Happy birthday, MyLadyDay!
Beta'ed by ImperialMint and Vergina-spva
- Ten years ago -
Silent as a shadow, he slipped from corner to corner, making sure not to trigger any alarms. Not yet anyway. One would think that after several thefts in the city, the store would take more precautions, yet it was still relatively easy to sneak in. Granted, there were more cameras and security guards, but nothing he couldn't handle.
Marco had been a thief almost his whole life. His parents had died when he was young and he had been stuffed into an orphanage.
Being born a devil's fruit user, or so they called it, meant one had to have one's powers blocked. Now that the government had found out about Marco's, he was no exception. It was illegal to have such powers, even though the wielders couldn't help it themselves – after all, they were born with it – and there had been a piece of seastone implanted at the bottom of his spine. It only had hurt for a little while after the implant had been made and the only thing reminding him of the surgery was a small scar, but he couldn't use his powers anymore. At the time, he had been too young to question it, and he hadn't made the connection that, after the implant had been inserted, he had been sick a lot, while the seastones should have been completely safe and have no side effect.
After his powers had been taken away, he had been adopted by a man, who had turned out to be a thief. He had taught him all kinds of tricks, and when the man had discovered that Marco was a devil's child, the man had insisted that the seastone must be removed.
"The powers aren't bad," he had explained to Marco. "The government is just afraid of them."
According to the government, removing the seastone was impossible and would only result in pain or even death. That was what Marco had been told when he had received the implant, along with a course on why having powers was bad. Marco had only been a child then, and he had believed the government agents. Why would they lie?
The man who had adopted him had let the subject rest after the boy had refused. Marco had started to forget they ever had the conversation and he had been happy. The man slowly started gaining his trust and Marco started to call him Pops. One night, he had woken up with a fever and going downstairs to get his father, he found the man sitting on the floor, meditating. For some reason, Marco had known something special would happen and not wanting to ruin it, he had hidden. Suddenly, the ground had starting to shake, causing Marco to lose his balance and fall over. Pops had opened his eyes and laughed when Marco had tried to hide again.
Marco had been scared. The man he called his father actually had devil's fruit powers? Pops had pulled him into his lap and explained how his powers worked patiently. He answered any question Marco might have and when he was done, he had asked Marco if he remembered which powers he had had. It had been two years since he had received the implant, so of course he did remember. He had told Pops all about how he could turn into a bird and heal his own wounds.
Then Pops asked an unexpected question. He asked if Marco missed his powers. Marco didn't have to think about it long. When his parents were still alive, he had been allowed to run around free, and while he had never fully mastered his powers, he had been able to transform. He had loved to fly, even if he hadn't been allowed by his parents to fly high or long. Now he finally started to understand why. He could have been caught by government agents and forced to give up his powers sooner. But he would have given anything to be able to fly again.
Pops had explained to him that he was one of the few people who was able to remove the seastone implants. The government only told it was impossible to discourage people from trying. It would hurt, he warned Marco, but he would get his powers back. Marco had hesitated, but when Pops had asked if Marco trusted him, he had nodded fiercely.
Pops had set everything up for the removal surgery, but as he wasn't a doctor, he could only get his hands on anaesthetics. Marco had thought he was going to die during the operation. He had passed out, and didn't wake up for several hours. After he did, however, he felt like he was reborn. Pops hadn't lied, he had gotten his powers back.
Marco had been happy living with Pops, but when he had been fifteen, the man was captured and thrown in prison, leaving Marco alone and sad behind.
He had started to live on the street, using the skills the man had taught him to survive. It had started with stealing food and breaking into houses to have a warm and dry place to sleep, but he had then discovered that people had nice stuff that other people liked to buy. He was good at stealing, and he made enough money to consider buying food instead of stealing it, to reduce the risk of getting caught. The night was a good cover for a thief, but the day was less kind and since stores were open during the day, there was a good chance of someone catching him.
Later, Marco had learned how to crack safes and directly take money instead of goods, so he didn't have to sell anymore. It was then that he had begun to rob banks and stores.
His skills hadn't gone unnoticed, and Marco was now wanted by the police, although they didn't know what he looked like. He had always made sure that he made a mask out of the blue flames he controlled when he heard something or someone approaching, covering the upper half of his face. It had been a reflex the first time, and he had feared that it would have attract attention, but instead, the person who caught him had stumbled back in shock, giving him time to flee. After all, people weren't used to devil's fruit users. It became his trademark look. His wanted poster contained a drawing of him including the mask and they called him The Phoenix.
Marco reached the safe without triggering the alarm and took out his stethoscope. The safe was a standard model, and was quite easy to crack. Opening the door, he was pleased to see he had hit the jackpot.
After he put the money in his bag, Marco sighed deeply. This was becoming so boring. He still hadn't been noticed by the security guards. Oh well, at least he had enough money to pay for food for a few months. Making his way back to the window he had come in through, he waved at the security camera, shifted into his bird shape and flew away.
He was already flying high in the sky when the alarm went off and Marco chuckled. Better late than never, right? Leisurely, he flew over the buildings of the city he lived in, looking for a place to land. He wasn't in a hurry, as he loved flying more than anything, but he knew he couldn't keep it up too long. He would only draw attention to himself.
Suddenly, he heard a commotion on the ground. At first, Marco assumed that he had been spotted and braced himself for the bullets that no doubt would whizz past him soon, but when he took a better look, he could see the tumult and shouting had nothing to do with him. On the streets below, he saw a small figure running, followed by a mob.
"Get away from me!" the front figure yelled, the voice of a child. The child turned around while running and threw something at his pursuers. Fire, Marco noted. The boy was a devil's child like him. Which could only mean one thing. The pursuers were government agents, ready to implant the seastone to suppress the child's powers.
Marco remembered how empty he had felt when they had implanted the seastone into him and how much pain he had been in when the device had been removed. He would never wish that upon anyone, certainly not a child.
The boy looked like he was about twelve, and since most children received their implant as infants or toddlers, it could mean either of two things. The first option was that he had had a seastone implant, which was now removed. In that case, Marco was sure the operation to remove the implant would be even more painful than the first time, if it was even possible to remove it twice at all. The second option was that the boy had evading the system and never had an implant and had been running from the law for a long time.
In both scenarios, however, the boy would end up losing his powers and would have to go through enormous pain to have it removed. The boy's life would be ruined. People who received their implant as an infant hardly ever remembered what kind of power they possessed and even Marco had not yet mastered his own powers when they had been taken away from him. This boy, almost hitting puberty, would already be too much used to them.
Marco watched as the boy ran into an alley, reaching a dead end. Panicking, he looked around for a way out as his pursuer approached. Desperately, he started to throw fireballs at them, but they were prepared for resistance and were wearing protective suits.
The Phoenix made a decision.
Swooping down, he placed himself between the government agents and the small boy and transformed back into a human, though he made sure that the flames still covered his eyes.
"Evening, gentlemen," he said calmly. "Why don't you leave the boy alone?"
"It's the Phoenix!" one of them yelled, and another pulled out his gun, which probably contained seastone bullets. Sighing, though on the other hand thrilled because his night had finally become interesting, Marco picked up the boy and helped him climb on his back.
"Wrap your arms around my neck," Marco ordered as he placed him on his back. Much to his surprise, the boy did as he was told. The Phoenix spread out his arms, transforming into his bird-self again, and flew away. The seastone bullets whizzed around him, but didn't make contact.
It was a good thing the boy wasn't too heavy, because aside from the bag with money, Marco had to carry him as well. Still, he didn't regret saving the boy, who had now buried his face in the Phoenix's flaming feathers and was holding on tightly. The longer they flew however, the braver the boy became, and soon the thief heard him laughing excitedly, warming Marco's heart.
Their flight couldn't last forever, though, and in the outskirts of town, Marco landed. He let the slightly disappointed boy get off before transforming into his human self, although he still made sure his mask was in place.
"That was awesome!" The boy's eyes sparkled. Then, he seemed to remember something and he bowed, surprising Marco. "Thank you for saving me, mister!"
The thief smiled and ruffled his hair. Marco then knelt down before him. "Show it to me."
The boy stared at Marco for a moment, but then nodded slowly. He stretched out his arm, flames seemingly licking at his skin, but the thief knew that they didn't hurt the boy. Mesmerised by the sight, he stretched out his hand and let his own blue flames intertwine with the orange ones. The boy seemed as equally captivated as he was.
After what seemed like forever, but in reality were mere minutes, Marco stood up again.
"Well, it seems like we should find a place to sleep, don't you think? Come on, I know a place close by." He held out his hand to the boy.
The boy stared at it warily for a moment, but then grabbed it. Marco led them to an abandoned house, which he often used to hide in. During their walk, he had time to study the boy. As he had thought before, the kid seemed to be about twelve. His clothes were dirty and worn, which made the thief suspect he was either an orphan or had very neglecting parents. The boy's attitude seemed to be that of a kid who spent a lot of time on the street, which would explain why he hadn't yet received a seastone. In the light of the street lanterns and the moon, the thief could see the many freckles that decorated the child's face, making him seem younger than he actually was.
They reached the house, and Marco was about to show him how to break in, but the boy beat him to it. He easily picked the lock, confirming the thief's suspicions that he did in fact lived on the street. The kid ran into the house, and by the time Marco reached the living room, the boy had already made himself comfortable on the couch, stretching and yawning. The man chuckled.
Marco waited until the boy was fast asleep before he slipped out of the house. He left the kid food and a map of the city, hoping that the boy would find his way back to where he came from in the morning.
The boy had been evading the law for twelve years, and Marco could only hope that he wouldn't be caught by the government later on after all. The boy deserved to be free, with his powers intact.