Naruto: From Konoha to One Piece

"What an incredible vitality; I feel like I'm a few decades younger."

Whitebeard rubbed his wound, a bit surprised. There were many beings with remarkable physical strength in the pirate world. Still, he had never seen anyone recover from such an injury instantly—aside from those with devil fruit powers.

Even the strongest in the world need some time to recover, but this level of instant healing was unheard of.

"Well... my resilience is indeed quite strong," Shin admitted, noticing Whitebeard's curious expression, which hinted that he believed Shin's claim of alien origins.

"Alright, Shin, it seems my worries were completely unnecessary. With your current strength, even if you went to the naval headquarters at Marineford, it'd probably feel like coming back to your own backyard."

Whitebeard waved his hand, albeit reluctantly. A man who'd lived his life with immense pride, he was finally bested by someone young enough to be his grandson.

Noticing Shin's expression as if he wanted to say something, Whitebeard waved dismissively. "Alright, this old man isn't someone who can't take a loss. Stop acting like a bashful little girl; it's distracting!"

Hearing this, Shin didn't linger. No matter what he said, it seemed like a taunt to the old man, so he swiftly used his powers.

"Ah, I really am getting old," Whitebeard muttered, gripping his weapon, a mixture of disappointment and relief in his voice. "If I were younger, I'd have risen up to train harder than Shin… but the fire isn't there anymore."

"After all, my era is coming to an end..."

He suddenly snapped to attention. "Wait! Where is this deserted island? Shin, get back here and take me home!"

It wasn't until the following day that Whitebeard remembered Shin had left him on a deserted island, his beard bristling as he grumbled about it. Thankfully, most of the Whitebeard Pirates had been so drunk that night that no one noticed their captain had spent the night stranded with nothing but the cold wind for company.

"So, why does Shin get to travel around on his own?"

At the farewell banquet, Yamato, her face full of envy and determination, took a hearty bite of meat and chased it down with gulps of wine.

"If you can beat our father in a one-on-one duel, then you can travel solo too!" Ace called out, suddenly awake, speaking to Yamato with a grin.

"That's amazing... in two years, I will set out on my own!" Yamato declared determinedly.

Unlike Ace, who was enjoying life with the Whitebeard Pirates, Yamato had spent most of her life confined in Wano. Though she'd finally reached the New World and joined the Whitebeard Pirates, her heart still longed to explore the seas.

"You know, you're welcome to come along with me if you want," Shin offered, sipping his juice.

"Uh, maybe later. I'd rather wait until I'm stronger. I don't want to be a burden," Ace replied after a moment.

Yamato nodded in agreement. "Yes. My goal isn't just my father anymore. One day, I'll be as strong as you, Shin."

"Alright then, I'll see you elsewhere on the sea," Shin said, understanding their reluctance to leave Whitebeard's side. He didn't expect them to reach his level, but with their exceptional talents, they could possibly grow to challenge a Sea Emperor someday.

After all, to reach his level didn't just require hard work but something extraordinary.

After the farewell banquet, Ace, Yamato, and the others watched Shin transform into a blue dragon and take off into the sky, their expressions wistful.

"Hey, did Shin leave this behind?" 

Thatch, captain of the Fourth Division and a friend of Shin's picked up a small sack left on the ground, finding several unusual fruits inside.

"Devil Fruits? A lot of them!"

"And there are plenty of ancient-type zoans in here... must be spoils from Shin!"

In addition to the rare mythical-type fruits he kept for himself, Shin had left the remaining ancient and common Zoan fruits with the Whitebeard Pirates. To him, these items were of little personal value.

"Guess I'd better go round up my unreliable recruits… hope they haven't left in a hurry."

By "recruits," Shin meant the trio he'd poached from Kaido's Beast Pirates—Queen and the siblings Page One and Ulti.

Truthfully, he didn't hold high expectations for them. Even if they'd run off, it wouldn't bother him much.

Still, Shin underestimated his own influence. With the strength to single-handedly overpower a figure like Kaido, his reputation had an impact far greater than he realized.

So when he arrived at the island they'd agreed to meet on, he found all three of them there with a boat ready, waiting obediently.

Well, perhaps not so peacefully. Ulti was currently holding Page One in a headlock, causing her poor brother to nearly pass out.

The blue dragon landed, transforming into Shin, who approached curiously. "What's going on here?"

Ulti froze, letting go of Page One, who gasped for breath as he recovered.

"Uh, nothing at all," Ulti said quickly, her hands behind her back as she forced a smile.

Shin gave her a puzzled look but didn't press the matter. "Do any of you know how to navigate?"

Page One, still catching his breath, slowly raised his hand. "I… I've learned how to sail."

"Good," Shin said, nodding. "Then you're in charge of the ship. We're headed to Punk Hazard Island. You know where that is?"

Page One nodded. "Yes, the Beast Pirates used to trade there with Doflamingo."

"Perfect. That's where we're going first—I need to pick up a few things."

With that, Shin walked into the cabin, and Ulti visibly relaxed on the deck.

Page One shook his head, muttering, "Good thing we didn't take your advice and bail. We'd be in real trouble now."

"Who cares? He ignored us for so long; I thought he'd forgotten about us," Ulti said, rolling her eyes.

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