Chapter 44 : Whitebeard's Condition

Two months later.

Youta sauntered out of the Moby Dick, chuckling as he saw Ace, once again bruised and swollen, with a head full of bumps. "Hey, Ace, got beaten up by Captain Whitebeard again today!"

Ace grumbled something incomprehensible, but Youta didn't care. He opened his mouth wide and swallowed him, then Ace reappeared unscathed.

However, this time Ace, healed by Youta, didn't seem as enthusiastic as before. Instead of eagerly rushing off to train and challenge Whitebeard again, there was a hint of confusion in his eyes, indicating that his thoughts were wavering.

During this period, Whitebeard treated Ace with the utmost kindness. Not only that, but the others on the Moby Dick had also treated him like a brother. For someone like Ace, who was emotionally rich but lacked paternal love since childhood, it was natural for him to feel a bit lost.

After all, unlike Luffy, who aspired to become Pirate King, Ace's goal was to surpass his father. Due to childhood trauma, his drive and determination couldn't match Luffy's resoluteness.

Ace didn't have a straw hat like Luffy's, nor did he have a Yonko pressing his future with the loss of an arm. For him, setting sail was simply about freedom.

Therefore, after feeling Whitebeard's paternal love and experiencing the atmosphere in the Moby Dick, Ace had already begun to waver internally. If it weren't for his youthful pride, he probably would have joined the Whitebeard Pirates long ago.

Youta paid no attention to Ace's current state of confusion. In his eyes, the bond between Ace and Whitebeard was similar to that of Shanks and Luffy. As long as their personalities didn't change, Ace joining the Whitebeard Pirates was just a matter of time.

It was Youta himself who felt a bit frustrated. He had been on the Moby Dick for two months already, and the other members of the Black Spade Pirates had been scattered to other divisions. Why hadn't anyone asked him if he wanted to join the Whitebeard Pirates?

Even that guy, Daifuku, Whitebeard wanted to adopt him as his daughter. It was just because Daifuku wanted to stick with Ace that he hadn't agreed. Why was he being ignored?

...

In the cabin of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard prepared to drink while looking at his burnt right hand, a smile on his face.

"Dad, is this... done by Ace?" Marco asked a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Gulalalalala, what do you think? This little devil's potential isn't bad, huh?" Whitebeard didn't mind his injury at all, instead chuckled.

Marco smiled wryly, knowing he couldn't persuade Whitebeard. He also had quite a favourable impression of Ace. Despite calling Whitebeard "Dad", Marco was already in his forties or fifties, an old pirate. He could easily see what kind of person Ace was.

Although Ace still seemed like he wanted to assassinate Whitebeard, Marco had long seen his wavering. And he was well aware that with Ace's character, once he joined the Whitebeard Pirates, he would never waver again.

But now, Marco was more concerned about something else.

"Dad, during this time, not only members of the Black Spade Pirates but also some of our Whitebeard Pirates have been treated by Youta. Dad, don't you want to..."

"Hmph!" Whitebeard put his wine bowl on the table angrily. "I don't want to ask others to join the Whitebeard Pirates because of this kind of thing."

Marco smiled faintly, knowing Whitebeard couldn't swallow his pride. Otherwise, according to his previous character, he would have adopted Youta as his son already.

In fact, Whitebeard's illness was quite simple. It was because of his long-term use of the Gura Gura no Mi, which had left hidden injuries on his body.

The terrifying aspect of the Gura Gura no Mi was that it could not only cause external injuries to others but also internal injuries to the user due to the intense vibrations. Therefore, ordinary defences were almost ineffective against shockwaves.

Moreover, the force acted reciprocally. When Whitebeard used this ability, he himself couldn't avoid being affected by some shockwaves.

When he was young, Whitebeard was strong enough to suppress these minor injuries with his healing ability. But as he grew older, his healing ability diminished, and he couldn't suppress the hidden injuries in his body anymore.

Youta 's Gobble-Gobble Fruit combined with his medical skills was particularly effective against this type of physical damage. Especially for injuries to bone marrow, internal organs, and even brain marrow, regular doctors had no healing ability, only this Devil Fruit could treat them.

But, well, Whitebeard felt it was sacred to adopt a son. But once personal interests were involved, he felt very dissatisfied.

In short, Whitebeard was getting older and his temper was stubborn. This old childishness was causing him to want to face and not ask for help from others. That's why there had been no progress with Youta in the Whitebeard Pirates.

But since Youta was now on the Moby Dick, and Whitebeard was not critically ill at the moment, Marco wasn't in a hurry either.

When Ace became Whitebeard's adopted son, could Youta still run away? There would eventually come a day when he could treat Whitebeard.

At the moment, on the Moby Dick, Youta was chatting with one of the squadron leaders.

"Captain Sach, if we go out to sea again, can you take me with you? I'm getting mouldy here."

The Moby Dick was Whitebeard's flagship and the flagship of the entire Whitebeard Pirates. Therefore, they rarely sailed unless something big happened.

The Black Spade Pirates wouldn't have seen the Moby Dick if it weren't for the letter sent by Red-Haired Shanks and the fact that Ace defeated Squard. Like most ignorant challengers, they were taught a lesson by Whitebeard's squadron leaders. Only after defeating those squadron leaders would Whitebeard truly make a move.

All in all, being on the Moby Dick was just too boring.

If they were ordinary crew members, it would be okay since Whitebeard's ship was now anchored on an island, and they could go out and play. But Youta 's current status was that of a captive. Even though he looked no different from the crew members, because of Youta 's importance, Marco and a few of Whitebeard's most trusted sons would not dare let him leave their sight.

The other members of the Black Spade Pirates didn't have this problem. In fact, they had already been assigned to various departments of the Whitebeard Pirates and had long since integrated into the Whitebeard Pirates.