Chapter 44: Whitebeard's Condition
Two months later.
Ayaan staggered out from the Moby Dick and spotted Ace, who had just taken another beating—his eye blackened and his head swollen.
With a grin, Ayaan teased, "Hey Ace, got your butt kicked by Captain Whitebeard again, huh?"
Ace groaned unintelligibly, lying flat on his back. Ayaan didn't press for a response. He opened his mouth wide and swallowed Ace whole.
Moments later, Ace reemerged from Ayaan's mouth, seemingly good as new.
However, unlike earlier times when Ace would leap up and charge back out for another spar, this time, he remained still. His eyes clouded with hesitation—clear signs of inner conflict.
Over the past two months, Whitebeard had treated Ace with genuine warmth. The rest of the crew aboard the Moby Dick also accepted him like a true brother. For someone like Ace, who had grown up emotionally deprived and burdened by the stigma of being Gol D. Roger's son, this kindness struck a deep chord.
Unlike Luffy, whose goal to become Pirate King gave him unwavering resolve, Ace lacked a clear direction. His ambition was rooted in surpassing his father—not in building a legacy of his own. Without a crew like the Straw Hats or a tangible dream like the Pirate King's title, Ace's pursuit of freedom was vague at best.
Now, wrapped in Whitebeard's fatherly care and the camaraderie of his crew, Ace's will was understandably starting to waver.
Ayaan wasn't concerned. In his mind, Ace and Whitebeard's bond was inevitable—just like the destined connection between Shanks and Luffy. It was only a matter of time before Ace acknowledged Whitebeard as his captain and father.
What did bother Ayaan, however, was something else entirely.
He had been on the Moby Dick for two whole months. The rest of the Spade Pirates had already been reassigned across Whitebeard's many divisions, treated like true family.
Even Yamato had received Whitebeard's attention—he tried adopting her as a daughter, though she refused to stay, choosing to follow Ace instead.
But what about him?
No one had asked Ayaan if he wanted to join. Not Whitebeard, not Marco, not even a low-ranking officer.
"Why is no one interested in me?" Ayaan silently wondered.
---
In the Moby Dick's cabin, Whitebeard chuckled as he looked at the burn mark on his right hand.
"Dad… this burn… was this from Ace?" Marco asked, stunned.
"Gurararara… What do you think?" Whitebeard replied, laughing heartily. "That brat's got promise, doesn't he?"
Marco gave a weary smile. He knew Whitebeard well enough to understand there was no changing his mind once he liked someone.
And truth be told, Marco liked Ace too. Despite calling Whitebeard "Pops," Marco was well into his 40s—an experienced pirate who could read personalities easily. Ace's current confusion, his emotional nature, his fire—all of it pointed to someone who, once loyal, would never waver.
But Marco had another concern.
"Dad… Over the past two months, not just the Spade Pirates, but even many of our own men have been treated by Ayaan. Shouldn't you—"
BAM!
Whitebeard slammed his sake bowl on the table. "I won't ask someone to join just for personal gain," he said gruffly.
Marco smiled knowingly.
Whitebeard's pride wouldn't let him recruit someone just because they were useful. Were it not for that, he might have already called Ayaan "son."
Whitebeard's condition was no mystery to Marco.
His repeated use of the Gura Gura no Mi—had wreaked havoc on his body over the years. The shockwaves that tore through his enemies also rattled his own bones, organs, and nerves. When Whitebeard was young, his monstrous vitality could suppress the damage. But now, age had dulled his healing, and the injuries were beginning to accumulate.
Ayaan's Baku Baku no Mi combined with his expert medical knowledge was practically a tailor-made solution. Unlike regular doctors who couldn't heal damage deep within bone marrow, brain tissue, or internal organs, Ayaan's method could.
But Whitebeard—old and stubborn—refused to ask for help, especially when it could be interpreted as a transaction. Pride wouldn't let him beg someone into the family.
So, despite Ayaan healing crew members left and right, he remained unofficial, still seen as a prisoner on the Moby Dick.
Marco wasn't worried though. Once Ace joined for real, Ayaan wouldn't be far behind.
---
Back on the deck, Ayaan was chatting with a well-groomed man with a distinctive pompadour.
"Captain Thatch," Ayaan said, stretching, "when you head out next time, take me with you, will you? I'm growing moss staying here."
The Moby Dick, as the flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates, rarely moved. Unless something big happened, it usually remained docked while the commanders and their divisions handled things elsewhere.
Had Ace and the Spade Pirates not made such a ruckus—defeating Jinbe and sending a letter via Shanks—they would never have seen the Moby Dick in the first place.
Whitebeard didn't bother with small fry. Only those who beat his division commanders would earn an audience with him.
Which meant that right now, life on board was dull.
If Ayaan were just another crewmember, he could have gone ashore for drinks or entertainment. But as a "valuable prisoner," Marco and the others wouldn't let him out of their sight.
The rest of the Spade Pirates were already reassigned to other divisions and integrated smoothly. Only Ayaan—because of his Devil Fruit power and medical talent—remained tightly monitored.
"Seriously," Ayaan muttered to himself, "can someone please let me out of here?"