Chapter 49: Chaotic Waters

As soon as Marco finished speaking, everyone sprang into action, jumping off the Moby Dick.

Ace propelled himself into the air with fire streaming from his feet and hands. Yamato shifted into her half-beast form, landing on the water and creating a broad ice platform upon impact. Meanwhile, Shin focused his chakra to stand stably on the sea's surface. Some of Whitebeard's other sons used abilities like Moonwalk to leave the ship and join the fray.

Back on the Moby Dick, powerful waves of wind and thunder surged as Whitebeard clashed with Kaido, who had transformed into his half-beast state after taking a few of Whitebeard's strikes. The two powerhouses began their battle right on the deck, their raw strength causing tremors that made the entire ship groan under the pressure.

"Damn! If Pops and Kaido keep this up, the Moby Dick might not hold!" Shin thought with a worried glance at the ship.

The Moby Dick was crafted from the legendary Treasure Tree Adam, a wood reputed to be stronger than steel. But even with its resilient structure, there was no guarantee it could withstand a clash between two of the Four Emperors.

At that moment, Yamato, exuding a chill aura, unleashed her freezing powers, causing a vast stretch of sea to ice over and spread toward the enemy ships. Just then, a figure with bright orange hair and a distinctive hairstyle stepped forward on one of Big Mom's Homie ships. With a smirk, he activated his ability, causing the sea to bubble and steam as the intense heat met Yamato's ice.

"That's Charlotte Oven, the Heat-Heat Fruit user," Shin muttered, recognizing him. The Devil Fruits in Big Mom's family were notorious for food-related abilities, reflecting Big Mom's gluttonous nature. Yet among them, Oven's power was one of the most combat-ready, allowing him to instantly transfer scalding heat to anything around him, even boiling the ocean itself.

"He probably thought he'd disable our ship, but Yamato's ice has countered him well," Shin noted with a smile. Watching the roiling, steaming ocean, he decided to seize the opportunity. "Since they've created the perfect setting, why not deliver some chaos in return?"

"Water Clone Jutsu!"

In an instant, Shin split into nine water clones.

Although water clones weren't as durable as shadow clones, each clone still carried a tenth of Shin's chakra. With his recent transformations and enhancements, his chakra levels had grown beyond those of most high-ranking ninjas. Even one-tenth of his chakra was comparable to a typical Jonin-level shinobi.

The nine water clones and Shin himself charged forward, weaving hand seals as they advanced.

Both sides on the battlefield noticed the clones moving in unison, and the sight caused visible unease, especially for Queen and Black Maria, who had already suffered at Shin's hands. "Stop him now!" Queen shouted, his voice tinged with urgency.

"It's too late!"

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu!" Shin and his clones chanted in unison.

Ten high-powered versions of the Great Waterfall Jutsu surged, transforming the calm sea into a massive tsunami of boiling water. The waves towered even higher than Whitebeard's Seaquake, creating a searing wall that threatened to engulf the ships on both sides.

The terrifying thing was that this wave wasn't just massive—it was boiling. It would scald even the sturdiest pirate vessels into ruins if it hit.

Shin released a long breath, feeling his chakra levels deplete as his clones dissipated. He was down to minimal chakra reserves, a reminder that, unlike most ninjas, he relied on various other techniques to survive such intense battles.

Across the battlefield, chaos erupted as the two pirate crews scrambled to protect themselves. Most of Big Mom's senior officers were Devil Fruit users, ill-suited for large-scale defense. Charlotte Katakuri, with his distinctive scarf and jacket, shouted commands as he molded parts of the sea into sticky rice walls to shield nearby vessels.

Charlotte Cracker crafted a barricade with his biscuit soldiers, reinforced to withstand the incoming boiling waves. He added multiple layers for extra durability to counter the weakness of his biscuits in water. Perospero, Big Mom's eldest son, created a towering candy fortress, quickly adding layers to prevent it from melting under the intense heat.

The Big Mom Pirates, though fewer in number due to their supporting role, banded together under Katakuri, Cracker, and Perospero's leadership. Their efforts just barely protected their ships from the boiling tsunami. However, the Beasts Pirates were not so fortunate.

Primarily zoan devil fruit users, the Beasts Pirates lacked effective ranged defense and struggled to counter the incoming wave. While King managed to stay airborne with his flames, he grabbed Jack and hauled him into the sky as well. Queen shifted to a half-dragon form, generating flames from his feet to take flight while grabbing Black Maria, who quickly clung to him.

The saber-toothed fox fruit user leapt up using moonwalk while other members of the Tobiroppo deployed similar air-climbing techniques. But many of Kaido's men on the ships below were now helpless against the scalding waves.

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