【Ma Ai】Island of Illusion

"Ace! Ace can you hear me? Ace?"

Marco stopped in mid-air and shouted.He understands that the phantom is just an illusion created by the sun for the eyes, and the real environment will not change, so the sound should be able to spread.

The distance between him and Ace is not very far, as long as the monster doesn't bark, Ace will definitely be able to hear it.He hoped that Ace would give a clear response, so that he could go to him based on the source of the voice and his intuition.

Marco could hear the soft swishing sound of the wind blowing the leaves, and the crackling and snapping of the trees after the large-scale disturbance just now.And the sound of my own breathing.But these all set off everything more and more peacefully.Ace didn't respond, not even a groan from the wounded beast.For no apparent reason, he began to tense up.

"Ace! You're—"

"Marco, I'm fine!"

Ace's voice sounded flat.The first time they had a conversation in their respective empty spaces, it felt like standing on two planets looking at each other from a distance.

"What's going on with you? Stay there and don't move. I'll find a way to get there."

But it's always easier said than done.Marco found that the scene in front of him was completely different from what he saw for the first time. There was only one figure left that was just like a platter.He was standing not far away, wearing a black coat with all the buttons undone, and the overly expensive hat that Yizang had ridiculed.His expression was stern, but at the same time he looked very young.Marco stared at him blankly, wondering why he remembered the 17-year-old Ace so vividly.Gradually, the gap under the feet was filled with the soil of the island, and neat coconut trees appeared all around.He saw his father's tall body standing in front of him, and the logo of "Whitebeard Pirates" on the cloak was eye-catching.

Marco remembers this scene clearly.It was the first time he saw the boy.At that time, he and his team members were standing on the bow of the boat, watching the old man fight a brat who didn't know what to do.This was originally a boring after-dinner entertainment, and he couldn't figure out why his father wanted to go to battle in person.But soon he changed his mind, it was a pure duel from beginning to end.That boy was Yan, possessed of uncommon courage and determination, and Marko admired him a little when he stood up and faced Dad, battered and battered, in order to protect his companions.His rage and energy seem to come from his explosive power and resilience beyond the limit, and he is endlessly self-destructive.

Now that flame imp was standing in front of him.He seemed to be able to hear him say in a hoarse voice, "—let go of my companion, and I will be your opponent!"

Those illusions are constantly changing, from the island to the Moby Dick, and back to the island, every scene seems familiar, but so strange.

Ace is going through the same torment, not pain here, but hesitation.In front of him is the original appearance of the entire Windmill Town, down to the milk barrel in front of Makino's gate, which is exactly the same as in his memory.When the lotus leaf door of the Makino Tavern opens and closes, it will make a rattling sound when the wind blows.Teenagers chased each other, passed and disappeared beside him, and he tried to catch them with his hands, but he couldn't catch anything.Sabo and Luffy's hats, his little sweatshirt, and the word "Summer" written on it.He vaguely remembered that this was the summer when he was 10 years old, they first came to Windmill Town together, and Luffy happily took him and Sabo to run around.It was very hot that day, and he obviously couldn't stand the heat, but he was so happy in his heart.

He watched the three thin figures moving away and approaching, and the color of Windmill Town changed with the direction of the clouds.Time stands in this unusual space, changing like a child's mischief.

The most precious thing in his life was in this illusion.They are real but too good, because Sabo is still there.A little guy who would greet anyone like a little gentleman.

Luffy stopped beside him, and Ace looked down and could see his heaving chest due to the violent running.This is Luffy at the age of 15, with that round face and a glaring fishbone scar under his left eye.He looked happy, standing next to Ace and waving.Ace draws two simple words from the shape of his mouth, "—bye."

Goodbye, Ace.

We will surely meet again, on that wide open sea.

Marco took the first step with difficulty.He was still in mid-air, but the ground in the illusion was too real, so he had to choose to walk.The visions play out almost endlessly, but Marco knows he has more important things to do.

Memories always make people linger, not to mention this kind of visible memory.He could imagine Ace's expression, when he was explaining his brother to the crew, he was engrossed as if by magic.Whether his companion is bored or not, he will not stop until he has finished what he has to say.Such overly deep feelings will seriously affect Ace's ability to judge emergencies.

"Ace, where are you?" In order to avoid being disturbed, he chose to close his eyes.The hot sun burned his bare back.He yells into the air again, and this time Ace answers him.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I knocked that guy out," Ace said loudly. "Can you come over? Or should we just wait—"

Marco remembered that the environment they were in was a completely open space, and it was not easy to find a temporary shelter.If Ace makes a wrong move, he will fall into the lake.The captain of the first team quickly sorted out the relevant information in his mind. There are many solutions, but not all of them are as detailed and clear as the morning schedule.

He caught a fleeting clue, and Dad's strange hat came to mind.From the very beginning, he found it very strange that his father had never worn a sun hat, even if he had landed on an island that was hundreds of times hotter than here before, he would not wear a hat.The front of the hat was pressed very low, like a big lotus leaf rolled inward.Just press it down a little bit to cover your eyes.

Marco couldn't believe how easy it was.He folded his wings over his head, and the blue flames cut out the sunlight, casting shadows like ripples on his face.

The illusion disappeared, and he saw Ace standing dazedly on the back of the dying monster.

The look of distress on his face was something Marco had never seen before.Strength and physique can only shape his tough image, but not his expression, which has always been a manifestation of honesty.Ace's expression made Marco feel that he should cry in the next second.

"What's the matter with you? Don't look homeless, Dad will be angry when he sees it." Marco flew to him and said.Ace twisted his body reflexively to find the source of the sound, and hit Marco's collarbone impartially.The latter was knocked out without defense.

"Marco?" Ace was still in the hallucination.He groped toward Marco, who retracted one wing, reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him toward him.

"This wouldn't happen if you were wearing a hat today," Marko said. "Put your hand up on your forehead."

The two squatted together and looked at each other.The scorching sun at noon was almost like a fireball, and there was no wind on the island.Ace still had the heat from the exertion just now, and the little moisture on Marco's body almost evaporated.

"It's that simple?" Ace built a small pergola with his hands to cover his eyes.The illusion is still looming, but the three small figures have become very blurred.Marco was right in front of him, covering both of them with his wings.

"We overcomplicated it...do you hide first or just enjoy your lunch here."

Marko turned his stomach a little at the thought of the bird the big guy had just swallowed.

"I have a good idea, I can have both." Ace resumed his original optimistic expression, "As long as you have no objection." Marco couldn't think of a reason to reject the smiling face in front of him, so he could only nod in agreement.

They went back into the woods again.The good idea that Ace said was to weave two straw hats.Ever since weaving that bamboo hat for Ozzy not long ago, Ace seems to have fallen in love with this troublesome manual work.Marko watched him a little speechless as he finished weaving one side and then burned the other - he could not help but blur his body when doing meticulous work - a large round of work only produced a ground of ashes.But Ace still had fun.

"Do you want to weave it for two or three days like Ozzy's? And why do you like to use flowers so much? Normally, don't you try to use as many leaves as possible?"

Marco squatted down, fiddling with the wild flowers that Ace tossed back.

"Is there a problem?" Ace asked curiously.He carefully rolled a small yellow flower into the frame made of vines. Due to poor control of the force, the flower was quickly scorched by his hands.He tosses it away in a bit of chagrin and plucks another flower from Marco.

"It's not that I don't like flowers, but we're men, and it's a bit weird to wear flowers on our heads."

"Is that so?" Ace put his hands behind his nose and laughed as if thinking of something interesting. "I don't think it matters. I had a stalking adventure when I was a kid. It was a... tiger? A bear maybe, I can't remember. We just hid in the bushes with straw hats we made ourselves, me and Sabo's The hats are all made of leaves, and only Luffy’s are made of flowers. It’s so strange. When I was a child, I didn’t think it was a big deal at all. As long as it’s something I like, no matter what others say, I don’t care. Luffy is the same, Regardless of whether he is lurking or not, if it is a hat to wear on his head, why can't he use the flower he likes?"

"Your lurking will be messed up by him."

"That's true, but on the other hand he's right. Flowers are much prettier than leaves. . . . Would you like to try?"

He finally managed to surround the hat rack with a dense circle of flowers, a flower hat that was big enough to cover the sun.He handed it to Marco, all smiles on his face.

"Can I choose to use leaves? And who is Sabo? You never mentioned him to us. He was your childhood friend?"

Ace put the hat on his head.His smile still didn't fade away from his face, but the brilliance of his eyes dimmed a lot.

"He's my brother," Ace said.He rolled a flower branch hanging from the hat with his fingers, and he looked dazed, "He died when I was ten years old."

"Sorry, I thought you only had one brother. Is he your brother?"

"No, he is neither an older brother nor a younger brother, but my brother." Ace thought for a while, and added: "We all have only one younger brother, sounds complicated, doesn't it?"

"...Aren't you biological brothers?"

"Does it matter?"

Ace stared at him.Marco didn't speak anymore, he knew he was angry.The two sat for a while in relative silence, and Ace's second hat was about to be completed.

"Marco, do you think blood is really that important?"

Ace opened his mouth to break the silence in front of him.The answer he wanted was obvious, and Marco said: "Of course it doesn't matter, especially for people like us." He specially emphasized the word "us", "Otherwise, Dad will raise us bastards for nothing."

"In my opinion, blood is like shit. It can't even give you the most basic things."

"For example?"

Marco asked.He waited quietly for the other party's response.This is a rare opportunity where Ace is unconsciously revealing himself.Now what Marco has to do is just to be a quiet bystander.

"Freedom." Ace stopped what he was doing, and he fell into a kind of loss of control.This is the same as being led by the nose on the battlefield. Whatever moves the enemy gives, you have to counterattack accordingly.Sometimes your mind is in charge, sometimes it’s just your body’s knee-jerk reaction, and when your body reacts before your head, then you’re in danger.His current situation is that his self is frantically transmitting to his brain the incomprehension and anger that cannot be suppressed long ago, while his rationality is struggling to support it.But his mouth did not obey the rational arrangement, he was like a victim in a deep mire, urgently needing to cry out for help in order to get rescue.

"Freedom! That's right." He stared blankly at the ground and said loudly, "Blood blood can't give this, otherwise Sabo wouldn't say that. Whether it's noble or family, even if you have all of these, but Sabo is still alone. He's just me and Luffy...just us, if only we had snatched him back from there, then he wouldn't have gone to sea alone and died."

What is your freedom, my brother?

how about yours?

"It's all those damned blood ties! Nobles and fathers are all shit! Even why you want to live depends on whose blood is flowing on your body. It's not fair at all! I...I, I am just I was born, I didn't hurt anyone, what this world is like has nothing to do with me... This world is not fair."

My freedom is to live and see my future.

The wind passes through the forest, bringing a touch of coolness to those who hide in it.Marco smelled the faint fragrance again, and he hesitated to put the bouquet in his hand under his nose, a sweet fragrance.But sadly it wasn't that smell in the air.

Ace has calmed down, his words stopped in time.Although he was confused, Marco didn't intend to let him continue.Curiosity is not an excuse, he understands that he was just trying to induce him to reveal his heart, which is a despicable act.Ace's inner confusion and pain are deeper than he imagined. It is not a simple symptom of adolescence, but the depression and depression that have accumulated for a long time, even since birth.They're a sprawling sore covered with tape that turns bloody when ripped open.

He wanted to apologize to Ace, but after the latter calmed down, he took a long breath like a normal person and said, "This bad island is here again."

"what?"

"Maybe you will laugh at me." Ace smiled a little awkwardly, "I was disturbed again, just when you asked me who Sabo was. My brain seemed to invade another person, and it was always in my ear Tell them all while you are talking, you will feel better—as expected, I can’t stop, and I can’t control myself when I get quiet.”

"So are you feeling better now?"

"It's much better, it's amazing, I should be angry but I can't be angry now." He looked up at the direction of the lake, where the sun was shining and moving, "In this way, the illusion is not a bad thing, it allows me to see Seeing them so real, I thought I would never see Sabo again in this life, if Luffy was there, I would probably cry to death again."

He looked away, and handed the straw hat in front of Marco.

"Boss Marco, what do you think freedom is?"

He looked into each other's eyes and asked.

"Strong enough to command the sea?"

Marco took the hat, thought for a moment and shook his head.

"I don't have that much ambition, and I'm not interested in commanding the sea." He stood up and put the hat on his head, which was just the right size, neither loose nor tight. "For me, freedom is probably doing whatever you want." , free to love and hate. No worries.”

"So did you get it?"

"I used to think I had it, but now it doesn't look like that at all." His tall body was turned away from the light, and the shadows enveloped Ace.The microcosm of life for more than ten years is hidden in those dim eyes.The temperature is not high but the momentum is extraordinary.

"I'm not going to get it, and I'm not going to work on it in the future."

He reached out to touch the top of Ace's head, turning a blind eye to the surprised expression on the latter's face.

"You look like a scruffy bride," Marco said with a smile. "Can we go out and enjoy our lunch now?"