The encounter between Katakuri and Uchiha Itachi was purely accidental.
Originally, Uchiha Itachi was traveling through BIG·MOM's sea region when he happened to meet the Charlotte siblings, Katakuri and Brulee, who were out on patrol.
The siblings saw Uchiha Itachi as an intruder and wanted to deal with him, but they had no means against his Reanimation technique and his Undying Body...
Moreover, Uchiha Itachi had a remarkably high combat IQ. Katakuri sensed his own possible defeat and risked his life to save his sister Brulee, continuously protecting her while using a mirror to escape the battlefield.
During their battle...
Uchiha Itachi watched Katakuri, who for the sake of protecting his sister, turned his entire body into a mass of mochi, almost getting completely burned by the Amaterasu flames...
Thus, Uchiha Itachi decided to let him go.
Unexpectedly, there was already a bit of a connection between Katakuri and Akatsuki; two months ago, Black Zetsu had communicated with Katakuri.
Black Zetsu seized on Katakuri's weakness, understood his true inner thoughts, and believed that Katakuri had the strength to become an Akatsuki member, thus enticing him to join Akatsuki. At that time, Katakuri refused.
Therefore, Black Zetsu did not report this matter.
Today, after Katakuri was defeated by Uchiha Itachi, he wanted to repay the favor to Uchiha Itachi, so he directly plunged into Akatsuki, hoping that when this guy finds out the truth, he'll obediently stay in Akatsuki!
Akatsuki is not just any loose organization; it's not easy to join, and even harder to leave...
Unfortunately, Katakuri's name is already registered with Uehara Naraku, and now it's too late to leave Akatsuki.
Now, Uchiha Itachi didn't know what to say.
Uchiha Itachi shook his head, whispering, "Forget it, after all, you're not one of our core members... everything will wait to see how the leader handles you in the future!"
"Akatsuki's leader..."
Katakuri furrowed his brows, saying, "That person must be very strong, right?"
"I don't know."
Uchiha Itachi shook his head, then nodded, his tone gradually carrying a touch of complexity: "Humans have limits..."
Uchiha Itachi slowly lifted his head, gazing into the distance, speaking softly against the sea breeze: "But... gods should have no limits."
"A god?"
A spark flashed in Katakuri's eyes.
The next second, Katakuri forced himself to sit up, casually grabbing something to cover his chin, speaking softly: "In the future, if there's anything I can do, feel free to contact me! I need to return to Totto Land immediately so Brulee won't worry..."
"Mm."
Uchiha Itachi nodded, whispering, "I hope you remember one thing, what Akatsuki needs you to do is definitely not that simple..."
Katakuri dismissively waved his hand, responding deeply: "As long as it doesn't harm my family... you can make me do anything…"
"Your logic is flawed..."
Uchiha Itachi sighed, calmly continuing: "If Akatsuki requires you to do something and you fail to do it, the people you want to protect will find themselves in a dangerous situation..."
After saying this, Uchiha Itachi added, "Of course, if you succeed, the reward won't be small either..."
"..."
Katakuri was full of questions.
This Akatsuki organization, does it even come with threats?
The threats from Akatsuki...
No one dares to ignore them.
The Whitebeard Pirates, on the Moby Dick.
Uchiha Sasuke stood on the deck, also speaking similar words, trying hard to persuade Whitebeard: "The guy standing behind Kisame is someone with a very strong sense of revenge... he will ruthlessly take away what his enemies treasure most in their lives."
"Gurararara…"
Upon hearing Uchiha Sasuke's words, Whitebeard's face showed a carefree laugh, but his expression gradually became serious: "Little Sasuke, the person you're talking about, is the leader of Akatsuki! Did he take your brother away?"
This was Whitebeard's deduction from various information.
Although Uchiha Sasuke never fully spoke of his family, seemingly out of fear and cowardice, Whitebeard had quietly learned some things from Portgas D. Ace.
For example, his brother Uchiha Itachi had to kill their entire clan with another Akatsuki member named Uchiha Obito to protect him...
For example, his brother Uchiha Itachi died at his hands but was resurrected and reused by Akatsuki's leader...
For example, Uchiha Sasuke greatly missed his brother but knew his brother was under the control of Akatsuki's leader...
Uchiha Sasuke glanced at Whitebeard, gritted his teeth, and nodded: "Indeed, the person standing behind Kisame is the leader of Akatsuki... definitely not a character we should provoke now!"
"I see…"
Whitebeard slowly held onto his chair to stand, reached out with his hand smilingly ruffling Uchiha Sasuke's head, looking at his sons on the Moby Dick!
"Everyone!"
Whitebeard's face showed a boisterous laugh: "Then we'll take this opportunity to help little Sasuke get his brother back!"
"Hahahaha, of course!"
"That's right, Sasuke is our admiral!"
"We are family! Sasuke's brother is our brother too, how can we watch our family roam outside!"
The entire Moby Dick was instantly immersed in a joyous ocean.
Now the Whitebeard Pirates had left the Whitebeard Sea Region and sailed towards the First Half of the Grand Line, with their destination being Fishman Island.
Jinbe, returning from Fishman Island, looked at this scene and slowly sighed...
Indeed, just as he had guessed, the goal of the Whitebeard Pirates was never Hoshigaki Kisame, but the person standing behind Kisame.
"Idiots!"
Uchiha Sasuke bit his lip, glanced at the people around him, and couldn't help but clench his fist, a hint of red in his eyes: "I don't need your help! Now, return immediately!"
This group of idiots, they just won't listen!
If they were going to fight just Hoshigaki Kisame, that would be fine. Unexpectedly, their target was Uehara Naraku who was backing Kisame!
Damn it...
Are they getting too full of themselves?
They really think they're invincible at sea? The truly invincible person on this sea is probably hiding in a corner sipping juice!
"Sasuke brat…"
Whitebeard slowly squatted down, a hearty smile on his face: "We are a family, you know, helping each other is what we should do…"
After speaking, Whitebeard glanced at Sasuke's reddened eyes and patted his head: "Gurararara… Don't put on a sour face, go have a glass of juice, kid!"
"Hahahaha…"
"This is the pirate who loves drinking juice the most on the Moby Dick!"
"Almost eighteen and still doesn't dare to drink alcohol!"
There was a burst of good-natured laughter from below.
They clearly meant no harm, and the entire pirate gang had already accepted Uchiha Sasuke, even though this little guy never called Whitebeard "dad".
A blush flashed across Uchiha Sasuke's face, he just clenched his fist quietly, this enthusiastic group of idiots made him ashamed to react angrily...
This group of pirates...
Really is much more comfortable compared to the world of ninjas.
Among these people.
Marshall D. Teach was also smiling, but beneath his smile, there hid some fierceness and sorrow.
This war, no matter who wins or loses, holds no benefit for him. If Whitebeard manages to deal with the person backing Hoshigaki Kisame and wins, if they retrieve Uchiha Itachi, Teach surely won't be able to stay on this ship.
If Whitebeard loses, it implies that the Akatsuki organization competing with him for the Dark-Dark Fruit, their power might be too excessively strong...
As the Whitebeard Pirates sailed toward Fishman Island, their destined opponents were also heading toward the established battlefield.
Hundred Beast Pirates.
Two huge warships advanced toward Punk Hazard.
These two ships belong to Hundred Beast Kaido and Jack the Drought, and they brought only over two thousand members.
On the flagship of the Hundred Beast Pirates.
Kaido sat on the deck, took a gulp of strong liquor, wiped his mouth corner, and then grumbled: "Nara Shikaku wants us to rush to Punk Hazard, that's Doflamingo's domain, best that guy knows his place…"
After speaking, Kaido took another sip of his drink, snorted coldly: "In this war with Whitebeard, I'm going to restore my honor. You kid won against me, but don't drag me down and let me lose face again!"
"Mmm."
Uzumaki Naruto took a sip of juice and laughed confidently: "Sasuke and I have been sparring since Ninja Academy and I've never lost to him!"
After saying this...
Uzumaki Naruto didn't even blush.
Kaido, who was about to drink, paused, couldn't help but speak: "Hey, Naruto brat, I heard Uchiha Sasuke is a once-in-a-lifetime genius from your place, and you were always at the bottom!"
"Ah... hahahaha…"
Uzumaki Naruto awkwardly scratched the back of his head, chuckled: "Childhood grades don't count! After growing up, he's never won against me…"
"…"
There was a hint of doubt in Kaido's eyes.
If it weren't for Uzumaki Naruto demonstrating formidable strength in the previous battle, Kaido really wouldn't trust Uzumaki Naruto to handle Uchiha Sasuke...
Of course.
Originally, Kaido had some confidence in Uzumaki Naruto.
But after hearing Naruto claiming he never lost, Kaido didn't feel good, wouldn't this war head towards a strange direction?
This battle mainly relies solely on him and Uzumaki Naruto.
Kaido himself lost to Whitebeard, and if Uzumaki Naruto loses to Uchiha Sasuke, they would indeed lose face again...
But with the bow on the string, there's no turning back!
After Akatsuki issued the order, the war couldn't be stopped!