Let's Go One More Time On An Adventure Together!

Confrontation and Proof

Narrowing his eyes even more, Marco looks at the kid like he's stupid and says.

"That's a load of crap and we both know it. So how about you stop messing around and tell me the truth, brat."

Shaking his head only to stop and hold it from the dizzy spell, Luffy barely keeps from collapsing where he stands before meeting Marco's eyes and saying.

"It's not a lie, and I can prove it to you."

Raising an eyebrow and shifting his weight, Marco gives the kid a dubious look before giving a nod, as if to say go ahead and prove it.

"2, 1, 3."

"And is that supposed to mean something?"

"To everyone else no, but to you, it means everything."

"Oh? And why is that if I may be so bold to ask?"

"2, 1, 3. Two younger, one older, three together."

"Two soulmates younger than you, you being the oldest, and together you could flourish."

With a look of anger, Marco rushes the boy, pinning him to the wall by his throat and demands.

"How do you know that phrase!?"

With a look of pain, Luffy says the phrase one more time, but this time a little differently as tears slowly fill and then fall from his eyes, his voice cracking as he speaks.

"3, 2, 1, Three together happy and whole, two lost protecting the youngest, one left, broken and alone."

Taking another deep breath as tears continue to fall, Luffy says this.

"Forced to sail lest the sacrifice of loved ones now gone be in vail. A goal reached but heart empty where life and wonder used to rein."

"A king, now crowned, but with no one to share success with. All the riches in the world, but with no care for them at all. For all the king wants is his friends. His family. His mates."

"A ghostly king offers a chance. A chance to save the ones the new king loved and lost. A chance to go back and stop it all. One chance, one piece, of a great treasure gives him just that chance."

Releasing Luffy, Marco backs away in shock, which slowly becomes horror mixed with sadness. Dropping to his feet, Luffy sways where he now stands before tipping forward, unable to stay standing on his own any longer. Luffy, not willing to pass out until Marco believes him, says one last thing.

"If you are ever separated from me and are in trouble, go to Tumble Valley. Get to the top of the mountain there you will find a hidden cave that only I know about. Wait there and I will find you. No matter where or when you are, I will always keep you safe. Because even when I didn't know you, my phoenix always knew when you needed me, and I always let you know I was there even when we were far away and hadn't met yet."

With that, Luffy felt his eyes slip closed as his knees buckled and he falls towards the floor of the cave. Only he never hit the ground because Marco shot forward and caught him before he could.

Carefully so as not to irritate the boy's wounds any further, Marco gently lifts the kid into his arms, worried about how light he feels. It's as he goes to stand that he hears something fall to the ground. Looking around, he spots a heart-shaped locket lying open on the ground.

Curious, Marco picks the locket up to look at it only to freeze at the picture looking back at him. It's the right side he stares at in shock. Because looking back at him from within the locket is an older him with a younger male on his left, flipping off the camera and an older Monkey D. Luffy on his right, holding a peace sign as he holds them both close to him in the middle with a smile on his face.

Shock still on his face he turns to look at the boy now in his arms and can easily see that they are one and the same, but it's as he's looking at the boy again that he sees something he missed the first time.

There on his chest are two tattoos, one is a smiling jolly roger with a spotted hat and sword behind it, identical to the one he has on his own chest. The other is an image of Marco in his phoenix form, wings fully on display in a protective stance around his Pop's jolly roger.

Taking another look at the kid, he can see the straw hat and x that match his other tattoo perfectly.