A whaling ship under Shimura Danzo cruised slowly across the sea.
After days of hunting without a single whale, the crew grew restless and reckless. To vent their boredom, they sank a few merchant ships from the Land of Water, laughing as they watched the wreckage sink beneath the waves.
Then it happened.
The water nearby churned violently. A massive, three-masted ghost ship suddenly burst through the surface. It was the legendary Flying Dutchman, feared across the seas.
The men aboard Danzo's whaling ship stood frozen, wide-eyed.
"What the hell is that?!" one of them stammered.
"A ghost ship? Submarine? Some kinda jutsu?"
At the prow of the Flying Dutchman stood Mufasa. His expression was cold. No words, no threats. Just one command:
"Fire."
Every cannon along the Dutchman's port side opened at once. In a flash of thunder and smoke, the sea lit up.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The whalers barely had time to react. Shells slammed into the deck, ripping through wood and bodies alike. Some sailors screamed. Others fell silent, already dead. The rest scrambled to return fire.
But Mufasa wasn't finished.
With a single chakra-infused punch, he sent a shockwave that tore the whaling ship apart. It split in two with a violent crack, collapsing into the sea. Survivors flailed in the water, coughing and crying.
Mufasa watched them coldly.
"Let them taste the sea they disrespected."
He turned and walked away.
On the eighth day of the Daimyo Shimakage's capture, the United Navy of the Land of Water sailed onward. Seagulls circled above like watchful spirits.
Aboard the flagship of the Mist, the mood was tense.
The tactician who had built temples and led armies, stood with furrowed brows.
"Why aren't we using the Land of Water's navy vessels?" he asked.
Yagura gave him a grim look.
"Whitebeard's fleet is trying to scatter our forces with feints."
Every day, pirate ships skirmished and fled, luring ships away. The United Fleet had already lost half its numbers chasing ghosts. Only twenty ships remained.
Obito, standing calmly beside Yagura, spoke.
"They want us to break formation, so they can crush us piecemeal. But we see through it."
Kou turned. "Oh? And what do you propose... Luffy?"
Obito smirked. "Simple. We stop chasing. We sail straight to Top Island and hit them head-on."
He turned to one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. "Raiga, clear the skies. I'm tired of being watched."
Raiga stepped forward, both thunder sabers crackling with electricity. He raised them high.
"Thunder Release: Twin Fang Storm!"
A storm of lightning erupted into the sky. The seagulls overhead exploded in a flash of feathers and smoke.
Obito raised a hand.
"Full speed ahead. We're done playing games."
Meanwhile, on Top Island, Gull Eye winced.
"My poor birds... You'll pay for that. Just wait."
Inside the pirate stronghold, Mufasa listened calmly as Gull Eye gave his report.
"Father, the fleet will reach us by noon in two days."
Mufasa stroked his chin and laughed.
"Perfect timing. The stage is set. Let's welcome them properly."
He looked around at the gathered warlords and pirates.
"After this war... the Land of Water will enter a new era. A new world."
His cloak of justice flapped in the breeze as everyone around him broke into laughter.
The tenth day dawned bright and clear. Not a single cloud in the sky. A perfect day for an execution.
Daimyo Shimakage knelt at the top of the Pirate HQ's execution platform. Shackles bound his wrists. Guards with spears flanked him.
Below, the harbor was packed with pirates holding swords, spears, and muskets. Fort cannons were loaded and aimed.
Behind Shimakage, the massive banner of justice waved above the pirate stronghold. Beneath it sat Mufasa in a row of thrones alongside his top generals and the remaining Warlords of the Sea.
The Flying Dutchman was nowhere in sight.
Shimakage, pale and shaking, stared at the sea.
"Come on... Marines... Someone... save me!"
And just then, in the distance, sails appeared.
Masts, flags, the glint of steel in the sun.
The United Navy was here.
Mufasa stood and smiled.
"It begins."
Kneeling on the execution platform, Daimyo Shimakage finally saw it—the sails of the naval coalition appearing on the horizon.
A spark of hope lit in his eyes.
He tried to get up.
Chack! The two young guards flanking him snapped their spears down, crossing them in front of his neck.
His head was locked in place.
"Don't move!" one of the soldiers barked.
Shimakage slumped, resting his head against the cold steel, waiting for the navy to save him.
Out at sea, Ryugo, the Land of Water's United Navy strategist peered through his binoculars at the massive fortress on Top Island—the stronghold of the pirate force.
His expression darkened.
"Hmph... fools. They've built a base even more lavish than our own HQ. Just look at those walls and turrets—ridiculous!"
His voice trembled with fury.
"Pirates... claiming justice? What a joke. What about the legitimacy of the Land of Water? Who are we then—villains?"
Beside him, Obito sighed and crossed his arms.
"Lord Ryugo, save the speech. We'll take care of this."
The old man huffed but fell quiet.
"Just make sure you get the daimyo out of there."
The navy's flagship surged ahead of the rest, approaching the massive stone gate of the pirate base.
It was closed tight. Not a single turret had moved.
Odd.
Obito didn't care. "Kobanza! Break it down."
The burly swordsman stepped forward—one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, wielder of the Kabutowari.
With a mighty leap, he slammed into the stone gate. His weapon—a rope-bound cleaver with a hammer—sliced into the stone, and then came the hammer.
CRACK!
Shockwaves echoed. Cracks spider-webbed across the gate.
"Break!" Kobanza shouted, hammering down again.
The massive gate exploded into rubble, crashing into the sea below. Some pieces nearly struck the flagship but were deflected by water-style ninjutsu.
The path forward was open.
From the deck, the soldiers saw it clearly—at the end of the pier, Daimyo Shimakage knelt on the high execution platform.
The twin guards stood on either side, spears in hand.
"They'll skewer him at any moment!" Ryugo shouted. "Move! Save our lord!"
"Already on it," Obito muttered.
The flagship surged into the harbor, speeding toward the platform.
Obito didn't even glance at the dozens of pirates lining the pier, armed and ready.
From atop the execution tower, Mufasa grinned.
"Our guests have arrived."
He raised an arm.
"Let the show begin."
Behind him, pirates escorted prisoners out of the HQ, lining them up at the dock.
"No fireworks? No drums? Shame," Mufasa said mockingly. "No matter. Fire!"
The turrets—silent until now—suddenly roared to life.
Artillery fire rained down on the approaching naval fleet.
Two ships behind the flagship were instantly destroyed.
"Retreat! Get out of range!" someone shouted.
"No! Forward! Stay close to the flagship!"
Chaos erupted among the fleet.
Then, the Flying Dutchman rose from the sea beneath the shattered gate, unleashing a devastating volley.
The argument ended.
"RETREAT!"
Even Terumi Mei's ship turned away.
Her father, Terumi Kou, gasped as shells exploded nearby.
"You were right... far too dangerous!"
Terumi Mei smiled calmly. "Let's hang back. There'll be other chances to make our mark."
Back near the docks, Ryugo turned and saw the horror behind him.
"They're gone... all the support ships... gone..."
Panic set in.
"What do we do now?!"
Obito kept his cool. "Relax. Once we get to the platform, this war ends. We wipe them all out."
The flagship kept moving.
They were moments away from crashing into the pier.
Then Ryugo noticed something.
Dozens of civilians, crying and panicked, lined the pier.
His heart skipped a beat.
"Luffy! STOP! You can't rush in! It's a trap!"