Marco is the former commander of the 1st Division of the Whitebeard Pirates. After the pirates lost in Marine Ford’s war Whitebeard, Marco took over. After another defeat, this time fighting Blackbeard’s gang, Marco retired to Whitebeard’s former home and practiced medicine there.
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Appearance
Marco is a middle-aged man with a muscular build. Furthermore, his hair color is blond and he wears a black beard. A distinctive feature is the tattoo on his torso, on which the symbol of the Whitebeard gang is depicted. In his first appearance, namely in chapter 234, he wore a dark blue shirt, brown trousers and brown sandals. The tattoo symbolizing his affiliation with the gang was not visible, as his shirt covered almost his entire torso. At the meeting of the two emperors, he wore a thin white coat and black pants with it, the sandals were also a brown color. In Marine Ford, he wore a purple shirt and dark blue pants.
In the encounter with Nekomamushi after the retaliatory war against the Blackbeard pirates, Marco can be seen wearing a light-colored, unbuttoned shirt. He is also wearing glasses.
30 years ago, his hair was already the same shape, but much shorter. Also the tattoo of the gang on his chest was not yet visible. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt with a wide neckline, light-colored pants and sandals.
Personality
Marco is a very cool character. He also cares a lot about the well-being of his fellow soldiers, as he warned the crew about Shanks when he visited. They just shouldn’t be around this man, they wouldn’t be able to stand it.
Like Jozu, Marco shows a lot of disrespect towards Shanks, as he wasn’t too fond of the latter’s performance. When Marco received an invitation from Shanks to join his pirate gang, he became angry and responded with “Shut up”. This proves Marco’s loyalty to Whitebeard and the entire pirate gang. Much like his “father”, he considers his comrades family and emphasized his respect to him by settling in Whitebeard’s home village after his death to protect it and preserve his memory.
Skills and strength
Based on the fact that Marco commanded the 1st division of the gang, he must have been one of Whitebeard’s strongest, if not the strongest subordinate. He also knows about the particular haki of Shanks, as when the two emperors met, he advised the other members of the pirate gang to keep their distance, which none did. Also, he knew that the pirates who collapsed due to the “Haki of the Tyrant” were only unconscious. Among other things, he was able to withstand Shanks’ Haki, demonstrating Marco’s mental strength. He himself is also skilled in the use of Haki. On Marine Ford, Marco showed what strength he has in him. So he managed to duel on equal terms with the admirals of the navy.
Like Whitebeard, Ace and Jozu, Marco has also eaten from a devil fruit, namely the phoenix fruit. This zoan fruit allows him to transform into a phoenix, and in addition to the ability to transform into a phoenix and a phoenix human, he possesses regenerative powers similar to a logia user. This is how he got his nickname “Marco the Phoenix” (不死鳥のマルコ, “Fushichou No Maruko”). As a phoenix, his entire body is surrounded by bright blue flames, but they are not hot compared to normal fire. In this state, he was also able to fend off the attacks of Kizaru and Sakazuki.
In keeping with his healing powers as a phoenix, Marco was the ship’s doctor for the Whitebeard pirate gang, as his devil powers not only have a healing effect on him, but also on people he treats with them. However, they don’t work on other people as much as they do on himself.
According to the Five Elders, Marco is one of the few who can still stop Teach, Whitebeard’s murderer. However, such an attempt on Marco’s part failed, earning Blackbeard the rank of Emperor.
Past
Trip with Kozuki Oden
Thirty years ago, Marco was already a member of the Whitebeard pirate gang as an apprentice and already possessed the powers of the Phoenix Fruit when they were shipwrecked after climbing the waterfall on Wano Country. However, when he wanted to join the exploration group, Whitey Bay refused due to his rank as an apprentice. Shortly after, Kozuki Oden also arrived, who, crossing weapons with Whitebeard, asked to join the latter’s band of pirates. Marco then also met Nekomamushi and Inuarashi, and enlightened them that there were far more islands in the world than they could imagine.
When they refused Oden’s request and wanted to leave the island, Oden held onto their ship with a rope, which Marco tried to separate, but was stopped by his captain. Whitebeard then held out the prospect of Oden joining the gang if he could hold onto the rope, in the water behind the sailing Moby Dick, for three days. Eventually Marco even cheered him on, considering him one of them even before he passed the test. But ten minutes before the end, Oden let go to help a woman on an island, Toki, which Whitebeard also noticed.
They anchored off this island, defeated Karma who was harassing the woman, and accepted Oden into the gang. They had many adventures together and Marco especially became friends with the two Minks and they watched the relationship between Oden and Toki.
They also celebrated the birth of Oden’s two children, Momonosuke and Hiyori, on board. Then, 26 years ago, they encountered Roger’s band of pirates on an unknown island and a three-day battle broke out, eventually ending in a draw. Afterwards, Roger was able to persuade the samurai to go with him on the final voyage, which greatly angered Whitebeard. Marco, on the other hand, bid Oden farewell and joyfully awaited his return. However, they did not learn of Oden’s fate until years after his death.
Meeting with Shiki
Two years after Roger’s death, Shiki was a guest on the Moby Dick, who managed to break out of Impel Down. He told the pirates about his great plan and then disappeared again. Marco was also present at this meeting. At about this time, Whitebeard also put the Fishmen’s Island under his protection, with Marco’s help.
Ace’s recording
When Ace was accepted into Whitebeard’s gang, it was Marco who educated him on why they would all say “Father” to Whitebeard. He also tried to integrate Ace into the crew. At a later point, Ace asked Whitebeard to leave for Wano Country and free the land from Kaidou’s tyranny as he made a promise, but Whitebeard vehemently refused. Marco then explained to Ace why they didn’t, though he and Izou didn’t seem reluctant.
Present
Shanks’ messenger
Marco’s first appearance was in chapter 234, in which Rockstar delivered a message from his captain to Whitebeard in the form of a letter. Meanwhile, Marco was talking to a member of the pirate gang, but he was interrupted by Shanks’ messenger, who asked him if he had heard the name Rockstar before, Marco denied, shaking his head.
Emperor’s convention
Later, Marco was again seen at the meeting of Shanks and Whitebeard. Just before the Emperor entered his captain’s ship, the Moby Dick, Marco warned the crew to keep their distance, as they could not stand the presence of this person. The order was disobeyed, however, and the pirates who were near Shanks were cut down by his haki. Marco then asked the redhead what the deal was, to which the redhead replied if he didn’t want to become a member of his pirate gang. Marco got really angry and yelled “shut up”. The conversation was then ended by Whitebeard, who would like to be left alone with Shanks.
Ace’s execution begins
While the preparations for the execution of Firefist Ace were in full swing at the Navy, the Whitebeard pirate gang and thus also Marco prepared for a rescue operation. Precisions are not available about the pirates’ preparations and plans. All the Navy knew was that Whitebeard made his first move when they lost communication with 23 ships in the New World. In addition, suspicious movements were observed among several pirate gangs. When and where the Whitebeard pirates were to strike was unclear at this point, so the Navy was also preparing for an attack on Impel Down, where Ace was imprisoned.
Until shortly before Ace’s execution began, however, there was no sign of the gang. It was only when Whitebeard’s allies, 43 New World pirate gangs, appeared that the Whitebeard gang also appeared with four ships from a whirlpool in the middle of the bay of the crescent-shaped island where Marine Ford is located. Fierce fighting quickly broke out, in which Marco was also involved. When Admiral Kizaru tried to attack Whitebeard with light beams, Marco got in between and repelled the attack by standing in front of it. Shortly after, his entire body burst into blue flames.
Marco ate from a zoan fruit that allows him to transform into a phoenix or phoenix human. Marco counter-attacked; he transformed into a phoenix, flew straight at the admiral and tried to attack him with a kick, but failed. However, Kizaru was thrown away by the kick, which he intercepted with his arms. The exchange of blows was then over. During the course of the fight, Marco heard the marines receive information via Den-den Mushis to bring the execution forward.
Marco reported this to Whitebeard, but he was less than impressed, suspecting that this was a feint by Sengoku. However, Luffy, who was with Whitebeard at the time, panicked at this news and rushed off to rescue his brother. Whitebeard then gave Marco orders to protect Luffy. Marco did this partially indirectly, for example he gave Vista the order to fight Hawkeye, as Luffy was hopelessly outmatched against the swordsman.
Later, when Whitebeard was speared by Squard, it was Marco who immediately stood by his captain and pinned the attacker to the ground. When Squard explained his motives, Marco was shocked to be believed. After Whitebeard had forgiven Squard and removed the doubts that had been sown in him, Squard had melted into self-pity. Marco then challenged him to fight like a man again.
When Ace’s execution was first to be carried out, Marco would have been on hand, but Crocodile disposed of the executioners. Marco, along with Crocodile and Luffy, was one of three pirates who found themselves outside the bay after the harbor walls were activated. However, Luffy, who had tangled with the three admirals, had to save him from Aokiji by kicking away the logia user due to his captain’s orders.
Later, with the help of Little Oars Jr, the pirates had managed to storm Oris Square, Whitebeard had also entered the fray where he had nearly collapsed due to his wounds. Marco had anticipated this, but was still shocked. Kizaru took advantage of Marco’s distraction to pierce him with two lasers. Although Marco can regenerate due to his phoenix powers, this attack weakened him greatly. Thus, he fled from the admiral, but was careless and was handcuffed with sea stone by Vice Admiral Onigumo. Shortly after, he was again pierced by several of Kizaru’s lasers. Deprived of the ability to use his devil powers, Marco was unable to regenerate his injuries and was defeated.
Fate takes its course
Only later, when Ace had been freed by Luffy and Galdino, was Marco able to get rid of his handcuffs: Galdino made a key for the handcuffs, as he had already done for Ace. With Ace freed, Whitebeard now saw his time had come and gave his men a final order; they were to flee, he himself would stay there and secure the retreat. Marco, as commander of the 1st Division, was thus in command of Whitebeard’s crew. Marco, however, was reluctant to abandon Whitebeard. His nakama finally got him to obey the captain’s order.
Akainu would not let Ace and Luffy escape and severely wounded the rescued Ace. Marco and Vista attacked the admiral, who was about to launch another attack on the severely wounded Ace, with haki, which the admiral found extremely annoying. At this point, it became apparent for the first time that Marco had mastered the skills of Haki. Ace, however, was beyond saving and died, which is why Marco, among other greats present, shed bitter tears.
When Akainu also tried to kill the completely shocked Luffy, Marco reacted with presence of mind and defended the straw hat boy. He demanded that Jinbe take Luffy to safety. The Whitebeard gang now wanted to save Luffy from the fate of death instead of Ace. Akainu, who continued to chase Luffy, now faced Whitebeard, who was able to temporarily take out the admiral. In this fight, Whitebeard split Marine Ford in two, separating the marines and pirates.
The future is uncertain
So Marco could not rush to his captain’s aid when the Blackbeard gang showed up and killed Whitebeard in a more than unfair fight. Although more than shaken by his captain’s death, he could still detect something “strange” about Teach when he seized Newgate’s Devil’s Fruit. However, there was no time for the new captain of the Whitebeard gang to mourn for long, as Akainu continued to chase after Luffy. So the commanders and even Crocodile stood in the admiral’s way.
When asked why the pirates would defend the little straw-hatted boy so, Marco replied that the dangerous potential the Navy was trying to wipe out was the pirates’ best hope. A battle ensued against the Admiral, but the pirates were also able to be surrounded by the Navy and Pacifista from other sides. After Akainu took out Curiel, Koby intervened to put an end to it, as the pirates, who continued to be attacked due to their poor condition, did not deserve the ordeal. Akainu’s attempt to kill Koby was stopped by the sudden appearance of Shanks, at whose appearance everyone was greatly astonished.
Shanks declared the war over. Marco addressed the Red, but he interrupted him and announced that he would use all his power against anyone who wanted to continue fighting. Sengoku then declared the war officially over. The Whitebeard pirates were finally able to indulge in their grief and disappeared. Afterwards, the Whitebeard gang and numerous other pirates mourned the deaths of Ace and Whitebeard. Shanks and Marco prepared graves for the two.
The war of retaliation
A year after the Battle of Marine Ford, the remaining Whitebeard pirates, led by Marco, met Blackbeard. A battle ensued in which both parties fought relentlessly, but ultimately resulted in a devastating defeat on the part of the former Whitebeard pirates. This conflict, formed out of revenge, has become known as the Retaliation War and led to Blackbeard’s rise in prestige and sealed his ascension to one of the Four Emperors, after which Marco and his crew withdrew.
After the retaliatory war
Marco retreated to Whitebeard’s home village on the island of Sphinx and has practiced medicine and cared for the villagers there ever since. When Nekomamushi reached the village in search of him, the phoenix told him the story behind the village. It was once too impoverished and so was not considered by the world government, making it a lawless space and orphaning many children, including its former captain.
Whitebeard went to sea as a pirate, but he supported this place throughout his life with the goods he captured. This is also the reason why Marco can’t leave this place yet to follow Nekomamushi towards Wano Country. He wanted to protect this village precisely because Weevil might also show up there. Still, he asked the cat mink to deliver a message to Luffy, which said that he would be late, but still in time.
Raid on Onigashima
When the Big Mom pirate gang made their second attempt to climb Wano Country’s waterfall, Marco suddenly appeared and pushed them back down the waterfall, similar to what King had done before. He then met up with Nekomamushi and Izou and continued his journey towards Onigashima with them. Once there, they met up with the rest of the Akazaya and they reunited with Inuarashi, however Marco interrupted this and flew away again for the time being as he wanted to investigate a strange shadow in the water. Shortly after, he encountered Perospero and, for reasons as yet unexplained, cooperated with him. Together, they attacked the 100-beast pirate gang on Onigashima.
They eventually encountered Big Mom, but since the latter was in an alliance with the Emperor, Marco dissolved the cooperation with Perospero again. Before he could leave, Big Mom asked why he was helping these greenhorns, to which Marco replied that they were no longer bound by their father’s word and were free to make their own decisions. An exchange of blows then ensued and the Empress got her hands on Marco.
Just as Big Mom ordered her firstborn to finish Marco off, Carrot and Wanda showed up and took over Perospero. While Big Mom then made her way to Kaidou, Marco ran into some Straw Hats and helped Chopper with the Ice Demons. He then offered to take Zoro and company to the roof, which he eventually did, despite King and Queen’s intervention, with Zoro. While he subsequently heard Sanji’s cries for help, he continued to keep the two main representatives busy, supporting Chopper against Queen. While Marco also heard the news of Luffy’s supposed death, he also heard Sanji’s speech to Chopper and commented that he liked the Straw Hats for that very reason. .
Miscellaneous
- In his first appearance in the anime, episode 151, he mistakenly had black hair. However, in episode 316, this has been corrected and he now has blonde hair.
- In the Japanese original, Marco has the linguistic peculiarity to end his sentences with “-yoi” (よい). However, this has no special meaning.
- In the SBS to volume 70, Marco is seen as a child.
- His head resembles a pineapple, which Luffy and Robin have already referred to. Interestingly, the Japanese word for pineapple (鳳梨) contains the kanji 鳳, which is also found in the Japanese word for the Chinese firebird Fenghuang (鳳凰, Hōō), often referred to as the “Chinese phoenix” in the Western world.
- Marco’s favorite food is pineapple. On the other hand, he doesn’t like beans.
- His hobby is collecting bar coasters.
- If he were an animal, he’d be a phoenix.
