Chapter 29

The morning on White Thorn was as chilling as the night. Marco hated the cold, but he didn't mind the snow. Unlike Thatch who loved it and spent half of yesterday playing in the snow near the graves. Marco had turned back to check on the crew's restocking and turned in early for the night. Knowing that most of his brothers would be staying on land while Pops would be getting Dadan and Luffy to bring them back on the ship. Meaning he was also staying on the ship.

Marco was excited for today tho, because, with everyone away, Marco could spend more time with Pops. On a day like this, Ace should take his family on a short market stroll or enjoy the island. That would include Miss Makino, Luffy, the two bandits, and Dadan.

It's been difficult to get Pops' time after Dadan arrived. He wasn't jealous of her. No. How could he? She lost her life and her family. Suddenly lost her ability to fight and swim for a fruit she still has no idea how to use. She's made the personal hit list of one very strong Vice Admiral and she always seems to stroke Ace the wrong way. He wasn't jealous at all. He says as he opens the door to his Pops' quarters.

Still, there were times when Marco wished he knew what was going on in her mind. For example, what are her motives for falling asleep on Pop's chest?

Marco was greeted with two snoring figures on the bed. A large blonde-haired man who's hair was splayed around, snoring as loud as the earthquakes he could cause. He had one arm over another person, a smaller figure with large orange curls as her namesake spilling down his chest. She was also snoring as she drooled in her sleep. The orange-haired woman shivered. "S' cold." She'd sleepily mumbled as she grabbed the blanket and curled in tighter.

Marco realized he was still standing at the door, letting in the cold. Yet in his mind, he was still debating what to do. Should he step in or should he step out of the quarters? Before he could decide, the blanket was pulled higher past Newgate's sock-covered feet, half his torso was still covered by the comforter, but even the sleepy Captain was craving for the extra warmth of the blanket. With still half a conscious mind, he tightened his hold on the figure on his chest and turned them over to his side, dragging the comforter over them.

Dadan didn't wake. In fact, she turned and pressed her back just barely to his covered torso. She sighs in delight at the warmth. Newgate, also in his sleep-addled mind, brought up a hand over his hip, but it also covered Dadan's body, keeping her close to him.

From Marco's point of view, his Pops was spooning Dadan. -Or at least as far as spooning can go with such a big height difference. Suddenly, Newgate wakes, looks straight at Marco, still sleepy-eyed and tired, then returns to sleeping on his side.

"Marco, close the door, yer' letting in the cold." He says. Only then did Marco remember he was still at the threshold. Still having his internal debate whether to step-in and face the two ("just friends" my ass they're practically lovers) or get out (and never speak of this again).

Marco steps in. And he regrets his decision already. "Wake-up Pops. It's 10 in the morning yoi." He says. Hoping his voice is as calm and bored as he always is…. Or at least as bored as everyone says he sounds like. Believe it or not, Marco (and Jozu) are romantics. They don't actively show it, but they've cheered on many brothers regarding their love lives. They've gushed over a lot of them in fact; starting from Oden and Toki's relationship, and every brother that followed and married since.

Marco's greeting, it seems, was enough to wake up the orange-haired woman.

Dadan wakes up feeling refreshed. Rather, she woke up feeling content, and for once, she thinks the day would be good to her, as if there was a sun shining on her today. What did she do yesterday again?

Not really remembering where she'd slept last night. She blinks a few times to realize she wasn't at the infirmary, nor was she with Makino on their bed. The blanket over her head was a different texture from the ones in the infirmary. It was softer to the touch, almost luxuriously so. She wakes up in darkness but wrapped in warmth. The smell was so familiar, one she'd been accustomed to for weeks. Something musky, like the forest but hints sea of how a person would smell like if they lived in it. It was really warm tho, and she really didn't want to wake-up yet, in fear of the dry warmth going away. The darkness not really an issue to her comfort and the secure feeling she'd felt for the time she was in the warm dark place… but her mind finally decided it was time for her to wake up. -And why did it should like Marco's voice?

"Ngggh" A rumble at her back. "Five more minutes son." Dadan instantly knew it was Newgate. And she panics.

She sits up, immediately scrambles away from him and the arm holding her close. Startled, Newgate pulls his hand away from her. She falls from the bed, hits the floor with a loud thud that could have woken up the whole crew. The soft blanket, a thin pelt, follows her down to the floor.

"Dadan!/ Dadan-san!" The Father and son exclaimed. Both by her side within seconds. Marco digs her out of the tangles of pelt. A rather stubborn fold going around her legs. While Newgate helped her sit-up, asking if she was in pain anywhere.

Marco blushes red, thinking about something else that might be in pain (*cough* from last night *cough*). This doesn't escape Dadan's notice. "Nothing happened brat!" She scolds. Hitting Marco with a slap on the back of his head. It doesn't really hurt him. It was her expressing herself, and talking directly to Marco. Marco won't complain about it.

"Believe, me I just fell asleep here. An' it was too cold ta' get back to the infirmary anyway." Dadan defends herself.

"You know, there's a smaller bed by the corner…." Marco points to the nurse's bed. It was big enough to fit Foosa, and he is about as tall as Dadan.

Clearly, he shouldn't have pointed that out. "I just fell asleep by accident here! Ya' callin' me a liar punk?!"

"No… No!" Marco, says, but became aware he sounded a bit off. "I mean, no. I'm not calling you a liar, Dadan-san, yoi."

"I thought so." She crosses her arms, she shivers. "Why is it so cold here?"

"You're on the floor yoi." Marco answers, helps her up back on Pop's bed.

"Which reminds me. Marco, kindly tell Deuce that both of you will be visiting Reid's house with us. You will just do a simple physical examination on Reid's grandchild." Newgate announces. Marco raises a brow.

"Zarhi said he was well on his way to recovering, yoi."

Dadan looks away, anywhere else… Newgate understands, he'll have to be the one to explain the situation. Once Marco realized what Dadan had done, his eyes widened. "What do you mean 'better than fine?', yoi?" Because if it's what he thinks it is…

"I just… I dunno alright. I just thought about the immunity system nurse Hanna told us about the other day."

"You mean the Immune System, yoi." Marco corrects.

"Yeah, but before that, I was thinkin' about the gene ticks. The explanashun why Ace is strong all the time cuz of his parents." Dadan adds.

"You mean Genetics. "-although, that doesn't always have something to do with the immunity, Marco says in his mind. But enough about that. Bottom Line is, Dadan doesn't have to know advanced chemistry to use her power. The basic science was enough. Dadan had just learned the basics of anatomy and already she had utilized her powers on making cures or ways to strengthen the specific system she was thinking of. Still, they need to verify this. They'll have to do a check-up on Reid's grandkid.

"Son, you should probably stop staring like that. You'll scare Dadan." Whitebeard interrupts his train of thought.

"Staring like what, yoi?"

This time it was Dadan, "Like you're thinking of chopping me up like chopped liver." Completely out of context.

"You hungry Dadan?" The captain says as he stands up from his bed. Bending down to fix what he can and smoothing out the soft comforter over it. The thinner pelt (the one Dadan was supposed to use, but ended up on him too), was still tangled-up around her, half on her, and half on the floor. Strategically (as strategic as she can manage), she kneels and wiggles about to get out of the blanket, already reaching for a corner to fold. Pulling and falling back on the bed. A comical scene. Newgate laughs. Dadan huffs, and the two just bicker like old friends on a sleepover.

"Stop laughing Newgate! And brush yer' teeth, your breath stinks old man."

"Aw, and I was so nice to you. I didn't even flinch when you started drooling on me."

"Oh my f*cking God! Really?" Dadan wipes at the corner of her lips. To her cheek, yup definitely drooled. "Get to the bathroom and wash that stuff off! Geeze! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I thought it was common knowledge that you drool in your sleep." Dadan shoots him a dirty glare. Newgate was amused.

"You drool all the time." Newgate smiles, more like a smirk, as he rubs it in, counts the times he's seen her drool with his fingers. "When you're napping. When ya sleep in the infirmary. When ya nods off too when the nurses are telling ya' something. I think Ace is a cleaner sleeper than you at this point." Dadan swipes at Newgate. She can't she's still trapped in the blanket.

"Then why had- nobody- told me about this?" She huffs, finally out of the pelt. Newgate takes the blanket and folds it-up, simple- like it weren't the thing keeping Dadan prisoner some time ago.

"That's what friends are for Dadan." Newgate returns, the little thing they talked about last night.

"Says the guy with bad breath. Go brush yer teeth Newgate. I'm goin' ta the infirmary. Smell ya later." She says, getting in her coat and shawl, set near the door after last night's talk. Newgate opens the door for her. "See ya later bandit hag." Closing it only when he sees her already at the infirmary doors, inside and safe.

Completely forgetting that the first division commander was still in the room. Witnessing one of the most domestic scenes he's pretty sure he shouldn't be intruding in. Double thinking if he should slip out or...

"Marco, you're still here? Something you want to talk about son?" Newgate asks, already freshening up for the day.

Wordlessly. Marco slips out of the room and goes below deck to the Mess hall.

"Commander!" Deuce greets. Just the person he was looking for. "Huh? You look a little flushed, Commander. Did you get a fever?" Deuce asks in worry. Not that Marco had ever gotten a fever.

No. He doesn't have a fever… But he does need to talk with Jozu. After he tells Deuce to pack for a doctor's visit. And after he checks on the supplies. And after he does a headcount of the people on board. Then they'll head on over for their house visit. Then he can go on and find Jozu.

He can't wait to tell Jozu all about what he'd just seen!

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Well, we are advised to stay at home and not meet people and not swim in public pools. This Corona stuff is getting in the way of my fun! :C I'm beginning to really hate this pandemic on a personal level. My family and friends are not affected thankfully, but I'm pretty sure I can't live a life in quarantine. This is driving me mad! XP I hope I never live in one of those futuristic thriller stories where everyone is in these sterilized bunkers or something. Not that I think we're gonna have an even worse pandemic. Hey, nCov19 might be the black plague of the East. XP CAn I call it that?

To Guest: Yup! Trying to write as much as I can, but the summer heat is unbearable. XP Thanks for sticking around!

To Push23: Thanks for the comment! XD