sense some truth within them.

'What did he mean by signing our death wish? What does he know about this island that we don't?' 

Naruto was abruptly cast out of his thoughts by the sound of an opening door. Sitting up to make himself presentable, he noticed his visitor was none other than the orange haired navigator.

"Oh hey Nami, what's up?"

She addressed him with a wave and a cheerful smile. "Sanji-kun said dinner is ready and he asked me to get you, also you're never going to believe who's awake."

"Luffy's awake!?" He answered. "Damn, he heals as fast as me?"

Nami laughed at the comment. "I doubt it, I'm sure he just smelt the food, you should have seen him running into the kitchen fully bandaged, drooling and everything."

Nodding his head in agreement, Naruto stepped out of bed to meet Nami by the door. "Sounds like something Luffy would do." His eyes flared up with curiosity. "Let's go, I gotta to see this with my own eyes."

Kitchen/Dining Room. 

It was yet again another mundane evening on the Thousand Sunny, at the dining table sat eight pirates who had begun their meals. Robin mentally giggled to herself at how normal everything seemed despite the ominous warning from the bounty hunter.

Her attention was swiftly redirected to the door as Naruto and Nami entered the room.

"Ohh! You really are awake." Naruto stated astonished. He noticed Luffy's damaged arms wrapped tightly in bandages.

Mid-chew Luffy mumbled an incoherent sentence, after swallowing and releasing a satisfied sigh, he replied happily. "Yup, no amount of injuries are going to stop me from eating meat!"

"Nothing on this planet can stop you from eating meat, baka." Nami interjected while she and Naruto took a seat next to each other across the table from Robin.

The Straw Hats ate peacefully, enjoying each other's company and conversations like any other day.

The raven haired women smiled happily for her roommate as she watched Nami becoming frustrated at Naruto for stealing food out of her plate while he acted innocent and laughed it off. 'Seems like those two are really hitting it off. 

"Stop taking my food you idiot!"

"Ehh? But it wasn't me that time, blame Luffy!"

'I'm so happy for you Nami.' 

Since it was meant to be a secret, Robin had never confronted Nami about her secret relationship with Luffy. It was something she planned to bring up but never knew how to initiate.

However, one thing Robin did remember was how upset she was at the night before they docked at Sabaody Archipelago. Nami never explained why she was upset that night, but she didn't need to. Robin instinctually knew and she feared Nami would never find the true love that she deserves. If Luffy wasn't the one, then who was?

But now seeing her so cheerful and full of life brought new hope that warmed the heart of the archaeologist.

But her mood soon shifted as she turned her attention onto the swordsman who sat next to the former Leaf shinobi. Zoro ate his meal quietly, he hadn't spoken in a while but he wasn't a man with many words to begin with.

Robin gazed upon his tough manly face with uninterpretable feelings. All the memories they shared came flooding back at once, most were from their undisclosed sexual acts but some were genuinely sweet moments, moments after their physical urges were answered they would have endless random talks and side-splitting laughter until sunrise.

She couldn't answer for him, but for her, those moments were the first time she felt anything even close to a real relationship. A complete mystery it may be but what was certain was that Robin enjoyed those times. It had her questioning her true feelings for Zoro, whether he felt the same as she did or is their relationship nothing but physical.

'I really need to talk to him about us. Whatever the 'us' means, I want to know.' 

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