Um, first of all :)) I wanted to tell I'm not that old. I'm 21-ish... it's not my fault One Piece has been running for ages and we still don't know much about Luffy's dad, nothing about his mother, what is the Will of D [ I am so damn curious ] or what One Piece is. This manga's gonna kill me :((

Secondly, I hope you enjoy this short chapter. I would've posted it sooner but I got stuck on One Piece wiki and took me ages to pick a mane for Avani's mom... [ less than it took me to pick Avani, though :P ]

[ speaking about wiki... how old do you guys think Marco is? Cause he should be old... He was a part of Whitebeard Pirates some 22 years ago so he should be in his 30's... well unimportant, he looks way younger ]

If I owned One Piece, there would be more Shanks 3

All day he would keep himself busy with various tasks, some of which weren't even his, like checking the knots of the sails, all of them and verifying the food supplies. He would join his brothers on run and raids on unsuspecting ships and help fight off enemies. H would engage in random conversations and games abode deck and even tell a few jokes of his own. But at night Marco was a mess. His mind kept playing the same scene over and over, Avani beneath him, biting her lip, inviting him to ravage her.

He came to the conclusion the woman was insane. But so was he. He knew that both of them realized their relationship would cause more bad than good, yet neither was pulling away. He didn't possess the strength to do so, but what was keeping her from running away from him? In no way he wished she would do that. Nonetheless, the question remained to plague him. She had a good future ahead, an honest one, under the guidance of the Hero of the Marines. Avani deserved a nice life, not some lowly thief like him.

Marco let out a sigh, the hot air turning into mist as it left his mouth. His elbows were rested on the railings, his eyes fixed on the reflection of the moon on the water. His Pops tried to cheer him up earlier that day, giving him his full permission to date the marine and tell him how lucky he was to find such a nice young woman like Ace's sister. It worked, for a few hours Marco was really jolly. But as soon as the sun set, his foul mood returned. The sad truth was that Avani was better off without him. A hand on his shoulder brought him out of his obnoxious state.

"What's eating at you, bro?" Ace was grinning at him with his usual laid back demeanor. What could he tell him? That he was an unworthy scum who dared crave his sister?

"Uhm, you know…"

"Ah, so it's about my sister."

"It's just that… she deserves better."

"What the hell are you talking about, eh?"

"I'm a pirate, all I can offer her is a life running away from her marine friends."

"I don't think she has that many."

"That's beside the point, Ace." There was a moment of silence and Marco thought his brother was agreeing with him. He was surprised to hear the younger man's words.

"We've known each other for some years, Marco. I've never seen you so worked up about anyone except Pops when he doesn't take his meds. So, I think it's safe to say you really care for her. She deserves that, someone who truly cares for her."

"What are you-"

"I'm saying 'Quit being stupid and don't let her go!'. She's a good person and I'm not saying that just because she's my sister. You deserve her too." Marco was at a loss for words. It meant a lot to him that Ace was not against them, but it still came as a surprise.

"Thanks, yoi."

"You seemed to need it." The big grin on the brunettes face made it hard for Marco not to smile in return. He saw little things in Ace, like gestures, that Avani had too.

"How did you two end up with Garp of all people?"

"I don't know all the details. Our moms were childhood friends and after Chika died, Garp took us in. Well, he didn't really do much, he just left us with Dadan."

"Ah yes, the mountain bandits. I remember you telling stories, yoi." Marco recalled Ace telling the crew on several occasions of his childhood and how he would insist his sister would train with him because he wanted her to be strong. Whenever Ace shared memories of his foster brothers and sister, Marco could notice the pride in his voice.

"A few years after that Luffy came along. Ava instantly took a liking to him."

"If your younger brother is anything like you described his as, I think it would be hard not to like him." Luffy was, from what Marco gathered, a goofy, clueless kid, ever smiling and genuinely carrying. The bothers seemed to share that last trait.

"I didn't like him at first. It was already me, Sabo and Avani. But she and Sabo liked him. And he was a persistent little pest." Ace rarely spoke of his late friend Sabo, but he did mention a few of the adventured he had with his childhood friend. "I'm grateful to them. I was in a really dark place when I was young and they managed to pull me out. And then Pops took me in as well." Ace's expression was a mixture of emotions Marco could only guess. Sadness, joy, pride, contempt.

"How did Avani end up a marine, yoi? When the two of you became pirates?"

"Well, I guess it was partly because of her mother and mostly because of Garp. She was to become a pirate with us, though she always said she felt bad for the old man. Said she'd join one of our crews sine she had no intention of becoming a captain. But when she turned 17, Garp brought her some of her mother's belongings. She left with him to join the navy the very next day. I was furious."

"But you're not anymore, yoi?"

"No. I found her a while after that and… she'll have to tell you the rest if she ever wants too." Marco just nodded his head. Thousand different scenarios played in his head.

"Is it related to her father? You know who he is, yoi?" Ace shook his head before replying.

"I'm not even sure she knows. Though I suspect Garp does, so he might have told her." Marco's mind was blank for a few seconds. Then he heard Ace speak again. "Come on now, we have a big day tomorrow."

And indeed they had. The Whitebeard Pirates were raiding some transport ships early in the morning. Chances were they would encounter marines. He was not sure if he wanted Avani there or not. On one hand, he missed her. On the other hand, they wouldn't have to fight, or pretend to do so and it might end creating problems for her. After all, she would be losing cargo to the same pirate that escaped under her nose a few months back. Nobody would be awarding her for that.

During his entire shower he tried to remember other things he knew about Ace's sister and link them to his Avani. He always believed Ace was exaggerating about his siblings, but having met Avani, she was exactly the sweet, gentle, carrying girl from his crew mate's stories. The same one that could whoop your ass if you were mean to her siblings.

All in all, Avani, Ace and Luffy were exceptional people. Of course, he only knew Luffy from stories, and Ace was rough around the edges, but they cared for their friends and family with a remarkable depth. Marco wondered if the unconventional childhood they had, raised by mountain bandits and playing in the beast-infested forest, made them who they were or if there was something more to them. It just then hit Marco that all three of them shared the D in their names. He would have debated more on the matter, but e knew very little about the will of D and his eyes were closing involuntarily.

His head hit the pillow and sleep took a hold of him. He hadn't realized he was that tired, but then again he hadn't rested much all day. As his muscles relaxed, thoughts about the woman who stole his heart erupted inside his head. Who the hell were her parents? He found out her mother's name was Chika and that she was friends with Ace's mother, Portgas D. Rouge. He still had no clue to who her father was. But all that was unimportant, he didn't really care.

The whole thing made him think about his birth parents. When he wasn't able to remember their faces he thought he should visit them some day. Maybe bring them a wanted poster. That, if they didn't already have one hanging by the kitchen window. One f his brothers surely brought one home. He could take Avani with him too, they could fly all the way there as it would be faster. Even if he didn't remember their faces, the small rustic house on the hill was deep embedded in his memories.

He fell asleep wondering what was Avani doing at that very moment and if, by chance, she was thinking of him. He sure hoped so. He smiled at the warm feeling in his chest and decided he really liked being in love. He promised himself he would make the most of it and stop being sorry for what he was. He was a Whitebeard pirate and he was damn proud of it. The whole world could think him scum and he wouldn't care as long he had his Pops, brothers and Avani.

I don't particularly like the name I gave her mother. but I needed it to mean something :P

This chapter was particularly hard for me to write... I don't know why.

Anyways, I'm off to writing the next one

Tell me if you want some M+ *blush* Cause I can totally turn it into M+since 5 chapters ago :))