On the deck of the Moby Dick, Ace stood frozen, a look of complete bewilderment on his face. Marco, Vista, and Jozu huddled around him, their eyes wide with disbelief and curiosity. Even Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world, sat in his massive chair with a look of genuine surprise. He had never imagined that his son, Ace, would have such a complicated history with the daughter of Kaido.
Whitebeard didn't particularly like the Beast King, but he was a man who valued family above all else. If Ace truly loved the girl, then a marriage should happen. In the worst-case scenario, he would simply become in-laws with Kaido. Besides, being in-laws didn't mean they couldn't still trade blows across the New World.
"Luffy, wait! You've got it all wrong!" Ace shouted into the Den Den Mushi, trying to salvage the situation. "Yamato and I don't have that kind of relationship!".
"Ace, are you even a man?" Luffy's voice crackled back, simple and direct. "You said you liked her, but now you're trying to take it back? If you like her, you have to take responsibility!".
"But that's not what I meant—" Ace started to argue.
"It's settled!" Luffy interrupted. "We're going to rescue Yamato together, and I won't let anyone stop your wedding!".
The line went dead, leaving Ace staring at the snail in stunned silence. He wanted to explain that when he said he "liked" Yamato, it was because he viewed her as a brother-in-arms, not a romantic partner. But Luffy hadn't listened to a word of it.
Marco leaned in, a sly grin on his face. "Well, well, Ace. You've been busy. I didn't know you were busy poaching Kaido's own family while we weren't looking. I have to say, I admire the guts it takes to pull that off".
"Great job, Ace" Vista added with a chuckle. "Don't worry, the crew is behind you. Go ahead and win over Kaido's daughter!"
Jozu nodded solemnly. "It would be nice to have a wedding. It's been a long time since the Whitebeard Pirates had a reason to celebrate".
The other commanders began to cheer and tease him, making Ace feel more cornered than if he were facing an Admiral. "You guys, stop it! It's a misunderstanding! I'm telling you, there's nothing going on between us!".
"Ace, I heard the whole conversation," Whitebeard said, his deep voice cutting through the noise. "Do you really intend to walk away from your responsibilities?".
"Pops, it's not like that..." Ace tried again.
"You said you liked the child," Whitebeard said leisurely, taking a drink from his massive jug. "Just like your brother said, a man must stand by his words. Even if she is Kaido's daughter, I don't object as long as your heart is in it. But if you plan on breaking a young lady's heart, then even if you are my son, I won't go easy on you".
Seeing that he was getting nowhere, Ace sighed in defeat. He sat down and began to explain the real story—how he had crashed into Wano as a rookie with the Spade Pirates. He described the fierce battle he had with Yamato that turned into a deep friendship, how he learned she was kept prisoner by her own father, and how she was obsessed with becoming a man like the legendary Kozuki Oden.
The commanders and Whitebeard listened, their expressions shifting to surprise. The idea of Kaido's own daughter blindly worshipping the man her father had executed was almost too strange to believe.
"Does that idiot Kaido even know how to raise a child?" Whitebeard grumbled, his annoyance growing. "Locking his own blood in a cage and forcing her to live like that... it's the height of stupidity".
Whitebeard couldn't stand anyone who mistreated their children. To him, a daughter was a daughter and a son was a son. The fact that Yamato was so confused about her own identity was clearly a result of Kaido's terrible parenting.
"That's why I said we don't have that kind of relationship, Pops," Ace said, feeling a bit of relief. "I think of her as a brother!".
"Ace, you're making a mistake too," Whitebeard reprimanded. "If you're truly her friend and you know she's a girl, you should help her embrace who she is. Look at Izo. He chooses to wear traditional female attire, yet he is still my son, and he doesn't hide who he is. Oden was a man of absolute honesty and character. If Yamato can't even face her own gender, she isn't worthy of following in Oden's footsteps".
Ace sat stunned. He hadn't expected to be lectured, but Whitebeard's words hit home. Deep down, he knew Yamato was a woman; the physical reality was impossible to ignore, and he certainly couldn't treat her exactly like the other men on the crew. If she was lying to herself, then she wasn't truly living with the freedom Oden represented.
"So, Ace, you need to change your perspective," Whitebeard continued. "Start treating her like the woman she is".
"I... I understand, Pops," Ace muttered. "She's a girl and she's my friend. I'll treat her like a younger sister".
Whitebeard nodded, satisfied that his lesson had taken hold. But the moment of peace was short-lived. The sky above the Moby Dick began to darken as massive clouds swirled, and the silhouette of a gargantuan dragon appeared.
"Pops! Kaido is back!" Marco reported, his voice tense.
"Hmph. Perfect timing," Whitebeard said, standing up and gripping his polearm, Murakumogiri. "I've been looking for an excuse to teach that idiot a lesson about how to treat children".
Kaido circled above the ship, his rage palpable. He unleashed a wave of Conqueror's Haki that pressed down on the crew like a physical weight. Whitebeard didn't hesitate; he released his own massive Haki, clashing with Kaido's until the dragon's pressure was forced back.
"Whitebeard!" Kaido roared from the sky. "Your brat Ace has been filling my son's head with nonsense! I'm here to kill him! Move aside!".
"You big idiot!" Whitebeard roared back, his voice shaking the sea. "You want to kill my son? You're a thousand years too early for that! You're so stupid you can't even tell your daughter is a girl. I'm telling the whole world right now—Ace is going to marry Yamato, and there's nothing you can do to stop it!".
Ace slapped his forehead in despair. "Pops! What are you saying? I just said she was like a sister! This is only making things worse!".
But Whitebeard wasn't listening. He was genuinely furious that Kaido had raised a child as a prisoner. If Kaido didn't know how to be a father, Whitebeard was more than happy to take the girl into his own family. And the fastest way to do that was to make the marriage a reality.
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