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A yellow submarine unexpectedly emerges from beside the Moby Dick and it is such a peculiar sight amidst the raging battle that all the marines and pirates alike momentarily pause fighting to gawk at the vessel.
Only a moment later, two figures appear on the deck of the submarine, walking over to lean on the railing, their twin gazes casually roaming over the battlefield.
Flying closer to get a better look, Marco blinks at the familiar straw hat perched on the head of the shorter of the two men, and a headache threatens to form.
If he didn't know Ace's little brother is already way over the front lines making his way to his older brother, the first commander would have thought that this man, older by a few years now that he squints his eyes just a bit, is Straw Hat Luffy himself.
He feels more than hears his Pops' booming laugh, the by now well-known rumble echoing across the surroundings, and Marco's headache intensifies.
The straw hat wearing stranger breaks out into a suspiciously dangerous grin as he turns to his companion and in less than no time, a blue sheen surrounds the whole battlefield, ending just at the edges of the execution platform.
A distinctive laugh is heard before the two mysterious men are suddenly gone, making Marco jerk. A bout of Observation haki later and he finds them standing on the platform right by Ace's side, the two executioners nowhere to be found. Judging by his brother's bulging eyes and gaping mouth, he is just as surprised as the rest of them.
Sengoku is already glowing, in the midst of his transformation into his namesake, but before he can even complete his change, the taller one of the two strangers steps forward, sword drawn out and- and...
Marco blinks as he flies closer, blinks again to make sure.
Sengoku is cut in half.
The fleet admiral is literally cut, horizontally, in half. Sengoku the Buddha is currently cursing up a storm sprawled out on the floor of the platform, using his hands to prop himself up.
Marco might need a glass of vodka right after this shit show.
Ace, from what he could see, is still gaping at the straw hat wearing man, eyes going back and forth between him and his little brother down the plaza. Glancing at the young pirate captain, Marco gathers that he is also gaping like a fish, reminiscing of his big brother, and Marco would find them amusing if the circumstances isn't so dire.
After seemingly getting out of his trance, Ace's little brother points an accusing finger up at his imposter. "Hey! That's my hat!"
There is that distinct laugh again now that he is hovering close enough in earshot. "Shishishi." And the other strange man with the Straw Hat imposter snorts, tattooed hands moving to sheath his sword.
The spotted pants coupled with the spotted hat only gives Marco the urge to sigh heavily. Pirates these days.
"You have your own hat, Straw Hat-ya."
At his words, the younger captain places a hand on his head, where his straw hat is nestled, then he lets out a huge smile, as if relieved. "Oh, yeah!"
If Marco still has his human hands and not his Pheonix wings, he would certainly facepalm, dignity be damned.
What the hell even is going on?
He can see his brothers and their allies stare incredulously at the spectacle on the platform, unsure of what to do now that there are literal strangers up there with Ace, but Marco's gaze zeroes in on Whitebeard, who is looking on with an amused air about him, as if fascinated by the scene.
Marco sighs. Of course, of course Pops would find something like this amusing.
He keeps a guarded eye on the admirals, finding them entranced with the absurd situation as well, except Akainu. The mad dog just looks pissed, like he always does.
At the lull in the battlefield, Sengoku's temper seems to have snapped and he glowers at the newcomers. "Who the hell are you?"
The taller man with the ridiculous spotted hat only regards him with a raised brow, cool gaze going over his incapacitated form before looking away, as if dismissing something unimportant.
The man with the straw hat beside him however, grins so brightly it almost seems unbearably familiar, teeth showing and shoulders set back in a confident stance.
"My name is Monkey D. Luffy. The Pirate King." He says it with a clear certitude, as if it is the simple truth and it sounds so utterly like bullshit, but there is this impossible air about him that makes Marco want to believe him and just, no. No.
Marco can almost see Garp's soul leave his body, the choking likely giving it away.
"That's impossible!" Sengoku screeches, and his gaze is drawn to the younger straw hat wearing lunatic down on the plaza.
The older one, however, throws his head back in a loud laugh, as if this is all so very entertaining for him. "I'm from the future!"
Several faces are outright gaping now and forget a glass of vodka. Marco will definitely need at least a barrel of the strongest booze the New World has to offer.
Sengoku turns to the frozen vice admiral sitting next to Ace with a stormy expression, a vein already throbbing on his forehead. "Garp! It's your damn family again!" But the old man appears to not have heard him. If Marco didn't know any better, he would think the marine hero has been replaced by a statue with how still he is.
It is Luffy- the younger one, who first breaks out of his stunned silence. "Hey, older me! Don't you dare spoil my adventure!" He screams, determination and passion and will wrapped up in the voice of this naive little pirate, and the contrast is damning. Marco has half a mind to turn away. "And save Ace already!"
Ace, for his part, continues to look like a dying seal, mouth opening and closing around words stuck in his throat. His eyes are glued to the older Straw Hat's ugly scar across his chest, proudly shown courtesy of his open vest.
The older Luffy only laughs loudly, smile wide and huge and unrestrained for everyone to see, and Marco startles as it hits, why this man's smile is so painfully familiar. For a split second, Marco sees the shadow of another man, taller and older but with that same distinctive grin, with that same undeniable charisma, but then Marco blinks and the image is gone.
Marco chances a quick glance at Pops, and by the way the strongest man's smile is just a little bit off, it is safe to say Marco isn't the only one to notice the distinction.
He turns back to the platform just as a shot of magma flies in its general direction.
"Preposterous!" Akainu snarls. "As if I'd let pirate scum-"
Just then, a sudden burst of conquerors haki engulfs the whole plaza, making low-ranking and even some of the high-ranking marines drop to the ground, unconscious. "Shut up, mutt." The older Straw Hat says, voice as calm as the seas on a perfect, sunny day. His gaze cuts across the field and then land on the admiral on his knees, looking as if he couldn't breath. "You have no right to judge."
Akainu, however, only scoffs in response as he forces himself to his feet. Liquid fire disdain in his eyes, he glares at the two men up on the platform. "The fact that the marines let you off so freely in the future is a disgrace to our name!" His gaze drifts to the side as he stalks closer to the younger Straw Hat, and Marco bristles. "If I stop you right here and now..."
Jimbei is already grabbing Luffy but it is too late as Akainu is upon them, magma fist raised to strike. Ace's scream is drowned out by the pounding in his ears as he tries to dive down faster, but just then another blue dome surrounds them on the battlefield and half a moment later, Akainu is flung out of reach, spitting insults as his magma fails to hit his mark.
Jimbei and Luffy stands there with wide eyes, pointedly unharmed.
Marco takes a second to register the killing intent coming from up on the execution platform, hidden so well it goes almost unnoticeable.
"As if I would let you after everything I did to save him last time." The unfamiliar man next to future Straw Hat mutters, but amidst the heavy silence in the plaza, it is heard very clearly. He is smirking, but Marco could still see the flicker of anger in his eyes, as is also indicated by the raised hand, and Marco feels a muted sort of gratefulness to him for stopping the admiral in his tracks.
Strong devil fruit, Marco muses at the same time.
From next to him, Luffy steps forward to stare down at Akainu, face blank. Then, in a feat not even the strongest Haki users in the blue seas are capable of, he focuses all his Conqueror into one man, and Akainu chokes on his breath, claws at his throat, weak in the face of the will of the King, before finally succumbing to darkness.
There is silence for a few, jaw-dropping moments, and then the taller man next to Straw Hat Luffy, the Pirate King, laughs a creepy fucking laugh as he turns to the boggled eyed Sengoku, still sprawled out on the floor.
"Your loss, old man." He looks absolutely smug, and Marco knows with sudden clarity what a bastard this guy is. "Call it."
"Torao!" Older Luffy smacks his companion on the arm, and the guy almost flies out of the platform. "Let's just escape."
"Damn, Luffy-ya. Can't a guy have some fun and troll the fleet admiral once in a while?" He grumbles and honest to God, Marco seriously feels like he is watching some kind of parody gig unfold. Is this even supposed to be a war? It feels like a fucking circus. The taller man raises a hand and calls a "Room" just as a blue sheen surrounds everything once again.
But before this 'Torao' person could utter a single word next, future Straw Hat grabs his arm as he waves down at the fishman next to his younger self.
"Jimbei!" He is grinning widely, a bright lilt to his face and the former warlord looks like a deer caught in headlights. "Make sure to bring my younger self back safely! Shishishi!" And in the next second, the two men, along with Ace, is not on the platform anymore, replaced by a few barrels.
A glance back reveals them on the deck of the Moby Dick with Pops laughing loudly and Marco closes his eyes, wishing he could just go to sleep for a thousand years.
.
.
When Marco lands next to Whitebeard, his eyes immediately find Ace, or more specifically, his hands.
His detached hands, that is, chains discarded at his feet.
The headache is back full force as he hears all the shouting from their youngest brother, panic in his voice, insults thrown around and his hands being demanded back.
"So that's how they got the sea-stone chains off." Izo, who is boarding the ship after him, hums, procuring a set of keys out of his kimono. "I guess we don't need these then?"
Marco shrugs. "I guess. Where'd you even get them, yoi?"
The crossdresser levels him with a look that speaks volumes of how long they have traveled together for Marco to understand without words how stupefied his brother is. "Can you believe me if I say Boa Hancock gave it to me?"
Marco gives up. There is honestly nothing that will surprise him ever again.
"That's probably the most normal thing that happened in the last half an hour, yoi." He says dryly, glancing back out to all their retreating allies. "Anyway, where's Jimbei and Ace's little brother?"
"Making their way here as we speak." Izo makes to say something to add to that, but then he gets cut off by a roar of outrage just as Ace flings himself bodily at the taller stranger, who is merely smirking at the 2nd commander.
He almost looks delighted, tormenting their younger brother like that in the brief glimpse Marco has until the man disappears before Ace even lands on him.
Man, what a bastard.
"Shishishi. Torao should probably fix Ace's hands before he explodes." The older Luffy suggests to his companion that suddenly reappeared right next to him, laughing at the display of violence like a madman. 'Torao' only shrugs, but listens nonetheless, raising a hand to comply. Ace's hands back where they belong.
Marco would really appreciate that barrel of booze right about now.
"Gurararara!" A familiar guffaw joins the distinct sniggering, louder and more boisterous given his size, and Marco sighs. "What interesting turn of events. Tell me, brats, why are you here?"
The older Strawhat wrinkles his nose at the term 'brat', but before he could complain, the man with the weird spotted hat cut in. "This idiot-" He drawls, raising a tattooed hand to place a top Strawhat's head. "-got bored, so we decided to crash the war."
And Marco closes his eyes, wishing he were dreaming. "I'm sorry, did I hear that right, yoi? He got bored?"
'Torao' peers at him with a long-suffering look. "You don't understand. A bored Luffy-ya is a dangerous Luffy-ya."
"Yeah, no. He's right, unfortunately." Ace remarks, nodding. He is wiggling his hands in the air as if to make sure they are actually functioning well. "My little brother is a trouble-magnet on a normal day. You do not want him bored, at all."
"So crashing a war is a nice way of alleviating boredom now?" Jozu asks in disbelief, materializing out of nowhere and really, Marco should be paying more attention but the outrageousness of the current situation just makes him want to crawl into bed and never get out again.
Future Straw Hat ducks his head to get out of his companion's hold, then lets out a small snigger. "It was that, or kidnap a revolutionary." He reveals with a huge smile, ignoring the several jaws dropping to the floor. It seems they have gained an audience. Marco only coughs, covering his face with his hands. "Besides, it was Torao who suggested it in the first place, so if anything, it's all his fault."
"Straw Hat-ya." 'Torao' utters in a low voice, miming strangling the other man. The older Luffy burst out laughing, dancing out of tattooed hands.
"Wait, Luffy. Who's this 'Torao' guy anyway? Is he your nakama?" Ace asks and the aforementioned 'Torao' glares at him disparagingly.
"My name is Trafalgar Law and I would appreciate you not calling me that appalling nickname, thanks."
Marco stares at him dubiously, lips threatening to twitch upwards in amusement. From beside him, Izo shifts. "I knew you looked familiar. You're one of the super rookies."
The fire devil-fruit user points a finger at him at the words. "Then why are you with my brother?"
A derisive snort is Ace's response, but then the older Straw Hat leans over with a bright smile. "Torao and I are friends!"
"Allies, Luffy-ya." Trafalgar corrects automatically, as if he has done so a dozen times and more. Marco raises a brow, hearing no complain about the nickname. He shares a commiserating glance with Izo.
It is at this moment that Jimbei arrives with an exhausted Luffy in tow. Trafalgar immediately goes over to check the younger Straw Hat's injuries, Ace high on his tail. "Doesn't seem like something only allies will do." He mumbles, scratching the back of his head.
The man with the atrocious spotted hat ignores him and turns to peer at the battlefield beyond the safety of the Moby Dick. "We should probably go before the marines have a change of heart." His countenance darkens suddenly, tongue clicking against his mouth. "Or before that man shows up."
Marco eyes him warily, carefully examining his facial features. "What man, yoi?"
Trafalgar shifts his gaze to the first commander. "It's better if you don't know."
Wrinkling his nose at the vague answer, Marco directs a glare at the disturbing smile on the man's expression.
The older Luffy, who has been oddly quiet up until now, puts a hand all over his companion's face, effectively erasing the frightening expression. "Torao! You're making the creepy face again!" He complains before his steely gaze finds itself directed on Marco himself. He stares for a second, face an unnerving blank mask, before grinning brightly. Marco feels the disparity in their expressions.
"It's nothing, Pineapple!"
Marco blinks at the nickname, and ultimately decides it's better for him if he doesn't say anything about it. Izo hides a smile behind his hand, the traitor, and when Whitebeard laughs his booming laugh again, Marco sighs. Again.
Perhaps he is getting old.
Future Straw Hat turns to Whitebeard with his huge, blank eyes, then demands like he isn't talking to the strongest man in the world. "Hey old man! Let's go!"
Marco's captain is silent for a single, heart-stopping minute, before he laughs again. "You've got guts, brat! I like it!" Seeing everyone on-board and most of their remaining allies on their own vessels or at least on their way to safety, Whitebeard's voice bellows over Marineford's waters. "Let's set sail!"
.
.
With Marineford's gates all the way behind them, Marco finally relaxes from his tense, battle-weary state. Izo's make-up routine probably lasted longer than the war, he muses. He supposes he should be thankful for the arrival of the two overpowered lunatics.
"What about your submarine?" Izo asks their guests, and ah, right. Marco almost forgot about the whole thing that started this shit show.
The older Luffy blinks, then tilts his head to the side. "Oh, they left already."
Trafalgar rolls his eyes, apparently done with younger Luffy's injuries, seeing as they aren't all that a nice sleep won't fix. Damn, Marco would also like a nice rest. "We only asked my younger crew to take us here, so they're probably long gone by now."
Another laugh from the older Straw Hat has them all turning their heads to see him doubled over, hands on his sides, giggling non-stop. "Torao knocked out the younger Torao, then threatened his crew to bring us here!"
Marco has half a mind to just abandon everything and crawl under the covers in his quarters. It's so close too.
He is distracted from his thoughts of bed when Trafalgar the bastard clears his throat. "I didn't threaten them. I only intimidated them a bit and made them think I'll cut them all in half if they don't agree."
"That's threatening!" A number of their crew yells at him, irritation piqued. Marco, at this point in time, is amazed that every word out of their mouths could hold such a power, to make him have this sudden urge to bury himself alive.
"It's not like I would! They're still my crew, technically." He says defensively, a scowl making its way to his face like it belonged there. "Anyway, I could totally put their limbs back if I did cut them off."
"That's not the point!" Several cries are echoed incredulously and really, Marco can't believe them.
"You're pretty stupid, aren't you? Why didn't you just bribe them with meat?" The younger Straw Hat interrupts, leaning against his brother's side, and it's such a stupid little thing to say it has Marco closing his eyes and breathing deeply to calm himself.
Trafalgar cuts his gaze across the deck to glare at the younger man, which makes the older brother's hackles rise protectively.
"I'm just in awe at the turn in conversation." Vista mutters, walking up to them and Izo is already nodding his head in agreement.
"You and me both, yoi."
Trafalgar, on the other hand, is once again inching closer to the younger Straw Hat, but this time without the pretense of checking him for injuries. His face might actually suggest being the one to give him such injuries.
"Luffy-ya, you look so young here, let me just... wring your neck a little." Entirely disregarding Ace's thinly veiled threats on his person, the time traveler brings up his hands, clenching and unclenching them in front of the younger Luffy, and being the overprotective older brother that he is, Ace is up on Trafalgar's face, ready to defend his helpless little brother.
And there goes the shouting again.
Off to the side looking on at the chaos with a smile brimming with mischief, the older Luffy stands with Whitebeard, and wow, isn't that a sight to behold. Marco's headache keeps coming and going.
"Can either of you please stop them before they destroy the Moby, yoi?" He asks the crazy captains but Pops only laughs at him.
"But things are only just starting to get fun, son!"
Of course, he's surrounded by super powerful idiots. What else is new? Thankfully, the future Straw hat listens to him, after laughing his ass off, that is.
"Shishishi! Torao, you can't do that to past me! I'm injured and just lost ten years of my life!"
Never mind. Marco would have preferred he never opened his mouth, a deep sigh escaping him as various heads swivel quickly at the words. He could almost hear a crack.
"What?" Ace screeches, just as Pops himself asks, "What do you mean, brat?"
From in between the middle of the growing crowd, a hand is raised, and Marco trails his eyes over to a huge head and purple hair. He recognizes the revolutionary Emporio Ivankov, one of the inmates Ace's little brother dragged from Impel Down, and he raises a curious brow. "That last bit might be my fault."
"What do you mean he lost ten years of his life?" Ace asks through gritted teeth, but Marco could still see the faintest trace of fear in his eyes, and the hand around his younger brother tightens as if making sure the younger one is still there.
"Heehaw!" The revolutionary strikes a pose despite the bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. "It vas an emergency. I did it or else Straw-boy here would die painfully slow from poisoning!"
"You fought Magellan?" Ace turns his head so fast Marco worries he'd get whiplash, looking so much like he was the one who lost ten years. Marco could relate. Luffy only winces as Ace jostles him too much, nothing to say in response to his brother's angry fretting. "You could have died!"
Trafalgar scoffs at his words. "As if I would let the idiot die before me."
"And what the hell do you mean by that?" The fire-user growls, defenses piqued by the casual man.
The taller pirate graces him with a dark smirk. "I'm a doctor. It's part of the job description."
Ace regards him with a critical eye, ever so suspicious. Marco wholeheartedly agrees. "What type of doctor has 'death' tattooed all over their hand, yoi?"
Trafalgar tilts his head to scrutinize him with a look as though the man is planning on dissecting him, and the little hairs on the back of Marco's neck rises. "It's part of the moniker, right, Surgeon of Death?" Izo intervenes just as Marco narrows his eyes at the man.
The time-traveler's gaze drift over to the crossdresser, before his face breaks into another one of his spine-chilling smirks. Proven time and time again. Bastard.
The older Luffy stretches his arm unnaturally long to deck Trafalgar across his head. "Stop creeping out Ace's nakama, Torao!"
In the next second, Trafalgar is strangling his ally, spitting insults. Straw Hat meanwhile, is laughing as if he isn't being throttled within an inch of his life.
The blond stares blankly at Ace yelling threats at Trafalgar, at the younger Luffy looking about ready to fall asleep, at the utter mayhem aboard the Moby Dick, and such is Marco's life.
The strangling slows however, when Trafalgar's hands start to appear transparent just the slightest bit. Both their guests from the future pause in their semi-violent spree to stare at it.
"I guess our time here is almost up!" The older Luffy announces, bouncing in place.
All of the pirates, Whitebeards and allies alike, with the occasional revolutionary and escaped inmate, blink at that.
'Thank God.' Marco inwardly rejoices.
For a second there, he's afraid this whole thing would never end.
Trafalgar leers at their dumbfounded expressions. He turns to the D siblings, particularly the older one. "Try not to hurt your brother too much, Portgas-ya. God knows how much you did last time." He taunts, but there is something Marco can't identify clearly hidden in the underlying threat, something close to concern if he is the slightest bit correct.
Allies, huh. Marco wonders not for the first time what their relationship truly is.
Ace, as expected, rises to the bait. "Excuse me? Who do you think you a- Ow!" The unpredicted punch over his head throws Ace in for a loop. He ignores the mumbled, "Told you my punch is like a pistol." from beside him and stares wide eyes at the older version of his little brother, looking betrayed.
"Can you two stop fighting for a minute? We're about to leave!" He complains with lips jutting out, crossing his transparent arms. How he even threw a punch with his hands like that, Marco will never know. "And Torao! Don't be so mean to Ace!" He pauses, glances at a grinning Whitebeard, then lets out a smile worthy of a devil.
Marco narrows his eyes, knowing that look all too well. He sees it in their captain's eyes every time he wants all their lives to be a little bit more difficult.
"We D's have to stick together, after all." Future Straw Hat Luffy lays it out there, his eyes twinkling with irrepressible mischief and Marco inhales a deep, calming breath.
Trafalgar only sighs, by now used and even expecting it from his ally. "No, we really don't Luffy-ya."
There is silence on the deck aside from the older Straw Hat's sniggering, multiple brains processing the new information at once, but then...
"You're a D?!" Almost all of those on the ship shrieks, wide eyes threatening to pop out of their sockets. Marco could almost taste the shock in the air, every single one of the crew sans Whitebeard himself stupefied by the revelation. The blond glares at his grinning captain, who is staring at the unfolding scene with a spark of delight.
Izo is biting his lip from beside him, lipstick already starting to fade. "That... explains so much."
Marco is nodding continuously, completely agreeing. People aren't normally this crazy, after all.
"Now that I think about, we have four D's on the Moby."
"The ship won't explode or something, right?"
"Don't be stupid. It's not like they will destroy it."
"They're surely crazy enough to do it."
.
.
.
"I suddenly remember a very important meeting I have to attend in Kammabaka Kingdom!" Ivankov declares, preparing to jump ship. "Let's go, candies!"
"You just got out of prison!" The echoing cries goes unheard as the rest of them already went ahead. "Cowards!"
The older Straw Hat hasn't stopped laughing since his announcement, and now Pops is joining him.
Marco's hand itches for that barrel of sake.
From the corner of his eyes, he catches a glimpse of a blue haired clown not so inconspicuously floating his way to another ship in the distance, dismembered feet clutched firmly in his hands, making Marco snort. Whitebeard shares a secret smile with his first commander, before clearing his throat. His wrinkled eyes find their way back to the future Straw Hat, who is already looking at the veteran pirate.
Every part of his body is already starting to turn transparent, beginning to look see-through, and Marco gathers they don't have that much time left.
"I suppose your time is up, brat." Edward Newgate's voice is loud, able to carry through the whole ship and making all kinds of chatter halt with just a few words.
The older Straw Hat Luffy stands tall in front of the strongest man in the world. He puts a hand up on his hat, bringing it down so that the brim is covering the top of his face. However, his usual smile is still plastered in his face for all to see, wide with unbridled joy and wanton freedom.
"This is goodbye, old mustache man!" The time traveler laughs his signature laugh, and if he was any other man, Marco might be surprised to hear his captain's own laugh thrown in the mix. But alas, Marco knows his captain, and recognizes the signs when he is intrigued by someone. When he likes someone. Older Luffy then surprises them all by bowing ninety degrees all of a sudden. "Thank you for loving Ace!"
Ace, having stopped arguing with Trafalgar, is staring at him with wide, glassy eyes, and the murmured "Luffy." does not go unnoticed. They pretend not to hear the wetness in his voice, the heartache in his face.
They'll have lots of time later to show their brother he is loved.
Pops is stunned, Marco could tell, evident in the minute widening of his eyes, although immediately masked by the smile on his face. "Ace is my son. No need to thank me, Gurarara!"
"You're a good father." He says it as if it's the simplest thing, the most obvious thing, and for them, it is. Because Pops is their father and they love him for it, but for the observation to come from a stranger is odd, probably due to the fact that it's the first time someone has said it. It's sort of... heartwarming, in a way.
It seems that Straw Hat Luffy, the Pirate King apparently, fits right into his captain's list of intriguing individuals.
Whitebeard tilts his head as he regards the older straw hat wearing man. "And you're a good brother." At this, his smile strangely dims just the slightest bit, but before Marco could even analyze the look, his smile is back full force as he turns to his brother, entirely disregarding the conversation.
"Shishishi. ACE!"
Ace barely catches the man as he slingshots himself over to him, and they go tumbling down a few feet. The younger Luffy sways to the side now that his support is gone, but then Trafalgar is there to offer a shoulder.
Marco shares another glance with Izo, who only shrugs. He rolls his eyes.
Really, the younger Straw Hat should have already been in bed with his injuries, but if the creepy doctor says he's okay, then he's probably fine. Marco refuses to deal with the younger version of the crazy captain.
The aforementioned crazy captain and Ace is still wrestling on the floor of the ship when the younger Luffy lets out a shocked sound. He brings up Trafalgar's arm and Marco blinks at the sight. Trafalgar's hands are gradually disappearing.
"Your arm!" Big, round eyes stare directly at him, and Trafalgar coughs as he evades his gaze, Marco observes with a raised brow.
Trafalgar calls out to his ally instead. "Oi, Luffy-ya. Hurry it up, we're leaving!"
Luffy pauses to turn back at them, pinched cheek stretched unnaturally long, and his gaze zeroes in on the other man's hands, then looks down to his own disappearing hands. "Got it, Torao!" He yells back before turning to speak to Ace.
They are conversing in low tones and Marco can't hear what they are talking about so he tries to shift a little closer, but Izo is grabbing at the flap of his open shirt. The first mate raises a curious brow at him, but his brother is already shaking his head. He turns back to them as they get to their feet, and Marco is surprised to see Ace is crying.
"Remember your promise. Okay, Ace?" Luffy says, and there is a smile on his face still, but it feels different, somehow.
Ace is nodding furiously, tears still unabashedly streaming down his face and words seeming to fail him, but his brother seems to understand his unspoken words, and so the wide smile is back on his scarred face.
He drifts back to his ally, and Marco could see that they would presumably have at least a few seconds left. You could barely even see them. The older Straw Hat turns to the younger one, who glares at him defiantly.
"Don't tell me anything!" He attempts to yell, but all that comes out is a croak. "I don't want to know about your future. I'm gonna pave my own way!"
The corners of Marco's lips twitch up in an unplanned smirk. Marco could just feel Whitebeard's approval rolling off in waves.
Future Straw Hat merely laughs at his younger self. "I know. I wouldn't want that either." He pauses, tilts his head, then lets out a cheeky little smile. "It's just that this time's Torao will probably be angry when he sees you, but don't you let him go, kay? You won't regret it!"
The younger pirate blinks at him, still leaning on Trafalgar's shoulder, who, interestingly enough, is red in the face, embarrassment clear as day as he glares at his grinning ally.
"Okay." Marco snorts at the blunt agreement. "I was already planning on it anyways. Plus, he has cool tattoos!" He adds, entirely oblivious to the combusting man behind him.
Marco belatedly watches in amusement as Trafalgar tries to bring a hand up to cover his face, but then remembers his hands are the first to go and flushes a darker shade of red, if that is even possible with how transparent his face is now. Future Luffy only laughs in response.
"But, Lu! His tattoos are creepy." Ace complains, pushing Trafalgar away from his brother and taking his place.
Trafalgar only scoffs at him, saying "At least I don't spell my name wrong." before disappearing completely, missing Ace's indignant squawk of outrage.
Jozu whistles from somewhere beside him. "Famous last words."
"At least Ace can't murder him." Izo mutters.
The older Luffy is still laughing even after his ally has disappeared, the absolute madman, and Marco counts down the seconds until peace and quiet will finally return to the Moby like the desperate person he is.
"Shishishi! Oh, I almost forgot. Ace, Sa-" But before he could finish his sentence, Straw Hat Luffy of the future disappears as if he had never been there in the first place, leaving them all hanging with his last words.
What the fuck.
"Oi, what was he going to say?" Ace voice raises amongst everyone's on the ship, hysteria bubbling on the surface. "Sa? What was he going to say?"
Marco massages his temples, willing the headache to clear away. "It's better to just forget about it, yoi."
Pops, on the other hand, is having the time of his life. "Sa? Perhaps he was trying to tell us to drink sake until we pass out, Gurararara!"
"Pops!" Several of his brothers exclaim in disbelief.
The first commander shakes his head at his father. If anyone's going to get piss off drunk here, it's going to be Marco. "Your addiction knows no bounds, yoi. The nurses will have your head."
Whitebeard just laughs again, but says nothing. Marco smiles. At last, he can lean back and enjoy the peace.
After everything that happened, after that shit show of a war, after meeting two of the most insane pirates in the four blues, (and Marco has met a lot of crazies in his life as a Whitebeard Pirate) Marco deserves this. He takes a moment to inhale a long breath of relief, but before he could even exhale, Pops turns to the younger Luffy on the floor of the deck, leaning onto his older brother, and suddenly warning bells are ringing in Marco's head.
Whitebeard stares at Luffy for a second before his wrinkled face breaks out into a slow smile. "Hey, brat. Want to be my son?"
Immediately after the words are spoken, Marco turns tail and flees.