Chapter 1

A little blond boy desperately ran through the depths of the great forest he was currently in. His heart was beating faster than if he was in the Academy's Annual Race, and he doubted he could clean all of the sweat that drenched him off with a single bath.

"Naruto! I'm going to beat you so hard that not even the whole medical staff in the Konoha Hospital will be able to save you!"- one of his pursuers shouted in anger. The boy didn't question the determination behind said promise.

It's not like it was the first time for him - no. He had suffered many beatings and evaded many angry individuals in his life. But none of those situations were as grave as this one.

The occasional prank, like the times he had painted the Hokage monument or when he stole and hung all of the Hyuuga clan's underwear on phone cables, was normally well received and got a few laughs out of the villager's mouths.

But this wasn't the occasional prank. He had stolen the Scroll of Seals. The one that was so dangerous that the First Hokage himself had to seal it away.

At first, it seemed great: Steal the scroll, learn a technique and graduate! But after realizing the fact that a whole team of ANBU had been sent to get him dead or alive, Naruto was quickly brought back down to Earth.

Even though most people thought he was just some dumb kid, the truth was actually the opposite. The brat that hosted the Kyuubi had an astounding IQ of 200, which was more than enough form him to know that he had screwed up big time, and was going to be in deep trouble if caught.

He quickly decided over what to do and took a nice corner that would grant him a couple of minutes with no interference.

The plan was simple. It was obvious that Mizuki had set him up and that he could not return, under the risk of losing his own life. So, now that he had that damned artifcat, why not use turn it into an advantage? Surely the "Forbidden Scroll" had at least one technique that could aid in his escape. Or so he hoped.

He unsealed and read through the scroll, his eyes darting from one "banned" technique to another. Kage Bunshin no jutsu, Kage Shuriken no jutsu, Kage Buyo...Although they all seemed usefull, they weren't quite what he needed at the time.

"Found him!"

"Nice, we're not letting the fox-brat get away this time!"- the Anbu's voices came to life as they approached. Naruto muttered a swear between gritted teeth, desperately searching for the one technique that could save him.

"Gotcha!"- another ANBU operative declared as he jumped down at Naruto.

"Found one! Hiraishin no jutsu!"- was the blond's response as he disappeared in a yellow flash, without a trace. Several minutes went by as the ANBU searched for any and all clues as to where the boy had run off to.

"Where the hell did he go?"

"Whatever, he left the scroll. Let's go back to Hokage-sama."

…...

Naruto himself had no idea where he was as he opened his eyes to see a beach in a bright, sunny day. He felt badly exhausted, as if all chakra had been sucked from him.

He only had the chance to think about two things before drifting off into unconsciousness: The bearded man that was approaching him, and the description of the Hiraishin technique regarding the use of said technique without a seal marked, specifying a destination.

…...

"Wow, his hair is really yellow! He's like a banana!"- a voice commented, just before Naruto felt a hand shuffle through his scalp.

"Luffy, do you ever stop thinking about food? Jeez."- another boy replied as the jinchuuriki blinked his eyes, regaining vision and sitting up on whatever bed he was lying on. Two dark-haired boys that looked very alike sat on the same bed, curiously eyeing him. They seemed around his age, thirteen years old.

"*Ugh*, Where am I?"- Naruto asked, rubbing his aching head as the door opened, letting the bearded man in.

Whoever he was, this man was nothing short of a collossal being. He was about two times Iruka, both in height and musculature. His tanned skin and several scars both on his arms and face suggested towards a hard-earned life. His eyes were as blue as the sea and his hair as grey as the sky in a winter afternoon.

Although the man was smiling, an aura of power emanated from him, enough to get the two seemingly easy-going boys to straighten up. Naruto didn't question their actions. Something about the man just forced respect and fear from those around him.

He wore a tight, completely black, button-up suit and dark shoes, all of sizes Naruto never expected to see being worn by a human being.

"So you've woken up, huh? I expected you to come back to life in three days, but here you are, looking at me with curiosity mere hours after I picked you up from the beach. You're a strong little bastard, aren't ya?"- the man spoke, making Naruto sweat. Even the voice was imposing!

"He just woke up grandpa! He doesn't even know where he is!"- the smallest of the boys affirmed, receiving a raised eyebrow as an answer.

"Oh really? Boy, we're in Dawn Island, situated in East Blue. What part of the ocean do you live in?"- the man asked. Naruto blinked his eyes rapidly. East Blue? What the hell was that? He tried to remember where he came from, but that too was unclear.

"I...I don't know...What is East Blue?"

That question made all three of the unknown people form perfect "O"s with their mouths, shock and disbelief conjoined in one facial expression. To ask what was East Blue was like asking what's the Sun.

"Ok, do you at least know who you are? Do you know where your parents are, so I can take you to them?"- again, the little boy had no idea. His name was hanging on the tip of his tongue, but it just wouldn't come out. And when he started thinking about the parent part, his whole body sagged. He instinctively knew it.

"I don't know my name...and my parents aren't with me anymore..."- he explained, confusing the two boys, but receiving a sad look from the man who took a couple of moments to think before smiling warmly.

"I see. Well, don't you worry about that. You'll stay with us until we think of something else. Come on, it's time for lunch."- with that, the man turned around, leading them all out of the room.

"FOOD! YEAH!"

"Calm down, Luffy."

As they walked, Naruto was beating himself up mentally. How could he have forgotten so much? Who as he? Where did he come from? East Blue? That didn't even make any sense!

The house obviously didn't belong to the man, since when they walked into the living/dining room, there were about five easily disregarded men and one, big, curly-haired woman.

"Ok Garp, you taking him out now?"- she asked impatiently. The man rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Well...he's going to stay here too. Like Luffy and Ace."- the man that was named Garp shot out in a quick sequence. Both Luffy and Ace were preparing themselves for something that Naruto didn't comprehend.

"WHAAAAT? FIRST THAT STUPID LITTLE BLACK-HAIRED KID, THEN THE ONE THAT DOESN'T EVEN WINCE IF I HIT HIM WITH A CLUB AND NOW THIS ONE? YOU'VE GOT TO BE OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND IF YOU THINK I'M GOING TO DO THAT, GARP!"- she yelled, and Naruto too wished to have covered his ears like the other two boys, as he was sure something in his right ear popped.

"I'd like to remind you, Dadan, that I know every single thing about your criminal activities, and I'll lock all of you up if you don't do what I say. You're going to let this kid live her and give him food until I come back for him."- Garp replied with a cold tone on his voice, leaving no room for argument. Dadan kept her mouth open for a couple of minutes, trying to refute but simply gave in.

"With that dealt with, let's go have lunch!"- the man finished, having a frustrated Dadan lead them to the table, where a large metal pan of ramen noodles layed, surrounded by bowls so people could serve themselves. Naruto didn't know what it was, but he was suddenly super happy when he smelled the food.

With no further word, the four of them dug in and ate pretty much all of the ramen themselves, each having several bowls. Dadan was shocked. How could she feed another boy that ate as much as Luffy?

"You eat much too, boy?"- Garp asked with amusement. Eating like an elephant was something normal in his family, that made them all as strong as bulls. Naruto rose his head for a few moments to answer before resuming his attack on the noodles.

"No, it's just that I really like ramen. I remember that much."

"Alright, now that you three ate like pigs, time for training!"- Garp enthusiastically proclaimed, standing up from the chair. Luffy and Ace followed his movements, confident smiles on their faces.

Naruto, curious about whatever it was they were going to do, followed them out of the house.

Dadan's hideout was strategically placed in the middle of the forest, and Naruto doubted someone could find it while just walking around.

"Listen up. Since I want Luffy and Ace to become Marines and you're now living with us, you should know that I insist on daily training."- he said, receiving a shrug from Naruto.

"Sure. What are we going to do? Spar? Lift weights?"- the blond boy asked, receiving giggles from Luffy and ace and a sadistic grin from Garp.

"My training methods are a bit...unorthodox."

…...

This is what that freak calls unorthodox? Naruto asked himself as the cannon he was currently inside turned, having its aim adjusted.

Garp grinned and chuckled to himself as he adjusted the direction of the three cannons, each containing a different kid, and each pointed at a different, dangerous part of the island. Were it any other kid, he'd probably have the common sense not to do this, but he had feeling about that one.

"Don't worry, Naruto! You'll get used to it! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"- Ace shouted out of his cannon as he was shot into the sky.

"I wonder if I can find more food where I'm going."- Luffy commented before suffering the same fate.

"Ready, kid?"- Garp asked.

"Will I ever be?"- Naruto replied, trembling and shaking with fear. The old man laughed and activated the cannon, launching the blond up in the sky and dooming him to a crash course with a snowy mountain.

He fell into a bunch of snow that cushioned his fall, and immediately felt the searing cold travel to his bones. He didn't remember much about the training he had, but he knew that he needed to move if he wanted to stay alive.

A couple of howls caught his attention as he rose. He spotted three snow wolves eyeing him and slowly approaching. Great.

The smaller two attacked, using hit-and-run tactics, or slash-and-dash, if you prefer. Naruto managed to duck under a leap and grabbed the wolf's waist, turning around and using him as a shield against the other wolf, before throwing him down and punt-kicking his head, knocking it out.

He tried to take a second to rejubilate in triumph, but was quickly punished for it, feeling a burning sensation in his left side. A quick turn of the head determined that the other wolf had closed its jaws around his left torso and remained there, focused on avengin his fallen companion.

Naruto decided he had no choice but to put the wolf in a headlock and after a few moments of struggle, pulled back in a quick jerk, creating the loud snap that signaled the neck being broken.

The body fell to the ground, but the wounds stayed where they were. He looked at the Alpha of the group who was growling at him and getting closer, while he himself felt a lot of pain and cold from the side were his clothes had been ripped apart.

Naruto rose both of his arms and gave off a warcry at the top of his lungs, ready to once again fight for his life.

But as soon as the epic battle was about to start, the earth itself started shaking, and a roar was forming in the distance.

Both of them looked up to see snow cascading down the mountain, forming an avalanche. The wolf whimpered and ran for his life, but Naruto knew that neither of them would be fast enough to evade it, and simply stood were he was. Only two words escaped his mouth.

"Oh shi-"

The snow hit him like a truck, carrying him down the mountain, tumbling and crashing against the ground, but luckily not against a rock or a tree.

Two minutes of loud, ear-exploding sounds and hard, bone-breaking impacts followed before they finally ended in the bottom of the natural marvel. Naruto's body hurt so much and in so many places that he didn't know which to start nursing.

After a bit of rest, he decided to start with digging himself out of the situation, climbing out of the snow just in time to see the wolf staggering away, whimpering. The animal looked back at Naruto and gave off a small growl, as if indicating "this isn't over" before leaving.

Naruto was breathing heavily as he took the time to decompress a bit. He rose his right arm, where the jumpsuit was also torn, and analyzed the surprisingly still alive watch. Only ten minutes had passed since the beginning of the training, and from what he could calculate, it'd take him at least two days to get back to Dadan's hideout.

He muttered a swear, looking at the ground just as he heard another growl. He looked up to see something big and furry coming out of the forest, first on all-fours, and then howling with both its paws in the air.

"A fucking grizzly bear?"- Naruto asked out loud as the animal galloped towards him.

…...

Four Days Later

A blond ten year-old came out of the woods and dragged himself into the small clearing where Dadan's house stood, falling right in front of the door and gasping for air. Two laughs came out from above.

Luffy and Ace both stood on the roof, looking down at him with amusement as they remembered the first time Garp had done something like that to them.

"It's good to see you made it out alive. Don't worry, we got here like, three hours ago."- Ace told him, giving him a friendly smile. He liked the guy for some reason. Even though he was covered in claw wounds, bite marks, his clothes were ripped apart and his hair wasn't really blond anymore with all the dirt and dust on it.

"First time I did it, it took me a whole week. It took Ace five days, so you should be proud!"- Luffy followed, a big grin on his face. Both of their had was wet, which probably meant they had to take a shower too.

The two jumped down and helped Naruto stand up.

"Tell me...*cough*...why do you two even care? I came out of *cough* nowhere, into your house and was treated like you even though I'm a stranger. Why are you two helping me?"- he asked. He couldn't understand why, but it wasn't normal for people to like him.

Ace laughed.

"When I was younger, I hated Luffy for that very reason. He just came out of nowhere to my place and acted like he deserved shit even though he didn't do anything. We didn't like eachother much."- he confessed. Luffy nodded in agreement as Ace turned to look at Naruto while supporting him.

"But after many beatings from Garp, many training sessions and many times when we had to go get food on our own, I realized that just as he's got any good thing that I have, he also has the bad parts. We are brothers in suffering and in pleasure. And I guess you're our new brother."

"We've already got grandpa to beat the shit out of us, so why waste time beating each other too?"- Luffy finished with a big, dumb smile on his face. Naruto smiled back as they entered the house.

The next week was spent doing various things, the most common being hunting, sparring with each other or talking about pirates. The two taught Naruto pretty much everything about One Piece, the Pirate King and how they wanted to become pirates. Naruto thought it was all pretty cool, but secretly, he always rooted for the Marines to win in their stories, even though they never did.

They also taught him many fighting moves and pretty much every trick in their book, which was quite a lot. The spars always had the same result at first. Naruto kept losing to both, while Luffy lost to Ace and Ace just didn't lose.

But in the last day of that week, Naruto managed to surpass Luffys' Gomu Gomu no Mi powers and defeat him for the first time. They were shaking hands and complimenting each other when Garp appeared again.

"HAHAHAHAHA! For some reason I just knew that you'd make it out of that forest alive. Come with me. You'll be away from this house for at least a month. There's something I wanna show you. Say goodbye."- were his words. That was textbook Garp, quick and effective.

"See ya, brothers."- he said, shaking the hands of both Luffy and Ace before leaving. The two boys had curious looks on their faces, but quickly disregarded the situation, since when you had someone like Garp as a grandfather, it was pretty hard to be impressed.

…...

A couple of hours later they were on a ship, heading towards G5, Garp said. Whatever that was.

"Well, kid, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"- he asked. Naruto shrugged, he didn't really care.

"I've done some searching and interrogated some of my most loyal contacts, and nobody knows who you are, where you came from or if you even have a family. I'm sorry."- the man said with a sad expression on his face. Naruto bowed his head for a moment before rising it again.

"If I don't have an identity, that's not really a problem. I'll make a name for myself. What are the good news?"- the blond replied, surprising the old man. Kid's tough, I'll give him that.

"The good news are, I've gotten you the perfect opportunity to make a name for yourself. I'm sure that Ace and Luffy already told you many great stories about pirates and the like, and you probably want to become a pirate like them, but I'd really like it if you'd reconsider."- Garp said. Naruto rose a questioning eyebrow.

"They probably didn't mention it, but I was and still am pretty big in the Marines. I'm called their Hero, and have cornered the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, many times. That makes people respect me, and I know just what strings to pull to get you a place in the Marines too. I don't fool myself. I know Ace and Luffy will never want to do that, and that's ok, but what about you?"- he asked. Naruto was surprised at first. He knew the old man was powerful, but not that powerful. He shrugged once again and looked into the distance.

"I don't know. I always prefer the Marines in their stories and legends, but they just don't seem as strong or as cool as the pirates. Besides, there's something else that I think wouldn't make me apt to become a Marine."- Naruto replied as Garp laughed.

"I get you, kid. That's because Luffy and Ace only tell the stories they like. Believe me, there's a lot you've got to hear. I can tell you stories about "Light-Speed" Kizaru or "Magma-Fist" Akainu. Hell, even about "Ice-Wall" Kuzan. All great, strong and cool. But what is it that you have that doesn't make you "apt" to become a Marine?"

"I...I don't even know if I should be telling you this, but whatever. In this last week, I've found out something about myself. Be it when I was lost in the forest fighting bears and wolves or when I was sparring with Luffy and Ace, I realized that I like harming people. It just feels good when I kill something or when I hit someone hard enough to make them hurt. A Marine is supposed to protect, not hurt, right?"- he confessed sadly looking into the water as the scorching sun hit his head. Garp laughed again.

"And? You think that I or any of the other Vice Admirals are angels? Every single one of the great Marines had a bit of insanity or sadism in them. Why do you think I managed to hunt down Gol D. Roger so many times? Because I didn't hesitate to do the craziest shit and took pleasure in kicking ass. That's how it goes. I knew about that part of you since the start, kid. That's why I'm taking you to G5. There's something you've got to see there. Now, shut up and listen, I'm going to tell you about that time me and Sengoku..."

…...

The rest of the trip was spent with stories. Naruto had his mouth open in awe most of the times about what the Marines could do. Stories of Kizaru kicking people through buildings, of Sengoku dealing with whole armies at once and of himself battling with Gol D. Roger. And in pretty much all of them, the Marines had a major part and kicked major butt.

But at some point, the stories just died down. To get to G5, Garp said they had to cross the Red Line and enter the New World, a place filled with people as strong as himself and where it rained thunder.

The New World truly was scary, but they didn't look around for long, since the G5 post wasn't very far away from the Red Line.

G5 was a fortress. There wasn't any other word for it. The whole place seemed impossible to take down and Naruto felt sorry for whatever poor sod that tried to infiltrate it.

Garp led him in, every Marine bowing to him or quickly standing up and saluting, without exception. The Marines in that base seemed rather easy-going, but still knew about the legends, or so it seemed.

"This base only has a Captain in charge. I'm taking you to him."- the man explained, leading Naruto through a small maze of hallways and rooms. Many Marines shot questioning looks towards the boy who now wore a dark t-shirt and white trunks that reached his knees, where they were furred. Some even made a few comments about G5 not being Kindergarten, but a quick glare from Garp was enough to shut them up.

They finally arrived at the main office. Garp opened the double-doors and let himself in. A slight mist of smoke had place, even though the windows were visibly open.

In the middle of the room walked around a light blue-green haired man who was smoking two cigars at the same time. He wore a large, thick, white and blue specialist marine jacket with green fur lining the neck, wrists and hem. He also wore brown leather gloves, blue jeans and military brown leather boots.

As they approached, he looked up and smiled, which was an impressive feat with two cigars in his mouth, Naruto thought. Garp laughed as they shook hands, and introduced them as Naruto followed.

"Naruto, this is Captain Smoker, Smoker, this is Naruto, the kid I told you about."- the old man said, as Smoker shook Naruto's hand, a smile on his face.

"So this is the kid you cannoned into a mountain some weeks ago? Tell me kid, how did you get out of that mess?"- Smoker asked. He looked nice, so Naruto just decided to tell the truth.

"There wasn't much to stop me. An avalanche, some wolves, a couple of bears and even one python, but that was it. I was out in four days."- he said, trying to look tough. Smoker was impressed and then laughed.

"I knew it. When Garp came to me talking about a kid that wanted to get in the Marines' ranks, I just knew that you weren't going to be normal. I want you to meet someone. Tashigi! Come here!"

That's when someone that Naruto didn't even notice was there popped up from the back of the office.

Tashigi was a dark-blue haired, dark-brown eyed girl in her teenage years. She wore a red short-sleeved shirt under a blue leather coat with furred collar and edge linings. She also wore blue jeans, black shoes and rectangular red spectacles. She came closer and blushed at the thirteen year old boy that was just as tall as her, if not taller. He didn't look half bad, and that blond, flashy hair gave him a wild touch. She extended her hand for a handshake, but he took it and gave it a kiss, gentleman-style, making her cheeks grow even redder.

"Pleased to meet you."- Naruto said. He wasn't even sure why he said so or why he gave her hand a kiss, but something told him to do so, and it ended well. She nodded, not able to speak much, and so, Smoker quickly took the leader.

"Tashigi, this guy is going to join the Marines, but, as you know, every Marine needs to prove himself to get in. So, he'll be fighting you, a Chief Petty Officer. If he wins, he gets in, if he doesn't, you get promoted. It's a win-win situation. Now do me a favor and take him somewhere and talk or something. I need to talk with Garp."- he explained, receiving an astonished expression from Tashigi before she nodded and dragged Naruto along outside. That's when he turned back to Garp.

"So, do you have it?"- Garp asked. Smoker nodded and handed him two little boxes.- "Ok, thank you so much, kid. I'll remember this."

"There's no need for it. It's an honour to help someone like you, but I have something I should ask. About the kid. Didn't you notice-"

"Don't worry. I did. I'm taking him to someone that will help him enhance and control his abilities to use them for a good cause."

"...you don't mean-"

"Yeah. We didn't come so far just for G5. Anyway, thank you again, Smoker. I'm putting in a good word for you. I'm pretty sure you'll be promoted soon."

With that, Garp left, taking Naruto away from a drooling Tashigi, and back into the ship.

"Who are we going to see now, gii-san?"- Naruto asked. Garp laughed.

"I see you've already found out what I was planning. You're smart as a whip. We're going to see someone who will get you stronger in order to serve well in the Marines. Actually, we're going to see several someones. You'll see."

They turned back and headed for the Grand Line. Some days went by, days mostly spent with training personally administered by Garp or spent on stories that fascinated Naruto.

Just as it was getting boring, they reached Enie's Lobby, so it was called. It was a really weird place, with a waterfall below it, and many small islands that defied physics. Garp said it was one of the safest place on Earth.

He took him to a specific place, a large tower with the words "Enies Lobby" displayed on it. It was easily the largest building in all of Enies Lobby.

The old man led him in, taking the elevator to the top floor.

"Now, what and who you're about to see are both a secret. A top secret of the government. I want you to give me my word that you won't say a word about them."- Garp demanded. Naruto gulped and nodded firmly.

That's when the elevator's door opened to show a big room, occupied by exactly six individuals, each of them unique, but all obviously dangerous.

There was a very tall and slim man who had a goatee, wearing a fancy black suit, shoes and top-hat, a tall man with a long, rectangular nose who wore a black cap, jacket, shirt, pants and sneakers, a man with a fu manchu who wore pointed glasses on his forehead, a black tie over his naked torso and an open, black tangzhuang that was white down the middle, a man with black hair styled into two horns, with a black beard and wearing a black, one-piece suit and finally, a blond-haired , blue-eyed, slim woman who wore glasses, a long-sleeved, short black dress over a fishnet shirt and stockings along with black gloves and high-heels.

Even though they were different and some a bit comical, they were all serious and Naruto could feel power emanating from them. Perhaps not as much individually as the power that came from Garp, but definitely intimidating.

Behind them, a slim, lavender-haired man who wore a black leather vest, gloves, matching pants, white shoes and a light-gray shirt grinned, pointing at Naruto and at Garp.

"You are to serve those two until I tell you to stop. You know the drill."- he ordered before going back to his paperwork.

"Thanks, Spandam, I owe you one."- Garp said as the top hat-wearing man gave Naruto a smile and approached, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"So you're the kid we're supposed to train. Pleased to meet you, I'm Rob Lucci. I'll be one of your teachers. Buckle up, this isn't going to be an easy two weeks."

…...

(And there is chapter 1 mates! My first attempt at a cross-over! I hope you all enjoyed reading it, and don't worry, I will update it if it gets any attention, just like any other fic of mine. Now, if there are parts you think I should improve on, don't hesitate to tell me in a Review or a Pm. Thank you, and goodbye!)