He could hear it.
Not just the rich ringing of the Bell, but it's Voice. And by God was it loud.
LISTEN
RING
LISTEN TO MY CALL
RING
CAN YOU HEAR ME
RING
THE FIRE OF SHANDORA LIVES ON
RING
SING WITH US DESCENDENTS SING WITH YOUR SOULS AS WE REJOICE
RING RING RING
"What a beautiful sound," Robin said, looking up.
Chopper had also woken up at that point, looking up with excitement and wonder, "What is it? What's making such a pretty sound?"
Zoro and Sanji, smoking a cigarette, just sat there and listened to the Bell's rich notes.
Wyper, Aisa, and Gan Fall stared up with tears in their eyes. That sound. It was the end of 400 years of strife and struggle. The end to 400 years of war.
All around the island, everyone heard the Bell and in response, their Voices responded, rising in crescendo until the Voice of every person on Skypiea was singing with the great Voice of the Bell, rejoicing along with it.
Itachi grunted, falling to his knees, the Voices around him, and from around the entire island responding to the Great Belfry's call, filling his head. He couldn't process it, only listen.
"Ah, Itachi. Are you alright?"
Robin was there, grabbing his swaying shoulders, making sure he didn't fall over, a concerned look on her face.
He didn't say anything, but he began to focus on just her Voice. It wasn't singing like everyone else's but humming. Humming in tune with the Belfry, but it was quiet and sturdy.
He attempted to tune everything out, and just focused fully on Robin's Voice. He stared but did not see into her eyes, and she stared back, observing the lazy spin and the intricate design of his Sharingan.
Her Voice was... complex. Although he couldn't hear what it was saying he could feel things. A dark, painful past. Longing. Joy. Happiness. Sadness. Fear.
They'll leave me too, won't they?
He focused on that. The first thing he had heard from another person's Voice.
They'll leave me too, won't they?
It wrapped around her Voice, subduing it. Constricting it.
CRASH
RING
He grunted, falling forward before a pair of arms caught him. Something incredibly heavy had just hit him. It had brought him out of the trance he had been in, listening to Robin's Voice.
His eyes refocused and he realized that he was leaning heavily on Robin, who had her arms wrapped around him, keeping him from falling to the ground.
"My, Itachi, this is coming along a little strong don't you think? At least take me out for dinner."
He only chuckled at her little joke, "My apologies Robin. I let myself get overwhelmed again. Thank you."
She only giggled as he pushed himself back into a standing position. Looking around he was greeted to a rather amusing sight.
Usopp and Chopper were passed out on the ground, fear etched into their features. Wyper was kneeling over, using his body to shield Aisa. Gan Fall, Zoro, and Sanji were all breathing quite heavily, grabbing at their chests, looking like they had just seen Death reincarnated.
He looked down at Robin, "What happened to them?"
She pointed up. "That's what happened."
He looked up. He expected to see the bright blue sky but instead saw the side of a massive gold bell laying on top of the Yata Mirror. To be specific, THE Golden Belfry was meters away from them, only stopped by the presence of Itachi's Armored Susanoo and the Yata Mirror.
It seemed that the Bell fell from the top of the beanstalk and right on top of them and because the others couldn't get out of his Susanoo as he had been far too focused on Robin's Voice, they had thought they were about to be crushed to death by the giant gold construct.
He bowed at all of them, "My apologies."
Robin was the only one that responded, "Ah, don't worry about it Itachi, they're fine so I'm sure it's all good."
Itachi only smiled at her before commanding his Susanoo to shove the Golden Bell off. It landed with another crash beside them. He deactivated his Mangekyo and his Susanoo slowly disappeared, letting the sky bathe him and the others in warm sunlight.
He and Robin walked to inspect the great golden bell letting the others reorient themselves.
"It's a work of art. A wonderful piece of history." Robin touched one of the pillars that had been broken. "It's a true shame that Luffy had to break it."
"Such rich history," Itachi murmured. With the bell not ringing anymore, he could listen to its Voice at a much more manageable level. The history of Shandora was whispered into his ears. He learned of the Poneglyph. The duty of the Shandians to protect it. The rise of its mightiest warrior, Kalgara. He listened to the sickness that had invaded Jaya. The coming of Noland. 400 years of loneliness.
He reached out with his Voice.
Your history. It will not be forgotten. It lives on.
The bell seemed to glow in response. He patted the bell before walking around to where Robin had walked off to.
She stood in front of a massive stone block, reading it. He stepped up beside her observing the foreign text.
He listened to its Voice.
come to me. come to me. come to me.
It was quiet but held an incredible strength to it. Almost seductive, its Voice conveying a promise of sorts.
Robin sighed in disappointment beside him. "Just a description of another ancient weapon."
"This is not what I'm looking for," She turned around with a huff. "Didn't you say that all things have a Voice? Can you hear this Poneglyph's Voice?"
Itachi nodded his head.
"What does it sound like?"
He looked at it thoughtfully, "There is an incredible strength to it. It's quiet, but it beckons me closer. To listen to it. To learn from it. It's unlike anything I've ever listened to."
A hand grabbed his hand and spun him towards Robin. She was looking at him with an almost wild look in her eyes.
"Could you find a Poneglyph just by listening to its Voice?"
She looked hopeful.
"I'm not sure," he answered truthfully. "This is the first Poneglyph I've ever actually listened to. It's possible, but I would have to test it."
She dropped his hand, recomposing herself, "Sorry for that slight outburst. If you could follow the Voice of the Poneglyphs, it would help me immensely, but if you can't, it's fine."
"So you too can hear the Voice of All Things," Gan Fall said from behind them. "There was another that could do the same. He too came up to Skypiea looking for the very stone that stands before you. Roger was his name."
Both Robin and Itachi's eyes widened at the name of Pirate King.
She looked back over the Poneglyph, while Gan Fall continued.
"He couldn't read the Poneglyphs like that woman can, but he could hear a Voice from it. He described it just like you just did. Strong, quiet, beckoning."
Robin interjected, "There's a message from him at the bottom! 'I have come here and will lead this passage to the farthest ends of the world.' signed Gol D. Roger. If he couldn't read the Poneglyphs, how did he leave this message behind?"
Gan Fall chuckled, "He had another man with him. A great man as boisterous and energetic as your captain. His name is Kozuki Oden, a samurai from the Land of Wano. He was the one that translated that stone for Roger, and the one that inscribed that message at the bottom. Mentioned that the Kozuki Clan has a history with the Poneglyphs. You two remind me of them, although much more reserved."
Robin and Itachi looked at each other in the eyes. Them? Like Roger and his friend?
"Guess I'm the Pirate King and you're my trusty translator, "he commented humorously.
Robin just giggled into her hand, "Perhaps so, but don't go dying on me a year later."
Itachi smiled. He wasn't planning on dying anytime soon.
Gan Fall groaned softly as he took a seat, "Such a shame that the bell is broken like this. If it landed on a cloud, it'd be far more salvageable than it's current state."
"I can fix it," Itachi said, looking at the shattered base and the crushed bell. "It still speaks. It can help me shape it into something even better. Gold is easy to work with and size won't matter, I have a technique to help me with that."
"Really?! You can fix the bell?" Wyper was the one that asked this time, a frantic pleading look on his face. "To restore the glory of Shandora, you can do that?"
Itachi nodded smiling at him, "With a little bit of rest, I can get started immediately."
"I have everything I need in this scroll," he tapped the scroll slung behind his back.
Wyper fell to his knees, tears filling his eyes once more, "If you could do this, the whole of the Shandia would be indebted to you. Indebted to you and your captain."
He bowed to Itachi, "As a representative for the Shandia, I thank you for everything that you have done!"
Itachi didn't know how to respond. He didn't feel like correcting Wyper's misconception that Luffy was his captain, although it didn't sound all that bad.
"Please get up Wyper, that isn't a position fitting for a man like you."
"No! This is the only way that I can express just how thankful I am. My pride won't allow for any other way!"
Itachi huffed, but he understood. A warrior's pride was incredibly important to them, and he would respect it. Many clans back in the Nations were quite similar, pride and honor meant a lot.
"I accept your gratitude Wyper. Now stand up, you do not need to bow any longer than you already have."
The Shandian slowly clambered to his feet, nodded once more, and turned to walk back to Aisa.
Itachi opened his scroll, unsealed one of his sketchbooks, and began to walk around the fallen belfry, noting all the damage to it.
Finished with his survey, he sat down and he began to sketch.
A party was raging in the forest.
Skypieans, Shandians, and the Straw Hats intermingling amongst one another having the time of their lives.
Itachi was hard at work by the belfry repairing it. With the help of Pierre, Itachi had been able to find Enel's Ark and strip it of all of its gold as well as the hundreds of Jet Dials lining its hull.
He had handed all of the Dials to Pagaya, knowing that the Dial engineer would have better use of them than he ever would.
He was using most of the gold from Enel's Ark to replace the missing pillar as well as make a new base. He had left a small amount (although it was still a hefty amount of gold) for Nami, as payment and thanks for letting him stay aboard her ship.
Many people came by and watched him work, their eyes bugging at the number of shadow clones he had helping him rebuild it.
Most of them didn't stay very long, going back to party.
He had just finished the base when Nami and Robin came by to talk with him. Nami's eyes had instantly shined when he handed her the large box of gold ingots (he had melted the gold down into a more manageable size for the Straw Hats) and she pulled him into a big hug, crying that he was her favorite person in the whole wide world. He just smiled and patted her on the back.
Robin was eyeing the new base, of which the Poneglyph snugly sat in the middle, encased by the gold.
She turned to Itachi, "I think that you should also include something else on this new Belfry, Itachi. Down in the ruins of Shandora, there was another inscription where it used to stand. 'Keep thy motives in heart, with closed mouth. We are those who will weave history with the ringing of the great belfry.' I can write it down for you in its original script if you want."
Itachi nodded back at her, "That sounds very nice. Yes, I would appreciate it very much if you would. There's a sketchbook under the table that you can use."
They left soon afterward although Robin lingered around a bit longer to observe him work.
During the short breaks he allowed himself, he would read the five letters Keoni had sent him in the two-day span. Three of them had been jokes, but the other two went in-depth regarding the visit of the beautiful and powerful Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock. Keoni had gushed just how beautiful she was, and that she would try and get Halina to paint him a picture so that he could see. He chuckled at that imagining her cute face pouting as she tried to convince Halina to make the painting.
"Wait… cute? Did I just call Keoni cute?"
Well… He couldn't deny that she was quite cute when she pouted, or when she was deep in thought. Itachi's thoughts went to Keoni thinking of his time with her. The little pranks she tried to play on him, but he made sure backfired onto her. The little whistling sound her teeth made when she laughed too hard. The softness of her lips…
A light red dusted across Itachi's cheeks thinking about that. He was starting to go into a dangerous area of imagination.
He stood back up and instantly got back to work, trying to get thoughts of the white-haired beauty out of his head.
He was sitting up the pillars and the arch when Zoro approached him requesting to see the greatsword that Itachi had used to cut the beanstalk.
He obliged him and unsealed her, "Her name is Fuyukokyu. She says she would very much rather you kept her away from Sandai Kitetsu. He's making her sick."
Fuykokyu had been the first sword he had handled since he had gotten the grasp of listening to the Voice of All Things and she had quite a few words to say to him. Namely that he was stupid because he had just now learned how to listen to her, as well as similar comments from the other swords he had made.
Zoro gingerly unstrapped the cursed sword from his hip and gently placed it on the ground. He wasn't going to argue with a sword that had cut through lightning.
"Oh, she's purring now. Seems like she likes you quite a bit. A shame that you fight with katanas. She thinks you would've made her into a wonderful Great Grade Sword."
Zoro looked at him at that comment, "She's already a Skillful Grade Sword?"
Itachi nodded, "She is my best work as of now. The last sword that I've ever made, and the first one that I've named."
Back on Artopoki, he had Makani handle the naming portion as she was the one that would give it to the merchants to sell.
"You can take her for now. She's itching to be used by you. You can just leave Sandai Kitetsu here as a form of collateral."
Zoro nodded before wandering off to a secluded area, eager to test the edge of a blade that could cut lightning.
Sanji came by with a plate of food and a bottle of water when Itachi began to work on fixing the bell itself.
He sat and watched silently for a bit before he heard Luffy call him, asking for more food.
Gan Fall and the Shandian chief came to observe him just as he was finishing up fixing the massive crack in the side of the bell.
They approached him with a request as well.
He listened to it, found it to be a worthwhile thing to do, and nodded his affirmation.
The old men laughed in joy and walked back to the party, which still showed no signs of stopping.
He was done.
He had been working non-stop for nearly ten hours, resting only for water, food, and to write his letter to Keoni about the crazy events that had happened to him the past three days.
The base was done, even larger than the previous one, two new pillars were flanked by two spacious enclosed areas, that housed a new gear system to ring the bell, and a far larger and more elaborate arch on top, ready to hold the bell he had just finished reshaping.
He took out a chiseling kit.
He may be done with the construction of the belfry, but there were still many things he wished to etch on it.
He and his clones got to work.
A random Skypiean woke up groggily in his tent. Sitting up he looked over at the rather pretty Shandian he had taken to bed after the party.
He was thinking of giving her a nice little wake-up call when he felt a familiar natural urge. He groaned but listened to his body, putting on his clothes and stepping out into the morning sunlight.
He headed to the edge of the clearing that the tents were and walked even further. He didn't want to be disturbed.
Finishing up his business, he walked further looking for a cloud stream so that he could wash up and wake himself up a bit more.
He found one but before he dipped his hands in the water, he heard the sound of a hammer hitting something.
"There's no way that guy is still working on the bell right? That thing is positively massive. It'll take weeks for him to fix it completely."
He decided to go and check it out anyways. Perhaps the man had just begun to work on it today and had woken up before him. It was a possibility.
He followed the sound until he was close to the base of the Giant Jack.
Stepping out of the treeline, his eyes landed where he knew the man was working.
His eyes instead landed on the belfry.
His jaw dropped. His brain ceased to think and all he could do was look in awe at what was before him.
He had to tell the others.
He rushed back to camp and began to wake everyone, trying to explain what he had just seen.
"Quick! Quick everyone, the Bell! The Bell! You have to see the Bell! Everyone! Everyone! Wake up! The Bell!"
All he could say was the Bell and it had everyone intrigued and concerned. What had happened to the Bell? Did Enel come back? What was the issue?
A Shandian growled out, "What about the Bell, you idiot?"
The Skypiean ignored the insult, "I- I can't explain it. You just have to come and see for yourself!"
And he bolted back in the direction of Giant Jack.
Everyone was even more curious and followed after him, the congregation gaining more and more people as they passed through the forest back to the ruins of Shandora.
Everyone poured out of the forest and into the clearing.
Their eyes landed on the belfry and the entire group fell silent in shock.
Standing before them was the most beautiful thing that they had ever laid their eyes upon.
The Great Golden Belfry Bell stood before them in all its glory.
It was quite tall and even bigger than they had imagined, easily dwarfing many of the homes and huts they had lived in previously.
In the center at the base, sat a massive stone block of sorts, a foreign script written upon it. The base of the belfry wrapped around it, bordering the block with an elegant snake design. Etched all around the base were massive images, images that many of the Shandia recognized.
It was their history. The history of their ancestors.
They read and they learned, the Skypieans with them. Of their home island on the Blue Sea, their ancestors fighting to protect the original Golden Bell. The sickness that infected the island. The arrival of Mont Blanc Noland. His killing of the great python god. His miracle cure that saved the village. His friendship with Kalgara. The unknowing betrayal. The departure and the promise.
They cried at Noland's fate, the island of Jaya launched into the sky by the Knock Up Stream, the Great Golden Bell knocked somewhere else in the sky. Then they learned even more. 400 years of war. 400 years of hate. 400 years of hope. 400 years of yearning. The images didn't stop. They circled around up the golden steps and onto the platform of the belfry, where the story continued, painted with even more skill than the etchings.
It told the story of the Straw Hats. Their arrival to the White Sea. Their encounter with Wyper. With Gan Fall. Their arrival to Angel Island. Their friendship with Conis and Pagaya. Their entrance into Upper Yard and their encounters against the Priests, Divine Soldiers, and Shandians. The story continued up onto the walls of the structures holding the bell up where six scenes were etched onto each of the visible walls. The back two walls showed Enel against Zoro, Robin, Gan Fall, Sanji, and Wyper and Enel against Itachi. The side two walls showed the flight of Enel's Ark and his fight with Luffy and the destruction of Angel Island as well as the bravery of Usopp and Conis, who helped aid the escape of the Skypieans. The final two walls, at the front of the belfry, depicted Luffy breaking up the giant thundercloud that had threatened to destroy Upper Yard and finally, Luffy's victory over Enel.
The tops of the structure were decorated with swirls and lines, leading along the arch that held the great bell to its apex where a large design of the Straw Hat Jolly Roger gleamed in the sunlight. Around the bell was etched that same foreign script that had been on the stone in the base of the belfry, but right underneath, a translation had been etched. The script and the translation circled the great bell, repeating itself over and over again. Etched further down around the bell was a giant python, much like the giant python that roamed Upper Yard. On its back were smaller images, etched scenes important to the bell's history. The making of the bell. Its time on the Blue Sea. Kalgara ringing it daily. Its loneliness at the top of the beanstalk. The arrival of Roger and Oden. Its destruction at the hands of Luffy and its reconstruction by Itachi.
It was beyond a work of art.
It was a masterpiece.
A group of men, who had come back carrying the missing golden pillar dropped it in shock at the sight of the belfry. They began to laugh and cheer and within seconds, everyone was laughing and cheering and crying and hugging and dancing.
It signified the start of something new.
Itachi watched lazily from a tree as Gan Fall and the Shandian Chief walked up the steps to the platform. They each grabbed a chain and pulled, ringing the bell.
A rich, full note rang out, clearer and even more beautiful than the first time they had heard it.
The group of Skypieans and Shandians cheered and whooped in celebration.
He hopped down to the giant gold pillar. He had heard them say something about giving it to the Straw Hats. He opened a small scroll and sealed the massive pillar in it, replacing it with a giant log. He'd deliver it to them himself. The way it was wrapped right now, and the fact that they were looting Nola's stomach, they would 100 percent assume it was a weapon.
He turned and gave the belfry one last look before he disappeared back into the treetops.
Itachi was finishing up his letter to Keoni. It was incredibly long, almost 15 pages in length, but there had been so much to write about, not just about their struggle against Enel, but his whole process with the reconstruction of the belfry. He had included a few sketches from his notebook of the scenes he had etched and painted.
Neatly stacking all the papers, Itachi sent them to Keoni.
"That seems like a nice little trick," Robin said, taking a seat next to Itachi. "Where did those papers go?"
Itachi smiled fondly. "I sent them to a friend of mine back on Artopoki. We communicate quite frequently this way. It can send small objects as well. I already sent a set of the bells I made to her."
At those words, the one he had hung up outside began to ring, Luffy's rambunctious laughter following it.
He had made a set of golden bells from the shavings and chips that he had etched off of the belfry. He had made a small one to attach to the pommel of Fuyukokyo, a pair of earrings (that's what he had sent to Keoni), and two large bells, one of which hung outside the lounge of the Going Merry, the other one also sent to Artopoki.
"It's not as convenient as a Den-Den Mushi, communication-wise, but it allows her to send whatever she wants until I take a look at it," he tapped his sketchbook, opening it and showing her.
The bell stopped ringing outside. He got up from the table and went outside to check on their descent.
Looking over the railing, he could make out the great blue sea below them. They had another 45 minutes or so before they landed on the water.
He went back inside and pulled out a book on the history of Skypiea. He had snagged it from Pagaya's library before they had been taken to Upper Yard.
He sat down, opened the book, and began to read. Robin had expressed interest in it as well, so he'd give it to her before he left the Straw Hat's wonderful hospitality.
They had landed safely on the Blue Sea, before immediately being assaulted by a massive tsunami with sea monkeys in it.
Itachi had instantly split it with a quick slash from Fuyukokyo, but even though the massive wave passed by them harmlessly, the surge of water still pushed them quite a distance. They passed a rather empty looking boat that, thanks to Itachi's splitting of the wave, was also able to survive.
"Look! They have no sails and no flag! What happened to them?" Usopp called out.
Luffy yelled at them, "OOOOOOI, what are you guys doing just floating around?"
One of the pirates near the bow of the boat looked up and responded despondently, "No navigator. No captain."
He sighed and went back to moping.
"It's like their spirit's been broken. I wonder what could've happened?" Robin mused.
Nami huffed dismissively, "Well I don't really care. What we should be caring about is treasure distribution!"
Everyone got excited and began to shout out what they wanted to buy.
Her eyes took on a very greedy gleam before shifting a very large amount of their treasure close to her. "I'll be taking 80 percent."
Everyone, besides Robin and Itachi, instantly rejected her attempt to swindle.
"I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I'll give a small portion for each one of you, not you Luffy, and the rest will go to the crew treasury, which I will remind you, is managed by me."
They all agreed, knowing that what Nami had just offered them was the best deal they could hope to get.
Usopp began discussing how they needed to get someone to fix the Going Merry, although he was capable, a shipwright would be far more certified than himself to protect and repair the ship. Luffy agreed with him, once again displaying a rare moment of intellect as he justified his reasons.
Itachi took this time to tell the Straw Hats about the gold pillar.
"I have even more gold that the Shandians and Skypieans wanted to give you guys. You could use it to repair your ship." He pulled out the small scroll he had stored the pillar in. "They found the missing golden pillar from the original belfry and wanted to give it to you guys as thanks."
He placed it on the table. "I'm glad I grabbed it before they brought it to you guys, seeing as you all ran from a giant log of wood that they were carrying."
Luffy burst out laughing, "They were carrying a giant log? And we thought it was some sort of secret weapon? That's funny! Shishishi!"
Nami instantly grabbed the scroll, her eyes staring at it lovingly.
"~So much money~" She whispered dreamily. "A pillar that size would be worth almost 20 times more than we got from Nola's stomach. We'd be set for life."
She pulled Itachi into a tight hug, "Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You're such a better guy crewmate than any of those dunderheads over there!"
Crewmate? He wasn't a part of their crew. He looked towards Luffy to see if he was objecting to the obvious slip-up from Nami, but he wasn't paying attention. It didn't matter, he'd be leaving them soon.
"On the next island, I'll unseal it and melt it into gold ingots, so it'll be much easier for you to handle."
"Robin says there's land ahead! But there's fog too!" Luffy's voice called from the bow.
Nami let go of Itachi to take care of guiding the ship through the fog.
He walked up the steps and stood by Chopper, watching the island and the fog surrounding it get closer.
Itachi stared at the simmering bowl of molten gold.
The Straw Hats had landed on a rather massive plain-like island. Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp had instantly rushed off to explore the island. Itachi had found a nice large area and unsealed the massive gold pillar.
Nami had swooned at its size.
With a small team of shadow clones, he had created a massive bowl using an Earth Release Jutsu. They then placed the massive pillar in it. Itachi then had a few of the clones begin making molds, while he jumped onto the rim of the massive bowl.
Molding chakra in his mouth, he called out:
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
He spewed a massive stream of white-hot fire into the bowl, making sure to control it so that it didn't explode. The gold had begun to soften immediately.
It hadn't taken very long for the entire pillar to melt.
Looking at it now and then at the molds his clones had made, he realized that the amount of gold from the pillar would make a few hundred ingots.
That was an absurd amount of gold.
He shook his head in disbelief realizing that he had literally worked with trillions of berries worth of gold when he had reconstructed the Golden Belfry.
He reformed the bowl so that it had a funnel that the clones could use to start filling the molds. He would stay on the bowl, pumping chakra into it so that the gold stayed hot and the bowl didn't crack, while the clones began making the gold ingots.
He was halfway through when the ground around him shook. One of the clones almost dropped the ingot it was handling just barely saving it from spilling out of the mold.
Itachi looked around to see what had caused the shaking. His eyes landed on the two massive paws anchored into the shoreline, chains connecting them to an equally massive boat, which was blocking the Going Merry.
Zoro instantly called out, "Who are you? Show yourself, cowards!"
A voice called over from some sort of speaker system, "DO NOT BE AFRAID! WE ARE THE FOXY PIRATES! WE WISH TO REQUEST A DAVY BACK FIGHT!"
Itachi's eyebrow rose in exasperation.
"A Davy Back Fight? No one serious actually uses those anymore. These guys are most definitely trouble."
Luffy wasn't here so the challenge would have to be issued later. He would have to finish making the ingots. He didn't want the captain of the Foxy Pirates to get any funny ideas with the gold meant for the Straw Hats. This crew was most definitely a shifty group, looking for a Davy Back Fight out of the blue. Underhanded tactics and actions were to be expected.
He tuned out the conversations between the two crews, making more clones to speed up the ingot-casting process.
All of a sudden, the sound of two gunshots pierced through the air.
Itachi sighed.
What a troublesome captain.
The Foxy Pirates had set up shop quite quickly, but when any of them had even attempted to get anywhere close to Itachi's temporary foundry, he had released a massive burst of killing intent, not at all eager to interact with such a slimy group.
He could hear in the background one of the members describing the rules of the duel, while the rest of the crew sat in front of the giant bowl, discussing what they were to do.
Itachi drained the last of the gold into a mold when Luffy came back from the main stage, eating a plate of noodles, Chopper, an old man, and a rather long horse with him.
Itachi collapsed the foundry back into the ground and began to help his clones pack the gold ingots into boxes. Seeing the sheer number of gold ingots Itachi had made, helped pull Nami from her moping as she drooled over all the gold before her. Plenty of the pirates from the Foxy Pirates were also drooling but didn't dare try and get closer, their fear of Itachi more than their greed.
"A water race, some sort of soccer game, and a one-on-one fight." Zoro read out from a list. "Max of three people per team, with each crew allowed to up two teams to race. Let's see, what else. The soccer game can have a max of 3 people per crew. Yada yada yada. Something about a ball. Oh yes, the one-on-one fight. A cannon is spun and a cannonball is shot. Wherever it lands, the surrounding area within a 50-meter radius becomes the arena. I like the sound of that, I think I'll be taking that one."
Luffy and Sanji immediately interjected, spouting out their desire to fight. The three of them started hitting each other, while Robin deftly grabbed the packet of paper from Zoro and began to fill out their application sheet.
The teams were as follows:
Donut Race: Team 1: Nami, Usopp; Team 2: Robin, Itachi
Groggy Ring: Zoro, Sanji, Chopper
One-on-one: Luffy
Itachi had no idea that he had been entered as he had been sealing all the gold into a scroll. He had just unsealed his furnace and anvil, ready to make a sword, when a hand grabbed the back of his cloak and began to drag him to the shoreline.
"Wait a second," he spluttered, taken by surprise. "What are you doing?"
Zoro's voice answered back, "You've been entered into a race with Robin. Don't ask me why, I don't know considering you aren't officially a part of the crew, but our pride as pirates is on the line so you'll just have to suck it up and participate."
Itachi sighed in exasperation once again pulled into the chaotic events of the Straw Hats.
"Stop dragging me. I can walk."
Zoro hoisted him up, allowing the Uchiha to stand on his own. They walked down to a massive start line where Robin, Nami, and Usopp were waiting.
Usopp was already hard at work, assembling a set of barrels into a watercraft of sorts, Nami watching him anxiously. Robin was just sitting by another set of untouched barrels and a pair of oars, observing Usopp. At the sight of Itachi and Zoro, she smiled and waved.
Itachi only grumbled under his breath, instantly seeing the mischievous glint in her eyes. She was the one that had entered him.
Walking the rest of the way, he stopped in front of Robin, his question in his eyes.
She responded with a light smile, "Making gold ingots doesn't seem all that fun. I thought it would be nice. Throw some excitement your way."
Itachi only sighed again (damn, he was really starting to sound like the Nara) and turned to the barrels and oars, "Is this all we can use for the race?"
She nodded.
It wasn't much, so their number of designs was quite limited.
He got to work.
The resulting vessel wasn't too shabby.
He had split one barrel in half, crudely welding the halves together. He then attached the other two barrels to the sides to act as stabilizers. It was a simple design, but it could easily hold him and Robin in it. If it really came down to it, he could always hop out and pull the boat along. Water walking was truly an unfair ability in this world.
Shoving off from the shore, they pulled up beside Usopp and Nami's ship, waiting for the two teams from the Foxy Pirates to show up.
"ARE YOU GUYS READY TO RUUUUUUUMMMMBLE?"
A voice called out from above, which was met with cheers from the two crews lining the shore.
"MY NAME IS ITOMIMIZU AND I WILL BE YOUR ANNOUNCER FOR THIS DAVY BACK FIGHT! INTRODUCING OUR TEAMS, UP FIRST IS STRAW HAT TEAM ONE CONSISTING OF THEIR CUTE NAVIGATOR NAMI AND USOPP THE SNIPER IN THEIR BOAT, THE BARREL TIGER!"
Cheers from Luffy and Sanji could be heard from the shore.
"NEXT IS STRAW HAT TEAM TWO CONSISTING OF THE SEDUCTIVE BEAUTY, ROBIN THE ARCHEOLOGIST AND THEIR TALENTED ARTIST, ITACHI! THEY WILL BE RACING IN THEIR BOAT THE….uhhhhh… their boat seems to be unnamed. A shame."
Cheers from Luffy and Sanji could once again be heard from the shore.
Itomimizu continued.
"NOW ENTERS BOTH TEAM FOXYS. FIRST UP IS TEAM FOXY 1 CONSISTING OF OUR VERY OWN PORCHE WITH ASSISTANCE FROM KAPOUTI THE SWORDFISH AND MOUNDA THE STAR-SHARK. THEIR SHIP IS THE CUTIE WAGON!"
A shark pulled up next to them, pulling along the other two contestants in a raft. Usopp and Nami instantly called foul on the shark. They were instantly shot down as the shark was still part of the crew.
"AND HERE COMES TROUBLE! FOXY TEAM 2 TAKES THE STAGE WITH THE MASKERIN BROTHERS, OUR BEST SHIPWRIGHTS, AND WITH THEM IS THE EVER POWERFUL RICKY! THEY WILL BE RACING IN THEIR BOAT THE TRIPLE B THREAT!"
A massive raft pulled up next to Nami and Usopp. Made out of three barrel-looking objects, it was easily ten times larger than the barrels given to the Straw Hats. Three people looked down upon them, but Itachi did not even care to figure out who was who. Nami and Usopp once again cried foul but were once again shot down as the raft was still technically made of three barrels.
Itachi only sighed in annoyance. Rules and technicalities were how these idiots played and it was grating on his nerves. He handed the oars to Robin.
"Set the boat. I'll take care of propelling us forward."
The announcer called out once again overhead.
"AS AGREED BY THE CAPTAINS, IF THE FOXY PIRATES WIN, WE WILL BE TAKING THEIR SHIP DOCTOR, TONY TONY CHOPPER. IF THE STRAWHATS WIN, THEY WILL TAKE OUR FLAG AS THEY FOUND NOBODY ON OUR CREW DESIRABLE!"
Itachi snorted at that comment as cries and yelling rose up from the Foxy Pirates on the shore
"THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RACE IS SIMPLE! ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS MAKE YOUR WAY AROUND THE ISLAND ONCE. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE NO RULES AGAINST WEAPONS SO ANYTHING GOES DURING THIS RACE!"
At that statement, many of the Foxy Pirates in the audience pulled cannons and guns, aiming them at the Straw Hat teams. Itachi ignored it, moving through a set of hand seals.
"ON YOUR MARKS! GET SET! DONUT!"
"Water Release: Exploding Water Shock Wave!"
At the sound of the gun, Itachi instantly spewed a massive wave of water from his mouth. It instantly lifted both of the Straw Hat teams up and started pushing them forward, sending both of the Foxy teams careening to the side, away from the island.
Just about everyone's eyes bugged out at the massive wave that had formed out of nowhere, many of the pirates forgetting to shoot at the Straw Hat's boats. Robin only laughed out loud, greatly amused.
The Cutie Wagon instantly returned on course and began to zoom after them, Mounda working overtime to catch up. The Triple B Threat could only drift helplessly. Their only purpose was to completely pummel the other two boats at the beginning of the race, but the presence of Itachi had completely derailed those plans. They were never going to try and race as their boat was far too heavy and cumbersome.
"THE STRAW HATS GET A HUGE BOOST FROM THIS MASSIVE WAVE! WHERE DID IT COME FROM? DO ONE OF THEIR TEAM MEMBERS HAVE A SECRET DEVIL FRUIT WE DON'T KNOW OF! BUT IT DOES NOT MATTER! THE CUTIE WAGON IS CATCHING UP TO THEM! DESPITE SUCH A START FROM THE STRAW HATS, PORCHE HAS NEVER LOST A RACE IN HER LIFE! THIS RACE WILL BE NO DIFFERENT!"
The tidal wave that Itachi had created had finally tapered out. They had a strong lead and despite having increased his chakra reserves more than threefold, he didn't want to waste any chakra if he didn't have to. The Cutie Wagon was indeed gaining on them, but it was still massively behind. There was plenty of time before it caught up, and when it did, he would deal with it then.
He began to row, Robin using her Devil Fruit abilities to create temporary oarlocks.
Itachi and Robin reached the first obstacle, the Long Coral Barrier, when he first spotted the captain of the Foxy Pirates, riding on the back of a giant ape, who was running on the coast right next to them.
Itachi suspected some form of foul play was about to appear. The announcer said something above them, but he tuned it out, fed up with the man's annoying commentary.
The second they entered the Long Coral Barrier, an arrow zoomed by, embedding itself in one of the coral, releasing a billowing cloud of smoke. Itachi instantly threw a kunai at it, dislodging it and causing it to fall into the ocean, quickly stopping the smoke.
He then began to force chakra into the water surrounding them, forcing the water to move in a straight current, propelling them straight through the coral reefs. Looking back, he saw Nami and Usopp right behind them, using the natural currents created in the area to propel them forward as well. Further back at the beginning of the coral area was the Foxy Pirates remaining team. The Fishman was in the shark's mouth charging straight at the coral.
"Seems they want to smash their way through. How uncouth." Itachi thought.
He entered the massive whirlpool that followed the coral area. Out of nowhere, Nami and Usopp's boat leaped over them, easily clearing both the whirlpool and the cape behind it.
Itachi admired Usopp's ingenious use of the Impact Dial, which he had spotted attached to the palm of his hand. He had a jutsu that he could use, with similar results, although they would need to be closer to the cape.
Moving to the back of the boat, he called a warning to Robin over the noise of the whirlpool, "Do hold on Robin, we'll be following them shortly."
She nodded her understanding, closing the book she had been reading and gripping the sides of the raft. Itachi turned and focused chakra into his right hand. He had seen both Jiraiya and Naruto use this technique many times, so hopefully he could do just enough to give him the power he needed to push the boat over the cape.
A wobbly ball of swirling chakra formed in his palm just as the Cutie Wagon broke through the last line of coral. The jutsu wasn't as stable as he would've liked, but it was enough for now. He shoved his hand into the water behind the boat.
"Rasengan!"
The boat lurched forward, bouncing over the thin cape in front of them, barely clearing it.
They landed with a splash and an ominous creak on the other side. Itachi didn't waste any time and began to row again. He would've liked to use another jutsu to propel the boat, but the creak from earlier had him worried about the boat's integrity. The other boat was quite close, and he didn't doubt for a second that a Fishman and a shark could easily maneuver the whirlpool and quickly around the cape.
In less than a minute, his thoughts proved correct as he saw the Cutie Wagon appear from behind the cape and instantly bear down on them. He let go of the oars, which Robin grabbed, continuing the rowing of the boat. They only needed one team to cross the finish line, so he could probably just boost Nami and Usopp to the finish line, while he blocked the other boat from getting any closer.
Making a snake seal, he called out, "Water Release: Water Bullet!"
He shot a large stream of water directly behind the Barrel Tiger, pushing it forward in a rush of displaced water. Turning back around, the other boat had closed the distance rather quickly. The speed and power of a shark was not to be underestimated.
The girl threw a barrage of projectiles at them. "Rose Shurikens!"
And with the sloppiest, most awful form Itachi had ever seen, she threw a wave of rose-shaped shuriken at them. Any genin could do better! Disgusted with the shameful display, he retaliated with a barrage of his own (expertly thrown, with impeccable form) shuriken, deflecting them all into the sea.
The Fishman sent an attack of his own. "Sea Splitter!"
A pressurized wave of air flew at Itachi, splitting the sea, but with a quick swing from Fuyukokyo, he nullified it before the attack could hope to hit his ship.
Both pirates gaped in shock at the sight of both of their attacks, being so easily deflected.
Robin called Itachi's attention, "Itachi, it seems like Nami and Usopp have stopped moving."
He whipped around and true to her word, their boat was just sitting in the water, not moving.
"No wait," his Sharingan picked up on the minute movement of their oars. "They've been slowed."
His eyes flicked to the coast, instantly landing on the smirking face of Foxy. A Devil Fruit user, one who could somehow slow them. His boat as well as the other one were almost caught up to the Barrel Tiger.
This wasn't good.
"Robin, that Foxy person can slow things down with some sort of Devil Fruit ability. Be ready to jump off the ship if you must, I can catch you."
"I understand," she replied standing up on the boat, ready to fly into action.
Just as they passed Nami and Usopp, the Cutie Wagon hot on their tail, Foxy raised his hand, aiming it at Itachi and Robin.
"Slow Slow Beam."
Both Itachi and Robin instantly moved. Itachi had unsheathed his sword and at the threat of the ability, he slashed viciously in Foxy's direction, hoping to maim the opposing captain. He would have honestly loved to just kill the man where he stood, but killing the opposing captain in the middle of a Davy Back Fight was in incredibly bad taste (the Straw Hats would not take kindly to him doing so). The flying slash didn't hit the man, instead, the ape beside him took it, a deep cut opened on his chest.
Sadly, Robin could not move at the speed of light, nor was her reaction speed as fast as Itachi's, and more than half of her body was hit by the beam, instantly stopping it in mid-air.
"OH NO! IT SEEMS LIKE BOTH OF THE STRAW HAT TEAMS HAVE BEEN CAUGHT IN OUR BOSS'S UNAVOIDABLE SLOW SLOW BEAM! JUST TO REMIND YOU, ALL MEMBERS OF A TEAM MUST CROSS THE FINISH LINE TO WIN! AND WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! THE CUTIE WAGON PULLS AHEAD AND THE STRAW HATS ARE YET TO MOVE! THIS IS FOR SURE A WIN FOR THE CUTIE WAGON ONCE AGAIN, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND THE FOXY PIRATES TAKE THE FIRST WIN!"
Sure enough, the Cutie Wagon had crossed the finish line much to the delight of the audience.
He stood on his boat waiting patiently for Robin to fall back down, catching her in his arms.
"A shame for sure," she said. "Poor Chopper will have to join the Foxy Pirates for now."
Itachi only grunted in annoyance, placing Robin gently back in the boat, "They're an annoying group."
She laughed, "But it only makes it so much more interesting."
The two Straw Hat teams rowed to the finish line.
Since Chopper had been taken, Zoro and Sanji were forced to play Groggy Ring two versus three. The ape, Hamburg, was far more durable than Itachi had originally thought and was still going to play even after taking a sword slash to the chest.
Chopper sat valiantly trying not to cry in Porche's lap.
Itachi watched from the sides and Zoro and Sanji's teamwork left much to be desired.
They kept getting in each other's way, fighting, and arguing. It allowed their opponents to get easy shots at the duo. When the Groggy brothers and Hamburg pulled out weapons, Itachi got even more annoyed, especially when the referee conveniently looked away.
"I'll give you convenient," he thought darkly. He really hated wasting his time with such unscrupulous fools.
Faster than anybody could see, something caused the weapons the three pirates held to shatter.
The announcer sounded shocked at the sudden change of events.
"WHAT WAS THAT?! SOMETHING JUST SHATTERED THE "NON-RULE-VIOLATING OBJECTS" THAT OUR BELOVED HAMBURG, BIG PAN, AND PICKLES WERE HOLDING!"
The Foxy Pirates immediately began to jeer, calling foul play and cheating on the Straw Hats side, but Nami viciously yelled at them, shutting them up.
Team Foxy tried to pull out some more weapons that the referee once again conveniently didn't see, but Itachi just broke those as well. They realized that they would actually have to play fairly. Zoro and Sanji also realized this, before looking at each other.
The nod between the two signified all they needed to know. Then with almost perfect synchronization, the two of them tore through the so-called "Groggy Monsters", slamming Big Pan's head into the goal and winning the game.
Chopper cried tears of happiness.
Itachi stalked off. He wanted to make something.
Hello there, monsieur.
Itachi smiled at the lump of iron in front him. It was nice to finally hear from it.
Hello there my friend. You sound like you would make a wonderful rapier.
Tres bien monsieur! I do agree as well!
Itachi got to work. The familiar process soothing to his agitated nerves. The actions of the Foxy Pirates greatly irritated him. Back in the Nations, such cheap tricks, especially in honor bound events, would get you killed instantly so he had never had to encounter such idiots.
He pulled the ore out of the furnace and sprinkled ash and crushed coal on the metal, before folding it upon itself. Doing this a couple more times, he pounded the iron ore into high-grade steel.
Very nice, monsieur! You truly are a superb swordsmith!
"I only learned from the best," Itachi chuckled.
"Talking to your swords, now? How sweet. You're like a doting father." A voice said from behind him.
Itachi didn't take his eyes off the steel he was hammering into shape. "Not watching the fight, Robin?"
She sat down on his workbench. "No, Luffy will win for sure. He's just that type of person. I came over to check in on you. You're not mad that I put you in the Donut Race, despite you not being part of the crew?"
Itachi shoved the now elongated length of steel back into the furnace. "Not angry per se, but confused as to why you would do it. You are a rather mysterious woman Nico Robin, reading your intentions is rather difficult."
She only laughed at that, "It's a practiced skill. One that you display in equal to if not better than me. I just think you fit rather well in the crew. I can tell that you've been looking for a good opportunity to cut it off, but I'm quite sure Luffy won't let you. He likes you a lot you know.
Itachi stared into the fire, "Joining the Straw Hats does seem quite fun, but I'm burdened by things far too heavy. I wouldn't want to drag them down in my misery."
"Or they could be the ones to ease it. You can hear the Voices. I'm sure you can hear their acceptance of you."
Itachi pulled the steel out of the fire and began to hammer at it once more. "And you? Your soul is also heavy. It's closed off, wrapped tightly with a mantra. It's sad and fearful. Has your time with the Straw Hats eased the burdens of your past?"
Her breath hitched as he hit something rather sore but she continued, "I might have to leave sooner or later. The World Government absolutely despises my existence, and it won't be long before they target Luffy and them. He saved me and I owe it to them to save them any trouble my presence will cause."
He flipped the metal and began hammering again. He didn't comment on how she hadn't answered the question.
"And you want me to fill the space you'll leave behind. That's not something I can do I'm afraid. I think you'll find it rather difficult to leave. Like you just said, Luffy likes you a lot too. He won't let you go. You're already a Straw Hat. You love them as much as they love you. No matter what you do whether you leave on your own, or taken by force, they would follow you to the ends of the world to get you back."
But saying those words made Itachi realize that they applied to him too. The Voices never lied. They all thought of him as part of the crew. Although Zoro and Robin acknowledged that he wasn't a part of the crew, that didn't mean that they didn't think that he should be a part of it.
It's why the thought of leaving them had felt so weird. He had already been accepted by them. Without even knowing it, he had fallen in with them.
He had become a Straw Hat and didn't mind it in the slightest.
Perhaps he had indeed found something for himself here.
He quenched the blade.
Robin smiled.
"Welcome to the Straw Hat Pirates, Itachi."
Luffy defeated Foxy around the time Itachi finished the rapier.
He had named it Durandal, and he was easily a Grade Sword, not a Skillful Grade like Fuyukokyo, but he could become one.
The blade had requested for Itachi to heat treat his edges, leaving his core soft and springy. The steel was already quite strong and could easily hold out against even the strongest of attacks.
The rest of the Straw Hats eventually walked to Itachi's forge as he began to pack up, the Foxy Pirates having departed with the most god awful Jolly Roger on their sails and their flagstaff. Luffy could be rather cruel without even knowing it.
The old man began to walk away saying something about getting some food when a deep voice spoke, "No need for that. I have it right here."
Itachi spun around, his Eternal Mangekyo swirling to life in his eyes. Robin dropped to her knees in shock.
In front of the little old man was none other than Admiral Aokiji. How had he not noticed?
"My my, what's with the hostile looks you two? I only came to chat. That's all."
Itachi's grip on Durandal didn't lessen at those words. The man in front of them could easily slaughter the whole crew as they were. They didn't know any Haki and Itachi could only do so much with his limited grasp of it. If the chance presented itself, he would kill him.
"You've grown up to be a fine woman, Nico Robin. Quite troublesome to find after the Alabasta Incident. Really dropped off the radar, but I guess you're safe and sound hiding amongst the crew of the Straw Hats."
Sanji and Luffy interjected, "She's not hiding! She's part of the crew! Who are you to say such tasteless things!?"
"He's a marine," Robin breathed out. "An admiral. One of the four strongest members of the Marines, equal in strength to Red Dog Akainu, Yellow Monkey Kizaru, answering only to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, he is the Blue Pheasant, Aokiji."
Usopp instantly hid behind Zoro scared out of his mind, "O- O- Oi, go- go- go- go hunt someone else with higher b- bo- bounties. We're nobodies right now!"
Aokiji only chuckled, "Relax. I'm just here to chat. I'm not under any orders to arrest you guys."
"Then say what you want and leave," Itachi said.
"Wow, so harsh. Well, what I wanted to talk about was…" Aokiji tilted his head, scratching his neck. "I forgot."
Usopp whispered to Robin, "Are you sure this guy's an admiral? He seems rather clueless."
"Don't judge a book by its cover," Aokiji stated. "I live by the motto of 'Lazy Justice" so I tend to do things quite lackadaisical."
Usopp and Nami both bowed, "Please continue to be like this and put off your duties."
He waved them off, "So I hear your little friend here wishes to cross the sea. I can help with that."
He began to walk to the coast, Luffy tagging along right behind him, describing the situation.
Itachi made two earth clones that would follow Aokiji underground. If the admiral threatened the Straw Hats in any way, he would kill him.
"Ice Age."
The sea before them froze in an instant, leaving everyone speechless. Robin described the properties of Aokiji's Chilly-Chilly Fruit as Itachi observed the Admiral walk back along the coastline.
The Straw Hats said their goodbyes to Tonjit and Shelly, before heading back to their ship.
They began to pass Aokiji's reclined form, but his voice stopped them.
"You know? You're quite a handful. You remind me of your grandfather." Aokiji sat up from where he had been laying staring straight at Luffy. "You're a rather determined bunch. I can tell. You'll become rather serious threats in the future. Perhaps I should nip this in the bud and kill you here."
Itachi shifted from his relaxed stance. The clones were ready to burst out at a moments notice.
"You want to fight?!" Luffy challenged. "Come on, I'll take you right here!"
Aokiji ignored him, his eyes boring into Robin's, "You are especially dangerous since Nico Robin has joined your crew. Did you know that the bounties issued by the World Government aren't only a measure of one's combat strength? They are also a measure of one's threat to the World Government. Nico Robin, since the age of eight, has held a bounty of 79 million berries, and she's only survived this far by continuously betraying partner after partner, group after group. She's a survivor. Every single group she has been a part of has been utterly annihilated. Everyone but her. And now she's gained your trust. How long will it be before she betrays you all?"
Robin panicked, crossing her arms, she sprouted a multitude of arms from Aokiji's body.
"Trente Fleurs!"
"Why are you doing this? What do you want?" A touch of hysteria could be heard in her voice, fear gripping her entire mind.
"I thought you were smarter than this Nico Robin, but I guess fear gets even the best of us."
"Clutch!"
His body broke into shards of ice. Usopp and Chopper screamed at the sight.
The shards reassembled into Aokiji, looking rather bored.
"What a shame." He formed a sword in his hand and slashed down at Robin's petrified form.
At that moment, Itachi appeared in front of Robin. His two clones burst out of the ground grabbing Aokiji's legs, stopping him from moving any further. Zoro blocked the ice sword, attempting to retaliate as Sanji aimed to kick the Admiral in the head with Luffy throwing a Pistol at the man's abdomen.
Aokiji grabbed Sanji's leg and Zoro's arm, their arms instantly freezing just like Luffy's from coming into contact with the Admiral's body. He looked up into Itachi's eyes as the ice continued to spread over their bodies.
"You seem to have joined recently. A shame for your adventure to end this quickly."
The ice completely covered the bodies of Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji as well as the two clones.
Aokiji crushed them into shards.
He lunged forward stabbing through Itachi and Robin with his sword, freezing them instantly as he phased himself through them.
They shattered too as they fell to the ground.
The remaining three pirates, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper didn't even last a second, crushed to pieces under Aokiji's bored gaze.
"What a shame," he muttered.
He walked to the other side of the island where he had left his bike.
"Ah shit. I was gonna spare them 'cause of their help with Crocodile. Oh well, I think I'll take a short nap before I head back to HQ."
"Oh Itachi, you devilish boy."