This is remake of an old fanfic, I hope you enjoy it. Marco's age has changes, I made it so he was 35 instead of 45.

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Blankes

The sky was crystal clear and the tree leaves floated in the wind. It was mid-autumn, and therefore, chillier than usual. But, the soft breeze did not affect the blonde, unlike the small child shivering beneath him. The child had honey colored hair, small freckles, and deep brown eyes. The small freckles reminded the blonde of someone, someone he missed dearly.

The child continued to shiver, "M-r. Marco, am I ok?" The small voice snapped the blond out of his thoughts. He gave the small boy a quick nod before ruffling his hair. The plastered grin the child received made him smile in return as he hopped off the bench to join his mother. The woman had the same freckles but jet-black hair, "thank you again." She said with a smile. She bowed to the ex-commander, which he deemed unnecessary. They have always been kind to him, maybe it is because he was the first commander of the man who owned this territory? Or maybe it is because they know he has been suffering the most…

Two years, two years since the war. Two years since everything he cherished left his grasp. To think it was all done by one man. Marco sighed, pitying myself over it won't bring them back… nothing will.

All the Whitebeard pirates were heartbroken over the loss of the war, and the Pay-back war. So much so that the crew disbanded and went into hiding. It has been a month since I've talked to anyone- that's not true. I called Thatch and Izo two weeks ago.

Thatch lived through the 'incident' but that didn't stop Ace from pursuing Teach. And now…

Another sigh left the blonde as he trudged back to his small cabin. As always, the place was spotless and cozy, yet… lonely. So lonely. He missed hearing the chirps of his crew, the cheers of his brothers and sister. Poor Thatch, I don't know how that woman could survive with 14 brothers. Not to mention the lower subordinates didn't contain many girls either. Did she ever want a sister? Maybe. I never asked.

Marco pushed the thought out of his mind and decided to go take a long shower. Which is his favorite thing to do at this point. The ex-commander's life has become hollow. Sure, he lives in the last remaining territories of Whitebeard, so the people here adore him. But… still. What is the point if he doesn't have his brothers? Sister? Or father?

Warm water fell into the dips of his shoulders and slid against the dents on his well-built body. The wavy blonde hair that his crew joked about was sticking to his tanned skin. A small piece stuck out, letting water drip down to the bridge of his nose. It was the only thing keeping him from passing out. His lack of sleep and nonexistent amount of coffee consumed is catching up to him with vengeance. The fog levitating around him isn't helping either.

The ex-commander used his remaining strength to turn off the water and drape a towel over his aching body. Jeez, I'm 35 and I feel like I'm 80. The blonde scrubbed the wetness out of his silk locks. His blue eyes traveled to his reflection in front of him. He trailed down his broad shoulders and abs, well at least I don't look 80. The blonde doesn't care much about his body. But it is normal to take a few glances in the mirror time to time.

He shoved gray shorts on once he was out of the bathroom and in his room. The crisp sheets and soft pillows did wonders for his sore frame. Yet, sleep was inconceivable. The ring of his transponder snail on his nightstand made his neck crack. He looked towards the purring snail with a deep hatred. In the end, the inanimate object won the glare off. Marco crawled to the other side of his mattress and grabbed the top of the snail to answer it. "Marco, yoi."

His groggy voice and tinge of annoyance made the person on the other side laugh. "I see my little brother has had a tough life."

A small smile crept onto the first commander's lips, "hey Vista. I haven't heard from you in a while, yoi."

The older man gave a nervous chuckle. "Yes, I'm sorry about not doing the monthly check in, but I assure you I'm ok."

Marco relaxed against his pillow, "it's fine."

"Well, I can tell from your irritated greeting that I interrupted you, maybe a date perhaps?" The raven-haired man wiggled an eyebrow, which the snail mimicked.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no."

Vista has his own family in one of the other territories Pops used to own. Not only him, but Rakuyo, Curiel, and Atmos. Their kids are older though, teenage years if Marco isn't mistaken. The rest of the crew is either married, dating, or single. A few of the commanders don't crave romance, Marco would be one of them.

"Hahaha! I bet that will change soon! Anyways, I wanted to tell you something interesting you might not have heard yet."

"Hm?"

"Have you seen the paper?"

The blonde looked at the unopened newspaper on his dresser.

"No, why? Teach?"

"No." A muffled sound came from the other line until Vista spoke again. "Have you heard of Blankes?"

Marco raised a brow, "no? Why?" The blonde stood up to go grab the paper taunting him on his dresser. He opened the paper, and there it was, the name Blankes. Why is it spelled with an 'e'? As the blonde began to skim through the article, Vista started to elaborate on the mystery man.

"He is a famous killer."

Marco nodded, it was the first thing the article said.

"Apparently he killed five celestial dragons."

The blonde blinked a few times before turning to the snail to check if he heard that right. The celestial dragons are known to be untouchable. And if they are touched, an admiral comes after you. "That must be fake, where did he do it, yoi?"

"At the Sabaody archipelago. It was during an auction."

"Was he trying to save someone?"

"Nope." Vista answered, popping the 'p'. "And the amazing thing is, he lived."

Marco's expression showed pure shock. He has never touched one of the Dragons, not because he didn't want to. Oh he did, so many times. And not because he couldn't take on an admiral. Trust me, he can do that too. It was just- hm- complicated. That is the only fitting word when it comes to anything the Dragons did. "Does he have a bounty? What does he look like? Is he working with someone, yoi?" Marco can't help but be curious.

It's not every day you see someone ballzy enough to challenge the world government. The last one to do it was… Luffy. Ace's little brother, who is still underground. Him and his crew. Marco would be worried about the boy. But if he was anything like Ace (which he is) he has nothing to worry about.

Pops' last order was to protect that boy, and that is what the crew did. They have no doubts the Strawhats will rise again, bringing chaos in their wake.

Vista chuckled, "you seem interested." Marco rolled his eyes and waited for the older man to answer his questions.

"People think he isn't working with anyone. He doesn't have a pirate crew, and no bounty hunter would kill Celestials at random. What he looks like is unknown, you should have his wanted poster on the next page."

The blonde flipped the page and an old looking piece of paper slipped out. Marco never understood why the posters look so old when they were freshly printed.

He picked up the paper and studied the photo. The picture was taken at the dead of night, you could see the stars shining in the background. The man wore a baggy outfit, almost like a prison jumpsuit. With a crimson mask and a hood over his hair. The man was in a crouching position and was staring down at the city from a tall building. Even though the picture had terrible quality, one thing caught Marco's attention. The man had the most fascinating eyes. Different shades of crimson, almost like a red flame.

The blonde looked down at the bottom of the wanted page. Blankes, dead or alive, 500,000,000. Well, it makes sense why his bounty is so high. Not everyone collects Celestials' heads and wears them as a crown. "Why do they call him Blankes, yoi?" Marco had other questions, but the name bugs him. It reminds him of how Ace spelled his own name wrong for a tattoo. Later the blonde realized it was a symbol to match his family. Maybe this guy did the same?

"I have no clue, they started calling him that after he got tangled with the marines." Vista boasted.

"What do you mean by 'tangle'?"

"He destroyed four marine ships by himself. Don't ask how, I got this information from a bunch of info brokers."

Marco nodded, "well he is interesting to say the least."

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"So you were expecting company." Vista wiggled a brow again. He heard the knock coming from Marco's living room.

A groan escaped the blonde, "no, a festival is happening in half an hour. I'll talk to you later ok, yoi? It was nice to hear from you."

"Same here, little brother."

Marco snapped on a shirt before answering the door. As he thought, it was the little kid from before, inviting him to the festival. The ex-commander has always had a soft spot for small children. The women in the village call him the mother hen because of it. Marco always rolls his eyes at the nickname. While the women giggled amongst themselves.

The festival was filled with fireworks, amazing food, and laughter. Why they were having a festival is unknown. Sometimes the citizens just want to party. Which Marco is ok with. During the party, a few women flaunted themselves at the blonde. This happened often and Marco chose to ignore them. This may sound weird, but he has never found a woman 'attractive'. Yes, he does get aroused, no man doesn't, but it felt fake to him? He doesn't know the right words to describe it. It felt as if it were a task he must complete, masturbating and what not. He has had sex with women, one night stands though, and only when he was drunk.

Love. That is a word that has appeared in the blonde's mind more than once. Most of the time it is because of his teasing siblings. They all wanted to see a mini-Marco being carried by a pretty woman. The ex-commander doesn't understand why he needs a mate. It would only take time away from his work. Though, once he said that, they said that he has a problem that really needs fixing.

Marco let out a sigh for the tenth time today. The festival ended after a couple of hours, meaning he would get a goodnight sleep.

His body bounced once it hit the mattress, making his stress and tension melt away. A satisfied noise left him as sleep overtook him. However…

Marco's body shifted when he felt another presence close to him. Dangerously close to him. When he opened his eyes, crimson clashed with sapphire. The blonde's blue orbs focused on the somehow familiar eyes. Those are the eyes of Blankes, the person Vista was talking about. But why is he here? Marco's question was answered when he saw the blade around his neck. Oh, isn't this just nice. His blue orbs kept on the man's when suddenly the glint in his crimson eyes changed. It went from hatred to confusion. Marco used this time to attack the man and send him flying across his house.

The stranger's body slammed through the thick wall of Marco's bedroom and ended up in his living room. A grunt came from the intruder, but it didn't sound right. The blonde stood up in his half naked state and tackled the already down figure.

Another grunt came from the stranger, "don't tell me, yoi." The blonde whispered. His hand traveled to the red mask the person wore and pulled it down. With the stranger's face now exposed. Marco could see pale smooth skin, high cheekbones, and flashing red eyes. Bright crimson hair fell from the stranger's black hood onto their forehead.

"You're a girl, yoi?" The blonde asked with a shocked look. It is not like a woman can't be an assassin, he didn't expect this one to be. He kept scanning her face for other details. Her eyebrows were thicker than the average female's. Meaning she did not pluck them. Actually… there isn't a single piece of makeup on her face.

Marco isn't the best when it comes to women, not at all. The normal ones he sees wear makeup, dress nice, and have a weird giggling problem. But, the face this girl wore did not look like any giggles will be coming out of her. "Is that a problem?" She growled to his previous statement about her gender. Her voice was different too, if you subtract the hostility. It wasn't high or soft, more… Marco can't describe it really.

He can conclude that she is a girl from the breast pressing against his inner thigh. Yet she seems different. He shifted on top of her, unaware of how it was affecting her until her eyes twitched in pain. The blonde then noticed him pressing on her breast too hard. "Get the fuck off me." She hissed. The redhead's teeth dug into her pale lips, which were full and unpainted. What am I doing? She tried to kill me a second ago. Marco tightened his grip on her arms, "who are you, and why did you try to kill me, yoi?" The woman started to squirm underneath Marco, but he wouldn't budge.

She exhaled and moved her sharp eyes to face Marco's. Something about her eyes fascinated the blonde. Even in the wanted poster he couldn't look away. "I didn't try to kill you, I was teleported here by my X mark."

The blonde pursed his lips, "you really expect me to believe that, yoi? What is an X mark anyways?" Marco leaned in closer to the woman with a skeptical expression. There were still more features about her he hadn't taken in, but he did notice her grow nervous. Her Adam's apple bobbed up and down, signaling a gulp. Her pupils started to dilate, and her nose kept twitching. "Can you back up! Jeez!" She seethed. Marco kept his close distance as red started to flood her pale cheeks. "Why?" He blurted in an emotionless tone.

"Your scent is killing my nose!"

Marco raised a brow, is she trying to insult me? The woman noticed his confusion and moved her head. At first, Marco tightened his grip on the woman to stop her movements, but then her hood came off. Revealing a mop of crimson hair and small horns coming from it. The horns were 3 inches and jet black, "can you get off me now?"

The ex-commander ignored her and used his open hand to touch the little nubs. "Are they fake, yoi?" He muttered to himself. The blonde pulled at the horn, earning a cry from the woman under him. So they're not? Hm. They must be sensitive. He kept pulling and flicking at the horns until the woman's cries turned into whimpers. "C-an you stop that!?" Her voice was filled with something Marco didn't recognize. When he looked down, his words got stuck in his throat.

Blankes was squirming under him with a flushed face. "Sorry." Why am I apologizing? The woman didn't respond to his apology, she only looked away in embarrassment. "What are you? What is an X mark? And why did you try to kill me? Answer my questions and I might let you free, yoi."

The red head pursed her lips and puffed out her cheek. She looks like a bored child, how immature. "Fine! But don't touch my horns, got it!?" Marco nodded.

Before the red head began, she took a deep breath. "I am a human; the horns are a part of my devil fruit. Which I will not be telling you. An X mark is someone I am supposed to kill, his devil fruit has something to do with teleportation. He must've teleported me here." The ex-commander flicked a brow. It is a bazar alibi; can he trust it? She is a complete stranger, yet something is telling him he should. "You aren't trying to kill me because I was the first commander of the Whitebeard pirates, yoi?"

Her crimson eyes grew from the statement, well that answers my question. The woman then looked down at Marco's chest. Something she was trying to avoid because of how tempting it is. Her red orbs fixated on the dark blue ink printed on his flesh. "You're the what?" She said to double check. "I was the first commander of the Whitebeard pirates. Since you're surprised, maybe you are telling the truth, yoi." The blonde shifted on the woman again. He got off of her, but kept a grip on her hands.

The red head was still in a state of shock, but it was interrupted by the sound of clicking. Her orbs adjusted on the sea prison stone cuffs on her wrist, "hey! Wait! You said you would let me go!" She shouted.

Marco raised a brow at the woman, "I have more questions." The man grabbed the woman by her cuffs and dragged her to his kitchen. She struggled the entire way, complaining and growling at the blonde for lying. "You fucking suck!" She shouted once she was put in a dining chair. "And you're loud." He countered with a bored look. The red head glared at the blonde with eyes full of irritation.

While her animosity emitted from her body, Marco took in more details about her. One, her jumpsuit unzipped past her abdomen. Meaning he could see the underwear she wears underneath. Red and black, seems to be a theme in the outfit. Marco didn't know if he should be looking there or not, so his eyes traveled farther downward. The black outfit didn't give him a good picture of her frame. The baggy clothing tucked into her black and red combat boots.

She's going to trip with her shoes untied like that- why do I care? His eyes traveled upwards again but brushed past the taunting underwear. Why it was taunting was unknown to the blonde, well… sort of. The flaps of her wardrobe were wide open. The blonde's orbs moved along the less defined muscles patterning her body. She is fit. He noted. A scar from her side caught his attention, looks like it extends to her back. Interesting. Now that I think about it, wasn't there a blade around my neck? I didn't get a good look at it, but it was large, curved even. I haven't seen a weapon like it. Yet, I don't see her holding one at all. "Are you even listening to me! You stupid pineapple!"

"Eh? Who are you calling a pineapple, yoi?"

The red head puffed out her cheek, "you dumb dumb!" She spat.

"Ok strawberry, are you going to answer more of my questions? Or pout like a child?" The name strawberry was a reference to her hair, which was obvious. The only ones who called him pineapple were his family. They would even draw his face on the fruit, which earned them a swift punch to the face. Thatch was the worst when it came to that unbearable name.

Her cheek expanded further, but she didn't say anything. Nor was she going to. She has already said all she could, now all she can do is hope the stupid pineapple man would let her go. There is something about the man that bugs her. His scent. It stings her nose whenever he is close, right now for example. The stinging wasn't something she was used to. It was as if he smelt so good it hurt. Not to mention the blonde hasn't put on a damn shirt!

Seriously, no one is that hot! every part of his body screams dominance, even his half closed eyes. It irks the red head, so much so that all she could do is glare at him. Which isn't helping her desire to touch his muscular body. Ugh! I'm turning into my brother! Speaking of my brother, I wonder if he contacted my other brothers? That will be bad! Especially if mom were to find out I have gone missing.

"What is you're name, yoi?" The blonde leaned against his chair, still scanning her frame. The killer squinted her eyes, debating on whether she should say it. But, in the end, she gave it. "Red."

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