At the impolite tone of Ace, he raised his brows slightly, but he didn’t comment on it. He had gotten used to that not all were as correct in speaking as he was most of the time. Yes, he could also curse or forget his manners, but that only happened rarely. Even when he was fighting with some of his brothers for some reason. There would always be times like this, were disagreements or misunderstandings caused a fight. They lasted a while and when the parties in the fight had cooled down, they would apologize and move on.
The apple didn’t surprise him, as Ace always seemed to have something to eat in those pockets. He only smiled a little, not bothered that Ace was eating, while he wanted to have a conversation with him. Even if Izo thought it was slight rude, but he also knew of Ace’s huge appetite, so it was fine. There was a line of what he could accept and what not and this he could accept.
“It’s not Marco, but a red-orange phoenix. As said, it’s a mythical creature and I’m trying to figure out how much truth there is to this myth.” He said calmly, not really thinking the picture looked much like Marco. However, he would not judge Ace for thinking so.
He could hear that Ace didn’t quite believe him and it was far fetched that there was other phoenix types out there. Truth, it did sound too good to be true. After all, Marco’s Devil’s Fruit was said to be very rare and hard to come by. How their brother had gotten the fruit in the first place was a mystery, as he didn’t tell. It was the same with his age. No one knew.
A soft smile was giving to Ace, as he cursed again. “You aren’t stupid either, Ace. All I wanted to know was your opinion and yes, the mythical fruits are very, very rare.” He said, having not meant to make Ace feel stupid. At the next comment and question, he was mildly surprised, not having giving it a thought himself.
“Hmm. It could be they were either really common or there could be another reason. Maybe each Devil’s Fruit of the Phoenix can only exist in time and for another to be reincarnated, Marco would have to die. Not that I want that at all. It could also be that these rare fruits has a longer reincarnation time than others. There’s so little we know and understand about the Devil’s Fruits.” Izo mused after a few moments of silence.
Was it possible to destroy a Devil’s Fruit for good? Izo wouldn’t say no, as he didn’t know about them. “If it is possible to destroy a Devil’s Fruit for good, it does make sense to destroy those with such great powers as the Phoenix holds. Marco is close to immortal and in the wrong hands, it could bring more harm than good.” He shuddered lightly.
It was not a pleasant thought, but Ace’s words had him wonder. “I would say it’s possible to destroy a Devil’s Fruit. Maybe that happened once, in the void century or maybe even before that. The world’s history is older than humans. It is an interesting fact. To know how little we actually know.”
“So, is there any legends or myths you want to know more about? If you find it interesting that is. Or are you just looking for another nickname to give Marco?” There was a teasing smile grazing his lips.
It was all very complicated, Devil Fruits of any of the three given kinds plus the mythical genre in particular. Too much for a single head to think about. Even for a couple of heads it was no easy subject, which was it was of no wonder that a noteworthy group of people dedicated their lives to studying Devil Fruits, their origins and uses, benefits and potential perils. It was not a recent field of research, either.
Ace was not a scholar. In fact, he owed most of his education not to school but to a few people who’d been good enough to help him, chiefly Sabo and Pops. He was not as prepared as Izo was to discuss academic topics, never mind the other commander’s personal education. Izo had big brains to go along with twin guns in a risky combo that should not be taken lightly. Fortunately for Whitebeard’s crew, underestimating Izo happened to be a mistake that resulted in a good strategy.
He nodded, not bothering to pick on his friend for his remark on Marco, knowing fully well the other man’s death was the last thing either of them wanted.
“Well, it’s not like Marco’s got a claim on it, is it? There will only be another Mera Mera no Mi when I die” Ace spoke of it with such apathy… How could he not, when his own death occupied a significant portion of his thoughts, so much he’d come to terms with it? One more day…
Ace smiled at Izo in a cat-like manner. “But I don’t know how long that will take. Perhaps you’re right and fruits of the mythical kind take more time to regenerate than others”
As speech subsided, Ace shut his lips in a more natural expression again and gave the whole matter some more thought. A fun thing, wasn’t it, for Izo to be more interested in Devil Fruits than Ace himself was, considering only he of the two possessed such powers.
Should he…? Nah! Ace did not care about the theory of the matter. He did not need to know where the Fruits had come from because he know where and how he’d gotten his. Learning of their properties and limitations was all very well but that did not change the fact he could never allow himself to fall into the sea, nor would it help him in the context of a serious confrontation where there was little room for cool thoughts instead of smoking hot violence. A strategist would argue otherwise but Ace would let his fists do both the thinking and the talking.
As for Marco being virtually immortal… “I don’t envy him.”
As much as everyone wanted Pops to live forever, his advanced age could not be forgotten in virtue of his might. His health was not as steady as it had once been, too. Ace had always known Edward Newgate thus, in need of medical assistance no matter how vehemently he protested against it, but Marco had seen a younger Newgate, presumably more headstrong than this one. How sad it should be to watch your father lose the one battle no human could win, knowing other people you held dear would eventually follow, leaving you all alone…
Subtly, Ace lifted his eyes from the floorboard he’d been staring it without realising it and searched left and right for that uncanny hairdo everyone liked to joke about. Found it he did and Ace kept staring at the back of Marco’s head as if he could tell what machinations ran underneath. Did he muse on these things too? Did he fear loneliness?
Izo’s lighter question seemingly asked to lift the mood caught Ace’s attention with a “Huh?”. A brand-new nickname would be refreshing. ‘Pineapple-head’ and ‘parrot’ were timeless classics but there was nothing wrong with a bit of fresh air.
“Hey, I wanna ask questions too!” He chuckled. It was not fair for Izo to have all the fun with his navy-like interrogation. “Why are you so interested in all this, Izo? Are you considering eating a Devil Fruit yourself?“
Why not? Not only those who sought power went after the fruits for their own consumption. Some Devil Fruit users were just idiots who had idiotically taken a bite, just look at Ace and Luffy! Izo was neither an idiot or thirsty for power, but there were other advantages too, if one ignored the inability to go for a swim on a hot summer afternoon.
Ace could have advised Izo against it, but he had no regrets regarding his own original sin. He could have told Izo to be careful in his choice, for he had a choice, and not take it lightly, which would have been good counsel. Instead, all Ace said was the really important staff.
“You know… It tastes like crap”