Chapter 46: Ace Joins the Whitebeard Pirates
"So, Ace, have you two finally decided to become Whitebeard's sons?"
On the Moby Dick, Ayaan asked as he took a sip of juice.
Well, Garp really had foresight. Whether you're the Pirate King or the strongest man in the world, you're still a generation behind me.
"Yeah... I think I can find more meaning in life with Father Whitebeard." Ace's face turned slightly red—maybe because the dreams of his youth had cracked a little under reality. Or maybe he was just excited to have finally accepted what he truly wanted.
Of course, Ayaan figured it was probably just that Ace was thin-skinned. After all, the guy made a huge fuss when he first boarded the ship, all full of confidence. He even boasted to Ayaan that he would take down the Yonko and become the strongest man on the seas.
And now? He'd become someone else's son...
To be honest, there wasn't much debate among the other members of the Spade Pirates. Ace was their backbone; the rest were basically just along for the ride. If Ace was fine with joining, what could they even say?
Yamato was also easy to win over. After all, she'd been emotionally starved since childhood. And given that she'd read Kozuki Oden's journal—her idol—it wasn't surprising that she was happy to join the Whitebeard Pirates. Becoming Whitebeard's daughter? That must've made her feel like she was living the dream.
After all, Oden and Whitebeard were sworn brothers. So from her perspective, becoming Whitebeard's daughter meant becoming Oden's niece. Not a bad deal!
Still, Ace was speechless at Ayaan's bluntness.
It was different for the Spade Pirates. Without Ace, they wouldn't even be in the New World. Joining the Whitebeard Pirates was already a massive step up for them.
But Ayaan? He would've been fine on his own. Whether with another Yonko crew or even the Marines, he'd still make progress. Which made Ace feel like he was holding Ayaan back.
Even Ace might not have consciously realized it, but Ayaan could read him easily.
Of course, Ace probably had something else on his mind too. One glance at his hesitating expression, and Ayaan had a good guess.
"Alright, let's skip the talk about finding life's meaning," Ayaan said, taking another sip of juice. "Don't you have something else to tell me? After all, the war with the Beasts Pirates is about to begin. It was started because of us, wasn't it?"
Ace gave a bitter smile. "I guess I can't hide anything from you."
Ayaan rolled his eyes. People in this world were way too easy to read. Their thoughts were practically written on their faces. Even someone with average intelligence like Ayaan could pass for a genius here.
If he were in the world of Naruto, maybe he wouldn't be considered brilliant—but definitely not dumb either. At least, he wouldn't get tricked and sold off like a fool!
Then again, the Naruto world had its own weird logic. High combat IQ but ridiculously bad at politics and social strategy. Compared to that, Ayaan considered himself reasonably smart.
"Let me guess," Ayaan continued. "It's about Whitebeard's health, isn't it? Did Marco ask you to talk to me?"
"You... How did you know?" Ace finally asked.
"It's obvious," Ayaan replied, rolling his eyes. "Don't forget, I'm an excellent doctor. From the first time I saw him, I knew Whitebeard was hiding old injuries. His body is on the verge of collapse."
"For a legendary pirate like him, his health isn't just his own business. But the average crewmember wouldn't be told any of this."
"But Marco? He's Whitebeard's right-hand man and the ship's doctor. If anyone knows how bad the captain's condition is—and cares about it—it's him."
"And Whitebeard is a prideful old man. He'd never admit he needs help, especially from someone who hasn't officially joined his crew yet. So Marco probably asked you to hint at it to me, hoping I'd offer without being asked directly."
After thinking for a bit, Ayaan realized something else—Whitebeard didn't dislike him. In fact, Whitebeard probably wanted Ayaan to join the crew, but didn't want it to be for utilitarian reasons. That's why he wouldn't openly ask for treatment—he wanted Ayaan to join as family, not as a doctor-for-hire.
It was oddly childish… but also kind of heartwarming.
"Wait... Is this really so easy to analyze?" Ace scratched his head, confused.
Ayaan rolled his eyes again. "Where I come from, we even had courses in psychological profiling. You learn to read people. It's basic ninja training."
(Naruto: "Wait, when did I learn that...?")
"Alright," Ayaan said, getting up. "I'll take care of it. This is the perfect opportunity."
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On the Moby Dick's deck, the banquet had mostly wound down. Most of the pirates were sprawled out, asleep or passed out drunk.
"These guys have no sense of crisis... What if the Beasts Pirates suddenly launched a surprise attack?" Ayaan muttered.
"Haven't we left guards on watch?" a blue-haired female pirate responded casually, smiling. "And don't worry—everyone here has excellent battle instincts. If something happens, their Observation Haki will wake them in an instant."
Ayaan didn't argue. His ideas of warfare were shaped by the shinobi world and the real world—where supernatural powers didn't exist and surprise attacks were devastating.
He'd never participated in war there, but he'd studied it extensively. The contrast between the strict discipline of shinobi and the chaotic freedom of pirates was massive. In a ninja camp, no one would ever drink before a major battle.
Different world, different logic. He wasn't going to waste energy arguing.
After exchanging a nod with the blue-haired woman—known as the Ice Witch—Ayaan made his way to Whitebeard's captain's quarters.
Just as he raised his hand to knock, a deep voice called from within.
"Come in. The door's not locked."
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