Chapter 180: New Mission — Finding Food
"I wonder what kind of food Big Brother Itachi will make?"
"Could it be... secret ninja food pills?!"
The more Chopper thought about it, the more he drooled.
Itachi opened the storage room door. He stood there for a moment. Then he turned around with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
"Luffy. Where is the food we brought from Zou?"
Nami's blood ran cold. She shoved past Itachi and stared into the storage room.
Empty. Completely, utterly empty.
"ZOU'S SUPPLIES... GONE?!"
"Ah, I failed a bunch of times, so I used everything up." Luffy beamed. "But I succeeded in the end! That's what counts!"
Nami's smile matched Itachi's. "So. The entire food supply. Is gone."
"I figured everyone would be really hungry, so I made extra! Shishishi!"
Luffy kept laughing. He did not sense the danger.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
"GYAAAH! NAMI! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRYYYYY!"
Brook and Chopper clung to each other, tears streaming down their faces. "We're so hungry... what do we do...?"
"Sanji-san... at this moment... I miss you so much..."
"Even though I have no heart to miss anyone with! Yohohoho!"
Carrot stared into her empty backpack. "My carrots are gone."
"Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong." Pedro pressed his paw to his forehead.
Itachi exhaled—a long, slow breath that seemed to come from somewhere deep in his soul—and summoned the Black Fire Crow.
"I'll search the area. Pirate ships. Islands. We'll take whatever we can find."
"Great idea! I'm coming too!"
Itachi glanced at Luffy. For something like robbery, bringing Luffy along seemed... appropriate.
"Wait!" Nami stepped forward. "If we find pirates, we rob them. Take everything—food, treasure, whatever they've got."
"But if we find a civilian island, forget it. We're not attacking innocent people."
Pekoms tilted his head. "Aren't you pirates? Shouldn't you be burning and looting and killing strangers?"
"Guess what we did on Zou," Brook said, drifting to Pekoms' side.
"G-gawu! You wouldn't—!"
"Get ahold of yourself!" Pedro snapped.
"The Straw Hats aren't that kind of crew."
Nami returned from the women's quarters, a small purse clutched in her hands. "I'm coming too. If it's a civilian island, I'll handle the purchasing." She produced a paired Den Den Mushi and established contact with the ship. "Chopper, Brook, Pedro, Pekoms—you wait here. Carrot, you're with us."
"Me?!"
"Luffy, Itachi, and I will handle the food. We'll be back as soon as we find something."
Carrot had already scrambled onto the Black Fire Crow. Itachi raised an eyebrow.
She dropped to her knees with a thunderous thud. "ITACHI-SAMA IS THE GREATEST! ITACHI-SAMA IS THE BEST! I LOVE ITACHI-SAMA MORE THAN ANYTHING! PLEASE LET ME COME WITH YOU! PLEASE!"
"...Fine. Just stop making a scene."
"THANK YOU! KARUQIU!"
Carrot launched herself at Itachi.
The next second—
"HEEEEELP!"
Itachi held Carrot by her ears, dangling her over the open sea. "Do not 'Karuqiu' me."
Thirty Minutes Later — Open Sea
Luffy's stomach growled so loudly that it briefly drowned out the wind. "Any pirate ships yet?! Just give me one! I'll rob it! I'll rob it so hard!"
Carrot lay across the Black Fire Crow's burning edge, dragging her paw through the flames with childlike fascination. "It's so hot! But it doesn't burn us at all! How does that work?!"
A seagull pulled alongside the crow. Carrot's ears swiveled. Her head tracked the bird with laser focus—until the Black Fire Crow accelerated and left it far behind.
Itachi stood at the crow's front, eyes fixed on the horizon. "There. An island. Decent size."
"WHERE?! IS IT A MEAT ISLAND?!" Luffy scrambled forward.
The shadow resolved into land. Massive fir trees covered the island's interior, their dark green canopies stretching toward the sky like cathedral spires. And there—near the coast, at the edge of the forest—a watchtower.
"People live here," Itachi observed.
"PERFECT! EVERYONE GET READY! WE'RE STEALING MEAT!"
Nami's fist connected with Luffy's skull. "If those are civilians, we're BUYING it! With MONEY! Remember?!"
Itachi pointed southwest. "That looks like a town. And a port."
"YOSH! MOVE OUT!"
The Black Fire Crow descended.
The port was modest but well-maintained. Fishing boats bobbed at the docks. Nets hung drying in the afternoon sun. The buildings beyond the harbor were built in a style that spoke of cold winters and practical living.
"Someone's here, at least," Itachi said. "Hopefully the market prices are reasonable."
"Leave that to ME." Nami cracked her knuckles. "No merchant gets a single berry out of my purse without at least a twenty percent discount. Minimum."
Carrot poked at the dissipating embers of the Black Fire Crow. Luffy had already bolted.
"HEY! IS ANYONE HERE?! BRING OUT YOUR BEST MEAT! I WANT TO EAT MEAT!"
"Luffy. Keep your voice down." Itachi moved to intercept.
But Luffy was in his element now—an unpredictable, rubber-bodied missile of hunger and enthusiasm. He dodged Itachi's grab with the reflexive agility of a man who had spent his entire life being chased by irritated crewmates. His arms stretched out, caught the stone arch at the town's entrance, and catapulted him into the main street.
"HEY! WHERE'S THE RESTAURANT?! I WANT TO EAT!"
"LUFFY!"
Itachi caught him and clamped a hand over his mouth. "We're strangers here. We don't know this island's customs. We don't know who might be watching. Show some restraint."
Luffy popped back up. "What's the problem? I'm here to eat, and I brought Nami. Nami's got money!"
"HEY! ANYONE HERE?! I'M HERE TO EAT!"
Itachi's eye twitched. He surveyed the street with a quick sweep of his Sharingan.
Something was wrong.
The town was too quiet. The buildings were intact, the streets were clean, but the usual bustle of a working port was completely absent. No merchants called out their wares. No children ran through the alleys. No fishermen hauled their catches to market.
The street was empty.
"Luffy." Itachi's voice was quiet now. "Something's not right."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Luffy looked around. "There's nobody here?"
A door creaked open.
(End of Chapter)
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