Chapter 42
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 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… THE BACK OF HIS HEAD TOUCHED 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.
The crowd of whitebeard pirates went silent. No one had ever seen anyone move like that. It was as if Ace’s body had no bones, as if he was made of pure, liquid fire. They had known he was powerful, of course, but to see him in action was something else entirely. Even Whitebeard himself looked impressed, his eyes gleaming with pride.
Marco landed with a thud, a plume of sand rising around him. Marco didn’t get up quickly, the hit had winded him and he was seeing stars. “Fuck, kid, what the actual fuck was that?” he coughed out, his voice a mix of shock and awe. Ace just chuckled, landing gracefully on the balls of his feet, “Gymnastics!” Ace chirped.
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.
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 groaned as he pushed himself up to his knees, brushing sand off his face. “Cool? It was fucking terrifying! I’ve never seen anyone fight like that before.”
“Well, if you think that’s scary you don’t wanna see me, Sabo, and Luffy fight together. The three of us fight the exact same way.” Ace said casually, as if discussing the weather.
Marco’s eyes widened. “Three of you? That’s insane. What kind of monsters did Garp spawn?” He managed to get out before getting to his feet, shaking off the last of the shock.
Whitebeard chuckled, his laughter booming over the beach. “Aye, Garp’s taught all his grandkids well. The three of you are quite the handful. And now, Ace, show them the real deal. I want to see what that old bastard had taught you!”
Ace’s eyes gleamed with determination, and his body ignited into flames as he took on a more serious stance. The crowd of pirates backed away, creating a wider circle around the two fighters. The air grew tense as the flames grew higher, casting an eerie glow over the beach.
Marco took a moment to assess his opponent, his gaze never leaving Ace’s fiery form. He knew Ace was holding back, but the sheer power he had just witnessed was daunting. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his wings reappearing with a crackling sound as the blue fire danced around him.
Ace watched him intently, his entire body relaxed like he was water, his shoulders slumped, his stance easy-going and relaxed, but his eyes, oh his eyes, they were sharp as a hawk’s, focused and deadly as he suede slightly.
Marco took a deep breath and then charged at Ace again, this time with the full force of his phoenix zoan form, his fist ablaze with blue fire. Ace stayed still, watching him approach as a Cheshire cat grin slowly spread across his face. As Marco got closer and closer until he was just mirror inches apart and Ace dropped again, no, he didn’t just drop, he did the fucking split… ‘This motherfucker did the split!’, to dodge Marco’s punch before turning his body in an unnatural, ‘bone breaking’ angle, his hands pressed firmly on the ground as he pushes himself up with enough force to somehow get above Marco, using the force he used to send him himself in the air to twist his body around, as be fell, landing on Marco‘s shoulders, and he didn’t waste any time locking his legs around Marco‘s neck and head, leaning backwards and pulling the man with him until his hands hit the sand and he he flung him Marco across the beach, which is the sheer force of his movements.
Marco groaned as he rolled to his side, the impact of the throw knocking the wind out of him again. He coughed out a mouthful of sand and looked up at Ace, who had landed lightly on his feet a few meters away. “How the hell are you that flexible?” Marco asked, genuinely curious.
Ace shrugged, “I could either tell you or you could guess?… but, i’ll give you a hint. I’m legally considered a weapon.”
Marco stared at Ace for a moment before bursting out into laughter, the tension breaking. “You’re insane, Ace. Pure fucking insane!”
“Why I’m not lying!” Ace grinned back, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “I’m a triple black belt in jujutsu, muya thai, jubo, taw kwon do, karate, kung fu, Soryu-style martial arts, and capoeira martial arts!” He exclaimed proudly, puffing out his chest.
Marco just stared at him, his mind racing to comprehend the sheer amount of training that would have taken. “Triple black belt? In all of those? At your age?” He finally managed to get out.