Disclaimer: We do not own any of the series used in this work of fanfiction. They all belong to their respective owners. We're not making any money off this, either.

Tanzaku Island…A rather beautiful landmass in the Grand Line, known for its resorts, historical sights, amazing diners, and beautiful beaches…and currently, the place of vacation for a group of young men who-judging from their behavior and the states of their uniforms-were fresh Marine recruits. None of them had really any experience in fighting, but with the pistols and few sabers they had managed to acquire for this celebratory vacation, the group easily felt like the 'Big Men on Campus'. Or 'Big Men on the Beach', as it were…

"Finally!" Began the apparent leader of the rowdy bunch, a cheery and cocky grin on his lips as he pumped a fist into the air. Being the one to plan this trip, Shinji-no last name, but easily identified by his blue, seaweed-like hair-couldn't be happier that he and his friends had finally arrived. "We can finally get away from that shitty Drill Sergeant and prove ourselves to the world! We'll go down in history as Heroes…LEGENDS!" With that the blue-haired recruit gave a hearty-if not irritating to others-laugh.

"Dude, shut up!" His black-haired "Right-hand man" shushed looking panicked as he scanned the area hurriedly in order to make sure nobody heard the group's "Leader". "Be a bit quieter, will ya'? Last thing we want is to piss off a higher up and get sent back to Drill Sergeant Tobirama…or worse, sent back to him and then given to Admiral Gai." The frail-looking Shinichi Kinjirou continued with his warning, causing the five other recruits to shudder in fear.

Dealing with Drill Sergeant Tobirama was one thing. The pain, soreness, and absolute exhaustion would go away over time. Dealing with Admiral Gai and his 'Apprentice', a youth named Rock Lee...that was something nobody wanted. Ever.

So caught up in thinking about the "Dreaded Three" of their Marine Base the group of six completely missed the blond young man with a headband and black coat sporting burnt orange flames licking at the bottom sprinting past. Accompanying him was a shorter companion with blond hair that was more pale compared to the man's and an outfit that somehow struck a balance between ridiculous and practical(?), and a strange plushie-like creature with two turret guns on the top of its head.

"Hey… Are you sure you saw those two take off this way? I mean…I'm all for following a trail, but we're out in the open. We could literally walk right by Marines and get arrested on the spot." The taller blond questioned, earning a nod from his shorter companion.

"Yeah, they definitely came this way. And did you forget? A few admirals were out on the streets, so this is the only 'safe' path for us to take. Besides, wouldn't you be able to beat them down and get us out of there?" The girl retorted, and the male sighed.

"Actually, I did…and for the record, just because I CAN beat down a bunch of admirals and officers doesn't mean I WANT to! I actually like this island and I'd rather not get blacklisted here for causing trouble…" At this the girl just giggled as they continued on…completely undetected by the six newly appointed Marines.

Shinji-in spite of the reminiscing and the unknowing blunder he and his comrades had made-laughed the concern off. "Hah! As if they'll report us in! We graduated training at the top of our class! They wouldn't waste our potential with some lame punishment!" The stupidity of that comment would have burned the souls of any cadet that WASN'T in Shinji's group, before the blue-haired recruit gained a teasing grin. "Or maybe…you're just gullible enough to believe all those stories about there being Superhuman Officers in the Marines, and monstrous Pirates out there capable of levelling entire villages without the aid of their crew? You really live up to your name, Shinichi Kinjirou!"

"Fuck you! And don't say my full name like that!" The black-haired recruit of the group snapped, glaring at their so-called 'leader.'

After a few moments, the entire group just burst out laughing before continuing on their merry way, making lame jokes, telling tall tales and overall having an obnoxiously loud good time. They had chosen this island specifically because it was within reasonable distance from their base, but not an area of interest due to the total lack of pirate activity. So the odds of a superior officer being present were ridiculously low.

As the group continued, one of the other five recruits-someone so generic that he could legitimately be mistaken for any random joe of no importance-pointed out a rather amazing sight in the distance on the beach.

"Holy shit, guys! Take a look over there! A bunch of babes, hot and ready for picking up!" Generic Recruit #1 exclaimed excitedly, causing his friends to do a double take as they looked in the direction Generic Recruit #1 indicated. And indeed, there were five gorgeous women gathered, enjoying what seemed to be a pleasant picnic under the sun with the ocean breeze helping making things more pleasant.

The closest of the five was someone who looked a bit young for the recruits' tastes, but had a sense of beauty about her as she relaxed on the beach towel spread out on the sand underneath her. Sporting shoulder length light brown hair that was styled with bangs to frame her face perfectly and fair skin that was free of blemishes, she almost seemed like a doll…her eyes were hidden by a pair of simple sunglasses, and the soft rise and fall of her chest showed that she had dozed off at some point in time. Though admittedly the one piece racing swimsuit did nothing to help her look more mature than she normally would...

Next to her was a moderately endowed young woman with brown hair done in twintails and a content look on her soft features as she thoroughly enjoyed the bowl of "Stamina Udon" in her hands. The navy blue one-piece bathing suit accented her toned features. While she seemed focused entirely on her meal at hand, there was just something about her that warned the recruits to steer clear of her if they liked staying in one piece…

Beyond her were two stunning women enjoying a pleasant conversation. One looked like she had practically jumped right out of a fashion magazine in terms of looks, with long, brown hair tied in a ponytail that reached down to the beach towel she and her companion were sitting upon, pale, soft-looking skin, and a heart shaped face that practically radiated beauty when she smiled and laughed lightly at something mentioned by her companion. Kinjirou couldn't help but admire the sakura-print bikini that she wore which had a few with a few pink frills lining it.

A slight look to the left would allow the recruits to admire the woman's companion, another stunning beauty but one sporting a more 'athletic' appeal to her. With a much more noticeable tan and more clearly defined muscles, the recruits had no trouble believing that this exotic woman would be more than capable of stomping them into the ground should they get on her bad side. Enchanting red eyes, midnight black hair that reached down to the small of her back, and a one-piece swimsuit that managed to really drive home that while she was not the same kind of beauty as her companion, she was no less enchanting.

Though, the fifth girl was probably the one that caught their attention the most. Not so much for her looks-though the recruits could all easily admit that this girl was right up there with her companions-as it was for what she was doing.

"BURNING… LOOOVE!" … After all, how often does one see a beautiful young girl execute a perfect dive kick on a large, airborne watermelon that somehow managed to split it into evenly-divided pieces? Slate gray eyes alight with cheer and a proud smile on her lips, the young woman with long, chestnut brown hair done in a unique take on the 'twin buns' style and a pair of shorts and a hoodie as opposed to a swimsuit clearly radiated a sense of energy that the rest of her more sedate companions lacked.

The group of recruits shared a look, and-in a rare moment of proactivity-Shinichi was the first to speak up.

"I call first crack at them." And to be expected from a group of cocky young men having just graduated from a military training academy where hormones were running high...this declaration was met with great protest.

"Like hell you do, I'm the leader! I get first shot!"

"Shinji, you got the last five first shots, let me get one dammit!"

"No way, bro! I'm the one who should go first this time!"

"As if, you're so generic you haven't even gotten your own description yet!"

"... Dude, that was low."

"Ah, geez…Sorry man. That was uncool of me…But still, I should go first!"

"Shinji, quit being a prick and let us get a damn turn!"

As the group of six continued to bicker, they failed to notice a very key detail until it was far too late. And Shinichi was the one to bring it to attention.

"Aw, dammit! They left already!" The "Right-hand Man" of the group cursed, earning groans from the others…along with a dope slap from Shinji.

"You idiots!" The leader of the group snapped, clearly annoyed by this development. "We had a chance to score with some total babes and you jackasses blew it!" While the others wanted to protest, Shinji wasn't exactly wrong. It grated on them to have their blue-haired leader to be the 'voice of reason' though.

"...Bah, whatever. Let's just go get some grub and see if maybe we can find some girls even half as hot as the ones we just saw." He said, earning a chorus of "Yeah!"s from his 'flunkies before the group made their way into town…

Scene Change: "The Ton-Ton Buffet", one hour later…

"Aah, man…" A satisfied-sounding young man sighed, a content look on his face as he set the large-and currently empty-bowl in his hands down on the table. "That really hit the spot…"

This earned a slight giggle from his companion who brushed a lock of pale blonde hair out of her eyes before responding.

"Ramen always hits the spot with you Naruto-kun," She began, before gaining a bit of a thoughtful expression. "Though, I suppose it isn't the worst of addictions…" This got an indignant look from the now-identified Naruto.

"Oi, it is not an addiction, Shimakaze! It's a healthy appreciation for the food of the gods!" He replied adamantly, crossing his arms with a huff. Shimakaze merely gave her companion/captain a dry look.

"Yeah, and Atago-san is only slightly bouncy." The destroyer remarked, clearly not believing her captain's words in the slightest. Silence reigned for a few moments after that comment before the two shared a bit of a laugh. However, before the exchange could go any further…

BAM!

The entrance to the restaurant was kicked open rather harshly as a certain group of newly minted marines waltzed in. Needless to say, all eyes were on the apparent leader-Shinji-as he offered a wide grin before calling out.

"Hey, owner! Get out here and bring your finest dishes! The Marines are here, and we're starving!" He declared, causing fearful looks and hushed whispers to break out among the patrons of the buffet..save for two in particular, who merely gave the group of six a disinterested look before resuming their respective meals and earlier conversation.

"New recruits captain?"

"Most likely, 'ttebayo. Leave 'em be. They probably haven't seen our posters yet so we'll be fine."

As Shinji and his crew proceeded to find a table-promptly scaring off the patrons at the other nearby tables in the process-they were soon given a number of plates and bowls, each filled to the brim with assorted foods. However, once it was all set out for the group of rookies, Shinji eyed the spread before snorting derisively.

"You idiots call this slop your finest? Geez, they call this a good getaway island, but it's clearly just a backwater village with no sense of taste or respect!" He declared, getting shouts of agreement from his five colleagues.

Hearing this, Shimakaze took notice of the annoyed twitch of her captain's eyebrow as he paused mid-slurp from his fifth bowl of ramen, before resuming.

'Oh boy…I wonder how long it'll be before Naruto-kun snaps and kicks them out?' She wondered silently, before beginning to mentally count down to the inevitable 'explosion' that would be her blonde captain losing his patience.

Despite their initial vocalized displeasure with the cuisine, Shinji and his group had soon begun to eat and things had seemingly returned to a peaceful tone. Something that both Naruto and Shimakaze were thankful for as they enjoyed their meals. Alas, all good things must come to an end…

Something that-in this case-was signalled by the entry of a blonde woman dressed in blue in the restaurant. One who easily caught the eyes of every person in the restaurant for several reasons.

Two of the most obvious ones bounced merrily with each hop and skip the woman took towards Naruto and Shimakaze.

"Captain~! Shima-chan~! I'm back!" She called out cheerily, waving at the two before coming to a stop beside their table. "Sorry I'm late Captain, but I needed to make sure that the others weren't causing any trouble at the beach earlier. Turns out that Kongou-chan caused a bit of a stir by dragging some of the others to watch her win a watermelon splitting contest."

Naruto resisted the urge to simultaneously laugh and plant his forehead on the table. Laugh because that sounded exactly like something Kongou would have done, and bash his head against the table because thanks to the woman's boisterous entry, all eyes were now on them.

"It's fine Atago. Just…for future reference, try not to cause a scene when you meet up with us." A beat. "Same goes for you, Shimakaze."

The simultaneous responses he got twin responses of "No promises, Captain~." eliciting a groan from the blonde Uzumaki. He just knew that those two would continue giving him plenty of headaches in the future over the matter… not that he'd trade it for the world of course.

Meanwhile, back at the table occupied by Shinji and his crew the group of six had just finished picking their jaws off the ground from seeing the new bubbly-and bouncy, can't forgot bouncy-blonde babe that had arrived, leading to the leader making a single remark.

"I take back what I said before. This island is a great getaway." He said, before checking his breath and attempting to slick back his seaweed-like hair… Only for it to return to its original style not even a full second after. "Now if you'll excuse me, gentlemen…"

Ignoring the annoyed cries of his comrades, Shinji made his way over to the table Naruto, Shimakaze and Atago were at-trying to look as 'smooth' as possible in the process-before speaking up.

"Hey, ladies. How would you like to-" That was all he got out before he was interrupted by the two ladies.

"No thanks."

"Not interested."

Naruto had to stifle a laugh at the expression Shinji wore at being turned down with such practiced ease. While he was protective of his crewmates/close friends, he did find some small degree of amusement in how often guys tried to hit on them, only to be shot down before even fully taking off.

Shaking his head a bit after a moment of stunned silence, Shinji put on his best 'lady killer' smile before trying again.

"Come now, there's no need to act so rashly. I'm sure-"

"Not a chance." came Shimakaze's immediate response.

"Not going to happen.~" was Atago's reply.

All Naruto could do at this point was snicker at the blue-haired marine's expense.

By now, Shinji's patience was wearing thin. Not that such a thing was hard to accomplish, considering the blunette's incredibly short temper. So, it would come as no surprise to those who knew him that he'd opt to take a more forceful route at this point…as evidenced by him gesturing his flunkies over before moving to grab Atago's wrist.

"Now, listen here you little bitch-" He began, only to be cut off once more-both verbally and physically-by the sole male at the table this time.

"Oi, oi. No need for such language," Naruto began, giving Shinji a smile that was too pleasant to be true given the situation… especially considering the vice-like grip he had on the blunette's wrist. "My lady friends here made it pretty clear that they're not interested in you. So, how about just walking away before something unfortunate happens?"

"Oh yeah?! And what's a punk like you going to do about it?"

Shimakaze facepalmed, already knowing what was going to happen next.

Atago just looked on with a pleasant smile.

Naruto? He grinned.

Five Minutes Before, Outside the Ton-Ton Buffet…

"A-Are you sure that they came this way, Yuudachi-chan..?" A somewhat timid-sounding girl's voice asked. The owner was rather young-looking with dark brown-borderline black-hair that was tied into a small ponytail in the back and green eyes that glanced around, as if looking for something or someone. Her outfit consisted of a short-sleeved sailor fuku with blue highlights.

Her companion-a girl who looked to be around the same age, sporting straight long blonde hair with a black ribbon on top and similarly green eyes-offered a reassuring smile and a pat on the shoulder, which caused the brunette to visibly relax somewhat.

"You're too worried, Fubuki-ppoi!" The blonde began, looking to the now-identified Fubuki with a cheerful glint in her eyes. "Shimakaze and Atago will be fine, since Naruto-kun's with them! Besides, none of the marines here are too high level for us, ppoi." Nodding sagely to herself, the Destroyer-class Kanmusu known as Yuudachi continued walking… Only to stop a moment later and hold a hand out to block Fubuki from moving ahead.

"What's wrong, Yuudachi-chan?" Fubuki asked, confused by the abrupt stop. Yuudachi merely grinned before giving a single statement.

"Found them, ppoi~."

A confused "Eh?" was all Fubuki could get out before a loud CRASH rang out through the area followed by a blue haired male getting thrown clear through the front window of the nearby buffet before sailing through the air a bit and landing in a graceless heap a few yards away.

Not even a full minute later, an all-too-familiar blonde young man jumped out after them, with two girls following him… who were also followed by a group of five angry-looking marines.

"Ah! Yuudachi! Fubuki! Great timing!" Naruto exclaimed upon spotting the two Kanmusu, before ducking under the other five marines who attempted a leaping group tackle. "Things have kinda' gone south here, so we're gonna' have to fight our way out!" And with that said, the blonde captain proceeded to leap towards the already downed Shinji and held him up like a sack of potatoes.

"You're coming with me insurance policy!" Naruto cheerfully declared, before taking off in a sprint. And not a moment too soon as several more marines-clearly more experienced than Shinji and his crew-arrived on the scene.

Atago was the first to respond by picking up one of Shinji's dazed flunkies and chucking him full force at the new arrivals. A collective yell of pain was heard as bodies collided before the buxom blonde turned to face her crewmates.

"Shima-chan, you go and tell the others that it's time to go since you're the fastest. Yuudachi-chan, you go with Naru-kun and help him out. Fubuki-chan, you stick with me while we create a diversion!" She explained, before punching out a Marine that had dared to draw close to her. A loud 'crack' rang out, signalling at LEAST a broken nose.

"I'm on it!" Came Shimakaze's answer as she took off in a full sprint.

"You got it, ppoi~!" Was Yuudachi's answer as she began to follow the trail of chaos that Naruto left in his wake.

"W-wait, am I really going to help with the diversion..?!" Came Fubuki's unsure response… Moments before an unfamiliar pair of hands grabbed her shoulders, prompting the girl to give a brief shriek of horror before grabbing the owner's wrists and flinging him clear over her head and slamming him into the ground. Atago just gave a reassuring smile and a nod after seeing this.

"Of course, Fubuki-chan. I know you can do it!" She cheered, pumping a fist into the air excitedly. Unfortunately, this did little to reassure the destroyer about the matter.

With Naruto and Yuudachi...

"Man, how many of these guys were stationed here? I swear that this place isn't so packed normally…" Naruto wondered aloud, more to himself than anything as his meat shield was thoroughly unconscious from having been used to block a few lucky shots from other marines before the blonde retaliated with a swift strike of his own each time.

However, it wasn't long before a familiar voice rang out from behind him.

"Wait up, ppoi!" Came Yuudachi's call as she ran up to her fellow blonde, only slightly winded from the chase. "I thought our initial plan was to avoid causing any trouble here?" She asked once she was close enough, looking genuinely curious.

A single sweatdrop rolled down the Captain's forehead as he-perhaps finally-realized that his own plan had been undone by himself. So, without a moment's hesitation, he hoisted up his meat shield and pointed accusingly at it.

"He started it!"

At this, Yuudachi could only offer a light laugh, before taking notice of more marines approaching from behind the blonde… these ones apparently armed with Seastone weapons. Seeing this, Naruto and Yuudachi soon shared a look before the former of the two grinned.

"The usual routine?" Naruto asked, despite already knowing the answer. It was something that didn't really get old, after all.

"You bet, ppoi!" The young destroyer answered without any hesitation. Upon hearing this, Naruto merely grinned before tossing his meat shield high into the air, and forming a cross-shaped symbol with his hands.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

As soon as those words left the taller blonde's lips, a large cloud of smoke enveloped the area, causing the approaching marines to stop in their tracks out of wariness for what was about to transpire. Of course, almost nothing could have prepared them for what was revealed when the smoke dissipated.

Namely, there being now dozens of solid copies of the blonde captain surrounding the original and his companion with at least one copy per marine in the immediate area. After a few moments of stunned silence, the squad leader of the marines shook his head before calling out to his followers.

"Don't hesitate now, men! It's just a devil fruit user! If we can get the original with our weapons, the clones will disappear!" He called out, earning a rally of cheers from his men… Which was promptly stopped when the original Naruto walked out of the swarm of clones with a cocksure grin on his features, and promptly grabbed the end of the seastone baton wielded by the leader.

Silence reigned as the marines all looked at the blonde's hand being in clear contact of the Devil Fruit-negating weapon before looking back up and seeing the clones still present… now each menacingly cracking their knuckles and looking ready to give a beatdown.

"Still feeling confident, ppoi?" Yuudachi called out from behind Naruto, smiling impishly at the marines who suddenly felt a lot less sure of themselves. And not even two minutes later, the large group was on the ground-beaten, bruised and clearly out cold. Naruto merely dispelled his clones before adopting a thoughtful pose.

"Hm. I feel like I'm forgetting something…" The blonde muttered, only to be brought out of his musings by a cry from above.

"Doryaaaaaa!"

The yell and the following crash were the only warnings Naruto were given before he had to sidestep out of the way… just in time to avoid a familiar girl's flying kick that sent the falling Shinji flying a good distance away. Naruto sighed slightly before turning around with an amused smile.

"Don't you think that was kinda' overkill, Sendai?" He asked, only to get a grin in return from the now identified Sendai.

"Not in the slightest, Captain! When it comes to battle, it's full throttle or bust!" The girl in question had shoulder length brown hair that was styled into twintails and was clad in an orange-reddish dress with a black skirt and white highlights. A proud look was in her brown eyes as she turned to admire her handiwork. Naruto-in the meantime-just chuckled.

"Alright, I guess that's fair enough, 'ttebayo. Now, come on you two!" He began, waving to the two girls to follow him. "We're not getting away from this island by standing around here!" With that said, the Uzumaki Captain charged ahead once more.

"You got it, Captain!"

"Yeah, let's go, ppoi!"

20 Minutes Later, Near the Docks...

As the trio approached the docks where their ship was stationed, they could hear voices from on board calling out to them. At this, Naruto couldn't help but grin and pick up the pace. An action that was mirrored by his two companions.

"Sounds like everyone else made it out alright!" The blonde captain remarked, before something occurred to him and forced him to come to a halt. Seeing this, Yuudachi and Sendai paused as well, looking to Naruto in confusion.

"Eh, what's the matter, ppoi?" The destroyer of the two asked, only to give a surprised 'eep' and both she and Sendai were suddenly picked up by their captain.

"Sorry, you two. I'll catch up in a bit. So, go on ahead without me!" With that said, Naruto channeled chakra into both of his arms before throwing both girls high into the air and towards the ship before calling out.

"Hurry up and take off for now! I'll catch up in a few minutes!"

On board the large ship, the tallest of the crew-the woman with midnight black hair and red eyes-heard their captain's call, before looking to the rest of the crew and nodding.

"Alright, Naruto knows what he's doing right now. We need to reward his trust in us!" The battleship known as Nagato began, catching the attention of the other 13 girls aboard the ship. "Raise the anchor, unfurl the sails and start the engines! We need to leave the island at once!"

Back on the island shore, Naruto heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing the ship begin to move out from the docks… Mere moments before he was surrounded by a new swarm of marines-this time accompanied by one of the large mechanical enforcement units they were typically proud of… A Pacifista.

"Heh. Bringing out the big guns, aren't ya'? I actually feel kind of honored." Naruto remarked, closing his eyes and lowering his arms, as if to surrender.

"Indeed we are, pirate trash… Or perhaps we should call you Experiment ENFC09?" The captain of the squad replied, a confident smirk on his features. "You were lucky on the day you escaped, as we had no Pacifista units on standby at that base… We had thought we wouldn't have needed them with our project Kanmusu present. But now? You're all alone, and we've got the perfect weapon to neutralize you! So, any last words?"

At this, Naruto just grinned.

"Yeah. Boom."

Confusion ran rampant among the ranks of the marines present, before Naruto's body began to glow brilliantly and panic began to set in. Sadly, panic did nothing to lessen the force of the Shadow Clone's explosion.

Back in the island's main city, the real Naruto was making his way through the streets at top speed, a grin threatening to split his face in two as he heard the explosion in the distance. Unable to help himself, the blonde pirate allowed himself to laugh, earning confused looks from innocent passerby along the way.

"I gotta' admit. Those guys had a clever plan there. Well, not clever enough to get by me, of course, but still. Points where they're due!" The Uzumaki said to himself, before taking a sharp turn to the right… And eventually finding himself high above the water's surface, gazing into the distance from atop a rather steep cliff. A brief glance down would reveal an incredibly sharp drop into the waters below. And no sign of his ship in any direction.

"Well… I'm surprised." He began, closing his eyes once more. "You managed to recover from the explosion and catch up to me in record time. Guess they've been stepping up your training in the corps?" Finally turning around, Naruto was greeted by the sign of roughly half the marine force from before-the captain and Pacifista unit included-all glaring daggers at him.

"How much we're trained doesn't matter to the likes of you, pirate. All that matters is that we've finally cornered you, and no tricks of yours can save you now!" The leader declared, before pointing to the blonde. "All of you, attack! Capture that blonde idiot so we can finally bring him in for his crimes!"

Naruto watched as the marines plus one android began to charge in to try and strike him down. Time seemed to slow for the blonde as it happened…

'Well, this is definitely a situation. Now, I could fight my way out, but even with my Kage Bunshin, there's no guarantee that I won't get hurt with this kind of terrain… But, I should be fine right about… NOW!'

Jumping up over the first two marines that reached him, Naruto planted his feet firmly into their faces before springboarding off…

… and over the edge of the cliff. As he sailed through the air, the blonde captain took a moment to appreciate the shocked stupid expressions of the marines, before producing a single kunai from within his cloak and tossing it with deadly aim.

The thrown knife soon embedded itself directly between the eyes of the Pacifista all the way up to its hilt. And not long after, a soft sizzling noise caught the attention of every marine present.

Only the captain knew what was coming next, but was unfortunately too slow to warn them about the explosive note attached to the weapon as Naruto formed a single handseal to send a pulse of chakra to the note.

The resulting detonation was priceless to the blonde captain as he finally began to descend towards the waters below… And promptly landed harmlessly in a crouch on the surface, just in time to see his ship make the turn around the bend of the island.

"Yep, right on time!" He exclaimed with a grin, before dashing headlong towards the ship and scaling its side with ease to reunite with his crew…

All in all, this was just another average day in the life of the Maelstrom Pirates.

Aboard the 'Will of Fire'...

"I'm back-oof!" Naruto had begun to call out, only to be promptly tackled to the ground by both Yuudachi and Fubuki. "H-Hey now, what's this all about? I wasn't in any danger!" The blonde got out, only to be given a stern look from Yuudachi-which came across as more adorable than anything-and a concerned look from Fubuki.

"Maybe so, but I needed to get you back for throwing me like that, ppoi!" Yuudachi exclaimed, before tightening her hold on Naruto.

"I-I was still worried when Sendai-chan and Yuudachi-chan made it back, but you weren't with them..!" The brown-haired destroyer stated, tears beginning to gather in the corners of her eyes as she held onto the blonde as if it was for dear life.

"We're just glad you're safe and sound, Naru-kun." Atago provided, prying the two girls off their captain with relative ease. "Though, you have to admit, this isn't the first time you worried us like that… In fact, you've been doing so since day one!"

At this, Naruto had the decency to look sheepish.

"Y-yeah, well… I can't help it, 'ttebayo! Trouble just has a way of finding me!" He weakly protested, and after a moment of silence he was given a unanimous series of agreeing nods from the rest of the crew.

"Very true."

"It's like you're a magnet, ppoi!"

"I-It is kind of strange… But, we wouldn't trade it or any of you for the world!"

At Fubuki's statement, the entire crew couldn't help but smile and agree. After all, if it hadn't been for their captain, then they would be in a situation much worse than anything they could imagine…

'And to think… It all began one year ago, when I was still a captive at that infernal base…'

Indeed, the journey the blonde and his companions were on had started a year before, all starting with a jailbreak staged out of pure desperation...

A/N: This has been a long time in the making, but. Here it is. A collaborative effort between myself and my good friend Eitr. It's a triple cross between Naruto, One Piece, and Kantai Collection, if you couldn't already tell.

I realize this chapter seems to dive headfirst into the deep of things, but don't worry. This is just a pilot. Next chapter marks the actual beginning of the story, so stay tuned for the origin of the Maelstrom Pirates!

Fun Fact: Would you believe that this is a fic that's been three years in the making? Yeah, we've had this on the back burners for a long time, ha ha.