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Marco was in his room doing paperwork like usual when the strangest thought went through his head and a burning sensation on his right hip. His eyes widened, knowing what it was. It was his soulmate's biggest and deepest secret. Besides the shock of actually getting one when he’s not even human, he was more shocked about the secret that now presented itself on his hip and ran through his head.
I’m the child of Gol D. Roger.
There weren’t any pronouns so gender wasn’t revealed. Which could be for multiple reasons. If he meets them he could probably ask, but it would be a sensitive subject.
He stood up and went over to his body mirror. He took off his sash and pulled his pants down some to fully see the ink words that now rested on his hip. It was written in black fire letters. Which was definitely unique. The font of your soulmate's writing can be either how they write or a font that represents their personality or something about them. He wouldn’t know what fire letters would represent about a person. The most common are neat or sloppy writing in normal fonts. Very few get unique writing fonts. He kinda wondered what his font would be and what part of him it would represent.
He fixed his clothes and went to go find his father and tell him, seeing as he’s the only one to know his secrets and can trust with the secret of his soulmate. He found his father in his room reading through a newspaper. He sat down the paper and looked at him. “Marco, is something wrong?” Pops asked him, seeing the twisted look on his face. Marco closed the door behind him. “Son?” he questioned.
“I got my soulmate's secret,” he told him right out. Pops’s eyes widened in shock. He himself does not know if Marco would be involved with getting a soulmate since he’s not human.
“I don’t know rather to see that as a good or bad thing considering it’s you,” Pops told him bluntly. Marco nodded, understanding where he was coming from. “I see it’s not just that that’s bugging you,” he pointed out. Marco nodded again. “Is it the secret?” he asked. Marco simply nodded. Pops pushed his lips together. Not a lot of secrets bug Marco since he’s lived for many years and lived through multiple things but to see him distressed over a secret worried him. “What’s the secret?” he asked.
“There Rogers kid yoi,” he told him, his voice quiet. Pops’s eyes widened. He knows all that happened after Roger was executed and so does Marcco. The marines had gone around killing pregnant women and young kids, not wanting to risk Roger having a kid. The simple fact that the kid survived was a surprise itself. It’s been almost two years since Roger died. “It doesn’t even have pronouns or use daughter or son, which is what people usually use to figure out gender,” he told his father. Pops nodded in thought. “You usually get a secret when your soulmate gets a deep secret but their probably no older than one. How can they already have such a big secret when babies can’t even form thoughts?”
Pops himself was at a loss for words. There was no way Roger’s kid if he even had one, would survive the marines killing spring. Newgate knew Roger had found his soulmate and he loved her dearly. He also knows he was trying to have a kid, specifically a son. He doesn’t remember if he said he was successful or not in conceiving one before he turned himself in. Even if he did, they wouldn’t be alive now, but Marco’s soulmate's secret shows otherwise. It shows that his child survived, how they survived he had no idea, but they did.
“But despite that, I don’t even know which secret will form on their body. Either the one about me not being human or the one about me being a slave yoi,” the phoenix told the large man. Pops nodded. They were both deep secrets that he never told anyone but Pops. Secrets he doesn’t want others to know. “And who knows if both will show up, which is highly unlikely but there both are deep secrets on an equal scale.”
“Son, no one has ever had two secrets that have been written on their skin. It’s highly unlikely that that will ever happen and I’m sure they’ll accept you with whatever secret that happens to get,” Pops told him. Marco nodded but didn’t take it to heart. No one would want a past slave as their soulmate or even someone that’s not even human.
~o~
Ann sat on a log in the forest around a campfire. Sabo sat on a log in front of her. She’s been thinking about the secret, well more of secrets, that was written on her right thigh at birth. She had no idea why they were there and no one had ever told her why. She had finally told Sabo about them and he explained that it was her soulmate's biggest and deepest secret but he was confused about why there would be two. She let him read them off her thigh, not able to read, or read in general, neat, cursive handwriting. They said:
I’m not human
I was a past slave for many years
“What does it mean he’s not human?” Ann asked her best friend.
“How would I know? Sure there are giants and mermaids and fish-men, but that wouldn’t really be something to keep secret so he has to be something other than those things,” Sabo told her. She nodded. He’s told her about those things before, wanting to tell her about books he’s read back at his house.
“What other non-human is there anyways?” Ann asked. He shrugged, confused himself.
“The other thing you should worry about is your deep secret,” he told her. She already told him about her father, how she’s Gol D. Roger's daughter. A monster. She looked down at her lap, gripping her shorts. Whenever she asked someone what they thought if Roger had a kid, it was always that they should kill themselves or they're a monster cause they have his blood or deserve the same fate Roger did. Which all those thoughts running through her along with her own, she always wondered if she should have been born, if she should have died like her father and her mother that risked her life for hers. If she even deserves this chance at life.
“What if he doesn’t want me because of who my father is, even if he’s not human or was a past slave?” She asked the blond. Sabo smiled softly at her.
“You’ll only know unless you meet them,” he told her. She could only nod. She doesn’t know what will happen when she meets them. Anything could really happen. They can either accept her or not.
~o~
When Ann sat out, she wasn’t really trying to find her soulmate. She didn’t want to. She didn’t want to risk being rejected by the one person that’s supposed to love and accept her. She doesn’t want to be one of the people that aren’t accepted by their soulmate. Either it’s because of gender or the secret that was written on their skin.
When she headed out, she was heading out for someone's head, Edward Newgate, AKA Whitebeard, her father's rival. It wasn’t because they were rivals, it was to prove, mainly to herself, that she is stronger than her father. Whitebeard was the strong man in the world and when her father was alive, the second strongest. She needed to prove she wasn’t her father, that she was stronger than him, better than him. Even when the world finds out who she is, she can defeat them.
When she finally was able to fight Whitebeard, she was exhausted from fighting Jembi for a week. He easily took her down and took her on his ship, along with her crew, The Spade Pirates. She of course took this chance to kill him on his own ship but the crew didn’t even seem to care, they actually cheered her own. Their captain just slapped her, either into the water or into the railing and walls.
Deuce, her best friend and right hand, would bandage her up when sent to the infirmary. A couple of times, the head doctor would heal her if the wound was that bad. He had healing powers in the form of blue fire. She never asked if they were related to something else, since he was her enemy. She did find out that he was the right hand of the captain which made her realize exactly who he was. He was Marco the Phoenix, known to be the second strongest on the ship.
~o~
She sat on her bunk in the second division courters with only a button-up shirt and panties. She stared at her upper thigh where the secrets were written. She ran a hand over them, feeling the texture on her fingertips. She was still confused about who these secrets could belong to and wondered who had hers written on their skin. She let out a sigh.
The door then opened and she quickly grabbed her pillow and covered her thighs. She looked at the door and saw the pineapple commander. “Ann, you in here yoi?” he asked.
She only sighed before answering back, “Yeah, on my bunk!” He hummed as he walked over to her. She looked up at him as he looked down at her. “Need something birdy?” She asked him.
“Didn’t see ya at breakfast like usual, wanted to see if you were ok,” he told her, concern laced in his voice.
She looked at him confused, “Why would you be worried? I’m not even a part of the crew?”
He chuckled, “Doesn’t mean I can’t worry. Aren’t you trying to take my father's head?” She heard the tease in his voice and it only ticked her off.
“Know that you know I’m ok, how about you fuck off,” She snarled. He patted her head and she whacked his hand away. He only laughed. Marco was a chill guy, not much upset him. Of course, he also loves to tease her when he can, whether that be about the height difference, her freckles, her narcolepsy, or her losses against Whitebeard. It was starting to piss her off. “Why are you so fixated on teasing me, old man?” She finally asked him, irritated.
Marco grinned teasingly, “Cause why not. You can stop me if you want but I doubt you will.” She clenched her jaw. Before even thinking about her being pantless, she stood up and grabbed his shirt's caller. He only grinned.
“I will wipe the shit-eating grin off your face if you don’t stop with the goddamn teasing,” She snapped at him.
He leaned down, close to her face, “Go ahead firefly.” She lost it. She slammed her forehead into his nose, but he didn’t even flinch as fire healed it. She moved back. Marco looked down and saw the writing on her thigh. Ann looked down where his eyes were landed and quickly covered them with the pillow she placed on the bed. “Seeing as you have your soulmate's secret, why aren’t you looking for them yoi?” he asked.
“Because of what my secret is and it’s none of your business what it is,” She snapped. He hummed as he stood up straight. “What about you?’ find yours?” he shook his head. If she was honest, that did surprise her some. Marco was old, well older than her. He’s been on the crew since it first started up, which is like thirty years ago. “Wait, you haven’t found your soulmate yet your years older than me?” Her shock showed in her voice and facial expressions.
Marco chuckled, “Age has nothing to do with finding your soulmate. Lots of people on the crew that are older than you haven’t found theirs.”
She felt curious, “Well why haven’t you found yours?”
He sat down beside her with a sigh, “I’m sure they don’t want to be found, considering what their secret is. Plus they are younger than me. I only got the secret 17 years ago.” Her eyes widened for different reasons. Besides them probably not wanting to be found and being younger, it was how long ago he got. She was seventeen and she’s had hers since birth.
“I know it’s none of my business, but what’s their secret?” She asked. It was only to see if her suspicion was true.
“If I say mine you have to tell me yours,” he told her. She only nodded. Maybe he could help her with the one that had been causing her the most confusion. “Their Roger’s kid.” Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. He looked at her with a raised brow.
“Is that really the secret?” she asked timidly. She didn’t want it to be true but then again, she did. He nodded. “Let me see it, just for proof.” He sighed but nodded. He took off his sash and stood up. He moved his pants down some, just enough for her to see the fire writing on his right hip. Marco was telling the truth. Ann moved the pillow and looked at her thigh, and so did Marco. There was written in neat, cursive writing was her soulmate's secrets.
Marco’s eyes widened when he read them. Ann looked up at him, their eyes meeting. Everything had finally clicked. They were soulmates. They were overjoyed but the secrets that lay bare on the other's skin lay heavy on their minds.
“Your Rogers kid?” His voice was breathy. Ann could only nod. She didn’t want to know what his reaction was to who her father was. What monster's blood ran through her blood, but then again, Marco wasn’t human. Seeing as that was one of his secrets.
Ann moved back on her bed, pulling her legs to her chest. Marco could see the fear in her eyes. His heart hurt to see her that way. Scared to see his reaction to something she so badly wanted to hide but yet was written on his skin.
He had to be honest. He was finally able to find her, he wasn’t just going to let her leave. “I don’t care who your dad is. He has nothing to do with you. You are you.” Ann’s eyes widened, tears threatening to fall. He fixed his pants and his sash fell to the wooden floor. “Ann, your not the only one who didn’t know if they would be wanted,” he told her softly. She looked at him. “I’m not even human and I was a slave. Not many people would want to be connected to someone with such secrets.” Ann moved to the edge of the bed before standing up.
“I don’t care much if you were a past slave. One of my brothers has a past slave as their soulmate too. It only made us hate Celestial Dragons. I hate them even more because they killed him.” He could hear the pain in her voice as she told him about her brother. “The only thing was that the secret of you not being human confused me. I didn’t understand it. Sure there are things like giants, mermaids, and fish-men, but that isn’t something to keep secret. I was even more confused that I got two secrets when you usually only get one. So what are you?” He saw the confusion and curiosity in her eyes.
“Well, I’m a phoenix,” he told her.
“I’m not talking about your fruit powers,” she said.
He sighed. “I don’t have devil fruit powers, Ann. I’m an actual phoenix.” Her eyes widened. “I made up a lie so I could peacefully live with humans. Which is also why I’m surprised that I’m involved with the whole soulmate thing.”
“Wait wait wait, so my soulmate is a bird?” She asked him. He sighed but nodded. She mouthed a ‘wow’ as she ran her hands through her hair.
“So is that bad or good ‘wow’? He asked her nervously.
“I don’t know, that’s like, insane,” she told him, astonished. He couldn’t help but let out a slight chuckle. This was better than her freaking out and saying it’ll never happen because he’s a bird. “How are you then, you know, being a phoenix and all?” she questioned.
“Does this change your answer for accepting me yoi?” he asked. She shook her head. He saw the curiosity written on her face. He sighed before answering, “687 years old.” Ann’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. He laughed at her reaction. She stepped back some but ended up falling on the bed. “Too old for ya?” he teased, but he was anxious.
She shook off her shock before grinning up at him, “You don’t look your age birdy but, I never cared much about age, to begin with.” He hummed but could help the blush that graced his cheeks. “Though, I’m not part of your crew or aligned with it. What would we do about that?” Besides it being a serious question, it came off as a tease. It is probably to lighten the mood about it. “Going to be a bad bird and pursue the enemy?” A smirk graced her pink lips.
He knows she was teasing him, knowing how loyal he was to his captain. Knowing he would never break the rules that Pops placed to keep his children out of trouble, but breaking the rules to be with Ann, he’s sure Pops would let it slide. Their soulmates, Pops wouldn’t keep him from them.
He smirked playfully as he put his hands on the railing of the top bunk, “I’m a pirate, Ann. They're known for breaking rules and laws.”
“Aw, you’d break a rule for me, how cute,” she teased, meeting his eyes.
“Hey, Ann!” Someone yelled at the door, making the two stiffen. Marco stood up and looked over the bunks, seeing Deuce. The bluenette looked at him surprised, “Oh, Commander.” Ann stood up and looked at her friend.
“Hey, need something?” Ann asked him.
“Not really, but Commander Thatch is looking for you,” Deuce told her. Ann hummed. Probably for training. He’s been helping her get stronger to defeat Whitebeard, which was weird since he was his captain.
“Got it,” She said and he left. “Guess I should get dressed,” she said as she leaned down and grabbed his sash before handing it to him.
He took it and put it back around his waist while Ann got a pair of shorts. She put her belt on and then tied her shirt to the length of a crop top. She then looked at Marco. “But seriously, how would this work?” She asked him. He shrugged. She continued, “Cause I’m still going to kill Whitebeard, him being your father or not, and I’m not joining you guys.”
“Well, things might change in the future. Plus not all soulmates get together and we only know. Each other for a couple of weeks,” he said. Ann raised her brows, knowing he had more to say. “Seeing as you're going to be here a while, we can only see where this all goes, but till then, we won’t tell anyone about us being soulmates.” Ann thought about it. He made good points.
She hummed before answering, “Yeah, let’s see where this all heads before anything happens.” Marco only nodded.
Soulmates aren’t always someone who’s supposed to be your lover, they can be your best friend. They could easily just be friend soulmates but to know that is to get to know each other. It’s said that you’ll know what your soulmate is to you within a couple of months of knowing each other.