Chapter 31: Straw Hat Pirates + Itachi vs. The Remaining Murloc Army
"Luffy's gone. Now what?"
Itachi held Autumn Water, its blade gleaming in the chaos.
"Now—we fight."
He spun, cutting down two murlocs who'd tried to sneak up from behind.
"Yosh! Thundercloud Tempo!"
Nami released her bubbles, forming a dark cloud that crackled above a cluster of enemies. Lightning struck—multiple murlocs dropped.
Itachi glanced at her. "You're a Devil Fruit user?"
Nami smiled mysteriously. "Nope! Just a navigator with mysterious powers!"
A murloc lunged at her from behind—
Itachi appeared before her in an instant. His blade sang.
The murloc's chest erupted with blood. He fell without a sound.
"Always stay vigilant in dangerous places, beautiful navigator."
Then he was gone, plunging into the mass of human pirates.
Nami blinked. Recovered. A warm smile touched her lips.
Then she shook herself. "NO! Itachi said STAY VIGILANT!"
Itachi carved through the human pirates like a scythe through wheat. Four fell in seconds. He created distance, hands flashing through seals.
FIRE RELEASE: GREAT FIREBALL!
Flames engulfed a hundred pirates in a single blast.
"THIS GUY—WE CAN'T FIGHT HIM!"
"HE'S RIGHT! Why are we dying for these murlocs?!"
A pirate threw down his weapon. "BLACK-SAN! We didn't choose this! The murlocs captured us! We're forced to—"
"Pick up your weapon."
The pirate froze.
"Black-san, I'm trying to SURRENDER—"
Itachi decapitated a murloc mid-sentence, not even looking at the pirate.
"Do you think the murlocs will spare you if you drop your weapon now?"
The pirate's eyes widened. Understanding dawned.
"You're RIGHT, black-san!"
He grabbed his sword. "EVERYONE! The black-san's right! If we want freedom, we have to EARN it! KILL THE MURLOCS!"
The human pirates roared and turned on their captors.
Itachi stopped targeting them. He had a more important goal.
Hody.
If he could take that bastard's head—show every murloc their leader dead—the battle would end.
His Sharingan swept the plaza.
Nothing.
Then he looked UP.
Hody was climbing Noah's anchor chain, ascending toward the falling ark.
When did he—
Above, Luffy had already entered Noah's bubble.
And the mermaid citizens—the flying troops—were spontaneously trying to stop the giant ship.
"PRINCESS SHIRAHOSHI! GO!"
"STAY AWAY FROM HER, NOAH!"
They threw themselves at the ark, their strength negligible but their courage absolute.
Hody, now on the ship, snarled.
"Pathetic. Scum of Fishman Island—as despicable as humans!"
He hurled water bullets, piercing every mermaid who tried to intervene.
Luffy, who'd just climbed aboard, SAW.
His fist connected with Hody's face.
"KUOOOOO! HODY!!!"
Noah chased Shirahoshi toward the open sea.
Itachi's jaw tightened. Luffy's now fighting two enemies alone.
We need to accelerate things here.
He looked down at the plaza—and the ground beneath him COLLAPSED.
He sank waist-deep into sudden earth.
Daruma erupted from the soil, his drill-fangs gleaming.
"GOT HIM!"
The smallest of Hody's officers lunged, jaws wide to take Itachi's head—
WHAM.
Chopper burst from the ground between them, Kung-Fu Point gleaming.
"I WON'T LET YOU!"
Usopp grabbed Itachi's shoulders, hauling him free. "WE MADE IT! Itachi-brother! We're here to save you!"
"SO SO! Itachi-brother! Leave this guy to ME!" Chopper faced Daruma, furious.
Earlier, this same bastard had tunnel-trapped General Franky. Chopper had been WAITING for this.
Itachi looked at them—Usopp's panicked determination, Chopper's righteous anger.
They came for me.
"Thank you." It was genuine. "I'll leave him to you."
He moved, rejoining the main battle.
On Hody's abandoned throne, Ranzo the blue-ringed octopus fish-man continued drinking. His "snacks" were Energy Steroids.
"Ranzo-aniki! The battle's chaos outside! Shouldn't you—"
"Yeah! You'll get drunk!"
Ranzo ignored them. Drinking mattered more than anything.
Then he stiffened. The bottle slipped. He dropped to his knees, shaking violently.
"ANIKI?!"
Ranzo's eyes blazed red.
His tentacles—each lined with blades—spun like a tornado, shredding every murloc within reach.
"ANIKI! WHAT ARE YOU—"
They didn't finish. Ranzo's blades ended them.
A surviving murloc pointed desperately. "RANZO-ANIKI! THE STRAW HATS! THEY'RE THE ENEMY! KILL THEM!"
Ranzo's mind flashed back: entering Fishman Island, meeting those red eyes, falling into an OCTOPUS PURGATORY of teppanyaki nightmares.
Hody's steroids had woken him—but the hatred remained.
"STRAW... HATS!!!"
He charged where the murloc pointed.
Robin stood tall, her Giant Tree summons stomping murlocs into paste. She scanned for her next target—
Wind. Blades. Coming FAST.
A blue octopus with weaponized tentacles—the one from their arrival.
Too fast—I can't—
CLANG.
Itachi's blade intercepted Ranzo's. He stood between Robin and death.
"ITACHI!"
Itachi's eyes never left Ranzo.
"Finish your work. I have this."<｜end▁of▁thinking｜># Chapter 31: Straw Hat Pirates + Itachi vs. The Remaining Murloc Army
"Luffy's gone. So what now?"
Itachi held Autumn Water, the blade catching the hellish light of the burning plaza.
"Now—we fight."
He turned and cut down two murlocs who had tried to flank him. Their bodies hit the ground before they could scream.
"Yosh! Thundercloud Tempo!"
Nami released her weather bubbles, forming a dark cloud that crackled above a cluster of enemies. Lightning struck—a dozen murlocs convulsed and fell.
Itachi glanced at her. "You're a Devil Fruit user?"
Nami smiled mysteriously. "Nope! Just a navigator with mysterious powers!"
A massive murloc lunged at her from behind—
Itachi appeared before her in an instant. His blade moved.
The murloc's chest erupted with blood. He fell without a sound.
"Always stay vigilant in dangerous places, beautiful navigator."
Then he was gone, plunging into the mass of human pirates.
Nami blinked. Recovered. A warm smile touched her lips.
Then she shook herself. "NO! Itachi said STAY VIGILANT!"
Itachi carved through the human pirates like a scythe through wheat. Four fell in seconds. He created distance, hands flashing through seals.
FIRE RELEASE: GREAT FIREBALL!
A sphere of flame engulfed a hundred pirates in a single blast. Screams filled the air.
"THIS GUY—WE CAN'T FIGHT HIM!"
"HE'S RIGHT! Why are we dying for these damn murlocs?!"
A pirate threw down his weapon. "BLACK-SAN! We didn't choose this! The murlocs captured us! We're forced to fight—"
"Pick up your weapon."
The pirate froze.
"Black-san, I'm trying to SURRENDER—"
Itachi decapitated a murloc mid-sentence, not even looking at the pirate.
"Do you think the murlocs will spare you if you drop your weapon now?"
The pirate's eyes widened. Understanding dawned.
"You're RIGHT, black-san!"
He grabbed his sword. "EVERYONE! The black-san's right! If we want freedom, we have to EARN it! KILL THE MURLOCS!"
A roar went up from the human prisoners. They turned on their captors with renewed fury.
Itachi stopped targeting them. He had a more important goal.
Hody.
If he could take that bastard's head—show every murloc their leader dead—the battle would end.
His Sharingan swept the plaza.
Nothing.
Then he looked UP.
Hody was climbing Noah's anchor chain, ascending toward the falling ark.
When did he—
Above, Luffy had already entered Noah's bubble.
And the mermaid citizens—the flying troops—were spontaneously trying to stop the giant ship.
"PRINCESS SHIRAHOSHI! GO!"
"STAY AWAY FROM HER, NOAH!"
They threw themselves at the ark, their strength negligible but their courage absolute.
Hody, now on the ship, snarled.
"Pathetic. Scum of Fishman Island—as despicable as humans!"
He hurled water bullets, piercing every mermaid who tried to intervene.
Luffy, who'd just climbed aboard, SAW.
His fist connected with Hody's face with the force of a cannon.
"KUOOOOO! HODY!!!"
Noah chased Shirahoshi toward the open sea.
Itachi's jaw tightened. Luffy's now fighting two enemies alone.
We need to accelerate things here.
He looked down at the plaza—and the ground beneath him COLLAPSED.
He sank waist-deep into sudden earth.
Daruma erupted from the soil, his drill-fangs gleaming.
"GOT HIM!"
The smallest of Hody's officers lunged, jaws wide to take Itachi's head—
WHAM.
Chopper burst from the ground between them, Kung-Fu Point gleaming.
"I WON'T LET YOU!"
Usopp grabbed Itachi's shoulders, hauling him free. "WE MADE IT! Itachi-brother! We're here to save you!"
"SO SO! Itachi-brother! Leave this guy to ME!" Chopper faced Daruma, furious.
Earlier, this same bastard had tunnel-trapped General Franky. Chopper had been WAITING for this.
Itachi looked at them—Usopp's panicked determination, Chopper's righteous anger.
They came for me.
"Thank you." It was genuine. "I'll leave him to you."
He moved, rejoining the main battle.
On Hody's abandoned throne, Ranzo the blue-ringed octopus fish-man continued drinking. His "snacks" were Energy Steroids.
"Ranzo-aniki! The battle's chaos outside! Shouldn't you—"
"Yeah! You'll get drunk!"
Ranzo ignored them. Drinking mattered more than anything.
Then he stiffened. The bottle slipped. He dropped to his knees, shaking violently.
"ANIKI?!"
Ranzo's eyes blazed red.
His tentacles—each lined with blades—spun like a tornado, shredding every murloc within reach.
"ANIKI! WHAT ARE YOU—"
They didn't finish. Ranzo's blades ended them.
A surviving murloc pointed desperately. "RANZO-ANIKI! THE STRAW HATS! THEY'RE THE ENEMY! KILL THEM!"
Ranzo's mind flashed back: entering Fishman Island, meeting those red eyes, falling into an OCTOPUS PURGATORY of teppanyaki nightmares.
Hody's steroids had woken him—but the hatred remained.
"STRAW... HATS!!!"
He charged where the murloc pointed.
Robin stood tall, her Giant Tree summons stomping murlocs into paste. She scanned for her next target—
Wind. Blades. Coming FAST.
A blue octopus with weaponized tentacles—the one from their arrival.
Too fast—I can't—
CLANG.
Itachi's blade intercepted Ranzo's. He stood between Robin and death.
"ITACHI!"
Itachi's eyes never left Ranzo.
"Finish your work. I have this."
(End of Chapter)
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