thank you SkyDreamersTARz and FIREmizuchi, for following the story and thanks to Nihilist Noblesse for following and favouring the story.

10 followers, 8 favs, 5 reviews and over 375 views.

still looking for a beta everyone. is anyone interested? just PM me.

now guys, enjoy these flashbacks for the next few chapters so people get an idea about Marco and Spade, why and how they have a close relationship like they do and how they met.


Things are different now...

Flashback Part 1

"How big is your crew?" Emmet asked.

"There's twenty-five of us including the youngest four," Marco answered then muttered as he thought of something. "Ace better not try to start a fight when we get back… I'll throw his fiery ass into the sea if he does. Thirteen or not." Speaking of the youngest crew members, it had reminded Marco that Ace would probably start a fight. He always seems to start a fight with other pirate crews.

What? Why would a thirteen year old kid try to start a fight with them…?

"Why would he try to start a fight?" Whitebeard asked out of curiosity on behalf of all of his crew. He really wanted to know why someone so young would start a fight with them.

"He has a strong sense of 'must fight everyone stronger than me to make myself stronger'," Marco answered with a sigh. He has had to save that kid's ass more times than he could count because of that idiot's 'must fight everyone stronger than me to make myself stronger' sense. "So simply put, he's an idiot. And of course, if Ace is in a fight then he's twin and the other two are, then that means all of us are too. We don't leave one of us behind. Plus, we raised Ace and the others from babies so they're been with us for thirteen years. They're our family as much as we as theirs." Plus, there was the odd chance that the crew might think that Whitebeards kidnapped Spade and defended him and Marco.

Whitebeard laughed. He was liking the sound of the crew, this Ace kid and the other three thirteen years old more and more. Whitebeard could really see them fitting in with his crew. Be it that they join the Whitebeards or just being allies.

"I can't wait to see your new family," Whitebeard said out loud without meaning too.

"What…?" Marco asked really confused.

"Nothing my son, nothing," Whitebeard smiled.

Marco couldn't help but smile back. He had never had someone call him 'my son' or 'son' before. Not even with his actual family. In the crew, it was brother or big brother, not son. So this… it was different and Marco liked. He always got a sense he could Whitebeard. He wasn't sure how or why, but he trusts the man. Just as much as he trusts Spade and the crew, the family. But why…? They're never met before… right?


26 years ago...

Oscar Fennec headed right to the South Blue, where he was from. If anywhere was safe for him to hide away the baby version of Marco the Phoenix, it was in one of the Blues. At least Oscar thought it was smart anyway. And since Oscar is from the South Blue, well, it makes the most sense to him to hide the reborn phoenix there. Just imagining the type of person that Oscar could raise the reborn phoenix into… it was something that Oscar was grinning about.

Whoever would have thought that Marco the Phoenix would die then be reborn as a baby in the ash? Then again, the man's devil fruit does give him the power of a phoenix. So, the Whitebeards should have thought of that and the idea wasn't too far-fetched either.

But right now though, Oscar didn't care since he had his hands-on Marco the Phoenix. he was the one who had found him so he was one that was going to raise him. Well, Oscar wasn't going to raise-raise him but close to it.

"Oscar?" his older sister said as he entered her home and she was looking, very pregnant. Oscar put a small carrier down on the ground as she walked to him. "I wasn't aware of you coming home! What's up little brother?"

"Hello Anna," Oscar smiled- giving her a quick kiss on the check and a small hug. Being careful since his sister was pregnant after all.

Anna Fennec was a pretty woman- 170cm tall with long red hair braided to the side wearing a long dark blue dress and sandals.

Oscar Fennec was sort of handsome man- 177cm tall with short red hair, wearing long black pants and a dark grey shirt with dark coloured boots. Oscar was a free-lance bounty hunter. He had find the baby version of Marco the Phoenix in a pile of ash in the New World after a fight between the Whitebeard Pirates and some Pirate Group that Oscar hasn't been bothered to remember the name of.

"What's that…?" Anna asked pointing to the carrier. It looked like a baby carrier, did her brother brought for it since she was pregnant or for a different reason?

"Your gotten fat sis," Oscar smirked, jokily of course. But he couldn't pass up the opportunity to tease his older sister.

"I'm not fat!" she scolded her younger brother for calling her that. No woman wants to hear that, even if it's the truth. Especially when they are big and round and pregnant. "I'm pregnant!"

Anna froze when she heard crying sounds coming from the carrier… what the hell… did her baby brother… did he bring a baby with him…?

"Oscar," she said in a very stern voice. "What is that?"

Oscar smirked again as he pulled out a baby from the carrier.

Since when… what… just what?!

"This is Marco," Oscar told his sister. "I was thinking of leaving him here as I can't raise baby with my work right now."

"Where's his mother?" Anna asked taking the small blonde hair baby form her brother. Damn kid was damn cute… though he didn't look like Oscar so he must take after his mother. Where was said person anyway?

"Doesn't have one," Oscar answered.

What…? Did she die giving birth or something?

"What?" Anna asked as she rocked the baby to quiet him down, which worked rather quickly. "Did she die or something?"

"Nope," Oscar answered as he lend in close to his sister. "You heard of Marco the Phoenix from the Whitebeard Pirates?"

"The First Mate and First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?" Anna asked him, dead serious and a little worried. What did that person have to do with this conversation and baby? "That Marco the Phoenix?"

"Well, you just met him."

What?!

Anna looked down at the baby in her arms. What the hell was her brother on about? Was he drunk or high or something!?

"But he's thirty or something and this is a baby!" Anna yelled at him. Disbelief clearly in her voice since she had no idea what her brother was on about.

"He died in battle and I just happened to come across him," Oscar told her. Which was more or else the truth. "Phoenixes are reborn in their own ash when they die you know."

Was her brother serious…?

"I am not raising a pirate!" Anna told him as she handed him back the baby.

Oscar frowned as he took the baby back, "He doesn't have to be pirate. You can raise him however you want. If not, tell me someone that I can leave him with to raise him for me then. I need to leave him here in the South Blue at least so no-one knows I have him. I mean, being able to control someone who has the power of a phoenix? Imagine the power!"

Of course, that's all her brother cared about, power. He is power hungry and crazy.

"Besides," Oscar told his sister, offering the baby once again. "You can treat him however you want."

Hmmm… well, that seem to have its appeal.

"Fine, I will take the kid." Anna told her brother as she took the baby back, not wanting anyone else to take him for some weird reason that she can't explain. "For now. But the little shit isn't a member of this family."

"Whatever you want sister," he smiled then left again, not knowing that he would never return to be able to 'use' Marco the Phoenix for his own self reasons and only reason why he had even bothered to save the baby as he dies eight months later, killed by Marines.

Anna still kept hold Marco though, despite her brother never coming back for him. She kind of liked the kid, in her own twisted way. Sure, she kind of saw him as a slave/servant, but that didn't mean she like him. The kid was more or less her nephew, even though it wasn't blood. He was still her family. Just in a different way to her own son was.


7 years later from Oscar leaving…

For seven years, all Marco has wished for was one thing and that was a family. And one that was nothing like the one he was in. they liked to remind every second they could that he didn't belong and that they didn't want him. His aunt Anna had died when he four and for three years he had been living with his uncle Simon and slightly younger cousin Henry. And now his step-aunt Lauren and her three kids Fred, Bob and Kale and none of them wanted him.

Marco wasn't sure what had happened to his father, Anna's brother Oscar. Marco has never met him, at least, not from what Marco could remember anyway. Sure, Anna wasn't the nicest person but she never reminded Marco daily how he was hated and unwanted. She just made him do a lot of chores and house work but at least she did seem to care if he got hurt or if he was upset. She at least cared.

Marco had to decide- was he going to run or was he going to stay?

His childhood wasn't happy or fun but it was okay when his aunt alive. They would cook together, she could tell him when he was telling a good job and would show him and tell him how to do something better if he wasn't quite doing it right. She didn't lose her patience and she never ever hit him either.

One of Marco's favourite memories with his aunt when she was teaching him to read and write. After all, how was he meant to be the shopping if he couldn't read the shop list or read what he was mean to get. What about when he had to write the list himself? To his aunt, it made perfect sense to teach him these basic skills. Though Marco was pretty much she just had fun teaching him new skills and it was one of the times when he was happy really. Not really having lots of fun but he was at least a little happy. His aunt always had a smile on her face so Marco couldn't help but smile too.

But all of that changed when she died. Suddenly, Marco wasn't learning anything anymore. He wasn't really being fed (having to now sneak or steal food that he cooked for everyone else), he was getting punished- mostly though beatings- for anything really. Like missing any dust, not doing the dishes fast enough, burning any food and other small things like that. Marco also lost his bed and room and had to sleep on the floor. Everything changed when his aunt died. His not so happy life turned to hell and Marco had no idea how much he was going to miss his aunt and how his not so happy life was going to be even worse.

It was clear that he was unwanted here… but could Marco really leave…?

Yes, he could. He would find and make his own family. He could do it! He has too! It was clear that he wasn't wanted or needed here. His so-called family made that clear on more than one occasion. So it is easy, if he was unwanted here then he will leave and never come back. After all, that's what they want isn't it?

And Marco is going to go find the thing that he wants most in this world, he was going to go find himself a family. He was going to make himself a family!

The blonde hair boy packed a small bag with a change of clothes, stealing as much money as he could from the spot where his uncle and step-aunt kept their money and thought that no-one knew and some food.

Marco put on his sandals as he opened the door- it was pitch black outside and everyone was sleeping. They wouldn't know or notice that he was gone till the morning and by that time, Marco would have gotten on a boat and to a different island so that they couldn't come after him. And hopefully, on the next island. Marco can what is looking.

Family.

It doesn't have to blood. It doesn't have to be big. It doesn't have to small either. But its what Marco is going to look for. It is what he wants and what he dreams of. It's all Marco wants, is a family. Or at least people that he can call family and who would and could call him anyway. It was all that matter. Family…