The Calm Before the Storm, Part I
"Hey, Marco," Luffy said that night after they had retreated to the guest room. They were rebuilding the remnants of the blanket fortress that had been demolished the previous night.
"Yeah?" Marco moved some pillows around so they would make a comfortable raised floor.
"How are you doing?" Luffy had stopped yanking on a trapped blanket and started removing the ones on top of it instead.
"What do you mean? I'm fine. Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Luffy shook his head and lowered his hands.
"I mean about the old guy. I didn't ask with everything about Ace, but how are you with all that?"
Marco stopped moving the pillows and looked up.
"I'm fine. It's… Well, it's hard to explain."
He dropped down on the half-finished fortress, and Luffy followed suit. All their hard work for nothing.
"You know how Whitebeard said I don't remember my past life?" Marco asked after a while. Luffy hummed an affirmative. "I think I sort of do, on a subconscious level."
"You said you wanted adventure. When we met," Luffy said, then he chuckled. "You also said you'd kick our asses if we were scumbags."
Marco smiled, remembering that first meeting.
"I'm glad you weren't. Don't think you'll get rid of me just because I found a long-lost family."
"Like I'd let you go," Luffy said, and they both laughed.
Marco remembered Luffy's insistence when recruiting some of the crewmembers that had come after Marco, and he had heard the others' stories.
"You'll go train with them, won't you?" Luffy asked.
"Yeah. Just like you'll go with Rayleigh. You'll see, we're gonna be strong as fuck in two years."
They fell silent, but Marco wasn't in the mood to sleep. As it turned out, neither was Luffy.
"I wonder how the others are doing," Luffy mumbled.
"They must still be flying," Marco said, remembering the axe guy's words.
"They should be here," Luffy said, his voice approaching a pout.
Marco grabbed a pillow and smacked him on the face with it.
"What was that for?!" Luffy demanded, sitting up.
"Nami would hit you for this whole mess. I'm acting on her behalf."
Marco was ready to dodge the pillows that Luffy threw at him.