Chapter 46

It occurred to Marshall as he was shaving that he had overlooked something important, and he actually paused to stare at his reflection incredulously.

Had he really never-?

He hadn't.

Well, that was an oversight easily fixed, he sighed, finishing up and rinsing and putting away his razor before going to do just that.

"Alright, it's time I gave you two The Talk," Marshall announced.

On deck in front of him, Topaz and Dina exchanged looks.

(He approved of Dina's new look; the red corset, blue trousers and knee-high boots were much better suited to life at sea than her previous dress. The two pistols holstered in her new belt were icing on the cake.)

"Ah, Captain? I'm in my twenties," Dina pointed out.

"And I'm a fish," Topaz supplied.

"Not that talk, idiots," he rolled his eyes, then took a breath, voice turning serious as he proceeded to outline the basic abilities of Devil Fruit Users and, most importantly, their weaknesses. By the end, both Dina and Topaz were horrified.

"Then Miss Atreya's plan to sneak into the castle-!" Topaz trembled, fins stiff in alarm.

"Could have gone very wrong, yes," he confirmed, meeting each of their eyes as he stated, "that's why it's important for you two to pay attention and be ready to jump in and help if they fall in the water."

Dina's face was pale but determined, and Topaz nodded frantically in agreement, both of them swearing to keep an eye out.

"Good, then that's settled," he clapped briskly and turned to go.

As he was walking away, he heard Dina asking Topaz to help her practice her swimming. The fish immediately agreed.

(Later that night, he lightly rapped his knuckles against the mast and commented, "I'm sure Coddi gave you plenty of tips regarding Devil Fruit Users, right?"

In the stillness following his words, the sails rustled innocently.

"Good. Remember them."

A quiet creak of wood was his only reply and Marshall smiled as he walked away.)

"I used to be a normal rabbit, you know?" Kyle announced out of the blue.

It was just he and the rabbit on night watch, the Zoan lounging on the railing in hybrid form, the spitting image of an older, bustier Carrot except darker gray. Marshall hummed in response, and that seemed to be all the sign Kyle needed to continue.

"Wasn't even the runt of the litter or anything. Just a regular rabbit, living in a burrow, avoiding predators, all that stuff. Then I found this weird peach on the ground, thought 'food!', and did what came naturally. Next thing I know, I was something different, and my family knew it so the minute I went back to the burrow I was out on my tail and hopelessly confused, and that's pretty much it."

Dressed in a halter top and short shorts, enjoying the sea breeze through her fur, the Zoan leaned back, waving a hand in the air as though it was no big deal.

Marshall knew she was leaving a lot of things out; you didn't go from finding yourself a different species straight to robbing people, considering the Zoan's first meeting with his crew, but honestly, nothing more needed to be said.

Lightly patting the rabbit-woman between her long ears, he kept his eyes on the horizon, pretending not to notice the light trembling and soft sniffles beneath his hand.

A week later, one of the durians a ship of merchants they'd rescued from a storm gave them mutated.

Into the Dark-Dark Fruit.

Marshall promptly threw it overboard.

"I know what I'm doing," he informed the rabbit next to him.

Whatever you say, Captain, the rabbit's look replied.

(Credit where it was due, the Fruit was certainly persistent.)

The first time Marshall met his nephew when the kid was awake wasn't the best of meetings but, he admitted, it could have gone worse.

He'd been sitting a decent distance away from the bandits' hideout, nursing a bottle of rum and well within his haki's range when his concentration slipped - just for a moment, but that moment was enough time for Ace to slip out of the hut and head into the forest and suddenly the kid was there.

It was a good thing he was already sitting down; alcohol abruptly taking a turn down down the wrong pipe, he coughed, frantically patting his chest.

The freaking brat didn't even spare him a glance as he got his breathing under control, instead making a beeline for the alligator he had cooking and visibly drooling. Marshall sweatdropped, because that...that was Ace, especially feral, pre-Luffy Ace.

Feral, pre-Luffy Ace who was trying to eat his alligator oh hell no!

Thwack!

"Gramps?!" Little Ace cried out, looking arfound wildly.

Well, that was just insulting.

Thwack!

"Ow! What the hell?!"

Thwack!

"And that's for trying to steal my alligator!" Marshall barked belatedly, crossing his arms and huffing, half-full bottle of booze dangling loosely from one hand as he loomed over Ace.

"What the hell, you old booze hound?! I don't see your name on it!" Ace yelled.

Booze hound-?

Marshall's eye twitched.

"The only reason I'm not smacking you over the head again is that I don't think you can afford to get any dumber," he deadpanned, smirking as he saw the conflicted look on the brat's face, smugness and offense warring for dominance.

Offense won.

"Like you could! Bring it, booze hound!" Ace charged, leaping forward and swinging the pipe in his hand.

Thwack!

"I changed my mind." Marshall snorted, taking a drink of rum as he watched Ace spit out a mouthful of dirt and look up in stunned amazement. Probably the first time the kid had lost to anyone other than Garp since he started walking. The torrent of insults that followed were, well, childish, and Ace's face was so like Rouge's when she was mad that he couldn't help it.

Throwing his head back, Marshall laughed.

"Zehahahaha!"

It took awhile for the brat to settle down, but when he did Marshall sent him a small grin and passed the kid a bit of alligator. Ignoring his nephew's pleading looks, he kept the rum for himself.

They didn't speak beyond that initial interaction, but that was okay. He would make sure his nephew had the chance to get to know him.

"-The bell has been raised from its watery grave, hear it's sepulchre tone~"

Marshall hummed as he landed back on Mettie's deck, greeting his crewmembers with a jaunty wave as he headed belowdeck to start on dinner.

There was a beat of silence.

"...Captain seems to be in a good mood,"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

(Dinner that night was a lavish affair featuring, you guessed it, alligator, because Marshall was nothing if not sentimental.)

The Metanoia left the East Blue in a hurry when Garp's ship appeared on the horizon, and Marshall decided that it was about time his two crews met in person.

(It was so cute that they thought he didn't know about the snail calls.)

How fortunate it was that it was almost time for the annual reunion.

Marshall arrived back in the New World on the heels of a storm.

There was something poetic about that, if he'd cared to find it.

Which he didn't, more concerned with avoiding those damned electric icebergs.