Summary:
Whitebeard reveals his Devil Fruit abilities to the Marines. Whitebeard and Ace’s past is shown: Ace was the captain of the Pirate Pirates. Ace confronts Jinbe to meet Whitebeard because Ace turned down the offer to become a Shichibukai. Soon after Whitebeard offered Ace to join his crew when his battle was over, Ace tried to kill Whitebeard but was unsuccessful. Whitebeard allowed Ace to become Division Commander. However, when Blackbeard turned on the crew and killed Thatch, Ace left Whitebeard on a mission to capture Blackbeard. When Ace asks Whitebeard why he came when Ace ignored his advice, Whitebeard says that it was his fault that Ace faced Blackbeard.
Three other ships entered the bay along with Moby Dick. Whitebeard himself, aboard Moby Dick, says that his son, Fire Fist Ace, had better be okay.
Ivankov asks Luffy if Monkey D. Dragon will come and save Ace because he would never let his son be killed. Luffy replies that although his father is a Dragon, Ace’s father is actually Gol D. Roger.
Ace then remembers all the events that led to him becoming the commander of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates. (Farewelling Luffy, his days as Captain of the Pirate Pirates, meeting Shanks on Winter Island, etc.)
It also shows his battles with Jinb and Whitebeard and his joining the Whitebeard Pirates. He continues to fight Whitebeard at first, but eventually accepts him as his leader and adoptive father and befriends the rest of Whitebeard’s pirates. It shows his rise among the crew when he is later promoted to commander of the second division. The flashback ends with him going after Blackbeard (for killing Thatch) against the wishes of Whitebeard, who told him to stay. The episode ends with Ace asking why they came to his aid even though he disobeyed them, and Whitebeard replies that he is his son.
When Ace meets Shanks, it is seen that Shanks still has both hands, although he lost his left to Lord of the Coast. However, this appears to be a bug. This is fixed in the home release of the episode.
Before the second ship of the Whitebeard Pirates entered the bay, Moby Dick’s bow is yellow instead of white.
In this episode, Thatch and Ace are seen fighting the Decalvan Brothers, which did not happen in the manga.
While it is mentioned that Thatch was killed by Teach, exactly how he killed him was never mentioned in the manga. In the anime, Teach stabs him in the back.
In earlier episodes, Whitebeard does not laugh like in the manga (his Gurarara laugh). This is the first time he laughs like in the manga.
This episode marks the debut of two voice actors replacing the others.
Ivankova now voices Mitsuo Iwata after the arrest of Norio Imamura.
Dracule Mihawk is now voiced by Hirohiko Kakegawa following Takeshi Aon’s retirement.