Itachi landed lightly on top of one of the train carriages. The train had yet to leave the station yet, but he knew that it would be departing soon. He hadn't seen Robin nor CP9 on his way there so he assumed that they were taking a detour of sorts, more than likely to grab Franky, the other person they suspected to have the Pluton blueprints.
He quietly slipped into the first carriage, and with a quick application of Henge, turned himself into one of the small pillows laying in the seats.
He didn't have to wait long before Robin entered the carriage, accompanied by a single World Government officer, someone who was not a part of CP9 Itachi noted.
"Make yourself comfortable Nico Robin. It'll be a 30 minute train ride before we reach Enies Lobby. Why don't you take those 30 minutes and pray to whatever god there is that your death is swift."
The government agent laughed before closing the door.
Robin surveyed the empty cart, sighing in resignation. She picked a random seat to sit in, picking up the pillow that lay in it and hugging it to her chest. At least the pillows were soft (and quite warm too she noted), she learned back into her seat, snuggling into the pillow some more.
"Of all the seats, Robin. You just had to pick this one. Oh god, this is really awkward."
He quietly addressed her, "Robin? Could you let me go?"
She looked around, a bewildered look on her face. She looked down at the pillow she was holding.
"Yes, I am the pillow."
In a normal situation, Robin would've hugged the pillow a little tighter, hoping to tease Itachi and make some sort of comment regarding him using underhanded means to feel her up, but now wasn't a normal situation.
She roughly threw the pillow at the seat opposite her, once again, clearly annoyed with Itachi.
"Why do you keep doing this, Itachi? You are beyond annoying at this point. This persistence of yours is meaningless."
Itachi undid the Henge only to find himself completely upside down in the seat opposite Robin. Despite how annoyed she was with him, Robin still let out a giggle at how silly Itachi looked sprawled out upside down.
"Glad you can still laugh during such dire circumstances," he huffed out, as he rotated around, sitting properly in the seat.
She wouldn't say it, but seeing Itachi eased her anxiety quite a bit. Too bad Itachi could easily tell when the tension left her body, but he didn't say anything.
They sat there in silence, no words said between them as none were needed.
A soft tapping sounded at the window. They both turned and were quite surprised to see Usopp on the other side. Itachi quickly opened the window to let him in.
"Thank you, Itachi," Usopp said.
"What's with the mask, Usopp?" Itachi asked. "And why are you trying to deepen your voice?"
"A-Ah, I see you are familiar with the Brave Warrior of the Sea, the great Usopp. I am not him, but I am a friend of his, Sogeking!"
Itachi and Robin both deadpanned at him.
"That would work on Luffy and Chopper, but not us. Cut the act Usopp."
Usopp didn't let up, "No- No! I am not Usopp, but I have come here to relay a message to Robin. Your friends know why you're doing this. That you wish to save them. But don't you know? They would never sacrifice a friend to save themselves! It's not who they are!"
"Ah, seems like Iceburg explained everything to others," Itachi said.
Robin looked between the two bewildered, "He's alive? Wait, it still doesn't change anything. I can't go back."
"Robin why can't you just see? They love you too much to give you up." Itachi said.
"And why can't you see!" Robin shouted back. "Why can't you see that I don't want any of this. That I didn't want any of you to save me!"
There was a knock at the cabin door, "Nico Robin, why're you shouting?"
It was the government agent from before.
The door swung open, the agent stepping through. He turned to close the door. When he turned back around, a hand was wrapped around his throat, his eyes staring into Itachi's spinning Sharingan.
Corgi's eyes glazed over, the genjutsu taking effect, and walked to a random seat in the carriage, sitting in it looking quite dazed.
Itachi turned back to see a rather bizarre sight. Robin was sitting on top of Usopp, using her cloak to cover both of their bodies. Usopp's arms were visible and the hood of the cloak filled out weirdly, Usopp's Sogeking mask pushing it out.
Itachi scratched his head, "Uh, you guys don't have to do that?"
Robin's face peeked out from under her hood seeing Itachi standing by the door with his eyebrows quirked, the incapacitated Corgi, sitting in the booth next to him. As she got off of Usopp, a commotion could be heard from the carriage behind them.
"Ah, seems like Sanji and Franky are here. Come on Robin, we can make our escape here." Usopp began to tug Robin towards the carriage door.
"It's not going to end like you want Usopp. Even if you take her away, she will not resist capture. She had no fight in her Voice. CP9 will bring her back in an instant."
Robin grabbed Usopp's arm and dragged him towards the door, throwing it open. An exclamation of "Robin!" from Sanji could be heard. She threw Usopp forward.
"It seems like you guys don't understand words."
A yell, "FRANKY CUT THE THIRD CAR LOOSE!"
Followed by an explosion of smoke.
Usopp really was a resourceful guy.
The door to the first carriage swung back open. Kaku peered into it only to see a passed out Corgi on the floor, Itachi nowhere in sight.
Corgi stumbled out of the first carriage looking quite dazed and a little scuffed.
"Damn it! Where's that stupid masked bastard? I'll beat him into the ground! Surprise attacking me like that outta nowhere!"
He was silenced by a glare from Lucci.
"My- My apologies, Lucci," the weak man stammered out. "I didn't mean to let them get through like that."
"You're weak. It's to be expected that you can't even do a simple guard detail. Take these two back into the first carriage," he motioned to Franky and Robin, "And stay there yourself. I don't want to see your face. It disgusts me."
"Yes sir," Corgi said, rubbing his hands nervously.
He reached out to grab Robin, but she coldly brushed past him, "Don't touch me."
He shrunk back when the Franky bared his teeth at him, following Robin into the cabin.
Lucci looked on in disgust as the weak World Government agent meekly followed them into the carriage, closing the door behind him
"We'll be arriving soon. To the nightless island: Enies Lobby."
The Sea Train had come to a stop. They had arrived.
Corgi had sat by the door, the tension in the carriage was icy and thick. It had him sweating in his suit, as he began to write a report out of the events that had happened at Water 7. Nico Robin was not even looking his way, while every time he looked at Franky, the massive man just glared at him with intense hate.
It felt good to finally step out of that hellish environment. He was careful to avoid looking at the CP9 agents as they got out of the second carriage. He directed Nico Robin and Franky to fall in step behind them before he himself slunk off to report to his own superior.
"Wow. CP9 solved a 20-year case just like that."
"They're truly amazing. The World Government's best."
"She sure is easy on the eyes, but that other guy's a brute. Why does he look so weird?"
Corgi only huffed at the comments from his fellow officers.
"Ah, Corgi! It's good to see you healthy. Hopefully everything went smoothly?"
That would be his boss: Opete Sowenew (pronounced O-Pe-Tay Sow-e-New). Opete was a tall, dark, bald man, easily towering over most other World Government agents, but like most of them, he wasn't exactly a combat expert. His only saving grace was his skill with a rifle. Next to Spandam, the commander of CP9, Opete was the second highest ranking official on the island, followed by Corgi.
"Yeah. Without a hitch. Nico Robin has been captured as well as another citizen, who CP9 suspects knows where the Pluton blueprints are. Such a shame that that spineless worm Spandam will get to take all the credit."
"Now, don't go bad mouthing Spandam, Corgi. He's still your superior. I'm just glad to know you're back relatively unhurt. You're bound to get a raise or promotion for sure!" Opete's hand clapped down onto Corgi's shoulder. "Make sure to have that report on my desk by tomorrow morning. I'll send it along to HQ once everyone that was left behind can catch up."
Corgi grunted, heading off to his office in the Tower of Justice, "Yea, I know the procedure. I started it early so I should have it on your desk in a few hours."
Opete laughed, "Ever the hard worker, Corgi! Do make sure to find some time to rest. Working all the time isn't good for your health."
Corgi only smiled slightly. If only Opete was the superior officer of Enies Lobby instead of Spandam, just about everyone marine and officer looked up to him.
It took him about twenty minutes to get to his office and just as he sat down at his desk, his Den Den Mushi began to ring.
Swiping the receiver he answered it, "What is it?"
"Corgi, sir! There's a pirate attacking us right now! Straw Hat Luffy! He's already defeated 700 of our troops and he doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon! Another group is attacking the Front Gate and I don't think Oimo or Kaashii can last any longer!"
The soldier sounded frantic.
"What is Spandam doing?! Why are you calling me?!"
"Spandam isn't answering our calls! Opete is helping coordinate our forces down here, but you're the only other commanding officer available!"
Corgi rubbed his forehead, "Okay first off, close off all entrance routes. If it's just Straw Hat, that means he entered on his own. His crew won't be too far behind so limit as many entrances as you can."
More crashes and screams sounded through the receiver, "TOO LATE SIR! THEY CAME IN ON A FLYING SEA TRAIN! THEY'RE PAST THE FRO-GUH!"
The receiver cut off, the soldier probably hit with some attack.
Corgi gave a rather devious smile.
"You sure know how to make an entrance..."
Corgi walked out of his office.
"Captain."
Itachi, still disguised as Corgi, peered out a window to see Luffy on top of the Courthouse, which was opposite the Tower of Justice. A door opened out in the air in front of him, Blueno stepping through.
Itachi scoffed. Blueno would not be enough to take out his captain. He continued walking towards the communications room.
While his crew was out and about, causing mass havoc, he would be their shadow. Enies Lobby wouldn't even know what hit them. He had already been walking around placing explosive tags in key areas. The generator room had been his first target. The next had been the plumbing. Using the information he had extracted from Corgi, he was now heading to the communications rooms, making sure their airwaves went dark would ensure plenty of confusion on the main island as well as Marine HQ.
He would need to hit the video surveillance room after, make sure that the Marines and World Government had no eyes inside their own island. He had a few more lesser stops between the surveillance room and his final stop, the gate control room for the Gates of Justice.
He knocked lightly on the communications door. It opened, a marine peering out who saluted at the sight of Itachi, "Corgi, sir! What brings you here?"
"Spandam is a little distracted at the moment, so I will be taking over troop coordination from here."
The marine stepped aside, "Yes sir! Just let me know if you need anything!"
As Itachi passed him, he said, "Then would you mind dying?"
"Huh?"
Itachi stabbed him in the heart, dragging him in the room and closing the door behind him. The other marines in the room looked up, but with a quick burst of killing intent and some fancy footwork, they too lay dead on the floor. Itachi moved their bodies to the back of the room.
He turned to the multiple rows of Den Den Mushi that were laid out on the multitude of tables in the room, each one easily labeled with their number and where they were connected to, but Itachi didn't care. He just went around lifting the receivers off every snail and crushed them. Turning to the back of the room, he easily slashed through the massive communication relay that was there. It would prevent any of the Den Den Mushi on the main island from contacting the Tower of Justice, and more importantly, prevent any commands from Spandam's baby Den Den Mushi from reaching the main island. It was such a simple way to deprive the Marines and the World Government of information and communication that it had almost made Itachi laugh out loud. It seems like infiltration by a shinobi of his caliber was just never thought of. With all the Den Den Mushi "out of commission", Itachi left the room, using a seal on the inside part of the door to seal it shut. It would of course wear off in a day, the snails undeserving of a fate such as starving to death.
He made his way to the video surveillance room, which was on the same floor. Repeating the same thing he had done in the communications room, but instead, just completely destroyed every piece of technology in the room: the screens, wires, cables, and the machinery connected to the Giant Surveillance Den Den Mushi.
It was just all too easy. Itachi was literally waltzing through the enemy base, slowly but surely hacking their legs out from beneath them.
A massive yell reverberated from outside.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOBIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN! I'VE COME FOR YOU!"
Itachi smiled, continuing to walk through the building, sabotaging it as he continued his steady march to the control room of the Gates of Justice.
"Make her see, Luffy. That we are here for her and we would challenge the world to get her back."
She looked at those lovable idiots standing across from her.
"Let us handle everything now."
Luffy's words echoed in her head, beating all her woes into submission. A small hope flickered in her chest, but it was mercilessly crushed by Spandam's next words.
"WAHAHAHAHA! You think you pirates can face the might of the World Government? The full strength of the CP9 agents? Can you open the Gates of Justice, which no human power can ever do? Could you survive this?!"
He brandished a golden Den Den Mushi.
"With a single press of this button, I can trigger the Buster Call to come and absolutely annihilate you all!"
At the words of "Buster Call", cold fear gripped Robin's heart.
"No.. He wouldn't…"
Spandam turned towards her, "That's right Nico Robin. You heard correctly. The very thing that destroyed your home island, Ohara, wiping its name from the map. I have that power in my hands, and I would gladly use it against your so-called friends."
"No!" She cried out. "You can't! You can't call a Buster Call! Do you even know what will happen?!"
Spandam's tone took on a tone of smugness, "Of course I do. It'll turn your little pirate friends' chances of getting off this island to zero. They'll be destroyed along with it."
Memories of Saul flashed in front of Robin's eyes. Memories of Ohara. Of its destruction. Memories of her always on the run. Always hiding. Since the age of eight years old.
"You won't just kill them. You'll be blown up as well! The Buster Call is a merciless attack and it doesn't discriminate. All it does is kill!Anything and everything!"
"Haaaaaaah? Don't be stupid. How could we be blown up by our own allies' attack?"
"You just don't seem to understand! The Buster Call will obliterate anything and everything! It'll kill pirates, marines, and civilians alike! And now you aim that attack at friends that I've finally found. Friends that have broken down the gates of the World Government just to get me back."
She turned towards the Straw Hats.
"I wish to be with you more than anything in the world! But if I do, the more my curse will plague you! No matter where I go or what I do, I can never shake the giant enemy that is the "World" and the "Darkness" that it carries! If I stay with you, even you will realize that I am just a burden! That in time you would betray me! Leave me behind! And that's what I feared most! That you too would leave me behind just like everyone else! It's why I didn't want you to come and save me! Because I believed that the effort would be for nothing! I JUST WANT TO DIE RIGHT HERE! IF I'M TO DIE EVENTUALLY WHY NOT NOW! TO DIE WOULD RELEASE ME OF THIS CURSE!"
"WAHAHAHA! You see the futility in your actions, pirates? Look at that flag!" Spandam pointed to the World Government flag flying proudly on top of the Tower of Justice. "That flag represents the unity of over 170 nations! The unity of the World! You could never even hope to match us! Do you understand how small you are in the grand scheme of things! How insignificant you are in relation to the power of the World Government?!"
Luffy glared at the offending flag, "I know Robin's enemy very well. But I don't care."
"Sogeking," he said without taking his eyes off the flag. "Burn it down."
"With pleasure," The sniper said. "Observe the power of the great weapon Kabuto!"
"ULTIMATE FIRE-BIRD STAR!"
A bird of flame shot away from the sniper, straight for the flag. The attack hit true, incinerating the symbol of the World Government in an instant. Spandam as well as marines all over the island gaped in shock at the burned flag.
War had been declared.
"DECLARE WAR AGAINST THE WORLD GOVERNMENT?! FOR THE SAKE OF MY FRIEND?!" Luffy bellowed out. "I WOULDN'T REGRET IT FOR A SINGLE FUCKING SECOND OF MY LIFE!"
Tears began to drip down Robin's face.
"ROBIN! I WANT TO HEAR IT FROM YOU! FROM YOUR MOUTH! I WANT TO HEAR YOU SCREAM! I WANT TO HEAR IT FROM THE VERY BOTTOM OF YOUR HEART! I WANT TO HEAR YOU SAY THAT YOU WANT TO LIVE!"
"The ocean is vast, Robin. I know without a doubt that you'll find friends who'll protect you."
Saul's last words drifted through her head.
"He'll go to hell and back for you. So would the rest of the crew."
"They love you too much to give you up."
Itachi's face appeared in front of her, that light, friendly smile on his lips.
"I-"
"I-"
"I WANNA LIVE!" She shouted, tears streaming down her face.
"I WANT TO LIVE! TAKE ME WITH YOU! TO THE OCEAN!"
"Stay with me till the end of the world."
And that's when Robin noticed that something, or rather, someone had been missing that entire time.
"Where's Itachi?"
Someone landed on the balcony next to her.
"For such a smart woman, it took quite a long time for you to voice what you wanted."
Robin looked up at Itachi.
"Her Voice, it sings in yearning. The chains restricting it are just floating remnants. I've never heard something sing so beautifully."
He smiled down at her. "Come, it's time to leave."
He held out his hand towards her, but before she could reach out and grab it, four CP9 agents surrounded Itachi firing multiple Finger Guns into his body.
He looked down at the many holes in his body before smiling at them. "You shouldn't have done that. Enjoy being dead."
They looked at him questioningly before his body began to bulge. "You might want to duck, Robin."
She dove to the ground just as his body burst in a small explosion. The CP9 agents had jumped to the far side of the balcony, Spandam and Robin dragged over there.
Spandam smirked then burst out laughing, "WAHAHAHA! What a stupid pirate! Sacrificing himself so meaninglessly like that. I bet he was hoping to take at least a few members of CP9 but they're just far too powerful-"
His tirade cut off when the Tower of Justice began to rumble. He looked over the edge of the balcony only to see a line of explosions moving up the front of the tower.
He began to panic, "Oh my god! Ohmy God!" OHMYGOD! The building is exploding! That dirty, dead pirate is destroying the Tower of Justice."
He turned to Robin, who was picking herself off the ground and knocked her back onto the ground.
"You! Your disgusting crew is doing this! I'll punish you for their transgressions against the World Government!"
He moved to stomp on her, but Franky's voice stopped him.
"Spanda! Are you looking for these?"
He was holding a small stack of papers, the top one labeled Pluton. Spandam's eyes bugged out at seeing the blueprints that he had coveted for so long.
"Those can't be… Are those the real plans for the ancient weapon Pluton! Give them to me! Those are mine!"
"No."
The explosions finished as Franky lit the blueprints on fire.
"Nico Robin has been rumored to be trying to resurrect the ancient weapons, but I can tell that she is no such individual. Her friends coming here to defend her against the world itself is proof enough that her motives are not at all that nefarious. So here and now! I stake my claim! Nico Robin has done nothing wrong! Her existence is not a sin!"
He pounded the ground beneath him before striking his signature pose.
"OH YEAH! THE PASSIONS OF THESE PIRATES HAS SPARKED SOMETHING SUUUPER IN ME!"
The front of the tower began to fall forwards.
Spandam in his rage shoved Franky off the balcony, "GIVE ME BACK MY PLANS!"
Only Franky didn't fall into the water far down below. He landed on the massive slab of stone that used to be the front of the Tower of Justice. It crashed into the drawbridge, connecting the Courthouse to the Tower of Justice.
Spandam stared in shock at the newly made bridge. Those explosions had cut it with almost surgical precision. If the drawbridge hadn't been partially down, the stone front of the Tower of Justice would've easily landed on the other side, right below the drawbridge.
Luffy laughed at the sight, while the rest of the Straw Hats could only smirk.
Itachi was already inside, creating havoc of his own.
Luffy took in a deep breath.
"ITACHI! PROTECT ROBIIIIIIIIN! UNTIL WE GET THERE!"
Itachi heard the yell loud and clear.
He continued to make his way towards the control room of the Gates of Justice.
"Aye aye Captain."
Spandam wildly looked around, "Who's Itachi? Where is he? Is he already in the Tower of Justice?"
Robin only laughed, "That man you thought died is still in this tower. He's a genius of subterfuge, sabotage, and assassination. He makes these guys look like amateurs. He has powers beyond your wildest imagination. He could kill you in an instant, Spandam."
Spandam looked towards Lucci in fear. The man nodded.
"That man is far more dangerous than any other of the Straw Hats. He's faster than Shave, strong enough to break through Iron Body, and quick enough to block my Finger Gun. He is beyond dangerous."
Lucci's description had Spandam shaking. He roughly grabbed Robin by the hair and pulled her away from the balcony.
"Lucci, we're going. Do not leave my side for a second. We'll see just how scary your Itachi really is, Robin. I bet he's just some weakling with some decent infiltration skills, not at all able to fight against Lucci."
It would've sounded better if he wasn't absolutely quaking in his shoes, his teeth chattering so hard it sounded like he was stuttering.
She scoffed. With Itachi in the same building, there was no way she'd be in any danger. She was confident in his abilities, especially when he demonstrated that he could take on any of the agents.
Itachi would be her guardian angel.
"And that about finishes it."
Itachi stood in front of the decimated controls for the Gates of Justice. He'd killed the operator before he saw that the gates had already been cracked open. Without the operator, he had no way of knowing how to close the gates, but he could at least prevent them opening any further.
He turned and walked away heading back the path he came.
It wouldn't be long before he encountered Robin.
"Ah, the Bridge of Hesitation. If Robin's not here, I'll just wait. I trust the others to get here eventually"
"You dare try to escape me!" Spandam grabbed Robin by the hair. "You can't run from me. I own you now. I don't need Lucci here to protect me. Whoever is back there is finished. Rob Lucci is the most powerful CP9 agent in history. There's no way that he could ever lose to some lowly pirate. Your Itachi friend? If he hasn't shown himself by now, he's just a coward! There is nothing left for you in this life, Nico Robin!"
He dragged her up the rest of the steps onto the Bridge of Hesitation. A heavy mist covered the bridge, but the massive outline of the Gates of Justice could still be seen.
"You see those? Once you're past those, there's no hope of you ever going back to your beloved friends. Your sinful existence will end and they can't do anything about it." He took great glee in seeing her defeated form, kneeling on the ground. The power he had over such a powerful woman was intoxicating.
Arousing.
He leered at her with a more predatory look.
"You're nothing more than filthy whore," he spat out, looking at the generous amount of cleavage her dress showed. "Perhaps you have one more use other than dying. I'm sure you've used your body to relieve the "stress" of your benefactors many times. No harm in doing it one last time."
She began to struggle in his grasp, realizing his intentions.
"No no nononononono! Please! Please! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE! Anybody! Please! Anything but this!"
The pure fear that Spandam saw in her eyes was enough to create a bulge in his pants. Never before had he been in such a position of power. It was exhilarating.
Using Funkfreed he sliced straight through her dress, the garment now fluttering uselessly around her cuffed hands. Spandam's greedy hands ripped off what little she had left to give her a semblance of modesty, throwing her torn underwear to the side.
He hungrily drank in the sight of her nude body. His eyes roved over her long, luscious legs, her slender, toned stomach, finally landing on her large breasts, entranced with how they moved with each heaving sob. Without a doubt she was an incredibly beautiful woman, and she was helpless against him. He could do as he pleased, and the all-powerful Nico Robin couldn't do a damn thing about it. The bulge in his pants got larger.
Tears were streaming down Robin's face. This was one thing she never wanted to experience. To be taken against her will. She shook her head trying to curl her body as Spandam's filthy hands reached out to grope her.
"Where is Itachi? Where is he? He's supposed to protect me! !ITACHI!"
"ITACHI!" She screamed with all her might, Spandam's hand millimeters away from violating her.
Ring.
The hands never reached.
Spandam looked puzzled at where his hands should've been. Instead, they were just stumps, blood starting to squirt from the severed blood vessels.
He looked up and saw pure fury written across the face of Uchiha Itachi, blood staining the greatsword he held in his hands. A small bell on its pommel gave another small ring. All of a sudden a massive pressure pressed down on him.
The air was suddenly incredibly thick. He couldn't breath. A vision of a sword decapitating him flashed through his head. He couldn't move.
He. Couldn't. Move.
"Oh my god. I'm about to die. I'm about to die. I'm about to die!"
With a voice sharper than any blade, colder than the depths of hell, and dripping with venom, Itachi spoke.
"Do. Not. Touch. Her."
He grabbed Spandam's throat, crushing his windpipe, and looked him straight in the eyes, the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spinning wildly in his eyes.
"Tsukuyomi."
Spandam woke up tied to a cross. He blearily looked around. His hands throbbed painfully.
"It's dark. Everything looks weird."
He looked up at the red sky. Confusion filled his mind.
Itachi stepped out in front of him, a passive look upon his face.
"You!" Spandam spat out. "Let me out of these bonds this instant! I am a high-ranking officer in the World Government! Doing anything to me will only guarantee your death!"
"The only thing guaranteed is your death." Itachi took a step forward.
"You are a cowardly man." He slowly stuck a sword into Spandam's chest.
The man screamed in pain.
"Weak."
Another stab followed by another scream.
"Pathetic."
And another.
"A waste of space."
Another Itachi came in from behind and stabbed Spandam in the back.
"AAAAHHHHHHHH! STOP IT! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! AAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHH!" Spandam shook violently. "IT HURTS! IT HURTS! PLEASE GOD STOP!"
Another Itachi stepped forward and kicked at Spandam's thigh.
CRACK
The bound man's leg shattered in a gorey mess.
Spandam stared down in shock, before the pain surged through his body.
"URRRRRRGGGGGHH! HELP! HELP! HELP ME! AHHHHHHHH!"
Spandam's anguished cries rang across the empty bridge, but no one responded. Only more clones of Itachi became visible.
"Oh god, please. No more. No more." Tears and snot ran down his face as he begged pitifully, his pants completely soiled. "I repent. I give. I'll do whatever to get off this cross. No more. Please no more."
"You are already dead, Spandam. Your fate is sealed and nothing will change that."
"NOOOO!" Spandam thrashed violently on the cross, before crying out as white-hot pain lanced through his body.
Itachi and his army of copies closed around Spandam, horror filling his face.
For 72 years, Spandam's tormented screams split the air, Itachi's torture neverending.
Itachi destroyed Spandam's mind, completely obliterating the man's entire sense of self. There would be no mercy for a man as disgusting and pathetic as him.
He snapped the man's neck and threw the corpse off the bridge into the surrounding sea.
He turned and looked at Robin, the rage coursing through his body subsiding into concern.
He quickly knelt by her, swinging his cloak around her shoulders. Tears of relief falling from her eyes as choked sobs wracked her body.
"You stupid -hic- bastard. Taking so -hic- long to -hic- show up."
She pushed her head into the crook of his neck as he cradled her.
He released the mist jutsu that he had covered the entire bridge with, stroking Robin's head.
"Hey now," he said softly. "Let me see your cuffs."
She turned around slightly and did her best to present her hands to him. Taking the key his clone had nicked from Spandam's desk, he unlocked the cuffs, letting them fall to the stone bridge with a clunk.
Robin turned back around and threw her arms around Itachi's neck, fresh tears staining his shirt.
"Thank you, Itachi."
The sound of pounding feet came from behind them, "Nico Robin! Are you safe?"
Itachi looked over his shoulder to see Franky coming up the steps. Robin peeked over his shoulder as well. She waved tiredly at the cyborg before wrapping Itachi's cloak around her and standing up.
Itachi stood up as well, facing Franky.
"Awoh! So you're the legendary Itachi that I've been hearing all about. Seems you've been able to keep Nico Robin safe. Your work with the Tower of Justice was quite impressive. Ever thought of doing work in demolition? We could always use a man of your talents."
Itachi laughed, shaking his head, "Oh no. I'm quite fine being a pirate for now."
Franky looked around, "Where's Spanda? I wanted to give him a piece of my mind for all the hell he gave Tom."
"I killed him."
Franky looked back to Itachi in surprise.
"He was about to some rather… unsavory actions to Robin."
Franky's eyes landed on the tattered ruins of Robin's clothes, which were now laying on the ground and then to the cloak she had wrapped tightly around herself. He nodded in understanding, his eyes flashing darkly.
"I see. Bastard deserved it. Wish I could've given him some punishment, but you've seemed to have done it for me. You have my thanks."
As the mist finally lifted, Itachi took note of the large number of warships surrounding the little bridge. He looked in confusion at the Gates of Justice, which were still halfway open and then down to Robin, who at the sight of the warships had begun to tremble violently.
"A Buster Call, but who could've initiated it?"
"Spanda is truly a one of a kind idiot," Franky said. "Who mistakes a golden Den Den Mushi for a baby one."
Ah, there was his answer. Spandam, who was now dead, had called a Buster Call by accident. What a braindead moron.
"Ah, I have a baby Den Den Mushi to the others." Franky pulled the snail out. "You should be able to speak to the rest of your crew."
Itachi grabbed the receiver, "Hello?"
"Itachi? Is that you?" The voice sounded like Sanji's.
"Yeah, it's me. Are you guys okay?"
"Yeah, we're doing pretty fine. We defeated CP9 and grabbed a bunch of keys from them. Franky should have four of them. Sogeking says that there should be a small red bundle near you guys. It should have the other two. With them, one of them should be able to unlock Robin's Seastone cuffs."
Itachi smiled. They were quite the reliable crew.
"No need for that Sanji. I swiped the key from Spandam's desk a while ago."
He heard a jumble of shouts come from the speaker.
"You mean we fought and defeated CP9 for nothing!"
"Itachi, you are truly such a dependable friend!"
"I almost died…"
"Oh, so he already beat us to it. So I didn't have to go through that embarrassment with Usopp…"
Their responses only made Itachi laugh.
"Don't sound so depressed. Just know that you come out of this stronger and more infamous."
"THAT'S THE LAST THING I WANT!" Nami screeched.
Itachi handed the snail back to Franky.
"Come, there is a ship docked at the end of the bridge. We can claim it and use it as our escape vessel."
The rest of the crew arrived at the ship thanks to Kokoro at the exact moment when a giant fist burst through the brick of the Bridge of Hesitation. The body of Rob Lucci could be seen flying from the force of the punch before crashing into the warship that was conveniently there.
Itachi observed from the top of the main mast as Luffy jumped out of the hole he had made, proceeding to continue his rampage on the warship.
A voice rang through the area from a loudspeaker.
"It is confirmed that the pirate Straw Hat Luffy is currently fighting CP9 agent Mr. Rob Lucci! I repeat the pirate Straw Hat Luffy is currently fighting CP9 agent Mr. Rob Lucci! All units create formation B12 around the Bridge of Hesitation! Cut off all routes of escape for the Straw Hat pirates! It is confirmed that seven members of the Straw Hat Pirates are currently on the Bridge of Hesitation including Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro and the Demon Child Nico Robin!"
Luffy continued to fight Lucci on the warship before he was blown back towards the bridge prop. A large number of warships began to surround them. Itachi put the weasel mask over his face. Things were about to get messy.
"Be wary! The individuals on the bridge are the ones who defeated the rest of the CP9 agents! They more than likely have Spandam hostage somewhere! Avoid firing at the convoy ship in case he is on it!"
Two warships closed in on either side of the bridge.
"Any personnel under the rank of lieutenant commander don't bother getting off the ships. Only marines of rank 'Captain' or 'Commander' engage the enemy"
Itachi unsheathed Fuyokokyo and leaped high into the air.
"You have only one order: Retrieve Nico Robin!"
A wave of marines jumped off both boats converging on the Straw Hats below.
"FIRE RELEASE: DANCE OF THE SUN GOD!"
With a great slash, Itachi sent a massive wall of fire forward, laying waste to everything in front of him.
In an instant, the decks of both warships were destroyed in a massive explosion, anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the technique incinerated. The huge wall of flame continued forward sinking two more warships that were in its path before slamming into the Gates of Justice, scorching their surface.
Everyone gaped in shock at the power that had just been displayed. Itachi landed back on the bridge dashing straight to the marines already on the bridge. Said marines quickly gathered their wits and charged at the pirates, determination crossing their faces.
Itachi was on them in an instant, a whirlwind of death and destruction.
"Sh- Shit! He's so strong! Everyone focus on the weasel mask!"
That marine was cut down.
"He's too strong! He's like… like a God of Death! Run!"
Another marine fell to the ground mortally wounded.
Itachi pressed forward carving through the ranks of the marines, the other Straw Hats striking down anyone that happened to slip past him. They reached the other end of the destroyed bridge. Within view in the first prop, Itachi could see Luffy face down on the ground, Rob Lucci towering over him.
Usopp rushed past him, ripping off his mask.
"LUFFY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET UP! GET UP AND FIGHT! HEY YOU STUPID CAT! COME AND FIGHT ME! I'LL BLOW YOU AWAY!
"SHUT UP USOPP, YOU'LL DIE!"
"YOU SHUT UP! YOU'RE ALREADY HALF-DEAD! COME AT ME CP9 BOSS, I'LL BE YOUR OPPONENT!"
"I'LL FINISH HIM MYSELF, DON'T BUTT YOURSELF INTO MY BUSINESS!"
"THEN DO IT LUFFY! WE CAN STILL SEE THE SKY! WE CAN STILL SEE OCEAN! THIS ISN'T HELL! STAND! BACK! UP!"
Itachi blocked two marines who had jumped down behind Usopp. The two warships that he had destroyed had sunk, already replaced by two more, more marines jumping off of their decks onto the bridge.
I'm here! Please friends! I'm below you! Look below!
Merry's Voice surprised Itachi. It made him hesitate for a second, resulting in four marines attacking him. One got a lucky shot off and broke Itachi's mask, lightly cutting his cheek.
Sanji's voice carried from somewhere, "Shit! They destroyed the convoy ship! What are we supposed to do!"
Itachi only smiled.
You're just too convenient Merry. Don't you worry. One last voyage. With us!
She smiled.
Luffy's voice yelled across the battlefield, "ROBIIIIIIN! WE'RE GOING BACK TOGETHER!"
"About damn time, Luffy," Itachi murmured.
"Rob Lucci has been defeated! I repeat Rob Lucci has been defeated by Straw Hat Luffy! All cannons aim at the first bridge prop! Straw Hat Luffy will not escape us!"
"Everyone! We still have one more friend!" Itachi called out. "She waits for us down below."
Usopp began crying tears of joy. "Jump everyone! To the sea below! Merry is waiting for us! Luffy! Get up! We can leave!"
As the rest of the crew slowly made their way to Itachi and Usopp's position, Luffy called back.
"I can't. Move my. Body."
He just kept laying there.
Usopp frantically looked at Robin, "Robin! Can you use your powers and pull Luffy off the ledge to the sea?"
"Leave it to me," she said, crossing her arms.
Usopp motioned to the rest of the crew, "Come on! To the sea! To Merry!"
Let's go to the sea of adventure everyone! I'm here to take you home!
Everyone but Itachi jumped off, the sight of the Going Merry below them filling them with joy.
"Water Release: Great Tidal Shock Wave!"
The others turned in shock at hearing the technique. Itachi was still on the bridge!
Robin cried out to him, "Itachi! What are you doing? We can escape!"
He only shook his head.
"There's no way you all can make it through the blockade of warships. Someone has to stay and none of you are in any possible shape to do that. Sorry, but goodbye."
The Eternal Mangekyo swirled lazily in his eyes.
"Amaterasu."
Two massive walls of black fire rose from the sea, burning everything in its path, setting a clear pathway for the Straw Hats to escape.
Robin's heart clenched as she stared at Itachi's back.
"DON'T DO THIS ITACHI! PLEASE! NOT AFTER ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH! COME BACK! COME BACK TO US!"
The voices of the other Straw Hats joined her in calling Itachi, but the massive wave he had created, carried them too far away for him too hear, and they could only watch as the wall of black flames closed behind him, blocking him from view, a whole fleet of marine warships aiming their cannons at him.
"ITACHI!" Robin screamed, tears streaming down her face. Her anguish mirrored on the faces of the other Straw Hats
With the Straw Hats finally gone, Itachi could let loose. Although using Amaterasu at such a large scale had drained him, he still had plenty of chakra left. He would've left a clone to clean up, but he had sensed Aokiji's presence on an approaching warship.
"It is useless. You will die and then we will chase your friends. Death is inevitable. You could not hope to win against the might of a whole fleet of warships and five vice-admirals. Pirate! Prepare to die."
Itachi looked up at the cannons aimed at him.
"It seems that you are ones that are mistaken."
Molding chakra in his mouth, he called out.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball engulfed the entire bridge in front of him, killing all the marines left on it. It continued past the bridge, punching through a warship, destroying it in an instant.
He immediately began weaving through a set of hand seals before slamming his palm to the ground.
"Water Release: Rushing Dragon Whirlpool!"
A giant whirlpool began to churn around the bridge causing the warships to crash into each other. Dragons made of water sprouted from the water, wrapping around any ship they came across and dragging them under, crushing the ship and killing everyone aboard in an instant.
"What is happening?! It's just one man! Kill him already!"
"Ice Age!"
The sea around the bridge froze, stopping the whirlpool and the attacking water dragons.
Admiral Aokiji stepped onto the bridge.
"Evacuate all ships encased in ice. There are still a few warships left unharmed. Return to Marineford. I will take care of this."
Itachi stood back up, "How unlucky of me, to meet you here and now. Hopefully, I don't die."
"You are an interesting man, Uchiha Itachi. That little illusion of yours really threw me in a tizzy. If it wasn't for the fact that Spandam reported that he had Nico Robin in custody, I honestly would've forgotten about you and your little band of pirates."
Aokiji's eyes hardened, "Seems like you're more trouble than you let on."
Aokiji formed a sword of ice.
"Come, I'll end you here."
"You can try."
He and Itachi dashed at each other, swords clashing against each other. They exchanged a flurry of blows. Aokiji was unable to freeze Itachi's sword with his Devil Fruit powers as Itachi had coated the edge of his greatsword with Armament Haki. Itachi was unable to hit Aokiji, his speed with his weapon matching that of Itachi's.
Without saying a word, Itachi spewed a stream of white-hot fire at Aokiji, forcing him to jump back.
"Where do your powers come from, Uchiha Itachi. You use fire so well, but the Flare-Flare Fruit is already known to have been eaten by Fire Fist Ace. Perhaps a Paramecia type that allows you to control the elements? I saw you form that whirlpool earlier."
"I have no need to answer your questions," Itachi replied.
Aokiji's eyes flashed in annoyance before he rushed at Itachi again. He morphed his ice sword into a spear and threw it at Itachi's head.
Itachi ducked under the attack, slashing upwards with his sword, but Aokiji had stopped just short of the swing and instead slapped his hand against the ground.
"Ice Time Capsule!"
A wave of ice shot out from where his hand had hit, covering the ground at an impressive speed. Itachi jumped up to avoid it, but Aokiji was ready for him.
"Ice Spikes!"
A spiked length of ice shot out from Aokiji's palm, impaling Itachi. Aokiji smirked, before it turned into a scowl as it exploded in a murder of crows.
"Wind Release: Weapon Tornado!"
A massive tornado formed behind Aokiji. When he turned to look at it, a shower of kunai and shuriken flew out of it at extremely high speeds. He tried to dodge as many as he could, but quite a few managed to graze him, a kunai actually impaling his shoulder.
He ripped it out, before freezing the wound in ice.
A pair of hands exploded from the ground underneath him. Seeing them he instantly destroyed his body in a shower of ice and reformed it a few meters back.
"Ice Freeze: Blossoming Tree!"
A massive tree of ice sprouted from the ground, freezing the entire area around Aokiji. Underneath the stone, the icy roots of the great tree spread out, impaling the two earth clones Itachi had made, causing them to dispel. The roots spread all the way through the bridge, freezing it in its entirety as well as the sea surrounding it.
"Come now, Uchiha Itachi. You should know that surprise attacks don't work twice."
The ice creeped over the rest of the bridge, freezing the rest of it, forcing Itachi to jump back in the air.
"Let's see how you fare on the sea. Shatter!"
The bridge shattered.
If Aokiji was expecting Itachi to fall into the sea, he would be sorely disappointed.
He landed on top of the water. Aokiji standing on a small island of ice.
"You are incredibly annoying, Uchiha Itachi. Why can't you just make this easier for all of us and just die?"
Itachi stepped on to Aokiji's platform of ice, "I'm sorry, but I can't be doing that just quite yet. I have to return to my captain. I can't leave without his say."
"Then you're quite the fool. You should've stayed on the sea. I've picked up a few tricks of my own you see."
A pair of ice hands formed from the ground, grabbing Itachi's ankles before he could move. His legs instantly began to freeze over. Two more ice clones formed from the thick ice and grabbed Itachi's arms, freezing his joints.
Aokiji walked towards him, his suit slightly ruined, his face scuffed and burnt.
"You were an admirable opponent, Uchiha Itachi. I haven't had to fight like this in a while. A shame that you're a pirate, you would've made a fine marine. Your sacrifice was not in vain though, your friends were able to escape thanks to you, so you should be proud."
The ice had almost covered his entire body.
"Good bye, Uchiha Itachi."
Aokiji struck Itachi's frozen form, shattering it into a million pieces.
Itachi, you should really stop using old tricks. It's unbecoming.