Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Focus.
A cockroach scittered across the wall of the second level of the World Government's most secure prison Impel Down. Its thin legs carried it past the rows of cells that lined the labyrinth of corridors and bridges that spanned the entire level before it stopped at a large door. It probed the underside of the door but was unable to find any cracks. It began to crawl up the side of the wall until it stopped at the base of a Surveillance Den Den Mushi. It's little antenna poked and prodded before it felt it was okay to climb onto the snail. Said snail shivered at the ticklish touch of the cockroach's thin legs until the insect began to crawl up onto its eyestalks. It shook its eyes in an attempt to dissuade the cockroach from climbing any further.
"-krrrrch- Hey, Sanderson. This is the monitoring room. There's something that's messing with the Surveillance Den Den Mushi on Section E by the Sector 6 door. Mind sending someone to check it out? I think it might be a cockroach. The viewing angle is incorrect. -krrccch-"
"-krrrch- Yeah, I can do that. Hold on a sec. -krrrch-"
The cockroach left the snail alone and continued up the wall, but then it stopped, its little antenna bumping into some sort of rubbery material. It walked around probing the material before it decided it wasn't worth its time and scurried to the left.
Itachi stood on the wall behind the Den Den Mushi watching the little insect's progress.
He had considered transforming himself into something small, such as a cockroach, and infiltrated the prison, but he had hit the jackpot when he had heard the Voice of a Sea King disappear. He decided to investigate as a Sea King wouldn't just randomly die as they normally didn't fight each other and one hadn't breached the water's surface near the Marine warships. Investigating the ocean that surrounded the jail, he had found that there was a large overhang that jutted out of the prison, of which a group of creatures left and entered carrying chopped pieces of Sea King meat. It had been all too easy for Itachi to disguise himself as one of the creatures and infiltrate the prison through the underwater entrance. Staying in that disguise, he had been able to easily enter the second level of the prison completely undetected. He had instantly split off from the other "Blugori," as they were called, and leaped up higher and higher along the maze of cells, pathways, and bridges until he found the ceiling. He had dropped the Henge at that point and stuck himself to the ceiling. Despite all of the Surveillance Den Den Mushi that lined the walls, none of them were looking far enough up, and Itachi was able to traverse the ceiling undisturbed and unseen.
He had walked around for a while, scoping out the entire area.
He had seen the giant sphinx that guarded the main staircase as well as the Basilisk that roamed. Itachi had decided against trying to get past the massive beast and had instead been looking for other smaller doors or gates. He had entered from one when he had been disguised as a Blugori, so it wasn't too hard to imagine that there were other ones that would lead him to the Level 3 floor. When he had found a door, he had been planning on just shifting the snail that was watching over it, just enough so that it wouldn't show him entering the door. Instead, a little cockroach has done it for him, causing the snail to shift its eyes. Now all he had to do was sit and wait until somebody came through the door beneath him to fix it.
Guard and technician Gallen Oekenstock opened the door to Section E. Captain Sanderson had requested for a technician closest to the SES6 door to check up on the Surveillance Den Den Mushi there. He pushed the door open, peeking out to check if there were any beasts nearby.
Seeing none, he pushed the door open, bringing out the ladder he had brought with him. He looked up at the Den Den Mushi to see that its eyestalks had shifted slightly.
A cockroach scuttled across the stone brick.
Oekenstock grimaced in disgust. He felt sorry for the poor snail. A cockroach crawling over your eyes or near them was probably the worst feeling ever.
He set the ladder down against the wall and climbed up it. Gently placing his fingers on the eyestalks, he shifted them back into an upright position.
Fixing the issue, he gently stroked the snail's shell causing its eyes to slightly close at the nice feeling. Unknown to most of the prison force, Oekenstock had a real soft spot for the many Den Den Mushi that they used and he made sure to give them a pet or a small snack whenever he could.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out some eggshells and fed it to the snail, which it munched on happily. Giving it one last pet he clambered down, picked up the ladder, and left through the door he had come through.
"-krrrch- This is Oekenstock. Surveillance Snail in SES6 second door has been recalibrated. Heading back to junction 5. -krrrch-"
That entire time, Oekenstock was completely oblivious to the shadow that had slipped into the open door heading towards Level 3.
Itachi had slipped in the instant the door had opened and began to walk down the passage. Taking a turn and going down two flights of stairs, he found himself in an empty space. There was a large sign on the wall that read "Junction 3". Next to it were a few signs that pointed in different directions. One, in particular, stood out to him: "Monitoring Room".
"Oh, this is just too good."
He began to walk in the direction of the sign. If there was no one to see him, was he really seen?
Itachi knocked out the last guard in the Monitoring Room; killing them would've alerted others of an intruder, and he couldn't have that. He placed paper seals over their faces that would trap them a genjutsu the second they woke up. He put all of the guards back in their seats and then took a look at all of the screens that filled the rooms. He took his time going through all of them to learn about what he might encounter on each level as well as figure out a path to Level 6.
Taking a look through the final few screens and flipping between the last few Surveillance Snails, Itachi concluded that he could take the corridors that the prison guards used down to Level 4, but from there, he would need to find a way to enter the main staircase as there were no other guard service doors that lead to either Level 5 or Level 6.
He turned to leave the room, satisfied with the information. As of now, a majority of the guards on Level 4 were quelling a rather riotous fight happening. If he could get down there fast enough, he could slip into the main stairwell and head straight down to Level 6. He left a clone in the room that would dispel if it noticed a change in the guard detail of the main stairwell.
He slapped another paper seal on the door before he closed it behind him. He had placed it where half of the tag was on the door and the other half was on the doorway, so if the door were to be opened, the seal would break. If the seal broke, the paper tags on the guards inside the room would activate, disintegrating into the air and trapping them in a genjutsu where Itachi had never entered the room. When the genjutsu broke, they would conveniently forget about him.
It was a fool-proof way of ensuring that his entire existence in the prison was erased.
A perfect break-in.
Level 4 was hot.
The blazing fires and the massive boiling lake had allowed Itachi to infer that the fourth level of Impel Down was it's hottest, but the blast of blazing heat that had washed over him had him instantly sweating in his cloak.
In an attempt to ward off the heat, he tried to mold a bit of wind chakra throughout his body and create a small pocket of moving wind inside his cloak. It wasn't perfect but it added a bit of extra-insulation between him and the burning heat, even if it did make him look a little fat.
Far to his right, he could hear the riot still happening. If he listened a little bit closer he could hear a Voice disappear every now and then. His clone hadn't dispelled, so more than likely he'd be able to enter the stairwell unimpeded, most of the guards still trying to quell the fighting.
He walked silently over the massive bridge, the stairwell coming into view. He could see the massive stone structure that was the Warden's office as well as the double doors that led to the kitchen. There were no guards in sight, which is exactly what he wanted.
Pressing hard against the stone, he used Body Flicker to quickly traverse the open area and appeared in front of the stairs. His hands flashed through a set of hand seals.
"Earth Release: Hiding in Rock Technique"
He sank into the ground and began to move forward. He bypassed the door and rose up on the other side inside of the stairwell wall. He had seen plenty of guards patrolling the stairwell with more stationed at the Level 5 entrance when he had been in the monitoring room.
This jutsu used a bit more chakra than he would've liked, but it was a simple way to bypass the guards and head straight down to Level 6. He effortlessly glided through the stone wall, passing patrols of guards.
When he reached the Level 5 entrance he could feel the sharp sting of the cold through the stones. If he were to choose between the searing heat of Level 4 or the biting chill of Level 5, Itachi didn't have an answer of what his answer would be. Perhaps Level 4? He could handle heat a little bit better than he could handle the cold, but it wasn't by much if he was to be honest.
Finished with his musings, Itachi continued down the stairs into Impel Down's deepest level: Level 6. A place where only the most powerful and vile prisoners were kept. When no other torture could hurt them, the only option left was to leave them in the dark to rot.
Itachi reached the Level 6 entrance, slipping underneath the door and rising up from the ground on the other side. There had been three guard patrols in front of the door, but none of them dared to enter, far too scared of the individuals held there. As such, Itachi could conserve some chakra by exiting the ground and walking to Ace's cell.
As he made his way through the quiet floor, he made no attempt to conceal himself, so the sound of his sandals hitting the stone ground echoed loudly against the walls.
Various criminals and pirates looked up at the sound, surprised to find someone who wasn't a Chief Guard, Hannyabal, or Magellan walking in the Eternal Hell. They began to mutter amongst themselves.
"Who is that…"
"I nevah seen dat guy bufore…"
"He ain't wearing no guard uniform…"
A voice yelled out from his left.
"Hey yous! Come to keep us a lil' company? Why don't ya bring that pretty face over here? I promise I'll take real good care of yah.~"
Itachi continued to walk forward, ignoring them. Then the jeering started.
"Go back home to mommy, pretty boy! This ain't no place for a pansy like you!"
"Look at 'em. Probably scrawny and weak under that stupid black and red cloak…"
"See those marks on his face? I bet he made them by crying too much! HA!"
Itachi came to a stop in front of Ace's cell. He took stock of Ace's half-dead form. Dried blood caked the side of his face and matted his hair. Cuts and bruises littered his body, running from his shoulders out to his arms and trailing down his torso. Some of the beads on his necklace were cracked with others just completely gone. His shorts were torn and bloodstained and his boots were missing. His wrists and ankles were chaffed from the constant rubbing of the restraints holding them.
All in all, he looked like utter shit. The jeering and the comments around him had quieted down when the occupants of the surrounding cells had seen him stop in front of Ace's cell. They were quite interested with what this stranger wanted with the infamous 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Seems like I have to save your ass time and time again. Whether it's flying overboard of Whitebeard's ship or getting eaten by giant plants, I've always had to bail you out. I won't be losing my unofficial role as your babysitter any time soon, eh?"
Ace's head lifted up in disbelief at the familiar voice.
"What am I going to do with you, Ace?"
When Ace saw Itachi's smiling face standing outside his cell, tears threatened to fall from his eyes. Real men weren't supposed to cry, but dammit! It was hard for a little brother to hold back his tears when his older brother comes and saves him!
Itachi opened the door to Ace's cell and stepped in.
"I know that my captain is probably on his way here right now to try and save you, but it seems I got here first. I'm sure Luffy will understand. Besides, it's an older brother's duty to save his little brother, isn't it? You'd shame older brothers everywhere if Luffy saved you, eh?"
Ace let out a weak chuckle at Itachi's words.
"Can't let that happen, can we? Luffy would never let me forget about it."
The massive manacles holding Ace's arms and legs opened with a quiet click, releasing his limbs from their confinement. Itachi pulled Ace into a gentle hug, cradling his head delicately. His cloak became slightly damper, but he didn't comment on it, allowing Ace to let everything out.
"I'm sorry… I was too weak… I couldn't... I couldn't avenge Thatch! I couldn't avenge Thatch's death, Itachi!"
Itachi's heart swelled with rage and grief at the mention of the 4th Division Commander, and he tightened his arms around Ace, bringing the young man further into his comfort.
"So you found your little fruit, Teach? I hope it was worth it because I will slaughter you and your entire crew."
Thousands of kilometers away, the Blackbeard Pirates shivered in terror as a cold sweat formed on their necks, an atmosphere of darkness and despair seemingly appearing over them.
The same thought passed through their heads.
"We've messed up, bad."
Itachi continued to hold Ace as he cried, pushing the anger in his chest down. Taking care of his little brother came first, anger could come later.
He gently peeled Ace off of him and pushed Ace down into a prone position on the ground, green chakra beginning to cover his hands.
He began to heal Ace. He started with the cuts and bruises that littered his body, a majority of them disappearing under his attention. Itachi then began to focus on Ace's head.
Unsealing some medical supplies from his sketchbook, he started to clean Ace's face of blood. When he moved onto Ace's hair, he unsealed a barrel of water and began to use the water in it to soften the dried blood that caked Ace's hair. It was tedious work, but after a while, Ace's black locks were free of blood and grime, the large gash on his scalp healed by Itachi's tender hands. He gave a sponge to Ace so that he could wipe the rest of his body clean. While Ace was cleaning himself up, Itachi unsealed a portable cooking stove, a skillet, and a few ingredients and began to cook a light meal for Ace.
Thousands of kilometers in another direction, Luffy and Elder Nyon stared in wonder at the sight of Ace's Vivre Card becoming slightly larger.
"You're brother… He's getting better-nyon! How can this be?! Impel Down wouldn't give him any medical attention-nyon!"
Luffy only laughed, "Shishishi! That just means something good's happening! Come'on granny, let's go ask Hamdock for a boat!"
The other prisoners looked on in envy at the care that Ace was receiving, especially when the delicious smell of cooked food wafted past their noses.
"Hey, pretty boy! Why don't you bring some of that good-smellin' grub over here? I haven't had a decent meal in 20 years!"
"Hey! Hey! Come open up my cell door too! Take care of me!"
The jeers, taunts, and pleas started to become louder and louder, until all of a sudden they choked on their words. Staring at Itachi, all they could think of was cowering in their cell away from his terrifying image. They felt like they were drowning, their lungs not bringing in enough oxygen. When Itachi looked up at them, the pressure on their heads tripled, forcing some of them onto their knees.
"Fools should learn when to shut their mouths. You lower the collective IQ of this floor every time you speak."
Then he looked back down and the pressure disappeared, their ability to breathe coming back with gulping breaths. They wisely stayed silent after that, only sneaking glances towards Ace's cell.
Ace looked at the plate that Itachi offered him, but shook his head, "Not yet, Itachi."
He pointed to the other occupant of the cell, a sandy-haired man who was watching them and looked no better than Ace had been originally, "Heal him too. I won't take any more help unless you give it to him too."
Itachi raised his eyebrow.
"He's my brother too! I never told you about him, but his name is Sabo and he's been my brother since back when I was on Dawn Island with Dadan and them…"
Ace was gesturing wildly, pointing at the "S" in his "ASCE" tattoo multiple times and then he began to ramble about the Trash Heap, Grey Terminal, pipes, tiger lord-
He was interrupted by Itachi poking his forehead in a familiar gesture. He rubbed the spot sheepishly.
"Sorry, Itachi. Got carried away, but Sabo's really important to me, so could you-"
Before he finished the question, the restraints holding Sabo clicked open as well. Itachi caught Sabo before he fell over. He looked even much worse than Ace had. While Ace had small cuts and bruises all over his body, Sabo's had significantly larger slashes over his body, most definitely made with a sword.
He heard Sabo mumble something out.
"So I guess… I got 'nother brotha…"
Itachi smiled at him, "Yes, you do. I'll be your older brother from now on too. Call me Itachi."
A pained wheeze escaped his mouth, "Guess… so… Ace wouldn't… stop talking… 'bout you… first… long time… hasn't...talked…. Luffy..."
Itachi laid him on the ground removing his coat and shirt, "I'm sure he told quite a few things about me, namely that I was the one saving him time and time again."
Another pained chuckle.
Sabo had multiple cracked ribs and a broken arm. Itachi could reset the bones, but that was the most he'd be willing to attempt. Healing the bone itself was a far more intensive process than just healing cuts and bruises. Itachi didn't want to use up too much chakra healing either of the two, only just enough so that both would be fit to leave the prison. He washed and bandaged Sabo's chest after shifting his ribs back into their proper position and healing his other injuries. Itachi then turned his focus to Sabo's right arm, noting that it had been a clean break. Setting it and splinting it, Itachi was impressed that Sabo hadn't made a sound despite having his bones shifting around inside his body.
Ace's brothers were really something else.
He then used the water barrel to wash Sabo's hair, face, and body, Ace raptly watching Itachi work. When he noted that Sabo was cleaned and healed, looking leagues better than he had before, Ace picked up the plate of food and dove into it with gusto. Itachi placed a cup of water next to Ace before he went back to the little stove, ready to fill the bottomless pit that was Ace's stomach. If Sabo was anything like Ace and Luffy, Itachi would need another clone to cook just for him.
He finished grilling a steak just as Ace cried for "MORE!"
Ace had been free from his restraints for less than 30 minutes and he was already back to his old self.
Itachi shook his head as he gave the steak to Ace.
The surrounding prisoners could only watch in grotesque wonder and extreme envy at the veritable feast, courtesy of Itachi, that Ace and Sabo were wolfing down ravenously. He was glad that he had sealed away all the food that Sanji had bought back on the Sabaody Archipelago, as if he hadn't, the amount of food he would've been able to serve his brothers wouldn't have been nearly enough.
Itachi had already been in their cell for two days now, his clone in the Monitoring Room had dispelled long ago, a fresh group of guards coming to relieve the guards already there. He hadn't bothered trying to retake control of the room as he didn't need to. Before he had even entered the prison, he had set up a Reverse Summoning Anchor seal on one of the trees in the forest that surrounded Impel Down's entrance, so once Sabo's condition stabilized some more, he would take the two of them and then Reverse Summon himself to the anchor point.
When he had been drawing the seal, he had been wishing that he knew the Flying Thunder God Technique that the Fourth had been so proficient at. It would've made Itachi's escape route far simpler to make, as all he had to do was slap a premade formula onto the tree and be done with it. Instead, he had been forced to spend a couple of hours meticulously crafting an anchor point that he could cast Reverse Summoning to. It had been an annoyingly tedious task, but Itachi knew that it was a far better escape plan than trying to break out of the prison on foot.
While they had been sitting there, eating and recovering, the two brothers shared stories of their adventurers as well as trading stories regarding their youngest brother, Luffy, with Itachi. He shared stories of his own regarding his happy-go-lucky captain, regaling them with his adventures with the Straw Hats from Skypiea all the way to the Sabaody Archipelago.
The way they were laughing and eating you wouldn't think at all that two of them were technically scheduled to die five days from now, but you also wouldn't think that some random man would break into Impel Down just to cook up a massive feast and heal them for nothing. No, he came to break them out and all the inmates knew that, so when the three men finished eating and talking and began to pack up, many of the other prisoners began to call out to Itachi.
"Hey man, come let us out too!"
"Yea! Yea! Let us out, big bro! We'd totally be in your debt!"
Itachi ignored them and sealed everything into his sketchbook. He picked up a smaller scroll that was on the ground and slipped it inside of his cloak, storing it in a pocket.
He then turned to Ace and Sabo who were standing up ready to leave.
Suddenly, Itachi kicked the both of them back, causing them to cry out in surprise. In an instant, both of them felt the cold, rough manacles close over their limbs and panic began to set in. Itachi had come here to save them hadn't he? So what was he doing?
They began to struggle.
"Oi! Itachi! What's the meaning of this?!"
Ace's question was only met with a swift quick to the jaw that rattled his brain. Itachi didn't stop there. He and a clone began to beat the ever-living shit out of Ace and Sabo in a shocking display of brutality.
The surrounding prisoners only watched in shock as he completely blew their expectations out of the water. Instead of breaking them out, he was breaking their spirits. They took a perverse delight in the sight and began to egg Itachi on.
"Yea! Right there!"
"Aim for the liver!"
"Gouge out their eyes!"
Itachi still ignored them. When he finished, the clone puffed out of existence, and he slapped his hand to the ground, a seal spreading out from his palm. In a puff of smoke, Itachi was gone from the cell leaving the two prisoners alone with the mocking laughter that rang through the Eternal Hell of Impel Down.
Such a clever boy, Itachi.