User blog comment:Ugo2001/Potential Plot Hole?/@comment-24850639-20171227215219

I don't recall how many months were stated to go by in the story, so I'm just going off of arc order here:

- Between Arlong Park and Drum Island, the Loguetown, Reverse Mountain, Whiskey Peak, and Little Garden arcs all occured.

- Ace meets up with Luffy in the Alabasta Arc, explaining that he's been looking for Blackbeard.

- Blackbeard meets Luffy in the Jaya/Mock Town Arc

- Shanks & Whitebeard's meeting, and the Blackbeard/Ace duel occurs in the Post-Enies Lobby arc

Again, I don't remember making any kind of note of the time that had gone by, but I think 4 different story arcs between when Luffy first got his bounty, and when Luffy first arrives on Drum Island could be enough story time to fill out a "few months". I'm also not sure if we have a given timeframe between when Blackbeard killed Thatch, and when Ace decided to set out after him. If the crew decided to give him a proper burial and memorial service, Ace could have stayed around a couple days before heading out. Lot of possibilities, but in either case I don't this is something to be too stressed over. If this does turn out to be a plothole, then I've definitely seen worse.