Naruto: From Konoha to One Piece

As the last bubbles disappeared beneath the waves, Shin rinsed his large, sharp blade in the sea with a look of distaste. He shook his head and sighed, "No matter how strong you are, it's useless if you don't have a brain."

Despite his defeat, Jack—a half fish-man—would survive. Though weakened by falling into the sea, he wouldn't drown. Furthermore, the ocean, initially scalding from Charlotte Oven's heat, had cooled significantly thanks to Yamato's ice powers. So, while Jack was out of the fight, at least his life was spared.

Meanwhile, on the Moby Dick, Kaido spat blood, unable to hold back any longer, and was sent reeling from Whitebeard's blows.

Wiping the blood from his mouth, Kaido was bewildered by Whitebeard's unexpected strength. 'Has the old man grown stronger since last time?' he wondered, taken aback.

But there was another reason he'd been worn down so quickly—Shin's Great Waterfall Jutsu had obliterated most of the Beast Pirates. The blow to his crew had left Kaido distracted and vulnerable to Whitebeard's fierce assault.

"Gurararara!" Whitebeard leaped from the Moby Dick and stood towering over Kaido. "Well, Kaido? Are you done already?"

Although Kaido's injuries were severe, they barely hindered his combat ability. He could still endure a long, grueling fight with Whitebeard if needed. Yet, Kaido realized that if he continued, he would inevitably lose without any outside help.

Kaido glanced around at his dwindling Beast Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates, who were edging toward retreat. He knew that if he kept fighting, external forces would soon intervene, and they certainly wouldn't be there to help him.

Though Kaido had often flirted with death, battling multiple pirates alone, he wasn't foolish enough to play such a game with the other Four Emperors—Whitebeard could truly hammer him into oblivion.

"Old man Whitebeard," Kaido said coldly, "you may have won this time..."

With that, Kaido transformed into a massive dragon, his powerful voice booming over the battlefield.

"...But don't think I'll give up so easily. I'll be back!"

Shin watched Kaido's departure with barely restrained laughter. "Did Kaido just pull out the classic 'I'll be back' line?"

But the taunt was short-lived. Kaido, spotting Shin and recalling his crew's devastating losses, unleashed a sudden burst of dragon fire.

"Damn!" Shin, unprepared, barely had time to coat himself in Armament Haki and roll out of the way. Though he managed to dodge most of the flames, some of the fire clung to him, leaving him scorched.

Enraged, Whitebeard, who had thought the fight was over, hurled a punch that shook the sky and split the clouds. Kaido hit squarely, coughed up blood, and, with no chance of winning, decided to flee.

Soon after, a dense cluster of clouds swept through, gathering the remaining shipwrecks and carrying Kaido's few surviving officers along with him. Kaido led his forces into full retreat.

"That coward Kaido is escaping before we do!" shouted Perospero, commanding the Big Mom Pirates in their cautious retreat. With the Beast Pirates gone, they were now the only target.

Whitebeard watched Kaido go without giving chase—he was no match for a flying opponent, even with his legendary strength.

Although capable of flight, Marco was preoccupied with King, who had matched him blow for blow, leaving him unable to pursue Kaido alone. Going after him solo would only result in Marco taking a severe beating.

The Beast Pirates' retreat marked a turning point. The earlier honor of matching pawn against pawn and captain against captain was forgotten. Kaido, despite his reputation, was still far from a worthy opponent for the world's strongest man, who had brought him to his knees.

Freed from her own fight, Yamato quickly spread freezing cold over the sea, forming a vast sheet of ice that trapped the Big Mom Pirates' ships.

Charlotte Oven's heated fruit abilities would have countered Yamato's cold, but his injuries had left him rattled. His hesitation allowed Yamato's ice to trap the ships completely.

As Whitebeard, flanked by his strongest commanders, approached, Perospero gritted his teeth, raised his hands, and shouted, "We surrender!"

"Wait... you can surrender in a Four Emperors' battle?" Shin asked in surprise, looking at the members of the Big Mom Pirates now shackled in seastone cuffs.

"Of course," Thatch replied, standing beside Shin. "Except for the Beast Pirates, the Four Emperors' crews are generally united. They'd rather retreat than sacrifice their men."

"Even Kaido is loyal to his key officers," Thatch continued. "If every fight were to the death, the Four Emperors would have fallen into chaos ages ago."

Shin pondered this, realizing he hadn't considered it before.

Indeed, the Whitebeard Pirates operated as a close-knit family, with Whitebeard himself fiercely protective of his 'sons.' Whitebeard would never let it go if they lost a crew member in battle.

The Red-Hair Pirates under Shanks have similar bonds, embodying the camaraderie of the Roger Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates. They'd go through fire and storm for one another without hesitation.

And though Big Mom herself showed little maternal affection, Katakuri and his siblings shared a strong bond. Anyone who hurt Katakuri's family would face his wrath.

Only the Beast Pirates came close to lacking unity, but even Kaido valued his main officers and the Tobiroppo.

In light of this, a surrender after defeat seemed less unusual. These powerful crews weren't interested in annihilation; they sought survival and the chance to fight another day.

*******************************

For each power stones milestone—50, 100, 150, and beyond—I will release a bonus chapter.

If you would like to gain early access, you can join me at www.patre on.com/bookbattalion

Chapter 101: Return of the [no spoiler] is now available.