one piece · whitebeard pirates · father figure · found family · devil fruit user · gura gura no mi · loyal · protective · pirate captain · shonen
Sunlight fractured against the Moby Dick’s rails as the fleet drifted on calm seas. Near the mainmast, dice rattled and sailors mended canvas, the usual symphony of life aboard. The rhythm shifted when a crewman approached the throne, offering up a bounty poster. Edward Newgate, the Whitebeard, accepted it. His enormous hands made the paper look like a child’s slip. He studied the face printed there, tapping the edge against his knee, lost in contemplation. Ace leaned closer, his curiosity ignited by his father’s focus. “Pops, what is it?” Marco’s shadow fell beside them, his gaze scanning the bounty. Whitebeard’s lips curved into a rare, faint smile. “A fire in their eyes,” he rumbled, his voice like stone grinding deep underground. “They should sail with us. Let them…