The Marine Demon's War Diary

Big changes for the Marine

POV: Marco the Phoenix

Location: Somewhere in the New World.

Deep in a dark cave, Marco let out a long sigh. It had been several days since the war in Marineford had officially ended, thanks to the appearance of the Red Head. Unofficially, the Navy continued to relentlessly hunting down the survivors of Whitebeard's fleet.

In order to escape for a few days, Marco and the rest of the crew took refuge on an uninhabited and inhospitable island. This island was called "Hellti Island". As its name suggested, living on this island would be a living hell. The weather conditions were both unstable and violent. It was impossible to wake up to a heatwave, and then seconds later, a rainstorm could descend on the island. The fauna that managed to survive in these parts could prove tough and fatal for those who dared set foot on the island.

"At least we won't have to worry about anyone disturbing us for a while," Marco comforted himself as he lit an oil lamp beside him. The yellow light it emitted illuminated the cave floor, gradually revealing the surroundings. Several crates of food and ammunition had been stored in the cave. A few weapons - spears, swords and rifles - were also stored in specially designed barrels.

Nevertheless, the most important thing remained their captain, who was lying on a makeshift bed made from clothes, leaves and anything else that would allow his captain to rest comfortably. He was covered with bandages and infusions, as he had lost a great deal of blood during the battle.

Since the end of the war, Whitebeard still hadn't woken up, despite his second-in-command's best efforts to treat him as effectively as possible. However, several factors were worrying the 2nd in command. His father's illness was of the utmost concern, despite his captain's assuring him that everything was well and there was nothing to worry about. Furthermore, with Whitebeard getting old, and after all the wounds he'd received in battle, he could be considered a miracle.

"His condition worries me, nonetheless, I have to admit that his body is healing quite quickly despite his age..." observed Marco as he recalled the last moments of the war he and Father had lived through before his captain flew off to the ocean because of his confrontation with the Navy admirals. Normally, this wouldn't have caused so much trouble, but Ace's death appeared to have greatly affected him.

Marco immediately felt remorse, thinking back to the little girl responsible for his friend's death. "If only I'd have got rid of her in the first place, none of this would have happened..."

"Captain Marco!!!" shouted a voice from the cave entrance. "We finally have news from Squardo." Hearing this, Marco jumped to his feet and made his way towards the man who had just burst in. He hadn't heard from Squardo since their argument about his departure for the Grand Line. Deep down, Marco knew why he wanted to go back. His desire to redeem himself in Father's eyes after his act of mutiny outweighed than his common sense. He certainly wanted to bring back the head of the girl responsible for Ace's death and for the enormous bloodbath that was this war. Several days had passed since his departure, and they had heard nothing from him so far.

However, seeing his subordinate's decomposed and terrified face, Marco quickly understood that something was wrong. "Speak up, tell me what happened, what's the news Yoiii?" the commander asked eagerly while grasping by the shoulders. His comrade took a deep breath before beginning his report. "We received a call from Lorto, who had left with Captain Squardo. He explained that they had managed to track the demon to the Sabaody archipelago and ambush it in a small clearing out of sight..." Marco clenched his right fist with all his might to control his temper, for deep down, he knew giving in to anger wouldn't help. He continued listening to the report.