much like ace, i too do not think its possible to have a family as big as the whitebeard pirates and for there to not be favorites.

11th division commander kingdew - johnson

'huh? you wanna know if there are favorites?'

ace nodded, notebook ready in hand.

'kid, youre among them.'

ace tilted his head.

'look at the 16 commanders, and you're the second one. those are the favorites.'

johnson hummed, 'actually, if you really wanna know the favorites. go ask blythe in the 16th division.'

'shes been here longer and doesn't cut the details. she'll tell you right.'

ace bowed in thanks, questions flying through his head.

16th division commander izou - blythe

'oh yeah, theres favorites. the higher you are up the ladder, division or otherwise, you'll be closer to pops and he'll know you too.'

blythe dragged a mess of fabric to her station, 'just don't let the commanders hear you say that.'

she paused, 'though i guess youre a commander now. better keep it hush you hear?'

ace nodded.

'theres a lad. go down to the 9th division and fergus will know more. he's always fixing drunk messes around here so he's bound to know what you need.'

ace waved his thanks but not before leaving the peace offering he brought, what he'd been told was her favorite cocktail.

9th division commander blenheim - fergus

fergus stopped his hammer and turned to the youngest.

'im sure you know, but marco is the favorite. he's been with whitebeard since he was a wee babe. hard to break that bond.'

'the younger you are when you join, the more the old man takes to you. most of the commanders were barely lads when they joined.'

he went back to hammering, fixing a hole that would no doubt be back come the next party.

'we're old sea farers, the lot of us, we'd already had crews before or lived half our lives when pops came about.'

ace urged the man to continue his thought.

'it stings but we all saw what the old man was like and we said yes, because we all wanted that. but most of us can't get near the old timer without the phoenix giving us work.'

'makes you think if the lad sees us the way we see him, sons of whitebeard. cheeky thing he is, i'll give you that. but only that, you hear?'

ace placed the snack he'd brought for the ship wright amongst the man's many tools.

'now off you go, words spreading fast and 12th divisions wants to pick at ya.'

12th division commander haruta - henry

'you ever hear of blenheim, not the commander, she was apart of the old 2nd division. smart lass. died with her commander, they all did really but she was closest in line to take over when the commander died or retired. he was an old man, just about as old as pops'

'anyways, we gave them a send off, biggest one we'd done and ever did, its been 6 years and im glad we haven't done another like it.'

'every year we have a memorial, and ol' blenheim is the one they always forget. ask any commander and they'll tell you about the 9th commander rather than the lass.'

henry looked over at the furiously scribbling boy, he envied the boy's inability for cramped hands.

'im sure they've all told thou but never tell you're fellow commanders. lest we end up like ol' bleinheim.'

ace nodded and handed the informant a book he'd raided at their last stop.

'keep spoiling us with gifts and you'd never need for anything. thank you lad,' henry smiled softly.

1st division commander marco - marge

ace walked through the deepest part of the ship, hoping to find the person henry had told him about. the man said he had sent word but the boy hadn't seen anyone so far.

'you must be ace, the young lad who's been poking about the ladder.'

ace turned around to face the voice and craned his neck to look at the woman.

'bay but call me marge since it'd unsettle the upper levels. part of the 1st division but second to the witch we call a healer.'

ace nodded, writing down her statement before handing her the bottle he'd brought her.

'smart lad. henry was right to speak highly of you. now come sit so i can tell thou what you want.'

'ive been here a long time but that means nothing in the face of the commanders. ain't even allowed to share a name, you've heard of ol' blenheim by now. i was the first told to take a new name. not by pops mind you but by my commander. the glittering phoenix of the whitebeard pirates.'

'biggest complex of the lot. wouldn't throw ol' rakuyo in with them, he's young but he's the least tainted by the line they've made.'

'go round the divisions and you'll see him there. his mace is a hit amongst us, vicious thing but love her all the same.'

'im sure youve heard us all say it. don't let the commanders hear you repeat what we've said. there's a reason, look at the wall behind you.'

ace turned to look and found names etched into the adam's wood, enough for an entire division.

'those are the ones who were caught, poor lads just wanted to know. ol' julian had it the worse, he was eaten by the phoenix. and guess who saw that little thing go down.'

'blenheim?'

marge nodded, 'smart just like her, next thing we hear, her and the entire 2nd divisions been lost on a mission.'

'does pops know?'

'pray he doesn't, it'd kill the old man to hear of what his closest son has done. and it is only marco. the other commanders stay in their divisions for the most part.'

'pretty sure he has a monopoly on the 12th divisions network, otherwise commander haruta would've spilled her guts out to the old man already.'

'now off you get, you're gonna make the others nervous with how many rounds you're making. come back around when you want and no one will fuss.'

marge patted ace's back before heading deeper into the ship.

she hoped the he would survive come winter, for all their sake.