It was huge.

The vessel rose above the sea like a white snow-capped mountain. Its four main sails flapped in the wind, each with a smaller one above it.

The sheer size of it would be enough to make pirates surrender. It had fourteen decks, rising like a massive tower above the waves. Jackie's old ship, the Cape High, would've been dwarfed by it.

He could just about make out a black flag being raised up on the flagpole of the ship by one of the men, the wind revealing the stamp of Whitebeard on it. It was one of the most famous stamps in the world, and the only one to mimick Blackbeard's stamp and still survive.

While Blackbeard's stamp was a skull and crossbones with a scar running across the right eye of the white skull, Whitebeard had the exact same stamp, apart from the scar, which was over the left eye. Oddly enough, Whitebeard had a scar over his left eye, while Blackbeard had a scar over his right.

Everyone had, at some point, heard of the Ivory. It was Whitebeard's legendary ship, serving as his command vessel for twenty years. As Jackie stumbled out of the boat, which had been pulled up to the main deck using a pulley system, he realized he was stepping foot on a royal craft.

The ship was magnificently built, with beautiful designs across the sideboards depicting the waves of the raging seas. The masts were not held up with wood or iron as most ships had, but with pure gold. The deck was full of soldiers, giving the Jackie pirates dark looks as they climbed on. There were men from all corners of the world here...tall, short, black, white, muscular, skinny, and men or women who didn't look like pirates at all.

And they all stared at them.

They walked onto the deck towards a man who looked in his mid twenties, with black shiny hair that fell over his slits for eyes. He was about Jackie's height, and wore a long black coat that went upto his knees over a gray shirt. He had his hands clasped behind his back, and stared at him with an apathetic expression on his face. Or what could be seen of it, since his mouth was mostly covered by the raised collar of his coat.

Before he could say anything, however, Jackie heard someone talking to Elma with a rather flirtatious voice. "Hey, missy. You look quite tired, how about we-"

He didn't even manage to finish his sentence before Elma slammed her foot into his mouth and kicked him to the floor.

The guy was lucky she was handcuffed. As she kicked him to a pulp, a tall, skinny man with long black hair tied back in a ponytail and tired eyes approached the first man in the long coat.

"Should we do something?" He whispered, and the first guy shook his head. "Let him have it. He's always having a go at women."

So they waited until Elma was finally done. By then, the man's triangular head was molded enough to look like a square. "Is it my fault I don't have anything to wear, huh? My shirt was ripped up!" She growled, and stomped back to join the other three.

With a sigh, the man with the ponytail took off his blue jacket and propped it over her shoulders. "I don't have a problem with women being pirates, but at least try to dress modestly, miss." His voice was scratchy and worn out, much like his appearance.

Elma looked a bit surprised at this, but said nothing.

Jackie turned back to the man with the long coat. "Well, now that that's over, I think introductions are in order. I'm captain Jackie of the Jackie Pirates. This is my crew...or what's left of it." The man noted this boy's leadership and charisma, introducing himself first despite clearly being the lesser one in the situation.

"My name is Leonardo. I'm Whitebeard's second in command." He motioned towards the second man with the ponytail. "This is my lieutenant, Jamie Borris."

Borris waved his hand at them. "We took some time to catch up. There were reports that you were fighting a ship from Blackbeard's fleet but we simply couldn't get there fast enough thanks to the...er...weather." Jackie remembered the storm shaking the ship back and forth that night and thought it was a miracle the Cape High stayed afloat in that storm at all, forget fight the Blackbeard Pirates.

"I can't blame you. The storm was horrific." He was startled when Borris suddenly moved forward at him. The handcuffs on him fell to the floor, and he realized he had unlocked the cuffs.

"I don't think it's neccessary to keep you all chained up. Anyone who fought against Blackbeard is welcome here. We don't make exceptions." He unlocked the restraints on everyone else as well, although he hesitated a bit when it was Elma's turn.

When everyone was free, Leonardo gave them a stern glare. "Keep in mind that this is Whitebeard's ship. Try anything and we'll riddle you with bullets." He said, and walked off down the stairs into the lower decks.

"Did I hear someone say 'bullets'?!"

A man leapt from the elevated forecast deck at the front of the ship onto the main deck. He was quite plump, and wore a pink bandana over his scraggly brown hair. His shoulder was broad and somewhat muscular, and he had a tattoo of the Whitebeard stamp on his right arm. He wore a badly fitting white shirt with blue stripes, and shook the floor with every step he took.

"I was hoping I could have some target practice, ya know? I sure hope ya lot do somethin' stupid so I can try shootin' ya all!" He laughed, smacking his big hands on poor Eddie's back. He pushed him back. "How about an introduction first, huh big guy?" He glared at him, and he laughed that booming laugh again.

"My name? I'm Brice Redneck! Good to meetcha!" He shook Eddie's hand, and Jackie was glad he wasn't the one on the end of this man's hospitality. Eddie walked away, wincing in pain after the handshake.

"I'd say ya lot are damn lucky to be saved by us, that's for sure. I'm sure the captain will have a thing or two to say to ya, so brace yerselves." He had a slight Scottish accent, and so he had a familiar feeling to Jackie, who was from England. Or rather, an island part of England.

As if on cue, Leonardo appeared at the end of the staircase. "You four. The boss wants to see you. Follow me." He walked back down the stairs, and the four of them followed, guarded by Brice. Rosa couldn't help but notice he had two guns tightly strapped to his belt.

The first of the decks was very spacious indeed, with a huge hallway covered with designs and patterns resembling tree branches and vines. The ceiling was made of white polished marble, and held up by equally well constructed wooden pillars painted white.

There were several rooms cutting off into the sides of the hallway, but Leonardo led the group to a large door right at the end. It was made of maple wood, and had an iron handle on it. Leonardo opened the door and motioned everyone in.

The room they walked into was huge, and yet another marvel of craftsmanship. The room had been painted gold, and had a big circular table surrounded by six chairs with soft velvet pillows on them. Behind this table was a huge desk with charts, maps, and navigational aids on it. Behind the desk sat the legendary pirate himself, Captain Whitebeard of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Just standing in front of him sent chills down Jackie's spine. He may never have seen Whitebeard's face, but the stories he had heard about him were harrowing.

He had a quite fierce look on his face, and even when he was the one sitting, he seemed to be looking down at the Jackie pirates. The three massive windows behind him let in a certain amount of golden yellow sunlight, and it struck part of Whitebeard's face. Despite this, his scarred left eye remained in shadow.

Whitebeard thought the captain looked quite a bit more plain than most pirates he'd come across. The "cutthroat" Jackie he had heard so much about was slim, and had long and blonde messy hair combed sideways, though his time on the island had clearly taken it's toll on his appearance. He had a small scar on the right side of his jaw, and an unwaveringly strong look in his blue eyes.

Jackie watched Whitebeard with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Will we be executed? Enslaved? Above anyone else, he worried for his crewmates.

"So, you're the pirates we've taken in, hmm?" His voice was gruff and low. The golden sunlight made his light brown eyes look almost yellow.

"Yes. We were...defeated by Blackbeard." Inside, Jackie was very much intimidated. On the outside, he firmly returned Whitebeard's glare.

They stayed where they were for quite some time, Whitebeard with his piercing hawk-eyes trained on Jackie's stone-faced expression.

Finally, Whitebeard burst out laughing.

"Gahahaha! I like this kid! Don't you, Leo?" He asked Leonardo, who flanked them along with Brice. He didn't reply.

Whitebeard pointed his index finger at a rather confused Jackie. "I like your spunk, kid. You have the balls to look me in the eyes. Want to join my crew?" Elma's eyes sparkled. Join his crew? WHITEBEARD'S crew?!

"Nope!" Jackie replied smoothly.

"WHAAAAAAAA?!" His entire crew cried out in shock. Even Leonardo looked stunned by the reply.

Whitebeard simply grinned. "And your reason for that is?" Jackie looked up at the ceiling, and shrugged. "I worked really hard to become a pirate captain. It was my dream. There's no way in hell I'm going to let someone else boss me around."

Again, Whitebeard started laughing. Despite his gruff, hard voice, his laughter was bright and infectious. He rubbed his chinstrap with a smile on his face. "Well...I'm fine with that. I understand your sentiment. But, see, I really want to have a connection with you. Want to ally yourself with the Whitebeard pirates?"

Jackie nodded, completely ignoring the fuming expressions on the others' faces behind him. "I don't mind that at all."

Whitebeard stood up to shake Jackie's hand. Even though he was just about as tall as Jackie, he still seemed huge compared to him.

Whitebeard handed Jackie his dagger. It was the key to friendship and allying yourself with another pirate crew. By piercing your thumb and shaking hands, letting your new ally's blood flow over your own, you entrusted your blood with them.

Jackie's eyes widened at the beauty of the dagger. He had an eye for gold and expensive items, and the dagger was no exception. The hilt was encrusted with gold, and the blade was crafted using what seemed like a shark tooth.

That's way too big to be a shark tooth. Could it be...? He wondered as he slit a tiny line across his thumb using the dagger. He had heard tales of a beast five times the size of the largest sharks in the Pacific. Could Whitebeard have killed one?

Whitebeard smiled as he cut his own thumb, looking at the dagger as though it was a precious trophy. "Now, we ally ourselves with each other, and swear to protect each other in times of need." He said, raising his hand to Jackie's.

"I swear to do so." He replied formally, and shook Whitebeard's hand. It was rough, and had blisters all over it. The hand of one of the greatest pirates.

With Whitebeard's blood on his hand, he stepped back politely. The boss didn't seem quite done yet though.

"So you fought Blackbeard, hmm? Tell me the story, boy. I'm very much interested in hearing it." Jackie didn't need to even try to remember it. Blackbeard's face, with his expression of fury, was stamped permanently into his memory.

And so he stepped forward, and explained everything from the beginning, how he mistook Blackbeard's ship for a merchant's ship, his brief appearance on the ship, and the massacre on the shore. When he finished, Whitebeard laughed.

"You thought that was his ship? I can't blame you for thinking it was, but the Black Maiden is far bigger than that." Jackie and the rest stared at him in awe. Bigger? That ship was thirteen decks tall and at least 60 meters long! Eddie thought to himself.

Whitebeard observed their reactions and laughed again. "GAHAHA! You brats don't know much about the big boys of the ocean, eh?" He stood up, and patted Jackie's shoulder. "How long have you been sailing the seas as a pirate, Jackie?"

"Two years. Me, Elma and Eddie have been together since day one. Rosa, with the glasses, joined our crew six months ago." He replied. Rosa seemed almost displeased with this, and Elma couldn't figure out why.

"And who is your vice-captain, then?" Whitebeard asked curiously. Jackie looked back at the other three. "It's Elma. She's my second in command." At this, Elma raised her hands to her hips and stood there with a smug expression on her face.

"Gahahahaha! A woman as your vice-captain? You're an interesting one, kid...all of you are." He crossed his arms across his chest and grinned. "Taking care of a captain like him must be hard work, eh missy?"

Elma nodded in total agreement. "You can say that again. He's really stubborn, and always has his nose stuck in charts and old books and whatnot. Doesn't like exploring, but loves reading about faraway lands, and fantasy like that. Do you see the logic, captain Whitebeard?" She complained, almost half-heartedly since Jackie was actually a fantastic captain.

"Oh?" Elma saw a glint in Whitebeard's eye.

"What is it that you're so obsessed about then, boy?" He asked. Jackie looked at Whitebeard with a serious look on his face.

Oh no. He's gonna say something stupid. Eddie immediately thought, covering his face with his hand. Elma covered her ears. Rosa closed her eyes, on the verge of crying.

"El Dorado. I'll be the man to discover that island!" He said with a bravado that would probably rival the Ascendant standing in front of him. Whitebeard's eyes widened, and a grin spread across his face.

"Oho...one of the Seven Cities of Gold? Well well...that's quite a thing to say, especially for a half-baked kid like you. What do you think you can do with two years of experience as a pirate?" At this, Elma stepped forward, and stood beside Jackie.

"Isn't that a bit harsh? Jackie's been obsessed with that island since he was little!" She was quite clearly angry at that.

Dear girl...none of you are yet capable of understanding the ocean the way I do.

"I like your spirit, girly! Well then, how about you tell me who the Three Ascendants are?" He moved away from them and stood at the windows, staring out at the endless sea spread across them.

Eddie and Rosa moved beside Jackie as well. "The Three Ascendants are the most powerful pirates in the world. Only the governments who've fought against them or their own crews know the full extent of their strength." Jackie narrated, remembering the book he had read a few months ago.

"The Ascendants are Captain Blackbeard, Captain Whitebeard, and the newest Ascendant, Captain Billy Kidd. Although Blackbeard has constantly shown his strength to rival the British commanders, the other two are usually out of the limelight. As if planning something much more important to them than the government." When he finished, Whitebeard turned around, the golden sunlight reflecting off his brown eyes.

"And that is why one must read." He smiled, and sat down on the chair behind his desk.

"I haven't been particularly interested in finding the Cities of Gold. But I do know that the previous and current Third Ascendant is very much interested in finding those Cities. As is Blackbeard." He looked beyond the windows, towards the blue horizon to the West.

"If you think you can find something I could not find in twenty years, my boy, you're very much welcome to give it a try." His voice carried a lot of weight behind it, and it felt as though his words pierced right into Jackie's heart.

But though he didn't show it, the one most affected by these words was none other than Leonardo. With a sad look in his eyes, he raised his eyebrows at Brice. Even with a chicken bone comically poking out from his lips, he could tell Brice heard the same thing as him.

"If I can't go on. You're next." Leonardo now knew for sure these new pirates were people he could trust. He had to trust them.

He tapped Brice's thick shoulder, and the two respectfully walked out of the room.

"Now, I'm aware you don't have a ship yet. So until we can find a solution to that situation, you will be staying on my ship. I'm sure I won't have to insist, since you have nowhere else to go." He waved them all away. "You're all our guests! Go and rest. You've had a hell of a time."

The Jackie pirates, new members of the Whitebeard Fleet, emerged from the office. Jackie wondered exactly what Whitebeard meant when he welcomed them to find "something" he could not find.

Somehow...it didn't feel like he had the Cities of Gold in mind.