Chapter 14: Reunion or Something Else?
Robin stared in shock as she saw the familiar form Itachi, hammering away at a hunk of metal.
Her body began to autopilot, her mind having stopped all functions at the sight of Itachi. She pushed the door open, her feet carrying her into the forge.
Itachi didn't look up from his work, but he knew who it was. Her Voice was something he was very familiar with.
Quenching the finished kunai in water, he turned and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Hi, Robin," he said softly.
SLAP
Without even thinking, Robin slapped him across the face, tears starting to drip down her face.
"Ten days," she whispered. "Ten! Days! I tho- We thought you were dead."
She spat out the last word like it was the most disgusting thing she had ever tasted.
"Robin, I-" Itachi started to say, but before he could finish, she viciously grabbed his ear and began to tug him out the door. "Ju- Just hold on a second, Robin, let me clean up the forge!"
She continued to drag him down the hallway.
"Uh boss?" As they were leaving the door, Itachi's zombie (now with his body) ran into them, holding a bunch of logs. "What's going on? I got you that wood you needed to finish your boat."
Itachi waved him away, "Don't worry about it. Just watch the forge for me while I'm gone!"
The zombie saluted before stepping into the forge, closing the door behind him.
Robin continued to drag Itachi away, not looking or saying a word to Itachi.
She was very angry. He didn't need to listen to her Voice to know that.
"-and here I am. Back with you guys."
Itachi finished recounting what had happened to him from his fight with Aokiji all the way to Robin dragging him on board.
Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper had dog-piled on top of him tears and snot streaming down their faces when they had seen him, asking him why he stayed behind, why he died, if he was a zombie and plenty of other questions.
He had calmed them down before describing his reasons for leaving them behind as well as what happened after. His story left them in awe (and Franky in tears) at his miraculous escape from Aokiji.
"Itachi-bro! You are truly a real man! Sacrificing yourself like that, but coming up with such a genius plan to escape! Such loyalty to this crew! Willing to die but able to live! Aou Aoouuuuuw what a suuuuuper guy!"
Sanji had descended on him in furious rage, "YOU MADE ROBIN CRY, YOU BASTARD! I'LL FUCKING FILET YOU RIGHT NOW! GO APOLOGIZE!"
Itachi backed away, easily dodging all of Sanji's kicks, before grabbing his legs and throwing him into an adjacent wall.
"Stupid...Itachi…" Sanji grunted from his position on the floor.
"I'll talk with her later, but a more pressing matter needs to be addressed."
He ignored Sanji's comment about how Robin's mental state was the most important thing right now.
"I see that Moria stole your shadows," he looked at Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.
The trio nodded.
"Well, we'll need to get those back before we can leave. That leaves two options for us."
Everyone's attention was on Itachi.
"Either we can track down the zombies that have your shadows, or we defeat Moria. Defeating Moria will release all the shadows he controls back to their original owners."
"Easy. I'll just defeat Moria," was Luffy's reply.
"EHHHHH?!" Chopper cried out." Bu- But, he's a Warlord!"
"So? Crocodile was one too." Luffy said, picking his nose. "It'll be just like that time too."
"But you almost died that time!" Chopper shouted, "I'm begging you! Please rethink this!"
"Shishishi, sure sure. I'll watch out."
A Warlord wouldn't be easy to take down, but somehow, with Luffy there, Itachi was sure that it would happen.
"Alright so here's what I know…"
Itachi opened the door to his temporary workshop. The furnace had been turned off and his zombie friend was sitting there happily wrapping the handles of the kunai Itachi had made with tape.
Hearing the door open, the zombie looked up before happily waving, "How's it going, Boss? Sort everything out?"
Itachi smiled, "Yeah, kind of."
The zombie turned back to his work, "Good to hear, Boss."
As he gathered the numerous shuriken and kunai he had made, his thoughts drifted to his crew.
He had drawn a detailed map of Moria's castle and mansion, marking key locations regarding the possible locations of Moria, Absalom, Perona, and Hogback.
Hopefully, they didn't lose it.
"Where do we go?" Usopp asked.
"Don't worry," Luffy said. "I have Itachi's map!"
He shifted around his pocket, before checking all over his body. He looked at them with an embarrassed smile.
"I lost it…"
"OF COURSE YOU DID!" Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper yelled.
"Mmm mmmmmrrry…" Luffy's muffled voice could be heard through the floor in which his head had been bashed into.
"Don't worry. I memorized it when he was drawing it," Robin said.
Eh. Even if they did lose it, Robin would be there for them. He had seen the eye and ear sprout on the wall next to where he was drawing the map.
Having packed everything up, he grabbed his newest creation, Himai, and Fuyokokyo off a table and left.
"Leaving already, Boss?"
Turning to his zombie friend one last time he said, "Yeah. It's been good knowing you."
The zombie waved him off. Itachi would miss the zombie. He had been quite pleasant to be around despite their rocky start.
As he made his way out of the building and towards Moria's castle, the entire ground beneath him shook.
"Crap! That might be the giant zombie the others were talking about! I gotta hurry."
"Gum-Gum Rifle!"
The massive fist flew towards Zoro, who was protecting the fallen forms of his crewmates. Despite Chopper's analysis of Oars' weak point, they had been unable to target it at all, Moria using his abilities to allow Oars to block and dodge the attacks the Straw Hats had sent his way.
Zoro ran forward to meet Oars' punch head-on, Shusui and Sandai Kitetsu spinning rapidly in his hands. It was all or nothing at this point.
"Three Sword Style Secret Skill: Three Thousand Worlds!"
The two spinning attacks clashed, but with Moria's aid, Oar's attack launched Zoro flying back, smashing into the wall behind him. Black spots swam in his vision as he attempted to stand up, but he keeled over, the damage from the attack taking its toll. Unseen to him, a large web of thin cracks formed along Sandai Kitetsu's blade.
"Shit! That right arm is already so weak from our attacks, but it just doesn't want to give. Is Moria controlling it with his Shadow Shadow abilities as well? Even with the added power from Shusui, I can't..."
"ZORO!" Nami and Usopp cried out.
Oars looked down on the final two conscious members of the Straw Hat Pirates. He lifted his foot.
"Gum-Gum Stamp!"
"Susanoo!"
GONG!
Nami and Usopp looked up from where they were cowering, wondering why they hadn't been crushed. The sight they were greeted with brought tears of joy and relief to their eyes.
"ITACHI!"
Itachi stood over them, the ethereal form of his Susanoo surrounding them. With a quick push, he used the Yata Mirror to shove away Oars' foot, pushing the giant being off balance.
Oars was just able to regain his balance before peering down at Itachi.
"Huuuh? A flame-person? You're pretty cool! Wanna join my crew?"
"It seems that you are mistaken, Mr. Oars," Itachi said calmly. "I'm here to take my captain's shadow back."
"Kishishishishi! Try it as you will, but you'll end up like those around you! Oars is my ultimate creation! You could not hope to defeat him!"
Itachi spotted the source of the voice, Gecko Moria, in a compartment in Oars' stomach. It would be so easy to just seal Oars and Gecko Moria using the Sword of Totsuka, but he didn't know how it would affect Luffy and other's shadows. Would they be free of their zombies or would they be sealed with Moria? He didn't know and he wasn't willing to risk his crew's life on such a gamble. He would have to be careful and avoid piercing attacks.
Closing his eyes, he focused. His chakra began to morph around him, causing him to rise in the air as his Susanoo transformed into its Complete Body form. Opening his eyes, he saw the interested look on Moria's face at the transformation, while Oars looked confused at how the tiny flame-person had gone from being smaller than his toe to almost reaching his chin. Swinging the transformed Sword of Totsuka experimentally, Itachi took a stance ready to fight Oars.
Oars roared before charging at Itachi, taking the stance as a challenge to fight. Itachi dashed towards him as well, the wings of his Susanoo allowing him to accelerate faster.
"Gum-Gum Gatling!"
Oars sent a flurry of massive punches at Itachi, but by pumping chakra into the Yata Mirror, he enlarged it, allowing it to completely nullify the attack. Without slowing down, he slammed full force into Oars, sending him reeling. Following up with another attack, Itachi swung a heavy overhead blow with the Sword of Totsuka, aiming to lope Oars' right arm off in a single cut.
At the last second, the shoulder deformed, pressing into Oars' body just enough that the blade only skimmed Oars' tough skin, cutting it slightly.
Seeing that Itachi was slightly overextended, Oars quickly lashed out, landing a solid hit on the midriff of Itachi's Susanoo. Grunting from the sudden attack, Itachi jumped back, dodging the high kick that was aimed for his chin.
Itachi rushed Oars again, deflecting the Gum-Gum Whip the giant had launched. Ducking down, he shot his leg out in a low sweep, catching Oars from behind his knees and kicking his legs from underneath him. In one smooth motion, before even Moria could react, the Sword of Totsuka's blade was biting into Oars' shoulder, cleanly cutting through flesh and bone.
He jumped back again, avoiding a massive spear made of shadows that tried to impale him.
"Kishishishi! You think that dismembering Oars will allow you to win? Think again!"
As Moria said that, shadows began to slither towards the fallen appendage, stitching it back in place. The sight reminded Itachi of his old Akatsuki ally, Kakuzu as well as the shadow techniques of the Nara clan.
How troublesome.
He would need to separate Moria from Oars if he wanted to win quickly, the Complete Body form of Susanoo was quickly draining his chakra reserves, especially with the extensive amount of chakra he had been burning to utilize the Yata Mirror.
Before the shadows could finish attaching Oars' arm back to his body, Itachi flew at Oars, flapping his wings to generate as much speed as he could. Itachi barreled into Oars, knocking him back into the giant mansion.
The attack rattled Moria inside of the compartment, leaving him unable to defend against Itachi's next attack against Oars. Within seconds, Oars' body was completely dismembered, his head, arms, and legs cut off from the rest of his body with his torso cut into three large sections.
Moria's vision cleared up just in time to see Itachi's Susanoo reaching into the compartment to grab him. Panicking, he instantly swapped places with his Doppleman, escaping into the mansion.
Itachi deactivated his Susanoo, feeling drained and quite tired at the excessive amount of chakra he had just expanded. Even with the Eternal Mangekyo, the Complete Body Susanoo used up chakra at an incredible rate, much more than any other form. Unsealing a bag of salt he had made earlier in the week, he walked towards Oars' head.
"I can't move my head. Why is that? My horns are itchy. My arms won't move though. Why is that? I want to scratch my horns, but I can't. Why is that?"
As the decapitated head mumbled to itself, Itachi stuffed half the bag of salt into the zombie's throat, using the rest of the bag on the cut-up pieces of Oars' torso. Slowly, black blobs seeped out of each body part, coming together in the familiar form of his captain's shadow. It waved at Itachi before speeding off in the direction of the mansion.
He shook his head, a slight smile on his lips at the shadow's actions. He walked back to his fallen crewmates, only to see that they had all been recovered by another group of people, Nami and Usopp with them. Every single one of them had a look of awe in their eyes at Itachi's display of strength.
Nami and Usopp threw themselves at Itachi, gripping him tightly with their hugs.
"You're amazing, Itachi! Defeating Oars all by yourself even though the rest of us couldn't do it together. You're scary strong." Usopp commented.
"Seriously, Itachi. Where were you hiding this strength? I think Luffy's the only one that can match you at this point." Nami said. "Guess the Monstrous Trio is now the Monstrous Four."
Itachi smiled at them, "There was just never a chance to really show off, I guess. I was a bit too careless with Enel back on Sky Island and I was more focused on sabotage than fighting at Enies Lobby. When I fought Aokiji, I was trying to escape rather than fight, so yeah, most of the time my full fighting capabilities haven't really been needed."
He kneeled down next to Chopper after Nami and Usopp let go of him, the Mystical Palm Technique flaring to life on his hands.
With Moria missing and a large chunk of his chakra reserves depleted, Itachi just had to trust that Luffy could defeat the Warlord because Itachi was unconfident if he could defeat the man himself in his current state.
He turned his attention to Chopper, beginning to heal him.
Itachi had just finished healing Zoro when Moria came crashing back out into the open. Looking towards the mansion, he could make out Luffy's form flying out of the hole he had made with Moria's body, looking absolutely terrible. There was blood streaming down his shoulder, his clothes were in tatters, and he was panting for breath, looking exhausted. Moria wasn't any better, his body looking equally battered, wheezing as he greedily tried to suck in air.
"I won't stop, Moria. Not until you return everyone's shadows!"
"Just die here, Straw Hat! Even if I had let you continue peacefully, at your level, only death awaits you. I'm sure you know that this part of the Grand Line is called Paradise and that's because it IS paradise. At least compared to the New World." Moria's face grew strained, bad memories surfacing. "You have a fine crew, Straw Hat. Loyal. Strong. Filled with potential. My old crew was like that. They too had potential, their names were known across the globe. So why did they have to die? You'll lose your friends just like I lost mine, so why deny the inevitable? You should be grateful to have your shadows serve under me. With an army of zombies, I don't have to worry about losing them. Invincible! Unfeeling! Replaceable! They are the ultimate warriors!"
Tendrils of inky darkness started to spread out from Moria's feet, latching on to every zombie across Thriller Bark.
"The sun is rising, Straw Hat. You have your shadow, but three of your friends are missing theirs. Can you defeat me and take back their shadows? Or will you let them all die here with you? Kishishishi! You were able to absorb a hundred shadows, but what about a thousand?"
Luffy looked in alarm at Moria's smiling visage.
"Shadows Asgard."
Shadows from zombies all over the island began to pump into Moria's body, causing him to grow to a massive size.
Everyone stared up in shock at Moria's transformation. With a roar, Moria smashed the ground below him, shattering it, causing the surrounding buildings to crumble around them. The Rolling Pirates tried to escape, but the destruction of the buildings allowed sunlight to filter through, hitting some of them as they tried to escape Moria's rampage.
"Quick! Run to the shade!" One of them called out. "Captain Lola! What are you doing? We need to find shade!"
"I'm not moving," she said simply, pointing at the Straw Hats. "Look at them. They haven't moved. They lost their shadows, but they aren't fleeing. We dragged them into this mess, called them our hope, but at the first sign of danger, we turn tail and flee, leaving them to pick up the pieces? No, I will not be like that. I will stay here and face my fate, just like they are. If they win, they win. If they lose, we all die. That is the bet we made by dragging them into this!"
The others looked at the Straw Hats as they stood tall against the threat of Moria, determination set on their faces. It was all or nothing for them.
Luffy stepped forward, "I'm going to get a little wild. You guys take care of everything afterwards. I'm going to show Moria a real nightmare!"
"I admire your tenacity, Straw Hat. A shame that it all has to end here."
Luffy didn't respond, instead, focusing on pumping his legs.
"Gear Second."
Steam began to emit from Luffy's skin.
"Bring it on, Moria. I'll crush you."
Moria slapped his palm at Luffy, unleashing a deadly onslaught of powerful attacks, but Luffy was far too agile. He dodged every slap, punch, and kick that Moria sent his way.
He grabbed at Moria's belt, launching himself at his colossal form.
"Gum-Gum Jet Rocket!"
The attack sent Moria reeling. In the same breath, Luffy slammed both of his fists in the exact same spot his head had hit.
"Gum-Gum Jet Bazooka!"
The shadows seeped out of Moria's mouth, Luffy's attack causing him to lose control of them. He slapped his hand over his mouth to keep any more shadows from escaping. He threw out more attacks at Luffy, before calling down a wave of shadows to surround Luffy, trapping him in a cage of shadows.
"Bat Bricks: Shadow Cage!"
Moria picked the pure black cube, crushing it into the mansion wall, "I'll crush you! I'll grind you into rubber paste, you ignorant fool!"
The shadow trap fell to the ground where Moria began to stomp on it, grinding the heel of his foot into the crumbled cube. The Rolling Pirates cried out in shock at the brutal assault, their thoughts certain that Luffy had been defeated.
Moria didn't stop there. He picked the cage up and tossed it high into the air.
"You're all amateurs! This is a purge! People should know their limits or else they'll just die in vain"
Luffy burst out of the cage, launching himself into the air as he bit his thumb.
"Come, Straw Hat! I'll show you what it means to go up against a Warlord with a bounty of 320 million Berries!"
"I'll just have to prove to you here, that no one can dream of defeating me. You can say whatever you want, but a real pirate talks with his fists, not his words! Gear Third: Bone Balloon!"
"Kishishishi! Well said, Straw Hat. Just as a real pirate speaks with his actions, he also does not fear death. Come! Embrace your death at my hands."
Luffy fell down towards Moria, his giant fist following him. Moria surged upwards, his own fist flying through the air, shadows flowing around it taking the form of a wolf's snarling head.
"Gum-Gum Giant Jet Shell!"
"Fenrir Shadow Strike!"
Their attacks slammed into each other, releasing a tremendous shockwave that reverberated throughout the entire island. They seemed to stay like that for an eternity, but then with a sickening CRACK, Luffy's giant fist overpowered Moria's, the resulting backlash breaking the Warlord's shoulder.
Moria howled in pain, falling onto his back as a stream of shadows flew out of his mouth. Luffy fell to the ground completely exhausted. Moria attempted to slap his hands over his mouth, but the movement jostled his broken shoulder, white-hot pain tearing through his torso. He roared out in pain again as more and more shadows poured out of his mouth. The pain was too much. He couldn't control the shadows anymore.
"Damn...you...Straw...Hat. See for...yourself then...just what a nightmare...the New World is..." he thought weakly before he let the darkness wash over him. As Moria lost consciousness, the small stream of shadows leaving his mouth became a raging torrent, shooting straight into the sky.
At that sight, a great cheer pierced the air.
"HE'S DONE IT! STRAW HAT WON! THE SHADOWS! THEY'RE RETURNING! HURRY BACK TO US BEFORE THE SUN KILLS US!"
Luffy blearily looked up to see the half disintegrated forms of his friends.
"Oi," he mumbled out, unheard over the cries of the other Straw Hats. "I won, didn't I? Why's the sun still hurting you?"
A shadow passed over his body. Looking up, he could make out Itachi's form.
"Don't worry, captain. The sun won't rise high enough to kill them for another three minutes. At the rate the shadows are leaving Moria's mouth, their shadows should return to them soon."
Luffy's head dropped back down, his exhaustion taking over, "I see. Thanks for everything… Itachi. Such a… good friend…"
Itachi only smiled at Luffy's sleeping form. He looked back to see that Zoro, Sanji, and Robin's bodies had reformed, their shadows returned to them safe and sound. Gently picking his captain up, Itachi walked over to the rest of the crew, the sounds of celebration around them becoming louder and more rambunctious.
An old man approached them, "Thank you. Because of your efforts today, we, as well as countless others, can finally bask in the warm sunlight. How can we ever repay you?"
At his words, everyone surrounding the Straw Hat Pirates bowed towards them.
"WE THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS! WE WILL NEVER FORGET THIS FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES!"
Zoro scratched the back of his head in irritation, "It's not like we did it for you. We did it for ourselves. Our shadows were stolen and we wanted them back. You guys were just lucky to be saved as well."
Nami instantly slapped him across the face. Hard.
"That's not what you say to people who are thanking you! Especially if they want to repay you!"
The other pirates enthusiastically agreed with her statement.
"I see how it is. It seems my fears were correct."
At the sound of the voice, everyone turned to see a massive man sitting on top of the mansion, talking to a baby Den Den Mushi that he held in his hand.
Itachi's eyes narrowed at the sight of the massive bear-like man.
What was another Warlord doing here? Why was Bartholomew Kuma on this island?
A majority of the pirates shouted at him asking who he was, but he ignored them, focusing on whoever he was talking with.
"Is Moria still alive?"
"Who knows…"
"Well, as long as he's alive that's fine. We'll still have him be a part of the Warlords. We'll continue to monitor the situation and plan accordingly. The honor and dignity of the Warlords would be in shambles if they appeared to be so weak that they could be beaten left and right."
Everyone was looking at Lola who was describing just who exactly Bartholomew Kuma was and just howo terrifying he was. Nami backed her up, warning that his hands were incredibly dangerous. The Den Den Mushi continued to talk.
"You understand what I'm getting at don't you, Bartholomew Kuma? Word can not get out that the Warlord Gecko Moria was defeated by Straw Hat Luffy. Your new orders from the World Government are as follows: Obliterate everyone on that island. Leave nothing behind."
Kuma stood up, "It'll be done."
The pirates began to cry in panic, "Ob- Obliterate us? We just got released from Moria's curse! This can't be happening!"
Kuma slipped off his glove, the action making the Straw Hats take a defensive stance. Itachi stood over Luffy's body protectively, Zoro and Sanji in front of him.
Too fast for anybody but Itachi too see, Kuma shifted from the top of the mansion to right in front of the Rolling Pirates. At the sight of his hulking form, they cried out in fear.
"When did he get there?!"
"He's so big!"
"Oh my god, we're all going to die!"
One brave soul charged at him, "We just got our freedom back! Like hell I'll let it be taken again so easily!"
Kuma easily defeated the pirate, his attack taking out three more pirates behind the first one. He shifted again, this time standing in front of Zoro.
"Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro. Let's start with you."
Zoro unsheathed Shisui and Sandai Ketetsu, walking forward to meet Moria.
"If it's fighting you want, then I've got it in spades."
Usopp called out to him, "Wa- Wait just a second Zoro! Itachi may have healed your injuries, but your bones are still not fully healed! They'll break if you fight anymore!"
"Shut up, Usopp," Zoro took a stance. "If I die here, then that just signifies that this is as far as I can go!"
With that, he charged at Kuma.
"Two Sword Style: Iai Rashomon!"
Kuma easily dodged the attack, and towering over Zoro, aimed a palm strike at him. Zoro rolled to the right to dodge it, his ribs creaking in protest with the action.
Kuma instantly followed up with another palm strike, a paw-shaped projectile flying towards where Zoro had rolled off to. With barely time to recover, Zoro dodged the attack, the strike destroying the masonry behind him. Picking himself up, Zoro charged at the Warlord once again.
"72 Pound Cannon!"
The slashes flew through the air, heading straight towards Kuma's head, but the man only raised his hand, the attack bouncing off the pads on his hands.
"That won't work, Pirate Hunter. The paws on my hands allow me to deflect anything you send my way. I am a Paw person who ate the Paw-Paw Fruit. I can push anything that I want away from me."
"Such a gentle name, perhaps he isn't as tough as he seems, "Franky said. A split second after those words left his mouth, he was knocked back coughing up blood as a paw-shaped imprint formed on his stomach.
"Cyborg Franky… Is this all you can handle? How pathetic… It seems that Straw Hat Luffy has gathered quite the skilled group of individuals, but you are all injured. To kill you know, it would have no meaning…"
"Shut up!" Zoro charged at him with all three swords.
"The attack I've been using is called Pressure Cannon. It reflects air at the speed of light, creating powerful shots that can travel through bodies." Kuma took a sumo stance. "Let's see how you fare, Pirate Hunter Zoro."
"Hundred Open Hands Pressure Cannon!"
A barrage of paw-shaped air bullets shot towards Zoro. In a display of fine footwork, Zoro bobbed and weaved through the entire attack, leaping at Kuma.
"Toro Nagashi!"
Kuma didn't block the attack. He thrust his palm at Zoro, meeting his attack head on with another Pressure Cannon. They stayed like that in perfect stalemate, neither person giving in. Something had to give.
Sandai Kitetsu shattered.
Kuma's palm hit Zoro in the chest, sending him flying back, his body slamming into a large section of the mansion rubble. Kuma pushed himself to be directly behind Zoro as the swordsman stared in shock at the broken sword in his hand, another palm strike aimed at his back.
"Enough!" Sanji shouted, aiming a powerful kick at Kuma's shin. "Concasse!"
He instantly fell down to the ground screaming in pain.
"Black Leg Sanji… That tickled."
"ARRRGH! What's his face made out of?! That was harder than steel!" Sanji cried out, holding his hurt leg.
"Firebird Star!"
Usopp launched a desperate attack at Kuma only for it to be instantly reflected back at him.
He looked around at the Straw Hat Pirates, five of them unable to fight, the other three completely unable to match his strength. His eyes passed right over Itachi who had applied a Henge to cover his face. The World Government could not learn that he was still alive. They would send another Admiral after them immediately.
"The World Government has ordered me to kill all of you…"
Kuma raised his arms and began to compress a massive amount of air.
"He's compressing the air! That much air in that tiny of a space…"
"He's making a bomb. The resulting explosion could potentially kill all of us."
Everyone cried in shock at Nami and Robin's analysis of Kuma's actions.
"I can let you live. Only if you surrender Straw Hat Luffy's head to me. With his head, the World Government would for sure stop chasing you. Come, give him to me." Kuma said as he closed his paws over the tiny ball of compressed air.
Zoro stood up, "If you think…"
Usopp clambered to his feet, "That we'll betray a comrade…"
Sanji limped over to stand next to them, "Then we only have one answer…"
Everyone shouted in unison.
"NEVER!"
"What a shame…"
Kuma opened his hands, aiming the compressed bomb towards the pirates. Itachi lunged forward.
"Ursa Shock."
"SUSANOO!"
Itachi's Susanoo flared into existence in its Armored form, the Yata Mirror enlarged to the biggest Itachi could manage with his leftover chakra.
BOOOOM!
The explosion rocked the island, but was repelled back towards Kuma. The Warlord only extended his palms outward and deflected the attack back towards Itachi.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The force of the explosion was repelled again and again between the two. An unstoppable force between two immovable objects. With each reflection, a concussive force shook the island, toppling buildings. This was a fight between two behemoths, one that those of lesser constitution could not handle.
With a heave, Itachi angled the last reflection into the sky. The resulting shockwave blasted out, causing pirates to land on their ass and buildings to crumble.
Itachi deactivated his Susanoo, his chakra depleted to dangerously low amounts, so much so that his Sharingan deactivated, revealing his onyx eyes. He fell to his knees, panting for breath, blood dripping out of his eyes. He could do no more.
Robin's arms circled around him, pulling him into an embrace that kept him from falling over.
"Your little tennis match seemed to have knocked-out quite a few people with just the shockwaves, Itachi. But you did a fine job protecting us and them."
He looked up to see her smiling face looking down at him. He smiled back before looking back to Kuma.
The giant man stood tall, looking much better than Itachi, but not unscathed. His bucket hat was gone, part of his face scorched. His jacket was shredded, revealing a mass of machinery in his chest and arm.
"So you were alive, Uchiha Itachi. I'm quite amazed that you survived a serious fight with Aokiji. Perhaps you are more dangerous than you let on…"
Zoro and Sanji limped forward. Although they hadn't been caught in the explosion, the concussive force of the exchange had rattled their already tired bodies.
"Enough you cyborg basterd. Your opponent is us!"
Kuma opened his mouth, a light beginning to shine within it.
PIPIPIPIPIPIPIPI!
Zoro and Sanji dived to the side as a laser beam launched itself from Kuma's mouth creating a small explosion where it hit.
"I am a cyborg very much like your crew member Franky, but I am better." Kuma began to walk towards Luffy's fallen form. "I am an incomplete weapon being developed by the World Government known as a Pacifista. The genius scientist, Dr. Vegapunk, is the founder of the project. With his modifications to my body and my Devil Fruit ability, you have no hope to win."
Zoro pulled himself into a standing position, Sanji doing the same.
"Then why? Why must you take Luffy's head?"
Kuma lifted Luffy's body, "It's the best offer I can give."
"Then take mine!" Sanji shouted. "Take mine in his place!"
"No!" Zoro yelled as well. "Stay out of this you shitty cook. Take my head, Bartholomew Kuma! Let me take Luffy's place!"
Zoro and Sanji began to limp towards Kuma.
"My head…"
"May not be... "
"Worth much now…"
"But I'm…"
"A crewmate of…"
"The future Pirate King!"
"I'll become the greatest swordsman in the world!"
"I'll be the one who finds the All Blue!"
"So, I'd say our lives would make an equal exchange for Luffy's."
In a rare moment of unity, Zoro and Sanji stood next to each other, staring Death in the face, risking everything to save their captain.
"If we can't even protect our own captain's dream, then our own ambitions are nothing but wasted breath."
"Luffy is the man who must become Pirate King!"
Kuma looked at them with interest, "It seems we have a deal. I will spare your captain, but what you two are about to go through… It can only be described as worse than Hell itself!"
He placed his palm against Luffy's body. A bright red bubble began to exit his back.
"What I am doing now is expelling all of the pain and fatigue that accumulated in Straw Hat's body during his fight with Moria. If you wish to die in his place, then you must first take on his suffering."
When Kuma finished, a massive bubble was left behind, easily larger than the Warlord himself.
Itachi's eyes widened at the sight of the bubble, "Luffy… You put yourself through so much pain. Push yourself to the absolute limits… You are truly something else."
Kuma took a small portion of the bubble and split it in two, "Here, have a small taste."
He pushed the two bubbles towards the first mate and the cook.
They watched as the bubbles floated into their chests. Then without warning, an immense amount of pain stabbed through their bodies.
"GUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"AAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"
The pain shook their bodies, nearly causing them to collapse, but through sheer force of will they kept standing.
I will endure! For Luffy! For the crew!
Itachi's eyes widened once again as the Voices of Zoro and Sanji drifted towards him. Although they looked about ready to fall over, their Voices were stalwart. Loud and strong. He smiled. They would be fine.
"Well?" Kuma asked.
Sanji looked up at him, panting heavily, "That was nothing. We can handle more. No, we can take it all."
Kuma's eyes narrowed at the declaration.
"If that's the case…"
Itachi felt himself get lifted away from Robin's care.
"Then you'll take on the pain of another. Uchiha Itachi has proven to be quite a thorn in the World Government's side due to his inability to die. I'm sure they wouldn't have minded if I brought his head as well…"
Itachi could only groan in relief as the exhaustion was pushed out of his body. His previous leaden limbs felt light and unburdened. His eyes and mind no longer weighed down by the dull throb of pain. When Kuma dropped him, he landed lightly on the ground, his legs no longer weak and shaky.
Itachi's bubble was nowhere near as large as Luffy's, but Kuma brought it over and combined it with Luffy's. The already massive bubble became even larger. The Warlord looked over at the two only to find grim determination on their faces.
"Taking on this amount of pain. Of suffering. Since you don't have much life left in either of your bodies, it will only lead to your death."
"We'll take whatever dish you'll serve," Sanji said.
"Just let us choose the place," Zoro followed up.
Itachi watched as they limped away, Kuma following them as he dragged the massive bubble behind him.
Itachi looked behind him at Robin, who was watching Zoro and Sanji walk to their demise.
"They won't die. They're too stubborn," he said reassuringly.
"Oh, I know," she said softly. "If they weren't, they wouldn't have made it this far."
Zoro and Sanji disappeared from sight.
Itachi sat on a tree branch listening to the Voices around him. He could hear the Voices of the Straw Hats and the Rolling Pirates waking up in the distance, but that's not what he was focused on.
He was focusing on the Voices of Zoro and Sanji. Despite the screams they had made when Kuma had given them a sample of Luffy's pain, they hadn't made a sound when they plunged their arms into the massive bubble. Instead, they had stood there stoically as their blood vessels burst and their skin split open, splashing their blood all over the ground and on the rubble surrounding them. Not for a single second, as they glared into each other's eyes, did their Voices waver. They would take it all or die trying.
Itachi hadn't liked it one bit that they were forced to take his pain as well, but their pride was on the line and Itachi knew better than to interfere. Pride was everything to men like them.
He hopped down from the tree, lightly landing next to the two stubborn men.
"That's enough. You've suffered more than what's needed."
They both looked at him grounding out a single sentence.
"Not. A. Word."
He met their hard glares with a smile.
"Of course."
Two crow clones caught their bodies as they fell over. Itachi began to heal their most serious injuries with the little bit of chakra he had been able to replenish. When he finished, the clones picked up their bodies and they all walked back to where everyone else was.
Chopper was awake by now. It would be best to leave the two knuckleheads in his care.
Itachi had been the stand-in cook for the Straw Hats, while Sanji recovered. Although not nearly as knowledgeable and skilled as Sanji, he had done just fine providing for the needs of the Straw Hats including Luffy.
Three days later, Sanji and Zoro had both recovered and were preparing for the great big party that was going to be held in the Mast Mansion's ballroom. Letting everyone else take care of things, Itachi had retreated to the library to read all of Keoni's letters.
Seeing just how bad his "death" had affected her had him hating himself even more than he already did. Unknown to the rest of the Straw Hats, Itachi was still carrying a lot of baggage. That their calm, collected anchor was the most tormented of them. Slowly, he was able to let things go. Luffy's declaration that Robin's past did not matter to him had eased the weight of his sin for killing his family, but not all of it. Would Luffy still want him if he knew that he killed his entire family? Would he understand the circumstances that surrounded the need for the death of the Uchiha Clan? Would the Straw Hats still look at him the same if they knew the number of atrocities he had committed in the name of "world peace?" The hundreds of orphans and widows he had made? The girls he had condemned to a life of sex trafficking and misery? The Akutsuki needed money, and some ways of making it were easier than most.
It had been easy to accept it there. He was already a monster in their eyes, but here? People here actually cared for him. They didn't know his past. His sins. If they ever found out, would that change?
He thought of Keoni. Pure, sweet, Keoni who had a competitive streak a mile long. He was coming around now, realizing the type of feelings he held for her. They were more than what friends felt for each other, but would she feel the same about him? Would he even allow himself that luxury? Even if she held similar feelings, would he allow his blackened hands to touch her like that? Bare his sinful soul for her to see?
It hurt his heart thinking of such thoughts. As he finished the last letter, he pulled out a sheet of blank paper, ready to pen an apology letter to her.
"Hi Keoni…"
Hi Keoni,
Surprise! I'm alive...
All I can say is that I'm sorry.
I read through all 40 of the letters and notes you sent me and I apologize for the emotional turmoil that I've put you through. After I escaped from Aokiji, I was unable to access my sketchbook. If I could draw a teleportation seal anywhere and have it connect to your seal, I would've used it in an instant, but that wasn't the case here. So all I can say is that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for scaring you. Sorry for making you worried. Sorry for making you cry. Sorry for making you hurt. Sorry for so many other things and then some. I don't know how I could ever make it up to you.
I understand that you're angry at me, probably even more so after you get this letter and that's fine.
If you don't ever want to talk to me again, that's fine too.
If you hate me beyond belief, I would understand.
Sorry,
Itachi
Fat tears streamed down Keoni's face as ugly sobs shook her entire body.
"He's alive! He's alive! Thank goddess he's alive! Oh my fu- He's al- He's-"
"ITUBI!" She cried out, hugging her pillow even harder. "I'M BO GLAB DAT YOU'RE AWIVE!"
She reached out to grab a piece of paper and a brush intent on sending a letter back, her mind a jumble of emotions and thoughts surrounding Itachi.
"You stupid! STupid! STUPID! BASTARD! I could never…"
She shakily began to write her message.
"I could never hate you."
HELLLLLLLOOOOOOOOO AND WELCCCCOMMMME BACK
YA BOY GOT HIS ASS KICKED TO THE MOON AND BACK BY ONLINE CLASSES THE ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR AND GOT JUST TOO DEPRESSED TO WRITE
I FAILED A COUPLE CLASSES. YIKES!
MY BAD
I MIGHT HAVE MESSED UP SOME STUFF CAUSE I HAVEN'T VISITED THIS STORY IN A WHILE BUT TAKE IT IN STRIDE. I WILL BE WRITING AND FOLLOWING THE OLD SCHEDULE WHICH IS BASICALLY A CHAPTER EVERY SUNDAY
WRITING AND STYLE MIGHT BE DIFFERENT SO BEAR WITH IT WHILE I WARM UP MY WRITING BRAIN
AS ALWAYS LEAVE REVIEWS, PM, OR EMAIL ME
LETS FUCKKKKKKINNNG GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Z