Twist of Fate

17. The Storm and the Calm Thereafter

Surprise! I'm not dead! It just took... almost seven months?! Wow! Where does the time go? So sorry about taking so long to update, guys. I didn't intend for it to take MONTHS to get this chapter up. *sigh* When life gives you lemons, make grape juice and have everyone wonder how you did it. So I hope the wait was worth it!

I do not own One Piece.

"Luffy's on the fishmen's ship!" the long nosed kid's yell sent Marco into action.

He ignored Thatch's shout of disbelief, and immediately transformed into his phoenix form. It had been a while since the fishmen left, and he had to hurry. Every second he lost was a second Luffy was in imminent danger. He couldn't waste any time.

He flew into the sky with a speed he rarely ever used, and ascended higher and higher until he felt he was at an altitude where he could spot the ship easily. There was a ship off in the northeastern direction, and he took off after them. They were a good distance away now, but Marco knew he could catch up to them in no time flat.

He glared furiously at the ship. Words could not express how enraged he was with the fishmen. He had grown to love the small, straw hatted kid like a little brother. Marco could not, and would not, be held accountable for his actions if any of them even so much as looked at Luffy funny.

"AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUHHH!" came Luffy's scream when Marco got close enough to hear what was going on. His blood ran cold as he heard the cracking of a whip followed by more of Luffy's screaming. The fishmen did nothing more than laugh at the boy's torment.

Marco's rage went up to a new level, and he dive bombed once he was directly over the ship. He saw one fishman holding a whip while he stood over Luffy's small form. The poor kid was shirtless so his bare back could be exposed to the whip, and he had several lashes that were bleeding profusely. His wrist were tethered to the deck, forcing Luffy to hunch forward. His straw hat was being held by another fishman as he taunted the brat.

Marco narrowed his eyes in fury, and specifically aimed for the fishman holding the whip. He attacked with such force that he sent both of them crashing through the deck, and into the storage room below. He changed back into his human form, and glared daggers at the unconscious fishman under him.

"What the hell was that?!" he heard a shout from above.

"I don't know, but I really hope it's not what I think it is." Came the worried voice of one of the occupants above. Marco jumped through the hole, and landed on the deck.

All the fishmen went silent, and gaped at Marco. Marco felt his flames act up as he stared back at all of them. He wanted nothing more than to set each and every one of them on fire, and watch as they writhed in agony. Luffy's condition came first, however. He shifted his gaze over to the small, quivering child. His enraged expression changed to that of concern and sympathy, and he forced his flames to dissipate.

He walked over to Luffy's side. He placed a gentle hand on the kid's head, and the brat flinched at Marco's touch. It took all of Marco's will power to not go berserk on the ones that hurt him.

"Shhhh. It's okay, now. I'm here." Marco said in a soothing voice. Luffy slowly looked up at Marco in disbelief. His eyes were red and puffy, while tears were constantly streaming down his face. His bottom lip quivered as he continued to cry.

"M-M-Marco?" Luffy croaked out in a hoarse voice.

The constant screaming and crying had apparently taken a toll on his voice. Marco wanted to hold the brat tightly in his grip and never let go. He gave his best encouraging smile, and set about to untying Luffy's wrists. Luffy threw himself at the Whitebeard Commander once he was free, and cried into Marco's shirt. Marco wrapped his arms around the small boy. His sleeves were being soaked in blood, but he didn't care at the moment. Luffy needed comfort after the ordeal he went through.