The Straw Hat crew had assembled early because Luffy had set out to sea ahead of schedule.
However, aside from Luffy, the other members' growth in strength was clearly nowhere near his.
Whitebeard had put real effort into training Luffy and Ace, showing them no mercy at all.
What Ace had done was simply too stupid, and he was far too weak. Compared to his father, he was leagues behind.
As Ace's old man, when Ace had been sentenced to execution by the World Government, Whitebeard would certainly have led the entire pirate crew to rescue him. It would not have mattered if it were Ace or any other member of the crew—he would have done the same.
That was Whitebeard's belief. He treated every crew member as family. Now that Ace had been successfully rescued, Whitebeard himself had regained his youth, and the pirate crew had Konoha backing them.
Whitebeard had become very strict with Ace. He had neglected Ace's upbringing in the past, which was why Ace had blindly gone after Blackbeard.
If Ace had not been the Pirate King's son, it would have been one thing. But because of that special identity, combined with his connection to the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace's recklessness had nearly destroyed the entire Whitebeard Pirates.
If Ace had not gone looking for trouble himself, then with Whitebeard's protection and Garp's connections, the World Government would not have done anything to him. The Marines would most likely have turned a blind eye, just as they had with the Straw Hat crew.
But after Blackbeard captured him and handed himself over to the World Government, they would not let such an opportunity slip away.
Ace was too foolish and naive. He did not want to acknowledge that he was the Pirate King's son, but refusing