"What… It's not my birthday, you know," Marco told the younger man as mildly as possible after he had been accosted and his way blocked with a small gift. Inwardly, he was torn between concern for Ace's sanity and loud guffaws at the badly wrapped box extended in the palm of the other pirate's hand.
Ace bared his teeth as if his reaction would automatically default to insult, but the expression softened quickly into a vague frown. "I know that. It's not a birthday present." His hand thrust forward another inch toward Marco's chest.
"Alright…" Normally, Marco's broad experience allowed him to puzzle out the underlying motivations of new recruits, but this one was a bit of an enigma. He was quite stumped and almost wary, considering Ace's still healing pride and predisposition to surprise attacks.
"Oh for the love of—" Ace muttered. "Don't you know it's Christmas?"
Christmas? Marco frowned, wanting to trust Ace and scouring his brain for the meaning of the word. The only plausible option was a festival or holiday of some sort often celebrated in East Blue. Beyond that, he was at a complete loss. He offered Ace a weak smile and shrug, feeling that admitting his ignorance and taking the gift was probably the best choice in this situation.
Ace appeared to be caught off guard for a moment, but he still dropped the box into Marco's newly outstretched hand. "Well…uh…it's just a silly holiday we used to celebrate every winter in my village." He paused, pointedly crossing his arms and looking down at the deck. "You're supposed to give out little gifts. To your family and friends and…yeah."
The little box looked considerably less suspicious after Ace's awkwardly delivered explanation. A peace offering, that's what it was. Marco couldn't say he was shocked, but he also couldn't help a slight show of surprise at the entirely unexpected gesture. Truly, Ace was going to be a very interesting addition to the crew. "Thank you," Marco replied with a genuine smile, clapping Ace on the shoulder as he continued on his way.