Chapter Text
Ace knew he was hit. His whole back was probably open. But after a few seconds on the ground, while these pirates were attacking, he began to feel...fine. Great even. No pain at all. He stood up with ease. His hand traveled over the space where the blade had hit. There was no wound, but there was a little bit of blood. Prove that the attack had hit.
Was he dead? Was he a ghost now? Please, don’t let him be dead. He looked at his right arm that was still the blue fiery wing. He really got killed over this.
Ace jumped in surprise when he felt someone tap in shoulder. Someone could touch him. Did that mean he wasn't dead?
Behind him stood Thatch, trying to get him off the battlefield. Ace went with him without resisting. He was still processing all of...this.
"Stay here." Ace nodded and Thatch disappeared back on to the battlefield.
He was still alive. This was a miracle or something. The wound he had received just glitched out.
Wait.
He couldn't swim or even move in the water. He had a blue fiery wing thingy. Did that mean he was a devil fruit user? He looked is body over again. There was not even a little scratch in sight and he knew that he received those. He didn't understand. What kind of devil fruit would do this?
He looked himself over again. There were no injuries. Was there a heal heal fruit? Did he heal from every wound? Than how come the blue wing? Had this Marco two devil fruits? One that would heal him and another that gave him blue fire wings?
Could you even eat two devil fruits? He thought he heard Luffy say somewhere that that wasn't possible, but Marco's body was maybe the living proof that it was. Shitty gramps had probably lied to Luffy so he wouldn't eat another one. He could remember Gramps really blowed a fuse about Luffy eating a devil fruit in the first place. It made sense.
Ace waited patiently inside. Maybe he should have used this time to escape, but he couldn't. He wanted answers. He was so confused. His whole theory didn't seem logical anymore. Why would they kidnap him only for them to put them in a body that has two devil fruits? Didn't that make him very strong?
There was also the concerning look Thatch had given him when he led him here. Those emotions couldn't be fake. Ace was sure that he hadn't been that close to Thatch that he deserved those eyes. There was also the fact that he Navy also knew this Marco. Pirates and the navy didn't get along that well, so they wouldn't play along with the pirates.
But that would mean that the soulmate switch is real...or somewhat real. He wasn't quite ready to accept that reality. Maybe he wasn't kidnapped by these pirates, but that didn't mean their switch theory made sense.
He was so confused.
Maybe someone had snuck aboard who had the switch switch fruit and hit this Marco with it. It just happened to switch him and Marco. That could be it.
Marco couldn't be his soulmate. From what those pirates told him he gathered that, if this soulmate would be real, than it would be your lover or something. Anyway, it would be something close to him, like another half. Ace knew Marco couldn't be his soulmate, because he just plain didn't deserve one.
Ace didn't even notice the battle was over, only becoming aware of it because of Izo walking in. "I saw what happened. I'm so sorry I couldn't stop him in time. Are you okay?"
"I feel fine." Ace knew that he should be angry at them. Maybe scream or ignore them, but he didn't have the energie for that. He just felt lost.
He just wanted to know what the hell is going on! A body switch, soulmates, being maybe kidnapped, Marco the commander, these way too friendly people, a fatal wound that disappeared, a blue wing.
It was all to much. So many things were happening and Ace couldn't control any of it. He had no information.
It was bothering him so much that he didn't know anything.
He wanted to be in the treehouse next to Luffy, getting dinner and causing havoc. A completely normal day. Something normal, something he understood. He just wanted it all to end, but he didn't know how too. These guys weren't helping him at all.
"Marco ate the Tori Tori no Mi, model Phoenix. He is a healing Phoenix. As you can see your wounds all healed and your arm is one of his wings." Izo explained.
"Wow thanks.” Ace said sarcastically. “That might have been nice to know. I almost died." What was a Phoenix? Was it a fire bird? Ace searched through his brain for answers, but he didn't find any. So it couldn't be a bird who lived or traveled past Dawn Island.
But it was a bird. Birds could fly. That meant he could fly. They still hadn't gotten that far from that one island. If he could make it to there than he could get his hands on a den den mushi and call shitty gramps or Makino. He could finally get the answers he wanted. He could go home.
A newly found hope rose up in his heart.
"Anyway-" Izou snapped him out of his thoughts. "-I have to check on the injured to see how many are from my division."
Ace didn't reply. His mind was already focused on something else. How did birds fly? They just do it, right? They get literally kicked out of their nest and nail it. It was like an instinct.
If he really was this Phoenix bird than he should be able to fly. With the instincts and muscle memory he should be able to do it. And if not, than he should heal with his magical blue flames.
Ace grinned. Yeah, fuck these guys. He is getting out of here pronto, while they were still busy recovering from the attack.
The highest point on this shitty ship was the crows nest.
He walked past a few crew and stood before the crows nest. It should be high enough.
When he was all the way up he looked down. It was a long way to the deck. Should he not be able to fly he would go...splat. He hoped this heal power could save him from that and if not he'd surely break a few bones. He didn’t really worry about that. He has had worse.
He tried to turn his arms into wings. It took him thirty (frustrating) minutes to make both his arms flaming wings. He took a deep breath.
He could do this. He was a bird. Yeah, how hard could it be? He wasn't Luffy who took ages to finally punch in a straight line.
He could do this.
He ran as fast as he could to the edge of the crows nest and jumped. Various crew members on deck screamed, panicked and moved to catch him.
Ace flapped his wings as fast as he could. He let out a laugh in disbelief. He could fly! Yeah! He did fall half of the height down, but he was doing it...sort off. Having a good balans and not flapping one wing harder than the other was more difficult than expected, but he wasn't falling. He could fly away!
"Hahah Fuck you, you suckers! You should have seen your faces. Absolutely hilarious. Even the old fart looked like he was about to have a heart attack." Ace laughed while pointing at the pir-
While pointing?
Pointing...?
He was pointing.
Ah fuck.