The Return Of Joyboy!

Chapter 23

He took a deep sigh. He couldn't do anything. If Oyaji wants someone then he gets someone. With that in his mind, he changed into his Phoenix form and was about to soar to the air to keep an eye on his brothers and look for any fighter, except Ace who was fighting at the other side of the beach which Pops. He didn't even register when he was lunged on. Apparently, Cyane had lunged onto him just the moment he was high enough and close to the ocean. It was not fair. Why did not he sense the brat pouncing at him?

With an aggravated phoenix screech, he tried diving above in the air but it was getting off no use. The blonde man, with his Haki-coated fingers grabbed him and was pulling him down with all his weight. His balance was messing up, due to blonde having his weight on one side of his body.

The blonde's eyes were clearly smiling at him panicking and the water closing in. But if he falls in the water the blonde will fall too. Meaning he will take one down with him and Namur would fish him out, with the other. And in his weakened state they could easily win, even if he didn't like cheap tricks. It would have to work. 

But one look at the water below was saying something else. The waves were trashing violently, and Marco couldn't help but feel the fear of being dragged into the water clutch his heart tightly. Suddenly, the waves were far too near. Even the frantic beating of his wings didn't slow down his descent. Not with the blond hanging onto one of them, hindering him.

Within seconds, he was in contact with the water. It didn't take time for the water to close over his head and his lungs seized. Helpless, he looked right into the wicked grin of the young man still having a crushing hold on him. Feathers had reverted to fingers, and they ached as if the blond had broken them with his grip.

"Bye! Bye! Pineapple head!"

When Marco had tried to hold on to the blonde with his broken fingers, he'd gotten a steel pole to the face, and had been looked at like he was the scum of the earth. Marco had no trouble believing that blond wanted him dead and gone.

The blonde mocked him and he swears he can feel him grin meanly before Cyane twiddled the fingers of his free hand and let go of him. Heart in the throat, Marco felt himself sinking. His energy was draining, his limbs had gone limp and any second his lungs would give up. His ears were burning up due to all the pressure. It had been a long time since he felt the terror of sinking in the ocean and this experience was making it more frightening.

Marco could see the blonde treading through the water smoothly with a surprising speed and grace towards the surface, unlike himself. Marco had thought that the blonde was a fruit user, but he apparently was not, leading him to this situation.

His lungs were burning. The desperate feeling of wanting the sweet taste of oxygen and getting out of the ocean plagued his mind. He wanted to hold his throat to not allow himself to have any intake of the sea water, but he was failing as each second was passing through. 

Eventually, his lungs gave out, and he took a deep, deep breath. He was desperate. He didn't want to die here. He never thought he would hate a future brother, but here he was about to be killed by one. 

He was unconsciously inhaling more and more water, making him feel really dizzy. When was the last time that he had felt this close to dying? He hasn't. A sudden calmness hit him. It felt like his body left him, it was as if he was waking up from a deep, long nap and was still in the after effects of it.

His vision was swimming and he wondered if he hallucinated Namur rushing towards him. 

. 

In the forest, in the comparison of the Whitebeard Pirates the Spades were losing. For six Whitebeard commanders, eight Spades were lost. Lying on the ground unconscious. No one from any side was dead, all 'cause the other didn't want to dirty their hands or didn't want to kill their future brother.