A Plan for the Future: The Whitebeard Pirates Reborn

"Thank you, thank you~~ Waaaaah~~"

"You are the great benefactor of our Whitebeard Pirates— "

"From now on, if anything happens, just say the word! We'll tell you who to kill, and we'll kill them..."

"Let go! Let go!!"

With a creaking sound, the White Knight broke free from the enthusiastic crowd's embrace, his armor bearing dents from the rough handling of these burly men.

"It's a good thing my real body didn't come over, otherwise I would have been killed by your 'Embrace and Kill' move in one go, right?"

Faced with the White Knight's sarcastic remarks, the burly men with tears in their eyes awkwardly scratched their heads. Meanwhile, several meticulous captains, after carefully examining Ace's body, also nodded and thanked the White Knight.

"You're welcome. I've said before, I'm not doing this for your Whitebeard Pirates."

Regardless of the captains' gratitude, the White Knight simply waved his hand calmly. He also had some 'points of attention' to explain to Ace:

"Because he had already died once, Ace definitely wouldn't have the 'Mera Mera no Mi' ability. Also:"

"First, regarding Ace's soul; after all, I used a 'lower-quality' version of the Devil Fruit ability, so your soul still needs some time to integrate with your body."

"In other words, you'd better avoid being attacked by Haki in the short term. Otherwise, it could easily lead to your soul being injured or even leaving your body."

"No problem, from now on, no one is allowed to use Haki!!"

Captain Kingdew of the 11th Division slapped his chest muscles loudly, making White Knight rub his forehead. —The intelligence of these guys... Luffy, I misunderstood you; it turns out you're not the only one with such a simple thought process.

But most pirates are like that!

"As long as it's not a powerful Haki attack aimed at Ace, it's fine. Does that mean you won't have to fight anymore?"

After saying that, the White Knight continued speaking.

"Secondly, regarding Ace's body; I used the Mane Mane no Mi to fill your heart and wounds, but it is, after all, my creation—meaning your life is entirely in my hands."

Faced with the White Knight's cold words, Ace simply nodded politely.

"Yes, thank you."

······

"Okay, there's another potential problem: if I die or fall into a coma, your heart will stop beating. So:"

The White Knight extended a finger and pointed at Ace's chest.

"You must intensify your Haki training, use Haki to erase my 'mark' and strengthen it. Make this 'heart' completely yours! Even if something happens to me, it won't affect you."

"Okay, thank you again."

Faced with Ace's smiling nod, Roman, who was controlling the White Knight, was momentarily speechless.

The current Ace gives off a different vibe than before, where beneath his polite exterior lay a hidden rage that seemed capable of burning everything, including his own temper. He has truly become composed and reliable, both inside and out.

Well, it's normal to change after dying once. So:

"Thirdly, it concerns the future of your Whitebeard Pirates."

The White Knight's words silenced the overjoyed captains, and Roman had already controlled the White Knight to continue speaking.

"Right now, I'm sure your Whitebeard Pirates' territory is under attack by various pirates from the New World. And most importantly— the Blackbeard Pirates are about to arrive as well!"

The White Knight surveyed the assembled captains. While all possessed combat strength comparable to naval admirals, only three could truly be considered top-tier fighters: 'Phoenix' Marco, 'Diamond' Jozu, and 'Flower Sword' Vista. As for the others...

Let's not talk about it.

"First, there's Blackbeard: even without Devil Fruit ability, he killed your Fourth Division Commander Thatch through a sneak attack. Then he ate the 'Dark-Dark Fruit,' which can counter other Devil Fruit, and then he took the 'Tremor-Tremor Fruit,' the Paramecia Fruit with the strongest attack. I won't go into how strong he is."

"Then there were the members he originally recruited. I can tell you very clearly that there was absolutely no weakling among them."

"As for the prisoners he brought out from Impel Down's sixth level..." The White Knight stroked his chin, "Let's put it this way, if you were all imprisoned in Impel Down, only Ace, Marco, Jozu, and Vista would be qualified to be imprisoned on the sixth level."

"And those guys Blackbeard recruited were the best fighters left after he killed the other prisoners in the same cell!"

His strength is definitely no weaker than that of the top captains of the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Understood,"

Ace nodded.

"You're saying we have no chance of winning, right?"

Not only did they have no chance of winning, they were even routed without managing to take a single one of the opposing team's officers! Of course, Roman wouldn't say such things aloud. However, what he was thinking was written all over his face... on his mask.

"Hey, even if you're our benefactor, you're still underestimating us—"

With short brown hair, blue eyes, and a rather short but cute stature, Harta, the Second Division Commander, dressed in a white and green medieval-style outfit and white leggings, spoke up defiantly, but was immediately stopped by Ace standing next to her.

"I believe you. Perhaps you are the one who has the clearest understanding of the strength on this great sea."

"Ace, why do you say that?"

In response to Harta's question, Ace looked at the White Knight.

"Your identity... can you tell me?"

Faced with Ace's question, the White Knight shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Everyone here has been exposed to the aura of my puppet. I'm in such a conspicuous position at the top, you should have already guessed it."

"Mmm~~"

Facing a group of captains nodding in agreement, Ace shrugged and introduced himself to the White Knight.

"Alright, this is my brother Straw Hat Luffy, White Knight Roman."

Only now did the Whitebeard Pirates' commanders learn Roman's name. And they finally understood why he had repeatedly insisted he had no connection with the Whitebeard Pirates, yet had helped them all along.

It's all because the other party is a crew member of Ace's brother!

"At the same time, his true form is the Celestial Dragons has been sitting on the Execution Platform all along, right next to me."

∑(っ°Д°;)っX12

????

"What kind of expressions are those! Didn't you all notice that your Observation Haki is fake?" Marco waved his hand awkwardly in response to the White Knight's sarcastic remark.

"How could that be? I noticed it a long time ago!"

'Flower Sword' Vista straightened his two mustaches.

"I see. No wonder I've always found that Celestial Dragons... no, Brother Roman's aura so familiar."

"Yes, yes, I noticed that too..."

Me too.

······

So only Marco and Vista noticed?

"In short, just don't reveal my identity to anyone."

"Understood!" X14

This time, the captains immediately nodded in unison; the other party's identity was actually Celestial Dragons, World Noble! Roman's presence on the Execution Platform explained his clear understanding of everyone's strength, as well as the source of the intelligence he had previously sent... However:

If it were revealed that Roman was secretly helping these pirates, even if he was Celestial Dragons... no, precisely because he was Celestial Dragons, his fate would be even worse.

"Don't worry, we will never tell anyone!" X15

The White Knight nodded. The Whitebeard Pirates' commanders were undoubtedly men of their word. There was no need to worry about them betraying him. So:

"Getting back to the point, Ace."

The White Knight looked at Ace, who had come back from the dead, and asked, "What are you going to do in the face of Blackbeard's impending arrival?"

"I····"

Ace glanced around at the captains, all of them wounded. —Especially Jozu, whose arm was wrapped in bandages! That was the wound from when Aokiji severed his arm during the battle.

"Let's go back and gather everyone together..."

Just as Roman, the White Knight, was sighing inwardly, Ace suddenly changed the subject.

"Then retreat to the west of 'Gale Island' to establish a defensive position!"

?

What kind of place is Gale Island?

In response to the White Knight's words, Marco explained, "That sea area is constantly battered by gale-force winds, and the only place nearby where we can rest is Gale Island, which is very easy to defend and difficult to attack. But if we retreat there..."

"We will need to give up two-thirds of our territory."

Faced with this suggestion of sacrificing his own flesh and blood, Ace looked around at the captains present and said, "Everyone, I also really want to avenge my father! I really want to personally kill that bastard Blackbeard! But:"

Dad, I won't be willful anymore.

"We are no match for them, and revenge cannot be achieved by acting impulsively. We must be patient until we have accumulated enough strength."

His words resonated deeply, leaving the captains present speechless. Roman, who controlled the White Knight, nodded.

Ace, you're finally starting to act like a big brother.

"Although I am an outsider, I agree with what Ace said."

The White Knight stepped forward, breaking the oppressive atmosphere in the cabin.

"Excuse my bluntness, Whitebeard Pirates are incapable of defeating the Blackbeard Pirates right now. Temporary retreat is not cowardice; just like in a fight, you must retract your fist and gather your strength before delivering a fatal blow! Furthermore:"

The White Knight looked at the Whitebeard Pirates, who seemed bewildered after losing their leader.

"It won't be long before our Straw Hat crew enters the New World!"

"By then, the Blackbeard Pirates will also be our enemies. — Because my captain is the man who will become the 'King of the Pirates'!"

All Great Pirates who aim for the 'Greatest Treasure' will be the Straw Hat crew's enemies!

"How about we join forces to take down the Blackbeard Pirates?"

Faced with Roman's proposal, the dozen or so captains looked at each other, and finally their eyes all focused on Ace and Marco.

"Ace, what do you think?"

Marco gave the choice to Ace, which was also a gesture—a gesture that Ace would be in charge of the Whitebeard Pirates from now on!

Marco is calm, loyal, and a very suitable second-in-command. However:

He lacks only 'ambition'!

A person without ambition is not suitable to lead a pirate crew.

"Sure! But I have one condition:"

Ace looked at Roman, who, as the Straw Hat crew's 'strategist,' was qualified and capable of representing the Straw Hat crew in negotiations. And Luffy would definitely support him wholeheartedly, regardless of whether it was Roman or Ace.

"I will take Blackbeard's head!!"

"No problem."

Anyway, the Straw Hat crew has never been interested in 'heads'.

"In that case, let me say something happy."

Ace has been completely changed, and Roman can also consider 'enhancing' him.

"Losing the 'Mera Mera no Mi' is not a bad thing for you."

?

"Ace, you were so focused on developing your Devil Fruit that you forgot about training your Haki. In fact, you have a natural advantage over others! That is your excellent aptitude for Conqueror's Haki."

Ace possesses Conqueror's Haki, which he used to save Luffy when he was very young.

"Although you may not like it, the bloodline of the Pirate King Roger has endowed you with excellent aptitude for Three Types of Haki. Conqueror's Haki is not just a simple aura; once you train it to the point of 'entanglement,' you can immediately join the ranks of top masters."

Throughout the entire Whitebeard Pirates, only Ace possessed this aptitude; one could even say he was destined for this path. —Roger, without Devil Fruit ability, was able to dominate an entire era! His bloodline was certainly no less exceptional.

"... Roger's power?"

Ace clenched his fist, raised his head, and his face was now serious.

"I understand! I will no longer reject the power of this body. Because:"

"My life belongs to my father and my comrades!"

······

"The last thing."

Roman pulled out a white mask and tossed it to Ace. —This wasn't a creation of his power; it was just a normal ballroom mask.

This is an advantage Roman has as Celestial Dragons; this thing has only one characteristic:

That's what sturdiness is!

"Ace, you can't go out in public with that face, or the Navy will go berserk."

They just announced they'd killed the King of the Pirates's son, and the next second he's leaping and bounding across the sea. Don't they care about the Navy's reputation? Don't they care about the World Government's reputation? The Three Admirals are about to descend from the sky, believe it or not!

"Thanks."

He put on the mask to cover his freckles, took the white suit handed to him by Vista, and put it on to cover his tattoos. A mature, tall man appeared in the cabin.

"From today onwards, I am no longer Ace, but:"

"Ace!"

I will protect the Whitebeard Pirates!