"So…you really remember your first life, yoi?"
"And every life we were reborn into after that, son." Whitebeard confirmed with a nod.
"I even remember the times when I was the younger brother of Luffy, and I tell you, he hasn't changed one bit!" Ace complained, before a fond smile came over him. "He chose to forget, you know. Said it would be a brand-new adventure. That's just like him." Marco nodded along, agreeing.
"We, on the other hand, have never forgotten. Not even once." Thatch said. "One of us is still alive, wandering the earth all alone. How did you expect us to just forget you and move on to a fresh new life?"
"We made new memories, but we have never forgotten you." Haruta said, meeting Marco's hesitant gaze with a firm gaze of his own. "We were looking for you all this time."
"After all, we're a family, and family means nobody gets left behind." Izo added. Marco didn't reply. Having his family back again, and finding out that they've been coming back to this world repeatedly just to find him again, it all still felt so surreal to him.
"Sabo never forgot either, you know." Ace spoke suddenly, making Marco look to him in surprise. "He wasn't able to recover from his amnesia until it was too late, and he regretted that, even after he died and saw me again. As long as I remember, he never wanted to forget ever again, he said." He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "He and I talked a lot. I told him about the loving family I cared for who accepted me for me, and he told me about the broken family I left behind after my death." Marco looked away.
"I see, yoi."
"Did you realise that Stephan didn't forget you either, son?" Whitebeard asked.
"He didn't, yoi? How can you tell, Oyaji?"
"Gurarara! He wouldn't have looked so disappointed upon entering your room to find it empty otherwise, son! I caught him sniffing around the ship at places where you'd usually be so many times. He wouldn't have known that if he had forgotten, would he? He may be a dog, but he's part of our family too, and even he knows that we can't move on with you missing." He chuckled affectionately. "I met him when I was first reborn too. He was supposedly a normally calm dog, but his owners said he went crazy when he saw me and jumped around me like a puppy." Marco gulped, the painful memory of that day on the cliff flashing through his mind. He decided to remain silent, swallowing the question that his mind was screaming.
So why did you not recognise me, yoi?
"I knew then that Stephan remembered me, so I convinced them to let me take him with me. They agreed, and Stephan came with me as my guide dog." Marco froze. What?
"Wait, guide dog, yoi?"
"Did I not mention it? I was blind in that life." He gaped at Whitebeard, eyes wide in shock, not believing what he just heard. "Well, to be more accurate, I was so severely near-sighted to the point of being almost blind. Couldn't even see my own hand in front of me clearly. Having Stephan as my guide dog was really helpful. I rarely needed my Kenbunshoku Haki after getting him. He had his shortcomings though." Whitebeard gave a short laugh as he reached down to pet the little white dog at his feet. "He kept getting distracted by passing people, or chasing random birds. There was a time he managed to do both, when we were sitting at the edge of a cliff. He suddenly got up and started barking at something. I heard the sound of flapping wings, so I knew it was a bird. I chided him, and he stopped barking, but still didn't come back. I turned around and there he was, a white blur running around what I assumed was a human." He frowned. "But then again, that shape didn't move when I apologised for Stephan bothering them, and not even when we walked away after that, so it might've just been a tree shaped somewhat like a human for all I know. I honestly have no idea, being almost blind was annoying like that." He huffed. "Thankfully, I was never reborn blind again. Even being bedridden was more bearable."
"Is that so, yoi?" Marco couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips, ignoring the tears of relief stinging the corners of his eyes. He felt like a weight had lifted off his chest. Oyaji did remember him after all. He was just (literally) too blind to see that it was him. "Well, you sure had a memorable second life, Oyaji!"
"Memorable? Wait till you hear about mine!" Thatch scoffed. "Can you believe I was born without arms? That was a nightmare!"
"Hey, try being paralysed!" Haruta yelled. "You have no idea how much I ran around after that to make up for not moving for so long!"
"I was a woman once." Izo said, pausing for a while before adding, "It was a rather interesting experience, actually."
"Having an extra limb was interesting too." Jozu mused. "Not an experience I'd like to revisit though. Once was quite enough." Marco just laughed as everyone else joined in with fun stories of their various different Rebirths, all glad to see Marco laughing so carefreely.
Now y'all know why Whitebeard didn't recognise Marco at first! Did anyone guess this? :)
Enjoy! Next chapter will be up soon!
