Chapter 23: Navigating Chaos

"Alright, let's head toward the Red Hair Pirates territory first," Shin nodded. "It's a better option than diving straight into Whitebeard's territory right now."

Ace smiled, showing little concern for Shin's caution. Truthfully, he could use a good reality check.

In the original story, Ace had dueled Yamato, yet still questioned why someone as strong as Yamato wasn't the captain of the Beasts Pirates, revealing Ace's limited experience. Unlike Luffy, who, before entering the New World, had already faced Kizaru and Rayleigh and later survived the Battle of Marineford, Ace lacked the harsh lessons that show just how powerful the Four Emperors and Admirals truly are.

Luffy was fortunate. Without his experiences at Sabaody Archipelago and Marineford, had he entered the New World unprepared, it would likely have ended in tragedy.

Similarly, if Ace could understand the power level of the top-tier fighters early and then bide his time to grow stronger, things might have turned out differently for him when he encountered Whitebeard.

But Shin held back from warning him. After all, joining Whitebeard's crew would ultimately be the real prize for Ace.

"Alright, then! Spade Pirates, set sail!"

"Uh, Ace...where exactly are we right now?" Shin asked, his tone tinged with suspicion.

As a ninja, Shin had learned to navigate using the stars and had even picked up some basics of sailing. After traveling through the New World for a bit, he felt something was off. Despite the New World's unpredictable nature, he could sense whether they were heading in the right direction or not.

Ace's grin turned slightly uneasy. "Uh...maybe…we're, uh...a little off course?"

Shin's expression shifted as he deadpanned, "You're lost, aren't you?"

Ace nodded sheepishly, and Shin groaned.

'Great. The one person I thought was reliable on this ship, and he can't even navigate properly! Is this some kind of cosmic joke?' he thought.

Getting lost in the New World was no small matter. Navigating off-route meant they risked the ocean's wildest weather phenomena. While the permanent pointer would guide them on safer routes with relatively stable climates, venturing off-course could mean facing anything from airborne icebergs to reverse currents.

In the worst cases, they might stumble upon an underwater volcano erupting right beneath them. And sure enough, just as Shin was processing this, the entire ship jolted violently.

"This is…an upwelling current!" Shin and Ace's faces paled while the other crew members of the Spade Pirates barely had time to react. Within seconds, Shin felt the ship lifting hundreds of meters, and it showed no signs of stopping.

'At this height, even the sturdiest ship would smash to bits upon hitting the water,' Shin thought.

"Ace!" Shin shouted, opening his mouth wide.

Ace instantly realized the plan, turning his body to flames and propelling himself straight into Shin's mouth.

Merging with Ace's flames, Shin's body transformed, his legs becoming mechanical, flame-boosted limbs akin to those of Iron Man. He took off just as the ship reached its peak, preparing to brace against it from below.

With a resounding thud, Shin's hands sank into the underside of the ship, his face contorting in frustration. 'What is this? In movies, superheroes stop planes all the time without wrecking them!' he thought.

'Right…maybe it's a bioelectric aura,' he remembered. A new idea struck him.

[A/N: Fans have theorized that when Superman rescues crashing planes, he extends his bioelectric aura to the aircraft, functioning like a tactile forcefield that holds it together.]

Using his armament Haki, Shin channeled it through his hands, reinforcing the bottom of the ship. Although it was still difficult, the ship stabilized.

Yet before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he spotted a new danger. "A waterspout—no!"

In seconds, the massive whirlpool formed and sucked the ship right in, sending Shin and the crew into a wild, spinning descent.

When Shin finally opened his eyes, his head was spinning. He could feel that he had separated from Ace, his Devil Fruit ability exhausted from the physical strain. After all, merging with another person wasn't permanent. If it were, their identities and Devil Fruit powers might blend irreversibly—or worse, create a deadly conflict.

He had once heard that the Munch-Munch Fruit could theoretically merge two Devil Fruits, but only temporarily. If the merge were permanent, their bodies might explode from the incompatibility of the fruits.

Temporary fusion, however, drained Shin's energy. Once that energy was depleted, the merge would end on its own.

Raising his head, Shin realized he was on a beach.

Not far away, the Spade Pirates' ship was stranded at an odd angle on the sand.

Half-soaked in seawater, Shin felt the weight of fatigue pressing down on him. Fortunately, although the seawater and sea stone weakened his body, they didn't affect his chakra. Using what little energy remained, he managed to stagger to his feet.

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BONUS CHAPTER SINCE WE HIT THE REVIEW MILESTONE!

For every power stones milestone: 50,100, 200, 300,400,500 I will release a bonus chapter.

I will also release a bonus chapter for every two reviews until it reaches ten reviews.

Review status: [4/10]