#12-13

Chapter 12: Deep Sea Adventure Part 1

"Sup" - Speaking

'Hmm' - Mental

[ ] - Scene/POV Change

{ } - Techniques

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[ South Blue - 1502 ]

"You're making pretty good progress Rouge ." Came the voice of Jeremiah as he looked down at Rouge who was panting and sweating a bit from her position on the ground .

Jeremiah was wearing a tight , semi-long sleeved shirt that was red and did very little to hide his strong and tight muscles underneath , along with a pair of black fingerless gloves. He also had on a pair of form fitting black shorts that stopped just above his knees , which showed off his strong legs . His hair was tied up with some hanging over his forehead . On his feet he had on red , black , and gray running shoes . Lastly , he had on his two necklaces .

It had been a month since he'd started training Rouge , and he was pretty satisfied with her progress so far . The main things he'd helped her with so far were her constructs and martial arts. Though for her fire powers he had to get assistance from Naruto and Souma since they both had fire powers , while he himself did not have any as of now .

She was soaking it all up pretty quickly , which he didn't doubt was at least partially due to having her mind fully opened . She would be a force to be reckoned with in the future .

"Really ?" Rouge asked while panting as she looked up at him from the ground . He was standing over/slightly behind her head while looking down at her with a small , yet proud smile .

This unfortunately(?) also had the effect of giving her an up close view of the large bulge in his shorts , which she did her best to ignore .

She still blushed though .

Rouge was wearing an orange sports bra with gray yoga pants and black/orange training shoes . Her body had begun to fill out nicely over the course of the past month , becoming more fit and toned.

"Really . I'm impressed . You haven't slacked off at all ." Jeremiah said as Rouge sat up and stretched , before fully standing up , already feeling mostly rejuvenated .

Ever since she ate her devil fruit , she recovered quickly from tiredness (from everything really) , which is something she was thankful for .

"It's like you said . We can't afford to slack off ." Rouge said after drinking from a bottle of water .

"Hmm . Well , are you still good to go or do you want to rest for a bit ?" Jeremiah asked with a raised eyebrow .

The flames surrounding her arms was all the answer he needed.

[ One Month Later ]

The crew were currently all getting ready to leave after saying bye to Rouge , Saeko , and the babies . They all enjoyed spending time with her , but they needed to get back to their adventure .

"Do you really have to leave already ?" Rouge asked with a sad pout as she looked up at Jeremiah .

"Yeah . Sorry we can't stay longer , but we really need to get going ." Jeremiah replied and watched as Rouge pouted even more .

"Don't look so sad . You know you'll be seeing us again soon ." He said as he reached out and gently ruffled her hair .

Rouge just hugged him tightly .

"I thought you said you wouldn't miss us when we left ." Jeremiah said while rubbing her back softly .

"Dummy ." She muttered with a faint blush .

The two stayed like that for a while , before Jeremiah spoke again .

"I've gotta go Rouge ." He said softly , and her hold on him only seemed to get tighter .

"Rouge ." He said again , and she reluctantly let go after a few more seconds .

"Be careful ." Rouge said as she placed a hand on his chest .

"Aren't I always ?" He asked , only for her to look at him in a deadpan fashion .

"....Right ." He said as he chuckled a bit .

Rouge shook her head with a smile before asking "So you guys are going to Fishman Island right ?"

"That's the plan ." Jeremiah replied with a nod . He and his crew had actually never been to Fishman Island before . Whenever they sailed in and out of the New World , they would always just go through the Calm Belt . They were all very interested in seeing it in person . He figured they might as well go now since Robin was now part of the crew , and he could take her with him to see the poneglyph down there .

"I've heard it's beautiful . I would love to go someday ." Rouge said with a smile as she imagined herself going on different adventures across the world .

Jeremiah raised an eyebrow .

"You know we wouldn't mind taking you with us . All four of you actually . Just say the word ." He said and she looked at him with some surprise , before shaking her head with a smile .

"As tempting as that is , I think I'd like for Ace and Anne to be able to grow up in one place , rather than always being on the move . Maybe one day though , when they're all grown up ." Rouge said , making Jeremiah nod in understanding . He himself had moved around a lot in his childhood , and it was something that could definitely wear on you .

"I guess that's for the best . Anyway , I guess I'll get going . You know how to get in contact with me if you need anything ." Jeremiah said as he took a step back .

"Be sure to tell me all about it . And I'll be sure to let you know if anything comes up ." Rouge said as she waved with a smile .

"Will do ." Jeremiah said as he gave a lazy salute before turning around and walking away while he waved over his shoulder .

Rouge stared at his back with her smile shifting into a sad frown until his figure was out of sight . Sighing , she turned around to head back to her house .

[ Aboard The Big Dipper ]

The crew were all gathered around on the deck of the ship waiting for Jeremiah to show up , until they noticed him come floating down from the sky and land softly on the deck .

"You guys ready ?" He asked once he landed , getting nods from his crew .

"So just how deep do we need to go Captain ?" Diane asked as Jeremiah approached the helm .

"Ten thousand meters if I'm not mistaken ." Jeremiah said as he grabbed the helm .

Robin gasped . Ten thousand meters ? How would they even survive going that deep ? She looked around to see if anyone was worried , but all she saw was their confident and/or excited expressions .

Was she the crazy one ?

"Well , let's go ." Jeremiah said with a smile as he channeled his tech power into the helm .

The crew watched as electricity sparked all over the ship before what seemed to be a transparent barrier surrounded the whole ship .

"Usually when traveling to Fishman Island , you would have to get your ship coated with the type of bubbles they have on Sabaody . With this barrier , we won't need that . This can handle the pressure from going that deep under the sea , plus it's more durable than the bubble would be ." Jeremiah said , making them all nod while Robin sprouted a few arms out of one of her hands and touched the barrier in fascination .

"Nana , how's the log pose ?" Jeremiah asked his navigator .

"Perfect ." Nana replied with a smile .

"Alright then . Let's head to Fishman Island ." Jeremiah said , getting a cheer from his crew .

As the ship went under the water , the crew couldn't help but be in awe at the sheer beauty . It was a much different experience compared to always sailing over/on top of the water .

"It's beautiful..." Kail muttered in awe , with Souma nodding beside her .

'I wonder if this is what the All Blue would be like .' Souma thought while looking around at all the different fish .

As a cook , one of the best in the world in fact , it was only natural that he would know about the mythical sea . Though unlike most cooks , he didn't really care to find it , or even if it was real or not .

Robin was standing by a railing staring at all of the fish in wonder , only to jump back when she saw a large fish swimming toward the ship , before it was eaten by an even larger fish .

"Don't worry Robin . You're always safe when you're on this ship. Even the strongest sea king would have trouble getting through that barrier." She heard the voice of Jeremiah . Turning her head , she saw him approach her before he sat down on the floor (deck) beside her.

"I'm not scared ." Robin replied as she put on a brave face .

"I'm sure . You're a tough kid ."Jeremiah said with a smile as he reached out and rubbed the top of her head with his big hand , making her smile as well .

She watched as he adjusted himself into a lotus position , before he grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap , making her blush faintly .

"So , what's up Robin ?" He asked her , making her gain a confused expression .

"What do you mean ?" Robin asked with confusion while leaning back against his chest . His body was weirdly comfortable .

"I mean , how do you like being a part of the crew so far ? I hope Naruto , Asta , and Souma aren't too crazy for you ." Jeremiah said , making her giggle a bit .

"Its... Fun . I thought I would have to wait until I was a grownup to see the world outside of Ohara ." Robin said with a smile , making Jeremiah smile as well .

"That's good ." Jeremiah said as he leaned back while letting out a relaxed sigh . It was pretty peaceful right now , so he figured he might as well get some sleep .

"You can get up if you want Robin . I'm gonna take a nap right here ." Robin heard him say , and as she turned her head to look at him , she saw that his eyes were already closing .

Robin thought for a bit before coming to a decision .

Cracking an eye open , Jeremiah glanced down at Robin and watched as she turned in his lap , before snuggling into his chest with a blush , making him gain a small smile as he closed his eye while pulling Robin a little tighter against him .

She was just so cute sometimes .

Diane was silently gushing to herself as she looked at the two of them . She wished she had her camera to take a picture .

While staring at her captain , Diane couldn't help but blush . Ever since that day a few months ago , her love and lust for him had only grown (something she hadn't even thought was possible) . Since she started sleeping in his room , she had decided it was her duty to wake him up every morning with a blowjob . Unfortunately , she wasn't able to always do it since sometimes Shiro and/or Jeremiah himself would be up before her. Still though , she did it as often as she could . She was completely hooked on his taste .

Speaking of Shiro , she was just staring at Jeremiah and Robin with wide , nearly crazed eyes . She liked Robin , of course , but still...

That was HER spot .

[ Five Hours Later ]

"Whoa..." Naruto whispered to himself as he and the crew laid eyes on Fishman Island for the first time . They had literally just arrived maybe five minutes ago , and right now were just taking in the sights . They were fortunate enough to not get caught by any strong underwater currents or any other mishaps .

"It's beautiful..." Bisca said while standing beside Naruto , who just nodded as he looked around .

Looking up , Naruto was surprised to see sunlight . Although it wasn't very bright right now , since it was already almost nighttime. They hadn't exactly been in a rush to get here . If they really wanted to , they probably could have made it here in two hours or even less , but there was simply no need . It's not like they were on a schedule .

"It's a little surprising that they actually still let humans on the island ." Asta said thoughtfully with a hand on his chin . They had , of course , heard of , and even seen first hand the discrimination of fishmen by a lot of humans . The "Nobles" in particular , of course .

"It probably has something to do with the fact that if they started denying all humans access to their island , they would likely end up with a war on their hands . Plus , it's not like all fishmen hate or fear humans , just like not all humans hate or fear fishmen." Ryoko replied as she sat in her seat with her legs crossed while reading a book about different types of plants .

Asta nodded . That made sense . While Fishman Island did have some strong warriors , there was no way they would be able to win , or even survive a war against the surface races . If the Nobles told the Marines to attack Fishman Island , they would do it without question .

It was actually pretty sad once you really thought about it .

"Since its already almost nighttime , should we wait until tomorrow to explore ?" Nana asked curiously with an index finger on her chin as she cocked her head to the side , making the others think .

"Yeah . For one , I'm not sure how the natives would take it if they had strangers wandering around their home in the middle of the night . While I doubt that they would outright attack us or anything like that , there's no reason for us to make them nervous . " Naruto said with a nod as he went into Vice Captain Mode . Jeremiah was still asleep , so the decision fell to him .

The others all nodded .

"I'll get started on dinner then ." Souma said before he turned around and walked to the kitchen .

'I wonder if it's considered bad etiquette to eat fish while on Fishman Island .' Souma idly thought to himself with a curious look on his face .

"Do you want some help ?" Kail asked just before he could enter the kitchen , making him stop dead in his tracks with sweat suddenly pouring down his face .

"NO!" Everyone quickly yelled .

"What ?" Kail asked in confusion as she looked at everyone with a raised eyebrow .

"Kail , I think your food is more of an... Exotic style . It's an acquired taste ." Diane said with a strained smile while her face was a little green , with the others rapidly nodding.

Kail , bless her heart , was not what you would call a good cook . It would be a generous stretch to even call her average . The smell... The taste... Just remembering was enough to make Asta almost gag . Naruto seemed to be locked in a rather dark flashback with his body randomly spasming , making Bisca pat his back sympathetically .

"Hmm... I see . It's a shame . I came up with a new dish that I want all of you to taste . Well , there's always next time." Kail said with a smile , making them all shudder . Even Jeremiah shuddered in his sleep .

The woman had to be trying to torture them .

[ The Next Day ]

"I've gotta say , these disguises are genius Naruto ." Came the voice of Asta , as he , Naruto , and Souma walked around Fishverly Hills .

Asta was wearing a white kimono that had a black star on the back , and a black sash around his waist . Under it he had on black pants with black and white combat shoes . On his head he had on a black headband that had a white star on the front-left side of it .

"But of course . I'm pretty awesome after all ." Naruto said with a grin as he puffed out his chest and raised an index finger to the sky .

Naruto was wearing an orange and black jacket (Shippuden jacket , minus the swirl on the back) , with a black t-shirt under it that had an orange fox head in the middle of the chest . He also had on black pants , along with orange and black shoes .

"Disguises ? If anything , we stand out more than anyone !" Souma exclaimed animatedly as he threw his arms up in the air .

Souma was wearing a plain long sleeved crimson shirt that had black sleeves , with dark blue pants and black and red shoes .

What were their "genius" disguises you ask ?

A pair of glasses with a fake mustache and big nose . That was it .

'Why do I let myself get dragged into these situations?' Souma thought to himself with an exasperated shake of his head .

The group had decided to split up to explore this morning , with the guys being one group and the women being the other . Jeremiah wasn't with them since he had left this morning saying he and Robin were going to look for a poneglyph .

"You may not realize it Souma , but those aren't just a goofy looking pair of glasses ." Naruto said while walking with his hands folded behind his head , to which both Souma and Asta raised an eyebrow .

"Oh? How so?" Souma asked skeptically with his eyebrow still raised .

"I put a seal on them that , to others , will make your hair and eyes appear a different color ." Naruto replied , making Souma blink in surprise , while Asta practically had stars in his eyes .

This was something Naruto had began working on in recent years . Sealing techniques .

He had already mastered augmenting himself with his chakra , and had a good number of techniques including various elemental techniques , so he figured it was a good time to work on some new things . He hadn't progressed very far yet with seals , but they were useful for many different things , so he was eager to push his limits and see just how versatile they were .

"Really? What did mine change to?" Asta asked as he plucked a strand of hair from his head and looked at it , only to still see pale blonde .

"Asta , your eyes look gray while your hair looks silver-ish. Souma , your eyes look blue , and your hair also looks blue. The reason you two can't see it is because they're just illusions , which those glasses allow you to see through ." Naruto informed them . As for Naruto himself , he used a transformation technique to make his eyes purple and his hair red , much like his mother had when she was still alive .

"Why blue?" Souma asked , only to get a bad feeling when Naruto suddenly grew a wide , creepy grin .

"Well of course , I wanted you to be able to match your precious Kail . After all , we all know you have a crush on her ." Naruto said still grinning , and Souma could see Asta grow the same grin from the corner of his eye .

Souma stared at the two of them before he sighed and replied "How long have you two known ?"

He wasn't some kid that would get flustered just because someone knew he had a crush on a girl . He was a grown man and there was a woman he had feelings for . What good would come from denying it ?

"Hmm about a few months I guess ." Naruto said after scratching his chin thoughtfully . Looking at Asta , Souma saw him just nod with a thumbs up .

"Don't worry Souma! I'll be your wingman ." Asta said with a smile while repeatedly slapping Souma's back , much to Souma's annoyance .

"Huh? No way . You've been rejected at least 100 times by now . How could you help me ?" Souma asked , to which Asta fell to the ground on all fours , confusing the fish people who were walking by .

"Ugh! As expected of you Souma.. No mercy..." Asta said as he cried waterfall tears while hitting his fist against the ground , much to the exasperation of Souma , and the amusement of Naruto .

Despite all of this , the three of them were all very much aware of the eyes that were watching them .

[ Elsewhere On Fishman Island ]

As for the women of the crew , sans Shiro , they were walking around through Coral Hill and exploring all the different shops , while also enjoying observing some of the uniqueness of Fishman Island compared to up on the surface (though the surface definitely had its own cool and unique places) . Shiro had quickly latched onto Jeremiah when he and Robin went off in search of a poneglyph , to no one's surprise . Rather than growing distant from him as she got older , Shiro seemed to cling to Jeremiah even more than she did in her younger days, which was saying something .

'Mmm I wonder if Jeremiah would like this...' Ryoko thought to herself as she held up some skimpy pink lingerie .

Ryoko was wearing a white long sleeved shirt that had pink flower designs scattered across it , with tight blue jeans , and a pair of stylish brown calf high boots that her pants were tucked into . She also had on white nail polish , gold earrings , and two gold bracelets on her right wrist .

As Ryoko continued looking at all the different lingerie that suited her style , she couldn't help but frown a little . First Shiro, and now Diane were both sleeping in Jeremiah's room . She was sure that something had happened between Diane and Jeremiah , but she couldn't be sure what it was .

She was envious .

More than being envious though , Ryoko was worried . Worried that Jeremiah would become completely enamored with either Shiro or Diane (or maybe both) , while she eventually got rejected .

That was something she absolutely could not let happen . She loved him far too much , to the point that even the mere thought of being with someone other than him sickened her greatly .

'It's okay . It's okay... I just need to show him how much I love him . That I'm all his , now and forever . That I'll do ANYTHING for him . That we were meant for each other .' Ryoko thought a bit obsessively while she continued going through the different sets of lingerie .

"Sooo... You looking for something to surprise Naruto with?" Nana asked with a teasing smile as she and Kail popped up behind Bisca and looked over her shoulder at what she was holding .

Nana was wearing a yellow sun dress with a black belt around her waist , and brown high heeled sandals . She also had on two bracelets on her left wrist , one yellow and one black .

"Yup ." Bisca responded easily , making both Kail and Nana pout.

Bisca was wearing a small dark green button up vest that was left open with a black bikini top under it that fought to hold in her large bust and showed off her well-toned body , along with a green skirt that had a black stripe going around the middle and black strips hanging all around the bottom . She also had on a pair of black high heeled cowgirl boots , and a black cowgirl hat that had an upcurved brim and a green star on it . Lastly, she had two bands on each of her arms , and red lipstick . (Basically it's her outfit from after the seven year timeskip , just with different colors and designs .)

"Its no fun if you don't get embarrassed ." Kail grumbled as she folded her arms under her large breasts .

Kail was wearing a long sleeved light blue shirt that had a v-neck, which showed an appetizing amount of cleavage, and stopped just a few inches below her breasts . She also had on tight dark blue jeans , along with a pair of light brown high heeled boots . Lastly , she had on her red beaded necklace as usual .

"I'm afraid you'll have to try harder than that Wolfy ." Bisca said with a smile as she waved her finger over her shoulder .

"Anyway what about you two? I'm sure Asta and Souma would like seeing you two in something like this . Actually , I'm pretty sure Asta would love seeing you in just about anything Nana ." Bisca continued with her own teasing smile as Nana grew a small blush .

Kail just looked over all the different lingerie curiously . She actually already had some pretty sexy undergarments in her collection , but she guessed it would be fine to add to it .

Over with Diane , she was doing the same thing as Ryoko . That being , trying to find something that would stir up her Captain's desire for her . Sure she was happy giving him "service" in the mornings , but she desperately wanted him to take the next step (sex) with her after that day a few months ago . She was trying to find something that would make him want to completely ravage her . Even more than that though , she wanted to become an actual couple .

Diane was wearing an orange sleeveless shirt , paired with a black skirt and black high heeled shoes . She had her let down at the moment , and was wearing orange nail polish .

'I guess if all else fails , I could try going nude .' Diane thought to herself with a sigh .

It was hard being a maiden in love .

...

[ Fishman Island - With Jeremiah ]

Jeremiah was in the Sea Forest with Robin who was holding his hand , and Shiro who was latched onto his back as usual , as they stood in front of the target of their little trip .

A poneglyph .

It had been pretty difficult to find . In the end he'd had to concentrate to hear the "voice" of the poneglyph , which helped lead them to it . That wasn't really surprising to him though, since he'd had to do it a few times before when he was looking for poneglyphs . They were usually hidden pretty well .

Looking down at Robin , Jeremiah smiled at her awed expression .

"Shall we?" Jeremiah asked after softly rubbing her head , getting a nod from Robin as she eagerly pulled him forward. It was nice seeing her so excited.

Jeremiah was wearing semi-long sleeved shirt that was black and had red sleeves , with a red star in the middle . He also had on dark red pants and a pair of black boots that had red laces and bottoms . Lastly , he was wearing his necklaces , and he had his hair tied up in a half ponytail .

"You feel that Shiro?" Jeremiah whispered to the young woman on his back .

"Mhm . Are we gonna go?" Shiro asked while looking over Jeremiah's shoulder and seeing Robin studying the poneglyph and taking notes .

Shiro was wearing a long sleeved red shirt that had small black stars scattered across it , along with tight black pants and red shoes . She also had on her choker , and was wearing no underwear like most days .

"Hmmm.... Nah . I'm sure Naruto and the others will take care of it." Jeremiah replied , getting a nod from Shiro as she snuggled against his back with her chin resting on his shoulder.

'He smells so nice~.' Shiro thought with a blissful expression while taking multiple sniffs of Jeremiah's scent . She wasn't even trying to be discrete with it either , putting her nose directly against his skin and sniffing long and hard , making Jeremiah close his eyes and sweatdrop a bit .

[ With Naruto, Asta, and Souma ]

Panic .

Worry .

Fear .

These were just a few of the emotions the residents of Fishman Island felt as their home was under attack by a large number of pirates who just arrived on the island . Worse, those pirates happened to be humans. The army had come to the scene quickly and began fighting back, but they were having trouble since they had to try to fight and protect the civilians at the same time.

"{Multi Shadow Clones}" Naruto said as he crossed his fingers like a 'T' and channeled his chakra. A large cloud of smoke filled the area before it cleared, showing that there were now one hundred clones of Naruto.

"Help them get the civilians to safety." Naruto commanded his clones, getting nods from them before they quickly ran off and began assisting the army .

Looking behind him at Asta and Souma, the two of them nodded before they too rushed into the action .

"What a mess." Naruto muttered with a shake of his head as he looked around at the attacking pirates . Ever since Roger announced that he left his treasure all in one place before being executed, there had been more and more attacks like this all over the world by greedy and desperate pirates looking to get rich quick.

'Well, no time like the present .' Naruto thought before he blurred out of sight and reappeared with a drop kick to one pirate's head, immediately rendering him unconscious.

Rapidly taking out pirate after pirate, Naruto noticed a bullet whiz past his face and embed itself in another pirate's leg. Grinning, Naruto looked up and saw Bisca sitting there with a rifle as she blew him a kiss.

A little while later the Fishman army and New Dawn finished taking care of all the small fry, with only 3 enemies left standing. Naruto could sense that, while they weren't necessarily weak, they were not even close to the level of anyone from New Dawn (obviously not counting Robin) .

"I- We thank you for your help . Who are you?" The appearent leader of the army said to the members of New Dawn, while the rest of his men made sure all of the civilians were out of the area.

When the army had seen humans seemingly helping them protect the island, they had naturally been suspicious given all the bad blood between humans and the underwater races. Observing the scene now, the Fishman Army General was glad that they hadn't decided to turn down the help . In a battle between life and pride, it was obvious which of the two was more important .

"Just a bunch of adventurers . Also don't thank us yet . In fact, I feel I should apologize in advance . This area is probably about to get even more wrecked ." Naruto said as he looked at the arrogantly smirking pirates with narrowed eyes.

He was pretty sure if he, Asta, and Souma dropped their disguises that those smirks would be gone immediately, with them running away with their tails between their legs. That's if they could even move, seeing as they'd probably be paralyzed in fear .

"Don't worry about that. Buildings can be rebuilt. What's important is the lives of the people." The army general replied, getting a nod of respect from Naruto and the others.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Was all Naruto said as he, Asta, and Souma walked forward to face off against the three pirates, while Bisca and the other ladies of the crew watched from atop one of the still standing buildings.

"How fast do you think it's gonna be?" Diane asked with boredom as she looked at the battle that was about to begin.

"Five.... No, three minutes. Tops. Any longer and they're just messing around." Bisca replied as she sat on the edge of the building while idly swinging her legs .

"The quicker the better. I don't appreciate having my fun interrupted by idiots." Ryoko added to the conversation as she looked down at the pirates with annoyance and scorn.

"Agreed." The other ladies of the crew all said in unison with nods.

"You three must have nerves of steel to still look so arrogant, even with the three of you being the only ones left." Asta said to the three pirates after doing some light stretches .

He wouldn't even need a sword for this.

"You better not look down on us. We're way stronger than these dipshits ." One of the pirates said as he kicked the unconscious body of one of his 'comrades' .

"I'm sure you are ." Asta said with a dismissive tone, clearly angering the pirates .

"Bastard! Show my captain some respect!" A pirate with brown spiky hair and brown eyes yelled as he charged at Asta with a scimitar, with Asta easily dodging around all of his attacks . Taking that as an unofficial signal, the others also began their fights .

[ With Asta ]

"You're too unbalanced." Asta said as he did a sweeping kick to his opponent's legs, making him trip and drop his sword . Before the sword could hit the ground, Asta caught it with the top of his foot and kicked it up into his open right hand .

"Your blade is also dull and weak ." Asta said as he analyzed the blade with a frown . It was obvious to him that the sword was not being properly taken care of .

"Give that back!" The pirate snarled with a red face once he got back up . He was both angry and embarrassed that he was knocked down so easily, on top of being criticized by some random guy .

"Sure ." Asta said before he tossed the sword over to the pirate who fumbled it a bit before finally getting a good hold of it, making Asta shake his head .

"Come on then ." Asta challenged, getting the pirate to charge at him with a yell as he began attacking with rapid sword strikes, all of which Asta easily parried or dodged .

'{Kyotouryuu: Plum}' Asta thought to himself before he delivered a quick and powerful kick with his right leg to the pirate's left shoulder, immediately dislocating it and making the pirate let out a yelp of pain . If Asta hadn't chose to hold back on that kick, he could have easily completely crushed the bones in that shoulder beyond repair .

This was done with the use of a fighting style he created called Kyotouryuu .

The purpose of the fighting style was to use your whole body as if it was a weapon, particularly a sword. It was easily one of the most lethal fighting styles in the world (maybe even the single most lethal style), which was why he chose to hold back on that kick . They weren't here to kill, just incapacitate. They would let Neptune decide the fate of the pirates.

"Seriously? That was basically a lovetap ." Asta said with a frown as he looked at the pirate who was screaming about how it hurt.

Looking over at the other fights, Asta could see that Souma was already done with his opponent . Apparently he decided not to play around .

Looking back to his own opponent, Asta shook his head as he decided to end it . The guy was too pathetic for this to even be slightly amusing .

Dashing forward, Asta delivered a very fast combo all focused on the pirate's stomach . One final punch to his stomach was enough for him to vomit up a rather unhealthy amount of blood before falling back unconscious .

Asta looked down at the pirate with disappointment before walking away with a sigh of boredom .

It was so hard to find a quality opponent .

[ With Naruto ]

"You're strong ." The pirate captain said with a smirk as he and Naruto clashed fists .

The pirate captain, Shinichi if Naruto remembered correctly, was a man with lightly tanned skin, black hair that was styled into a crew cut, and dark brown eyes. He stood at about 5'11.

He was wearing a forest green pirate captain's coat, with a tight black t-shirt under it and green pants . On his feet he was wearing a pair of dark brown combat boots .

"Thank you . Your praise means the world to me ." Naruto said sarcastically as he dodged a punch before delivering one of his own, which connected making the pirate stumble back .

Shinichi leaped back, and Naruto raised an eyebrow in mild interest when he began cackling like a madman before threw off his coat and his body slowly increased to about 7'2" in size, with his muscles and veins bulging.

'A devil fruit . I guess that's why he's so overconfident .' Naruto thought to himself .

The pirate continued cackling before he charged at Naruto with a wild grin and his fist cocked back . Despite his size, he was able to move pretty well .

Easily jumping back and dodging the hit, Naruto saw the punch create a large crater once it made contact with the ground.

"So that silly appearance isn't just for show ." Naruto said once the dust settled . The guy really did look silly . With his body being so big, it made his head look very disproportionate.

"Ha! I'd rather be powerful than good looking . I ate the Muscle Muscle Fruit. A paramecia that lets me manipulate my muscles however I choose." Shinichi said with a smug grin as he flexed his almost grotesquely large muscles and kissed his biceps.

"Thanks for the info." Naruto said before he dashed forward and delivered a punch to the pirate's abdomen . As expected, the punch didn't do much except make him look down at Naruto with a smirk.

"Is that the beat you can do?!" The pirate yelled with a laugh as he clasped his hands together above his head and brought them down on Naruto's back, nearly breaking it in the process.

Or at least, that should have been the case . Instead of letting out a scream of pain or anything like that, Naruto's body exploded into smoke the moment it hit the ground .

"What the fuck?!" The hulking pirate exclaimed as he tried to wave the smoke out of his vision .

The moment the smoke was cleared, Naruto came flying at the pirate with his hands and feet covered in haki and blue fire.

"{Burning Barrage!}" Naruto yelled as he delivered a devastating combo of over fifty hits in less than ten seconds, before he ended it with a two strong flaming punches right over where the pirate's lungs were located .

Stumbling back, the pirate dropped to one knee as he gasped desperately for air and coughed up blood .

"While I can see that that fruit has a pretty strong ability, you got too overconfident . Even with a body that big, there's only so much you can take . Give up . You've lost." Naruto said as he looked down at the pirate who glared at him .

"I can't lose here! I'm the one that's meant to find Gold Roger's treasure!" Shinichi yelled as he tried and failed to stand.

"Too bad . You're under arrest . You'd better pray the king is feeling merciful after the shit you and your men pulled ." The Fishman general said as he walked up to the two . He gave Naruto a nod and received one in return before he turned to the pirate captain with a glare .

"Won't lose... Won't lose... Won't lose..." Naruto and the general heard the pirate repeatedly say to himself, as if he was in a trance.

"The hell is wrong with you now?" The general said with a frown as he held up his weapon and cautiously approached the pirate .

It was good that he was cautious .

"I WILL NOT LOSE!" The pirate yelled and Naruto's eyes widened slightly before he quickly dashed forward and pulled the general out of harm's way as a powerful shockwave ripped through the area .

For a moment, all was silent .

But only for a moment.

"RAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" Came a roar that could be heard from all over the island .

Inside the dust cloud a large silhouette could be seen, and as the dust slowly settled, everybody was surprised by the sight that greeted them .

[ With The Others ]

"Now this is interesting ." Kail said with a grin as she stared at the figure that emerged from the dust cloud .

"It's certainly unexpected ." Nana replied as she sat cross-legged on top of a solidified cloud .

"He somehow managed to get even more hideous than he already was ." Diane said as she frowned with a look of disgust .

"Man... That is one ugly bastard." Asta said as he and Souma both sat atop the rubble of a building that was destroyed earlier.

"I think that's putting it lightly ." Souma replied as he took out two pieces of jerky and offered one to Asta who gratefully took it, before they both began eating their snacks while they waited for the fight to start again .

[ Back With Naruto ]

What everyone was looking was the same pirate captain Naruto had been fighting, only now his appearance had changed in a big way.

His size increased drastically, standing at at least 30' tall while his muscles and veins bulged even more grotesquely than before, to the point that he himself almost just looked like one giant muscle. His irises became a murky green color, while his sclera turned from white to a sickly yellow and looked bloodshot.

'Could this be his awakening? Even if it is, why would his size change so drastically? On top of that it doesn't even seem like he's in control.' Naruto thought to himself with narrowed eyes as he looked at the pirate who was roaring and slobbering all over the place.

If anything, rather than being in control, it almost seemed like the pirate was in pain . Naruto wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. To so suddenly undergo a transformation like that had to be taxing on both the body and the mind.

Deciding not to waste any more time, Naruto quickly created another clone and had it take the Fishman general over near Asta and Souma.

'Been a while since I've done this.' Naruto thought to himself with a slightly excited smile as his body started transforming. His teeth and nails became sharper and longer, his pupils turned to slits, and his body became covered in yellow fur.

Now standing where Naruto once was, was a towering Nine Tailed Fox, easily reaching the same height as the pirate. His ears and tails were white at the tips, and his hands were much like a human's.

Frankly, Naruto had to go full beast form. The pirate's devil fruit power was literally made to give him a ridiculous level of strength. While Naruto was definitely more powerful overall, his human form, or even his hybrid forms, simply wasn't at that level of brute strength.

Giving his own loud roar that shook the island, Naruto ran on all fours with great speed and shoulder bashed Shinichi, only managing to make him slide back a few feet.

Growling like a mad beast, Shinichi charged at Naruto before throwing out multiple punches, with Naruto matching him blow for blow, each clash of their fists creating large craters and shockwaves.

'This isn't gonna cut it.' Naruto thought to himself with a frown as he felt the pain in his hands and arms. His opponent seemed to only be getting stronger the longer the fight went on. Not to mention that this berserker state he was in seemed to allow him to ignore any type of pain.

Coating his right fist in haki and flames, Naruto managed to get in a good strong hit before he jumped back a few feet .

Wasting no time, Naruto raised his hand and began charging up a {Rasengan}, only this one was much larger than his usual ones. While he was doing this, Naruto also brought two of his tails over his head, with both having blue fire covering their tips, before he used them to combine the fire with his {Rasengan}.

He managed to finish just in the nick of time as Shinichi was charging at him with a bestial roar.

Coating all of his tails in haki, Naruto quickly brought them forward to block the storm of insanely strong punches, wincing as they grew stronger with each punch.

Stealthily, Naruto was able to lower two of his tails and use them to grab Shinichi's legs and trip him, sending him to the ground and creating another crater due to his massive size.

Quickly, Naruto pounced on his opponent and used his tails to restrain his arms and legs, grunting at the effort it took.

With a roar, Naruto unleashed his powerful technique.

"{Giant Blazing Rasengan!}" He yelled as he brought the powerful attack down on his opponent's restrained body.

The resulting huge dome of blue fire could be seen from everywhere on the island, with the shockwave being felt for miles.

Once the dome finally dissipated a few minutes later, it showed Naruto with his entire fox body coated in haki, while Shinichi was back in his base form, with burns all over his body, yet still alive. Albeit just barely.

'Finally.' Naruto thought with a sigh as he reverted back to his base form and plopped down on the ground, trying to ignore the pain in his arms.

'With the way I heal, this should be fine within a few hours.' Naruto thought to himself with a wince as he rubbed at one of the already forming bruises on his arms. That just went to show how strong Shinichi's fruit made him. To be able to bruise someone with haki as strong as Naruto's was no small feat.

Still, despite his bruises, Naruto couldn't deny that he enjoyed a good fight from time to time.