I'm sorry for my absence and not posting. The virus got me and I've been sick for a while.
But I'm back hahah! This chapter doesn't have as much content as I had wanted it to have, but I also wanted to at least get something published this weekend, so do please enjoy ^-^
Also, I have some very fun news for everyone in the end-notes!
With a head wrapped in bandages, Phoenix refusing to heal the bump that he had made himself, he had reluctantly led the Spades onto their ship and had instructed some members to help secure their boat when they arrived.
On his captain's command, he was giving the Spades a tour throughout their ship, showing them where all the important rooms were, such as the mess-hall, the infirmary, bathrooms, sleeping quarters, ...
While the members of the Spade pirates acted like anyone would in a normal tour, asking different questions and allowing Marco to already differentiate between some functions of the members. For example, being able to pick out who the carpenters were since they asked questions regarding the structure of the ship at places.
Their captain was suspicious of everything and even tried to look behind every single loose plank they passed. They had a huge ship, there were 'bout to be some loose and bended wooden planks in some places alright, don't judge them, their ship was safe enough to sail through the New World.
When Marco announced that they had just about seen everything and that he will now show them to the mess-hall, the freckled captain stopped him and came to stand in front of him, crossing his arms and looking at him with defiant eyes.
"Where does the old man sleep? Nowhere has been big enough for him." He knew the pineapple was hiding stuff. When this tour was over, and they had eaten, he was going to search around this place himself, he'll find their secret hiding spots and figure out their plans to rob the old man and put a stop to them.
Marco wasn't fazed by the distrust in his voice and simply answered without giving anything away "He sleeps in the commanders quarter-yoi."
Ace squinted his eyes "You haven't shown us those."
"Because there's nothing that any of you would need over there."
"I want to see."
With bored eyes Marco sighed "Fine-yoi, follow me."
Marching through the ship, they reached the quarters not long later.
"There, happy? The numbers on the door show which commander's room it is, and the captain's space is behind that large door at the end of the hallw- OOIII!"
Ace had sped-off towards the big door the moment he saw it. He'll see what torture-stuff they have behind there!
"HA!" he yelled after throwing open the door.
"..."
"..."
By now the other Spades and the first commander had caught up to him and were standing behind Ace, looking over his shoulders at a totally normal bedroom. Silence enveloped the group.
Ace stepped inside and touched various object as if they could explode or spit out knives at any given moment, but when nothing of the like happened, he walked out and closed the door.
"Hmpfh, you get away with it this time, spikey."
"Spikey-yoi?"
"He's probably referring to your hair." the first mate of the Spades gracefully supplied the info to him.
"... Okay then... If you've seen everything, let's go to the mess hall, it should almost be time for dinner anyway."
While walking back towards the way they had come, Ace suddenly stopped in front of the door with a number 2 on it.
Marco had felt him slowing down with his haki and sighed while turning to face him, he wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose so much, but he could see the glee on the other member's eyes at his suffering and didn't want to give them the joy, so he held himself back, no matter how difficult it was becoming.
"What is it-yoi?"
"Who's you second division commander?"
Marco raised a brow at the captain talking so seriously "We have no one in that position right now."
"So, the room's empty?"
Oh no, no, no, no, no, he saw where this was going, he did NOT need this captain as his neighbour.
"Yes-yoi, but we're using it as a-"
"I'll take it."
"No."
"Yes."
"No-yoi."
"Yes-yoi."
"..."
"..."
Marco squinted at the captain but only got the same eyes back, telling him to keep going as long as he liked. He heard muffled sniggers behind him and it gave him an idea, maybe he could use them.
"You're just going to leave your crew undefended on a stranger's ship? While you're taking a private room to yourself? That's not how a good captain should act now, is it?"
"Huh, the hell did you say!" - "Don't talk about Captain like that!" - "We can take care of ourselves!"
Marco ignored the yelling behind him and kept eye contact with his main focus.
Ace's eyes were hard in an instant, regarding the first commander with a look that would have brought fear into a lesser pirate.
"I do not know how your crew works, Phoenix, but I have trust in my crew's abilities and I know that they can take care of themselves. They're not useless or my pawns to move around as I wish, needing a hand to hold at every step. And besides all of that..."
Ace's voice turned dark as he took a step forward, releasing haki into the air. And even though the captain was a head smaller than Marco himself, Marco felt as if he was being towered over by meters, "Was that a threat to my crew? Are you insinuating that you will go after them the moment that they are alone?"
Marco swallowed, shit, he didn't mean for it to go this way, he had just wanted for Ace to sleep with his crew and not bother him this close to his own room.
He answered honestly and steady, not something a lot would have been able to copy under the pressure the other was releasing, but he wasn't the first commander for nothing.
"Forgive me-yoi, I took things too far. I did not mean it that way, and I am sure your crew can take care of themselves, just like I know, and have trust in mine, that they can take care of their own too. You and your crew are safe here, no one will harm anyone."
Ace quirked an eyebrow, keeping his aura up. Marco knew he was expecting something more.
"... You can use the room-yoi."
And just like that, the dangerous aura vanished within seconds and the captain's face now held a bright smile.
"Yooosh! That's what I'm talking about, it's mine now hahahhaha!" he laughed and walked past the first commander.
The crew laughed too and patted their captain on the back when he passed them.
"Good job captain!" - "You showed him!" - "I'll make you a Spade sign to hang on the door cap'!"
Standing still Marco looked at the group moving away from him, only the first mate staying behind.
"He won't hold this against you, First commander. But do be careful if you wish to stay remain on his good side, he won't tolerate anything that could bring harm to any of us."
With that the blue-haired member turned around to follow his crew, knowing his captain was following his nose towards the mess hall.
"The hell is that?" The captain asked as soon as he stepped into the mess hall and saw a wall full of posters.
"Those are the wanted posters of everyone on the ship." Marco answered as he walked in too and came to stand beside the freckled man. "And no-yoi, we didn't make Whitebeard's poster ourselves, it's the real deal, you can check it out yourself, it has the Marine's signature and everything." He thought by getting this out of the way, he could avoid having more silly misunderstandings with the other captain.
Things however never seemed to play out as he wanted them too and he got a suspicious look in return. "Why would you say all of that, I didn't even mention anything... unless... unless you want me to go check the poster, notice that it has a signature and make me believe that it is the real deal, when actually it is still a fake one!" Ace's eyes had grown brighter with every word, feeling proud that he didn't get lured into a trap "Ha, you really thought you could fool me with this haha, you're underestimating me haha!"
Marco's mouth almost dropped open, he couldn't believe it, this kid...
Someone clapped him on the back "Hahahhahaha, give up Marco, we've only known him for a few hours and I already know there's no winning this. Let's just go to our table and eat some food I made."
Numbly nodding he followed their chef to their table, ignoring the talking about the obviously fake/real poster trap behind him. He started tuning them out completely when the raven-haired captain once more started praising people on being nice and putting such hard work into the poster for the old man, even if it wasn't able to fool him, it was still 'such a nice gesture!'.
He dropped his head onto the table, almost hitting his bowl of soup. God, how long would he need to put up with this.
XxXxX
"Stop it, you stupid pineapple!"
It was a new morning and he had just confiscated some sake from Whitebeard when he heard the yell.
Too stunned to speak, the pineapple, also known as Marco the Phoenix, turned around to look at their local fire hazard coming towards them. Once close the teen pulled the tankard that he had just taken from Pops out of his hands and handed it back to the old man.
"Here you go old man!""
"Gurararra, thank you boy."
Shaking his head Marco turned to his captain "Pops-yoi! You can't drink, it's barely morning"
"A little won't hurt son."
"It wi-"
"Let him be turkey!"
'How many names is this dude going to come up with for him!?'
"Besides" Ace waved a finger in the air "A tankard a day, keeps the doctor away!"
"Wait, no, that's wrong."
With a glint in his eyes, whitebeard looked towards Marco "I am pretty sure that's correct son."
"No-yoi." he shook his head "It's an apple, 'an apple a day, k-"
"You want an apple? Wait."
Very confused he looked at Ace, taking a moment to think over his statement. "Huh? No, I don't want a-"
"Here you go!" Ace smiled and pushed a bright red apple into the first commander's hands.
"Thanks-yoi..." He looked at the apple before gripping it hard and looking at the still smiling teen. "WAIT NO! I don't want this-yoi!"
"Oh... Did you want a green one instead? You do look more like a sour guy. One second."
Marco looked on how Ace's hand disappeared in another one off his cargo-short-pockets, pockets that had seemed to be empty but were apparently filled with plenty, and watched him take out another apple, a shiny green one this time before it was also pushed into his hands.
"There!"
Having now two apples in his hands he looked at Ace "No, Ace, I do not want these apples!"
The freckled one looked at him as if he was the idiot, "You stupid pineapple, then what the hell do you want- aaah" Ace suddenly made a sound of recognition before apologizing.
With a sigh Marco held the apples out in front of him for the boy to take back, happy he was finally understood "Thank y-"
"OOII WALLACE, YOU GOT A PINEAPLLE TO SPARE?"
'This kid was yelling for what now!?' - "No-yoi! Stop! I don't want a pine-"
"SURE CAP!" Resonated across the deck before the Spade captain jumped up to catch the asked for object.
"Haha, there ya go pineapple!" Ace ruffled Marco's hair and quirked up an eyebrow at the wheezing sounds coming from behind him. "I think something is wrong with your crew... Any way's, old man! Enjoy the drink okay! Don't let this chicken steal it anymore, let me know when he tries and I'll get it back!"
Whitebeard laughed loudly and rose his tankard in recognition to the words.
After waving goodbye, Ace disappeared into the ship, going to bother who knows who or investigate who knows what to proof that they were going to rob the old man... or something.
Once he had left the deck, Marco turned around and hurled his given apples, that the teen never accepted back, towards the sprawled out laughing forms of the fourth and twelfth commander not far away.
With some crying in the distance and curses thrown at him, Marco grumbled while making his way towards his office, he had better things to do, like endless paperwork for example. No one mentioned how their first commander was eating the given pineapple, as if it was an apple, with a pleased look on his face while he was walking inside.
So very fun news: I've been working together with Kawaii_Chibi_Kai1 (AO3) on a compilation of stories regarding a modern AU of Ace and Marco. It's been, and still is, so much fun and I am so happy and honoured that she wanted to do this with me! Stay tuned for it and please check out her great works too. (She has stories of One piece on AO3, you can find her on there when you look for the author Kawaii_Chibi_Kai1. She does post on fanfiction too, but hasn't posted her One piece stories on here yet, on here her Author name is Kawaii-Chibi-Kai)
Also Also Also! (I know you all missed my long notes hhhahahah, probably not, but well, either way!)
Thank you very much 'Marlett503' (AO3) for the idea of using Whitebeard's wanted poster!