"Are you sure about this, Marco?" Izo stood there, daunted by his statement. "We don't know what lies past that mist. At the very least, take one of us with you."
"Yeah! We can't just let our First Division Commander go in there by himself!" argued Jozu. But despite all their complaints, Marco stood firm.
"No… I have to do this alone." The mist danced in front of their ship, just waiting for him to enter. "When the Whitebeard pirates were just beginning, only pops and I ventured beyond that mist. The old man really shook things up there. It was a hell of an adventure!" He laughed, memories of the world beyond returning to him. His smile collapsed as his next words formed. "And… we promised we'd come back."
"Oh… I see." said Izo. And as much as they hated it, the rest of the Division Commanders understood Marco's obligations to their father.
"Besides, someone has to protect the old man's homeland while I'm gone. Especially now that Blackbeard's invaded." Just thinking about that bastard made his insides boil.
"Yeah. Just leave it to us Marco." Rakuya tightened his fist around the chain of his flail, ready to fight. Then again, when wasn't he? "Safe travels, my friend."
"Thanks." And with that, a blue flame erupted around both of his arms, before wrapping themselves across his entire body. Within seconds, the man whose friends often 'mistook' him for a pineapple transformed into a majestic phoenix.
With one flap he took into the air. He glanced behind him, watching in sorrow as his fellow crew members waved him goodbye from the ship. He steeled himself, and launched himself forward into the silver mist, returning to the world of Remnant.