Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji jumped back, clutching their frozen appendages. Aokiji didn't attempt to follow, his eyes staring emptily past them.
Itachi sighed in relief. He had cast a genjutsu with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, but he had forgone using Tsukuyomi. He didn't want to risk another Enel situation. Plus, if he killed an Admiral or completely knocked him out, it would bring unwanted attention to the Straw Hats.
The best situation was to make Aokiji believe he had killed the Straw Hats and send him on his merry way. It would give them some more time to breathe before they eventually brought attention back to themselves.
A clone arrived, carrying the Admiral's bike.
He turned to the others, "Leave now. Thaw yourselves. I will cover our escape."
They all nodded dumbly, realizing that they had nearly been taken out by an Admiral just by him touching them.
He turned back to the Admiral. He laid the man down in the sleeping position that he had previously been in, pumping more chakra in him to lengthen the duration of the genjutsu. He pulled the sleeping mask over the man's face and stepped back. A mind certain of its own actions was the easiest to fool, especially in this world where the concept of genjutsu was completely unheard of.
He walked away.
The second he got back on the ship, he was bombarded with questions.
"What was that?"
"Why did he stop moving?"
"Why were your eyes spinning?"
"Are you okay? Did he freeze you anywhere?"
The questions were unending from Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, but everyone else looked on in interest, also curious about how Itachi had stopped one of the strongest people in the Marines.
Itachi sighed. He'd have to tell them about chakra. He didn't have a problem with it, but for some reason, many people had a hard time grasping the concept of mixing one's physical and spiritual energy.
"Let's set sail first. Put as much distance as we can between us and Aokiji."
They all nodded in unison. Nami began to direct the crew.
With a good wind, a stable climate, and many many kilometers between them and Long Ring Island, the entire Straw Hat crew was sitting in the main cabin. Itachi began to speak.
"My body creates a type of life energy called chakra. It's a mixture of my physical and spiritual energy, and it's the basis of my life and my techniques. Where I'm from, chakra is essential to life, so just about everyone has it. A small portion of the population was able to generate more than normal, and as such, could manipulate it into different techniques. I am one such individual, and we called those kinds of people shinobi. Every shinobi that used chakra had an affinity to a nature transformation. The five basic chakra natures are fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water. Every shinobi has at least one form of nature transformation. For example, I have affinities for fire, wind, and water. Most would only have an affinity for one chakra nature, so to have three made me rather unique. We have a branch of chakra usage called ninjutsu. With ninjutsu, a person could do just about anything. You've seen me do it before. I can make clones of myself, spew out giant balls of fire, form massive waves, and manipulate the earth. I have thousands of similar techniques, jutsus as we call them, in my head that I have seen and copied."
He stopped to take a drink of water. Luffy and Chopper raised their hands.
He pointed at Luffy.
"That still doesn't explain how you stopped the Admiral guy. He was really strong. You didn't even touch him."
Putting the cup down, Itachi smiled. "I'm getting there."
"As Luffy said, I didn't really need to touch Aokiji to incapacitate him. The simple answer is I put him in an illusion technique, or as they are called back home, a genjutsu. It's a branch of chakra manipulation that deals with altering how one perceives the world by interrupting and manipulating the flow of chakra to their head. With Aokiji, I altered every single piece of information that his brain received, creating an illusion world where he killed the Straw Hat Pirates and then took a nap. The illusion will dispel before he wakes up, and he'll continue to believe that we are dead until we do something that catches the World Government's attention. The reason I was able to cast it without touching him is because of my eyes."
He gestured to his eyes.
"I have an ocular technique, or a dojutsu, called the Sharingan. It's why my eyes are red with the three tomoe in each one. It's what allowed me to cast an illusion on Aokiji. Generally, you need to be able to touch the target before you can cast a genjutsu, but with the Sharingan, I can bypass this requirement and only need to look my target in the eyes to cast the illusion. In addition to this, the Sharingan also lets me perceive the world better than anybody else. I can pick up on the most minute of details, memorize just about anything almost instantaneously, and copy the techniques and movements of others. With it, I can observe the muscle tension in a person's body and accurately predict how they're going to move."
He stopped to let Chopper ask his question.
"You said something about mixing physical and spiritual energy. I've never heard of chakra, much less the mixing of the two energies. Could you perhaps elaborate on that?"
Itachi nodded. "Of course."
"I've been traveling for about four years, almost five now, and from what I gathered, my body is fundamentally different from your bodies. I have a completely separate system in my body called the Chakra Pathway System, which is what allows me to mix physical and spiritual energy to create chakra. Lining its pathways are 128 openings, called tenketsu, which allow me to expel chakra from my body. None of you, nor anybody that I've met so far has this system, which means that none of you can create chakra. As such, your bodies use physical and spiritual energy separately. Instead, your bodies have something different that relies purely on your spiritual energy: Haki. Haki is essentially a manifestation of your willpower."
Itachi called upon the little bit of Armament that he could do, coating his hand in Armament: Hardening.
"This is Armament Haki. This specifically is called Hardening. Armament is using one's will to protect their body or to interact with the world. It's most useful function is that it allows me to bypass Devil Fruit powers."
As he said this, he pinched Luffy's cheek and pulled. Much to everyone's surprise, Luffy cried out from the pain.
"Of course, I don't need to use Hardening for this, but it's the easiest way to show it to you. There are two other forms as well: Observation and Conqueror's Haki. Observation allows a person to read the intent of a person's actions and act accordingly to it. Quite useful in combat.
Sanji interjected, "Just like the mantra from the priests in Upper Yard."
Itachi nodded, "Yes. The mantra the priests used was actually basic Observation Haki."
"And what about this Conqueror's Haki you were speaking about?" Robin asked. "It sounds familiar."
"Conqueror's Haki is the rarest form of Haki. Only one person in a million can obtain it as it can't be trained. You have to be born with it. It's an indicator of someone with world-altering potential. Essentially, Conqueror's allows its user to impose their will on another person's will and 'conqueror' it. This will generally cause the target to pass out or collapse."
Itachi looked at Luffy, "Ace has Conqueror's Haki, but he has no control over it."
Luffy beamed, "Shishishi. Of course he does! He's my older brother!"
"If two people with considerable Conqueror's Haki were to clash, the resulting shockwave is enough to split the sky apart."
Itachi thought back to when Doflamingo had clashed with Thatch during Doflamingo's warning to Whitebeard, as well as descriptions of Whitebeard's fights with Roger.
Luffy, at that moment, realized something that Itachi had said earlier. "Wait. You're a ninja?!"
Usopp and Chopper perked up at that, looking at Itachi in anticipation.
He nodded an affirmation, which was instantly met with cries of amazement from the trio.
"Just like Ace. What's with these people in shinobi? Their idea of them seems quite romanticized. Perhaps the assassination part just goes over their heads?"
He dismissed it. With the three gushing in front of him of how cool he was because he was a ninja, ended any further conversation.
Wow.
That's all I can say, Itachi. That Foxy guy sure sounds like a two-faced bastard, but I'm sure you and your crew managed just fine. I would love to be with you right now, Durandal sounds like an absolute babe with how you described him. Honestly, I didn't think that you could gender a sword. I always just thought that Makani was a bit cracked in the head, but hearing it from you as well, makes it sound pretty cool. Guess cause you're just so much of a cooler person than Makani will ever be, and far more sensible. I swear that woman's heads are in the clouds half the time but damn if she doesn't make a fine blade.
Also, yesterday night, a real nice wind blew past the island. That bell you sent back made the most beautiful sound. Halina told me that it could be heard all over the island. A small group of musicians and bell makers is trying to make a set of bells for the clock tower that makes the exact same sound. They've been outside my door studying the bell for hours now, ringing it, then discussing among themselves before furiously scribbling down notes. It's such a funny sight!
I wish you were here to see it.
Oh! When you come back, take me to Skypiea? After hearing the bell last night, I'm just dying to know what the real deal sounds like. I want to go to Skypiea and hear the beautiful ring of that golden bell that you made. I know you're shaking your head in that way you always do. I bet you even have a slight, smug grin as you read this. I know you too well you stupid bastard.
Come back soon, eh? I would love to visit Conis and Pagaya and Gan Fall and meet your new crew and hear all about your adventures straight from your mouth instead of these stupid letters.
Love you!
A little crescent moon was drawn where a signature would normally be. Keoni had done it on a whim and Itachi had responded to her with a little sun drawn as his signature. He thought it was a rather cute thing between the two of them and it made her letters far more special.
Sitting on the port side wall, Itachi observed the passing ocean as he read Keoni's letter, a pot of tea resting next to him.
He heard someone walking up, before leaning on the wall next to him. Just by listening to their step, he knew it was Robin.
"Taking a break?" She asked, having looked at the sketched out scene on the canvas behind him.
"Yeah. Keoni sent me a letter so I thought it was a decent place to stop. It was just about how some of the artisans back on Artopoki are trying to replicate the bell I sent to them, but it seems that they are struggling quite a bit to do so." He answered.
She let out a light laugh, "You are quite the talented man, Itachi, quite proficient in many many areas. Even for the artists of that island, some of your work might be very hard to copy."
They both stared out at the sea, lapsing into a comfortable silence.
"I want to thank you for what you did back there with Aokiji. Even though it's hard to admit, he is the reason why I am alive. He's the one that let me go when Ohara was being destroyed. I'm sure I don't need to elaborate about that specific time, you seem quite well-versed in the history of this world as well."
Itachi only nodded.
"That illusion you did was also very interesting. Although it buys them a little more time, the moment Luffy makes some sort of ruckus, the Marines will fall on them even harder. I just hope we're ready for that when it happens."
"I hear the man is quite lazy, especially when it comes to desk work," Itachi replied. "He might not even do anything about it for months. I'm sure that Luffy will have done something interesting by then. He's the type where trouble seems to gravitate towards him."
Robin agreed with that statement, "He really does seem to be in the center of it all. Perhaps it has to do with the Will of D? He seems quite the special person, but all the more reason why the Straw Hats are so fun. He keeps us all together. He supports us and we support him."
Itachi sipped his tea, humming in agreement.
He pulled out a cup, "Would you like some tea, Robin? It's fresh."
She took the cup and poured herself some tea, "I would love some."
They looked out at the calm sea.
They enjoyed their tea.
A giant toad, swimming freestyle, passed by right in front of them.
Itachi took another sip.
"Nice day we're having. I sure hope-"
"NAMI! I JUST SAW A TOAD SWIMMING FREESTYLE! QUICK! FOLLOW IT!"
Water 7 sounded exactly what the Going Merry needed and the Straw Hats were excited to finally be able to fix their ship.
Itachi, sitting in the crow's nest, knew better. Listening to her Voice, Merry didn't have much time left. After Water 7, she wouldn't make it to the next island. Even now, she sounded labored and exhausted. Hearing someone suffer and not being able to do anything about it was painful, especially with someone so loyal and loving as the ship he rode.
The information from the station master, Kokoro, was very useful regarding the Sea Train system as well as the city of Water 7. As a place with the best shipwrights in the world, it wouldn't be that hard for them to find a suitable replacement for the Going Merry, especially when Kokoro had mentioned for them to talk to an individual named Iceburg. Itachi had recognized the name instantly as the CEO of the Galley-La Company, the best ship-making company in the world.
He spotted the island.
"Land ho!"
Everyone stood up and looked ahead.
In front of them was an incredibly beautiful sight. A massive fountain rose at the very top of the island, water flowing from its apex and down into the massive canals that connected the bottom of the fountain to the sea. The city spanned from the top of the island, right under that fountain to the bottom, disappearing behind the massive numbered gates that surrounded the base. Sprawled further from there extending from the massive gates were even more buildings. It was simply magnificent.
"Amazing! Look at that giant fountain!" Luffy pointed out.
As they got closer to a building (Itachi could faintly make out the letters "Blue Station") right next to the sea, a man called out from a small fishing boat.
"You guys over there! You're pirates, right? You can't enter through the front, you'll have to go to the back"
"Thank you!" Nami waved back in thanks.
Sailing through some of the buildings that extended out from the main city, they all looked in wonder at the city on water. As they passed through, another man called out to them.
"If you guys are looking for somewhere to anchor, there's a small peninsula further that way where you can drop anchor!" He pointed to the right of a split in the canal ahead of them.
Sanji commented, "That's pretty weird. The citizens here don't seem to be scared of pirates."
Thanking the kind man they went on their way, and before too long, they came upon the peninsula.
Nami ordered them to drop anchor and furl the sails when they had hidden the Going Merry behind a rocky outcrop. When Zoro had attempted to furl the sail, the mast snapped in the middle. A small whimper could be heard in her Voice.
Don't worry Merry, your journey ends here. You've been a wonderful friend to me and to this crew. Rest now. You've done well.
He could sense a grateful smile from her.
Luffy and Usopp began to run off, excited to explore the City of Water, but Nami called them back.
"I'm going to exchange our gold for money, and you two are coming with me. I don't want any grumbling! You two are the only ones free."
She handed Kokoro's letter to Itachi, "Take this to Iceburg for us, please? You seem the most familiar with him."
He nodded and took the note, stowing it in his newly made cloak. After the irritating events with the Foxy Pirates, Itachi had finally been able to resew himself another cloak seeing as his original one had been burnt up by Enel.
He stepped off the boat and began to walk towards the massive gate labeled with a "1".
"Iceburg, sir. There is a man here saying he has a letter from a… Kokoro. I think she's the conductor of the Puffing Tom," Kalifa said as she stood in the doorway.
"Send him in. If she sent him, he's bound to be interesting." Iceberg lazily replied, not looking up from the paperwork he was working on.
She nodded and left, quickly returning with a man in a black cloak, red clouds decorating it.
"Uchiha Itachi, sir."
Iceberg got up out of his seat, walking forward, his hand extended.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Uchiha. I am Iceburg, president of the Galley-La Company and the mayor of this Water 7. How can I assist you?"
Itachi instantly liked the man in front of him. He was open, warm, and charismatic. He could easily see why everyone in Water 7 admired him.
"I'm here on behalf of the Straw Hat Pirates. We are looking for someone to fix our ship. The train conductor Kokoro recommended you to us. She gave us this letter," he pulled the letter from his cloak and handed it to Iceburg.
He took it, quickly read it, and tore it before throwing it in the trash. He called Kalifa back in.
"Kalifa! Can you send Kaku to evaluate this man's crew's ship? It's by the.."
He turned to Itachi, "Where's your boat located?"
"The rocky peninsula by the southside of the island."
Iceberg nodded to Kalifa, who nodded and bowed before leaving.
Something felt off about her but Itachi couldn't place his finger on it. He didn't trust her though. 21 years in the Elemental Nations and his instincts had never failed him once. He wouldn't start now.
He addressed Iceburg again. "I've read up on the history of this fine city of yours. You're an incredibly impressive man, Iceburg. Bringing together seven companies that were "warring" with each other under the Galley-La name is no easy feat. By doing so, you brought prosperity and life back into the city, especially after the hard work of the great shipwright Tom who built the Sea Train that connects Water 7 to many other islands essential to its survival. It's quite easy to see why the citizens here adore you."
Iceberg scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Oh you flatter me. Yes, I helped unite the place a bit, but all the real work came from Tom's sea train. Without it, we were just easy pickings for any passing pirate, which is why Tom should be the real hero of Water 7."
His voice turned bitter, "Too bad he's labeled as a criminal by the World Government. I'm glad there's someone else out there who recognizes his work."
He clasped Itachi's arm, "Thank you. Tom was a very important person to me, and it warms my heart greatly to know that he is still recognized outside of Water 7 as a great shipwright and not just a lowly criminal. Come, I'll introduce you to my best shipwrights. Your words mean a lot to me and I'll make sure that you and your crew are treated to the best the Galley-La Company has to offer."
He walked past Itachi, opening the door and calling out, "Kalifa. Cancel everything that I have today. I will be showing Itachi around Dock 1."
He waved at Itachi to follow him.
"Dock 1 is the pride of Water 7. Our shipwrights are some of the best in the world as well as extremely capable fighters. We take jobs for all sorts of people, so groups who don't want to pay are quite common, especially with pirates."
Iceburg had been showing Itachi around when the Big Helmet Pirates had decided to cause a disturbance. Itachi had been very impressed with the ease that the shipwrights had taken down the pirates.
"They are the role models of our city. Many of our fine citizens look up to them as they are the strongest, most capable people in the city."
Iceberg was describing the shipwrights, "Our five chief shipwrights are Paulie, Rob Lucci, Peepley Lulu, Tilestone, and Kaku. Kaku isn't here right now as I already sent him to check on your ship, but he should be back soon. Rob! Paulie! Come over here. I want to introduce you to someone."
The two men came over. The first one was the blond-haired one that the pirate captain had been harassing. The second man was far taller than the blond and looked unassuming, but Itachi could see a hidden strength in the man's lithe body. A small white pigeon flew down and landed on his shoulder.
The blonde man stepped forward with his hand outstretched, "How are ya? The name's Paulie."
Itachi took the offered hand, "Itachi. A pleasure."
The other man also reached out a hand, although his pigeon was the one that spoke, "This guy is Rob Lucci. How do you do?"
The instant Itachi grabbed the man's hand, his immediate reaction was to jerk out of it. Something was screaming in his head that this man was dangerous, but he held his composure, the light smile never leaving his face, his body relaxed.
Shaking his hand firmly, Itachi looked the taller man in the eye, 'I'm doing just fine. Thanks for asking."
"Alright get back to work guys. I'll introduce him to Kaku when he gets back." Iceberg dismissed the two just as Kalifa walked up to them.
"Iceburg, sir. I have finished gathering information on the Straw Hat Pirates. They have a collective bounty of 239 million berries. 100 million for their captain Monkey D. Luffy, known as Straw Hat Luffy. 79 million for the Demon Child Nico Robin, and 60 million for Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro."
Seems like they had done their homework.
At that moment, Itachi heard the familiar laugh of his captain from the front entrance. He turned to Iceburg.
"It seems like my captain is here with two other of my crew. They will be taking things from here so take good care of them please."
He bowed. He was about to turn around when he thought of a question. Directing it to Kalifa, he asked, "What's the best weapons shop in the city?"
"Dock 4 has the best blacksmiths in the city. Right next to it is a weapons shop by the name of "The Armory". You should be able to buy the highest quality weapons in Water 7 there."
He nodded his thanks to her before walking out.
He stopped as he saw his crew and waved.
Luffy excitedly waved back, "Hey Itachi! Did you give the letter to the Iceburg guy?"
He nodded. "I gave it to him. He's expecting you guys right now, so I'll be off. I'm going to sell some swords and gold."
"Ah, have fun. Try and explore a bit. I hear the city's pretty awesome." Usopp waved him off as Nami started walking towards Iceburg.
"This rapier is just absolutely magnificent. Perfectly balanced. Light. Such a strong edge, but a springy core. This is easily a Grade Sword, no doubt. I'll give you 750,000 berries for it."
The shop Kalifa had recommended was indeed very good. All of the weapons in the shop called out hungrily to be bought, but he could tell that they were all well-cared for. The salesman behind the counter had been very accommodating with Itachi. The man had a very nice dagger at his hip that whispered out to Itachi.
Hello there, Listener. Come to sell Durandal, have you? My master will treat him wonderfully. Trust him to us.
Itachi would've sold the rapier for far less, especially with the assurance of the man's weapon, but he knew the blade would've felt insulted at such a low price. He accepted the stack of bills from the salesman and gave his thanks.
As he exited, he mused to himself, "I do believe I saw a gold exchange somewhere on my way here. I could probably sell a few of those ingots."
Itachi exited the exchange shop, leaving behind the shocked expressions of everyone in it. He had just about cleaned them out for all their cash, about 100 million. Of course, they had tried to swindle him, but he had none of it, as this money was going to the Straw Hats, not his own pocket.
"I'd like to find a bookstore. Perhaps it'll have something on the architecture here."
Seeing how the buildings had been stacked on top of pillars had intrigued Itachi greatly. Looking around, Itachi took in the city around him. Usopp had been right, it was awesome. People were milling about on the stone pathways next to the canals, chatting and laughing. Shops filled with a multitude of interesting goods lined the waterways as well, individuals visiting them to and fro on their Yagara Bulls. People with intricate costumes and masks passed by him as well. He had heard in passing about a costume festival at one of the islands that were connected to Water 7 through the Sea Train.
Looking back in front of him, Itachi spotted Robin walking towards him. He was about to wave when he noticed that she was following a large masked man. Her Voice was strained. Frightened. He tried to meet her eyes, but she immediately looked down, but he had seen the fear. The shame in her eyes. With just a look he knew who she was following.
A World Government agent.
Just as they passed by each other, Itachi viciously gripped the man's arm. He grunted in pain at the sudden action.
"What do you want with Robin?"
The man didn't say anything, but his left arm shot out towards Itachi, killing intent filling the air around them.
It was fast, but Itachi was faster. Before the hand reached him, he had it gripped in his other hand.
The man grunted in surprise.
Itachi was prepared to kill the man before he felt Robin's hands on his arms. He turned to her and saw the pleading look in her eyes, the message in them quite clear.
Please, don't get involved.
He let go of the masked man, shrugging off Robin's hands. He started walking away, but not before whispering to Robin, "Luffy won't let you go that easily."
She didn't respond, rooted to the spot as the masked man watched Itachi walk away. Unnoticed by her or the agent, a light blue seal glowed on Robin's dress before disappearing.
Itachi didn't want to walk away, but he knew Robin was doing what she thought was the best way to protect the Strawhats from the World Government.
He doubted it would end well, though.
On his way back to the ship, a long-nosed man had jumped over him, running across the rooftops. He had assumed it was Kaku as Iceburg had described the man to Itachi as well as the nickname he had gotten from the citizens: Mountain Wind.
Now, as he approached the Going Merry, he could make out Zoro's snoozing form.
"Seems like nobody else has returned. Guess I'll drop my books off and then head back to the city see if I can learn anything else."
He dropped off his sketchbook in the men's quarters, pocketing some of the money he had made from Durandal and headed back out.
"Aqua Laguana is coming soon. I haven't finished sealing my windows yet."
"Oh, you should get on it then. It's supposed to come in tomorrow night. This storm's picking up and it's not even close to how harsh Aqua Laguana's gonna be"
Itachi was sitting at the bar at a small inn he had found, eating a rather hearty broccoli cheddar soup, and listening to the conversations around him. So far he had only picked up on random gossip throughout the day, as well as conversations of a huge storm called Aqua Laguana that was supposed to hit Water 7 soon.
"Hey, hey, hey. Have you ever heard of a secret World Government group called CP9?"
Itachi focused on that conversation.
"Yea, yea. I was at Blueno's Bar earlier today and Kokoro and Iceburg were there talking about it. Something about it being off the books. Assassination and all that jazz. Doing the World Government's dirtiest work"
Itachi had heard of Cipher Pol. It was the World Government's intelligence-gathering branch. An assassination branch was unheard of, but it definitely could be plausible.
"Perhaps they are the group Robin is with? That masked man used a move I had never seen before and he was for sure trying to kill me."
He continued to listen to the conversation, but it quickly veered off into lecherous talk about the barmaids.
Sighing, Itachi finished the last of his soup, stood up, slapping some berries onto the bartop, and exited into the pouring rain. He jumped up and started quickly hopping along the rooftops of the quiet city. It was getting quite late. He would need to return to the ship to warn his crew about the oncoming storm.
Arriving, at the little peninsula, he noticed that a small battle had occurred. The ground was slightly scorched, the rain washing it away. Caltrops littered the ground as well. Itachi was concerned.
"Did someone attack the ship?"
He quickened his pace to where the Going Merry was anchored and jumping aboard.
He instantly noticed how eerily quiet it was. No lights were on and he couldn't hear any chatter coming from the main cabin. He cautiously entered the lounge.
He found Usopp sitting at the table. Slumped over, terribly-wound bandages covering his body.
Itachi lightly shook his shoulder. "Usopp. Wake up."
The young man jolted awake, flailing wildly. "Stay back! You're not taking Merry from me!"
He calmed down when he saw Itachi. "Oh. It's you, Itachi. Surprised?"
Itachi nodded. "What happened? Where is everyone?"
Usopp's face darkened. "Gone. They abandoned Merry, so I quit the crew. I challenged Luffy to a duel for the ownership of Merry, but I lost. The others all left, taking their stuff with them. I think they're staying in an inn somewhere in the city. I don't know where and I don't care. Ow! That stings."
While Usopp had been beginning to explain what had gone down while Itachi had been gone, Itachi had quickly replaced Usopp's bandages with fresher, properly wound ones. Usopp slapped his hands away.
"Stop that. I don't need your help or your pity."
Itachi backed off, "What are you going to do now? Why did everybody else leave?"
Usopp looked back down to his hands. "I don't know what I'm going to do. They all left because of something wrong with Merry's keel, but I don't want to give up on her just yet. I can't give up on her. Not after all she's done for us."
Itachi understood though. Merry was a loyal friend to them all, but her Voice was weak. Her time was limited. Usopp probably understood that but was unable to accept it.
Itachi got up to get his scroll and his sketchbook. When he came back, Usopp was still sitting at the table, his head in his hands. He looked up at Itachi.
"Would you stay with me, Itachi? Form a crew with me?"
Itachi only shook his head.
"I thought as much," Usopp's voice was bitter. "Well take care I guess. I hope you have great adventures with the others in their new boat."
"Her Voice is crying right now. This is not what she wants for the crew she loves so much, especially for you," Itachi dropped the stack of 100 million in front of him on the table. "This money was intended for Merry as well. Use it how you want. It's hers."
Usopp only stared sullenly at the stack of money as Itachi left.
Itachi had been looking all over for the inn that the Straw Hats were staying at, but the rain was coming down too hard. It was hard to hear and hard to see.
As he passed by the Galley-La headquarters, he heard three gunshots pierce through the pouring rain.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
He skidded to stop on the rough tile and hopped down to a window ledge. It gave him a perfect view of Iceburg's unconscious form on the ground. The same masked man from before as well as Robin stood over him. The man raised his gun to shoot Iceburg again, but Itachi pushed off the ledge crashing through the window, throwing a shuriken at the man, forcing him to back off.
Robin gasped in shock at seeing Itachi while the masked man grunted in annoyance, "You again? I'll make sure you die this time."
Itachi didn't say anything, pulling out a kunai, the room he was in too small to pull out his sword, and dashed at the man. He slashed at the man's torso, but the man didn't even try to dodge. Instead, the man tensed his entire body.
"Iron Body."
Itachi's kunai was stopped instantly, unable to cut through the man's skin. Itachi, unperturbed, viciously punched the man in the stomach, instantly knocking the wind out of him, his raw strength enough to overpower the technique. He followed the short jab with an uppercut against the man's jaw. The hit shattered the mask the man was wearing. The man reeled back, the uppercut nearly knocking him out, but Itachi didn't stop there. He grabbed the man's throat and forced him to look him in the eyes where his Sharingan was wildly spinning.
Itachi was not nice, extracting every relevant piece of information from the man's head. Looks like CP9 was a real group, and he had already met with most of the members stationed at Water 7. When he finished, he dropped the unconscious Blueno to the ground. Hearing Robin's footsteps approaching him from behind, he turned to her, only for his head to snap to the right.
Robin had slapped him across the face, an incredibly angry and distraught look on her face, "Why do you have to butt into everything?! You're ruining everything that I'm trying to do here. I'm trying to save them!"
Itachi looked back at her. "You're only ruining yourself. They plan to dispose of you the second they get a hold of the Pluton blueprints."
"I know that!" She snapped at him. "I'm just so tired. My dream is so hard to attain. To learn the Void Century is just exhausting. I've been looking for 20 years now and I'm no closer to figuring it out than when I was eight years old. I've been on the run, hiding behind organization after organization just trying to live. I'm tired, Itachi. Tired of hiding. Tired of running. I just want to rest."
She wished to die. Her tone was resigned, yet her Voice told something else. Death wasn't what she wanted. Her Voice yearned for something else. Something similar, but Robin was unable to identify it for herself.
She wanted freedom.
"You don't want to die, Robin. You just want to be free."
Her breathing hitched, "And I can find it in death. If they take me, it'll take the pressure off of you guys."
"You'll be taken to Enies Lobby, Robin. It's close to us. Luffy would not hesitate to break down their doors to get you back."
"Then convince him not too! Convince him to leave me behind!" Robin's face was contorted into a pained look, tears threatening to drop from her eyes. This conversation was taxing on her. Whatever CP9 had threatened her with had her incredibly fearful.
Itachi took her hand into his and shook his head again, "That's just not who he is, Robin. He'll go to hell and back for you. So would the rest of the crew. You're our friend. Quite a bit more important to us than you think."
She started shaking her head in response, "I can't. I just can't. You have to let me go."
She slipped her hand out his grasp and started making her way to the now broken window, hands sprouting from the ground and grabbing the unconscious Blueno.
"Just forget about me."
She jumped out, Blueno's body following her. Itachi made no move to chase her.
The door opened behind him.
"Iceburg, sir? Is everything alright?"
He turned to see Kalifa and the "horror" and "anger" on her face as she saw Iceburg's injured body.
"You! Did you do th-"
"You can drop the act CP9 agent Kalifa." Itachi cut her off.
The act dropped instantly.
"So you've found us out. How quaint. What are you going to do about it?" She sneered at him.
"Nothing. If I were to do anything, it would impact whatever Robin is trying to accomplish."
His response was met with only laughter.
"Then you are more of a fool than I thought."
She dashed at him using Shave, bloodlust flooding the room, but Itachi flared his killing intent in response. Kalifa's senses were instantly overwhelmed, causing her to trip. Itachi grabbed her throat before she could recover and slammed her head into the ground, knocking her out. They thought their Shave technique was so fast, but Itachi had faced faster opponents. In this world where many top dogs were stamina freaks, the CP9 agents were a bit more familiar territory.
"Perhaps Naruto would fit in here better than myself. What he lacked in skill, he made up for with pure grit."
He kicked her body to the door before turning and gently picking Iceburg off the ground and placing him in the bed. Green chakra coated his hands as he began to heal Iceburg's wounds. Once he was satisfied that Iceburg was in no danger, he walked to the small desk in the corner of the room and began to write a few short notes. They all described the general situation regarding Robin and the Cipher Pol agents. He placed one in Iceburg's hand, another he attached to one of his crows, and the final one, he left in Iceburg's office in the safe with the fake Pluton blueprints.
He jumped back out the window he had broken and into the storm, intent on finding his crew.
It wouldn't be until much later the next morning that he would find them, packed into a random inn near Dock 1. At that point, Iceberg had already awoken and seen Itachi's note. He carried on as normal, as instructed in the sheet, telling the reporters that Nico Robin had been one of his assailants. It was imperative that CP9 carried through with their original plan.
He quietly entered the room where they were sleeping and settled down, leaning against the wall before falling asleep.
CP9 would not deter from their plans that night even if they had been compromised.
Itachi padded through the empty hallway of Galley-La HQ, a weasel mask he had bought covering his face.
When he had awoken, everyone had already left. Nami and Luffy had left to learn more about what happened to Iceburg, news of him being shot spreading through the city like wildfire. Sanji, Chopper, and Zoro had also already left, a short note from Sanji saying they were going to look for Robin.
Itachi had only sighed and left them to their devices. They'd eventually converge at the right place at the right time. They had a strange knack of doing that.
Now, he was stalking the third floor of the Galley-La headquarters on his way to Iceburg's bedroom- CP9's final meeting point.
BOOM
An explosion rocked the building. It wouldn't kill anyone, only in a spot to cause as much distraction as possible so Itachi hadn't done anything to dismantle it. It would only further their own sense of superiority, something that he could use against them.
He turned the corner only for a hazy bloodlust to waft past him. In front of him was a hallway of dead bodies, leading to the President's Room. He saw at the double doors of the room, two silhouettes: Rob Lucci and Kaku.
He Body Flickered to them, pulling out Fuyukokyo in one fluid motion. He slashed at their exposed backs, but they easily jumped away. Spotting Paulie bloody and beaten, sitting at the open safe, a roll of papers in his hands, Itachi dashed towards him, snagging the fake blueprints from his clutches.
"I know of your plans, CP9. Such a shame that the Pluton blueprints are not yours to take."
He sealed the fake plans in a scroll, stowing it away within his cloak.
The man in the bull mask spoke, "Uchiha Itachi. You should at least change your cloak before trying to remain anonymous. Those red clouds are quite unique."
"I am quite fond of this cloak as it is. I'm quite sure that Kalifa would've told you that I had figured you out anyways. Rob Lucci. Kaku."
Paulie gaped in shock as the individuals took off the masks, confirming what Itachi had just said.
"Seems we had to reveal ourselves a little early, Rob. No matter. We'll just kill them now."
"Shave."
Kaku was in front of Paulie in an instant, his hand speeding towards Paulie's neck.
Only, it never reached it.
An iron-like grip stopped Kaku's hand dead in its path.
"I can't have you doing that."
Before Kaku could react, Itachi threw the man at the door, intending to hit Lucci as well, but he only sidestepped as his comrade flew past him into the hallway.
Lucci gazed at him with a look of contempt on his face. He was about to say something when the ringing of a Den Den Mushi broke through the silence.
An annoyed look crossed his face, "You've wasted enough of our time Uchiha Itachi. This ends-"
Before he could finish his statement, Luffy came crashing through the wall.
"Ah! Itachi! Pigeon guy! Help me get out! I'm stuck!
"Another hindrance. It's good that you're here though, Straw Hat Luffy. You will be taking the blame for Iceburg's death."
"Hindrance? Blame? The old man dead? Huh?" Poor Luffy was quite confused.
"He is part of CP9, Luffy. The group that's manipulating Robin." Itachi clarified.
"What?! You're the guys messing with Robin?! Stop it! Give her back to us you bastards!"
Luffy began to wiggle in the wall, trying to free himself.
"Let me help you with that, Straw Hat Luffy. Storm Leg."
In quick succession, Lucci sent out two flying air slashes at Luffy. Itachi was instantly in front of his captain, blocking the technique before it could hit his captain. He was able to stop it from hitting Luffy, but it still whipped around his sword hitting the wall behind him, causing it to split in half. The second slash went towards the ceiling, easily destroying it and causing it to start falling on top of Itachi and Luffy.
Itachi grabbed Luffy, who was still stuck in a part of the wall and hauled him to a safer part of the room. When he looked up towards the door, Lucci was gone.
They'd have to be quick. Iceburg might give up Itachi's ruse on accident. He quickly broke the wall that was holding Luffy.
"Luffy, we need to get to Iceburg's room as quickly as we can."
He turned to Paulie, "You coming with?"
The man only nodded.
"So what will it be Iceburg? Will you tell us where the blueprints are? Or will more people have to die?"
Rob Lucci stood over Iceburg's injured form.
CRASH
"ROBIIIIIIIIIN!"
Luffy came crashing through the wall at the same time Zoro slashed through the locked doors.
"Luffy?"
"Zoro?"
Itachi calmly walked through the massive hole Luffy had created, surveying the scene in front of him, his eyes finally landing on Robin.
She averted her eyes from his. She could put on an act in front of the others, but not him. Looking at him always made her feel vulnerable. Something in his eyes just easily pierced any mask she could put up.
Paulie followed him, his shoulders shaking with rage.
"So it's true," he ground out. "You're all just government agents looking for a weapon. Did these past five years mean nothing!? Answer me, Lucci! Kaku! Kalifa!"
"Of course they didn't," Kalifa answered coldly. "We had an objective and we were going to complete it through any means necessary. As you can see, betrayal is one of them."
Paulie yelled out in rage, throwing an attack at the closest person: Rob Lucci.
"Pipe Hitch Knives!"
Lucci seemed to disappear from view, evading the attack, only to reappear right in front of Paulie.
"Finger Gun."
His hand shot towards Paulie's chest, but Itachi was already there, deflecting the attack upwards. He kicked out at Lucci's exposed stomach and sent him flying back.
The other CP9 agents shifted uncomfortably at seeing their strongest member be repelled so easily by Itachi.
"Stay out of this Paulie. You are already quite injured as is. These guys are leagues above you in terms of strength."
Blueno strode forward, "That's right. We have trained our bodies through countless hours in a martial arts that makes our bodies like weapons. With the Six Styles, our strength is equal to that of a hundred men."
Itachi was in front of him in an instant, hands wrapped on his head, "Then mine is equal to that of a thousand."
Blueno's eyes widened before Itachi brutally kneed him in the face, the man's Iron Body technique no match for Itachi's strength. The other agents looked on in shock at seeing one of their own being taken down with such ease.
Lucci addressed Itachi, "You're little ruse with those fake plans almost had us, but Kalifa and Blueno here were able to weed the truth out of Iceburg. Those plans were fake. The real ones were given to someone else."
Itachi only stared at him. It was worth a shot, but intelligence gathering was their primary objective as a Cipher Pol group. Keeping such information away from them would've needed far more preparation.
Luffy tried to attack Kaku with a Gum-Gum Gatling but he easily dodged all the attacks with another technique called Paper Drawing.
Before Luffy could recover, Lucci went back on the offensive using Shave to close the distance between him and Luffy. Zoro tried to block the man but was easily batted aside.
"Finger Gun."
The attack would've hit Luffy dead in the neck, but once again, Itachi was there to block the attack. Lucci's eyes narrowed before attacking Itachi another four times in quick succession. Itachi easily blocked them all, grabbing Lucci's hand after the last one and flinging him back towards the other CP9 agents. Luffy had taken that time to grab Iceburg while everyone's attention was on Itachi.
Chopper began to administer first-aid while Luffy looked at Robin, "Why are you doing this, Robin?"
She looked at the rest of them coldly, careful to avoid Itachi's piercing gaze, "I'm shrouded in darkness. My history and past are things best left unsaid, but with you guys, I cannot attain my dream. It was fun while it lasted, but this is where we part ways, Straw Hats. I have no more use for you anymore."
Her eyes flicked towards Itachi, seeing if he would refute any of the lies she had just said, but he only kept his mouth shut. Her heart clenched in her chest. She didn't want to leave them, but the lies tumbled from her lips all too easily. She didn't want it to end this way.
"This is all for them. To keep them safe," she chanted in her head. Unknown to her, her Voice also reflected this mantra, but Itachi could hear it loud and clear.
Keep them safe. Keep them safe. Keep them safe.
It had replaced the old one. A nice development. It signified one thing above all else.
Robin was a Straw Hat, and she would always be one no matter what.
"Enough of these games!" Lucci roared. "This mansion will burn down in fire very soon, and all of you will perish along with it."
As he said that, Kaku destroyed the ceiling above them with a single swift kick, smoke pouring into the room through the holes Luffy and Zoro had made. With Blueno's unconscious body, the rest of CP9 and Robin jumped out. Lucci stayed behind, his body beginning to morph into something else.
Itachi's eyes narrowed as the man fully shifted, "A Devil Fruit, eh? Some sort of cat Zoan-type fruit."
"In this form, my prowess with the Six Styles is greatly increased. You could not hope to fight me as I am now, so why don't you just die?"
Luffy glared at the leopard man, "Itachi, don't get in our way."
He and Zoro dashed at Lucci, intent on fighting him without Itachi's interference. Itachi respected his captain's wishes, stepping back behind them and in front of Chopper, Nami, and Iceburg.
It was quite easy to tell that both were far-outclassed by Lucci. Neither Zoro's swords nor Luffy's punches could make as so much of a dent in the man's Iron Body technique. He caught Luffy by the throat, kicking Zoro brutally through the wall behind him and out towards the city.
He brought Luffy to eye-level, "You are far too weak and pathetic to fight me. Begone from my sight."
And he flung Luffy through the hole in the ceiling. Itachi instantly made two shadow clones to follow the two. As good as their luck was, he wouldn't put it past them to somehow get stuck in a chimney or something.
Lucci turned towards Itachi, "You on the other hand. You are incredibly dangerous."
Then in a vicious flurry of Devil Fruit-enhanced kicks, Lucci began to destroy the mansion around them. Itachi jumped back as the ceiling began to cave in, while the floor beneath them shook. He grabbed Chopper and Nami, Paulie grabbing Iceburg and they both jumped out a nearby window. Flames were licking the sides of the mansion, almost reaching Iceburg's room.
"There they are! Some of the Straw Hats! Get them!"
As a large group of shipwrights came barreling down, Paulie jumped in front of them, "Wait! Stop! They're not our enemies! We've been deceived!"
The shipwrights came to a skidding halt at Paulie's words.
"The Straw Hats are not the ones who tried to assassinate Iceburg. It was a different group."
His words were met with shocked looks. Paulie began to explain the Straw Hats' innocence in the assassination attempt, but Itachi didn't stay for very long. Once he made sure that Chopper and Nami were fine, he hopped up onto the surrounding rooftops and homed in on the chakra signature of the seal he had left on Robin.
He had a train to catch.
"She's shrouded in darkness, just like you. Even if you save her from the abyss, can you save yourself?"