Marco The Phoenix

Japanese name:
マルコ
Romanized name:
Maruko
English name:
Frame
Spanish name:
Frame
First appearance:
Chapter 234; Episode 151[7]
Race:
Human
Affiliations:
Whitebeard Pirates[3] (formerly); Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance (formerly)
Occupation:
Pirate (formerly); Apprentice (formerly);[4] 1st Division Commander[3] (formerly); Medic[5]
Origin:
Grand Line[2]
Residence:
Sphinx
Epithet:
Marco the Immortal Bird (不死鳥ふしちぉうマルコ Fushichō Maruko?)[1]
Mark the Phoenix[N 1]
Mark the Phoenix[N 2]
State:
Alive
Age:
43 years old (debut)
45 years old (currently)[2]
Birthdate:
October 5[6]
Height:
203 cm[2]
Blood type:
X[2]
Reward:
Belly 1,374,000,000[2]
Devil Fruit
Fruit name:
Tori Tori Fruit: Phoenix Model
Japanese name:
トリトリの実 モデル "不死鳥フェニックス"
Meaning:
Bird
Type of fruit:
Mythical Zoan

Marco the Immortal Bird (不死鳥ふしちぉうマルコ, Fushichō Maruko?)[8][1] is the former apprentice[4] and later commander of the 1st Division of the Whitebeard Pirates.[3] He owes his nickname to his ability to transform into a phoenix, with the power of a mythical zoan.[1]

Following the Battle of Revenge, Marco works as a doctor in his former captain's home village.[5] After being informed by Nekomamushi of the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance's plans to overthrow Kaidou, despite initially refusing, Marco went to Onigashima to participate in the war that would begin on the day of the Fire Festival.

After the assault on Onigashima and having avenged the death of Kozuki Oden, Marco returns to Sphinx, permanently retiring from piracy.

Marco is a tall, muscular, blond man with a sleepy look in his eyes. He wears an open purple jacket and a light blue sash, adorned with a gold-colored belt. He wears long dark gray pants and black sandals, and wears what appears to be some sort of straw decoration on his left leg (similar to Arlong's). In his first appearance, his chest is bare, while in his later appearances, he has a cross and the Whitebeard Pirates' mustache symbol tattooed on him.[3] Nico Robin and Monkey D. Luffy claim that his head resembles a pineapple.[9]

In the initial concept for the anime, Marco appeared with a completely different appearance than he does now, giving him the appearance of a black-haired man with pale skin and different clothing.[10] When he later became a more important character, his appearance changed to what was depicted in the manga, with modifications made to his jacket, his black pants, and his prominent tattoo on his chest.[11] Later, starting from the opening of opening 13, he was given a different color scheme. Once again, his jacket was recolored to a much brighter purple, while his pants had a slight change to a darker color, even having a small change in his skin tone.

Marco has been a member of the Whitebeard Pirates for twenty-two years, making it harder to determine how old he is due to his appearance not having changed much over the years.[11] As a child, Marco had much curly hair. He wore a vertically striped shirt, paired with black pants, and was barefoot.

During his stay at Whitebeard's home village, Marco wears a simple light blue button-up shirt and red glasses. His hair is also shorter.[5]

Marco is a calm and level-headed man, even-tempered when faced with adversity or challenge;[7] the few emotional moments he has shown so far have been directly related to Edward Newgate (after he was stabbed in the torso by his ally Squard and after his death).[13] When Ace and Whitebeard were killed, Marco (along with the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates) burst into tears. In fact, seeing his captain Whitebeard stabbed in the chest by a deluded Squard was enough to make Marco immediately lose his cool and unwavering composure, instantly flying away to where the events were taking place.[13] Marco, whenever he can, tries to calm the situation and his comrades down, as happened with Squard, who was very ashamed of his actions against Edward Newgate.[13]

Marco also demonstrated great skill and intuition, being able to quickly notice Shanks' presence before all the crew members,[7] as well as Monkey D. Luffy's great potential.[14] He showed concern for his crew, by warning them about Shanks's great Haki.[7] Having been a member of the Whitebeard Pirates for at least twenty years, Marco has a high degree of combat experience in the New World. After the deaths of Whitebeard and Portgas D. Ace at Marineford, Marco took command of the crew, highlighting his level of intelligence and great disposition towards the Whitebeard Pirates.

He is somewhat sarcastic, pretending to be hurt by Admiral Kizaru's attack with obvious sarcasm. Marco appreciates talent in people, even if it comes from someone he has never met before, such as Monkey D. Luffy. Because of this, and based on the fact that Luffy intercepted Crocodile's attack on Whitebeard, Marco immediately formed a good relationship with him.[14]

Like many other characters, Marco has a distinct way of ending sentences. He tends to end his words with "yoi"; for example: arigato-yoi (thank you, yoi) or mattero-yoi (wait, yoi). Like many phrases in the series, it has no meaning other than simply a different way of speaking.[7]

Two years later, in order to protect Edward Newgate's hometown, he decided to stay there, to protect it from enemy attacks. Marco is very kind to the citizens and they often turn to his healing skills.[5]

Despite Marco's respect for his late captain, he no longer feels bound by the ties he once had with him, allowing him to feel free to do whatever he wants, something he was previously unable to do. An example of this is his attempt to form a temporary alliance with Big Mom to defeat Kaidou.

Whitebeard
As the commander of the First Division, Marco had a very strong bond with Whitebeard. Their bond was so strong that it seemed very similar to a captain-first-mate relationship, much like the close friendship between Gol D. Roger and Silvers Rayleigh. Also, during the Battle of Marineford, Marco stood by Whitebeard's side almost the entire time, in the early stages of the battle. He was also the only one of the crew who rushed to Whitebeard's aid after he was stabbed by Squard. Later, Marco attempted to assist his captain in the fight against Marshall D. Teach, but was ordered by Whitebeard to continue without him in the New World. Marco, like the entire crew, called their captain "father."

Portgas D. Ace
Marco met Ace shortly after Ace was defeated by Whitebeard and taken to his ship. He was one of the first to try to be Ace's friend. Some time after Ace failed, again, in his attempt to assassinate Whitebeard, he approached him and after a conversation about them and his relationship with Whitebeard, Marco managed to convince him to join the crew, and from then on they became good friends. When Ace left in search of Blackbeard, Marco insisted, until the end, that Ace not go looking for him. He was willing to sacrifice himself and go to war against the World Government to save his friend's life.

When Sakazuki mortally wounded Ace, Marco immediately leaped forward and attacked the admiral in retaliation. Seeing Ace dead, he wept, mourning his passing.

Monkey D. Luffy
Having heard stories about Luffy from Ace, Marco was among the first to recognize the Straw Hat Pirates captain at Marineford. Although there was no direct interaction between the two at first, Marco, under Whitebeard's orders, protected Luffy for virtually the entire war.

As the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' first division, Marco wielded authority over his lower-ranking subordinates. He was one of the few men unaffected by the Haki unleashed by Pirate Emperor Shanks. He is known to be one of the oldest members of the crew, having served since the days of Gol D. Roger, spending at least twenty-eight years at Whitebeard's side.

He was arguably the strongest member of his crew (except for Whitebeard himself), as indicated by his position as the first division commander. Marco was able to give Kizaru, Aokiji, and Akainu (three Navy admirals) a run for their money.

Another indication of Marco's strength is that the Five Elders consider him to be one of the few people capable of defeating Blackbeard. His name was stated separately from the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates, and he was acknowledged as a particularly powerful individual even among the Whitebeard Pirates. Empress Big Mom herself also acknowledged Marco's strength, noting that his loyalty to the Straw Hat alliance against Kaidou was unbecoming of a man of his caliber.[17] Such abilities were put to the test when Marco faced King and Queen, two commanders of the Beasts Pirates, at the same time with some difficulty.[18]
Medical skills
Marco has shown to have medical knowledge: While on Sphinx, he worked as the island's doctor, taking care of people who were hurt, using his blue flames to heal his patients' wounds and depending on the severity of the injuries he used the estimated amount of flames, although it had certain limits.

In Wano, after seeing the Ice Oni created by Queen, Marco quickly provided the samurai with some of his flames to keep them warm and slow the spread of the virus through their bodies long enough for Chopper to create an antidote.

Physical abilities
In addition to his Devil Fruit and Haki powers, Marco also possesses impressive physical strength and incredible reflexes. He kicked both Admiral Kizaru and Aokiji far away from great distances. More impressively, Marco managed to have a brief, head-on clash with Big Mom (being confident that he could keep her busy). Upon abandoning their confrontation, Big Mom declared that she did not have enough souls to continue fighting Marco.[19]

He also has great stamina, as shown when he was pierced by several of Kizaru's laser beams and was still able to stand afterward, despite being unable to regenerate due to the fact that his Devil Fruit abilities had been disabled by Seastone Manacles previously (a noteworthy achievement, as a single laser beam had already been shown to have been powerful enough to defeat one of the Supernova Eleven: Basil Hawkins). He is also incredibly fast, as he protected Whitebeard from Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama in a matter of seconds. Further testament to his impressive physical stamina is having been able to go toe-to-toe against Queen and King, two of the Beasts Pirates' main bosses and confidants of Kaidou, for an extended amount of time without much difficulty, though he admitted that it is far too tiring to take them on by himself.

Marco's fighting style appears to be based primarily on powerful leg attacks. He typically reverts to his human form to deliver his kicks, but he can also enhance them with the slashing power granted by his hybrid form's claws, as seen when he attacked Akainu after the latter delivered the final blow to Ace. Despite not having fought for a year, Marco was able to effortlessly kick the Big Mom Pirates' gigantic ship, with many of its members inside.

Marco consumed the Tori Tori no Mi: Phoenix Pattern:[21] a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit that allows him to transform into a phoenix, giving him the ability to fly. It is an incredibly powerful Zoan type, said to be the rarest type, even rarer than Logia-types. It is because of this ability that he is known as "Marco the Immortal Bird".[22]

Marco's control over his hybrid form is so great that he can transform individual parts of his body, even being able to remove his hands and feet from his transformation when necessary.[23]

Arms
Marco used a katana twenty years ago when his crew was on Fishman Island.[25]

Kenbunshoku haki
Main article: Kenbunshoku haki
Marco is able to use Kenbunshoku Haki at a very high level, being able to detect Borsalino in time, even using his ability.[2]

Busoshoku haki
Main article: Busoshoku Haki
With his Busoshoku Haki, Marco blocked Borsalino's attack as he attempted to attack Whitebeard.[1] He also kicked Aokiji to save Monkey D. Luffy's life. After Portgas D. Ace's death, he and Vista used Busoshoku Haki against Akainu, but failed to injure him despite their attacks.[24]

At least thirty years ago, Marco joined the Whitebeard Pirates as an apprentice. When they arrived in Wano Country, he volunteered to venture out to the island for supplies, but the idea was dismissed by Whitey Bay. Like the other members of the gang, Marco was driven by the clash between Kozuki Oden and his captain.[4]

The Whitebeard Pirates feasted with Oden and his retainers. There, Marco told Inuarashi and Nekomamushi about how vast the world is. Two weeks later, the Whitebeard Pirates attempted to leave the country at night without Oden. As they were leaving, the crew was shocked to see Oden wrapping a chain around the Moby-Dick's mast and being dragged through the water. As Oden held onto the chain, Izou also held onto Oden and was dragged along with him. Marco prepared to untie the chain, but Whitebeard ordered him not to and to take Izou back to the ship. Oden accepted Whitebeard's challenge to hold onto the chain for three days before he could be accepted onto his crew. For the next three days, the crew watched as Oden struggled to hold onto the chain. When Oden had one hour left to complete the challenge, Marco began to cheer him on. After Oden was accepted into the crew, the Whitebeard Pirates had numerous adventures with him, as well as with Toki, a woman Oden helped, and Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, who had hidden on the Moby Dick. [26]

Some time later, Marco noticed how Oden and Toki were growing attached to each other. Two years after Oden joined, the crew celebrated the birth of Oden and Toki's son, Kozuki Momonosuke. Around two years after the birth of Oden and Toki's daughter, Kozuki Hiyori, the Whitebeard Pirates arrived at an island and noticed a commotion that was scaring even the wild animals.[27] The crew was then confronted by the Roger Pirates.

During Ace's first few days on Whitebeard's ship, Marco tried to befriend him. Marco explained to Ace the kind of relationship Whitebeard has with his crew members. In fact, Marco was the one who told Ace to either abandon the ship and start over or represent Whitebeard's brand as one of his sons.[29]

Thatch's Murder
After Thatch's murder at the hands of Blackbeard, Ace decided to find Teach and make him pay for what he did. However, due to the circumstances, Whitebeard told Ace not to go (Ace ignored him). Marco was one of the crew members who tried to prevent Ace from leaving the ship, but to no avail.
After witnessing Whitebeard's brutal beating of Akainu and the arrival of the Blackbeard Pirates, Marco attempts to fly to the other side to kill Teach, but Whitebeard orders him to stop, telling Marco that he will kill Blackbeard, instead of Thatch. When Whitebeard is brutally murdered by the Blackbeard Pirates, Marco is seen crying over Whitebeard's death, as he leaves the crew in his care.

Marco then sees Blackbeard absorb the power of the Gura Gura no Mi, and when he recognizes the stance he uses when utilizing the ability, he is shocked. Marco explains to a fellow crewmate that Blackbeard is no ordinary person; he then joins his crewmates, with the help of Crocodile, as they prepare to face Admiral Akainu to defend Luffy and bring him to the next era. When Koby yells at all the combatants to stop, Marco wonders why a Marine is trying to stop the war.

When Shanks arrives at Marineford to stop the war, Shanks tells Marco to peacefully withdraw the Whitebeard Pirates from Marineford. Marco is later seen with the Whitebeard Pirates after mourning the results of the war.

Marco was seen again attending Ace and Whitebeard's funeral. He thanked Shanks for helping with the burial.[15]

During the time jump
A year after the Battle of Marineford, leading the Whitebeard Pirates, he faced, alongside the rest of the remaining crew, the Blackbeard Pirates, in the Battle of Vengeance.[9]

Wano Country Saga
Wano Country Arc
After their defeat, the gang finally disbanded, so Marco went to Whitebeard's home village and began working as a doctor, while also protecting the island from a possible attack by Weevil.[5]

Marco was helping the villagers when Nekomamushi arrived on the island to speak with him. Marco told him the story of his former captain's connection to the village. He also mentioned hearing about Weevil attacking those who had ties to Whitebeard and explained that he could not leave due to the possibility of Weevil attacking the village as well. Afterwards, he told Nekomamushi to give Luffy a message for him.[5]

He always ends his sentences with the suffix -yoi
He would probably call his partner nicknames like "little yoi."
He shares his nickname "the Phoenix" with the anime-exclusive character Puzzle, but he earned it for a different reason.
Marco was the first user of a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit to become known.
His favorite food is pineapple, while his least favorite is beans.[2]
Marco's animal representation is, according to his Devil Fruit, the phoenix.[2]
Marco's favorite hobby is collecting coasters.[2]
Its name may come from Marco Polo: an Italian explorer and merchant.

🔥 In a romantic relationship, Marco the Phoenix would be as warm and stable as his blue flames: protective without being overwhelming, patient but firm, and with unwavering loyalty. Here's a closer look at what their romantic dynamic might look like:
Calm and thoughtful: Marco is not one for explosive displays of affection, but he conveys confidence with subtle gestures and honest words.

• Constant support: In moments of weakness, he would be present without judgment, serving as an emotional anchor when the world turns stormy.
• Space and autonomy: He respects his partner's individual dreams. Love for him doesn't mean possession, but rather shared companionship.

Gestures of love

• Small acts of care: You would prepare meals after difficult days or check on your partner's rest after an emotional battle.
• Silent Present: I would be by your side through starry nights without needing to speak, relying on the nonverbal connection.
• Symbolic details: Perhaps he would give blue feathers imbued with his fire, as protective talismans.