The party was in full swing. With some aid from Itachi, Sanji had cooked an absolute beast of a feast for everyone to enjoy. Everyone was drinking, singing, dancing, and making merry without a worry in the world.
Franky and Brook were standing on top of the table, dancing and singing making a bunch of fools out of themselves, but it made Itachi laugh at their ridiculous antics. He drank deeply from his mug as he reminisced. Back when he had first sailed with Whitebeard, the concept of partying had been completely foreign to him. They partied for anything. A new member? They partied. A battle? They partied. A new island? They partied. Parties on the scale that they held were unheard of in the Elemental Nations. Most of them were small gatherings celebrating a marriage or a birthday with only a person's direct family and some close friends coming in attendance. Their largest gatherings were for funerals if that said anything about life in the Nations.
The party that the Whitebeard Pirates had thrown in his honor had him incredibly confused and with the number of people trying to approach him, Itachi had fled, taking refuge in the empty sickbay. Of course, with the sheer amount of parties they held, Itachi had quickly gotten used to them, but he wasn't one to partake in them. He just sat by Whitebeard and watched as everyone drank themselves under the table, enjoying the idea that they could be this carefree.
Itachi swept his eyes over the party, a fond look in his eyes as he watched his crewmates laugh and sing. It was a beautiful sight. Those happy smiles, full of life and passion. He never wanted to see them disappear from their faces. And so, he made another promise to himself.
"I'll protect this crew. I'll protect it until my last breath. To protect their smiles and their happiness, I will shoulder any burden. My soul is already marred, so what're a few more sins to weigh it down?"
A body settled down next to him. He knew that it was Robin. She was the only other person that skirted the edges of a party as he did. Zoro would do it, but he would eventually get roped into a drinking game of sorts. Even then, he could passively hear her Voice, so he knew it was her the second she had started walking over.
They both sat in silence, basking in the joy and happiness that permeated through the great ballroom. The notes of a piano began to float through the air, Brook at the baby grand that graced the room.
"Robin, I-" Itachi began, but Robin cut him off.
"You don't have to, Itachi. I was rash and emotional and shouldn't have said those things."
"But let me apologize. You may have forgiven yourself already, but I still feel terrible for putting you and the rest of the crew through such an emotional ordeal," Itachi paused, waiting for Robin's rebuke. Finding none, he continued.
"I guess our mindsets were quite similar at Enies Lobby. You tried to sacrifice yourself to save the Straw Hats from further scrutiny from the World Government, give them a chance to continue flying under the radar. I sacrificed myself to do something similar, although it was so that you guys could escape from Enies Lobby without worry of being chased by the Marines. But the underlying principle for the sacrifice was the same: we both found somewhere to stay, and we were both willing to sacrifice everything to keep it safe. We both carried sins at the time, Robin, but your's was a false sin. One's existence is not a sin just because of who they were born to. Me? I carry sins heavier than you can imagine. I have done some terrible deeds in the past. I know Luffy doesn't care about a person's past, but would he say the same if he learned of mine? The horrid acts that I've committed? I want to stay with this crew more than anything, but I question myself whenever I see scenes like this." He gestured to the party in front of them. "How could I stay with such pure and wonderful people with a soul as black as mine?
He felt Robin's hand gently cover his.
"I was the same, Itachi. I'm sure you know that. The threat of the World Government and their destruction of every organization and group I was a part of was an overbearing pressure. Perhaps my sin was false, but it didn't make the pain it caused me any less painful. Your sins may be heavier than mine, Itachi, but what about this? You said it yourself, Luffy doesn't care about a person's past and he won't hear a word of it unless it's from their mouth. If it weighs on your mind that greatly, then push it down. Hold it tight until your faith in Luffy is greater than the fear you hold for how he would react. Luffy loves you as much as he loves us. If the image of you that he has is the real you, then no matter what you say, his faith in you won't be shaken in the slightest. Trust in Luffy. He's our captain for a reason."
She leaned back, releasing his hand as she took a delicate sip from her glass, letting him digest her words. As they sat there, a familiar chord progression burst out from the piano.
"~Yohohohoooo Yohohoohoooo~"
It was a song that the Whitebeard Pirates had sung without fail for every party. It was just one of those songs that you could never get tired of. The energy it carried in its jaunty tune enough to make any pirate get up and dance.
"I've heard of this before. Bink's Sake is its name?" Robin mused. "Brings back memories."
Itachi thought back to when he had tried to teach Keoni how to sing the song, but only to learn just how terrible of a singer she was.
"Yes it does," he smiled. "It does indeed."
Robin stood up and offered a hand to Itachi, "Would you give me the pleasure of a simple dance?"
He smiled and nodded, taking her hand and standing up.
The two weary souls listened to the music, swaying as they let the notes wash over them like a pleasant dream.
Zoro stabbed the scabbards of Yubashiri and Sandai Kitetsu into the ground in front of the Rumbar Pirates' grave. Sitting down, he clasped his hands together in prayer.
To have two faithful swords break in his care, it kind of stung his pride as a swordsman. If only he had been better. Stronger.
Shisui was a wonderful replacement for Yubashiri, but once again he was left with two swords. He hoped he could find a third sword quickly. With how everyone was saying the second half of the Grand Line was an absolute nightmare, he would need to find a suitable replacement quick.
"Itachi's a swordsmith, right? Perhaps I could as-"
A weight fell onto Zoro's lap, interrupting that thought. Taking a peek at what had fallen into his lap, his eyes bugged out of his skull. In his lap was a beautiful red katana. Blue and black petals decorated along the scabbard and up to its handle. The tsuba was in the shape of a flower, its petals curved slightly, giving it the illusion of swaying in the wind. Unsheathing the blade, he admired the flame-like ripples that ran along its tempered length. Bringing the blade to eye-level, he admired the razor-sharp edge of the blade.
It was a work of art. He could feel something emitting from the blade. A faint hum of sorts.
"Her name is Himai." Itachi's voice said somewhere above him. Zoro resheathed Himai and looked up as Itachi landed on the ground next to him.
"She's a feisty one, but she's the best sword I've ever made. I would say that she's on par with a Great Grade Sword, but that might just be my biased opinion." Itachi motioned at Zoro to hold out the katana.
Itachi pulled Himai free, inspecting her edge, before continuing, "She's quite the willful sword, but she has a strong affinity to fire. Her power is quite… explosive if I were to describe it."
The blade lit up at his words, orange flames licking along its length.
"Franky told me about your fight with the samurai, Ryuuma, including the final move you used to defeat him. It seemed appropriate to give her to you, instead of selling her."
Itachi placed the sword back into her scabbard.
"Treat her well, and she'll serve you wonderfully."
Himai seemed to thrum in agreement in Zoro's hands. He flashed a devilish smile at Itachi.
"I appreciate it, Itachi."
Itachi only smiled as he walked away, heading back towards the ship.
The Straw Hats departed soon after despite the pleading from the Rolling Pirates to stay for a few more days.
As they celebrated the addition of Brook to their crew, Itachi's mind was on the state of Ace's Vivre Card. Although Luffy told them not to worry, Itachi was sure that a slight sickness or even minor injuries wouldn't reflect such a sorry state in a Vivre Card. Something more serious was going on, but he was unsure of what it was exactly.
He penned a letter to Whitebeard asking if he knew anything about it. Giving it to a crow, he sent the letter on its way. It would be a few days before he could get a response. Hopefully, the winds were favorable.
Having done all he could at this point, he turned back towards the celebration. No use wallowing when everyone else was in high spirits.
Ace's head hung heavily.
His injuries from his fight with Teach had only been slightly treated, enough so that he wouldn't die for a good while, but damn if they still didn't hurt.
Groaning he shook his shackles, hoping to get some blood flowing into his shoulders.
He heard the sound of the elevator moving.
Looks like another unlucky soul got to experience the boring hell that was Level 6.
Before long he heard the sound of a body being dragged across the floor, the conversation of the guards accompanying it.
"Yeah! Invaded the Holy Land! Took six Vice-Admirals to take him down. I bet if it had been Garp, he would've beaten him with his arms tied behind his back. I don't know why they didn't just send one of the admirals to take care of it."
"I hear Sengoku wants him executed at the same time as Firefist."
"What? That's nuts. He'd totally be asking to bring on the ire of both the Revolutionary Army and the Whitebeard Pirates! Do we even have the manpower to do that?"
"Uh-huh. I heard that Sengoku is pulling no stops with this one. He's getting everyone he can to come. I hear five rear admirals stationed in the New World are going to be there as well as all of the Warlords. He's pulling as many captains and commanders as he can to be stationed at Marineford within the next few days."
"Yeah, it's insane, but I guess I understand. Here, throw him in with Firefist. They can talk to each other since it seems like they'll be executed together."
The door to Ace's cell was unlocked and pulled open before the guards dragged in a limp body. Ace caught a flash of blond hair before the guards walked past him and shackled the other man to the wall next to him.
The guards left before he even tried to interact with his cellmate.
He couldn't get a good look at the man's face, his blond locks covering it.
He tried to get the man's attention, "Yo, you awake?"
The man only groaned in response before tilting his head up. Shaking his head, he looked around trying to get a grasp of his surroundings. He addressed the other person in the cell with him.
"Oi, where am I? What's your name?"
When he didn't receive a response, he turned to look at Ace, only to recoil in shock at the tears and snot dripping down Ace's face.
"Jeez! Are you okay? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Ace could only splutter as he tried to lunge at the man. He was held back by the chains holding him to the wall, but it didn't prevent him from crying out a name.
"SABO!"
Itachi was surprised to meet a mermaid so close to the surface. When he had traveled with Whitebeard, they had made a stop by Fishman Island so that Whitebeard could catch up with King Neptune. Itachi had explored the island quite intrigued by the merfolk, and fishmen that populated it. Marco and Thatch had taken him around to show him other sights on the famous island.
They had also told him about the interspecies tensions between humans and fishmen, which is why they didn't normally go to the surface. The prices that a mermaid could fetch on the slave market were exuberant and a strong deterrent that kept even the most adventurous of mermaids from staying too long. So it surprised Itachi greatly not only to find a mermaid but also her fishman boss, selling takoyaki on the surface, especially when they were so close to the largest slave market in the world: the Sabaody Archipelago.
Although it seemed like her fishman boss had already been captured by some slavers, which was where they were heading at the moment. With some help from Camie (the mermaid), a school of fish helped direct them to the hideout of the Flying Fish Riders.
Before too long, the fish left them, Camie saying that they could only take them that far.
Usopp called from above, "I can see it! The hideout of the Flying Fish Riders!"
Looking ahead of them, Itachi could make out a cluster of buildings.
He readied himself. You could never be too careful with slavers. They were a tricky bunch.
Itachi was painting.
While the rest of the Straw Hats had been freeing Hatchan, he had sent a clone onto the main island to check things out and learn a few things.
The slavers had turned out to be quite pathetic. So much so that he didn't even bother with them. He could leave it to the others to deal with everything, so while chaos and explosions happened all around him, he was focused on getting the texture of Luffy's pants right. His current project was a scene from Enies Lobby. The moment when Sogeking(Usopp) burned down the flag of the World Government. It had been a moving moment, one that Itachi wished to capture.
He lifted his brush off the canvas and leaned back, steadying his easel with his foot as the Sunny shot backwards.
Once the ship settled some more, he dipped his brush into a light blue and began to paint in the other leg of Luffy's shorts.
He lifted his brush as another explosion rocked the boat.
He hoped that they finished quickly. Having to stop so much was quite annoying.
The Sabaody Archipelago was truly an amazing area. Ace had described it to him a while ago, describing in-depth the number of attractions that the island had and how many he had visited. Itachi had commented that Ace had acted like a kid in a candy store, causing the man to blush furiously at the implication that he was childish. Ace had vehemently declared that he was a man and nothing else. The moment had been ruined when Ace's old first mate butted in saying that when Ace had ridden the Ferris wheel at the island he had "giggled with glee."
Like a good older brother, Itachi had teased him mercilessly about it for the next few weeks. Seeing the massive grove of trees also reminded Itachi of the time he had described them to Keoni. Of course, he had never been able to visit them himself, so he had just used Ace's description of them, which had worked at the time. She had declared that she too wished to visit the archipelago and had pestered Itachi until he promised to take her.
He stepped off the boat, those memories bringing a fond smile to his face. He could just see the big bright smiles that graced Ace's and Keoni's faces. He missed them dearly, but he'd see them with time. He had created six clones on the ship, each of them using a Henge to disguise themselves. One of them went with the Straw Hats to keep tabs on them, the other five disappearing into the surrounding groves to do what Itachi did best: intelligence gathering.
With the rest of the Straw Hats, besides Franky and Usopp, gone, Itachi could paint with no distractions. It would make a nice addition to the library.
Perhaps he could paint more important scenes from the Straw Hats voyage to put on display?
He would need to ask Luffy.
The five clones spread out all over the archipelago visiting every inn and bar on the hunt for information. Anything and everything was listened to and noted.
One clone heard of the presence of the eleven Supernovas as he infiltrated the Marine base on Grove 66.
Another saw three of them clash, while another saw another three eating.
Two clones dashed around the lawless zone, picking up information regarding the various slaver, kidnapper, and bounty hunter groups that operated within the massive groves, as well as the various auction houses located in the area.
Within an hour, the clones had learned just about everything vital that was on the island.
Which Supernovas had interacted with who, as well as their last known whereabouts. The number of marines stationed on each grove, including information regarding the ones who could be potentially troublesome. Which Celestial Dragons were on the island as well as the guard detail around them etc..
The most troubling piece of information was when one clone found out of the planned execution of Firefist Ace and the Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff Sabo. The clone paid no mind to the second person, its whole attention on Ace.
"This is why Ace's Vivre card is in such a terrible condition," it thought. "Boss won't like this one bit. I don't like this one bit."
They all felt a flare of chakra. That was the signal. They dispelled themselves, all the information they had learned, ready for the main body to learn.
Itachi leaned back, rubbing his head as the influx of memories formed a headache in his head. He never could understand how Naruto was able to use so many at once.
He began to sift through their memories and sort out the information they had gleaned from their excursions until he came upon the memory of Ace.
Itachi's entire demeanor changed in a second, the temperature around him dropping quickly. His Sharingan swirled into the Eternal Mangekyo.
"MARSHALL D. TEACH! You dare?!"
Although his face was a frosty, emotionless mask, he was seething on the inside with Teach's betrayal and Ace's planned execution.
"Oh my, seems like Ace has gotten himself in a bit of trouble. Guess I need to save him. Again."
He stalked off the ship heading towards Grove 33, homing in on the chakra signature of his clone. He had to tell Luffy. A flock of crows flew away from his body, setting up at key points around the island, ready to feed a steady stream of information to Itachi when he needed it.
He had a little brother to find and a little brother to save.
Usopp and Franky were left frozen on the deck of Sunny, shaking in their boots due to the immense fear Itachi had created within them.
The Den Den Mushi rang. Usopp picked it up, only for Chopper's voice to scream through it.
"USOPP! USOPP! IT'S URGENT! CAMIE'S BEEN KIDNAPPED! WHERE'S ITACHI?! HE SHOULD HAVE INFORMATION! WE DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT WHO KIDNAPPED HER OR WHERE THEY TOOK HER! ITACHI'S CLONE DISAPPEARED WHEN WE WERE GETTING ICE CREAM!"
"Sh- Shit! He just left! I don't know where he's going!"
Sanji's voice came through the receiver, "The Flying Fish Riders! Call them!"
Itachi stalked towards the location of his crow clone, confused as to why it was shifting positions so much. Then it disappeared.
A rush of memories hit him.
Great, another problem. His clone had followed the Hound Pets to the Grove 1 Human Auction House. It had thought of infiltrating the Auction House and stealing her back, but as a clone, it had no idea if it could handle it with the meager amount of chakra inside of it. Its purpose was to observe, not fight.
Itachi thought it had made the right call. Another flock of crows burst from his body flying out to the locations of the Straw Hats, who had just been picked up by members of the Flying Fish Riders.
He began to walk towards Grove 1. He would honestly abandon the mermaid to her fate if it meant that Ace had a better chance of surviving, but he knew that Luffy would have none of it. His captain had a big heart and Itachi didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse.
He would just have to make this quick.
Itachi was incredibly annoyed.
It just seemed like some deity out there was purposefully making it harder for him to reach the Grove 1 Auction House. Right outside in a loose ring around the tree was a massive regiment of marines. They had the streets blocked and no part of the surrounding rooftops was free of scrutiny. He had no way of making it onto the grove without bringing attention to himself.
"Fuck this."
He just started to walk forwards to the bridge.
"You there, citizen! Halt! This area is under marine control at the moment! Three highly dangerous pirates and their crews are in the area!"
Itachi didn't stop, the marine's words grating on his nerves. He shot a murderous glare at the mant.
The next words came out as a weak gasp as the marine took on the full brunt of Itachi's ire. A vision of a brutal death passed through the man's eyes and he soiled himself in fear.
The marines next to him recoiled in disgust before looking towards Itachi, but he only knocked them out with the immense pressure he was immenating. And like that, Itachi marched towards the auction house, dispatching marines until he got completely fed up.
Now he was fucking annoyed.
He unleashed the full strength of his killing intent, his annoyance fueling it's intensity.
He walked forward, any marines within a five-meter radius of him unable to move, their senses screaming at them that this man was dangerous. They felt like they would die just by looking at him, that at the slightest movement, he would tear into them like a wild beast.
Itachi walked to the doors of the auction house undisturbed and with a loud BANG, he kicked the doors wide open. Normally, he wasn't one for such grand entrances, but he just wanted to do this as quickly as possible.
Many members of the audience began to turn to see who had caused such a disturbance, especially when Disco was about to describe the rather pretty dancer girl, but before they could get a good look, something heavy pressed down hard onto them making them feel like they were suffocating. Their minds blanked out in fear, the only thing they could think to do was run, but their bodies wouldn't listen. They could barely even use their eyes to watch as the man in the black and red cloak walked past them.
Itachi walked down the aisle of the now silent hall, the soft steps of his sandals the only sound echoing in the massive chamber. As he calmly walked up the steps to the stage, he brutally hit Disco, sending the flamboyant man flying off the stage with a crushed ribcage. The slave girl he had been trying to sell cowered in fear as Itachi swept past her.
A pair of guards rushed at him, their weapons drawn, but he sent them flying back into the stage wing with a kick. The slaves lined up in the wing pressed themselves against the wall as to not get hit by the passing bodies.
As Itachi moved into the backstage area, the massive pressure in the room let up, allowing everyone to breathe a little bit easier. The eyes of Trafalgar Law and Eustass Kidd never left the spot where Itachi had disappeared, their hands still gripping their weapons tightly. They, as well as everyone else in the room, had the same thought.
"That man is incredibly dangerous."
Itachi padded softly through the "storage" area.
He was listening for the ocean. Camie, since she was a mermaid, had a Voice that was like the sea, so as he walked around the many cages, he listened intently for the lapping of waves.
"You're scaring everyone walking around like that, young man. Why don't you reign in this little thing of yours, eh?"
Itachi turned to the source of the voice, only for his eyes to widen in surprise.
"Of all the places, I wasn't expecting to meet you here, Silvers Rayleigh."
"Ha!" he laughed. "I don't go by that name anymore. I go by Ray the Coating Mechanic nowadays."
He took a drink out of his flask, "Tell me, young man. What has your feathers so ruffled that you come marching in here with such a stony look on your face?"
"One of my captain's friends has been taken. I'm here to get her back before things get messy. If he were to encounter any of the Celestial Dragons, I'm sure there'd be an admiral here in no time."
Rayleigh grinned, "Seems like you've got a rather sensible head on your shoulders. You're quite the scary one too if you can create pressure like that, it made even me sweat a bit. What was it by the way? It's unlike anything I've ever experienced."
"My annoyance," was all Itachi replied with as he continued to locate Camie's Voice. "You wouldn't have happened to see a mermaid pass by here, would you?"
Rayleigh laughed at his dry response, "Ha! I like you a lot, kid. Yeah, she passed us a while ago. She's in that fishbowl over there covered by a cloth."
He pointed to a covered round bowl further down the pathway.
"That bowl is sealed tight, so you wouldn't have been able to hear her either way."
Itachi's eyebrow raised at the remark.
"Yes, I know what you were trying to do. Roger had the same ability, I'm sure you know, so I'm quite familiar with it."
Itachi nodded his thanks and walked over to the covered bowl. Pulling the cloth away, he was greeted with the sight of Camie floating sullenly at the bottom of the large container.
He rapped on the thick glass with the pommel of his sword.
She looked up, her face brightening at the sight of Itachi. She started to cry/talk to him, but due to the thick glass, he couldn't hear her. It was quite convenient that his Sharingan allowed him to read lips.
WAAAAH! Mister Tall and Handsome! Thank you so much! WAAAAAAAAH! I was so scared! This fishbowl is so dirty!
Itachi ignored the erratic speech. He motioned for her swim to the bottom of the bowl, then lifting his greatsword, sliced cleanly through the middle. Water slowly leaked out of the cut, before the top half of the bowl slid right off. Camie poked her out of the water giving Itachi a great, big smile.
The tight knot of rage in his chest loosened at such an innocent smile. He felt a pang of regret at having wanted to abandon her. Ace's life was incredibly important, but it didn't mean he had to abandon others. Ace wasn't scheduled for execution for at least another week, while Camie's life could've been ruined in a few hours.
He smiled at her, "Let's get this collar off of you."
Itachi began to inspect the collar around Camie's neck, probing it with his chakra. Nodding to himself when he thought of a way to take the collar off of her, he leaned forward whispering into her ear, "Stay still."
Then with surgical precision, he began to circulate pure wind chakra through the collar, letting it rotate faster and faster in the metal ring. The chakra tore through the wiring and the explosives within the device, giving it no chance to detonate. Itachi continued to circulate chakra through the collar, allowing the sharp edges of the wind to weaken the structure of the metal encasing it. With a slight twist of his wrist, the slave collar snapped clean in half.
Within the span of a few seconds, Itachi had removed the collar from Camie's neck, surprising the slaves around them at the ease he had done it. The slave collars were supposed to be notoriously difficult to get off. Made of a material that most swords couldn't cut, and filled with explosives so that they couldn't be removed by hand unless you had the key, lest you blew yourself up.
Rayleigh's voice called out from behind him, "Oho! That's a nifty little trick you got there, boy."
Picking Camie up, he turned to see Rayleigh as well as the giant he had been sharing a cage with, outside of the said cage, their slave collars left behind them on the floor.
"Seems like you've got a couple tricks up your sleeve as well."
They both turned when a thunderous CRASH was heard from the auction hall, followed by some muffled shouting, one of which, Itachi could identify as his captain's. Seems like he had been back here too long.
"Come along, Camie. We need to make a quick exit before Luffy really worsens the situation for us."
He hopped up onto the top of the cage next to him and began to make his way back to the stage. He called back to Rayleigh.
"It was nice meeting you, but I should really get going. Also, you'll find your money in the middle drawer of the second cabinet."
Rayleigh only grinned at his retreating form. He turned, taking another swig from his flask.
"What an interesting lad, eh?"
Itachi calmly walked out of the stage wing to be greeted by a depressing but expected sight. Camie cried out at what she saw.
Luffy was standing over the downed form of Hatchan, staring darkly at the Celestial Dragon that had shot the octopus-man. As Luffy began to stomp up the aisle, Itachi called out to him.
"Luffy, I wouldn't."
"I don't care," was his reply.
Itachi sighed. As was expected, his captain would not let harm against his friends go unanswered. He grabbed a handful of shuriken from his holster. If Luffy was going to do this, might as well limit the number of people that could call an admiral on their heads.
As Luffy landed a thunderous punch on Saint Charlos' face, Itachi threw out a wave of shuriken. They all found their mark in the necks of the marines and World Government agents that were hovering behind the other two Celestial Dragons, killing them on the spot. Grabbing two more kunai, Itachi threw them with pinpoint accuracy at Saint Rosward and Saint Sharlia. The two projectiles tore right through their bubble helmets, the blades biting deep into the nobles' necks. He would've thrown a third one at Saint Charlos, but he had heard the man-child's neck break at the sheer force of Luffy's punch. If the man recovered at all, he would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Not unless Vegapunk pulled something out of his ass to save the noble's worthless life.
The people in the auction house could only gape in shock at what had transpired. These pirates had not only assaulted a Celestial Dragon but had actually killed three of them. This was unheard of. Nothing of this level had happened since the legendary fishman Fisher Tiger had climbed the Red Line and set Marie Jose aflame.
Law and Kidd only looked on in amusement and hunger. Seems like the Straw Hats were as crazy as they say. Nobody in their right mind would attack a Celestial Dragon so close to Marineford, much less kill three.
Before any of the audience members could make a move, another voice carried from the stage, bringing their attention back. Their eyes widened in wonder at the sight of Camie, but their lust and greed drained away very quickly when they saw Itachi as the one carrying her.
"Oh? You still haven't left yet, boy? You seemed like you were in quite the hurry."
Rayleigh made his way through the large hole in the stage's centerpiece, once again drinking out of his little flask. Just how much alcohol was in there?
He took a quick survey of the room, noting Hatchan's prone form, the bodies of the three World Nobles, and the state of shock that the rest of the room seemed to be in. He nodded his head.
"I see. I see. It seems that your fears are quite right if I'm to guess that your captain is Monkey D. Luffy. Quite a pickle you've gotten yourself into, eh?"
Itachi only nodded his head wearily.
Rayleigh called out to Hatchan, "Are you okay there, Hatchan?"
A soft "Nyuuu" was all that he got, but it was good enough for Rayleigh. Chopper began to rush down the aisle to start giving Hatchan medical attention. Rayleigh looked over the auction hall again, rubbing his beard.
"There're too many people here. I'd rather not have my face seen by this many people."
Then with a concentrated blast of Haki, the guards and audience fell unconscious. All that was left were the pirates.
"That's better."
He took another drink from the flask, only to find that it was empty. He pouted as he held the flask upside down, not even a drop of liquid coming out. He sighed as he pocketed the flask, quite put out that he was out of booze.
His demeanor changed when his eyes landed back on Luffy.
"I've been wanting to meet you for a while now, Monkey D. Luffy, and I must say, the hat really suits you!"
Itachi's anxiety began to gnaw at him. Of course, he didn't show it visibly, but the fact that Ace was suffering in Impel Down while Luffy and the rest of the crew were sitting in Shakky's Rip Off Bar trading stories with the Pirate King's Right Hand was making him rather agitated.
News of the attack on the Celestial Dragons hadn't circulated yet, but they had broken through the marine encirclement some time ago. It wouldn't be long before they were reported missing, their bodies nowhere at the scene as Itachi had sealed them into a scroll. It would split marine resources on the Kidd and Heart Pirates in addition to them, as they had no intel on the exact whereabouts of the nobles. Of course, the admiral would still look for the Straw Hats first, but with the uncertainty of who held the nobles hostage, he would not be aiming to kill. It was the best Itachi could make of the situation to ensure the survival of his friends.
"You're a coating mechanic right, Rayleigh? How much would a coating cost? We have plenty of money thanks to Itachi."
Nami looked at the old man inquisitively.
Rayleigh waved them off, "Oh no, I wouldn't make a friend of Hachi's pay for a coating job. I'll do it for free. It'll take around three days to finish, though."
"Three days?! No. We can't do this. Not now. Ace's life is on the line."
"No."
Everyone looked at him.
"What do you mean 'no', Itachi?" Usopp asked. "Is there something wrong with getting a coating?"
Itachi locked eyes with Luffy, "We can't get Sunny coated right now. There's too much riding on the line for Luffy and me."
Luffy tilted his head in confusion. Itachi was normally never this assertive.
"Luffy. In less than two weeks, Ace is going to be executed."