Chapter 13
For the last few weeks Ace had wandered the deck of the Moby. Having just joined he had a lot of people to tell about his new crew, before they came looking for him. He rushed around getting stories and trying to make friends. Through the second reason behind all that was to have something to send the more scary people in his family.
Sending a letter to Sabo and Luffy and mostly everyone else was nice. They would be happy for him. Even if Sabo would make fun of him for a while. The blond being one of the more scary members of his family. Makino would laugh at the news and wish him well. She might even send him a recipe for Thatch. While Dadan was going to drink and wish the Whitebeard luck. She wouldn’t send a letter back, but one of her men might.
With the exception of Sabo they were all easy to deal with. The problem was his dad. He couldn’t just send a letter to let the man to learn what happened. Knowing the man, he would show up and demand for him to go back home with him. His father was rather protective of him and his siblings.
For now Ace has to think of what excuse he was going to use against the old man. Could saying he was sick work? No, he had never been sick for long in his whole life. He was busy fighting someone and lost track of time? That could work, but then he would ask who he was fighting. Ace couldn’t just say ‘Oh, just Whitebeard. You know the strongest man in the world… and well, yeah, everything that happened to you’ yeah that would go over well.
“Ace? What are you doing?” Thatch asked. Ace had been sitting in front of the Den Den Mushi for a while without dialing anyone.
Ace sighed, slumping forward. His forehead rested against the table and he groaned. He still had to answer Thatch, not that he wanted to drag the other into this. Muttering something that Thatch couldn’t hear.
“What?” The older asked, leaning in closer. He grew worried about Ace. Who was the kid so scared of that he would act like this? The kid that stood up against Whitebeard, without blinking twice.
“I have to call my dad.” Ace muttered, again.
“You have a dad?” Thatch asked, his voice loud enough for others to hear. Making Ace change how his face was resting on the table.
“Duh, I didn’t just spawn into being.” Ace answered.
Marco sat next to him, “Most pirates don’t get to keep in contact with their families. We were just surprised, that's all.” Ace looked at the snail and sighed again. Marco decided to take pity on the kid. “What’s his number? I'll dial it for you.”
Ace looked up at him with large eyes, this is not a good idea, at all, it would’ve never been a good idea in any universe in any timeline in any thousands upon hundreds of billions of years it never would’ve been a good idea to have Marco call his dad. Oh gods, what if he didn’t even come? What if he sent Daz to come and get him. The thought made a shiver run down his spine, he doesn’t need an assassin coming to get him, or worse, he’ll ask Robin to come and get him, she’s scary as fuck.
Ace splutters and struggles to come up with something to say for a second, and Marco raises an eyebrow at him before just snatching the piece of paper Ace had been holding in between his two fingers, and looking at the digits that were scribbled onto it and dialing it without a second thought.
The room goes quiet, and everyone turns to look at Ace, who looks like he’s about to throw up. The snail starts to ring, and it seems to echo through the whole room, making the tension palpable. Ace’s heart is racing so fast it feels like it might jump out of his chest. He watches as Marco puts the Den Den Mushi on speaker.
The phone rang a few times before someone answered, “Where have you been?” The voice on the other end of the line was deep, demanding. The room grew tense as the Whitebeard pirates looked at Ace, who was now visibly sweating. Marco recognized it from somewhere. He just didn’t know where.
“H-hay, dad. Long time no talk, huh?” Ace stuttered nervously, trying to play it cool. He could feel all eyes on him, especially Thatch’s, who had moved closer to listen in.
“Ace, where have you been.” The voice asks again, the demand still in his tone, but now there’s a hint of worry.
“I joined Whitebeard.” Ace blurted out, the words sounding foreign even to his own ears. The room went still, the only sound being the thundering of his heart in his chest. He braced himself for the explosion of anger and disappointment that he knew was coming.
Their was a long, long, long pause on the other end, then a huff, a huff that soon turned into a chuckle that was anything but amused. It was a low drawn out chuckle that made the hairs on Ace’s arm stand up, “Okay, okay, okay.” The voice murmured, “You, Ace, my Second eldest son, joined the Whitebeard Pirates?”
“Y-yes, dad. I did. It’s a good crew, I promise!” Ace said, his voice rising in pitch. The room remained silent, all the pirates around the table were watching him with a mix of shock and curiosity.
“How long?”
“A couple weeks.”
A sigh on the other end, “Okay, Portgas D. Ace, tell all your new brothers and the big man himself that Crow is coming to… visit… and collect his child.” And with that the line went dead.
A collective gasp echoed in the room, all eyes on Ace as the color drained from his face. All of the Whitebeard pirates eyes were wide, their jaws slightly hung open and shock painted on their faces. They had all heard that name, 1 million if not 1 billion times, and they knew exactly who it was.
Marco looks torn in between bursting into tears, screaming, or just dropping dead from shock. But instead he staggered out of his chair, and fell to his knees beside Ace, his hands shooting up to cradle The young Pirates face, and turning it towards him. “Crow? Your!” His breath hitched, “your Crow’s baby?!” His eyes snapped every which way, seemingly trying to take in every inch of Ace. “You?… your Crow’s baby, oh god, we have a nephew! OH, God Pops fight his grandson!”
Ace nodded, his eyes looking anywhere, but at Marco, feeling the older pirates hands tremble as he cradle his face. The room was so silent that you could hear the proverbial pin drop. All the other pirates around the table stared at him, slack-jawed. Thatch’s cigarette had gone out from lack of use. Jozu looked like he was about to pass out. Vista was frozen mid-sip of his tea, and Haruta had his hand over his mouth to stop from dropping his food.
“Yeah, I’m one of his sons.” Ace managed to murmur, his heart still racing. The revelation seemed to have left the entire crew in a state of stunned silence.
“Oh, god.” Thatch muttered, finally breaking the silence, taking a shaky step towards Ace. “Crow’s baby?” He said Sheakley, squatting down beside Marco and just looking up at Ace. “You’re Crow’s son?”
Ace nodded, his hands going up to play with the string that is attached to his cowboy hat. “Yeah, I’m the third oldest.” He murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
Marco’s eyes grew even wider, “Third?” He questioned, “How many siblings do you have?”
“6. There’s 7 of us in total.”
The room remained silent for a beat longer, until the gravity of what Ace had said hit them like a sledgehammer. The Whitebeard Pirates erupted into a cacophony of shocked exclamations and whispered discussions, their eyes darting back and forth between Ace and the now-silent Den Den Mushi.
“Some?… someone go tell Pops.” Thatch managed to get out, his eyes wide and frantic as he looked around the room.
Marco nodded, his grip tightening on Ace’s face for a moment before letting go and standing up. “I’ll go. You stay here, okay?” He told Ace gently, patting his shoulder before rushing out of the room, leaving a trail of disbelief in his wake.
Ace took a deep, shaky breath, trying to compose himself as the room continued to buzz with whispers. He knew he was in for a world of trouble when his dad arrived. Crocodile was not a man to be trifled with, and joining the crew he had once warned him about was definitely not what he had in mind for his son.
His gaze finally snapped up and met Thatch’s, The man looked about ready to burst into tears at any second, “oh, god, you’re really Crow’s baby.” He murmured again, his voice thick with emotion. Ace nodded again, feeling his cheeks heat up as the man leaned in closer, his eyes scanning every inch of Ace’s face as if he was trying to find some semblance of Crocodile in him.
Thatch hands slid up Ace’s arms before gripping tightly, and pulling him into a tight tight tight hug that almost crushed the breath out of him. “Oh, My, God! You’re his baby, you’re his baby boy! I’m actually holding a piece of Crow again!” Thatch’s voice broke as he held onto him.
Ace felt his cheeks burn brighter than the sun, and he was pretty sure his heart had stopped. He awkwardly patted Thatch’s back, not knowing how to respond to this sudden outburst of affection. The man was practically sobbing into his shoulder. The other pirates looked on with a mix of shock and confusion, some even had tears in their eyes.
Meanwhile with Marco with stumbled his way up to the captains quarters, biting down hard enough on his lip until he tasted blood to stop himself from outright crying, but the tears fell freely down his face like a fountain anyway.
His mine was was racing and a whirlwind of emotions as he reached the captains quarters and knocked on the door with shaking hands.
“Come in.” Whitebeard’s voice boomed through the thick wooden door, and Marco took a deep, steadying breath before pushing it open. The room was dimly lit, filled with the scent of cigars and the gentle rocking of the ship beneath them. The legendary pirate looked up from his map, his fiery red beard framing his face as he peered at Marco over the edge of his spectacles.
Whitebeard looked up from the papers he was reading, and how to do a triple take. “Boy, what in the name of the seven seas has gotten you crying like a kitten?” He asked, his voice filled with concern and curiosity.
Marco gently closed the door behind him, and leaned against it for support. “Uhm, it’s about… Ace.” He voice cracked as he spoke, unable to hold back the emotions anymore.
“Ace?” Whitebeard’s bushy eyebrows shot up, and he set aside his map, leaning forward in his chair. “What’s happened to him?” The concern in his eyes was genuine; the young pirate had proven to be a fierce addition to the crew.
Marco shifted from foot to foot and sniffled, “He’s… he’s Crow’s boy.”
Whitebeard’s expression was unreadable as he stared at Marco. For a moment, it was as if time had frozen, the only sound the distant crash of waves against the ship’s hull. Then, the legendary pirate’s eyes grew as wide as dinner plates, and he slowly lowered himself back into his chair. “What did you just say?”
“Ace, he’s Crow’s son.” Marco’s voice trembled as he repeated the news, watching Whitebeard’s reaction with bated breath. The old man’s eyes grew as wide as the sea, and he sat there for a moment, absorbing the revelation.
“C-Crow’s son?” Whitebeard stuttered, his hand shaking as he reached for the bottle of rum on his desk, pouring a generous amount into a nearby glass. He took a deep gulp, the liquid burning a path down his throat.
Marco nodded, his eyes never leaving Whitebeard’s face. “Yes, sir. He just called him. And Uh, was just say Crows not too happy.”
Whitebeard's hand tightened around the glass, knuckles whitening as he took another sip of his rum. He stared at Marco, as if trying to gauge if this was some kind of twisted joke. But the younger pirate’s eyes remained serious, filled with a mix of excitement and trepidation.