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All Spades, Straw Hats, and those invited, we need a full crew meeting immediately, off the ships.

To all other crews, my name is Marco. Do not touch a certain fireball named Ace. If you can avoid him, please do, but consider him extremely temperamental and volatile. That is not a challenge, it's a warning. He's not in his usual state of mind, and if confronted, he will try to kill you. And if you lay a hand on my baby brother, I'll kill you. So just leave him alone, and if you need help dealing with him, contact me here.

Are any other crew's members acting out of sorts?

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[is one of the first to meet up with him, standing tall and looking passive, waving over any of the crew or Straw Hat crew that decide to come over. Casually whistles in Phoenix:]

The hell is going on?

[Whistles right back, rather glad that no one else is around who knows it.]

Ace is seeing things.

I thought he was just trying to pick a fight, but his haki is wrong. In his last moment of clarity he took his skiff and left.

Did he say anything to you?

[damn. Damn. Damn. He doesn't like this at all. That Ace bolted was one thing. It could be misdirected anger but that his haki was off? That was serious. Thatch folds his arms behind his head and shifts his weight, keeping his expression just on this side of boredom]

Asked me which one of us was saying it. I don't get it.

[and after a moment]

Should have doublechecked that damn sail, though. Sorry.

Saying what?

Thatch, shut up about the god damned sail. NO ONE CARES ABOUT A SAIL! [Whacks Thatch in the head with a wing.] Besides Ace cracked his own deck with haki in his temper, it's not about about the stupid sail.

Hey! Watch the hair! [damnit! Even if it wasn't about a stupid sail he should have seen to it and there was no excuse for Marco attack his hair like that]

I don't know--

[switches}

I don't know what. He just started railing at me about it. Why the hell was he using haki, anyway?

[Awww stupid Thatch. How the hell are you so worried about letting that dumbass down?]

[Marco tugs him into a rough clingy hug and leans his chin over Thatch's shoulder.]

Because he's seeing things? I don't know. I grabbed him by the throat and he flipped out. And I don't mean a usual Ace flip out. I've seen a dozen of those. And it wasn't like he was trying to assert his roles as Captain either.

Thatch, he was scared of himself. When I had him on the ground, he realized what he was doing and that's what made him take off.

I'm worried mate.

In all the years he and I've been fighting, and even all the time after your memory, he's never been like that.

What could get into his head like that?

[the hug is unexpected and even more worrying. Marco is troubled and his words only confirm it. If Marco's worried-- If Marco's this worried-- How had it happened? It was just out of the blue. Had Ace been chewing on something and none of them noticed? Granted he'd been neck deep in new recruits but he should have noticed something. Wasn't he the one who was supposed to be prepared for things like this? How could he have let it slip under his radar?

Though at the last question a single word slips unbidden into Thatch's mind.

darkness.

A chill goes through him and he forces himself not to shiver.]

Don't worry, chickadee. We'll work it out.

[Marco doesn't let go. He's shook up. He's wondering all the same things Thatch is. Was it something going on over a month? How could it be this out of the blue? With Luffy around, Marco thought Ace was doing better. More cheerful. Even his birthday had "only" ended with a minor revolution and the theft and crash of that weird aircraft.]

[But this...]

[Even Ace couldn't address what was wrong.]

[Or didn't.]

Let me know if someone else arrives. [Because then Marco will be in full command. But until then, he's just gonna lean on Thatch.]

Aye.

[For his part he's going to remain as he is, standing with his hands in his pockets as if he doesn't have a care in the world. He tries not to stare too hard at the Moon. He'll just have to try harder next time. Be more vigilant]