"It's you and me now. What do you want, Marco the Phoenix?" Ace crossed his arms over his chest, not hiding his irritation.
Suddenly Phoenix's attitude toward the young man made sense. The bird loved heat with a passion, no wonder it would be enchanted by someone who literally made of fire. Phoenix flapped its wings and cooed excitingly. Marco had to curl his fist to hide the little blazing blue sparks on his fingers. Personally, he didn't want to duel someone he'd had a lovely chat with, yet he didn't mind knock out anyone standing on his way.
"So you work for the Gonzalez yoi?" Though it was easy to connect the dots, Marco wanted a confirmation.
"Yes, and we'll protect them and their merchandises at all cost." Ace replied, a hidden message in his tone claiming he'd do anything to accomplish his job.
"I have a bone to pick with the Gonzalez. May I talk to the young master?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you have to leave."
"Or what yoi?" Marco raised an eyebrow, making the expression he usually reserved for his enemies. Ace seemed to be taken a little aback, but the shock disappeared so fast Marco almost missed it. The young man looked at Marco in the eyes and expressed no sign of stepping down.
"Or you'll have to walk over my dead body."
"That's too bad." Marco sarcastically smirked. "I remember you hoped we would be on the same side if we met again yoi."
Fire circling around Ace's body as he held a defensive stand. His eyes reflected the roaring blaze, adorning the stormy orbs with translucent vermillion shade like a black sapphire.
"And you said we cannot foretell in the Grand Line."
Power rushed in Marco's vein. That caught him off guard since he thought Phoenix didn't want to hurt the young man. It took him a second to realize his power hungered for showing off. The avian didn't want to look weak in front of any kind of fire.
Well he wanted to show off a bit too.
.
Ace was much stronger than his comrades. Although he claimed to have only been to Grand Line for a few months, Marco knew his opponent was totally New World level. The young man had an impressive combat skills and a creative mind that combined strategically his attacks. With the support from his power, he manage to fight hand-to-hand and long-range at the same time. Ace set his fist ablaze and launched a fire column straight to Marco. Marco dodged and approached Ace from below, yet the young man caught up with his speed and block his kick just in time. They fought with fist and kick for a while until Ace's hand glowed. Marco heard burning noise all around him. He jumped to avoid the flaming fireballs and did some acrobat to elude the fire bullets coming from Ace's fingers. In a blink of an eyes the fireballs turned to flaming spears and charged at him at once.
Marco stomped his foot and appeared behind his opponent. He was about to kick Ace in the back when the young man turned his head. His eyes widened and his facial muscles tensed. Marco mentally praised Ace for such quick reflex, yet he knew the young man didn't have enough time to block or dodge his kick. He covered his leg with Haki and charged with full force. Ace's eyes flickered, and the next second Marco found his kick hit the thin air. Instead of stopping Marco's kick, Ace created a hole on his body and successfully nullify the attack. He shortened their distance and inferno roared from his fist one more time.
Marco narrowed his eyes. Ace didn't just shift to his element, he structured his body to neutralize Marco's attack like he knew using the intangible form alone would be useless.
Last time Marco checked, a logia only did that when they knew the existence of Haki.
Marco held his stand and stood still when the fire punch was struck directly to his ribs. Ace's eyes were open in an expression of stunned surprise like he'd expected Marco to avoid it. He jumped back and coated himself with fire before giving Marco a suspicious look. Phoenix had been waiting for it, it screeched and covered Marco in vibrant blue.
It's always amusing watching his blue flame rendered someone with awe. Ace seemed to forget they were enemies. He gawked and not moving an inch. Fire started dancing on his shoulder blades as if it was responding to Marco's blue.
Marco smirked and Ace snapped back to reality. His eyes bulged in disbelief and embarrassment. Marco almost burst out laughing. A moment of distraction could be the death of any fighter. Ace grumbled as he charged again.
The Commander imbued his hand with Haki, grasped Ace's wrist and moved it aside. The blazing blow missed its target. Ace startled and tried to pull back, but Marco made sure his hold was firm and Ace couldn't turn his arm to fire. The young man gritted his teeth and raised his other arm in prepare for another strike.
He leaned to avoid the attack, then threw a punch in his opponent's face without any hesitance. Ace stumbled and spitted out some blood, but Marco held his grip tighter so that the freckled man couldn't move backward.
"…!" Phoenix quacked.
Marco mentally suppressed the bird's protest. They weren't here for its awkward crush. Ace was a capable opponent. Another time and he would surely enjoy their duel. Yet right now he wanted to rip some bastard's heart out and Ace was standing on his way.
"Not bad yoi." He grinned in a playful tone. "But my reputation isn't just for show."
"…" The young man didn't replied, too busy swiping the blood on his mouth.
"Now listen closely, I hold nothing against you and your team. But as a Whitebeard pirate I'm not letting what Gonzalez did go." Marco bared his teeth. He pulled Ace closer and forced the freckled man to look at him face to face. "You have two options. Retreat your team, I get to see the guy and we'll hold no grudge. Or I beat the shit out of you then get to the guy."
Ace tsked. He dropped his head, eyes obscured by his own hair and his shoulder went slump. Marco thought it was a sight of subjugation, so he loosened his grip. "We clear yoi?"
Silence answered him, until the young man tilted his face up.
Ace was smiling. His eyes flickered somewhat like a hungry feline looking at its prey. He immediately yanked his hand back, fire whirled around his arm, generating a flaming vortex.
Move, Marco's instinct said.
A hellish blow to the chest, but Marco dodged just in time so it hit his right shoulder. The punch managed to send a nasty ripples of pain to his upper arm and flew him backward. At the same time he moved, he noticed both of Ace's arms were slowly turning to black from his hands to his elbows.
It was Marco's turn to be awestruck.
As far as he knew, Haki users were rare in Paradise, let alone the Four Blues. Ace could be a natural, but natural Haki users usually awakened their Observation or Conqueror first. It took proper training to bring out Armament and master the technique. The way Ace threw that punch looked nothing like he just awakened Haki in a second of panic.
If rookies from the Blues knew how to use Haki before they entered the Grand Line, oh hell, Marco might consider leading his division to the Blues for recruitment, otherwise his father's throne would be in serious danger.
"Well this's out of my expectation yoi." Marco said in amazement.
"Never seen a Haki user from the Blue?" Ace smirked cockily, amassing a larger amount of flame.
Marco licked his upper lip. Azure flame crept up and created pattern around his eyes. Phoenix excitingly singsonged and Marco finally understood where Phoenix's fondness toward Ace coming from. His urge to crash the warehouse was replaced suddenly by exhilaration. Ace'd managed to hurt him, that sent stimulation to every cell in his body. He didn't get hurt daily, in fact, Marco couldn't recall the last time he was injured in a fight. With Phoenix's power, sometimes he forgot the feeling of being in pain. It was thrilling being reminded of his mortality and how careful he should be if he wanted to protect his father's dream.
Phoenix'd relieved the burn, yet the lingered feeling still triggered his sense. It'd been so long since he felt excited facing an opponent, a worthy one. The young man stood high in the raging fire, splendid like he was a true phoenix. His eyes looked straight to Marco again, prideful and fearless.
Marco decided take it serious. Blue flame burst, his legs turned to talons and his arms expanded to blazing wings.
.
"To be honest I never underestimated you yoi. It could be a fatal mistake." Marco giggled and retrieved his flame. "But I never guess you're logia and a Haki user. You must know Armament Haki was hard to self-taught. Who are you really, Portgas D. Ace?"
"And why would I have to answer you?" Ace remained the cocky attitude even thought he was having difficulty breathing properly.
"You don't have to. I'm curious. It didn't hurt trying yoi." Marco gripped harder, trapping Ace between the ground and his talons. The young man hissed and tried to move his arm in vain. He couldn't control his fire probably anymore. The fire ring flared unstably and his own body kept shifting between his physical form and the elemental form. He tried to burn Marco from below, but fire's useless to the Commander when he's in his hybrid form.
For the first time of the day, Marco truly examined Ace's body. Not in a sexual way, he yelled at Phoenix. They encountered, but at that time Ace was merely a new acquaintance, now the young man was lying under his claws and completely at his mercy.
Ace's hair had the shade of midnight while his eyes was mesmerizing silvery, coming from them was youthful vigor. His face was strong and defines, eyebrows sloped in a serious expression. The smattering freckles strikingly stood out on his face, a high-light reminder of how young he was. Ace said he was nineteen. Not many people capable of making themselves known before they reached the age of twenty in the chaotic world they're living in. Nineteen, what did Marco do when he was nineteen? Ah yes, he already had some bounty over his head, and every day was an adventurous day. Marco definitely saw his younger self in Ace, rebellious and competitive with an inflated ego.
He took a look at Ace's left cheek, swollen and purple more than any color, the very result of his own action. He might or might not felt a bit guilty for damaging such a good-looking face.
"…" Phoenix sighed. Well excuse him for not contemplating his opponent's appearance.
"You'll made big a name for yourself one day yoi." Marco complimented. "But now, I believe you can see, it's useless to challenge me."
He suddenly sensed someone coming. Ace also jerked a bit, then they were interrupted by someone outside.
"Ace!" The guy, whose voice Marco recognized as Deuce, yelled. "You alright Ace?"
"What is it Deuce?" Ace answered with a hoarse shout.
"The young master just said he burned Whitebeard's flag earlier this afternoon!"
Ace's eyes went wide. The heat immediately declined. The fire ring flickered back and forth before vanishing, allowing Marco to see what was happening outside. Deuce's expression went tensed when he laid his eyes on their situation. The blue-hair man unsheathed his sword, eyeing Marco with wariness. The other members of the Spade already prepared to charge and take Ace back.
"Is that true?" Ace murmured, bringing Marco back to their conversation. There was some shaking in his voice. Fighting spirit had left in his eyes.
"I thought you knew what he did." Marco raised his eyebrow. "Covered the ship in paint, torn the sail and broke the wheel. Annoying indeed, but I came here for the burned flag and the missing items. It's my family insignia. No way I'd leave it be and do nothing yoi."
Ace bit his lip. His expression was a mixture of guilt and shame. Marco no longer felt the need to pin Ace down, so stepped aside and turned his feet to normal. The young man used his hand as a leverage to stand up, jaw clenching tight. After he stabilized his stand, he bowed his head.
"I'm sorry for the trouble we caused."
"Pardon?"
Phoenix also tilted it head in confusion.
"On behalf of my team, I'm for all the trouble we caused." Ace bowed even lower.
"You're sorry yoi? I don't need it, I want the guy. You can just-"
"What the fuck? Why did you stop? Keep on fighting you idiots!" Someone shouted angrily.
Marco turned around to find a man in his mid-thirties standing next to Deuce. His face all red and he kept yelling and pointing around. He wore a ridiculously long robe, which Marco could tell had been made from a very expensive kind of silk thank to all the lessons with Izou. He'd never been a man of fashion, but he knew no one could move conveniently in outfit like that. Said man was also the one he'd sensed earlier, he thought the man was a member of Spade Service, but he apparently was wrong.
Deuce tried to say something and ended up being yelled at. That had to trigger Ace because the young man stepped toward the guy with his fist clenching.
"Don't yell at my team!" Ace turned to the guy and scowled. "I can deal with your dumb habit, but the flag? I remember telling you not to touch any flag!"
"How dare you tell me what to do brat?!" The man, who Marco guessed was the young master of the Gonzalez, snarled. "I can do what I want. And I pay you. So you have to do what I ask!"
Ace gritted his teeth. Deuce gave him a worried glance but Ace didn't talk back. Instead, he looked at each of his companions in the eyes. From Marco's perspective, he couldn't see the look Ace was giving his friends, yet he could tell the companions were a bit nervous at first but they soon reached a silent agreement. Aggie, the big guy using barrel, was treated and could stand up, nodded to Ace first and the others followed.
"Pack it up, guys. We're leaving". Ace waved his hand. He did the finger-gun toward the sky and fired three shots. Marco took it as the retrieving signal for the Spade. He heard footsteps coming and about fifteen seconds later six guys showed up. The lynx was also there. The new arriving group looked confused, but after Deuce did some hand signal they just nodded, came to help the injured fellows and went toward the port without any further questions.
"Is this a joke? You supposed to protect me!" The guy scowled.
"From pirates and thieves and Sea Kings. Not from your stupidity! We agreed that you'd follow our instructions. See the first instruction right here?" Ace showed a paper he just received from Deuce to the guy and pointed at a line. "Don't touch the flag, any flag."
"I'll tell my father not to pay you!"
"You can tell him to keep the rest. The deal is off. You're on your own." Ace said coldly.
When he turned to Marco, his voice went soft. "I'm sorry again. You said you have some items missing, right? Let me help with the retrieval." Ace pointed to a side lane. "The warehouses only have building material, what you've been looking must be in his personal space, turn left at the end of that way."
"…Uh, thanks yoi?" Marco had no idea what was going on, or what to do with the sudden turning table. Now he was having… an advantage? Ace mean no joke when he told his team to retreat. The members of Spade Delivery Service had already left. Only Deuce stayed behind and waited for Ace.
"I mean it. No one should take a flag lightly, especially when it comes to family thing." Ace looked deadly serious. "I'll help. Name it, anything you need me to do."
Flag is more than a piece of cloth, it represents a will to the world, an ambition, a goal, a shared dream, the very proof of the bonding between those vowing under its name. Whenever Marco saw his father's mark, he saw home. He'd never stand anyone dare to stain his pride. Somehow the earnest in Ace's eyes washed away any doubt Marco had. His anger evaporated seeing the freckled man had some kind of respect toward his family insignia.
"It's fine yoi. I can deal with him and take them back on my own. It's between my crew and him."
Ace pursed his lips, but he didn't pursuit.
"Get treatment, both you and your team yoi. I believe I'd hit you all pretty bad." Marco chuckled and noticed the purple stain on the young man's lips. The color managed to churn a small undercurrent of distaste.
"If you say so. We're docking at Willow Port on the west side of this island, come to us if you need any help."
Marco reached for Ace's chin and tilt it up. The freckled man furrowed in confused but he let it be.
"That's thoughtful of you. So, as a gesture of friendliness…" Blue flame sparked on Marco's thumb as he caressed the corner of the bruising lip. "There you go, cute as always. Hope we would be on the same side if we met again yoi."
"I'm not cute! Take that back!" Ace shrieked, dusting pink stained all over his freckles. Oh hell Marco had difficulty holding his laugh because it was more adorable than he could possibly imagine. His power shared the same conclusion.
Finally, Ace nodded as a goodbye, and left with Deuce.
.
"You must be the young master of Gonzalez. I'm Marco, the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirate." Marco'd returned to his lazy half-lidded eyes and idle tone. The fight with Ace did let off some steam even though the young man wasn't the main target of his anger. "Why did you attack my ship? I don't remember doing anything to you."
Gonzalez wasn't fazed by his name a bit. In fact, the guy looked fully confident. "You think I need those bodyguards to protect myself? They're just some brats my father hired for their reputation in East Blues. Hell, they only worked for me for less than a month."
He laughed and took a whistle out of his pocket. The pitchy noise pissed Phoenix off. From the shadow surrounded the warehouses came a large group of people, men and women, young and old, all aiming their weapons at him. Marco knew the hunger in their eyes, eyeing him like he was some kind of great treasure, pirates and marines didn't look at him like that.
They were bounty hunters.
He even realized some faces. A few had appeared on wanted posters.
"This!" Gonzalez leered, his arms spreading wide. "This is my true army! I've gathered them for years to catch the pirates who dare to confront me."
"…"
"I hate to admit but that fire brat is strong. He even defeated a 200-million pirate on the last island. He must have worn you out. You stand no chance against them, the best bounty hunters all over Grand Line."
"..."
"So scared you bit your tongue? You asking why I burned your flag? Nothing personal really. I simply enjoy crushing the pride of you filthy pirate when I beat the shit out of you, the low scums always think you're so strong."
"…"
"It's entertaining watching you aggressively come here to show off your power and despicably beg to live."
"…"
"That's what you all are. Scums. I can't stand you swaggering in front of me."
"…"
"I've heard about you, a New World pirate, an Emperor's second-in-command, and your crew act like a family. What a joke. You're just a cluster of criminals being outcast by the world."
"…"
"Let's see if the rumor about you New World is true. Can you defeat this army, Mr. Emperor's second-in-command? You'll be the perfect addition for my trophies."
The hunters encircled Marco, eyeing him like he was a tasty prey. The Commander sighed. He suddenly regretted not asking Ace to stay behind. At least chatting the young man would make the incoming fight a little bit entertaining.
"Tell me, Mr. Gonzalez, how long have you been living in the Grand Line yoi?"
Phoenix's coo sounded like the bird was laughing.
They were an army, but they didn't act like a team, simply a bunch of morons competing for his head. He didn't have to fight all of them, dodging here and there and they ended up hurting each other. There were some more challenging guys, using devil fruits and seastone weapons, but none could endure his kicks for long. He might or might not destroyed a few warehouses by sending the hunters flying to the walls. The only thing Marco considered enjoyable in this fight was how Gonzalez's expression shaded from arrogant to horror.
In the end, most of them dropped their weapon and ran away. The rest didn't do so just because they couldn't move a finger.
"That's… that's impossible!" The guy felt to the ground, voice shaking in disbelief.
"You're going need a lot more than that if you want to take me down." Marco smirked, flaming wings outstretched like a messenger from hell for some horror effect. Phoenix happily collaborated. The bird enjoyed terrifying the guy and his own sadism couldn't find a reason to reject.
Gonzalez tried to run away but Marco easily pinned him down. The guy kneeled and begged for his forgiveness, even volunteered to open his safe. Who Marco was to turn down such gratitude? Not only did he get back the missing items, he also took two suitcases full of cash. He needed to make up for the ship after all.
.
Marco had planned to take a ship from the Gonzalez to replace his, which seemed fair enough, but he didn't find any ship meet his need. They were either too big or too small, so he returned to his ship and organized the items. He planned to come to local shipyard in the morning. If he's lucky, they can fix his ship in two days and his trip won't be delayed.
Then something hit him. What if the Gonzalez fiasco happened again? He didn't mind kicking that guy's butt all day, but he preferred avoiding trouble as much as possible.
Phoenix poked at his brain and Marco turned to look at the west side of the island.
He bit his lip. He hated it when he liked Phoenix's idea.
.
Marco found the freckled man in a local market. He was on his way to Willow Port when he saw Ace choosing some apples a few stalls away. The lynx sitting next to Ace's leg was licking its claws, behind them was a sledge full-loaded with ingredients.
A brother told him if you met someone by accident three times within 24 hours, you were mean to be. Marco knew his brothers say a lot of nonsense when they were drunk, but now the word suddenly haunted him. He shook it off and approached the young man.
"Good morning yoi."
"Mar… Marco?" Ace yelped in surprise. The lynx peeked up curiously.
"Portgas D. Ace." Marco smiled.
"How was it yesterday?"
"Good, yoi. Got my items back, and the Gonzalez guy offered some cash. But I believed you knew the result already."
"Indeed I did." Ace admitted. Marco'd felt Ace and Deuce's existence lingered near the warehouse till the end of the match.
"I see you're getting provisions. You're leaving?"
"Yeah. This afternoon actually. The deal with the Gonzalez is off so there's no reason to stay." Ace received a bag full of apples from a local, then he put it on the sledge and rubbed the lynx's head. "Okay Kotatsu? Not too heavy?"
The feline shook it head and proved its point by moving forward.
"Good boy." Ace praised before turning back to Marco. But before he opened his mouth, Marco heard a rumbling sound which he identified as stomach growling. Ace turned so red steam coming out from his hair.
"I suggest we find something to eat yoi."
.
Ace wrote a note and asked Kotatsu to give it to Banshee, a member of Spade who was also in the market somewhere. The lynx nodded and ran away with the sledge. They chose a small restaurant near the market. Marco order a plate of risotto. It was nicely flavored, but it wasn't as good as Thatch's. No one was as good as Thatch.
When Marco only finished half of his plate, Ace'd finished his third portion. Notice Marco's look, the young man simply shrugged. "I'm have high metabolism."
Then something clicked and Ace face-first in his fourth plate.
The waitress screamed in horror. Marco was accused of homicide again but this time he just waited patiently. After fifteen minutes Ace woke up and grabbed a nearby woman's dress to swipe his face. She squealed and slapped him in the face, resulted in a black-hair young man kept eating with a hand mark on his cheek.
"Nice dream yoi?"
"I was chasing a running meatball."
"Sound nice to me." Marco chuckled.
Ace silently looked at Marco for a few seconds.
"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"
"You don't have to yoi. It's already resolved."
Yet the young man persuaded.
"Still, we attacked you. So just tell me if you need anything. I will see what I can do."
It was Marco turn looking at Ace silently. Even though he appreciated their duel and the sudden turning table, he didn't understand why Ace immediately switched his side when he heard about the damaged flag.
"Something wrong?"
"You know that Gonzalez guy like to attack pirate ship?"
Ace nodded, a bit discomfort in his eyes.
"I do. Cover pirate ships in paint and steal something sometimes break the wheel. No, he didn't burn any flag the previous times, at least as far as I know." The young man answered before Marco could ask. "And he only beat those seek revenge. The guy's pompous, but mostly because he's a spoiled child that like bullying others. The local would never go against him, so he targeted pirates instead because it's more challenging.
"…"
"I'm like… half outlaw, I've seen much worse. Although I oppose his behavior, I don't see it as a problem. Not all pirates stay away from the innocent, I believe you know this too."
"…" Marco nodded as an agreement.
"When his father came to us, we'd agreed to protect him from anything if he followed our instructions. He provoked some minor hoodlums, but we easily scared them off. In your case, you know-." Ace waved at Marco. "But if you were from another Emperor's crew, we would do the same. It's what we do, we accomplish our job. I didn't expect the flag though. Must be his first time, he took interest in Emperor and Warlord recently."
That explained the Spade's and Ace's own reaction yesterday, only one more mystery left.
"Why the flag yoi? You seem persistent with it."
"Oh that?" Ace beamed. His eyes lit up like a child. "My old man used to be a pirate."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, but that's a long time ago. Now he's just a drunken dude that like to piss me mother off."
"Seems like a good father yoi."
"He is." Ace giggled. "Taught me how to fight. That old man took the flag very serious, claiming a flag represents someone's will, and every will should be respected. I can only burn a flag if I'm ready for war, because what I'm going up against isn't a person, but a determination and a faith."
"…"
"Mom totally agrees with him. She'll beat me up if I show disrespect to a flag. So yeah, the first rule of my team is not to damage any flag."
"I see." Marco nodded, comprehending Ace's outlook. He was a bit curious about Ace's father though, he seemed to be an honorable guy. He taught Ace how to fight, probably teaching the Haki too, so he must be strong. Maybe they'd encountered in the past.
Marco changed the subject. After all, he wanted to meet Ace for this particular reason. Phoenix was showing such a smug expression he had to prevent himself from strangling the bird.
"What're you going to do next?"
"Some adventures in the Grand Line? We're not pirates, we don't need to rush to Sabaody."
"Do you happen to go to Paladis next?"
"Maybe. We have three Log Poses, our route is flexible. My teammates were fighting over which island we're heading next as we speak." Ace was focusing on his plate, so he missed the triumph in Marco's eyes.
"You just said you want to make it up for me earlier, Ace of the Spade Delivery Service?"
"Ah hah." The young man nodded from reflex, then his shoulders tensed. He immediately eyed Marco with a protective look. "But I won't accept anything endanger my team."
"Nothing dangerous." Marco laughed. "I'm heading to the New World and I'm all alone. You know what happened to my ship. I can take care of myself, but I don't want thing like Gonzalez happen again."
"Are you suggesting that—"
"What do you think about taking offer from an Emperor's Commander yoi? I'll pay twice as the Gonzalez." Two money suitcases could cover that, he didn't need them to begin with. "Make sure that no idiots get their hands on me and my items, that's all. Maybe help me a bit with the shopping."
"…" The offer must have left Ace flabbergasted, because the young man opened his mouth but no word came out.
"I'm also the doctor on my ship, and I can navigate. I'm very handy."
"Uh… You sure?" Ace hesitantly asked. "I mean we were literally enemies yesterday."
"Well first, I want us to be on the same side. We both hope for it, remember?" Marco raised a finger. He waited a few seconds for drama effect.
"And?" Someone wasn't patient.
"And maybe because the Spade Delivery Service has a very cute leader yoi." He grinned, sipping some rum from his cup. Phoenix applauded cheerfully. Oh Sea, cherry blossom immediately spread the young man's cheek, the blooming color was so adorable against his freckles.
"No I'm not! Take that back!"
.
After waiting on his ship for about twenty minutes, Marco saw a larger ship approached. The figurehead was a flaming horse's skull with chains linked the skull to the sides. The foremost sail bore the crew logo, a giant flaming spade wearing Ace's signature hat. The back sail on the top contained the word "SPADE" in black with a smaller "delivery service" right under, and the flag of the team fluttered gently in the wind.
On the skull was Ace, standing with his arms akimbo, shirtless torso exposed to the world.
"Here we are. You ready?"
Ace landed right in front of Marco. His comrades looked at him and Marco with different facial expressions. The three guys from yesterday didn't hide their wariness, meanwhile the rest, Kotatsu the lynx included, simply gave him a curious peek. Marco noticed a middle age woman shaking her head at Ace, she said something to Deuce and the guy burst out laughing.
A vague sense of similarity hit Marco and he narrowed his eyes. Once upon a time, on a faraway island, a ship and its captain had come for him. He suddenly recalled the pure and joyous feeling of being young. The ocean breeze whispered like a lover to his ears and he heard his father's laugh. The salty taste on his tongue brought him back to the good old days when he was a boy exciting for his first sail.
"This, is Piece of Spadille, the pride of Spade Delivery Service-" Ace outstretched his embrace, golden sunshine kissed his body into something brilliance.
"Welcome aboard, Marco."