"No!" Marco flew in like a torpedo, but he was too late. His kick knocked Akainu back before he could do anything to Straw Hat, but the damage was already done. As the admiral stumbled back his magma hand slipped free of Ace's chest, bringing blood and bits of flesh with it. The second division commander fell, gasping out his final words in his baby brother's arms. Not far away, Whitebeard was dying too, giving his life to protect the younger pirates in his family as they escaped.

The phoenix wept.

xXx

Marco helped Red Hair collect the bodies, still weeping. His home was gone; Whitebeard, the glue that held his family together, was dead. Ace's corpse seemed impossibly heavy as the crying phoenix carried it aboard the Red Force. Salty tears soaked through the white sheet that hid the horrid hole in Ace's chest. The boy's body was unnaturally cool for someone who had been so full of life and fire- and even that pun couldn't make Marco smile as he thought it.

Ace and Thatch had loved puns.

Shanks lay a hand on Marco's shoulder as they set sail. "You need to tell them. Your crew, I mean."

"Tell them what yoi?"

The red-haired man shook his head sadly. "I know you never told Whitebeard, but Roger figured it out. Or at least, he thought he did. Tell me if he was wrong."

Rubbing his eyes, the blond sighed. "My birth name was Mark Newgate. Circumstances forced me to abandon my family when my son was a child yoi- for their own safety. When I heard he was starting a pirate crew..." Marco looked up at Shanks. "If that's what you're asking about, your captain was right yoi. I lost a son today, and the gods only know how many grandchildren. There was no time for a head count yoi. But somehow Ace and Thatch still hurt the most."

"Curse of immortality." Shanks offered him a bottle of sake. Marco shook his head.

"I don't want to forget them. Just... Just leave me alone with them for a bit yoi."

Shanks complied. The tears continued to fall. Marco wondered if his eyes would ever be clear again. He knew his remaining grandchildren would need him, need a leader, but he just couldn't...

xXx

He helped Shanks dig the graves. They weren't the first graves the phoenix had dug, nor would they be the last. And at least they had the time to make these ones the graves their occupants deserved. Ace and Edward would've loved the view from the clifftop; it was a far cry from the crowded cemetery where Marco had been forced to leave his wife.

Even so, the phoenix couldn't keep it together. He kept breaking down, kneeling by Ace's shrouded form to cry just when he'd thought the last tear had finally fallen. It was too much. No father should be forced to bury their son, let alone their grandson. Marco hoped Garp was feeling the same sorrow as him. This pain... If the marine had helped, they both might've saved their families.

They buried Whitebeard first. Marco kissed his son goodnight one last time, wishing he'd been there more when Edward was a child. Maybe he could've done something that would've made a difference down the road... Or maybe not. It was the road his little Eddie had walked that led him to become the strongest man on the seas- the pirate Marco had come to respect. It wouldn't be right for him to have lived any other life.

Rubbing his eyes, the phoenix stood and followed Shanks to Ace's corpse. They picked him up together- Shanks at his feet and Marco at his shoulders. Only, those shoulders moved. Marco jumped in surprise, nearly dropping his precious burden. Said precious burden groaned.

"Five more minutes Sabo."

Cautious, hardly daring to hope, Marco peeled away the shroud wrapped about Ace. The freckled pirate's eyelids fluttered, but remained shut. His chest was marred by a massive scar, but whole and moving gently with each breath. He shivered and kicked out at Shanks as the sheet was taken away.

"Stop hogging the blankets Lu."

Marco laid his grandson down and looked up at Shanks. The tears in his eyes were now tears of joy. "How did this happen yoi?"

"I have no idea..." Shanks looked flabbergasted. "A long time ago the Captain told us about a land where phoenix tears were said to have remarkable healing powers, but I didn't think it was true. Are you going to-?"

The phoenix shook his head. "As much as I'll miss Eddie, no. He was old yoi; healing isn't the same as turning back the clock. I'd just lose him again in a few years at most. But Ace, yoi... This little one deserves a second chance."

"What will you do?"

Sighing, Marco ran his fingers through Ace's hair. "I'll tell the crew the truth yoi. Some will be angry, but some will understand. We'll look after Ace, make sure he's healed properly. That'll take the next few years yoi."

Shanks nodded. "And then?"

Marco frowned, a hard glint coming into his eyes. His tears dried away. "Blackbeard and Akainu need to be taught a lesson yoi. I'll get them; me and anyone else who stays with the crew. We'll make it safe for Ace to sail the seas yoi. And then... And then, I think the Newgate Pirates will throw in our vote for the king."

A smile that promised vengeance and change looked out over the sea. "The navy doesn't rule the oceans; they need to be reminded of that. Only one man can yoi- and I'm willing to bet that man is Straw Hat."

"Me too." Shanks put his arm around Marco's shoulders. "And little Anchor will be over the moon when you bring his brother back to him."

"Anything for family yoi."

A/N: So, yeah, two headcanons here. First, until we have proof that Marco isn't immortal, I like to think that he's really Whitebeard's father and joined the crew as a way to be closer to his son. Second... Phoenix tears have extraordinary healing powers. How many Potterites dow we have on this website? Have I just been looking in the wrong places that I've never seen this idea come up in a story?