Chapter 72: "Hellfire" Uchiha Itachi
New World — En Route to Dressrosa
The Thousand Sunny sailed steadily through calm seas, but the atmosphere aboard was anything but peaceful.
Lunch had been served. The table was full. And no one was eating.
Well—almost no one.
Luffy methodically demolished a sixty-pound slab of sea king meat, chewing in heavy silence. The rest of the crew stared at their plates, food untouched.
Chopper broke first.
A long, shuddering sigh escaped him. Tears welled in his eyes.
"I wonder what happened to Brother Itachi and Law..."
The words hung in the air like a physical weight.
Every face at the table darkened. Black lines of worry creased brows. The entire Straw Hat crew seemed to have been dipped in gloom.
They'd destroyed the surrounding warships. They'd fought with everything they had. But in the end—no Itachi. No Law.
Nami pulled out the Vivre Card Law had given her. It still pointed toward them, moving slowly but steadily.
"They should be safe. The card is still moving toward us."
Their current course followed it—sailing toward wherever Itachi and Law had gone.
The silence stretched.
Then Kin'emon entered the mess hall, leading Momonosuke by the hand. He stopped short at the sight of the depressed crew.
"You all look..."
Momonosuke scowled, rubbing the lump on his head that still hadn't gone down.
"That man in black is probably fine. Which is annoying. I hate him."
Kin'emon's blood ran cold.
The temperature in the room dropped.
Every Straw Hat turned to look at the small samurai with identical expressions of flat, terrifying calm.
"You two," they said in eerie unison, "can get off this ship right now."
"GAH!" Kin'emon grabbed Momonosuke and bowed frantically. "My son is young! Foolish! He speaks without thinking! FORGIVE HIM!"
Momonosuke pouted stubbornly.
"I'm not wrong. I just hate him."
"YOU LITTLE—"
Luffy's arms shot out, snatching Momonosuke from his father's grasp. He burst through the mess hall door onto the deck, raising the boy high.
Kin'emon latched onto his leg.
"YOUR EXCELLENCY LUFFY! PLEASE! HE'S—HE'S NATURALLY STUPID!"
"I don't care! A samurai doesn't lie, right?! He said he hates Itachi!"
"I DO hate him!" Momonosuke kicked uselessly in Luffy's grip.
Luffy began swinging him in rapid circles.
Kin'emon held on for dear life.
Back in the mess hall, Robin and Nami watched through the window.
"I used to think that child was cute," Robin murmured.
Nami nodded slowly. "Same."
A seagull fluttered overhead, dropping newspapers and bounty posters onto the deck.
Luffy caught them mid-swing.
His eyes went wide.
For the first time in his life, he actually wanted to read the news.
"Itachi!"
He scanned the pages—then immediately gave up and flipped to the bounty posters.
And froze.
The next second, he exploded back into the mess hall, slamming the papers onto the table.
"EVERYONE! LOOK!"
"What is it?"
They gathered around.
And cheered.
"Bounties! That means Itachi's alive!"
Sanji grabbed a newspaper.
"Law's been stripped of his Warlord status—but it doesn't say he was captured or killed!"
"Really?!"
Luffy held up Itachi's poster triumphantly.
The photograph was incredible. Itachi, Susano'o's skeletal form partially manifested around him, crimson Sharingan blazing with killing intent. Wind Forest Fire raised. Black flames flickering in the background.
"The Navy's photographers are top-tier," Sanji admitted.
They read the text together.
"HELLFIRE" UCHIHA ITACHI
STRAW HAT PIRATES
BOUNTY: 600,000,000 BERRIES
"SIX HUNDRED MILLION?!" Luffy's jaw dropped. "That's two hundred million more than me!"
"Six hundred million more than you," Usopp corrected.
Chopper bounced around the table, tears of joy streaming.
"Brother Itachi's alive! Law's alive! This is wonderful!"
"The photo is SUPER!" Franky struck a pose. "If only it'd caught his full crimson giant!"
"Hellfire..." Robin murmured, remembering the flames that had blanketed Fishman Island's sky. The black fires that burned underwater. "It suits him."
The Quiet Island — Itachi's Hospital Room
Law stared at the bounty poster, a rare smile tugging at his lips.
"Brother Trafalgar!" Freys blinked excitedly. "God Itachi's bounty is AMAZING! BLINK!"
Another massive pirate clutched the poster to his chest with religious fervor.
"I'll never forget the flames he unleashed on Fishman Island! I'm hanging this over my bed!"
"Six hundred million," Law breathed. "Itachi-san... you're famous now."
New Marine Headquarters — Marshal's Office
Akainu had his secretary by the collar, eyes bulging with rage.
"SIX HUNDRED MILLION?! ARE YOU INSANE?!"
The secretary trembled.
"M-Marshal Sakazuki! The combat staff determined that a bounty higher than that would cause—would cause upheaval in the New World! They wanted to avoid drawing too much attention to—"
Akainu threw him aside.
"This man fought Polusalino to a standstill! Nearly killed him! And you're telling me SIX HUNDRED MILLION is appropriate?!"
On the sofa by the window, Garp crunched rice crackers, laughing until tears streamed down his face.
"Gahahaha! Sakazuki's losing his mind again!"
"SHUT UP, OLD MAN!"
Garp leaned over, examining the poster.
"Not bad. Kid's got a decent look."
"I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN YOUR TREASON DURING THE WAR!"
Garp returned to his crackers, completely unbothered.
"Gahahaha!"
Akainu turned back to the window, breathing heavily.
Six hundred million. Fine. Let it stand.
But his mind was elsewhere.
The meeting between Kizaru and Kuzan on Punk Hazard.
That worried him far more than any bounty.
(End of Chapter)
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