The storm is terrible.

Marco feels heavy. He's worrisomely drenched, blue fire having long gone out. He cannot see anything through the downpour, and his flight path is woozy as his exhausted wings fight against torrential winds. Below him the sea rages, whispering promises of swift death if Marco stops being airborne, it'll swallow him whole. He knows it must still be daytime or maybe late afternoon at most, but it's pitch black in the storm. Above him, purple lightning has him ducking out of the way as it lights up the clouds in tiny pieces.

Marco is a veteran of the Grand Line, he's been a Phoenix for over two decades, it's not the first time he's been caught in a thunderstorm. But he's been flying for days, trying to shorten the time to get back to the Moby. It'd been impatience and perhaps nostalgia more than any real reason, and Marco is cursing the decision as he's been trapped in the gale. He'd seen bright daylight turn to night in seconds and he'd frantically search a place to land, but he's been flying over uncharted Paradise Waters. There's nothing close by that he knows of or that he can see. In fact, he'd been looking where to stop for a while then, planning to check Thatch's vivre card as soon as he could.

None of that matters now. Marco's losing altitude, fast, unable to correctly manage the wind pressure he needs between all the wind and the rain. If he doesn't piece himself together he's going to stall. Marco's stubborn though, and he's not going to die from a series of ill-timed coincidences. That's when he catches sight of it. He's been dropping altitude all this time, consequence of not getting enough lift, but it's had the added effect of getting him closer to the water level and if Marco's exhaustion isn't playing tricks on him, that's clearly a ship. It's small and it's rocking quiet violently as it threatens to be swallowed by the waves.

It looks like certain death… or salvation. Marco's too exhausted to do anything but shoot straight for it and the last thing he's conscious of is the impact as he collapses on deck, seawaters seeping into his shirt.


When he wakes up, sitting up quickly, he's lying on the only bed hosted by the one cabin sailboa. There is a stranger sleeping across from him, sitting against the wall. When he's managed to clear his head a bit more he has enough sense to feel a little guilty. Before that though his heart's pounding in his chest, setting him into motion because Marco has no idea where he is.

Some things become immediately apparent. There is no rain outside anymore, but if the soft light is any indication it must be early. Marco must've been dried before being put on the bed, he's shirtless, tattoo proudly on display but he's warm, even though his pants are still a little damp. The man though, his traitorous mind is quick to notice, is drenched still. Droplets of water clinging to a bare chest, trailing down a prominent scar. The rain must've cleared not long ago, then and Marco must've slept through it.

Marco barely moves to take the blanket off him when bleary eyes land of him. Marco sees wide, dark eyes open for the first time. The stranger brings one hand up to rub at one of his eyes, almost knocking off the straw hat on his head, but when he looks up again suddenly, he's smiling. Marco's seen a lot of smiles, but there's something about this one that reaches deep into his guts. The pirate doesn't think a stranger has ever smiled at him with such unabashed joy and feeling, he almost turns around because he's not sure the smile is meant for him.

(And is that hat familiar?)

"You're awake!" The man notes, already standing up filled with energy when there's no way he's had more than a couple hours of sleep. He's a little pale, but otherwise looks well enough, Marco surmises. "I'm Luffy, nice to meet. Who are you?" He then adds, clearly more enthused with this part, "did you know you were a bird when you arrived? It was so cool!"

It might be that Marco's brain is still waking up, but it almost feels like these vibrant young man is from another universe and Marco's worldview isn't adapting correctly to processing him. (He doesn't know it then, but -like a lot fo things relating to Luffy- it will become a familiar feeling.)

"I'm Marco, yoi, and yes, I'm aware I was a bird." How could Marco possibly miss that? "I'm sorry I landed on your ship, I accidentally got caught up in the storm."

"Oh yeah, weather yesterday was just nasty." Luffy agrees, nodding eager. "I thought my ship was going to sink! I was getting ready to jump inside a barrel and hope for the best, but then you landed on the ship and there wasn't a barrel for you. Meh, we managed through just fine apparently shishishishi."

"Barrel, yoi?" Marco asks, trying to see the correlation, because the only way a barrel would be an option, is if Luffy planned to float away on it if the boat capsized. That'd be considered suicide by anyone remotely sane.

"Yeah. If the boat stopped floating, I'd float in the barrel, so I didn't drown." He looks at Marco with the weight of logic in his eyes.

"Then you'd be adrift at sea." Marco stresses, because this boy needs to be pulling his leg, that cannot be his actual survival plan.

"Meh, it's worked out the last couple of times!" He answers, and there are so many things wrong in that sentence, most notably the plural. "I always end up somewhere, once I got picked up by a pirate ship! It was hilarious."

"Most people don't consider being picked up by pirates a positive experience, yoi." Marco deadpans, is this guy an idiot?

"It's okay, I beat their ass, and made a friend. They also had a ship so it all worked out in the end." Before Marco can ask any further questions, or perhaps decide if he wants to test reason any farther, Luffy's stomach growls.

"Argh, I'm starving, making food was impossible last night because of the storm." He passes by Marco's bed, so close that he can feel how cold the younger man is, aware that he is still dripping wet. Suddenly, Luffy freezes.

"I'm cold and wet!" He suddenly exclaims and Marco sweat-drops.

"…Did you just notice?" Luffy quickly nods, arms wrapped around himself as if to heat himself up. What is it with this slow reaction time?

"The kitchen begins as soon as you cross the door, grab anything you like. I'm just gonna get rid of this clothes real quick." Marco hadn't been planning on staying long and his body could still survive without food for a couple more days, but he isn't going to complain about a free meal. He hurries, because Luffy's immediately taking off his pants without any illusion of propriety. Marco keeps the glimpse he catches far off his mind.

The kitchen is just as cramped and tiny as the cabin, but in the counter there is an assortment of fruit, a carton of eggs and a functioning hot plate. Sadly, Luffy must not drink coffee because Marco doesn't find any of its ingredients. Though looking for spices he finds an almost forgotten box of teabags and guesses it'd have to do. A couple of minutes later, when the water boils, Marco exchanges the pot for a pan and starts frying some eggs.

"Oh my god, you know how to cook, I am so happy you crashed here, please stay forever." The voice startles Marco, he hadn't heard the younger man come in. It puts Marco on guard. The only people who can hide themselves from Observation Haki are people who can wield it and in Paradise –and Marco's pretty sure he's still in Paradise– Haki users are extremely rare. Who is this guy anyway?

"I cannot 'stay forever', yoi." He replies. Despite his concern, there's a smile pulling at his cheek because the younger man is looking at fried egg like Marco just served him a banquet. It reminds Marco of home somehow. The younger man is dry now, and his straw hangs from a string on his back. He threw on a shirt too, even if the red fabric lays open showing the scarred chest. The man is clearly a fighter, his muscles well-defined and lean. Good muscles, Marco thinks absent-minded.

"Well, that makes sense, you need to go back to being a pirate, right?" Marco hums in agreement. He's not surprised he's been recognized. He is one of the most notorious figures in this Pirate Era. Even if his face wasn't famous, crashing here as a giant blue bird is pretty distinguishable, and the jolly roger symbol tattooed on him is also a dead giveaway. He sits down next to Luffy, following the younger man's example and digging in. The food's fine but his companion is digging in with gusto.

"I've been sailing by myself for a couple of days." He explains when he catches Marco staring at him curiously. "I don't know a lick about cooking, so I've just been eating fruit and stuff."

"Where are you going?" Marco asks, if only to make conversation. It cannot be very far if Luffy's travelling alone without knowing how to make fried egg. It takes a blink before the 2 eggs are gone. Marco watches Luffy's hand stretch past him and pick up an apple from the counter before bringing it towards him and taking a bite. Some surprise must show on his face.

"Devil Fruit." Luffy grins, stretching the side of his cheek. He goes back to Marco's question. "I'm looking for someone."

"Are you a bounty hunter?" He guesses. From the way Luffy sounded when he called Marco a pirate before, the phoenix doesn't feel like that's what the young man is up to. Luffy laughs in his face, as if Marco just told a hilarious joke.

"What? No! I'm a marine." He keeps laughing. "Rear-Admiral Monkey D. Luffy, at your service." Marco wants to bolt immediately from the confession on instinct alone, but a more rational part of him doesn't bother. He crashed here hours ago, and he'd been unconscious. Luffy, the Rear Admiral, had ample opportunity to get some sea stone on him at least or put him down. Instead, he'd given up his bed and offered Marco breakfast.

"Why are you helping me, then, Rear Admiral?" His voice is cautious, this can still be a trap. A weird, roundabout trap but still.

"Oh, I'm off-duty. Well, I'm more AWOL than anything, really. My gramps is going to be so mad." Luffy says the last part softly, mostly to himself apparently. Gramps? Marco grabs onto, because there's something there. What was it Luffy's last name was…

"Vice-Admiral Garp?!" Marco says, taking a sip of the scalding tea to clear his airway. He'd choked on his food from the surprise.

"You know my gramps?" Luffy sounds exited at the prospect, as if there's any way for Marco and Garp the Fist to cross paths in any situation other than trying to kill each other. Marco decides then that Luffy's not right in the head. "I'm supposed to be patrolling, but I recently found out that my other brother, who I thought was dead, isn't dead! And Ace needs to know, so I've been looking for him, but I'm totally lost, shishishi." That statements brings out a lot of questions, but there's one thing –or name– in particular that catches Marco's attention.

"…Ace?" Marco asks casually, could this be the trap? Fire Fist Ace is a new recruit of the Whitebeard Pirates, having giving up on taking Pop's head less than 6 months ago. Marco doesn't think people associate him with the Whitebeard's yet.

"Yeah! Wait a minute." Luffy stands up abruptly and takes to his room, it sets Marco on his guard but when he returns he's only carrying a sheet of paper. He's careful as he unfolds it and there on his hand is Ace's grinning face. Ace's wanted poster, Marco realizes.

"You are brothers, yoi?" He asks, scanning Luffy's face for deceit, there's only delight and pride.

"He's my little brother, yes. Though it's been a while since I've seen him. I left our home island a while ago, but now he's here in the Grand Line! I took a mission in Paradise to find him, but I've been getting the feeling I must've missed him." At the end, his voice is nothing but a grumble. Marco ponders his options; the truth is that this is too much of a coincidence on both parts. What are the odds this marine is setting Marco up for a trap when last night there was no way for him to know that Marco would land on his ship? On the other hand, what are the odds of Whitebeard's first mate to land on a well-intention, off-duty marine's ship who just happens to be asking about their newest recruit?

"Doesn't it bother you that he's a pirate?" It seems like a logical question, but Luffy looks at him completely puzzled, as if Marco's question is too hard to understand.

"Ace's always wanted to be a pirate." He says, just as Marco opens his mouth to further explain. "He's following his dream." Apparently, that's that because Luffy doesn't say anymore. Marco takes a chance.

"I know where he is." He offers. There's no way he's telling Luffy the details, but he can promise to deliver the message. Luffy turns around with absolute joy in his eyes and just like earlier, it almost seems to push Marco off his feet.

Suddenly, Marco can feel someone –more like someones– close by and he must've been too caught up in the conversation because the presences in the ship have significant fighting spirit and they're close enough that Marco can hear yelling. He cannot distinguish what they're saying. The boat rocks as something lands on it, Marco can feel his will rising to meet the battle, but Luffy's looking like the kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Marco thinks this is where the other shoe drops. A man rushes into the kitchen and kicks Luffy in the head.

"You idiot!" Marco steps back from the table, senses on high alert. The newcomer is tall and dressed in a black suit, on his shoulders a white marine coat rests. He's smoking a cigarette and looking distinctively annoyed. "Do you know how worried Miss Nami was for your reckless ass?" Just like that Marco lowers his guard. He has enough siblings to know when he's seeing a scolding born out of concern, this man means no threat. (For now.)

"Sanji!" Luffy says delighted, unaffected by the violence. "I'm starving!" Marco would like to point out that Luffy just ate, but rather he stays silent. The cook looks at the used plates but doesn't bring it up either.

"Maybe, if you'd stay on your ship instead of running off on your own, you'd have food." His eyes stray towards Marco and widen in recognition, but the man dismisses him to turn towards Luffy again. "Luffy, did you pick up another pirate?" ...What?

"It's a funny story…" The black-haired boy starts, but at the so-called Sanji's nonplussed look adds in a hurry. "He says he knows where Ace is!" The blonde's glare lessens, eyeing Marco up and down again as if his stare alone could determine the truth of the statement.

"I do." Marco confirms, intrigued by the scene. The man clearly knows who Marco is but doesn't seem anything more than wary, not even particularly surprised. Are these encounters commonplace for marines or for Luffy?

"Well then, you're welcome aboard, the ship should be close enough by now." Sanji says before rounding on Luffy. "And you missed your check-in last night, we do not need anybody coming to sniff around your pirate treasure hunt." Marco is once again intrigued. The craziness in itself is enough to think that maybe Luffy is definitely telling the truth about being related to Ace.


Ask me, ask me where is this going?

I have absolutely no idea but if there's one rare pair I'm obsessed with, this is it. They'll all be drabbles from Marco's POV, I think, but this just came out of nowhere so we'll see.

Thanks for reading and please leave a review if you think this is worth pursuing.