Foreword: Sorry for the much shorter chapter this week, but you all know what's coming next, and I promise the Marineford section is gonna be worth the wait!
While everyone else was landing at the respective destinations Kuma had picked for them, Itachi landed on the deck of the Moby Dick at his own request, skidding across for several feet before catching himself and concentrating chakra in his feet to attach himself to the floor, halting his movement. Everyone on deck was instantly on high alert, brandishing guns and swords in his direction. Itachi stood slowly, hands raised.
"Hello, everyone," he said with a smile. "It's good to see you all again."
Stunned silence followed as everyone realized who this person was who had suddenly slammed onto their deck.
"ITACHI'S COME BACK TO US!" shouted the entire crowd simultaneously.
"Someone go get Pops! He'll love this!" called one voice.
"We need booze! This is a cause to celebrate!" came another.
"Welcome back, Itachi!" called a familiar voice from behind him. He turned to see Marco approaching him.
"Marco, it's good to see you again," said Itachi warmly, hugging his former crewmate.
"I can tell by looking, you've gotten quite a bit stronger since you left us. Going it solo must've been challenging."
"It was for a time, but I'm actually no longer a lone wolf. I've joined a new crew."
"Yeah, so I heard. Word is you're with one of those rookie crews. The Straw Hats, right?"
"That's the one. They're quite a lively bunch. Even though there's not as many of them, they can party almost as hard as you guys. In particular I think you'd like Nami."
"Oh, yeah? Why do you say that?"
"Because she could drink almost everyone here under the table."
"That so? Yeah, you're right, sounds like my kinda gal," laughed Marco. "By the way, we all read about the incident back at Enies Lobby. That was quite the little stunt you guys pulled, openly waging war against the World Government like that."
"Well, you all would have done the same to rescue a crewmate. In fact, that's why I'm here," said Itachi, his face taking on a more serious expression. "I know about Ace, and if I know Pops, you're all preparing to head to Marineford."
"You're right about that. So you're here to lend your support as well?"
"Of course. Even though I'm not on this crew anymore, Ace is my friend, and I owe you and Pops a great deal for taking me in. I'm not here to join back up, but even so, consider me an ally in the upcoming war."
"Well, that's good to hear," came Whitebeard's voice from behind them. "Itachi, it's good to see you again after so long. I just wish the last one who defected from the crew could return like you did."
The choice of words didn't escape Itachi's notice. "Could? Why can't they, did something happen?"
"I see," mused Whitebeard. "You don't know what happened, and why Ace has been looking for Blackbeard."
"I've heard the name Blackbeard, and I do know that Ace had been hunting him, but I never learned why."
"Blackbeard is the new name of one of our former crewmates, Itachi. You knew him as Marshall D. Teach."
"What?" gasped Itachi. "Teach is Blackbeard? If that's the case, then the only reason for Ace to be hunting him-"
"Is because he broke the number one rule, and killed one of his crewmates," completed Whitebeard.
"Who? Who was it that he killed?"
Whitebeard sighed, the weight of the answer to that question visible on his face. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask me that, but since you did, I suppose I should tell you. You're a smart man, Itachi, one of the smartest I've ever met. Look around and see if you can figure it out."
Itachi did as Whitebeard suggested. On top of many normal crewmen, he spotted each of the Division Commanders on deck, except for two. Ace, for obvious reasons, as well as…
"No," he breathed. "He killed Thatch?"
"And now you see why I didn't want you to ask," said Whitebeard. "It happened a few months after you left. I promoted Thatch to Fourth Division Commander at your recommendation, and on a trip to an island over in the New World, his Division stumbled across a Devil Fruit. Thatch, being the one who found it, naturally had the right to eat it."
"But let me guess," said Itachi. "It was the Yami Yami no Mi."
"Indeed it was," confirmed Whitebeard. "But how did you know?"
"Back when I was still part of this crew, Teach let me borrow his copy of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. The page containing the entry for the Yami Yami no Mi was far more worn down than all the others, as though he had flipped specifically to it repeatedly." Itachi clenched his fists in anger. "Dammit, I should have sensed it! I should have known!"
"It's alright, Itachi. He had all of us fooled," assured Marco. "None of this is your fault."
"It was me who put Thatch in that position!" countered Itachi. "I was the one who recommended him as my replacement! If I had stayed and discovered that fruit instead, I could have killed Teach as soon as he tried to take it from me!"
"There was no way you could have known," said Whitebeard, kneeling down to hug Itachi. "The only one at fault here is that fool, Teach. He believes the power of that fruit will make him the strongest in the world, but he is a fool. But we can think about that later. Right now, the priority is rescuing Ace."
Itachi forced himself to calm down. "You're right, Pops. Ace's safety comes first right now. But once this war is over, and you have him back, I swear that it won't matter how strong Teach thinks he is, I will kill him."
"That's what Ace thought, too," said Marco. "And now here we are, having to save him from the Navy."
"I'm far stronger than Ace," countered Itachi. "I have abilities that neither Ace, nor Teach, nor anyone else in the world has. However strong Teach is, he won't be prepared for someone like me."
"True," admitted Marco. "When you were on our crew, you were probably second only to Pops himself. Even so, none of us here want you to end up in the same situation as Ace."
"I promise I won't," said Itachi. "Even so, I heard that the reason he turned in Ace was to secure a spot as a Warlord of the Sea, meaning we'll likely be seeing him at Marineford anyways."
"It's funny," remarked Marco. "You never showed this much emotion when you were with us. Has Straw Hat really broken down your walls that much?"
"Either way," said Whitebeard. "If that's the case that we see Teach there, I have the first rights to face him. I understand your anger, Itachi, but you weren't part of the crew anymore when he killed Thatch. He murdered one of my children right under my nose, and a parent should always be first in line to avenge his child. If he shows up, you must promise you will not deny me that, nor will you interfere."
"You're right," admitted Itachi. "If you get the opportunity to face him, I promise I won't interfere with your revenge. Now, what's the plan for rescuing Ace? I know you probably have something unconventional in mind."
Whitebeard smiled a dangerous smile. The kind of smile that if one saw it, one could be forgiven for forgetting he was no longer in the prime of his youth and power. "I do, in fact. You're gonna love this."