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It happens as Ace wakes up from whatever had put him in the infirmary on this strange ship, the memories as to what had happened. The five day long battle with Jinbei and the way Whitebeard had been able to knock him out in one hit was enough to have him sitting up in the cot hissing and spitting like a wild cat.
The doctor that comes to check up on him is familiar, in a way that suggests he had seen the other man at one point. Letting his eyes glide down, he sees the beginning of a chest tattoo which does give away who he is.
Hissing, Ace gets out of the cot, feeling a hand catch his bare forearm before both of them freeze as the memories take over their thoughts.
Ace is the first one to recover, his eyes wide as he realizes what this meant. What the memories fresh on his mind mean, and how this hadn’t been how he had expected this to go. Not with the most loyal followers of the man he swore to kill to make a name for himself. White it isn’t something Ace does a lot, he turns tain and runs further into the ship. Had he been any clearer in mind he would know that this was the worst he could do right now. But he didn’t care, he needed to put some distance between him and Marco the Phoenix, between him and his soulmate.
Once locked into what seems like an unused storage room, Ace takes a few deep breaths and tries to remember what Sabo had told him and Luffy once; about soulmates and what happened once you met them. How the touch of your skin would show you their memories, everything they had gone through in their life and how it made them into the person they were today.
Clutching at his head as the memories he knew were Marco’s sorted themselves, he knew he had seen his life too. Marco would know who he was, just because of the things he had been through. That was the thing he hated the most, he didn’t want to be linked to the man that had been his father. Didn’t want his soulmate to know even, that was if Marco still wanted anything to do with him.
Part of Ace was sure that several of the commanders would come storming through that door to toss him into the ocean, Whitebeard and his strongest commanders not willing to have someone as Ace on board their ship.
He sat there in fear for a time, not even starting on the memories he now had, not seeing a use of that if this was how he ended. Sabo and his goodbye went through his mind, at least with Sabo they had known. Whatever happened now, Luffy would never know what happened to Ace. Which was inherently worse to him, he who promised Luffy he wouldn’t die. He wanted to make a name for himself, even if he hated himself to the point that maybe death would be the better option in the end.
But it never came, Marco didn’t come after him. Didn’t come storming in with a group of commanders or other members of the crew to toss him overboard. While not at ease, Ace did relax somewhat, leaning against the wall as he tried to make sense of the memories he now held. Remembering how Marco had been an orphan to a woman who entertained men that came to the harbor of whatever town they had been living in.
Close to the sea, he had wanted to set out as long as he could remember, only to be tricked by a slaver who lured young lads and lasses on his ship to sell them in Marigeose. Making sure that they were interesting for whatever World Noble would buy them. Being given unknown devil fruit to feed to the slaves and see what it did to them. Marco’s devil fruit had been a trial for the pleasure of others, enough that he at least had that going for him now after the months at sea where he was left to his own devices laughed at as he dreamed of a life at sea instead of caged.
Pure chance had it that Whitebeard and his skeleton crew had come across the slaver’s ship and laid it to waste. He had saved all the young ones, his eyes falling on Marco and the seastone that shackled him.
Marco’s reaction was one Ace could recognize, angsty and feral after everything that had happened to him on this ship. He didn’t want to be caged by another.
But he wasn’t, Whitebeard only unshackled him, before offering his hand in friendship. Marco didn’t accept at first, which was shocking as everyone and their mother knew just what role he had on the Moby Dick.
It was refreshing in a way, even for Ace, to know that Whitebeard, most trusted, hadn't thrusted him in the start. It had been a process of several weeks as the former slaves were on board of the Moby Dick and got to know its crew that some of them decided to stay. Marco had been one of them, even if he was still obviously not certain if he wanted to stay on the ship, but his previous dream of sailing got to him and had him stay.
Things spiraled from there, to the point that Marco soon didn’t want to leave. He was young, too young to be on a ship really, but he thrived under the care of Whitebeard. It almost made Ace want to just give in and ask if he could stay too. Only for his own self-doubt to tell him he wouldn’t be allowed as soon as they knew.
Looking at the door now and again, he didn’t know what happened, only realizing he had fallen asleep when he woke up again in the morning. There was food set just inside the door, obviously left by someone on the crew. He almost didn’t want to touch, until his stomach reminded him that he was hungry and needed to eat.
He took the time to heal, and to go through the memories now his own, to know what kind of crew the Whitebeard Pirates were. They obviously cared enough for someone like Ace to leave him food.
It continued even when he tried to get to Whitebeard, tried to kill the Old Man and failed for weeks on end.
Marco never interfered either, keeping to the sidelines and following Ace with his eyes when no one else was watching. He didn’t follow him or come looking for him. Although Ace did think that he was the one who left food out for him because of the blue feather he found on a tray once.
Marco no doubt knew that Ace collected keepsakes as a child, feathers from either his kills or that he found in the forest. A tooth of a tiger he killed, and a claw from an eagle he had to take out when it got Luffy in its claws. He was never pushed though, both of them keeping a distance, until one night months into his endeavor, when Marco came to bring him a bowl of stew personally while Ace stayed seated against the railing.
It was as Marco turned to leave, that Ace spoke, “Why do you call him Oyaji?”
Marco turned back, looking over his shoulder at Ace, “You know why -yoi.”
Licking his lips, Ace looked at his soulmate, “I know why you call him that, what he did for you to be able to call him that. But I don’t know why the others do. Why is there a crew of over 1600 people willing to follow a man when I don’t know why.”
He’s surprised when Marco turns around and takes a seat, “Because he’s willing to call us his children, willing to look beyond who our parents are or what we went through and welcoming us with open arms despite everything -yoi. He sees it, when people need a family, just as he saw it in you.”
The smile he gets takes his breath away, leaving Ace to sit there and contemplate on what he needs to do now. He had seen several of his Spades on the ship, seemingly being assimilated by the Whitebeards, the easy smile on their faces something that thugs on Ace’s heart.
He takes his time though, talking with several others, including Deuce, Thatch and Haruta. Making his to Whitebeard’s room once he’s totally certain as to what he wants, knocking before entering, getting a joked ‘that’s not the correct way to start a murder attempt, son’ thrown at his head that makes him smile.
“I’m not here for that…”
He sees the old man settle down out of the corner of his eye, sees him opening his bottle of sake which had him shaking his head, “Marco isn’t going to like that you drink so much… Oyaji.”
It has the old man blinking, before a smile appears on his face, “So Marco did tell me the truth, he found his soulmate not too long ago.”
Blinking at that, Ace tilted his head, “He didn’t tell you at once?”
Laughter comes from Whitebeard as he shakes his head, “Despite what people believe, Marco is very much his own man, despite being my first mate. He did tell me he found his soulmate and that he hoped he would stay here. Telling me that you had something to tell me before you could do so, I’m assuming that’s why you’re here now.”
Knowing that his soulmate didn’t tell on him, Ace swallowed, “What would you do if Gol D. Roger had a child?”
He’s expecting the same reaction he got all his life, what he doesn’t expect is for Whitebeard to start laughing, “That’s the big secret? Brat, I knew you were his the moment I saw your first bounty poster, you’re too alike for those of us who knew him. But it doesn't matter, I’m glad a part of him survived despite the marines trying their best to make sure that doesn’t happen, we’re all children of the sea on this ship. Even the child of my worst enemy would be welcome here without any doubt.”
A heavy hand settles on his shoulder, “That isn’t what you’re used to hearing…”
Ace shakes his head, “No… No it isn’t… I was scared that Marco would care, that he would hate me for it.”
“You forget that a large portion of my crew met Roger in his prime, they knew what he really was - which was a child at heart, who wanted to change the world for the better and be free enough that at least his freedom wasn’t something they couldn’t take away from him.”
Whitebeard continued, “Marco liked the man, and he liked the woman who I think became your mother more. To know that the two of you ended up together would be something that Rouge especially would love.”
Smiling softly, Ace looks at the man he would call captain now, “Can you tell me about her, my mom?”
The way he posed his question must tell the man that she isn’t alive anymore. That he lost her too, he nods, before adding, “Marco would love to tell you about her too. She looked after him, and Roger’s two brats, whenever she believed we took things too far.”
With a trembling lip, Ace nodded, standing and thanking Oyaji for what he told him. Not going for Marco at that point, but looking for Izou to get a tattoo on his back to show the world who he belonged with now.
As he went looking for Marco after that, it was as if he knew what was coming, a soft smile on his face as he pulled Ace close to congratulate him. Letting Ace set the pace as he pressed their lips together, the crew catcalling and cheering for both Ace’s acceptance at his spot on the ship and his way of accepting (that first kiss stayed on his mind for a long time after that).