---
Akira looked around, taking in the chaos and destruction. "What a mess," he muttered. Despite having seen similar scenes before and had watched the anime, but witnessing it firsthand still held a visceral impact that watching on a screen could never match.
Shisui and Itachi nodded in agreement, piecing together the situation from the snippets they'd overheard. It seemed a powerful weapon design was at the center of this mess, valuable enough that the World Government would embed agents on the island for five years to obtain it.
The mission felt disturbingly familiar. The World Government reminded Akira of the higher-ups in Konoha, the ones who sanctioned questionable missions for the so-called greater good. "They're just like Konoha's ANBU," Akira thought grimly, "handling the darkest and dirtiest things under the guise of justice or their village."
Turning to Shisui, Akira asked, "Got all that copied?"
Shisui nodded, a slight smile touching his lips. "They practically showed us everything. The Six Styles should be useful, both for us and for training the clan back home." Techniques like these could boost their strength significantly, and Akira had no intention of leaving them unmastered. The Uchiha family would benefit from every technique that could make them stronger.
Suddenly, a weak voice interrupted his thoughts. "Please… help… Mr. Iceburg…"
Paulie had raised his head, bloodied and exhausted. Akira smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll get you all out," he promised.
Iceburg was a big customer, and the main purpose of coming here was for him.
As a successful entrepreneur, you never have to wait for customers to come to your door, but take the initiative to find customers or force them to come to you. Akira just did that.
Seeing an opportunity to help a future ally, Akira led Shisui and Itachi, carrying Paulie and Iceburg out through a newly blasted hole in the wall and taking the Straw Hat crew with them. They emerged into the daylight, where concerned workers had gathered around, trying to contain the blaze that engulfed the building.
"Mr. Iceburg! Mr. Paulie!" someone yelled, then noticing the wounded men in Akira's arms. "And the Straw Hat crew!"
Akira gently laid the unconscious Iceburg and the injured Paulie down on the grass. The crowd gathered around, wanting to know if Straw Hat was guilty and to help the wounded, but Akira calmly raised his hand, silencing the worried shouts.
"Let me handle this." He placed his palm on Iceburg's wound, and a soft green glow emitted from his hand—Healing Jutsu. This medical ninjutsu, once exclusive to Konoha's medics, was something Akira had painstakingly learned, knowing how vital such skills could be in times of war.
As Iceburg's wounds began to close, the onlookers gasped in amazement. They watched, wide-eyed, as the man's pallor improved and his breathing steadied.
"Thank you… Mr. Uchiha Akira," Iceburg whispered as he opened his eyes, staring at the man who had just saved his life.
"Don't mention it," Akira replied with a faint smile. "It was nothing."
Turning to Itachi, Akira nodded. "Can you handle the fire?"
"Of course." Itachi leaped to the rooftop, much to the astonishment of the watching boatmen, and began forming hand seals.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!" Itachi exhaled a massive wave that surged down over the flames, extinguishing them instantly. The onlookers watched in awe as the inferno that had seemed unstoppable was snuffed out as if it were a mere candle.
"What… what was that?" one of the boatmen stammered. "Is it… some kind of Devil Fruit power?"
Akira shook his head with a smirk. "That was ninjutsu, a technique unique to our Uchiha clan."
Akira had crafted a plan for this world, one that required revealing some of their powers. After all, it would be inevitable once others saw what each clan member was capable of through ninjutsu.
Iceburg, now fully conscious, sat up with a look of newfound respect. "Mr. Akira, you're incredibly strong, aren't you?"
Akira shrugged, a small grin creeping onto his face. "Strong? Perhaps. But if you had hired me sooner, maybe this whole thing could have been avoided."
Iceburg looked down, clearly troubled. His own secretary and most trusted aides had been government agents, waiting patiently by his side to seize the Pluton blueprints.
With a resolute expression, Iceburg met Akira's eyes. "Mr. Uchiha Akira, I would like to hire you for something important."
Just then, a soft chime echoed in Akira's mind:
[Ding! Side Mission Triggered: First Commission]
[Mission Reward: Eye Technique - Amaterasu]
---
Akira's eyes lit up at the voice in his mind.
The system, though he'd once doubted its usefulness, had proven its worth through several rewarding missions. His Mangekyō Sharingan, which he earned previously, had greatly enhanced his pupil power. Even better, he had discovered that system-granted abilities didn't overwrite his original skills—they stacked together, empowering him further.
Amaterasu. The thought of wielding those black flames was thrilling. Though it wasn't a skill he'd use often, its sheer power made it too good to ignore. The idea of igniting the grand city of Mariejois in black flame was tantalizing. After all, 'having it is better than needing it and not having it.'
---
Just then, Luffy woke up, shouting Robin's name. The others were disheartened as well, especially Zoro, who had been the last one conscious and watched Robin leave with the government agents. "Why did she do this?" Luffy and the others wondered aloud, their confusion clear.
Iceburg stepped forward, addressing Luffy. "I have something to tell you about Robin," he said, then began explaining everything. Robin had made a deal with CP9: she would frame the Straw Hat Crew for an assassination and surrender herself to the government. In exchange, the CP9 commander, Spandam, promised not to use the Buster Call on her friends—a deadly call that could summon five Vice Admirals and ten warships.
"She chose to protect the lives of a few pirates over the safety of the world," Iceburg said solemnly. "If the blueprints for the Ancient Weapon are taken, it could lead to worldwide destruction, yet she still chose you."
The revelation left Luffy, Chopper, and even Zoro with teary eyes. Nami covered her mouth with tears, realizing Robin hadn't betrayed them. Without hesitation, Luffy declared, "We can't stay here! We're bringing Robin back!"
Iceburg provided crucial information: the last sea train for government personnel would leave at 11 p.m., and with a tsunami approaching, there wouldn't be another train for some time.
"What time is it?" Luffy asked urgently.
"10:30," Iceburg replied.
"Then there are only 30 minutes left! Let's go!" Luffy and the others ran towards the train station. Luffy glanced back, waving, "Thanks for saving us, Akira!"
As the Straw Hats rushed off, Iceburg turned to Akira. "Mr. Uchiha Akira, let's discuss the terms of your employment now."
Akira nodded. "Please, go ahead."
"First, I need to warn you," Iceburg said. "This job involves going against the World Government. If that's an issue, we can call it off."
Akira scratched his chin thoughtfully. "The World Government, huh?" he mused. "I won't lie; no one's eager to provoke such a powerful force. But I'm also not afraid of them."
He continued, "If you had hired me yesterday, I'd have handled the government agents myself. Honestly, there's only one deciding factor as to whether I'm willing to take on the World Government."
"And what's that?" Iceburg asked, intrigued.
Akira grinned. "I'll be needing a lot more money than normal!"
...