witchesreign | 04

It is Japanese. [he feels the need to repeat this GIVE HIM CREDIT /shot forever]

[Reeeeeeeaches out... and ruffles his hair again.]

Hai, hai. Thank you for the word Japan. [Bows his head with a small grin THAT IS CLEARLY HUMORING HIM.]

[GFDLSGF REFLEX SMACKING THAT HAND AWAY]

S-stop that, or you will have to take responsibility! [s o b]

[... What. WHAT? Oh man... Marco is just holding his breath to try to keep from bursting out laughing. Must. Not. Laugh.]

[Finally, just deadpans...]

My, that would be terrible. I'm ever so bad with responsibility. [... RUFFLES HIS HAIR ALL OVER.]

[Marco you horrible person

Anyway Japan is just SHOVING DFKLSGDFGf WHAT ARE YOU DOING grabs his head]

H-hahhh, what is the meaning of this?! [he doesn't get that it's remotely affectionate...]

[Thinks it over. How to explain it...]

It's something I do to people who remind me of my nakama. [Nods.]

Ah! It's teasing. Yes, that's it.

[Way to admit Marco, way to admit it.]

[long linefaced staring..........

for people who remind him of nakama... what. but.]

...It messes up my hair.

[NOW he laughs.]

I'm pretty sure that's the point. Oh man, you should have seen how much Thatch would flip out when I'd do that. He wore his is this big giant poofy pompadour so I used to call him all kinds of things like skyscraper hair and well you get the idea.

[His thoughts: What a strange person...

But it seems like he has a lot of people he cares for, so Japan can admire that.]

I see...

Mind telling me about your people?

[This is a totally smooth transition... in Marco's head. ELSEWHERE NOT SO MUCH. But seriously.]

[Blink... straightening his hair extra.]

Ah... Honorable, hard-working, determined... Prideful, perhaps. There are many words to describe them.

Hah... sounds nice, eh? [Relaxes back looking up at the stars.]

It is comforting. I like to believe Japanese people have great pride in their country... I am not sure if other countries can reach this sort of thing in the way that I have.

[your ego is showing Japan... anyway he pauses and looks at Marco. What was this anyway... he didn't often sit talking to someone who actually listened to him... Not since Holland anyway.]

[Marco loves listening. His Pops always told him stories and Marco would laugh and listen~]

Eh, really? Patriotism is a little lost in my world. I know Shanks loves his home island... but that's more a measure of how Shanks is kind of weird. So are they a lot like you? Friendly and polite?

Lost...?

[HE LOVES HIS COUNTRY... which I guess means he loves himself. Hm. Oh but...]

I would say they are like me, yes.

Well, there are islands with countries, but mostly the World Government runs everything except a few rare islands that escaped its grip -- and even then, they're pretty cut off from the world, so there's not much to be patriotic about. Well, except where countries are like pirate crews. Then I guess we're pretty loyal to that, eh?

Heh. I'd like to meet some then.

Hmm... Perhaps you already have. Botan-sensei is a citizen of mine. Asahina-san, as well. I am not sure if you have met them, but it seems to me that there are quite a few here...

Ah, but does Marco-san's world have many islands?

Oh, I know Botan. She's from your country? I had no idea.

Ah yeah, there are hundreds and hundreds, thousands really.

She is.

Uwahhh, truly? I am an island nation myself-- an archipelago.

Eh? Really? Several islands then? That's not too common for a country where I'm from. Are they really big?

6,852 islands.

[BE IMPRESSED... He pauses. Not common, huh? How strange...]

Ah, but most of my land is on the four largest islands. The rest are quite small. Also, much of it cannot be lived on, so...

Holy... wow... SERIOUSLY? Sugoi... Ah, even for uninhabitable... that's amazingly impressive. Your fleet must be ridiculous huge....

[chuckles, oh Marco you so funny]

As I said, most of my land is on the four largest islands... But ah, to speak of my own Navy would be strange, wouldn't it? [He couldn't possibly stroke his own ego like that

...:| he must do it ~subtly~]

Ah would it? I'm sorry. I can't help thinking of things in that way. [Sidelong glance.] My crew doesn't even have a hundred islands under our control. Maybe only a dozen key points, and we don't even have to run them per say, just keep other pirates out, makes me wonder how you do it.

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