Chapter 74: A Fortress Town on Par with Navy Headquarters
"Brother Trafalgar, I can see it now. Two hundred more kilometers, and we'll be there. Blink."
Freys' eyes were nearly swollen shut from prolonged use of his ultra-long-range vision. Each blink was a struggle.
Panxi checked the Eternal Pointer while scanning the surrounding waters.
"Captain Freys is right. We're getting close."
They sailed another ten kilometers.
Itachi and Law stared.
Hundreds of ships filled the sea ahead—and every single one was fighting.
A massive, chaotic melee unfolded before them. Cannons roared. Boarding parties clashed. Ships burned and sank.
"What is this?" Itachi's hand moved to Wind Forest Fire.
Law had no answer. He knew Rakesh Callender was an underground kingdom, but this—
Panxi's voice cut through.
"BATTLE STATIONS! EVERYONE READY TO FIGHT!"
"Wait!" Law gestured at the scale of the battle. "We don't even know what's happening!"
Panxi explained quickly.
Every year, when the Rakesh Callender Trading Conference approached, underground merchants from across the New World converged on these waters. The island itself was ruled by a powerful syndicate—but they only maintained order inside the town. Outside?
Total anarchy.
Every ship with treasure fought every ship without. Survival of the strongest.
"Then how have you made it here before?" Itachi studied the Freys Pirates. They were decent, but not this kind of fighters. From what Law had explained about bounty threat levels, Captain Freys was probably only worth sixty to eighty million.
Panxi grinned.
"That's Captain Freys' specialty! Blink!" He corrected himself. "He coats the ship, activates his ultra-micro vision, reads the ocean currents beneath the surface, and we drill through the underwater routes straight to the island's entrance. Same leaving—we're gone before anyone notices!"
Itachi and Law exchanged glances.
Helplessness. Complete helplessness at this crew's survival methods.
"INCOMING SHIP!"
A vessel twice their size bore down on them. A one-eyed captain stood at its bow, cannon aimed directly at the Freys' ship.
"Such a big ship! MUST be loaded with treasure! CHARGE, YOU MAGGOTS!"
Panxi raised his blade. "Captain Freys can't open his eyes! We'll have to fight!"
Pirates scrambled to their cannons—
SLASH.
A blade of crimson fire erupted from the Freys' ship. It bisected the attacking vessel in one clean stroke.
Itachi stood at the bow, Wind Forest Fire in hand, Susano'o's skeletal ribs fading around him. Black Fire Crow lifted him slightly above the deck.
Law's Room expanded.
"ROOM—SHAMBLES!"
He and Itachi swapped places with enemy pirates on the nearest hostile ship. Itachi's Haki-coated blade came down. Another ship shattered.
Law's target—a sixty-million berry pirate—never saw the gamma knife coming.
The Freys Pirates cheered.
Small boats launched immediately, rowing furiously toward the wreckage to loot.
By the time the fighting ended—save for three mermaid slaves Itachi insisted be freed, and seven shackled prisoners released from the ships—the Freys' deck was piled high with treasure.
"WE'RE RICH! BLINK!" Freys dropped to one knee before Itachi, eyes streaming tears—from emotion or exhaustion, impossible to tell.
Itachi walked past him to Law.
"This works. Now we have auction capital. No need to spend their savings."
Law nodded. "We—"
Itachi's Sharingan spun.
"Enemy approach."
Black Fire Crow materialized—
Law grabbed his arm.
"Master Itachi! Use my ability! It's FASTER to teleport to enemies!"
Itachi paused.
"...Right. I forgot."
Law's eye twitched.
More fighting. More wreckage. More treasure.
By the time the Freys Grand Fleet limped into Rakesh Callender's harbor, their decks could barely contain the loot.
Then they saw the town.
Law's breath caught.
"This scale... incredible."
A wall fifty meters high encircled the entire island. Heavy artillery lined the top every hundred meters—enormous cannons, the kind normally mounted on battleships. Every five hundred meters, a rapid-fire Vulcan emplacement, the likes of which Law had only seen in Marine facilities.
And on the main gatehouse—a super cannon. A high-precision laser-electromagnetic weapon, according to Freys, custom-ordered from Vegapunk himself.
"This is... Navy Headquarters level," Law murmured.
They entered.
The security was overwhelming. Armored troops patrolled everywhere. At the gate, every ship was documented—video snails recording cargo, crews, everything. The treasure was exchanged for local currency: Rand coins, each worth approximately fourteen kilograms of gold.
And the rules: only three people per ship could enter the town proper. They would wear identical black robes and masks, provided by the armored forces, to conceal their identities during transactions.
"It doesn't look like an underground kingdom at all," Law observed.
"It DOESN'T look like it," Panxi whimpered. "Do you know how much those robes cost?!"
Three Rand coins. Just for the uniforms.
"Extortionate," Law agreed, accepting the garments.
He handed a mask to Itachi.
"Choose one, Master Itachi."
Three options: an opera mask, a bear face, or a simple cat mask with a red inverted triangle on the forehead.
Itachi took the cat mask.
Something about it felt... familiar.
(End of Chapter)
✨If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/TofuChan
Where you can read Extra Advance Chaters
Bonus Chapter For Every 100 Power Stones
Lets hit the goal of 300 Patreon Members now for 5 Extra Chapters 💕
There is an ongoing 20% Discount on Patreon