The day after the funeral of the Going Merry, Itachi was wandering around town with Zoro, discussing the latter's loss of Yubashiri and the former's acquiring of the unknown sword.
"You know," began Itachi, "If you'd like, I can give you this one once we learn its name. I know you need a new one and I don't mind parting with this one for the sake of a friend."
"I appreciate it," replied Zoro, "but I can't accept that. You said you were drawn to it, like it was meant for you. If that's really the case, it wouldn't be appropriate for anyone else to wield it besides you."
"Fair enough," shrugged Itachi. He figured that might be the answer, but he wanted to extend the offer anyway.
"By the way," said Zoro. "How much farther till we reach this shop you mentioned?"
Itachi pointed forward. "Just around this corner, and then it's the second building on the right. I came across it while searching the city for Robin. I'm hoping the man who runs it can tell me the name of this sword."
The pair rounded the corner and entered the second building on the right. It was a sword shop, with lots of different swords of various make and quality lining the walls and stored in buckets and display cases. Zoro immediately started looking around, inspecting various swords. The man behind the counter, a middle aged man with slicked back black hair and gray streaks running along it, recognized them immediately. "Ah, it's the Straw Hats! Welcome back, Itachi! Good to meet you, Zoro! The heroes of Water 7 are always welcome in my shop!"
"Thank you, Mr. Ippo. I appreciate that," replied Itachi.
"So, what can I do for you gentlemen today?"
"Well, my friend here is looking for a new sword to replace one he lost, and I'm actually wondering if you could help me identify this sword that I found at Enies Lobby." He pulled the sword from his sash, still in its scabbard, and placed it on the counter.
Mr. Ippo picked it up and drew it, examining it from various angles.
"If my eyes aren't going bad, I believe you've found one of the twenty one Great Grade Swords! Give me one moment! I gotta grab my book!" He scurried off to the back room, and while Itachi waited, he turned to Zoro.
"So, see anything that catches your eye?"
"Not really," said Zoro, looking slightly bored. "I don't think anything in here will hold up for very long in the kinds of battles we tend to get mixed up in. I'm sure I'll find a worthy successor to Yubashiri before too long."
"I see. Sorry to have brought you all the way here for nothing, then."
"It's not your fault, and I appreciate the thought. It's just bad luck that this place doesn't have anything for me."
Mr. Ippo emerged from the back, carrying a large book and flipping through its pages. "Here we go, lemme see…" He stopped on a page displaying a sword identical to Itachi's.
"Yeah, I was right! It's one of the twenty one Great Grade Swords! What an incredible find! You're a lucky man, this baby has a selling price of about twenty million berries!"
Zoro chuckled slightly, remembering Tashigi's dream of retrieving all the Grade Swords. She would not be happy about this at all. Then again, she'd probably also be pissed about the death of Yubashiri.
"And what does the book say its name is?" asked Itachi.
"Ah, right. Sorry, I got carried away. According to this, its name is Sasuke."
Itachi's eyes widened. "Sasuke? Are you absolutely sure that's its name?"
"Yeah, absolutely. Why? That mean something to you?"
"It's just that… Where I'm from, back home, I have a little brother by that same name."
"Is that so? Well, that's probably why you felt it calling to you."
"I think you're right. Ever since I began my life as a pirate, I'd accepted the fact that I'd never see him again. But now that I have this, it's almost like I get to fight alongside him. Thank you for your time, Mr. Ippo. Unfortunately, it seems like Zoro didn't find anything for himself. I'll see myself out now."
"Of course! Thanks for stopping by!"
The next day, Itachi was lounging in the Galley La HQ, keeping an eye on Luffy. He fell asleep a few hours after Merry's funeral, and hadn't awoken since. Somehow he still managed to eat while sleeping, which Itachi found both utterly bizarre and a little endearing.
Sanji was setting food on the table in front of the sleeping Luffy when Kokoro, Chimney, and Gonbe arrived. Kokoro told them their log pose should be set for the next island after a couple more days, but Nami was depressed over the loss of the Merry, as well as all the rest of their stuff, especially Bell-Mere's tangerine trees.
As if on cue, the people from the hotel they had stayed at previously came by to drop off their stuff, including the trees and the remaining one hundred million berries. Then, Chopper and Robin arrived back from treating the Franky Family's wounds. After some light teasing from the crew about the idea of her leaving again, she approached Itachi. He'd been out running errands all day yesterday with Zoro (partly for the weapons shop, but mainly to ensure he didn't get lost), so she didn't see him at all.
"Hey. How're you feeling?"
"I'm well. How about you? Spandam hurt you pretty badly, are you still hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. Listen, I owe you an apology. You told me to believe in Luffy, over and over again, and I was too wrapped up in my own head to listen. If I had taken your advice in the first place, none of you would have ever gotten caught up in all that nonsense."
"I don't accept your apology, because there is nothing to apologize for."
"What? What do you mean?"
Itachi stood from his chair. "Even if you had believed in Luffy from the very beginning, CP9 was still undercover in this city, and had been for years. If you hadn't gone with them after their first approach, who knows what underhanded tactics they would have resorted to in order to catch you. We can't know how things would have gone, not completely, but my guess is that we'd have ended up fighting them no matter what happened. That was a given as soon as we arrived in Water 7. You were only doing what you thought was best for your loved ones, and if I faulted you for that, I'd be the one needing to apologize. We're all back safe, and you're with us again, and that's all that really matters in the end. We're all just glad to have you back with us. Welcome home, Robin."
Robin was on the verge of tears again. She wrapped her arms around Itachi's shoulders in a tight hug. "Thank you," she whispered into his ear. "Thank you, Itachi, for everything."
Itachi returned the hug, wrapping his arms around her waist. He'd nearly forgotten how warm a woman's embrace felt. In the background, Sanji was seething over Itachi "smooth-talking" Robin, in his own words.
Finally, Franky made his entrance, flanked by Kiwi and Mozu. He told them about the Treasure Tree Adam, and how he had used the money he stole from them to purchase a piece of wood from that tree. He talked about his desire to build his masterpiece ship with the wood from that tree, and his wish for the Straw Hats to take that ship as their own.
The elation the crew felt over the promise of a new ship was cut short by a large man in a white Navy uniform and a dog-shaped hood on his head busting down the front door. Itachi recognized him immediately.
"Garp! Here for round two?" he said bitterly, stepping between the intruder and Robin. His Sharingan was already active and his hand hovered over the hilt of Sasuke.
"You know this guy?" asked Sanji.
"Yeah, we go back. Back to my days on Whitebeard's crew."
"Oh, yeah, Itachi!" exclaimed Garp. "The report did mention you were involved in all this, now that I think about it. I still owe you payback for my ship last year, but I'm not here to fight you." Garp turned his head towards the sleeping Straw Hat captain. "I'm here to talk to that dumb kid over there."
"Luffy? What do you want with him?"
"Like I said," replied Garp, "I'm here to talk!" He leapt towards Luffy and delivered a punch to the crown of the sleeping captain's head.
Needless to say, he was no longer asleep.
"Ow, ow, ow! That hurts!" cried Luffy.
"What? You're made of rubber, how is a normal punch hurting you?" asked Sanji.
"Because there is no defense for a fist of love." replied Garp.
Just tell them it's because of Haki, thought Itachi, covering his face with one hand. Fist of love just sounds lame.
"You've been getting in a lot of trouble, Luffy." continued Garp.
Luffy looked up at Garp with a shocked expression on his face. "Grandpa?!"
The entire room lost their collective minds at that. Even Itachi, who was normally the pinnacle of composure, was dumbstruck. Apparently this was new information to the Marines under Garp's command.
"I think you owe me an apology, boy," said Garp. "You've been up to no good!"
"But isn't Garp the Navy hero who fought Gold Roger?" asked Nami.
"Luffy, is this Navy guy really your grandfather?" asked Sanji.
"Yeah, sure is," confirmed Luffy, still holding his head from the punch. "No matter what, don't try to fight him. He'll kill you, just like he almost killed me a bunch when I was a kid."
Garp defended his actions from back then, stating that they were to "make Luffy a man" rather than to kill him, listing times when he threw Luffy into a ravine, left him in the jungle, and sent him sailing into the air on balloons.
Well, that certainly explains a lot, thought Itachi.
Garp continued yelling at Luffy, even going so far as to insinuate that his becoming a pirate was Red-Haired Shanks's fault, then asking Luffy if he knew what kind of nonsense Shanks had been up to. When Luffy answered no, Garp explained that he was one of the Yonko that ruled over the second half of the Grand Line, putting him in the same class as Whitebeard. The Navy and the Seven Warlords were allied against the Yonko in order to maintain the balance of power.
Suddenly, there was a commotion as Zoro had arrived on the scene and immediately started attacking the Marines posted outside the building. Garp sent two of his men to deal with it, but they were quickly beaten by Luffy and Zoro before revealing themselves to be Coby and Helmeppo. Itachi didn't recognize either of those names but didn't say anything. If it was important, he'd find out later. At any rate, they at least seemed to be friendly.
Garp continued to tell Luffy about the state of the world, and even brought up his father, who was apparently Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
A Navy Vice Admiral for a grandfather and the World's Worst Criminal for a father? Itachi felt like if he heard one more bombshell he was going to need a stiff drink.
Apparently, Garp had only come as a favor to Coby and Helmeppo, so after he and his men finished repairing the door he destroyed, he prepared to set sail again, but allowed Coby and Helmeppo to stay behind and catch up.
Inside Galley La HQ, Robin, Chopper, Itachi, and Sanji were all sitting around a table drinking tea that Sanji had brewed up, discussing the latest series of events. Zoro was sitting by the window, and Nami had left, mentioning something about getting info from the Navy.
Later that day, everyone gathered at the Galley La pool to hold a party. Franky and his Family joined in the fun as well, along with the shipwrights, Mayor Iceberg, Sniper King, and the Giants from Enies Lobby.
The party went on into the evening. As the sun was setting, Robin grabbed herself a drink and slipped through the crowd, leaning against the wall by the entrance to the pool. She looked on at the revelry and smiled. Finally, she had a real family who loved her. She took a small sip of champagne, enjoying the scene and the sunset.
"Mind if I join you?" came a voice from her left. She looked over and saw Itachi, a glass of champagne in his hand. His headband, shirt, mesh top, sash, and cloak were gone, his pants had been replaced with a pair of black swim trunks, water was dripping from his body, and his hair was slicked back as though he'd just come from the pool.
"Of course. Feel free," she replied, "although I must say this is the first time I've seen you drink."
Itachi leaned against the wall next to her. "Normally, I'm not big on alcohol, but I don't exactly hate it, either. A glass or two during special occasions like this is about all I ever drink." He held up his glass. "Cheers."
"What are we toasting to?"
"To the family we've found."
Robin grinned, raising her glass to clink with his. "Cheers."
As soon as they finished their sips, a voice came from the other side of the wall directly behind them. "Stay where you are and listen, you two."
The smiles on their faces immediately vanished. It was Admiral Aokiji. Itachi began to move into a defensive stance, but Robin grabbed him by the hand and shook her head at him. He reluctantly leaned back against the wall.
"Nico Robin, why didn't you try to run away like usual? If you'd acted on your own like before, you probably could have escaped CP9."
"Even you should know this time was different. I couldn't just abandon my crew. I couldn't leave them to die."
"You may not know this, but Jaguar D. Saul, your friend back on Ohara, was my friend, too."
Robin was clearly shocked. Itachi remembered the name from her story back on Enies Lobby, when she was pleading with Spandam to not invoke the Buster Call.
"Although I carried out my orders as a Marine that day, I also upheld his wishes by sparing you. After that, though, I still felt responsible for your life. But when twenty years passed and you still hadn't found a home, I began to fear that Saul made a mistake, and even I decided you were too dangerous to live. I thought for sure that the story of Ohara would end once and for all at Enies Lobby, but I didn't count on the Straw Hats coming to your rescue and taking down all of CP9. I didn't count on 'Red Eyes' Itachi participating in that rescue mission, either. So, my question to you is this: Have you finally found a place where you belong?"
Robin didn't hesitate. "Yes," she said, squeezing Itachi's hand.
"In the end, I don't know if Saul was right or not. I don't know if the things I've done are right or not, either. So, show me the answer to that question."
"I intend to."
"Then live your life with courage, and prove that Ohara still lives on."
"I will."
"One last thing before I go. I only intended to speak to you, but since Itachi happens to also be here, I have a question for him as well."
"What is it?" sighed Itachi.
"The first time we met, you threw yourself in between me and the Straw Hats without hesitation and fought to protect them from me. Why?"
"Of course you would ask that," replied Itachi. "I did it because I'm in the same field of study as Robin, and needed her help."
"You mean, you're also studying the Poneglyphs?"
"I am."
Robin looked at Itachi, shocked that he'd just tell Aokiji the truth.
"I see," replied Aokiji. "But if that were all it was, I doubt you'd have gone to such lengths to continue helping her once she answered your questions, meaning she either hasn't answered them, or-"
"Or I helped the Straw Hats rescue her because I simply care about them," said Itachi, squeezing Robin's hand back. "She belongs with them, and now, so do I. That's all there is to it."
"Very well, then. I suppose I'll take my leave. Thanks for humoring me."
They heard his footsteps fade out as Aokiji walked away.
Itachi looked over to Robin. "Are you alright?"
Robin released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Yeah, I'm okay. What about you? Why did you tell him you were also studying the Poneglyphs? Do you know how dangerous that makes you in their eyes?"
Itachi placed a hand on her cheek and smiled. "It'll be alright, trust me. I'm worth over six hundred million berries to them, they already know I'm dangerous."
Robin relaxed. "I suppose you're right. Sorry about that."
Itachi turned his attention towards the party. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, there's some pretty good music playing over there, wanna go dance?"
"Dance?" said Robin, genuinely shocked. "I didn't think that was your thing."
Itachi took her hand in his, leading her into the crowd. "Normally it's not, but I feel like cutting loose today."
A few days later, the Log Pose fully adjusted to lead them to the next island. The Straw Hats and Itachi were enjoying breakfast at the Galley La HQ, and Kokoro was telling them that since the Pose was pointing downward, that meant they were headed to Fishman Island.
Not too long into their meal, Mozu, Kiwi, and Chimney came running through the door to inform them of the good news. Franky had finished the new ship, with the help of Iceberg and Galley La. Next, the Franky Family came through and told them the "bad news" about the new Wanted Posters. Luffy, Zoro, Robin, and Itachi all had their bounties raised.
"Straw Hat" Monkey D. Luffy: from one hundred million berries to three hundred million.
"Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro: from sixty million to one hundred and twenty million.
"Demon Child" Nico Robin: from seventy nine million to eighty million.
"Red Eyes" Itachi: from six hundred and sixty six million to seven hundred and fifty million.
The rest of the crew also got their first bounties, as well as a couple of non-Straw Hats. Apparently the World Government had failed to take a photo of Sanji, and had to settle for a horrid-looking rough sketch based on his description. The rest of the crew would undoubtedly make fun of him over this for a while.
"Cat Burglar" Nami: sixteen million.
"Cotton Candy Loving" Tony Tony Chopper: fifty.
"Black Leg" Sanji: seventy seven million.
Sniper King: thirty million.
"Cyborg" Franky: forty four million.
The Franky Family expressed great concern over Franky acquiring a bounty, begging Luffy to take him with them when they leave Water 7.
After the unveiling of the new ship to the Straw Hats, what ensued was a long, ridiculous game of keep away spanning the entire city in order to force Franky to join the crew. The Franky Family stole their big bro's speedo, forcing Franky to chase them across the city naked to get them back as they passed the trunks back and forth in an attempt to lead Franky to the coast.
Eventually, they managed to deliver the speedo to Luffy on board the ship, who told Franky that he could have them back if he agreed to join the crew as their shipwright. Franky looked over to Itachi, who was down on the ground leaning against the hull, having refused to board it.
"Come on, man! Can you please talk some sense into your captain so they give me my trunks back?"
"Did you forget?" asked Itachi, putting on his best innocent face. "I'm not a member of his crew, so I have no say in any of this."
Up on the deck, Robin offered to lend a hand to the effort, and when Nami questioned her on what she had planned, she used her Devil Fruit powers, sprouting arms on the insides of Franky's thighs, and crushing his unmentionables.
Franky screamed. Itachi winced and looked up at Robin. "Did you really have to go that far?"
"Of course. Everyone knows pirates won't give up on treasure once they decide they want it. Now that we have this one in our palms, so to speak, I'm not letting go without a fight."
Itachi couldn't help but be impressed by her resolve. Even so, this was bordering on cruel and unusual punishment. Maybe she really was a devil child.
Despite the excruciating pain, Franky still refused to join the crew, claiming he had fulfilled his goal as a shipwright, but he finally conceded when Iceberg called him out on that lie, and when the Franky Family threw him a luggage bag for his journey, telling him they just want him to be happy.
Then, Zoro and Sanji rushed towards the ship from the city, yelling for Luffy to hurry up and set sail. Garp had come back and was leading a bunch of ships in an effort to capture them.
Luffy threw Franky his speedo, and told him to come aboard. Captain's orders.
Once Franky accepted and hopped aboard, everyone looked down at Itachi, who was still leaning against the hull.
"What about you, Itachi?" asked Luffy. "You said you'd think it over; have you had enough time?"
"I have," said Itachi. "And I can't give you my answer just yet. Not until a certain condition is met." He looked up and made eye contact with each of the Straw Hats, lingering a bit longer on Robin. "Unless that happens, this is goodbye. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about."
Luffy nodded. "I understand. If we go ahead and set sail, can you catch up if it happens afterward?"
Itachi smiled. "Of course I can. Now go."
The Straw Hats set sail without further delay. Unfortunately, right as they were sailing away from the city, Garp's flagship caught up to them and opened fire. Though, "opened fire" isn't quite accurate, since the ammo wasn't actually being fired from cannons. Garp was throwing cannonballs at them with his bare hands.
On the shore of Water 7, Itachi watched the scene play out with clenched fists.
"Come on, Usopp, where are you? If you don't show up, this is out of my hands."
Eventually, Usopp did make it to the shore. He didn't notice Itachi at first, focusing solely on the ship, spouting excuse after excuse and doing anything he could to protect his pride.
"None of that is good enough," Itachi said.
"Whoa, Itachi? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on the ship with them?
"No. I'm not a crew member. I can't join them yet."
"What? Why not?"
"Usopp. You know why."
Usopp fell to his knees. He did know. "They're serious. They're really gonna leave without me, aren't they? Fine, then. If that's how it's gonna be, then I only have one thing left to say."
Itachi felt his heart skip a beat. Was he finally going to do the right thing? Please, Usopp, he thought. Please just say it.
Usopp lifted his head and screamed towards Luffy. "I'm sorry! I know I'm too stubborn, but please let me take back every word I said! Please! I know I'm being pathetic, and I already said I quit, but please forgive me! If I'm not with you guys, then there's no point! I can't be without you, so please, let me join you one more time!"
Itachi released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in.
Luffy's arm stretched all the way from the stern of the Sunny to the front of Usopp's face. "Hurry up and grab on, dammit!" he blubbered.
Usopp took Luffy's hand and was reeled in. Usopp was a Straw Hat once again, and even in the middle of an attack from the Navy, they couldn't help but celebrate.
"Well, then, I guess it's my turn," said Itachi to no one in particular. Then he turned around to face the Sunny, taking a deep breath.
"Luffy! I accept your offer, but I need to take care of something first! I'll be there shortly!"
Itachi turned on his Sharingan and focused his chakra into his feet, tearing across the ocean's surface at full speed towards the Navy battleship with the widest possible grin plastered on his face. Within moments, he had leapt into the air and landed squarely in front of the Vice Admiral, who up until that point had been busy hucking cannonballs at Itachi's new crewmates. He drew his sword, Sasuke, pointing it at his opponent.
"Round two, Garp! Hope you're ready!"
"Bring it on, Red Eyes!" laughed Garp, and the two clashed, sword against fist. As their fight moved across the deck, Itachi routinely checked on his crewmates. With him distracting Garp and the Marines, they were able to put greater distance between themselves and the battleship.
At one point, Coby and Helmeppo tried to jump in and assist Garp, but Itachi was far above their pay grade. One swing of Sasuke shattered Helmeppo's kukri blades, and Coby was dispatched with a single kick to the jaw.
Itachi knew that in terms of physical prowess, Garp vastly outclassed him. It was a good thing, then, that Itachi had far more tricks up his sleeve than just muscle. He used Shadow Clones as distraction and misdirection, various elemental ninjutsu to apply pressure from a distance, and even Ephemeral, one of his numerous genjutsu. Somehow, though, Garp was able to overcome the illusion on his own. This was a new development. Itachi had never seen anyone break free of any of his genjutsu unassisted before. He continued fighting, probing Garp's defenses from multiple angles, searching for an opening, but Garp seemed to be able to react to everything, even attacks from weird angles like above or below. Itachi realized he must be using his Observation Haki, and that's when he put it together. Someone with sufficiently developed Observation Haki must be capable of using it to resist genjutsu! That was interesting. Perhaps then, the inverse would be true? Could he potentially enhance his genjutsu by using his own Haki? Questions for later. For now, the priority was escaping Garp's ship.
The Susano'o would easily win the fight. One stab from the Totsuka Blade would seal Garp away, but winning wasn't the goal, and that would severely tax his chakra and greatly accelerate the deterioration of his vision. Besides, now that he knew Garp was his captain's grandfather, killing him was probably not the right move.
After a few more minutes of fighting, the ship was out of range of both the battleship's cannons and Garp's throws. Itachi was tiring out, but he had to admit fighting Garp was fun. Garp was also getting frustrated, finding it difficult and annoying to deal with Itachi's seemingly endless bag of tricks. His uniform was wet in some places from Water style ninjutsu, and singed in others from Fire style ninjutsu. None of Itachi's attacks were particularly damaging, but the strain of constantly running around and struggling to land a clean hit was irritating him.
"Sorry, Garp. Looks like this one's a draw. We'll settle the score next time."
"What are you talking about? If you were just gonna run away, why did you come to fight me?"
"Fight you? No, I was distracting you so that my crewmates could get away."
"Your crewmates, huh? Guess that means you're officially taking orders from my little brat grandson now?"
"Indeed I am. And now that he's out of your range, it's time I take my leave." Itachi made the Ram seal with his hands, dissipating into a flock of crows that harassed Garp before flying off into the sky.
"What the hell?" Where'd he go?"
"Sir!" called Helmeppo, "There, on the water!"
Itachi was racing across the surface of the water toward the ship. His speed was far greater than Garp's ship could reasonably hope to pursue. "Mission accomplished," said Itachi to himself, taking satisfaction in having successfully kept Garp from catching his new family. Within a couple of minutes, he made it on board and was welcomed by all with loud cheers and a mug of booze.
Franky brought up the issue of what to name the ship, telling them about Iceberg's suggestion to name her Thousand Sunny. Other crew members had their own suggestions as well. Zoro offered the name Big Boss Lionel, which Itachi had to admit wasn't unreasonable. Sanji suggested Monsieur Sunflower, which seemed a little strange to him, but okay. Then, Robin came out of left field with Being of Darkness, which made him a little concerned for her mental health, even more so than he already had been considering what she'd already been through. Despite the absurdity of the alternate names Luffy rattled off (or perhaps because of them), eventually the whole crew settled on Thousand Sunny.
"Alright! A brand new ship and three crew members in one day!" shouted Luffy. "Three cheers for the Thousand Sunny, and for Usopp, Franky, and Itachi!"
"Hip, hip, hooray!" they all cried in unison." Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!"
Robin approached Itachi from the side while the others were busy laughing and goofing off. "You had me worried for a minute there, but welcome to the crew, Red Eyes." she said playfully, and kissed him on the cheek.
"Glad to be here, Devil Child." replied Itachi with a smile as they sailed away toward the horizon. He stared down at the mug of ale, sighed, turned up the mug, and chugged. If he only drank on special occasions, he supposed this counted.