Chapter Text
The air was sharp and biting as every wing beat brought you closer to where Newt was dangling in Doc Q’s grasp. His horse Stronger, a horse who had eaten the Mythical Zoan type Devil fruit Model: Pegasus, flew in the air dragging a haphazard Newt along with them. They were moving further and further away from the Plateau’s edge. Doc Q was laughing as Newt panted and winced under the strain that the scythe was putting on his shoulder. He was skewered and defenseless as he dangled in the air.
You heart pounded in your chest as you drew closer and closer to the three of them. It was the a sudden thrum—deep and primal—reverberated through your bones, wild and untamed. Heat flooded your limbs, searing and relentless, igniting something fierce and forgotten within you. A strangled cry escaped your lips as pain and power collided, rippling through your arms in a violent surge. It was like the power within you was trying to escape. Trying to take over. You wouldn’t let it. You pushed through it all as your body continued to fly towards your brother.
No time to think.
Just as you were about to crash into Doc Q he had removed his scythe from Newts shoulder and he was not in a free fall to the ground below. You yelled out Newts name and this time he heard you. His eyes widened as he saw you flying towards him. Doc Q forgotten for now.
Breathing hard, you twisted midair and dived toward the Peninsula, the chaotic battlefield below blurring into shadows and steel. You were giving everything you had to catch up to Newt before he collided with the ground. Time again seemed to slow down to a slow pace as you were mere inches from grabbing Newt, into the safety of your talons. Both of you looked at each other, desperation written on both of your faces as the sky above grew darker by the second. The total eclipse was minutes away. The last rays of light from the sun fading away as the moon took preciseness within the sky, the suns rays encompassing it like a crown— A King crowning his Queen.
That same ethereal power consumed you as you finally clutched Newt into your talons. You wings beat hard to catch air before the two of you crash landed into the ground below. You groaned as your muscles strained against the sudden shift in pressure.
“Hold on, Newt,” you whispered, voice raw with desperation. “I’ve got you.”
You landed hard behind allied lines, stumbling but refusing to fall. You tucked Newt into your chest as your wings wrapped around him to shield him from the sudden crash. After you were sure you were done skidding across the sand you unfurled your wings that shielded Newt and gasped for air. Revolutionary medics rushed forward, shouting commands as they took Newt from your trembling body. Relief surged through you, tempered only by the relentless thudding of your heart.
“What the hell were you doing up there?” you gasped out through ragged breathes. Whatever was happening to you was having a severe impact on your stamina and strength. That primal and ethereal feeling in your chest subsided, as you shifted back into your human form. You were waning.
“Trying to keep that man from killing you.” You muttered out as if the whole scenario was that simple.
“Doc Q was nowhere near me when I reentered the battlefield…” you ground out as you got up to your feet. You body was aching now. The stress of transforming was catching up to you.
“His men… his men were the ones that took on the broken platoon you saved. Some of them escaped and told him. I only overheard because the fucking guy was seething, telling pirates on the shore to follow after you.” The Revolutionary Army medics were all over Newt scouring fro any lethal wounds. Newt just sat there and let them do their work all the while trying to steady his own beating heart. “You’re welcome by the way. You would have been over run if it weren’t for my men taking them on before you arrived back on the plateau.”
You deflated a little and sighed. You could let it go. You had to. Newt saved your life— despite his almost being given up instead.
“Thanks… for having my back.” You said as you let your relief wash over you. Yet that relief wasn’t held for long. It was then you heard it. A sudden crack of lightning as haki erupted in the air like a firework.
You spun just in time to see Doc Q and Stronger descending from the sky, twisted malice etched into their faces. Fury burned through your veins, blotting out every shred of fear or exhaustion. You surged upward once more, wings straining as you shot toward them like a deadly arrow. You left newt behind as he screamed for you to not engage with him. Yet, you were the only one at the moment who could. If Doc Q got to the ground every medic within his vicinity would be dead. You needed those medics for after the war, you couldn’t let them die.
The collision hit like a thunderclap— colliding haki signatures sending out cracks of lightning. You crashed into Doc Q with unyielding force, claws raking against rusted steel as Stronger’s hooves struck wildly beneath you. Feathers flew, blades flashed, and for a heartbeat, the sky itself seemed to recoil from the violence of your descent.
The wind howled like a living thing, tearing at your wings as you spiraled downward, locked in a deadly grapple. Doc Q snarled, his scythe flashing as he twisted in midair, aiming for your side—but you wrenched yourself back, narrowly dodging the lethal arc.
“Persistent little Pheonix, aren’t you?” he rasped, voice dripping with venom. You didn’t even register the words as you continued to flap helplessly and claw at any part of Stronger you could snag. However, it was true though, despite you not being able to see it. Those who were on the ground witnessing the fight in the air watched in horror and awe as your body glowed under the near total eclipse. It was like the rage that coursed thorough your body manifested itself into flames around your body as you and Doc Q slowly descended towards the ground.
You didn’t answer—you couldn’t. Every muscle burned, every wing beat screamed defiance as you slammed into him again, reckless and relentless. There was no room for fear—only raw survival driven by the memory of Newt’s broken body dangling in the sky.
Steel bit into your shoulder—a glancing blow that sent fire through your veins—but you twisted, using the pain to fuel your next strike. With a savage cry, you raked your talons across Stronger’s flank, forcing them into a spiraled descent toward the battlefield below.
Far above, Marco’s keen eyes tracked the frenzied battle, breath caught tight in his chest. He recognized that wild, desperate flight—the furious determination that burned too hot, too fast. You were supposed to be with him, with Whitebeard, not tearing through the sky in reckless combat, alone.
“Go, Go get save them!” Whitebeard growled out as he was locked into a fight with Blackbeard. Marco without a single word nodded and ran towards the cliff. His heart was racing as he saw you crash into Doc Q mid-air. Your talons trying to scratch at anything the could.
“Idiot…” he hissed, fists clenched. His blue flames surged, wings flaring wide. He couldn’t let this spiral further out of control.
As Marco leaped into the sky and rushed towards you there was no time to take in the form you were in. In the back of his mind his Phoenix was a frenzy of pride and fear. You looked immaculate. A blazing frenzy of talons and fire under the forming eclipse. This form was larger too, nearly twice the side of Doc Q and his horse.
He sucked in a breath of air as he saw Doc Q stab you with his scythe. Rage erupted within him as he transformed into his full phoenix form and hurtled through the air. He was coming for you—before the sky claimed you both.
Just as the two of you nearly crashed into the ground Marco had crashed into Doc Q sending him flying from his horse with a shrill yell. He had not time to waste to look and see if you were okay. He trusted that you could come out of that spiral alive.
When he and Doc Q had crashed into the sandy beach below Doc Q was quick to his feet. Marco, gasping, also stood to his feet before him. They soon were in a hand to hand combat. Doc Q’s laugh was loud and manic as he slashed his way though bodies, enemies and foe alike, just to get to Marco. Marco whirled around allies and took out enemies as he too came closer and closer to Doc Q.
As Marco and Doc Q launched into a fight Marco couldn’t help but feel for your haki signature. He couldn’t look away at the moment but what he could do was search. In the middle of their fight he felt you. Your haki was weak, but tempered by something else. It was like a blazing inferno that licked and scorched anything it touched.
It was then in those moments that his imprint of you shifted and changed into something different. Instead of the soft brown he usually associated with your fruit morphed into a blazing bright orange color that pulsed with an ethereal light. He smiled as he threw a right hook towards Doc Q’s face. The sickly looking man staggered back and spat out blood onto the wet sand below.
“Seems like you and your little phoenix have a nasty habit of interfering with things that don’t concern you.” Doc Q growled out as he took his scythe and swiped it across Marcos chest. Marco’s phoenix healed his wound in a matter of seconds, his flames billowing on his chest as he smirked at Doc Q.
“My little Phoenix will always be my concern.”
Doc Q all but snarled at Marco as the two entered into another bout of fighting. Marco more than ever determined to deal with the sickly looking man and return back to you side. However, his observational haki awakened and he felt your presence quickly come in from behind. In a matter of seconds you were whipping past in an a flurry of wings and and talons, face hardened into something fierce as you crashed into Doc Q yourself.
Marco let out a huff but smiled as you tackled Doc Q to the ground. Your ruthlessness despite the fighting around you three was making his Phoenix swirl within him. His focus was solely on you as you ripped into Doc Q without mercy. Needless to say if your lives weren’t on the line, he would have taken you then and there.
However, as soon as the thought passed through him the rage followed afterwards. You hadn’t listened to him and he was not happy about it. You could have been killed.
Breathing ragged, you shoved Doc Q’s limp form off your claws, his twisted scythe falling from his useless hand as he crumpled into the dirt below. His grotesque mount, Stronger, let out a keening wail before collapsing beside him, beaten and broken.
Chest heaving, you staggered back, wings trembling from exertion, blood streaking your skin. The rush of battle still roared in your veins, fierce and unyielding, refusing to let you rest.
“What the hell were you thinking?!”
Marco’s sharp voice cut through the haze, piercing your storming mind like a blade. You turned just as he walked up beside you, blue flames licking his arms, his eyes blazing with fury but also something else— maybe pride?
“You abandoned the Plateau! We had a plan—you were supposed to be with us—with me!” His voice cracked, more anger than anything else. Yet even as the words left his mouth he couldn’t hold onto his anger. Whatever was happening to you it overrode the more rational side of his brain to act accordingly, to show you just how worried he had been when you were in that free fall.
“I—” Your words caught in your throat, tangled with exhaustion, shame, and defiance. “Newt was—”
“I know!” Marco barked, stepping closer, his hands trembling just above your shoulders as if he were to draw you into an embrace, but then he clenched them into tight fists. “But you can’t fight the whole damn war alone!” his temper was simmer into a sort of soft rage as he continued to hold your gaze. It was then you saw it, the hollowed ache and fear that you were so close to dying once again.
“I—I’m sorry…” you let the words slip out without fear. You knew you had abandoned his side, Whitebeards side. Hadn’t listened to the plan.
His words hit hard, but before you could try to quell his fear, something deep within your chest shifted. A slow, steady thrum resonated beneath your sternum—a heartbeat that wasn’t quite yours. It pulsed with raw, ancient power, fierce and untamable. You hand clenched your chest as if trying to get to your heart and steady it on its own. You sucked in a breath as the thrum continued.
Marco looked at you, unease settling into his facial features. He felt it, everyone felt that thrum of power. Because it wasn’t just a thrum, it was a vibration emitting from your core. You stepped back trying to understand what was happening to you.
The light around you dimmed further as the sun vanished into a perfect eclipse, plunging the battlefield into eerie twilight. The familiar heat of your Devil Fruit stirred beneath your skin, not chaotic or faulty, but focused.
You gasped, wings twitching as power surged through your veins—steady, resolute, and dangerous.
Then—
A low, guttural laugh echoed through the darkened sky.
The ground beneath you seemed to shudder as a massive figure emerged from the jagged cliffs near the Peninsula, casting a towering shadow over the broken battlefield. His cruel smile gleamed like a blade, eyes alight with malice and twisted joy. Where was Whitebeard? Your mind tried looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found. That thrum them beat harder. Another vibration sent across the battle field as you tried to look for your captain.
“Ze~hahahaha!” Blackbeard’s voice boomed, thunderous and mocking. “Look at you… still breathing.”
His gaze locked onto yours, dark and hungry.
Blackbeard’s twisted grin widened as he took slow, deliberate steps forward, each heavy footfall sending tremors through the earth. The battlefield below crackled with distant cannon fire and desperate shouts, but here—on the darkened Plateau—everything narrowed into the oppressive weight of his presence.
Newt, still recovering behind allied lines, struggled to rise, his face pale with effort. You met his eyes for the briefest of moments—stay down, your gaze seemed to plead. He couldn’t fight Blackbeard—not anymore.
This was your fight now. It had to be, he took your wings.
The steady thrum in your chest surged, a living pulse of light and fire burning hotter with each beat. You spread your wings, feeling the aching pull of power ready to explode. Every instinct roared against facing Blackbeard alone, but something deeper—ancient, fierce, and inevitable—rose from the depths of your soul.
“Come on, then,” you snarled, taking a defiant step forward, talons scraping against cracked stone. “Let’s see if that oversized mouth can back itself up.”
Blackbeard’s dark chuckle rolled across the broken ground like thunder. “Ze~hahahaha! You think you can stand against me? You’re bold—but foolish.” His eyes gleamed with cruel amusement. “I’ll enjoy crushing that light out of you.”
Before he could strike, the thrum within you erupted in a blinding ring of light, surging outward in a dazzling shockwave that shattered the gloom of the eclipsed sky. The force of it staggered Blackbeard, his grin faltering for the first time. Then the edge of the plateau begun to crack. Blackbeard looked down at where he was standing, eyes wide with shock as the plateau started to give under his feet.
It was then, Whitebeard, who was battered and bloodied rose to his feet behind Blackbeard and his men. The men behind Blackbeard cried with fear as Whitebeard in his last attempt to shatter the edge of the plateau crashed his fist into the air. The air cracked and Blackbeard spun around and yelled at him. The plateau finally gave way under their feet and Blackbeard and his men tumbled into the mess of the broken plateau, falling.
Heat roared through your body, burning away fear and weakness. Fire and light wove through your wings, transforming them into vast, radiant plumes of blazing gold and red. Your limbs stretched, reshaping into something untamed and mythic. Brilliant claws replaced your feet, fierce and sharp, and an avian crest of searing feathers crowned your head. You felt limitless, a force of nature forged from battle and survival itself. Unknowingly, you had become the semi-true form of the Phoenix, its ancient power bound to your very soul. But in your mind, it was simply the awakening of your Devil Fruit—the only explanation that fit.
When Blackbeard and his men crashed into the ground there was a beat of silence. Your rage that simmered below you skin paused briefly. Your eyes scanned the pile of debris that covered Blackbeard and his men. Then you felt it. A small rumble of power that stemmed from the pile of debris that caged Blackbeard under it. That rage that stopped briefly came back with a fervent thrum.
Newt had come to stand beside Marco, both now looking onwards with awe and barely contained excitement as they took in your form.
Inthe same instance, Blackbeard broke free from the confines of the debris and leapt out landing with a thud on the ground just mere meters from where you stood now. The two of you locked gazes as Blackbeard wiped dust from his shoulders. He looked back up at where he once stood on the plateau and grimaced.
“I’m surprised you’re still standing old man…” Something in you clicked into place as you then rushed Blackbeard. Never turn your back on an enemy while in a fight, that was the number one rule on the seas, so you took your chance while you had it.
With a feral cry that echoed through the skies, you launched yourself at Blackbeard in a blaze of fiery light, claws gleaming like tempered steel. He barely had time to raise his arms before you struck, driving him back with unmatched fury.
This was your fight. This was your moment.
And nothing—nothing—would extinguish your flame.
Everyone on the peninsula and beach below all stopped their fighting, eyes drawn to the thrum of power you exuded with each heart beat. Those who were more religious than the others fell to their knees. The total eclipse that had sent their world into twilight seemed to add to the aura that whatever was happening was the work of the Gods.
You were too focused, your vision tunneling onto Blackbeard as you hit him hard and fast. Your claws, like steel, scrapped into his skin. Blackbeard was strictly on the defensive, taken aback by your show of strength. Those who were caught in the crossfire started to scatter. You paid them no mind and in this instance you would kill anyone to get to Blackbeard, it didn’t matter that they were friend or foe.
You continued your onslaught of slices and swipes.
Blackbeard was so focused that he couldn’t think of anything else as he tried to evade your attack.
Marco’s breath hitched as he stood frozen near Newt, Thatch, and the other commanders who were on the beach, watching the battlefield erupt into chaos. His sharp eyes tracked every blazing movement as you clashed with Blackbeard—a force of pure, unyielding power tempered by sheer will. He couldn’t help but smile as he continued to watch.
“Fucking hells, is that our little eagle?” Thatch practically yelled as his flickering shadows swirled around him. His hair was in a messy bun, stray strands covering his face as he looked at you take on Blackbeard. Izou, who had finally walked up to them let out a sharp laugh and nodded. Thatch, now bearing the ominous power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, clenched his fists, ready to move if you faltered. But you didn’t.
“I think it is. Well I’ll be damned.” Izou muttered as he too took in the sight that was you. You were chaos incarnate in his eyes. Yet, even as he watched you overpower Blackbeard he could agree that there was a certain finesse to your attacks. All of your training over the last ten years coming together. His chest swelled with pride as he continued to watch you fight for your right to freedom.
“I don’t think out little eagle is so little anymore…” Ace commented as he came up to stand beside Marco.
“I’d say they look more like you, Marco.” Shanks drawled as too stood behind the commanders. His eyes were focused on you as you moved with grace and fury. He noted the fiery characteristic of your feathers under the eclipse.
Marco could feel his Phoenix stirring—screaming—inside him, sending uncontrolled waves of Haki rippling across the peninsula. His chest ached, his heartbeat matching the thrum radiating from your transformed figure. He had never seen anything like it—your Devil Fruit wasn’t just awakened; it was something more, something ancient.
All Marco could do was hum as his gaze followed your every movement— a man completely enraptured by you.
“Reel it in, you’re starting to scare me…” Ace drawled as he started up at Marco. Ace could feel the haki radiating from Marco. There was a slight pinch to his sweaty brow as he watched Marco tear his focus from you and to him. If you asked Ace, he would tell you that seeing Marco blush was a first. The man was as stoic as they come, yet here he was fawning over a someone who was half his age. Ace let out a hearty laugh and clapped Marco on the back before returning his gaze back to you.
“Sorry…” Marco muttered as he straightened his back and regained some composure. Yet, reeling in his Phoenix was practically impossible at the moment. He could feel it, the tether that bound you two together. It was faint before, but now, seeing you here in this form, it was like that tether grew stronger. There was no doubt about it. He had read texts about Phoenix’s and how they mated for life. A secret interest of his to get to know himself better— he was only a child too when he ate his fruit. And it was for several years where he tried to understand what that tether felt like. Yet, it wasn’t until his imprint of you vanished that he slowly started to understand what it felt like to not have you around. It was like a part of his own soul died that day when your imprint disappeared. It was everyday after that where the bond grew stronger and stronger that it was becoming impossible to keep it a secret anymore. He knew you felt it too, in the way you subconsciously stood closer to him, the way you held him unknowingly and when you had sought him out after your nightmare, but he was unsure of if you understood it or not. It was possible you are in the dark like he was.
“Don’t be sorry, they’re amazing in their own right.” Izou spoke softly, a hint of a devious smile crossed his face as he watch his older brother try to reign in what little control he had. It wasn’t necessarily a secret to the commanders that Marco was slowly falling for you. They all saw it in the stolen glances you two took while the other wasn’t looking. Izou just hoped that this back and forth hidden romance would come to an end soon. He was a secret fanatic for romance novels and being able to see if unfurl in front of him was slowly going to be the death of him if they didn’t come together one way or another. He might just have to slip in and give those two a push if nothing came of it after this war.
Your fury coursed through you as you continued to slash and jab Blackbeard. Each hit finding its mark. You were slowly driving Blackbeard back into the base of the cliff. You would kill him. You would, you had to.
Whitebeard who was now sitting on an outcropping of rocks looked down at the raging fight below between you and Blackbeard. A small smiled tugged on his lips as he let his sons tend to the wounds he had gotten while fighting Blackbeard. He was unsure whether you knew what Blackbeard had, he was sure you didn’t but he was more intrigued by the state of your devil fruit ability. He had heard of a forgotten myth about Eclipses and the power they held over this world a long time ago yet never put any stock into it. He didn’t truly expect to live to see such a monumental shift in power in his age but here he was. He was witnessing you, his only daughter, take on a man who had tried to rip your freedom from you. He couldn’t have felt prouder. Whitebeard himself was coming to the conclusion that you were, in fact, ready to head out into the open world. He may have failed in his duty to protect you by being over protective, but you were starting to show him that you would be okay. That you were slowly starting to uncover what drove you to put your all into anything. That your Will was more than your past. That is was the past, present and future that would compel you to form a Will so strong not even death could break it.
He wondered if this power would stay, or if it would go with the waning of the eclipse.
The wings that exploded from your arms shone brighter than any fire Blackbeard had ever seen, burning gold and orange in fierce arcs through the darkened sky. You fought like you belonged in the heart of battle, relentless and precise, your strikes forcing even Blackbeard to stagger back. Blackbeard growled with each attempt to hold you back. As the dust from your attacks were flung into the air he had a second of reprieve before you found him again.
“Get the fucking box you useless pieces of trash!” He bellowed out to his men just as you swung through the haze of dirt and hit him square in the chest.
Beside Marco, Newt, still catching his breath, whispered, "That’s her. She’s fighting for all of us."
Everyone around him all hummed in agreement. They were all in awe of what they were witnessing.
With a thunderous strike of blazing talons, you launched Blackbeard backward, sending him crashing into the jagged base of the cliff. His twisted crew scrambled to regroup, but the battle was turning in your favor. You smiled and were ready to head in for the kill. Yet, even as you moved the waning eclipse started to shed bright light onto the landscape below. The tempered ethereal power in your body started to wane as well…