piratejournal | [Voice & Written]

Well logically speaking if you're going for notoriety, hunting down the marines is the worst idea. Strictly speaking tactics, you're far better off terrorizing the people you find because they'll contact the marines for you.

I'm not really sure what makes a person strong. I can't really say. I'm not really sure anyone can answer that empirically.

Pops was the strongest.

That ever lived, so far as I'm concerned.

I hope you get a chance to meet him someday.

[He takes a deep breath, and just completely sprawls out in the forest for a bit, letting all the LIIIIIIFE feelings overwhelm him, even though the same effect is also enough to almost make him want to throw up. It's a lot on a phoenix.]

He was undefeatable. That's why. The Pirate King, Roger, couldn't defeat him either. No one could. And the more infamous he got for that, the more people wanted to kill him to take his place and prove they were the strongest. But they couldn't, because we wouldn't let 'em, and because he was too strong.

One rookie came close you know. But when the kid realized how thoroughly outmatched he was, you know what he did? He told his crew to run away and tried to sacrifice himself as a distraction to Pops. Sacrifice himself as penance for his pride in trying to kill Oyaji.

So you know what Pops did?

[Natsuno is just listening to the story.]

No, I really don't know.

Asked him to be his son and join the crew!

[LAUGHS.]

You should have seen the look on the kid's face.

He was so shocked. And pissed. He totally refused.

But then he passed out unconscious. And his crew were too loyal to actually leave him there, and they still wanted to fight. [Another laugh.] So we knocked 'em out and brought 'em all on board.

Oh man, ask Thatch sometime about when that kid first woke up. Thatch was the first one to talk to him. All I remember was his growly aura. Like a feral cat, you know? I was sure he was going to bite the wood.

We gave him the choice of taking his crew and getting off, or joining, since Pops offered. But he didn't take either option. He said he still wanted to fight Pops.

So every day, without any warning at all, that kid just kept on trying! He tried everything! Knives, giant axes, suicidal cannonball attacks, it was pretty damn creative, actually.

We started taking bets too on how long it'd take before the kid gave up.

See, we all knew the kid didn't hate Pops, he just wanted to be the strongest in the world. But he was like a man possessed, yoi. The idea that he could still prove himself the strongest and join the crew at the same time took a long time for him to really reconcile. [Soft happy grin. He knows now why, of course, but at the time it had seemed hilarious. And it's still funny so far as Marco is concerned.] He's a really stubborn guy, that Ace.

[It is a funny story, and he might have gotten a small chuckle on Natsuno's end. He'd deny it though.]

Hey, Marco. Is Ace really that hated? He told me that once, that at home he's really hated. I don't really see why. I like him well enough.

[It's a tough question actually.]

[The people who hate Ace don't hate Ace at all. They fear and hate the idea of the pirate King's son. They hated a child who wasn't born, whom they tried to make sure would never be born, whom they tried to make sure paid for another man's crimes.]

[But Marco hates them more than they will ever hate Ace for that.]

[Would he love Ace as much as he does if Ace hadn't been so hated? If Ace hadn't gone through all that pain?]

[Marco doesn't know, because maybe Ace would be an entirely different person. Maybe they all would.]

There are two people I can say definitively are more beloved than anyone else of all time. It is not an exaggeration to say literally millions knew them and loved them more than we can ever tell them. Or show them.

[Even now, in his semi-drunk flower-intoxicated phoenix haze, he can clearly remember every single one of the thousands who all recognized the call to save Ace and came running. Willing to risk their dreams, their future, their friends and family, just to save Ace.]

[But of course the other side were those who put him in the position where he needed saving.]

Ace is one of the most loved people you will ever be lucky enough to meet. And rightfully so. Oh, he's stubborn, he's reckless, and he's a pain in the ass of a baby brother, but I would lay everything on the line, all of my other siblings, all of my friends, everyone I could, just for him, if he needed it. And anyone who's met him? I wouldn't even have to ask them twice. They'd come running. They'd be mad at me for not calling and asking their help sooner.

Our Pops is the strongest man in the world. A pirate emperor in his own right with the strongest crew, and the most islands under his protection.

Another pirate emperor only met Ace once, and he adored that kid so much he came and yelled at Pops for how we were treating him. He risked a war that could have literally destroyed the world, just for Ace. [And then they made him go up against another pirate emperor because fucking Shanks man.]

If I could show you how many people love him, absolutely adore him, would do anything for him... I would. There's literally millions. It's crazy. He can meet people just once and they love him. And I love him for that. I always will.

The only other person that beloved is my Pops, of course. And Pops is seventytwo, not just barely twenty. He's had a lot longer to meet those millions and earn their affection, eh?

I wouldn't let myself be first mate to anyone else. I barely did with Ace, but I really do love him that much. Enough to do anything, no matter how much I resist it.

People who knew Pops and Ace, people who matter to me, they all love 'em. They're the ones who would line around the world, and we'd break the world if it would help either of them.

But you have to realize, the world is a big place. Even if every person Ace ever met loved him, there's only so many out of billions he could run around trying to shake hands with.

My Pops had the largest funeral in the world. Millions came, and the rest who couldn't make it because the island wouldn't even fit them all, still sent letters and flowers and notes, and the rest.

[He trembles and gulps hard.] But all around the world, while I was burying him with the help of friends and the rest of his huge family, people celebrated the death of a man they called a monster. They rejoiced and threw parties. They said "Finally Whitebeard's reign of terror is over." They said "Finally we're free." "Finally we don't need to worry anymore." Millions of us mourned, but billions of them celebrated.

No one who met my Pops celebrated. Even his enemies, even those who defeated him, still mourned his loss. Because they knew what it meant. Whitebeard, Pops, was a lot of things, but even his enemies respected him.

The thing is, Ace and Pops aren't people to those who never met them. You will never meet someone more loved, and they've always earned every ounce of loyalty they've gotten and then some. But to those idiots who celebrated, to those idiots who hate Ace or Pops, they didn't hate a kid with fiery freckles and a smile brighter than the sun. They hated some phantom idea they made in their head of a scary criminal they could pin their troubles on. They didn't hate the most loving and strongest man in the world, they hated a man so gentle and careful he wouldn't use his earthquakes without making precise measurements, but they blamed any earthquakes on him because it was easier than blaming themselves for digging their mines too deep.

Aye, Natsuno. Portgas D. Ace is a name no one in our world has not heard by now. And a lot of people might spit on it.

But do me a favor, always remember that he couldn't be in better company. I wish he could remember better that those of us who love him matter a billion times more than they ever will, but at least I can say whether he's hated or not, it just puts him right up there with Edward Newgate, the only other best man as equally feared and beloved, eh?

And no matter what Ace tells you, tell him right back he's got sixteen hundred brothers who'd do anything for him, that's a lot better than any of those other assholes have, right?

Everyone in my family is pretty well hated. Thatch can be a fucking prick even on a good day, Namur's a god damn shark, half of us are monsters of some caliber or another, and the rest of us are freaks of another kind. Sometimes we're hated for some pretty good reasons. You haven't seen me get vengeance, but believe me, it's not pretty. And sometimes we're hated just because we're born. But the one thing I know most, Pops adopted us all because he loved us. And we all love each other. I'd rather have all the love of my family than ever worry what the rest of the world thinks. Hell, I don't really like the rest of the world, so maybe that's the difference. Ace wants to like them and I want to hate them. And I do hate them. I'm not as nice as Ace. But all the same, even if I only ever had just my Pops' love, I know I've always been a lot better for it.

Ace too. When he stopped trying to kill the old man, he became Pops' number two defender, right after me. And that's when we got to see him smile.

So what do you think? If you could make that kind of choice; the hatred of billions for the love of millions, would you? Ace didn't choose it, it chose him. And like I said, I wish he'd let us outweigh the others.

Mah, maybe he'll come around if we start tackling him with hugs everyday.

[He's quiet for a moment as he's trying to picture this kind of thing, but hasn't he seen Ace's charisma for himself? He can see it, people liking him when they meet him. He could suppose that Ace could be feared too. This crew has gone to great lengths to protect each other.]

I kind of get it, I mean when you meet Ace. I kind of get what you're saying. That kind of choice though, I can't really imagine it. Knowing that many people, or being known by that many people...it goes beyond something I could understand.

I can't really say what he's thinking when it comes to that. Whether you guys outweigh those that don't like him. For one thing, I don't have that kind of connection to people in general, and for another, it was sort of the opposite for me.

[There's a small tapping noise as he taps his fingers.]

Oh, I'm sorry you lost your Pops. [He's not surprised he forgot his manners in this regard, but he really should check them. If he was offering condolences at home, he'd never stop saying it. It would be meaningless.]

I think I'll leave the hugging to people more qualified such as yourself.

Ahhhh shit. Stupid stupid spring-spring.

Don't tell Ace about Pops though. Ever. Shit. I better make sure I tape this all up or something.

Mah... when it comes to Ace, punching him and saying "I LIKE YOU STUPID" is just as good sometimes. He's a little slow, like I said.

I know it weighs on him more than he wants it to though, eh? Because he's slow.

Fuck where is he on this island anyway? I need to make him a flower crown.

[Marco get a grip.]

I wasn't going to. I know as well as anyone that it's a touchy subject.

[He might be smiling, just a little bit.]

Now, punching I am familiar with. Although I'm not sure how much weight it has coming from me.

[He follows it with the most melancholy sigh and there's a flop as he lies down in the crow's nest.]

I can't help you find him with all that stuff around, but he's around somewhere. I'm sure he'd love one of your flower crowns from the evil island.

That's okay, he's been teaching you punching, right? So any punch from you will come with the benefit of a student showing his progress to the teacher.

I'll make him a red orange one.

He did awhile ago, but what he teaches me these days is how to work my pistol.

[He pauses for a moment, giving his head a shake. Seriously Tohru, get out of his head. He refuses to laugh at something Tohru would have turned into a double entendre.]

I haven't done much hand to hand combat since you and I had a lesson last. Mostly I've been working with the sword, and a little bit with my pistol. Based on the last fight, I'd say I have long hours of practice ahead of me.

All the more reason to use Ace as punching bag.

In the efforts of reminding him he's loved.

I like this plan. It's going places. [Marco shut up.]

Oh, sure, I bet punching him will take me places alright, when he kicks me off his ship.

[Natsuno rolls his eyes a little.]

I suppose if that happened I might be able to manage now. As long as I don't come here.

I won't let him kick you off. Just remember you have to say the thing when you punch him, otherwise it won't work right.

Do I really have to? Tohru never made me say anything and I punched him in the head all the time.

[He huffs a little.]

He deserved it too.

Well, okay, then you can just punch him, but you were the one worried about being exiled.

Well if I get exiled, I will just deal with it.

[He doesn't know what he'd do, but if it happens, he'll make plans then.]

[The talking was definitely helping keep his mind off of things but he shivers.]

Uh, do you have another story or something?

[Natsuno would share his, but they're all depressing. And they all end the same way, or close to it.]

One time, Thatch, Atomos, Ace and I pinned Jozu to the ceiling as a disco ball.

It was awesome.

Wait. You don't know Jozu.

Okay he's made of diamond. And also five times my size, so this was really quite an effort. Not to mention trying to get that done before he woke up and finding a way to make sure he wouldn't break the ceiling trying to get free.

Hm. [Natsuno lets it out as a slight laugh. He tries to think and then snaps his fingers.]

I know, I can tell you how Tohru and I met. It's relatively amusing, as long as you're not well, me.

So we had just moved into Sotoba and I was taking the roads through the village on my bike and I got a flat tire. So I walk along the road and this guy is standing there, watering his lawn. He smiles and waves and tries to get my attention. Course, I don't want to talk to this guy, I mean, kinda weird isn't it?

[Tohru was too friendly for his own good. Literally.]

So I walk past him and he grabs the back tire of the bike and tells me that he'll fix it for me. Now I don't believe him, but he refuses to let go so I let him. Sure enough he has a repair kit and he fixes it right up. He asks for my name and I told him the usual thing, call me Yuuki or Koide. I never really cared which. He tells me, no, that's too confusing and to give him my first name.

I ignore him and walk away. So then I'm back down there a couple days later, walking my bike because again the roads are bad and the tire's out. I stopped in front of his house, I was just curious to see if he was out watering the grass again when he opens the door, points at me and says 'Natsuno', with the biggest grin, like he's come up with it or something.

[He smiles a little fondly.]

Truthfully though, he asked my mother.

[An eyeroll.]

[A laugh.] He sounds like an interesting guy.

Wanna know about the first time I met Thatch?

Yeah he was interesting, for sure. That's one way you could put it.

[He nods, but Marco can't see him.]

Sure.

How would you put it?

I met him as a bird. Back then I was still a little bit wild. I didn't trust people, I didn't want to deal with people, and I very often didn't bother.

I went down to the cargo hold one day and there was this stowaway. But it was the strangest thing.

Back in those days there were a lot of rumors about my Pops' pet. The great phoenix, eh? So when the man started trying to lure me over with sunflower seeds, I figured he was some idiot after Pops' head and trying to use me as bait. But he said everyone was Whitebeard's son, and I must be too.

[He's quiet for a moment. It's strange to him. Even now. Thatch never once had trouble reconciling both sides of him. Human, phoenix, and better still, Thatch always bridged the distance to the other side.] Ah, you have to understand. I was Whitebeard's first son, but not everyone knew it. And back in those days, I had that bad habit of not dealing with most people, like I said. So there were plenty of people who never realized I was a man. [Right, that's why Thatch had chided him about Roxas. One day he'll need to be more upfront but...]

[Sometimes it's nice just being a bird.]

[And it's not like he ever truly stops being one.]

So here this stowaway is, feeding me sunflower seeds and yet still treating me like a friend, like a person. I knew he wouldn't be able to understand anything I said to him like that, but I kept listening so I could figure out his plan. He wanted to join the crew, but because we already had a swordsman he didn't think he could do anything. And as he put it, I didn't exactly need a bird handler.

So I decided to keep him secret until he could make up his mind. [A small laugh.] It's funny actually. I think I adopted him as a pet at first, even though I was the one in bird form. I'd bring him down food and I made him a little hideaway, and told everyone else I had it.

And then he started copying my whistles and trying to learn to talk with me back, and I knew right then and there I loved him no matter what.

[He listens to the story, pauses to mull over the question before answering.]

I would describe Tohru as being overly nice. Too nice, really. He was friends with everyone, and I mean everyone. He was the kind of guy that smiled all the time. Tohru was nothing like me.

He, uh...

[He pauses, swallowing a bit.]

His family seemed to understand that about him. They didn't seem to mind having people hanging around. I should know, I was over there quite frequently, as much as my studies would allow. He let me come over whenever I wanted. Sometimes we played video games together, or I read while he did that.

We spent a lot of time together. He knew all kinds of lore from the village and he told me about it. Stupid stories really. He ignored me when I deserved it, he teased me relentlessly and he refused to call me anything but Natsuno, so I called him Tohru-chan to get him back, basically calling him a little kid.

I'm not sure when it became less teasing and just what we called each other. He was my best friend.

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