One Piece: Starting with Sharingan, First Mate Uchiha

The New World, Sphinx Isle.

This is an impoverished island that is not entitled to pay celestial gold to the World Government, and a homeland that rarely appears on official nautical charts.

The island has no bustling port, nor any tall towns.

Scattered houses are built on the mountainside, and large fields stretch all the way to the coast.

From the outside world's perspective, there is no wealth worth plundering here, and it is not even worth having a navy stationed here.

However, over the years, there have always been unsigned donations of money and supplies sent to the island.

The old people on the island all know that it was brought back by a man who had left his hometown many years ago.

His name is Edward Newgate.

People at sea called him Whitebeard.

At dawn, a large number of sails appeared on the calm sea.

The old man who was in charge of looking after the wheat field looked up and quickly recognized the huge pirate ship shaped like a whale at the very front.

The Moby Dick slowed down and led the remaining Whitebeard fleet into the bay.

But this time, the familiar laughter did not come from the ship.

The tall man holding the enormous wine bowl, who sat in the center of all his sons, was no longer on the deck.

The bay was eerily quiet.

The island's residents arrived one after another. Looking at the lowered flags and the still-dry bloodstains on the crew members, they vaguely understood what was going on.

After the Moby Dick docked, Marco was the first to walk down the gangway.

His face was pale, his body was wrapped in bandages, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Joz, Vista, and the others followed behind, also remaining silent.

Finally, Ace appeared.

He and several captains carried the white-bearded man's body step by step off the Moby Dick.

Even after losing his life, Whitebeard did not return to his hometown in a sorry state.

The massive body, covered in wounds, was secured to a specially made wooden frame.

There was no scar on his back from fleeing, and he still held the Murakumogiri that had accompanied him in battle for many years.

Behind him, another coffin was also carried off the ship.

Sachi lay in the coffin.

The fourth division captain, who was killed by Blackbeard and then possessed by a soul on Beehive Island, has finally been brought back by his family.

On the shore, an elderly woman with gray hair slowly walked out of the crowd.

She looked up at the white beard, her cloudy eyes remaining silent for a long time, before finally uttering only one sentence:

"Newgate, you're home."

This sentence seemed to shatter everyone's last bit of resolve.

Several young crew members lowered their heads, their shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

Some people covered their faces, some knelt on the ground, and some clenched their teeth tightly, refusing to let their cries out.

Ace stood at the very front, still without shedding a tear.

After leaving Beehive Island, he barely slept a wink.

He stayed by the white-bearded man's side, as if as long as he didn't close his eyes, the man would still suddenly raise his fist and laugh and scold them as a bunch of troublesome idiots.

But Whitebeard never opened his eyes again along the way.

"Dad, we're home."

Ace called out softly, but received no response.

The sea breeze blew across Whitebeard's tattered cloak and ruffled Ace's black hair.

Marco walked over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Let Dad rest first."

Ace was silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

……

Whitebeard's grave was chosen on the highest hillside on the island.

Standing here, he can see the fields, villages, and coastline of his hometown, as well as the sea that accompanied him throughout his life.

Whitebeard's and Satch's tombstones stand side by side in the middle of the hillside.

A massive Murakumogiri sword was planted in front of the Whitebeard's grave, its hilt draped with his captain's cloak.

The morning breeze blew from the sea, causing the tattered cloak to flutter.

There was no grand ceremony, and no outsiders participated.

All of Whitebeard's surviving sons, along with the island's inhabitants, stood quietly before the tombstone.

Marco picked up a bowl of wine and slowly poured it in front of the grave.

"Dad, you always say you're healthy and tell us to mind our own business."

He kept his head down, his voice noticeably hoarse.

"This time, I finally don't have to pretend to be strong anymore."

Joz put down his wine bowl and clenched his fist.

Bista removed his top hat, and the other crew members followed suit, placing wine, flowers, and items that the white-bearded man had liked in his lifetime in front of the grave.

When it was Ace's turn, he stood there for a long time.

Only when all eyes were on him did he slowly walk to the tombstone and put down a wine bowl.

"Dad."

"In the end, you told me not to live my whole life for your name, but to go and see my own era."

Ace looked up at the name on the tombstone, his eyes finally turning red.

"But you damned old man, you should at least see it with your own eyes."

"Let's see Luffy become the Pirate King, let's see all of us keep living, and let's see what this damn world will become."

His voice grew softer and softer until it was just a suppressed tremor.

"You abandoned us and left us behind."

A tear fell into the wine bowl.

Then, as if he could no longer control himself, tears streamed down Ace's face.

He lowered his head, his fists pressed tightly against the tombstone, and the sobs he had suppressed all the way finally burst from his throat.

"Dad!!"

The Whitebeard Pirates on the hillside all lowered their heads.

Some people burst into tears, while others called out their father's name.

Those powerful figures who once struck fear into the hearts of countless nations and pirates are now just a group of sons who have lost their fathers.

The cries carried on the sea breeze into the distance.

The cloak in front of the tombstone continued to flutter.

It was as if the man was still standing in front of them, silently watching his family.

……

After the funeral, the captains of the Whitebeard Pirates did not leave immediately.

The group gathered in a wooden house at the foot of the hillside.

The news of Whitebeard's death and Blackbeard's taking of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit could not be kept secret for long.

Once the news spreads, enemies who once feared the Whitebeard's name will surely pounce like sharks smelling blood.

The islands, territories, and ordinary people that the Whitebeard Pirates used to protect will all become their targets.

"We need a new leader."

A captain broke the silence, his gaze falling on Ace.

No one else objected.

Ace is one of Whitebeard's personally groomed successors and is now the most qualified person to take over the mantle.

As long as he is willing to step forward, the remaining Whitebeard Pirates will not immediately disband.

"Ace," Jozu said in a deep voice, "Dad is gone. From now on, someone has to lead us on."

Ace looked at the familiar faces in the room.

After a moment of silence, he slowly shook his head.

"I will not become the new Whitebeard."

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent.

"It's not because I'm afraid of taking responsibility," Ace continued, "but because there has only ever been one Whitebeard on this sea."

"Dad is not a title that can be inherited by someone else."

"It's not like you can just change who's carrying the flag and pretend nothing happened."

Ace clenched his fist and glanced at everyone.

"I don't want to be him, and I can't be him."

"But I am his son."

"I will continue to protect those people that my father protected in the past."

"I will not let any of the enemies who dared to harm my family in the past go."

As he spoke, the image of the black-bearded man reappeared in his eyes.

Someone immediately stood up and said angrily, "In that case, let's go after Teach now!"

"He killed Sachi, murdered Old Man, and stole Old Man's abilities!"

The atmosphere inside the room instantly became oppressive.

In the past, Ace might have been the first to rush out.

Even knowing that Blackbeard already possessed three Devil Fruits, he would still be driven by anger to chase after him.

But he didn't move.

"We can't chase after them."

The captain, who had suggested giving chase, suddenly looked at him: "Ace!"

"If we chase after them now, we'll only cause more family members to die at Teach's hands."

Ace suppressed the anger in his eyes, but his tone was extremely firm.

"My father used his last breath to let us leave alive, not so that we would turn around and die."

"Teach knows we hate him, so he must be waiting for us to lose our minds."

Ace raised his head, flames slowly seeping out from between his tightly clenched fingers.

"I will kill him."

"But not today, and not at the cost of all my family's lives."

"Next time we meet, I will be stronger than I am now, and I will ensure he never has a chance to escape again."

The cabin remained quiet for a long time.

Marco looked at Ace in front of him, and finally a tired smile appeared on his face.

The young man who once turned back without hesitation because of a single provocation finally understood what his father wanted to teach him in the end.

It's not about how to inherit the Whitebeard's power, but how to protect the family behind him.

Marco stepped forward and patted Ace on the shoulder.

"It's better not to become a new white-bearded man."

"From today onwards, we no longer need anyone to be our father."

"Because we are all proof of Dad's legacy in this era."

The people inside the room stood up one after another.

Marco unfolded a New World chart, marked with the islands that Whitebeard had once protected.

"What do we do next?"

Everyone looked at Ace again.

Ace did not back down. He reached out and pressed down on the chart, making a quick decision.

"First, send news of Father's death to every island he protected, so they can evacuate the elderly and children in advance."

"Each squadron should recount its personnel. The wounded will remain here to recuperate, while those capable of fighting will be divided into fleets for patrols."

"No matter whose flag they flew in the past, those people who called us 'father' are still our family."

"We must not leave anyone behind."

There was a brief silence among the people in the room, followed by smiles from them all at once.

"clear!"

The echo came from the cabin, startling the seabirds that were perched on the nearby hillside.

Ace looked out the window at the two tombstones on the hillside and slowly clenched his fist.

"Dad."

"I will Survive."

"And then...I'll personally bring Teach's head back as a tribute to you."