Every pirate in the world had heard about the Crow King. But for Marshall D. Teach—Blackbeard, self-proclaimed inheritor of the world's darkness—it wasn't enough just to hear the stories. He wanted the power for himself.
It started as a rumor: a lone man in black, walking across the sea, crows spiraling overhead, bounty climbing with every step. Blackbeard licked his lips. If this Crow King had a devil fruit, he'd steal it. If he had a weakness, he'd exploit it. And if he was just a myth? All the better—Blackbeard would be the one to shatter it.
He assembled his ragtag fleet at Banaro Island: Lafitte, Doc Q, Burgess, Van Augur. All of them eager to see what the fuss was about. Blackbeard's laughter echoed across the rocks, dark and wild.
"Zehahaha! Boys, tonight we hunt a legend!"
Itachi arrived before sunset, drawn by a map that seemed to fold reality around his footsteps. The air was thick with dread—Blackbeard's haki, wild and oily, pressed in from every direction. But Itachi's eyes were colder than winter.
Blackbeard greeted him with open arms, teeth glinting. "Welcome, Crow King! The world's been waiting for you."
Itachi surveyed the pirates with the faintest flicker of disdain. "You're not the first to try this."
Blackbeard tried to be charming. "You're a smart one, huh? I've got a deal for you. Hand over your secret—the devil fruit, the crows, whatever it is—and I'll let you join my crew. Zehahaha! We'll rule the seas together."
Itachi said nothing. His crows began to circle wider, their shadows stretching like the hands of fate.
Blackbeard's smile slipped. "Fine. Have it your way. Boys!"
The Blackbeard Pirates attacked all at once—blades, pistols, poison apples, invisible bullets. In the chaos, Blackbeard lunged for Itachi himself, the Yami Yami no Mi sucking in all light.
But as Blackbeard's hands closed, he seized only empty air.
A voice behind him: "You should watch your blind spots."
Blackbeard spun, sweating, to see Itachi perfectly unharmed. The crows now swarmed the rest of Blackbeard's crew—pulling Van Augur's hat over his eyes, tying Doc Q's hair into knots, pecking Lafitte's cane to splinters.
Burgess charged, only to run face-first into a wall of feathers and illusions—every time he swung, Itachi was gone, always reappearing behind him, beside him, in front of him, like the world's most terrifying magic trick.
Blackbeard growled. "Yami no kurai… BLACK HOLE!"He unleashed a void of darkness, determined to suck Itachi in.
But then, the darkness turned. Blackbeard looked up—only to find the world had become a blood-red sky, a land of infinite crows. He staggered. The voices of his own crew began whispering from the shadows, accusing, taunting, mocking.
"Why'd you betray us, Teach?""You'll never be Whitebeard.""You can't trust yourself."
Blackbeard tried to scream, but the voices kept coming, multiplying. He saw Whitebeard's ghost laughing, Ace's flame flickering, Shanks' scarred grin.
Itachi's silhouette loomed, cold and merciless."This is the weight of darkness, Blackbeard. You wanted my power. You can't handle your own."
In the real world, Blackbeard collapsed to his knees, clutching his head, sobbing and howling, his crew scattered and broken. Burgess ran for the hills, Lafitte begged the crows for mercy, Van Augur tried to shoot himself awake.
Doc Q, riding his horse, simply muttered, "We were outplayed, Captain…"
Itachi stood over Blackbeard, Sharingan spinning. "Power without purpose is emptiness. Greed leads only to ruin."
Blackbeard stared up, wild-eyed. "W-what are you?!"
Itachi answered softly, "A man who's already paid the price for darkness."
He walked away as the sun set, crows silent for once, the legend of the Crow King now burned into the nightmares of every pirate who'd witnessed the scene.
By the next morning, new wanted posters spread like wildfire:"CROW KING – 800,000,000 Berries – Broke Blackbeard's Crew! Dangerous Beyond Measure! May Not Be Human!"
And on every island, children told the story: how the man with red eyes defeated the world's greatest villain—without ever needing a single blade.
For Itachi, it was just another day on a journey with no end in sight.
He paused at the edge of the next town, looked up at the rising sun, and murmured,
"This world… is stranger than Tsukuyomi."
But even he had to admit, the madness was starting to grow on him.