Place the roast in the crock pot. Salt and pepper the roast. Mix together the water, soy sauce, onion flakes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and peppercorns. Pour over the roast. Cover and cook the roast 7-8 hours on low. When getting ready to serve, ladle off the fat from the broth. Remove the beef and cut into thin slices. To serve, fill buns with roast beef and serve with broth for dipping.