Chapter 49: Abnormal Pupil Power
"Alright! The middle one is shaking like crazy!"
Luffy pointed triumphantly at the violently trembling needle on the Log Pose.
"That must be leading to some fun adventure!"
He struck a pose on the bow.
"I've decided! We're heading toward the middle one!"
Usopp and Chopper's screams pierced the air simultaneously.
"IT'S OVER!"
"I KNEW Luffy seeing that thing would be bad news!"
Nami's face had already crumpled into an expression of utter despair.
"The path through the New World... so dark... so hopeless..."
And so, with ten different emotional states weighing on ten different hearts, the Straw Hats boarded the Thousand Sunny.
After one final promise to Shirahoshi—that they would definitely take her to see the surface world one day—the crew prepared for departure.
"Alright! LET'S GO!"
Luffy leaped onto the figurehead as the anchor rose. Amid the thunderous cheers of Fishman Island's citizens, the Thousand Sunny began its slow ascent through the bubble, rising toward the surface world above.
"I'll miss you, beautiful mermaid ladies!" Sanji blew kiss after kiss toward the harbor. "This is truly a dream paradise! If I could, I'd live here for a year!"
"Then why don't you jump off now, you stupid cook?" Zoro's eye narrowed.
Sanji whirled on him. "YOU should jump off! We've got Itachi now—we don't need a moss-headed swordsman taking up space!"
"WHO are you calling moss-headed, you perma-brow?"
Zoro rolled up his sleeves. Sanji raised a leg. The two immediately devolved into their usual combat stance.
Robin stood at the railing beside Itachi, watching the chaos with an amused smile.
"They're always like this. You'll get used to it."
Itachi exhaled slowly.
"I'm already getting used to it."
He turned to Robin.
"Franky is the shipwright, correct?"
"Yes. The Sunny is his pride and joy. He maintains everything himself."
"Does he have access to a forge? An iron furnace?"
Robin's eyebrow rose curiously. "There's one in the bow. Why do you ask?"
Itachi touched his waist—empty of the tools he'd carried his entire life.
"As a ninja, not having my equipment feels... uncomfortable. I thought perhaps Franky might allow me to forge some new tools."
Robin's expression shifted to one of understanding, then amusement.
"A ninja forging his own weapons. How fitting."
At that moment, Usopp—who had been setting up an enormous fishing line with a hook the size of a small anchor—overheard the conversation. His ears perked up.
"Ninja tools?!"
He abandoned his fishing project immediately, leaving Luffy to eye the unattended hook with predatory interest.
"Brother Itachi! What kind of tools?!"
Itachi considered how to explain. "Throwing darts, primarily. And multi-purpose daggers."
"Leave it to me!" Usopp thumped his chest with pride. "When it comes to weapon crafting, I'm an expert!"
Before Itachi could respond, Usopp had grabbed his wrist and was dragging him toward the lower decks.
"Come on! I'll show you the workshop!"
Below deck, Franky had just finished adjusting the ship's course when he heard Usopp's excited chatter. His interest was immediately piqued.
"Weapons for Itachi?!"
He struck a pose, miniature hands forming his signature gesture.
"That sounds... SUPER!!"
His mind immediately began racing with possibilities.
"Laser cannons! Combat iron fists! Mobile heavy machine guns! And—"
Itachi and Usopp stared at him.
Then, simultaneously, they walked past without comment.
Usopp leaned toward Itachi. "Do ninjas actually need any of that?"
Itachi shook his head. "Just the throwing darts and daggers."
"Good. Let's go to the back."
They disappeared into the workshop's depths, leaving Franky frozen in his pose.
"—if Itachi wants a body like mine, I could modify him! Ninja cyborg! The possibilities are—"
He blinked.
"Wait. Where'd they go?"
Deep in the workshop, Usopp had already donned his magnifying goggles. He turned to ask Itachi for specifications—and found the shuriken already holding a pencil, sketching on a piece of paper with rapid precision.
"First—shuriken."
Itachi handed over the first blueprint, complete with detailed measurements, thickness specifications, and material recommendations.
He immediately began drawing again.
"Kunai. Grappling hooks. Blade wires..."
In moments, he'd produced five or six detailed blueprints. Usopp stared, jaw hanging.
"That speed...!"
He shook himself, recovering.
"Well! With blueprints this clear, the work will be easy! Leave it to me!"
He thumped his chest again—then the ship lurched violently.
Electricity crackled somewhere above deck.
Itachi tensed immediately, muscles coiling.
"Enemy attack?"
Usopp waved a dismissive hand.
"Ah, probably just Sanji and Brook peeking at Nami bathing again. Don't worry about it."
Itachi blinked. "Peeking at Nami... bathing?"
Hadn't Sanji been fighting Zoro moments ago?
As if on cue, Chopper scrambled down the ladder from the deck, his little face flushed with secondhand embarrassment.
"Nami said she wanted a proper bath after everything on Fishman Island! But just as she started, Sanji and Brook went flying out of the women's bathroom!"
He shook his head.
"They're both covered in burns and bruises now!"
Above deck, Luffy's laughter echoed down—clearly enjoying the misfortune of his crewmates.
Itachi stared at the ceiling.
This crew...
Usopp shrugged. "You'll get used to it, Brother Itachi."
Chopper trotted over to Itachi, peering up at him with concerned eyes.
"Brother Itachi! I haven't given you a full examination since you joined! How are your eyes?"
Itachi smiled, patting the little reindeer's head.
"Much better. The rest after the banquet helped."
He stretched experimentally.
"The fatigue is gone. My eyes feel comfortable again."
Chopper nodded, but something in his expression remained uncertain.
Itachi's thoughts turned inward.
That's strange.
By any logical measure, his pupil power should be damaged. He'd pushed his Mangekyō to its absolute limit—Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Susano'o manifested multiple times, finally that full-body Susano'o slash that split Noah in half.
In the past, such overuse would have caused permanent damage. His vision should be deteriorating. The cost should be irreversible.
But now?
His pupil power had fully recovered. Not just recovered—it felt stronger. More vibrant. More responsive.
What changed?
He considered possibilities.
Chopper's care? No. Though thorough, it was simply medical treatment. That wouldn't affect my eyes this way.
Eternal Mangekyō?
He considered this, then rejected it. He could feel his eyes—they were still his original Mangekyō. The pattern hadn't changed. The power hadn't transformed.
So what was different?
"Brother Itachi? BROTHER ITACHI!"
Chopper's small hoof waved frantically in front of his face. Itachi had been staring into space for nearly a minute.
"I think I should give you a thorough eye examination!" Chopper declared. "Your eyes seem... strange to me!"
Itachi focused on the reindeer.
"A thorough examination? You'd be able to notice differences in my eyes?"
"SODA SODA!" Chopper nodded emphatically. "I'm a doctor! That's what I do!"
Before he could elaborate—
The ship lurched again. Violently.
Chopper's hooves left the deck, sending him tumbling through the air directly over Usopp's head.
"WHOA—!"
Itachi caught him mid-flight, setting him gently back on his feet.
"What was that?"
(End of Chapter)
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