#dadshipping

In that time, Ace has toddled his little ass right up to the really incredibly large man sunbathing a little bit away, and slapped one sunscreen-sticky hand right down on the guy's chest.

Dadan snatches the little hellion up, apologizes profusely, and hightails it the fuck out of there.

Hours later on the drive home, Edward Newgate's sons heckle him for the rather odd tan line: a perfect, tiny little baby hand, right over his heart. Personally, Newgate can't help but be utterly charmed by the hand print, and by the little freckled child who'd given it to him, and by the rather voluptuous woman with vibrant red hair who had been that child's guardian.

The real lynchpin in all of it is Ace, and Dadan and Whitebeard's wildly different experiences with/approaches to parenthood.

Whitebeard obviously intended to build a family for himself right from the start, he was willing to adopt the kids who needed him and thus he did exactly that. He has found purpose and joy in fatherhood.

Dadan very much did not intend to become a mother, least of all to fucking Gold Roger's son. She struggled to take care of Ace in the beginning, and by the time she might have started to hit her stride Ace had closed off, and neither of them were able to connect with the other in any real way until the fire. But Dadan loves the shit out of Ace and his brothers.

I think there's a lot of really interesting avenues to explore there regarding Dadan's experience in raising Ace, particularly through the lens of the trauma of motherhood, and I think Whitebeard could be a really big influence in the two of them finally working through the lingering issues they have and admitting that they do see each other as mother and son. I also think that Whitebeard would respect a woman who ran into a fire and swung an axe at a pirate to protect her boys, even though Dadan is very not cut out for the kind of battles the Whitebeards regularly get into. That's fine. Dadan doesn't want to be that kind of crazy fighter, and she doesn't pretend to be.

I can picture Dadan resolutely refusing to admit she finds Whitebeard funny and charming and Whitebeard absolutely taking it as a challenge. He makes a joke and she cracks a tiny little "Pfft--" and he fucking WHIPS his head around to stare at her but she's white-knuckling her own knees to keep her poker face in place she absolutely will not give him the satisfaction of seeing her laugh.

Also I think it would be hilarious if Shanks is dating Makino and Whitebeard is dating Dadan and Shanks is leaving Dawn while Whitebeard is arriving and they look at each other like that scene from The Umbrella Academy.

Victor just came out and said “I’ll miss you” and my heart stopped.

Logan just plain promissed to hunt him down, and I’m alive once more.