Hiring the Whitebeard Pirates? Make Your Choice, Brat! (Part 1)
...
Tonight, Naruto's excitement is no less than on the day he first called Whitebeard "Dad." He devours half of an enormous cake.
Bear in mind, that cake's size is equal to several Narutos.
Naturally, Uchiha Shisui is stunned throughout.
He can't imagine how a boy who's only just turned six could eat so much.
Is it because of Naruto's daily life-or-death training?
Does this really comply with human physiology?
"It's such a warm family scene," Shisui murmurs while spearing a piece of cake and eating it. He glances at Whitebeard, who's chugging liquor and wolfing down meat, and says quietly, "No wonder he earned the trust of Uzumaki Naruto, that Tailed Beast jinchuriki."
"What a man of grand passion, who can give 'family' such warmth. Warmth like this is the rarest bond in the ninja world." Shisui thinks back to his own parents.
Once upon a time, he, too, had a blissful family—until both parents died in the ninja war.
He can hardly even recall their faces.
Truth is,
He really envies Naruto.
A big, harmonious family like that is enough to make anyone want to join. For anyone in the ninja world, such an atmosphere is very tempting—
No intrigue,
No fighting,
Just familial care,
And cheerful laughter,
And banquets.
"A family like this can soften even someone like Kakashi-senpai. That must be Whitebeard's personal charm," Shisui thinks, observing Kakashi from a distance.
He notices the Kakashi before him is very different from the gloomy man he once knew.
Even if Kakashi hasn't acknowledged Whitebeard as his father,
He's clearly been influenced by Whitebeard's presence.
The misery in Kakashi…
Has largely faded away.
Maybe Kakashi himself hasn't realized it yet?
"But…my name is Uchiha." Shisui's face darkens. He looks down at the bandages on his arm. "That surname…feels like it's cursed."
"And with this eye I have left…I meant to use it to ease tensions between the Uchiha and Konoha, but instead it's made everyone distrust me."
He touches his eye.
"No…that's not true!"
He glances toward Whitebeard, who's drinking.
Shisui recalls revealing the secret of the Mangekyo Sharingan to Whitebeard and the others, yet over these past days, neither Whitebeard nor Kakashi, nor Naruto, Karin, or Uzumaki Fushi, have shown any wariness in interacting with him.
On the contrary, they remain friendly—leaving this "dangerous" person in their midst without fear that he might manipulate someone's mind.
It's a strange kind of trust.
Shisui stands there, dazed.
"So aside from Itachi, there really are people who can trust me, even after learning the secret of my eyes."
He notices…
The Whitebeard Pirates are different from Konoha,
And different from the Uchiha as well.
…
Next day, at dawn,
"Gurararara! Foolish son! Don't think that just because you awakened Observation Haki, you can slack off!" Whitebeard's roar echoes out from five in the morning.
"Detecting attack trajectories is only the first step of Observation Haki. The next is expanding your range of perception!"
"Your range is barely ten meters!"
As Whitebeard bellows, visible waves spread with his voice.
"Ah! Sorry, Dad! I overslept for two minutes. I'll get up and train now!"
Naruto awake.
And so,
He starts the day's special training.
He's now wearing an astonishing 1,000-pound load. For Naruto, that weight is immensely challenging.
Every step is a struggle,
He grits his teeth,
And his legs tremble.
Veins bulge on his forehead, his face reddening as he tries desperately to keep his balance.
Because he knows that only by enduring can he become stronger,
Strong enough to protect his family in the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Te…ten kilometers," he mutters under his breath—his dad's set distance for weighted walking.
Before, he'd have thrown a tantrum,
Thinking Dad was out to kill him.
But now Naruto knows he can make it through, because his body is different than before.
And, if he's truly on the brink, the big fox inside will help.
He knows if he's about to collapse, the fox will lend him strength to keep going.
However…
After only a few hundred meters of this 1,000-pound walk, a small accident occurs.
Naruto's eyes go wide.
He feels another sudden hundred pounds added to his load.
That sudden extra weight is the final straw.
"Aaargh!!!"
Naruto yells in dismay,
His small form toppling under the mountain of weights.
He's completely buried.
"Huh?" A strange woman's voice sounds above him, speaking softly with some confusion: "Why'd this pile just collapse a bit?"
"I swear I heard someone yell just now—like a child's scream. But I don't see anyone."
Mei Terumi frowns slightly.
She looks down in puzzlement.
"Forget it…"
She shakes her head. This infiltration of the shipyard isn't to search for any random kid—she's here to find Whitebeard.
Such a strong man…if she can recruit him, she can move forward with her "coup."
The Land of Water has been declining by the day.
"People…dying…miserably" might as well be the country's motto.
Mei knows the Bloody Mist policy must end, and she must persuade their Daimyo to open the nation. Only then can Kirigakure and the Land of Water grow stronger, instead of the horrible state they're in.
Her biggest obstacle is the Fourth Mizukage.
In truth, any Mist ninja with a conscience wants to change their village's condition.
They all want to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage.
Mei is no exception.
But she knows that neither she nor Ao nor a few Mist ninjas alone can overthrow the Fourth. Even with "Genji" secretly supporting her, they lack sufficient power.
The Fourth Mizukage is a rare perfect Jinchuriki.
Trying to kill someone like that…
Is as hard as climbing to the heavens.
Ultimately, the missing factor is an overwhelming force Mei can depend on. She believes Whitebeard possesses that power!
—He destroyed Kusagakure.
—He's worth a hundred million ryo.
—He killed one of the Seven Swordsmen.
All together, that proves Whitebeard commands Kage-level power.
At that moment,
Mei senses movement beneath her feet.
She looks down to see a small hand emerge from the pile, grabbing her ankle.
She watches in astonishment as a disheveled blond kid clambers out from under the weights.
Now she realizes what happened.
She's momentarily embarrassed.
"Hey! Who are you?" Naruto grumbles, body aching all over. If not for his half-year of brutal training, far surpassing many adult ninjas, he'd probably be half-dead under all that weight.
He's understandably annoyed.
"And you are?" Mei narrows her eyes in confusion. "You're that blond brat who hangs around Whitebeard?"
...
Hiring the Whitebeard Pirates? Make Your Choice, Brat! (Part 2)
...
Mei did gather info before coming. She knows Whitebeard isn't alone—he's got several people with him.
Among them is a blond kid.
"Eh?" Naruto blinks. "You know my dad?"
"Dad?" Mei's eyes widened.
"You call Whitebeard… Dad?"
"Sure do!" Naruto says matter-of-factly. "Whitebeard is my dad. I'm his son! Name's Uzumaki Naruto! I'm also the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—and I'm gonna be Hokage one day, maybe even beyond that!"
"First Division Commander, Hokage?" Mei squats down carefully, cautious not to expose anything before a child. She looks him up and down. "Brat, are you from Konoha?"
"That's right!" Naruto nods.
Mei's brow furrows.
So… that means Whitebeard might also be from the Land of Fire's Konoha?
Could Whitebeard be a ninja who defected and became a pirate at sea? The timeline would fit. Maybe he's a missing-nin who gave up everything and ultimately turned pirate?
"You call him Dad, so you're his son?"
Mei's suspicious. The info she has suggests Whitebeard is over six meters tall, a real giant. What woman in the ninja world could be his partner, and bear him a son?
…How would that even…fit?
Never mind!
Mei stops her wandering thoughts. She forces a gentle smile. "Hey, kid, Uzumaki Naruto, right? Could you take me to your dad? I need to talk to him."
"Dad!" Naruto suddenly exclaims joyfully, looking behind Mei.
Her pupils contract.
She springs up, turning swiftly.
"Whitebeard!" Mei blurts in surprise, never expecting him to appear so suddenly. She had no idea he was even close.
He's so enormous, yet moves without making a sound?
If they were enemies, Whitebeard could have killed her from behind already.
She inhales sharply, a chill running through her.
"Another ninja brat from the Mist, huh?" Whitebeard eyes her Hidden Mist forehead protector. He's learned to identify different villages by their protectors.
Then he looks at Naruto. "Foolish son! This Mist brat can't weigh more than a hundred pounds. If an extra one hundred pounds is too much for you to handle, that's shameful!"
"S-sorry, Dad!" Naruto immediately owns up. "I'll work harder to get stronger!"
"Gurararara! Good fighting spirit!"
Whitebeard laughs, satisfied. "That's what I like to see from my foolish son!"
So…this is Whitebeard.
Right now, Mei Terumi feels awe.
Facing him so close, the regal aura he exudes doesn't resemble some run-of-the-mill pirate,
Nor any mere ninja,
But more like an emperor or a king.
Even the strongest ninja might tremble before him. That level of intimidation is like the gravity of countless battles waged over many years.
Formidable beyond belief!
"Whitebeard-san, my name is Mei Terumi. As you can see, I'm from Kirigakure. But I'm not here to cause trouble." Mei decides not to beat around the bush.
Against someone like this, it's best to be direct.
"I want to work with you. Or, well…invite you to form an alliance," Mei continues matter-of-factly. "Your strength makes you the best partner we can find."
Unlike the Akatsuki's approach, Mei's words show high emotional intelligence.
She doesn't expect to make Whitebeard her subordinate, knowing that's impossible.
Hence…
She talks of "partnership."
"Partnership?" Whitebeard looks at her coolly. "Mist brat, if pirates strike a deal, it usually starts with a mutual greeting to see who gets the upper hand."
He references the rules of the sea.
He doesn't ask what the partnership entails.
He merely grins, "You sure you want to team up with me?"
Mei doesn't entirely understand what "greeting" might mean in pirate terms.
But she says, "I truly came with sincere intentions, Whitebeard-san. I know you're a pirate who loves gold and treasure."
"If you'd help us, once our goal is accomplished, we'll give you an entire year of Kirigakure's funding—enough to be your payment."
"Kirigakure may be impoverished, but our yearly revenues aren't below five hundred million ryo!"
Having spoken her piece,
Mei awaits his response.
"Tsk, Mist brat, sounds like you're trying to get something for nothing," Whitebeard says, seasoned from countless deals in the New World. "You're just words right now."
"I can pay a deposit," Mei offers, pulling out a scroll. She looks serious. "Inside is fifty million in banknotes."
Her grip tightens slightly.
It's the money she's saved for years by doing missions, all meant for the coup.
She's prepared to give up quite a lot.
"I know I need your trust, so I'll be blunt about what I want from you. And I believe a bold man like you won't spread this around."
Gritting her teeth, Mei decides to take the plunge.
"I want to invite you, Whitebeard, to help us overthrow the Fourth Mizukage's Bloody Mist rule! My aim is to end the Bloody Mist policy and restore Kirigakure to normal."
"You must have seen how the Land of Water is in a terrible state. Not just Kirigakure—this whole country has become twisted."
"It's all thanks to that Bloody Mist policy!"
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard's interest grows. "So you want to hire the Whitebeard Pirates to help you stage a rebellion?"
"Uh…"
Mei hesitates, then nods.
"Yes."
"Foolish son, what do you think?" Whitebeard turns from Mei to Naruto, ignoring her for the moment, and with a grin throws the question to his just-turned-six-year-old son.
Naruto never expected Dad would toss such a serious question at him.
Mei doesn't expect Whitebeard to leave a child to decide.
Does that mean he's not taking this seriously?
She assumes it's his polite way of refusal—he doesn't want any part in the Mist's trouble.
So…
She supposes the partnership has failed.
Meanwhile, Naruto scratches his head,
Trying to think.
"Dad, we still need more money to build the Moby Dick. If we had the cash, we could get that ship made!"
Naruto's thought process is simple.
He's too young to think of anything complicated.
"Dad, maybe…we can help them?" Naruto ventures timidly. "That way, we'll have the money."
"Show some spirit, foolish son!" Whitebeard scolds him. "You're the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates! Don't let anyone look down on us!"
Naruto quickly blurts, "Right, Dad, we should work with them—and make them pay the treasure our pirates need!"
"Gurararara! Exactly, foolish son!"
Whitebeard grins broadly. Under Mei's astonished gaze, he proclaims, "Then we'll accept the job! After all, you're my chosen First Division Commander! Gurararara!"
It… seems too frivolously agreed upon, doesn't it?
He just listened to a little kid's decision and said yes?
Mei's mind spins.
But she realizes this is good news. She actually did manage to bring the Whitebeard Pirates to her side!
It's all gone more smoothly than expected.
"Whew…" Mei exhales, smiling a little. "Then let me explain our plan—"
"No!" Whitebeard interrupts. "The moment you partner with the Whitebeard Pirates, your plan is canceled."
Mei blinks.
"Huh?"
She's stumped.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard's hearty laugh resonates with a trace of his Haoshoku leaking. He addresses the unsettled Mei, "Mist brat, that is the condition for working with the Whitebeard Pirates. Everything is decided by us!"
"Or, if you want a say, we can do the 'manly greeting' common among men at sea!" Whitebeard raises Murakumogiri, smashing its shaft into the ground.
Boom!!!
"Make your choice,
Mist brat!"