Mufasa jumped up.
Terumi Mei sprang off the boat right after him.
They stood on the ocean surface between two ships, water swirling under their feet.
Mufasa smirked, looking down. "So, you're the new Mizukage? With that pretty face, I might not even wanna hit you."
Terumi Mei shot him a cold glare. "Whitebeard, I know you crushed Yagura and the others, but I'm not them."
Mufasa threw back his head and laughed. "Bold words. Come on then—take a punch."
He lunged. Terumi Mei shouted, "Wait!"
Mufasa froze. "What now, woman? Changed your mind already? If you kneel and serve me, maybe I'll spare you."
Terumi Mei scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself, Whitebeard. You really think you can't lose?"
Mufasa shrugged. "Isn't it obvious?"
Terumi Mei smirked. "Then bet with me."
"Bet on what?"
"If I win, your Whitebeard Pirates will swear loyalty to the Mist Village."
Mufasa burst out laughing so hard the sea rippled. "Ha! Are you serious?"
Terumi Mei stepped closer, eyes daring. "What's wrong? Scared to put your pride on the line?"
Clearly provoked, Mufasa yelled, "Fine, you're on!"
Cries rang out from the Flying Dutchman. "Father, don't do it!"
Mufasa turned and shot them a glare. "You questioning my strength?"
They all quickly shook their heads.
Terumi Mei smirked. "If you win, name your price."
Mufasa grinned cruelly. "Haha, you'll be dead, your village crushed. I don't need anything else. I agreed just to make this fun."
"Know why?" He leaned closer, voice dropping to a menacing rumble. "Prey struggles harder when it still has hope. Start your struggle now!"
His roar carried across the waves. The pirates erupted. "Father! Crush her!"
Mist ninja grew tense. This Whitebeard was too confident.
Terumi Mei studied his smug grin, thinking, What a damn villain. Or maybe he's just like this by nature.
"Let's start."
Mufasa clapped his hands. A golden giant shot up from the sea—the Hundred-Style Avalokitesvara, towering like a mountain with countless arms.
Mist ninja went pale. "Is that real? Who could fight that?"
Their morale crumbled all over again.
Mufasa chuckled. "Little lady, too late to beg for mercy. Grandpa will love you real gentle."
Terumi Mei grumbled to herself. Pervert. Then she shouted, "Go to hell, Whitebeard!"
Mufasa roared, "Hundred-Style Avalokitesvara, First Form!"
A giant hand chopped down. Terumi Mei darted aside, the ship behind her split clean in two.
"Haha! I'll tear you apart!" Mufasa bellowed, striking again.
Terumi Mei moved fast, cheeks puffing. "Water Style: Hidden Mist!"
She spat a dense fog that spread over the sea, swallowing them both. Even the Avalokitesvara disappeared into the haze.
Mufasa's laugh echoed through the white veil. "Clever girl. Hide in mist so I can't see, huh? Nice try—I'll just smash everything!"
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Outside, pirates and Mist ninja watched the Avalokitesvara's fists slam the water. Waves exploded, sea pillars shot up, the ocean throbbed under the blows. The fog thickened, reforming each time it broke.
Even keen-eyed ninjas couldn't see what was happening inside.
Inside the mist—
Mufasa and Terumi Mei were actually sitting under the giant, munching on bento Terumi Mei had brought. Every so often, she puffed out more mist.
She frowned. "Can you slow down? I can't keep spraying mist while eating."
Mufasa shrugged. "Almost done. Gotta keep up appearances, right?"
Terumi Mei narrowed her eyes. "There's a double meaning in there somewhere."
"Oh please. Just hyping up your Mizukage image."
She snorted, then smiled. "Well, after this, with me as Mizukage and the hero who saved the Land of Water, I can finally push reforms."
"Great. Just don't forget to handle my business too," Mufasa teased.
Terumi Mei rolled her eyes. "Stop being weird."
"It's just business."
"What, we don't have feelings?"
"We do," Mufasa nodded. "We've fought together. That gets you a 10% discount."
Terumi Mei burst out laughing. "So what, you want our islands too?"
"Yep. Top Island, Stone Reef, and five more. Good resources under those seas."
She thought about it. Only two of those were well-known. The rest? Barely on maps. "Sure. Send someone later to sign."
"Deal!" Mufasa beamed.
Terumi Mei sipped her drink. "So, wrap this up?"
"One more minute? Looks better if we keep 'fighting.'"
She sighed. "Nope. I need my beauty sleep."
Mufasa muttered, "Women... always thinking of looks, even now."
Moments later, people outside heard Mufasa's furious voice through the fog. "Damn woman! You spit out such cruel attacks!"
Terumi Mei yelled back, "Don't think you're the only legend around here!"
Whitebeard roared, "Curse you!"
People outside watched as the Hundred-Armed Avalokitesvara started thrashing wildly. Its massive arms pounded into the thick mist, churning the sea into chaos. Waves exploded outward, so fierce they looked ready to swallow the warships whole.
The pirates' hearts jumped into their throats.
"What's going on?! What happened to Pops?"
"What the hell did that Mizukage do with her mouth?!"
Even the shinobi of the Mist Village were confused. Was Terumi Mei hiding some trump card?
Inside the swirling fog, something was clearly wrong. The Avalokitesvara's golden arms were starting to melt, dripping like wax. Its brilliant surface turned blotchy gray and white.
The pirates were stunned until someone shouted, "That's Terumi Mei's Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
Boil Release combined fire and water chakra, creating a scalding, acidic mist that could melt through Susanoo bones. Now it was eating right through Mufasa's giant construct.
Realizing it, the Mist shinobi erupted in cheers.
"Go, Mizukage! You can do it!"
"Finish that pirate monster!"
Under the relentless acid, the Avalokitesvara's upper body finally collapsed with a loud crash, sending pieces splashing into the sea.
The pirates on the ships gasped.
"Oh no... Pops!"
Inside the fog, Terumi Mei let out a fierce shout. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
A colossal water dragon exploded from her mouth and smashed into Mufasa. He roared in pain, blasted out of the fog and slammed hard against the Flying Dutchman.
The generals, the Shichibukais, and the rest rushed over.
"Stay back!" Whitebeard bellowed.
He forced himself upright, his massive frame covered in wounds. The worst was a deep crater in his chest from the water dragon's impact.
The commanders and the Warlords drew their weapons. "We'll avenge you, Pops! Let's tear that Mist witch apart!"
But Whitebeard slammed his fists out. Space itself cracked with a deafening quake.
"I'm Mufasa the Whitebeard! I made a promise. Anyone who tries to break it... I'll rip their head off myself!"
The Warlords and his sons backed down, glaring hatefully at Terumi Mei who now stood calmly atop the water.
Mufasa let out a weary sigh. "Terumi Mei... I underestimated you. Never thought your bloodline could counter me this well. Looks like this old lion finally stumbled."
Terumi Mei smirked. "Stumbled? Please, I am the whole ocean. You're just an old pirate still chasing waves."
Whitebeard laughed, tears forming in his eyes. "I'm just a relic of the old era. The new world doesn't have a ship big enough to carry me anymore."
His commanders and the pirates all teared up.
"I've had one hell of a voyage... meeting all of you. Tell me, do any of you regret calling me father?"
"Never!" they shouted, shaking their heads.
Funny enough, it was probably the happiest stretch of time for the pirates in the Land of Water.
With Mufasa around, there was no backstabbing or fear of betrayal. Everyone felt like family.
But all voyages end. The sun was setting.
"Let's head back," Whitebeard ordered. "Fulfill my promise. From now on, you all answer to Mizukage Terumi Mei. And when I'm gone, bury me at sea. I want to return to my mother's arms. We're all children of the ocean."
He stood still on the deck of the Flying Dutchman. And then, just like that, his breath stopped.
"Father!"
"Pops!"
The pirates wept, their voices breaking.
Jinbei set his jaw. "Hoist the sails. Let's take Pops home."
The ships turned, heading out. Mist Village was safe once more.
Terumi Mei stood watching them disappear over the waves, secretly wiping a tear. "Stupid old man. Such a drama king."
Whitebeard's funeral took place on Top Island. They laid him to rest beneath the sea. Mufasa dove into the water, where the Flying Dutchman waited.
Shun looked at him. "My lord, where to next?"
Mufasa grinned. "Been a while since I roamed. How about we head to the Land of Steam? I hear their hot springs are legendary. Wouldn't want to miss that."
As the pirates scattered, some settled in Mist Village to keep the pirate spirit alive.
The Warlords went their own ways. The unified sea split again, but that was good for the Mist. It gave them space to breathe.
Terumi Mei, now with towering prestige, wasted no time. On her first day back she launched sweeping reforms.
"The Land of Fire and the Wind are building factories and ports like crazy. We can't lag behind. You've all seen how our ships struggled against pirates. That ends now."
Daimyo Shimakage eagerly nodded. "Build them, Mizukage-sama. Build a fleet of iron giants!"
No one, not even the old guard like Master Ryugo, dared object. The reforms sailed through, and Mist Village began to transform.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Rain, Obito finally handed over Yagura.
He slumped down, miserable.
"Zetsu... why the hell are there so many monsters in this world? A Wind Kage who slices up armies, a pirate with quake fists... Is my Infinite Tsukuyomi plan even possible?"
Zetsu patted his shoulder. "Obito, relax. We have options. They're strong alone, but we have numbers. We'll raise a hundred thousand White Zetsu... maybe even a million. We can drown them with sheer force."
Obito blinked, then nodded slowly. "...Yeah. That might actually work. Let's do it."