Chapter Text
Whitebeard knew from the moment he set eyes on the eighteen year old that had been rumoured to be after his head, he knew who exactly Fire Fist Ace belonged to; the eyes and freckles were a give away.
Thankfully, Whitebeard also knew that the Prince had survived the massacre twenty years ago, since both Rayleigh and Shanks had informed him of such upon their first meetings since meeting the boy nine years ago. Rayleigh had been a friendly rival for so long as their pirate careers grew, and over the years, the man had become something akin to a brother for him alongside Roger and Garp who always entertained him with fights.
When Ace had asked him what he thought about the son of the Pirate King existing, he knew he had gained Ace’s trust. Something that was hard to earn in the two months he was on board the Moby, not only was it his head that the teenager was after, but also the head of one of his sons Teach. Newgate had a feeling it was because of the scars that Red had over his eye, learning that Ace was extremely protective of his brothers, not just his twin or baby brother, but his big brothers too.
They hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting Sabo yet, but learning that his newest son had a link in the Revolutionary Army was baffling but also beneficial too, it was confusing initially when he was told about the twins, but then Ray had explained that Sabo was adopted but could have easily been mistaken for his and Rogues too. Something that had nearly made Sabo cry when he found out that he would never have to worry about people claiming that he and Ace weren't twins because Sabo was close to looking like a perfect mixture of Rayleigh and Rogue.
“Wait.... WHAT?!”
A screech was what had Whitebeards attention drawn to the deck, where Marco looked like had seen a ghost as he stared at Ace wide-eyed and slack-jawed, Ace stood with him looking a little confused as he rubbed the back of his next nervously, but there was also a glint of amusement in his eyes too.
Marco seemed to be having a bit of a panic attack as his eyes scanned over Ace frantically, as if he was analysing him before his eyes shot to Whitebeard in horror.
“Pops!!! Another one!!!” Marco shrieked, panic very evident in his voice as others of the Whitebeards were watching on in confusion and slight worry for the mentality of their elder brother and First Mate. “Red and Blue were bad enough! We don’t need another one!!!”
At Marco’s exclamation, understanding hit Whitebeard which caused him to burst into laughter, remembering all the times his eldest had been victim to the pranks of the two younger cabin boys of the Oro Jackson. Something Ace must have known given the smug smirk on his laps, relishing in the reaction he’d managed to gain from Marco.
Ace grinned up at Whitebeard as the old man's laughs began to quieten, the crew who knew who Red and Blue were, were watching Ace in shock and also looking slightly bemused or horrified. “Red owes me his sake next visit! He didn’t think Marco would shriek like a bird and I have many witnesses to prove my win”
That only made Whitebeard laugh harder as Ace ran away from a shocked and insulted Marco; the First Mate chasing after Ace, grabbing something similar to a club as he ran and tried to hit the teenager across the head with it in retribution; he'd only grabbed a newscoo so the hits barely harmed the boy.
The laughter that echoed across the deck made Whitebeard sigh fondly, his eyes drifting up to the sky. 'Your boy is just like you, brother... I'll keep him safe'