Chapter 37
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.
This time Marco didn’t get up so quickly, the hit had winded him and he was seeing stars. “Fuck, kid, where did you learn to move like that?!” He coughed out between breaths.
“Gymnastics!” Ace chirped, flipping back to his feet. “And a bit of everything else Garp threw at me, Sabo, and Luffy growing up.”
Marco stared at him, still trying to catch his breath. The impact of Ace’s kick had sent him tumbling through the air, his body leaving a trail in the sand. He had seen his share of impressive fighters, but the sheer fluidity and unpredictability of Ace’s movements were something else entirely. The young pirate’s smile grew wider as he watched Marco struggle to stand up.
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? YOUR HEAD TOUCHED THE SMALL OF YOUR BACK! You’re bending like you have the body of a ragdoll and the power of a fucking cannon!”
Ace’s smile grew wider like a pleased cat. “You’ve got to admit, that was pretty cool, right?”
Marco, still lying in the sand, could only grumble a response. “Yeah, yeah, it was cool. Now, can you maybe stop trying to kill me in one move?”
“I have a better idea!” Izou piped up from his beach chair, “Do that move again, but slower… and You Know, not with Marco in the way, I wanna see it without the bird in the way of my view!”
The other pirates chuckled, and Ace gave a dramatic sigh, but the twinkle in his eye showed he was eager to show off. He took a couple of steps back and nodded. “Alright, once more with feeling!”
He took a deep breath before doing the move again, but slower this time, slow enough as if it was a demonstration so everyone could see every bin, every kick, everything about the move as he dropped 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 an imaginary persons 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 the imaginary person with both of his feet.
The Whitebeard Pirates watched in amazement, some of them had seen him fight before but none of them had seen him go all out. It was like watching a deadly dance, a mix of elegance and power that was truly mesmerizing. His movements were so fluid it was like he was made of liquid fire.
“That’s what the fuck you hit me with!” Marco exclaimed, finally finding his feet. The air was charged with anticipation as the pirates gathered closer, their eyes glued to Ace. Even the legendary Whitebeard himself had stopped his conversation to watch the scene in front of him unfold.
“Cool Right!” Ace said with a laugh, dropping out of his handstand into a roll before popping to his feet like a bedspring, dusting himself off.
“Yeah, like a fucking contortionist demon from hell!” Thatch said, his eyes still wide with shock.