Marco had never thought he would be starting the week by being captured by the Marines. Especially not small-fries. Well, it had been his own mistake so he couldn't be too bitter about it. He had been on edge for a couple of days as he couldn't seem to get rid of the feeling that he was being observed. At first, he had thought he might be followed – which wouldn't have been especially unusual – but after pulling his usual tricks to catch stalkers and coming up with nothing he had started doubting his instincts. Clearly no one had been following him, yet that annoying feeling of a gaze boring down on him wouldn't go away. At some point, he had grown so unnerved by it that he had decided to go fly for a bit, thinking that in the sky at least there would be no eyes to watch him.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

And that was when he had started to freak out. Not in the Izo-style of freaking out with loads of shrieking and fainting attacks but more in 'pretending-to-be-calm' way. He was very good at keeping a cool façade. So good in fact that he had even managed to fool himself. But then of course, the Marines had arrived, and he had been forced to admit that he had none of his usual level-headed thinking throughout the confrontation.

The thing was, they had taken him by surprise. He had just been walking in the street, not suspecting for one second that Marines had already landed on the island, when he had bumped in a cloaked figure. As soon as the two bodies impacted, Marco had felt the cool dreadful feeling of seastone over his wrist and a moment later the tell-tale click of a manacle closing. He had looked at the figure in surprise, more shocked by the fact that he had felt no presence until they had run into each other than by the fact that he was now bound in seastone. After all, it hadn't been the first time someone had managed to put seastone on him. And he'd learnt to make do without his power a long time ago. It was essential for a Devil fruit user.

At that point, he had still thought he was fine. Then, however, the chase had started and he had realized the Marines were always, maddeningly, one step ahead of him. To his shame, he had eventually just given up, figuring it would be easier to escape later – Marines could be surprisingly lax in their security. He obviously hadn't been counting on meeting a Rear Admiral who was more than happy to free him so long as Marco agreed to be his 'friend', of all things, for a grand total of five days. It was ridiculous.

Still, he had agreed. This so-called Monkey D. Luffy seemed interesting and his family wouldn't start missing him for a few days yet so he could indulge his curiosity for a while.

After Marco had agreed to the deal, the two men had discussed the specifics of it, which included a firm ban on any kind of double-crossing. Marco had twitched when the Rear Admiral had brought it up. After all, if either of them was going to double-cross the other, there was no way a simple rule would stop them. Even so, the Marine had seemed confident that it would solve the problem entirely. In fact, he appeared to trust Marco so completely that the phoenix found it hard to even consider going back on his word.

The logical part of him knew that he could easily escape now that he had been freed from the seastone manacles. Even as he was brought to a comfortable room to rest the previous night he had noticed a number of possible exits and taken note of the positions of the guards. He was confident he would be able to make it out safely if he so wished to.

For some reason, however, he felt bound to stick to the deal he had made with the extremely odd Rear Admiral whose 'custody' he was currently in. Which brought him back to the topic of the man sitting opposite him, frowning at the cards in his hand.

Aside from the general oddness of the man's character, Marco couldn't shake off the feeling that something strange was going on with the Marine. The feeling had only grown stronger as Marco started spending time with him, for it had revealed two things to him. First, Luffy was definitely not stupid, although he did his best to make everyone think so. Simple-minded perhaps but not stupid. This, in turn, had led Marco to realize that their meeting was no coincidence. The man had some sort of plan and Marco couldn't even begin to guess at what it was. That was not reassuring but what was even less reassuring was his second realization about the man.

Luffy was extremely careless with his own life. This understanding had not come to him at once. It had come gradually starting from the moment Luffy had taken Marco's shackles off. Then, there had been lunch, when Luffy had made a joke – a joke that sounded both bitter and truthful – about his subordinates trying to poison him at every meal and then proceeded to tuck in without reservation in the food served to him. But more than all of that, there was something dead in his eyes. It was the sort of gaze Marco had seen on men who had lost everything on the Grand Line. Pirates who had already given up on everything.

His thoughts were interrupted by Luffy's unusually serious voice.

"Marco."

"Yes?"

"Your skills at Poker are amazing. I don't think I've ever seen someone cheat so smoothly before." his expression as he said this was one of intense reflexion.

Marco snorted derisively. That really never ceased to surprise him. He was starting to wonder if the Rear Admiral could even be offended. He seemed to think everything was interesting or to be admired where most others would have lost their temper.

"Even though I know you're cheating, I can't seem to pinpoint the method." the Rear Admiral went on obliviously. "You might have some sort of talent!"

"You praise me too highly." Marco said with a snort.

"Now, don't be modest!" he obviously intended to say more but was interrupted by the intrusion of a soldier.

Marco vaguely recognized the man's face as one who had been escorting him to Luffy's office the previous day. The man shot him a very disapproving look. He clearly didn't have the guts to question the Rear Admiral's actions though because he showed no sign of wanting to comment on the present situation.

"What is it Carly?" Luffy asked, barely paying attention to his subordinate.

"It's Charles, sir." the man corrected swiftly, rather sounding as if this was the usual pattern of things. "We have received a report that Tart Top is under attack."

"Tart Top? Is that the place where they make those weird pies?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ah, I don't like that place much…If only they'd make meat instead…"

That line of conversation sounded like an impasse and the soldier wisely kept his mouth shut. It was obvious there was no love lost between the man and his superior officer but it also appeared that the man knew Luffy well enough to know a lost cause when he saw one.

"Oh well, I suppose we'll have to go and help." at that Luffy threw his cards on the table. "Carlos, tell the men to prepare the ship."

"My name is…" the man started saying before abruptly sighing in an 'oh-forget-it' way. "Yes, sir."

He saluted stiffly and left the room without looking back.

Marco gave Luffy a shrewd look. It never ceased to amaze him, he thought sarcastically, that someone as oblivious to names as Luffy hadn't got his own wrong even once. Maybe he could take it as a proof of favouritism.

Luffy got up slowly and stretched, before looking around him lazily.

"Where did my coat go?" he grumbled to himself.

Marco also got up. A lazy sweep of his gaze over the room allowed him to locate the piece of clothing, which had been thrown on an armchair sometime earlier. Noticing that Luffy was nowhere near close to finding it, Marco sighed and walked over to pick it up.

"Here." he said, throwing the coat to the man.

The Marine caught it, most likely having his reflexes to thank for it, and looked at it with an odd expression.

"Oh thanks." he said, sounding surprised to have the item handed to him so easily.

Marco leant against the back of the sofa as he watched the man – who seemed barely out of childhood – swing the heavy coat over his shoulders, adjusting it there before fussing with his shirt and tie. In the short time that Marco had spent in Luffy's presence he had noticed the care he put into a maintaining a distinguished appearance in front of his subordinates. If the sloppiness he demonstrated when left alone with Marco was anything to go by, he only showed that consideration to other Marines, or when working. Not that it bothered the phoenix. Neatness didn't fit Luffy. It made him look like a child playing at being an adult.

"So Tart Top." Marco commented, once Luffy was done fixing his clothes.

"Tart Top." Luffy agreed soberly, before suddenly regaining his usual volubility. "I swear these people don't know what's good in life. Why would you ever take some perfectly nice meat and chuck it into some pastry? It's bad taste, that's what it is. Besides, why would anyone want to make pies? Meat is so much better!"

This manner of speech went on as they walked down the corridors towards the warship. Marco listened to it absently, lips quirking upwards as the salty smell of the sea came to tickle his nose.

Really, there was nothing like coming home.