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Marco jolts awake and finds himself standing in his room on Moby Dick. It can’t be, the ship that was once his home was burnt, but he lived on Moby Dick long enough to recognize the interior design even in the dark. And what he sees is exactly the same as what he remembers his room looked like. Is this a dream or some twisted illusion? He scratches his hand, feels the pain as blood comes out. This probably isn’t a dream, people don’t feel pain in dreams, right? And seconds later, the familiar blue flame illuminates the room. He catches sight of the date on the paperwork laying on the desk. The year is different from what he remembers. It’s a few years back. Apart from dreams or illusions, there’s another possibility. But it can’t be…, can it? Lady Toki once said it’s impossible to return to the past. However, part of him can’t help hoping it’s the truth.
Marco rushes out of the room, not caring what time it is or will the noise wake his family. Without thinking, he runs towards the mess hall. The corridors are dark as the lights are turned off but Marco lives on the ship long enough. He probably knows his way on the ship even if blindfolded. Light, brighter than the usual night lamp by the pantry area (set in case someone wants food or drinks outside mealtimes), spills through the door frame of the mess hall (they stopped reinstalling the door after the nth times it got destroyed), someone is inside. He stops at his track when he sees a familiar pompadour sitting at the commanders’ usual table. Marco belatedly notices the familiar smell of coffee encompassing the room, along with the faint hint of vanilla. How could he forget about Thatch's habit of adding spices to his coffee? Before Marco can react, the figure hears him coming. “What’s the rush? Breakfast won’t start serving till…” The cheerful voice trails off slowly when the man turns to face him.
“Hey, Marco, you okay? You’re looking kinda pale.” Thatch, breathing and alive, is frowning at him. “You didn’t stay up the last few days to finish the paperwork again, did you?”
Marco can only shake his head, fearing his voice would give away what are mess he is right now. The floor in front of him creaks as Thatch stands up, and Marco comes face to face with his dead not dead brother. “Hey, Marco — you there? Say something.” Thatch is waving a hand in front of his face, and Marco can only stare at the scene, trying hard to fight back the tears that start forming. The way Moby Dick rocks gently during sails, the sounds on the ship, the familiar smell, Thatch. If this is an illusion, it’s too real that it’s starting to hurt. “Did you see a ghost or something? Come on, talk to me. You’re acting so weird, it starts scaring me.” Is what in front of him real? Part of him hopes it is, maybe those past years was just a dream. Yet, he knows those are real, as least as real as what he’s experiencing. Could this really be the past?
The lack of reply only makes Thatch even more worried. “Did someone die? But I don't remember we got someone that seriously injured… God, is Oyaji okay? Nothing happened to him right?” Before Thatch gets panics and runs off to check on Oyaji, possibly waking everyone on the ship in the process, Marco stops him. “Oyaji’s fine.” At least until what happened will happen at Marineford, and he's not going to let his family break apart again. How does he explain it? Should he even tell anyone about it? Will they believe him if he tells them?
“Then what happened?” Thatch prompts. “You know you don’t have to keep everything by yourself, do you?”
“It’s...it’s just a really bad nightmare yoi.” If only those were just a hellish nightmare. The tears threaten to drop again, and Marco presses a hand to hide it.
“Must be a hell of a nightmare if you’re this shaken up. Haven't seen you like this before, not even that one-time Oyaji suddenly fell ill.” Thatch doesn't sound totally convinced, they know each other for a long time after all. He would know when Marco's hiding things.
“Hey, I didn't notice this before, but since when did you start wearing glasses?” Marco looks at the red glasses in his hand, he got so used to it, he doesn't really notice he's wearing them. He always wants to talk to someone, the powerlessness and frustration. But there wasn’t anyone suitable, not to his remaining siblings, nor his allies. He can’t really take it by himself anymore. Should he tell Thatch? Would Thatch believe him? Maybe he would think he's nuts. Anyway, he can't talk about what happened here. It's early enough that apart from those on night shifts, most of their siblings are asleep, but Teach is not one of them. Better be safe than sorry. After what he’d been through, he can never look at Teach the same way as before anymore. Marco sighs while putting the glasses back on. “Long story yoi. Would you mind having a walk with me?” He subtlety points to the ceiling.
For an almost unbearable long second, Thatch only silently looks at him. “Sure.” When Marco let out the breath he doesn't aware he has been holding, Thatch laughs. “What? Do you think I'm gonna leave you by yourself after knowing you just have a really bad nightmare? Ah, you break my heart.” Thatch put a hand in front of his chest, pretending to be hurt. It's just a joke, everything is fine, the rational part of him says, and yet Marco feels like he can't breathe, the image of Thatch covered in blood, laying on the deck flashes in front of him.
The touch of a warm hand on his wrist chases away that memory. “Sorry, bad timing.” Thatch must have noticed it when his breathing hitches. When Marco looks up, Thatch is once again frowning at him, previous frivolous demeanour nowhere to be seen.
“Give me a sec.” Marco watches Thatch goes back to pick up his drink and down it in one go. “Okay, let's go.” They quietly walk to the deck side by side.
Once they reach an open area of the deck, Marco transforms into Phoenix form and turns his back to Thatch, “Hop on yoi.”
“I thought you're carrying me with your foot. You always said letting people ride on your back throws your balance off.” Thatch sounds surprised. “I...may want to claw something. Don't want to accidentally hurt you.” Marco mumbles. “If you say so. It's warmer this way, I'm not going to complain.” Marco feels the weight and warmth of his brother on his back as Thatch climbs on. Moments later, Thatch's arms gently encircle his neck. “Hold on tight.” With that, he takes off.
“So, that ’nightmare’ of yours, I was in it, aren't I?” Thatch asks casually after they are in the air.
“You're the start of it yoi.” Using it as a starting point, Marco slowly tells Thatch how their family fell apart all because of one devil fruit, omitting how brutal the deaths were, how many lives were lost trying to save someone they love, there's no point in sharing those details.
“So, Teach betrayed us for a devil fruit and you guys failed to defeat him?” Thatch summarises what Marco told him. “Don't remember Teach being that strong though.” Thatch murmurs. “All I remember is how he terrified the cooks with those cherry pies. He doesn't fight that much. He doesn't even have a bounty, isn't he?”
“It's more like his fruits’ power are strong. The weird ability of Dark-Dark Fruit together with Oyaji's power makes him unstoppable.”
“Wait, he got Oyaji's power too?! How the hell did he get Oyaji's power?” Thatch yells, he’s lucky they’re not currently on the ship. The volume alone would have woken the whole ship.
“Hell if I know yoi. It's not like he's going to give a villain monologue about his evil plan.”
“We should tell Oyaji.” Thatch says after they fall into comfortable silence. “You think he'll believe it? We're talking about accusing one of our siblings as traitor.” He can feel Thatch winces, “Maybe? It's hard to tell. If he doesn't, we may inadvertently alert Teach.”
“It doesn’t matter, I’m not letting him get away this time.” He's not going to sit around letting Teach break his family apart again, even if he has to do it alone. He can either get rid of Teach, keep him from seeing that damn fruit, or protect Thatch. Even with good reasons, he doesn’t think Oyaji would approve of him killing one of their own, it's their most important rule after all. That though is the only reason keeping him from murdering Teach right now.
The two of them go to Whitebeard’s room after dropping the sea beast Marco hunted during their short trip. (Thatch absolutely does not wince at how hard Marco clawed at it.)
Marco bursts into tears upon hearing Oyaji’s voice.
Maybe, just maybe, things will be all right this time, he'll make sure of it.