Chapter 36
The day was a pretty normal day for the whitebeard pirates, they were sailing, solid interesting island and stopped to explore, so they explored and explored and explored until the sun started setting, then they set up a party-ish-cookout-thing on the beach, and now Marco and Ace were sparring a bit to entertain everyone as Thatch and a few other Whitebeard pirates cooked up some barbecue.
“Come on kid.” Marco suddenly spoke up, his blue fire Phoenix wings disappearing as he lands on the ground a couple feet away from Ace. “I can tell you’re holding back, show me what you’re truly made of.”
“Don’t do it, Marco!” Masked Deuce’s Voice pierced through the laughter and banter, his eyes glued to the sparring duo. “You’ll get your ass handed to you faster than you can say 'Whitebeard'!”
Marco chuckled, folding his arms. “Oh, come on, Ace. Don’t tell me you’re scared of a little competition from your big brother?”
Ace made a frustrated noise, his eyes going from Marco to Masked Deuce, to Whitebeard, who was watching them from a distance with a knowing smile. He knew that if he didn’t do it, he’d never hear the end of it. So, he took a deep breath and nodded. “Fine, I’ll go all out. But if I win, no one says shit about it again, got it?”
With that he took off his hat, and threw it Masked Deuce, who caught it with ease. “My well wishes and hopes and prayers go out to you, Marco. You’re about to get the ass whooping of your life!” Masked Deuce taunted with a smirk.
Marco’s grin grew wider, and he cracked his knuckles. “Let’s do this, Ace. Don’t hold back, I won’t!”
And with that, it was like a flip with switch in Ace’s entire being, he took a deep breath and let it out as he rolled his neck to pop it, and he was off, lunging at Marco with break neck speed. Marco, not one to be caught off guard, met him halfway, his fists blazing with blue fire as he threw a flurry of punches, aiming to overwhelm Ace with his sheer power and speed.
But as soon as he got into range Ace ducked, no, he didn’t just duck he did the fucking split… ‘this motherfucker did the split!’, before turning his body in an unnatural, ‘bone breaking’ angle, to push himself through Marco‘s legs, then his body upward to wrap his legs around his waist, and fling Marco across the beach, which is the sheer force of his legs.
And Marco will deny to his dying breath like he squashed like a bird when this happened.
Marco crashed into the sand, a plume of dust and debris flying into the air. The other pirates watched in shocked silence, their laughter dying down to gasps of amazement. Even the usually stoic Jozu had his mouth hanging open.
Ace, who was holding himself up with one hand in a handstand from how he literally threw Marco with his legs, bent backwards, his hand never leaving the ground until his feet met the ground, and he straightened himself up again, and he was grinning like a madman.
Ace stretched his arms over his head, and frankly stretched and some poses that should’ve snapped his fucking arms, but it didn’t. “Oh, that felt good. Popped my back when I did that backend flip. Thanks, Marco!” He winked.
Marco groaned as he pushed himself up, sand sticking to his clothes. “Cheeky little shit, using that acrobat shit in a serious fight!”
Ace chuckled, his fiery eyes alight with the thrill of combat. “You’re the one who asked for it, remember?”
Marco dusted himself off, his grin never fading. “True, but I didn’t expect you to pull out the fancy shit like that!”
“I’ve got a lot more surprises than just that, trust me.” Ace said with a cocky smirk, as he cracked his neck from side to side.
Marco’s eyes narrowed as he took in the challenge. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got, Ace. But remember, I’m not going easy on you either!” And with that he shot towards Ace.
Ace waited for him to get close before dropping to the ground, flat on his stomach before kicking his feet up and over his head, landing firmly on the ground in front of his head before sliding seamlessly on the sand, folding himself literally in half, the back of his head touching his back as he seamlessly sliding in between Marco‘s legs before pulling himself up in one swift movement, kicking himself up and holding himself up with one hand in a handstand as he roundhouse kicked Marco with both his feet, sending him flying across the beach once again.
Marco hit the sand again, this time with a thud, and a cloud of dust, “Fuck me, that hurt!” He shouted, his voice echoing over the beach.
Ace's laughter was like thunder in the night as he flipped back onto his feet. “I told you, I’ve been holding back!” He said, his eyes alight with the thrill of the fight.
Thatch had stopped cooking, his mouth hanging open as he watched the display of power and agility. “What the actual fuck?” He murmured, his eyes wide with amazement. “How the fuck! The back of your head touched your fucking small of your back? That’s not human! You’re bending like you have the body of a ragdoll and the strength of a fucking gorilla!”
Ace’s smile grew wider as he watched Marco struggle to get back up. “You’ve got to admit, that was pretty cool, right?”
Marco grunted, pushing himself up to his hands and knees before standing fully. His body was scratched and bruised from the sand and the impacts of Ace’s powerful kicks. “Cool? Cool is a fucking understatement, kid. You’re like a circus acrobat with the strength of a giant!”
Ace chuckled, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Thanks, big brother!”
The other Whitebeard Pirates had gathered around the sparring duo, their eyes wide with amazement and a mix of shock. They had never seen Ace fight like this before. His usual fiery persona was nowhere to be found, replaced with a fluidity and grace that was almost mesmerizing.