Argh, this chapter is giving me headaches. So, is Ace adopted, then? I mean, he looks so much like Luffy we all just assumed they were related, right?
I doubt it's a random development, though. Think about how far in advance Oda-sensei plans things. I mean, he had Brook and his backstory created hundreds of chapters before the guy was even introduced. I think he may have been planning this revelation from the moment Ace was created. It certainly gives an interesting twist to world dynamics, as well as personal ones. Did Whitebeard know about this before Ace even joined his crew? Is that why he's there?
Argh, too many plot threads. Must... untangle.
You know how Oda works by now. He's bound to prove all our guesstimations wrong at some point anyway, so why not have a sub-important character gain plot worth by making him the son of the Pirate King. I finally understand why Ace would hate his father so much, as he's Whitebeard's underling, and Roger was Whitebeard's greatest adversary. I never really saw any reason for him to abhor Dragon to that level.
In anime and manga, it's not that unusual for the main character to think of his childhood friends as siblings, so I'm not all too surprised. Nami and Nojiko are sisters simply because they were raised by Bellemere, so if Garp raised both Ace and Luffy, then they would be raised as brothers I guess. I honestly did see them as blood related though, as although Ace is strong and dependable, he's also a character very similar to Luffy. Garp's influence perhaps? I'm a little sad they're not blood related, and that Luffy isn't related to Roger, but now I want to see Dragon prove himself at least equal in power to the former Pirate King. Does this mean that we still don't know jack about Luffy's birth mother?
