Chapter 87 – Convergence, The Plan Begins
"Hey! Brother Itachi!"
"Itachi!"
"Itachi-san!"
After confirming the two approaching figures, the Straw Hats began waving excitedly.
Law smiled faintly at the warm welcome.
"You're quite enthusiastic."
Zoro relaxed slightly and slid the Sandai Kitetsu back into its sheath.
"So you're finally back."
Sanji lit a cigarette and exhaled slowly.
"Good. Now everyone's here again."
At that moment, Luffy—who had been waving wildly—noticed someone standing at the bow of the approaching ship.
Freys.
His tiny, bean-like eyes made Luffy burst into laughter.
"Who's that guy? He looks hilarious!"
Meanwhile, the pirates aboard Freys' ship were also waving enthusiastically.
"Benefactors!"
"Our benefactors!"
"Brother Itachi!"
"Brother Trafalgar!"
As the two ships drew close, Itachi and Law jumped onto the deck of the Thousand Sunny.
Saying Goodbye to Freys
"Thanks for the ride," Law said.
He gave Freys a thumbs-up.
"Don't say that, Brother Trafalgar!" Panxi laughed.
She proudly wore a necklace made from gems they had collected from other pirates.
"You and Brother Itachi are our greatest benefactors!"
"If we could help you, then coming to the New World was worth it!"
"That's right!" Freys added.
"If you ever need help again, just call us anytime. Blink!"
He held up the Den Den Mushi that allowed direct communication with Law.
Law nodded.
"If you run into trouble, you can contact us as well."
Then he noticed something.
Itachi hadn't spoken yet.
"Itachi," Law said.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye to them?"
Freys blinked toward the Sunny until his nose almost started bleeding.
"Brother Itachi might… not be able to say goodbye right now."
The moment Itachi stepped aboard—
He was immediately surrounded.
Nami and Robin had rushed forward and hugged him.
Both women were taller than him, and in an instant Itachi was completely buried in soft warmth.
Nami hugged him tightly and bounced excitedly.
"Itachi! You're finally back!"
Itachi froze.
"Nami…"
"…uh…"
He could barely speak.
All he could do was awkwardly wave toward Freys' ship.
The Adventure Story
Once Freys' ship disappeared into the distance, Usopp rushed over.
"Brother Itachi! What happened on your trip?"
"Was it dangerous?" Chopper asked eagerly, his eyes sparkling.
Law began explaining briefly.
"There were… quite a few twists and turns."
After hearing the story, the Straw Hats reacted in shock.
"An Underground Kingdom?!"
"A mysterious old man?!"
"Blackbeard?!"
"The Revolutionary Army?!"
"Luffy's brother?!"
"Wait, wait!" Luffy suddenly shouted.
"You mean… Sabo?!"
Law nodded.
"Yes."
"At first I thought he was just a commander."
"But he's actually the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army."
Robin looked surprised.
"Sabo… is Luffy's brother?"
During the two years she spent with the Revolutionary Army, she had heard the name many times.
"Aaaah… Sabo!!"
Luffy suddenly burst into tears.
"I can't believe he's alive!"
"He's really alive!"
Itachi's Thoughts
Standing nearby, Itachi was slightly confused.
During the old man's test, he had seen many memories of Luffy's journey.
But he had not seen this person.
Sanji shook his head.
"First Fire Fist Ace…"
"And now Sabo of the Revolutionary Army…"
"Luffy really has impressive brothers."
"Ace…?" Itachi murmured.
He suddenly remembered something.
During the war he had seen in Luffy's memories—
The Straw Hats' main goal had been to rescue a young man who wielded flames.
In the end, that man had protected Luffy…
…and was struck through the chest by a man wielding magma.
"…He sacrificed himself to save his younger brother."
Itachi leaned against the railing.
His eyes grew distant.
"Both of them… were good brothers."
"Yeah!" Luffy said firmly, wiping his tears.
"Ace and Sabo are my best brothers!"
"They're family!"
Itachi smiled faintly.
Compared to himself—who had given Sasuke such a cruel childhood—
Ace had been a far better older brother.
None of the others noticed the faint sadness in Itachi's eyes.
Only Robin did.
She gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
When Itachi turned, Robin simply smiled quietly.
The Plan
"Alright," Law said.
"Let's move on."
He sat down and placed two items on the table.
A Den Den Mushi.
And a map of Dressrosa.
"This map was obtained by my partner during a covert infiltration."
"We still don't know the exact location of the SMILE factory, but this should be enough."
Law pointed at a bridge on the map.
"Tomorrow at 3 PM, I'll contact Doflamingo."
"I'll tell him to come here to retrieve Caesar."
"What?!" Luffy shouted.
"You're giving Caesar back to him?!"
"Not exactly," Law replied calmly.
Then he explained the full plan.
Law would lure Doflamingo to Green Bit Bridge under the pretense of returning Caesar. While Doflamingo was distracted, a small team would infiltrate Dressrosa and destroy the SMILE factory. The Sunny would remain ready to extract them once the mission was complete.
Luffy rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Yeah… sounds like a solid plan."
Law looked around.
"So."
"How much information about Dressrosa have you gathered?"
"You've been scouting the island, right?"
The Straw Hats looked at each other awkwardly.
No one spoke.
Law forced a terrifying smile.
"…Great job."
Itachi shook his head.
His expression clearly said:
You'll have to get used to this.
By now, Itachi was slowly learning how the Straw Hats operated.
Contacting Doflamingo
"Alright," Law said.
"Let's begin the first step."
He picked up the Den Den Mushi.
"Time to contact Doflamingo."
"Contact Doflamingo?!" Chopper cried, clinging to Usopp.
"That guy sounds terrifying!"
Just as Chopper started panicking, he shrank back when he saw Law's deadly glare.
Law adjusted the Den Den Mushi and began searching for the signal.
After a few minutes—
The Den Den Mushi's face changed.
It formed a smirking expression behind imaginary sunglasses.
"Hm?"
"Who's calling?"
Law frowned slightly.
"Doflamingo."
"It's been a long time."
The crew froze nervously.
Even Kin'emon and Momonosuke swallowed hard.
A few seconds later, the Den Den Mushi showed a wicked grin.
"Fufufufu…"
"So it's you, Law."
"It has been a while."
Law's voice turned cold.
"I'm looking for you."
End of Chapter
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