"I'm Curious…"
The five year old watched Marco as he came onto the deck of the ship as she 'listened' to her father's lesson about why she shouldn't involve herself with pirates.
"If I shouldn't involve myself with pirates, why did you bring me with you to Whitebeard's ship instead of leaving me with Shakky?"
"Well…after today, you wouldn't involve yourself with pirates," Rayleigh stammered out pathetically. He hadn't thought this through very well. Not that it really would make a difference, Rayven was going to involve herself somehow. It was in her blood after all.
"I'm going to talk to Marco," she said getting up and walking to the base of the mast. Where Marco sat, munching on an apple.
"I'm a shitty parent, aren't I?" Rayleigh asked his old friend.
"Shitty as you are, she still loves you," Whitebeard replied, helpfully, he hoped.
"Hey Marco, I have a question for you," the young girl asked.
Patting the deck next to him, the pirate commander replied back, in between bites, "shoot".
Sitting down, she said, "This might be a bit personal," – at this the older man raised an eyebrow, but he let her continue- "but, how do you bathe, as a devil fruit user I mean? Doesn't it drain your energy?"
Thinking for a moment, Marco, mischievous grin and all replied, "Who said I bathe?" And with that, he flung the apple core over the edge of the ship and getting up, walked off.
Rayven sat there a minute longer, thinking, before she got up and walked back to her father and Whitebeard.
The next day as everyone was about to see the father and daughter pair off, Rayven suddenly walked over to Marco and gave him a hug. Surprised, it took Marco a second to reciprocate. As he wrapped his arms loosely around the girl and said "Later kiddo", he heard her inhale deeply.
Pulling away suddenly, she stated calmly, "You smell like lavender soap, which means you do bathe."
The randomness of the comment caught everyone off guard as they started laughing and asking Marco why she would say that.
Laughing himself, he knelt down and looking the girl in the eye, said, "You caught me"
"Does that mean you'll answer my question now?"
"How about you ask me next time, and I'll give you a better answer."
Acting her age, Rayven yelled "Meanie!" and stuck her tongue out at him as she ran back to her father. Casting one last look over her shoulder at the crew, she jumped over the rail and onto the smaller ship she and her father had come on.
Rayleigh, giving Marco one last curious glance, waved his good byes, and jumped over the rail to his waiting daughter.
Even after their ship had left out of sight, Marco stood there, laughing silently to himself.