Aye. [He signals Natsuno to step closer so he can ruffle his head.] I spent the first few months here thinking Ace and Thatch being alive was all just some fever dream I made in my head. [A weak grin and Marco leans back again.]
Legends have it that phoenixes are pretty solitary creatures. If Ikki's a good frame of reference, that seems pretty true.
It took me... decades to reach even this point, and if I'm not careful, I'll spend months without talking to the crew.
But I'll admit, eh? It's like everything is black and white and shades of grey when I'm alone. It's all filtered. Easier. It just is.
But with the crew around, it's like all the colors come back stronger than ever.
When Thatch died, I dyed my hair black and I'd barely say two words to anyone. [He shakes his head.] I couldn't cry.
Thatch was the first one to teach me how to really talk to people. To trust them with emotions.
It seems silly now, but at the time, I thought if I cried about it then it would be like saying I didn't need him anymore.
We sent Ace to hunt down Blackbeard. [It's a lie, but it's the lie Marco will insist on every damn day till he dies, no matter how much Ace tells the truth of it.] And I stayed to watch my Pops. But for a little while, even though I had people around me, it was like I wanted everything to go back to black.
I guess that's the nicest thing about being a pirate though, eh. No one can you how to react or feel. And even if they try, you can just kick them in the face.
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Legends have it that phoenixes are pretty solitary creatures. If Ikki's a good frame of reference, that seems pretty true.
It took me... decades to reach even this point, and if I'm not careful, I'll spend months without talking to the crew.
But I'll admit, eh? It's like everything is black and white and shades of grey when I'm alone. It's all filtered. Easier. It just is.
But with the crew around, it's like all the colors come back stronger than ever.
When Thatch died, I dyed my hair black and I'd barely say two words to anyone. [He shakes his head.] I couldn't cry.
Thatch was the first one to teach me how to really talk to people. To trust them with emotions.
It seems silly now, but at the time, I thought if I cried about it then it would be like saying I didn't need him anymore.
We sent Ace to hunt down Blackbeard. [It's a lie, but it's the lie Marco will insist on every damn day till he dies, no matter how much Ace tells the truth of it.] And I stayed to watch my Pops. But for a little while, even though I had people around me, it was like I wanted everything to go back to black.
I guess that's the nicest thing about being a pirate though, eh. No one can you how to react or feel. And even if they try, you can just kick them in the face.