Chapter 23: The Three-Day Party — Young Wings vs. The Pirate King
The serene blue of Marco's first flight was suddenly interrupted by the sound of cannon fire and the crashing of massive waves. The screen flickered, shifting forward several years.
[System: The Legendary Stalemate — The Whitebeard Pirates vs. The Roger Pirates.]
[Location: A nameless island in the New World. Duration: 3 Days and 3 Nights.]
The Scene: Teenage Rebellion-yoi
The camera panned across a battlefield that would give most Marines a heart attack. In the center, Roger and Whitebeard were clashing, their Haki splitting the heavens. But the focus shifted to the sidelines, where a teenage Marco was breathing hard, his blue wings flickering.
Standing across from him was a young, grinning Silvers Rayleigh, who wasn't even using a sword—he was stopping Marco's flaming kicks with a single finger coated in Haki.
"Not bad, Pineapple-kun!" Rayleigh laughed, his younger self looking effortlessly cool. "But you're moving too much. A Phoenix shouldn't just flap; it should soar."
"Shut up-yoi!" Marco shouted, his face red. "I'm going to kick that smug look right off your face!"
The Chat: The Roast of the Century
The global chat erupted. Seeing the "Dark King" bully a teenage Marco was the entertainment the world didn't know it needed.
> [Rocks D. Xebec]: "BWAHAHAHA! Look at Rayleigh! He's literally playing with his food! Newgate, is this your 'First Division Commander'? He looks like a blue chicken trying to fight a wolf!"
> [Silvers Rayleigh]: "Hoho, those were the days. Marco was so spirited back then. He tried to kick me 412 times in one hour. I think he hit my finger once."
> [Marco]: "It was 413 times-yoi! And I didn't hit your finger, I grazed your sleeve! Stop making me look bad in front of the whole world!"
> [Buggy the Clown]: "OI! Look at me in the background! I'm standing next to Shanks! Look how much better my hair was back then! And look at Shanks... he's just a brat with a straw hat! HONK! (Wait, I was a brat too... HONK! SHUT UP!)"
> [Shanks]: "Dahahaha! Buggy, you were literally shaking behind a tree while I was actually fighting! And Marco, I still have the scar where you 'grazed' my cape. Good times!"
>
The Action: The Phoenix's First Evolution
On the screen, Rayleigh suddenly vanished and reappeared behind Marco, tapping him on the head. "Focus, brat. If you only rely on your flames, you'll never survive the New World."
Marco's eyes sharpened. Something changed. Instead of just erupting in fire, he slowed his breathing. The blue flames began to condense, pulling tight against his skin like a suit of armor. He spun mid-air, not with a flap, but with a spiral.
BOOM! His heel slammed into Rayleigh's arm. This time, the Dark King didn't use one finger—he had to actually raise his forearm to block it. The shockwave blew the surrounding trees flat.
> [Trafalgar Law]: "Look at the Haki(Law learn about Haki from system) integration. He's using the regenerative properties of the flame to offset the physical strain of high-speed rotation. Fascinating. (The hair is still an issue, though.)"
> [Eustass Kid]: "FINALLY! He actually landed a hit! Go on, Pineapple! Turn that old man into roasted silver!"
> [Kaido]: "Worororo! A spark of potential. But Rayleigh was clearly holding back. If that were me, the bird would have been plucked and fried within the first hour."
>
The Comedy: The "Break" Time
The screen suddenly cut to the evening of the first day. The fighting had stopped. Why? Because it was Dinner Time.
The Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates were sitting around a massive bonfire, sharing meat and sake. Marco was sitting next to a young Shanks and Buggy, all three of them glaring at each other while shoving huge pieces of meat into their mouths.
"That was my meat-yoi!" Marco muffled through a full mouth.
"Finders keepers, Birdy!" Shanks laughed, snatching a chicken leg.
"I'm going to be the richest pirate ever, and I'll buy all the meat so you two starve!" Buggy yelled, his nose turning redder.
> [Monkey D. Luffy]: "MEAT?! WHY AM I NOT THERE?! HEY SHANKS, GIVE THE PINEAPPLE HIS MEAT BACK! PIRATE KING SAYS SHARING IS GOOD!"
> [Sengoku]: "SQUEAK! (This is what I've been fighting for thirty years? A bunch of toddlers fighting over chicken legs who then go out and destroy entire islands?! SQUEAK! I need a vacation... SQUEAK!)"
> [Garp]: "BWAHAHAHA! Look at Roger's face! He's having the time of his life! That's the pirate life, Sengoku! Drink, fight, eat, repeat!"
>
The Ending Note of the Chapter
The screen showed Marco looking up at the stars that night, sitting on the edge of the Moby Dick. He looked tired, bruised, but his eyes were glowing with a new purpose. He wasn't just a kid from Sphinx anymore. He was a member of the greatest family on the sea.
[System Note: Respect is not given on the Grand Line. It is forged in the fire of three-day battles and shared meals.]