(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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Sasuke looked at Whitebeard with a touch of surprise, the sake cup in his hand stopping mid-air.
"Old man, are you serious?"
He hadn't anticipated the situation would take this turn.
He understood what the old man meant.
He was planning to make Ace join his crew.
However, Sasuke shook his head slightly.
"You should just give up. With Ace's character, he'll never see himself as your son."
"He's a man who wants to be the Pirate King. And his dream isn't something easily changed…"
Whitebeard merely smiled, saying nothing, but the confidence in his eyes was unwavering.
While Sasuke was formidable, his lack of experience left gaps in understanding the loneliness that drove Ace's heart.
"You don't need to worry about how I'll do it," Whitebeard said, "Let's make it a bet. You'll join if Ace does,"
"Alright, I'll play along," Sasuke replied, momentarily setting aside his thoughts of contacting Colt.
"But I will not become your son!"
"Gurararara! It doesn't matter. Once you join my ship, you're family!"
Sasuke nodded slightly, ending the discussion for the time being.
When Ace awoke, Whitebeard pulled him aside. The two exchanged some quiet words, and though no one knew the exact details, Ace didn't raise the idea of leaving anymore.
Over the following week, wherever one looked, Ace could be seen launching sneak attacks on Whitebeard, yet every attempt ended in failure.
Initially, Marco and the other commanders felt indignant, ready to teach Ace a lesson, but soon... both the Whitebeard Pirates and Ace's Spade Pirates grew numb to it.
Each day, Ace would try at least a dozen ambushes.
It was as if he was bewitched.
One night, after another failed sneak attack that saw Ace sprawled on the deck, Whitebeard stepped forward, extending his arms.
"Be my son," he said. "Carry my name with you and roam these seas freely!"
Ace felt moved yet troubled, struggling with his own worries.
"I'm Portgas D. Ace," he said quietly, "but I also bear the name Gol D. Ace."
"I am the son of Gol D. Roger, the former Pirate King." Ace's gaze dropped, weighed down by his lineage.
"You and he were rivals... Can you really accept me?"
Whitebeard looked stunned for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.
"Gurararara! Why does that matter? No matter who gave birth to us, we are all just children of the sea."
"Ace," he continued, "I don't care about your past. If you become my son, you'll have only one identity from then on."
"And that's as my son, the son of Edward Newgate!"
With that, the Spade Pirates, led by their captain Ace, joined the Whitebeard Pirates.
Ace was named captain of the Second Division.
News of this alliance rippled across the seas, sending shockwaves throughout the world.
People were left astounded, some even speechless.
The powerful, up-and-coming Spade Pirates joining the ranks of the most fearsome Emperor marked a new era.
Instantly, the Whitebeard Pirates' strength soared, surpassing the other three Emperors.
****
At Marineford Headquarters, Sengoku's response to the news was instant. His fist clenched, and he groaned.
"Garp... everything always comes back to him! Now, the Whitebeard Pirates' influence has only grown stronger!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru, sighed.
"Perhaps it was my miscalculation. I thought the Spade Pirates would weaken Whitebeard, not join him."
"No, this is on all of us," Sengoku admitted, his voice heavy.
The Marines had been aware of the Spade Pirates' approach, especially with Ace's intent to challenge Whitebeard.
They'd even held high-level discussions about it.
At that time, Vice Admiral Tsuru had suggested leaving the pirates to fight it out.
Sengoku agreed, believing Sasuke's presence with Ace would cause enough trouble that, if Whitebeard showed any weakness, other Emperors like Kaido or Big Mom would swiftly exploit it.
In theory, it was a no-risk, all-gain situation.
But things hadn't gone according to plan.
Instead of clashing, the two forces had united to form an even greater power.
Now, for the Marines, Whitebeard's crew had become much more troublesome than before.
"Alright," Sengoku said, steadying his tone.
"What's done is done. Now, we have to focus on our future steps." He glanced at Vice Admiral Tsuru.
Tsuru nodded thoughtfully.
"Provoking conflict among the Emperors is still our best chance. Using pirates to weaken other pirates will save our own forces."
"But this time, we'll need CP's influence," she added.
****
In the New World, aboard the Red Force, Benn Beckman, his arm wrapped in bandages, finished reading the newspaper.
He said nothing, his expression a mirror of the surprise on Shanks' own face.
"Could this be fake?" Shanks murmured, unable to reconcile the news with what he knew of Sasuke's intentions at Sabaody.
Emperors had their own sources, and Shanks had known Sasuke was headed to Sabaody for his own purposes.
Now, seeing the report of Sasuke joining Whitebeard, Shanks was left questioning the news.
"Have you ever seen Morgans publish fake news?" Beckman scoffed.
"Even Ace's position as Second Division Captain is confirmed; it's real."
Shanks looked thoughtful.
"But why isn't there any word about Uchiha Madara? After all this time, he should have found Sasuke by now."
"Who knows?" Beckman shrugged. "Maybe he got lost again."
Meanwhile, Uchiha Madara continued his journey, undeterred and focused on tracking down Sasuke.