Thank you you all for the lovely comment, espically Tsunoyo for replying after every chapter. I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner, I'm still struggling with the site format. It seemes impossible to reply a comment without turning it to an inbox.
Here's there next chapter. Hope you'll enjoy it.
Quick summary for the last chapter: Marco wanted a mushroom on the next island. He would go get it with Ace and Cornelia.
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"Oh it has a stair, I thought we've to climb."
Cornelia chirped at the stony staircase carved into the vertical side of a cliff. From afar, it appeared like a dark slanted line, cutting across the face of the cliff at a near 45° angle. At the bottom of the stair was a trail that could be easily reached from the ship's crow's nest.
"Up there is East Ville, the mountain town of this island. The other side is the port town West Ville", Marco explained, all the things Thatch once said recalled in his mind, "Mushroom are collected in East Ville before being transported to West Ville, where they are shipped to other islands."
"Anything we need to know about the locals?" Ace evaluated the cliff by knocking on the limestone.
"My brothers said they're quite friendly yoi."
"And the potential threats?"
"Maybe some predators in the forest."
"Then it should be easy, we can have a mushroom BBQ feast after this." The young man grinned. They jumped to the staircase and he waved at his teammates. "See ya. We'll meet you guys at West Ville after five days."
"Cornie, I'm counting on you to keep Ace away from trouble." Deuce shouted from the deck.
"Oi! I can hear that!" Ace yelled in disbelief.
"That's the point!"
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Paladis was a spring island blooming with plant life and warm humid weather throughout the year. It's a relatively small island, only two villages and no marine base, yet it's still under the protection of the World Government due to Heavenly Tribute. Paladis was crossed by three distinct provinces, the mountains, the hilly region and the coastal plain. Mushroom could be found all over the island, but they mostly came from the farms in East Ville and its surround forested area.
The plan was relatively simple, get in the forest for the mushroom Marco wished for and met up with the rest of crew after five days. The stony stair carved into the cliff led straight to the hilly region where East Ville located. It's said the stair was dug by the troop of a fallen king after an unsuccessful siege. The steps were small and high, but nothing the trio couldn't handle. On top of the cliff, they could see East Ville afar, down the hill and close to a giant lake. They decided to get into town for some information first.
"The people are so nice, Marco. I once saw them taking care of a guy who was found unconscious on the shore-"
"They didn't seem wary of me, a total stranger, even asking me how to cook mushroom with butter-"
"And the ladies, oh my god. All of them are wife material."
"You called all the girls you met wife material yoi."
"Yeah, but the girls on Paladis are like super wife material."
The conversation with a drunken Thatch after one New Year's party was still fresh in Marco's memory. Though he knew his brother tended to exaggerate his stories, there's still some truth his words. The town was exactly the same as the commander expected, lively and spirited; the sweetness of freshly baked bread lingered in the air, marrying well with the smell of cool atmosphere of a temperate area. They passed a wide variety of shop lined on the main street, a flower shop with vibrant flower pots in the front, a butcher with his fresh lump of meat on display and a wine shop decorated with a mannequin holding a giant glass bottle. Chimes of bells tinkling as the people got in and out of the stores.
"Hm, I like this place." Cornelia commented. She was walking by his side while Ace was exactly one step behind. He'd gotten used to her demeanor over the time he spent on Spadille. She was older than Ace, but usually acted a bit childish, yet he never saw a guy on rejected her anything. She stole Saber's food during dinner and the guy didn't say a word. To be fair, Ace did that often, but Saber responded with a whine that screamed adoration toward his captain. In Cornelia's case, Marco felt it was more to some kind of fear.
She spent most of her time alone in her greenhouses, checking on her plants and making sure the crew had an endless vegetable supplier. They came to good term due to the share interest in pharmacology.
The children running by gave them a curious look, probably knew that they were strangers. A girl in a yellow dress stopped and stared at Ace's hat and the freckled ma replied with a charming smile. The girl blushed and immediately ran off.
"Be careful, brats! Or you'll run to someone!"
A middle-age man in a sheriff outfit came out of a grocery store and yelled at the children. When he cast his eyes toward them, his expression stiffened. He placed his hand on the rifle behind his back while Ace and Cornelia switched their positions.
Keeping eye contact, Marco slowly showed the sheriff his empty hands and shook his head. The man tsked, but he let go of his weapon.
"I'm keeping my eyes on you." He gave them a warning look and walked away.
"You know the guy?" Ace gazed after the man.
"I don't think I've met him, but he definitely knows who I am yoi."
"He may be a former marine."
Marco'd reached the same conclusion actually. The way the man standing suggested he'd gone through proper training and marines hated the Emperors with a passion.
They got in the grocery store and asked for a map. The shop owner happily gave it to them, even marking a few places they could visit and stay the night. When they asked where to get the mushroom, she showed the way to the local farms right outside the town.
"Can we get into the forest yoi?"
"You mean you want to pick them yourself? Sure. Ask a farm owner, they can give you a tour around the picking zone. I have the price for each farm tour right here."
"No, I mean a little bit deeper, like right here." Marco pointed to a hill a bit far away and her smile vanished.
"You… want to go to the forest to find mushroom?"
"Is it not allowed?"
Swallowing, the woman gave them a nervous look. "We don't forbid travelers to get the mushroom outside our picking zones. But I suggest don't, it can be dangerous."
"Why?"
She cast her eyes downward, "About a year ago, we don't go to the forest and pick the wild mushroom anymore. All the mushroom we deliver to West Ville are grown in the farm or collected in specific zone."
"…" No one replied, knowing there's more to the story.
"Our hunters were attacked by a tiger, or maybe a lion, I'm not so sure, no one has seen it clearly. We thought it just a normal mountain lion at first, but it's not. The beast was huge. It attacked the hunters, then came after the delivery men we sent to West Ville. It's smart, we gathered the men and tried to capture it, but it never shows up when the sheriff's there. And when he doesn't, it attacks and lures us to our own trap. That thing's a devil!" The shop owner gritted her teeth and clenched her hand into a fist.
"…"
"So far no one was killed. It doesn't come to town and only attack when we go in too deep. You can pick anything you like, but I suggest you buy some from the local farms."
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"Hm, there's no Golden Chanterelle on this list, guess they're only in the forest." Ace checked the mushroom tour map. "What do you think Marco? Your call."
"What do you think yoi?"
"The locals obviously gain some commercial benefits if we go on a tour in their farms, so they may make up that story to scare us-" the young man grinned sheepishly, "Or maybe there's a cat monster in the forest."
"Don't think about it boss," Cornelia crossed her arms before her chest, "Don't."
"I always want to find Kotatsu a bride."
"One, we don't know if it's a girl. Two, Kotatsu may not want a partner bigger than he is. Three, Deuce'll kick you off the ship. And you-" she turned to Marco, her lower lip protruded in a sulky pout, "When will you tell me your secret plan?"
When they were on Spadille, Marco'd claimed he only needed five days at most to find Golden Chanterelle. Cornelia was so shock of this statement she kept insisting on how he would do it, because, her words, "five days was too short to search for chanterelle mushroom in a forest you'd never been before" and "you think Golden Chanterelle is like dried leaves, look down and it's right next to your feet?"
Marco laughed it off and said it was his secret. Cornelia started to stalk him around and burst out from unexpected places. He found it quite funny though. Deuce and Skull, sadly, not so much; the latter guy almost had a heart attack when he found her crawling on top of a bookshelf.
"You've waited for days yoi, how 'bout a little more until we reach the forest?"
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When they reached the edge of the forested area, Cornelia's eyes had become so fierce if it could drill a hole in Marco's chest. The Commander insisted on walking a little deeper until they were out of the locals' sight. They stopped next to an oak tree, where he gave his bag to Ace as he smiled.
"Take care of my body will you?"
"Wha-?!"
Marco snickered at the rosiness rising on Ace's cheek, then he let his body be consumed by azure flame. His surrounding twisted at an accelerated pace and shifted to a monochromatic shade of black. A burning figure came into his sight and materialized.
"Like I promised, till the sunset yoi."
The figure screeched and Marco felt his body became much lighter. His body took off the ground and landed on Ace's arm.
The freckled man was clearly taken aback by the transformation. He gave Marco a once over before leaning closer and stared directly into his eyes, then realization flickered in the silvery irises. He let out a sigh as he caressed Marco's cheek, his fingers was covered in blazing orange flame.
"You're no longer Marco, aren't you?"
His body nodded.
"Phoenix right? How can we find that mushroom?"
Phoenix cooed and took off again. Pleasure filled Marco's heart when the bird outstretched it wings and played with the pristine air. It soared in the springy breeze and landed on the top of the oak tree. The bird took a deep breath and let out a sonorous melody.
The song was short, and the response was nothing more than rustling in the wind, but Phoenix knew better than that. It waited patiently until it sensed movement in the lower forest layer.
Wuk wuk wuk.
Phoenix looked down and found a red-headed woodpecker on a lower branch.
Wuk wuk wuk wuk wuk.
The woodpecker drummed its beak.
Phoenix cawed as a thank you and returned to Ace's arm, then it lifted its wing and pointed to the north.
"Are you showing us where to go?" The young man asked.
The bird nodded.
"You're not changing back to Marco?"
Phoenix shook it head.
"He's not coming out or you don't let him?"
It shot Ace a deadpan gaze.
"All right, all right, north then." Ace placed the bird on his shoulder.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, this isn't our client anymore, but his power." Cornelia examined Phoenix from head to toe just like the first day she met Marco. "And it just asked that woodpecker where the mushroom is?"
"I think so."
"Can all Zoan user do this? Does he still have human intelligence, or he's at bird level now?"
"I don't know," Ace shrugged and gently petted the Phoenix, "He's the first Zoan user I met."
"Cheater. I should have known his secret trick is something I'm not capable of."
Phoenix made a squawking noise that sound like a laugh.
"Oh great, I was laughed by a bird. I want a Zoan devil fruit too."
"Sure, if we find one, the guys won't compete it with you." Ace led the way to the deep forest.
"Hey Cornie, do you think if you eat a cicada fruit, you'll have to wait 15 years for the nymphs to emerge from underground before you can talk to them?"
"Screw you Ace. If I can transform to a giant cicada, I'll never let you sleep."
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Marco silently judged the trembling bird in front of him.
The thing about his power was that every time he let Phoenix took over his body, he could both feel the bird's emotion and be aware of how his body moved. Phoenix was thrilled being outside and next to the freckled man. His current body was at the size of a crow, the smallest size Phoenix could be, so it didn't cause any trouble for Ace's movement while it sat on his shoulder. The young man originally placed Phoenix on the middle of his shoulder, but somehow the bird managed to move closer to his carrier, its feathers kept brushing against the raven locks. Ace'd blazed his shoulder on fire, which only added fuel to the avian's excitement.
Phoenix was so happy it could soared across the sky singing love song till dust, yet outside the real world, it was struggling to maintain a professional and expressionless face. Trying to be cool, Marco assumed. As the result, in his monochromatic inner world, Marco was siting face to face with a quivering bird, while said bird was using its wings to cover its eyes and blushing rosy cheeks.
The Commander sighed. Luckily Phoenix never used his real body to do that, he could never live it down.
Though it wasn't bad appreciating the outside world through Phoenix's eyes. He and Ace were at the same eyes level, so when Phoenix turned its head, he could see his bird form reflected in those grayish eyes; that reminded him of the fight in which he pinned the young man to the ground and studied his facial features. A glorious moment, because he was a simple man that took pride in conquering a worthy opponent. Such an impressive power compressed in a body that hadn't reach the age of twenty. If Pops had a chance to meet Ace, Marco had no doubt the old man would want the fire logia to be a part of their family.
Maybe his power had been staring for too long, because Ace finally noticed and returned with a smile so bright it made the bird trilled in exhilaration. When the younger man caressed the flaming feathers, the satisfying feeling was transferred to Marco and he couldn't say he dislike it.
Ace and Cornelia picked a basketful of edible mushrooms on the way and they made mushroom hot-pot for lunch. By hot-pot, Marco mean the duo boil everything they found and took the ingredients out before they became overcooked. Phoenix was content with the onigiri he prepared.
In the afternoon, they ran across a cluster of Fly Agaric, a type of mushroom that'd been recorded to cause hallucinations. Cornelia looked like Christmas and her birthday coming at the same time. Ace's face turned as white as a sheet when he watched her singsonged cheerfully and put the mushroom in her bag.
Zray zray zray zray zeeee.
Phoenix cast its eyes upward and found a little guy peeking at them curiously from the higher forest layer. It was only less than 4 inches long. The color of its feather was a gorgeous light blue with black streaks; a ring of blue feather across the white upper part made the bird looked like it was wearing a blue necklace. His power cooed a soft melody and the bird descended and landed on Ace's finger.
Marco muttered to himself. "So this spring island also has this guy yoi."
The bird chirped to say hi.
"Hey there, little one," Ace said.
"Cerulean warbler," Cornelia took a closer look, "Quite common in spring island, but they aren't human-friendly."
"Must be because of Phoenix then. You're Phoenix's friend?"
The warbler tilted it head, then it leaned and nudged Ace's thumb. The young man petted its feathers and the bird let out a satisfying coo. Phoenix narrowed its eyes and Marco felt an unpleasant churn rising in his guts, a feeling that only happened when the avian's favorite spot on Moby Dick was taken.
Suddenly the Commander sensed an abrupt movement coming to their way. Ace seemed to notice it too since he stopped petting the bird and started to look around. Realizing his action, Cornelia put a hand in her pocket and cautiously evaluated their surroundings.
Running sound resonated in the air, a loud shriek echoed, then a giant wild boar hit a tree on its way. Behind the creature were two mountain lions. One of them jumped on the boar trying to trip it down while the other assaulted it from the side, but the boar managed to toss the smallest lion away with it canine teeth and turned to the left, charging the trio at full force.
Phoenix hummed toward the little bird, they both spread their wings and went airborne to avoid hinder Ace's movement.
"Here's come dinner~~" Ace cracked his knuckles, sparkling flame dancing on his skin, but Cornelia grabbed his collar and pulled him back.
"Oh no no, you're not allowed to fire-fist anything in a forest. Remember what happened when we recruited Banshee?"
"That's a long time ago!" Ace went tomato red and Cornelia shot him an unimpressed look.
Definitely a long story behind that, maybe Marco could bribe Skull to share it.
The boar was reaching close, steam coming out of its nostrils on the run. Ace did a finger signal toward the creature and Cornelia replied with a nod. One more lion burst out from the shadow and tried to snatch Ace with its claws, but the young man grabbed a lion right below it neck and wrestled the beast to the ground.
In the meantime, to Marco's surprise, Cornelia ran toward the boar. She dodged aside just in time and snapped her finger. The boar suddenly stood still like all energy was sucked out from its massive body. Then it began to tremble, the muscles twitched and jerked, until it stared dreamily into the blank space before closing it eyes. Ace delivered the final blow and its body went numb.
The Commander didn't surprise Ace could take care of the creatures with ease, he was more fascinated by Cornelia's attack, the finger snap that paralyzed the boar beforehand. Either she had something up in her sleeve, literally and figuratively, or she somehow surpassed his Observation Haki, and that was pretty impressive.
Well, he guessed Deuce didn't ask her to take care of Ace for no reason.
The three lions circled the two Spades and hissed aggressively, hunching their shoulders and swishing their tails, a sign showing they'd attack to gain back their prey. They were at tall at Ace, not a beastly size, but they could be terrifying enough to the normal civils. Yet their attempt had poor effect on the freckled man. Ace unsheathed his dagger, earning a cautious look from the lions, and cut one of the boar's leg off.
"We'll take this as the supporting fee." He smiled cockily at the mountain lions and pointed to the biggest one. "You need to be stronger you know that?"
Then he stepped away from the boar's carcass, gesturing them to get their prize.
The lions looked at each other and the biggest one grumbled; it kept its eyes on Ace and Cornelia while the other two carefully approached the boar and dragged it away. Finally, the three lions ran deeper into the forest as Ace gazed after them with endearment in his eyes.
Cornelia, on the other hand, rubbed her chin.
"Ace, they're mountain lions right?"
"Yeah."
"There're three of them."
"Yeah!"
"Working at a team."
"Sweet, right? Surviving in a forest together."
"Mountain lion doesn't do that Ace, that's a wolf thing."
Marco dumbfounded at that for a second, then it clicked in his mind that except for lions, big cat species live a solidary life when they grow up; therefore there's no way three adult mountain lions could come in good term in the wild.
Air seemed to be stuck in his lungs as his lips curled into a smirk. Marco couldn't stop the disturbing feeling rising in his veins. He hated being reminded that he could be neglected and didn't focus enough to his surroundings. It was time like this he felt he'd failed his family at some point.
Marco knew he's strong, yet being strong easily lead to one particular mistake, which is recklessness. The only thing Marco feared more than his father's declining health was the fact he might misjudge passive threats. Thatch usually laughed and called him a mother hen, but he couldn't let himself at ease if he wasn't sure his brothers was safe. There were things out there, didn't look dangerous and easily slipped through his Observation Haki, but could end up endanger his family.
He misjudged situations in the past. Pops never blamed him, and so far none of them led to a horrific consequence, yet in the night, when he was alone in his room, he couldn't help but wonder what could happen if he was a little more careful, a little more observant, a little more judicious. What's the point if he could stop an Emperor's attack, but underestimate a cough that was a symptom of a contagious disease? What's the point if he could predict a thunderstorm coming, but miscalculated a cannon ball attack?
It was the little tiny details that always manage to get on Marco's nerve, and the fact he failed to notice them unfailingly make him angry with himself.
Such luck, only three mountain lions acting strange. It's not going to harm his family right? Or can it? Can what happened here affect the New World?
Phoenix cut off his thinking by curling in his lap and caressed him with it feathers.
"…" The bird cooed softly.
"Pops never said such cheesy thing yoi, that's Jozu's shit.
The lions left the area his Observation Haki could detect. Just like Cornelia discovered, they ran together, never stopped for once or tried to split apart. Ace still looked to their direction, but he didn't make any comment.
Zray zray zray.
In the outside world, the little warbler poked at Phoenix's feather.
Zray zray zray zray zeeee.
Be careful with the big cat.
They said goodbye to the cerulean warbler and continued to the north with Phoenix sitting on Ace's other shoulder. The trio found an empty cave before the sun went down and decided to stay the night. They didn't find the chanterelle Marco was looking for yet, but he's positive they were getting close. Ace walked around looking for fuel wood and Cornelia prepare to grill the boar's leg.
"So… sunset. Give me back my body yoi." Marco told his power.
"…"
"What do you mean extra hours for emotion support?"
After dinner, the two Spades divided their shift to guard the cave. Marco, being their client, didn't have to stay on watch. Cornelia volunteered for the first half because she wanted to study the mushroom she picked earlier. Ace used his bag as a pillow and immediately snored when his back hit the ground. Phoenix, sly as always, climbed on the young man's chest and comforted itself.
Marco gained his body back after Ace woke up for his shift. Cornelia gave him a cryptic look as he headed outside.
"Oh hey there Marco." Ace was sitting by the campfire grilling mushroom.
"Evening, yoi." Marco's joints made crackling sound as he stretched his muscles. Damn little shithead, he should have strangle it a bit harder.
"I was wondering if I ever see you again in the next four days."
"Couldn't let that bird control my body for too long," Phoenix cawed as a disagreement, "Miss me?"
"Maybe," Ace hummed and gave Marco a cup of water, "too bad we don't have any rum tonight."
Marco chugged a large gulp and received a stick meat from Ace. The meaty flavor enriched when he ate it with the grill mushroom. They sat in silence and enjoyed the late supper, yet the quietness was comfortable and warm like the companionship between two long-time friends. The crackling sound of bonfire filled the air as Ace laid his back on a large rock, hands behind his head in a relaxing manner. At some point, they both cast their eyes upward and contemplated the sublime starry night. Somehow the constellation reminded him of his companion's freckles and he turned aside just to be surprised because Ace was looking at him. Flame was dancing in the silvery irises and suddenly his cheek went hot. He averted his gaze and poured himself a cup, earning a childish snicker from Ace.
"Your eyes, that's how I know if you're Marco or not."
"Pardon yoi?"
"When you lend Phoenix your body, your eyes turn to black, while your normal eyes is blue."
"Is there anything else?" Marco unconsciously gripped his cup.
"And your blue fire is beautiful."
"Is this you or your power's saying yoi?"
"How about both?" Ace opened his hand. From his fingers, little fireballs ascended and started floating around. They sliced through the darkness with their sugary light and danced around Marco like real fireflies. Before the Commander knew it, his power already flickered on his hand to respond.
"Then you both have very good taste yoi."
Marco smiled when a fireball landed on his palm, then something triggered his Observation Haki. Some, because he sensed more than one presence. There were at least twenty of them, twenty of four-leg creatures, coming from every direction. He tried to use other sense to evaluate the threats, but all he managed to hear was the rustling in the wind and the crackling bonfire; the lack of sound hung in the air like a gaping void hungered to be filled.
"Something wrong, Mar-?" Ace looked at him questioningly, then the young man straightened himself.
Marco furrowed until he spotted several silhouettes lurking under the forest canopy like they were a part of the shadow world. Two eyes appeared, flickering viciously in the dim light, then another pair came into view until they were surrounded by glowing emerald eyes. A pack of mountain lions emerged from the dark, a bit larger in size as those they countered in the afternoon. Cornelia's prediction was correct, something wasn't right with the mountain lions. This was a huge pack that contained more than twenty individuals, yet their movement was deliberate and coordinating, like they knew exactly what they were doing. They approached the campfire slowly and steadily, the tread as quiet as a feather falling to the ground.
The pack leader stood in the front, its head held low and shoulders hunched up in a hostile manner. Beneath the two glowing eyes, a grin slit its face, showing rows of vicious sharp teeth.
"Don't." Ace grumbled, countering the leader's glare.
The creature made a hissing sound as it kept moving forward. The other lions bared their teeth and followed suit.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The freckled man sat still, elbows on his knee and hands clenched together near his mouth.
The lions' blockade closing in from all sides.
Silence stretched thinner and thinner, until the temptation to rupture it was too great to resist. Marco prepared himself in case he had to get involved.
The lions leaned back in prepare for a launch, and a shockwave rippled through the air.
Marco turned his head so fast he neck made a crackling sound.
The lion pack froze in their tracks like ice sculptures; literally ice sculptures, because Marco no longer detected their breath. The only thing kept the lions standing was probably the excessive fear to the point they didn't dare to quiver. Marco'd been living in New World too long to accurately evaluate the power of a Conqueror Haki shockwave. What the young man just did didn't strong enough to render the lions unconscious, but it sent a clear message, a proof declaring what he was capable of more if they made the wrong move.
"Go." Ace said quietly like a whisper.
The shockwave faded, but it took the pack leader a while to respond to Ace's command. It shook its head and tried to move its trembling legs, then it looked around and checked its subordinates, none of which could kept itself straight any longer. The leader sniffing and licking to bring his friends out of their frozen state, then they all stepped backward and bowed their heads in a submissive indication. The lions collected themselves and slowly returned to the dark, treading as silently as they came.
Ace relaxed his muscles and continued to wait for the mushroom on the grill, unaware of the impact he lay upon Marco.
After weeks spending on Piece of Spadille, living side by side with the young man, listening to his stories and involving in many little escapades, Marco thought there's nothing more to unlock about Portgas D. Ace. And yet he was right back at the very beginning, amused and flabbergasted for what Ace could do.
Having both Observation and Armament? Okay, Ace's father a pirate, the guy probably been to New World at some point, he taught Ace Haki, Ace had a knack in mastering the mysterious power in living being. Fine, Haki prodigy, happened all the time in New World.
But Conqueror?
Like the time Ace managed to hit Marco with his Armament imbued attacked, the way he projected Conqueror looked nothing like he just awoke the rarest type of Haki. Hell, it suspiciously looked like he'd been training for a while.
Then again, why should he be surprised if Ace was a Conqueror? The young man had been nothing less than a raw gemstone waiting for the world's recognition.
"What?" Ace cut the Commander off his thought. Damn, he must've been making a stupid expression if Ace gave him a concern look.
"You have Conqueror Haki yoi." Marco said in amazement.
"Yeah, really useful right? Easy to avoid unnecessary battle."
"You didn't use it in our fight."
"I was about to actually, right before we were interrupted," Ace tilted his head, "Why are you acting so surprised? I thought New World's like a heaven for Conqueror users."
"Believe me when I say even in New World, Conquerors are extremely rare yoi."
"Oh," Ace made a sound and shrugged, "Well now you know I'm a Conqueror. I don't use it much though. I like to keep it as a last resort for life-and-death situation."
"The lions is a life-and-death situation while I'm not yoi?" Marco didn't know if he should feel offended by that.
"Yes," Ace chuckled, "Sleeping is a matter of life and death." The young man looked into the cave, adoration plastered across his face as the sight of Cornelia's sleeping figure. She rolled onto her side peacefully, clueless of the shenanigan just occurred.
Marco averted his gaze to Ace, who was still giggling, and felt a bang in his chest. He didn't know why he needed to keep his head down to stabilize his breathing.
"So Mr. Client," the young man teased, "you're going back to your sleep, or resting in your bird form tomorrow?"
"What's the point of having another being in your head if you can't abuse it yoi? I assume you used Conqueror on your previous mission?"
"Yeah, want to hear it?" Ace gave him a stick of mushroom.
"Why not yoi?" Marco took it and grabbed a bite.
"Okay, so back in the day the Spade only had five members…"
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And that's the wrap for their first day on the new island. I don't want to write too much about fighting (how many guys can keep themselves against Marco in Paradise), so there won't be many battles. Instead I want to focus more about the adventures (and of course romance). There'll be shading schemes around, but they won't be so dark :
The scene which Marco's mad with himself for failing to notice the lions' behavior is inspired by Usopp. Yes you read that right, Usopp.
One thing I like about him is that he freaks out so easily he never underestimates any threats, which make him so important to the crew. Because seriously, look at the monster trio, they're like go big or go home. Luffy'll punch the lions, while Usopp realizes a weird spot on its fur and be like "oh my god what if that thing has a contagious disease we should go now".
That's the inspiration for the scene. What could make Marco angry? His family being in danger of course. But what could make him angry with himself? His misjudgment leads to said danger, so he'll be pissed off if he misses the little details.