Chapter 73: Chapter 73 - I abide by The Bro Code
While singing all the embarrassing and feminine songs that you would never want people to hear, Marc was trying to feel the change in his magic. Fighting Nakoto had forced him to make a breakthrough in his mastery.
"I wonder what I'm able to do with this change. It feels like a wall was broken and gave me greater control and freedom. Now that I think about it. How does a Devil Fruit's Awakening work when it's converted into Magic..?" Marc thought casually over an important question.
But his mind wasn't in the right gear yet. He couldn't help thinking about his previous addiction to listening to music most of the time. A thing this world lacks greatly. "I can't stop thinking about music. I will just set aside the question and sing another song."
Mama Said - Lukas Graham ♫
While singing the song and thinking back to his sweet mother that would always play with him in the park. Literally, play with him in the park and not sit at the side as most mothers would. Marc's forever childlike personality without a doubt came from his mother that hated complicated things. As for his father, he was the serious type that would easily spend too much time working if it wasn't for his mother throwing tantrums to make him stop. The first time Marc's parents met each other, a misunderstanding happened where his mother thought Marc's father was stealing her jacket but was just moving it out of the way so he could get his own. A hard punch in the gut, that's what Marc's father got before he could explain what he was doing.
Marc couldn't help chuckle after the song reminded him of the time his mother told the story. "I wish I could see the scene where mother punched father savagely in the gut. I bet it looked hilarious… Wait, gut?"
The word somehow made him remember something important from Fairy Tail that makes a mage able to use magic. The container where Magic Power is stored. Marc went through an event he couldn't remember very well from canon. "Wasn't there something about a Second Origin? I can't remember it very well, but… I think it was something Ultear did to Natsu…Is it possible that I unlocked my Second Origin without Ultear's help?" Lots of thoughts went through Marc's head until he just gave up thinking about it.
"Whatever. It's useless wasting time thinking about it. I go by, learn by doing!" Mumbled Marc before he used his magic to make a paw bubble appear in his hand. The speed it appeared was much quicker than it usually was. Noting it down and throwing it somewhere behind in his little brain. His attention was on something else— the paw bubble.
He stared at the bubble for a little while before he suddenly forced his free hand inside it. It was an experiment. Instead of testing the waters by inserting another object, Marc stupidly used his hand.
A few seconds after the hand was inserted into the bubble, it popped with a bang.
"Ouch!!" Explained Marc while looking at his hand that looked like it just got pressed hard a few places around it unevenly.
"I think I'm getting closer to something. But I'm still doing something wrong… A small cave can't hold a giant dinosaur. Idiom by none other than The Great Marc- No focus! Let's try making the bubble bigger." Not being discouraged by the failure Marc made an even bigger paw bubble before putting his whole arm into it, only to once again burst and give a few bruises around his arm that was in the bubble- no he also noticed that he got stretch marks on his shoulder that was just outside the bubble.
"…Could it be that I have to do this?" A revelation appeared that could potentially be dangerous for Marc. Like crazy scientists that have the utmost confidence in their abilities, Marc raised both his hands in the air and created a bubble that was big enough to fit his whole body before lowering it down over his head and continued down until his whole body was inside. "So long, so good. I'm inside a bubble… So what do I do now? I bet I look like a circus clown that is ready to show a trick. Good thing I'm alone." thought Marc while still touching the bubble with his paws. His brain was once again getting burned thinking what to do from here. No matter how he thinks about it, wearing a bubble isn't something useful. So he turned to the thing that brings great inspiration to him once again— music.
Can't Be Touched - Roy Jones Jr. ♫
This time he chose a rap song that couldn't help raise Marc's cockiness and make him jump lightly inside the bubble with his chest high. He sang and dared the bubble to hit him like an idiot.
The hidden spectator— the mature blue-haired lady— frowned and thought "What a horrible song. It can't compare to the others at all— and is he seriously playing tough right now? It's… somehow embarrassing to even look at." while thinking about averting her gaze before remembering he was intruding into her private bath. Remembering it, she walked near the bath from behind Marc while removing a glove. It revealed her partially frozen hand that looked very uncomfortable. She had just crouched down to touch the water with her frozen hand until something happened that ignited her lost hope of escaping this village and made her stop.
"Can't be touched, can't be touched, can't be touched? Well, why not try?" Marc was truly on a streak with new ideas. He began compressing the bubble from the inside until the bubble was a tight fit around his body, but then he continued compressing. Slowly his size began decreasing until he wasn't bigger than a small marble ball. The paw bubble was still around him and he was standing on the water in the middle of the bathhouse.
"Wo-huuuuu!! I did something cool. I can't be touched if I'm small- that's not right. You can't see me if I'm small- not true either. Forget it. Let's see what I can do." Jubilated Marc before he began running to the edge of the bath in his decreased size.
Five minutes later…
From the spectating lady's view, Marc was sprinting with great vigor in his small size, but the distance he covered was insignificant if he dreamed of reaching the edge of the bath today.
"This is nothing!! You are nothing compared to my mortal enemy— stairs." Marc fired a line inspired by the best trilogy to watch for healing hangovers before singing:
I'm Born To Run - American Authors ♫
He didn't even realize that he didn't have to touch the paw bubble around him anymore to maintain it. Instead he, with an accident, ripped a hole in it.
*Blop*
"Eh!?" The unexpected happened and Marc was sent flying backward while growing to his normal size rapidly. A few backflips and he managed to land feet-first in the water. He yelled "Safe!!" before flexing with both of his arms as a victory pose. If there were just other people in the bath, he wouldn't look like a lonely kid that is used to playing alone. His muscles have grown, and he almost looked like a happy version of Super Saiyan Vegeta.
"Safe?" Marc questioned once again when he suddenly felt the temperature decrease and the water he was in turned to ice from under the middle of his stomach. He couldn't look more stupid as he was still flexing.
From behind him, he could hear someone approaching while walking on the ice. It was the mature lady that finally decided to take action and touch the water with her frozen hand. Instantly turning the water into a big ice block to make Marc unable to move.
The lady walked around Marc before stopping before him a few meters away. Not knowing the situation he was in, Marc joked "Is this really necessary stunning lady? The water was cold enough— or perhaps you want a piece of these ice cubes?" The said ice cubes where his round biceps were still flexing. Not… You know…
With an ice-cold expression, the lady questioned "That spell you used earlier to turn yourself small. Can you use it on others?"
Marc stopped flexing, and just answered what he knew— nothing. "Maybe, maybe not."
"Answer clearly!!" ordered the light-blue-haired lady.
"But I already did. I don't know. It's a new spell I have just made. Damn my balls are freezing. Guess they will turn into ice cubes if they aren't already. Want to hear a fact?- Of course, you do. Did you know that heat destroys sperm cells? Thanks for taking care of my family jewels. I appreciate it." Answered Marc, before telling how cold his balls are at this moment.
"Zip it!!" The lady grouched and grabbed Marc's mouth with the hand covered in a glove to make him shut up. Instead of stopping, Marc did the unpredictable and licked her hand, making her remove her hand quickly.
"Do you want to die?" The lady asked with an icy expression before threatening to touch him with her frozen hand.
But she had never seen such an unpredictable fellow before when she heard him saying "If it's a great beauty like you that kills me then I don't mind. But if you were a man, I would definitely say no." Marc smiled like everything he just said was normal.
"…"
The lady was thinking "It's just a farce. Nobody is fine with dying. Guess I just have to frighten him enough and he will answer my questions without trouble. If I can use him to escape this village…"
"…Then so be it. Turn into an ice sculpture!" The lady said and moved her frozen hand closer to his face.
Marc just smiled a little more and looked at the frozen hand approaching his face, knowing full well that he would surely turn into an ice sculpture if he was touched. But unsurprisingly for Marc, the hand stopped just before touching.
"…This young man… He's just like Esdea. A monster that truly doesn't fear death. Maybe I can threaten him in other ways." The lady was truly surprised with Marc, and only knew one other person like him that is unafraid of dying.
"Do you know who I am?" The lady removed her hand from covering Marc's vision and asked.
"No idea, beauty." Answered Marc while resting his elbows on top of the ice and supported his chin with his hands. He was ogling the mature woman without restraint.
"I'm the wife of Nakoto— the most talented swordsman ever seen in this village." The mature lady forced those disgusting words out of her mouth. She hated her husband to the bone and wanted nothing more than to kill him if she was strong enough. She was sure everyone knew of Nakoto in this village as his reputation was high and bloody.
"Oho~" Marc revealed surprise and responded coolly before continuing "You are the wife of that Mummy-Man? Gosh, you have bad taste."
Hearing those words, managed to make a tick mark appear on her forehead. Her frozen expression didn't change much though. That was until she heard his next sentence that made a complicated expression appear.
"So you are that ice soldier's— Esdea's mother- wait then you are Rofta's mother too as they are siblings? Esdea does look a lot like you, but Rofta? Did you poop him out or something?" Marc's fast mouth asked everything he doubted.
Quickly hiding her complicated expression, the lady confirmed Marc's words. "That's right. He's very overprotective of me and if I tell him you intruded into my private bath, then you won't die a quick death like I was about to give you before." She ignored the rude words about Rofta.
"I'm curious. Tell me what he will do. Torture me?" Questioned Marc without being scared of her threat.
"That's right. He will ruin your handsome look and turn you into something like himself that has to be hidden with bandages. He is rather sensitive about his look and he loves to torture others and make them look like him just to make himself feel better." The lady explained some of Nakoto's bad practices.
"…Now that would be a problem.." Said Marc and his smile lessened, making the lady pleased until she nearly slipped over on the ice when he continued speaking. "But that doesn't really matter. I'm sure all the women will be smitten by my gentlemanly carisma anyway!!"
After getting her bearing back, she looked at Marc with a weird look before she decided to take another route. The honest way "… What do you want for helping me escape this village with the shrinking spell you used earlier?"
"But I never said I could use it on others? But let's say I can, what do I get for helping you?" Marc asked. His happy, normal innocent face turned into a greedy one like a merchant. It's just a shame he doesn't have the talent as one.
"I have a few good magic books you can get. They are…" She listed the few magic books she has to Marc, but none of them interested him.
"Money works! Just give me a lot of money and I will help you." Marc's eyes nearly turned into dollar signs as he was thinking the jackpot was finally coming.
"I don't have much money…" Revealed the lady, but Marc wasn't discouraged as he was sure Nakoto's wife was rich and just didn't know the worth of money.
Marc could already feel the money in his hands. He asked "How much?"
"I have…"
.
.
.
After hearing the puny amount, Marc was resting his head on the ice and contemplated his lack of luck. "Just kill me already…"
The lady was frustrated too. She had just used all her money to make this outdoor bath— she even saved some by helping with her magic to build it. She regrets it now. She only had one thing left to offer that she was sure Marc was interested in. "Then how about you can use my body once in exchange for helping me escape this village?"
Waiting for his answer she thought. "Come on. I know you can't keep your hands from this."
Hearing her offer, Marc raised his head and looked at her with raised eyebrows before saying "Hell no!!"
"!? WHY?" The lady asked with a raised voice in surprise. She was sure he would instantly agree.
"There's no way I'm touching Rofta's mother." Marc still had his principles and he was sure that a strict person like Rofta would punch him in the face for real if that happens.
The lady looked at Marc with a complicated expression when he mentioned Rofta. "And why does Rofta's opinion matter? Just accept it if you want it," she asked.
"No! Never heard of The Bro Code? Rule #1 never go after a brother's mother. Never go after a brother's sister is #2 by the way.
#3 Have your brother's back if he gets drunk and picks up an ugly chick.
#4 If his girlfriend asks about his whereabouts to you— you know nothing!
#5 You must never let your brother feel ashamed if an accident happened and he got together with a hideous girl. If he's ashamed, you are supposed to blame the alcohol. #6… " Marc continued to explain every rule in The Bro Code, overwhelming the lady.
"Do you get it now!?" Marc asked, agitated.
The lady could only dumbly nod, before shaking her head to clear it. Moreover, she has decided to reveal a secret only Ihwach, Nakoto, and she knew— not even Rofta "…Actually, I'm not Rofta's real mother."
"…"
Marc looked at the lady foolishly before getting what this lady's real problem was. "You don't have to lie. I know you must be horny at your age. I did wonder if Mummy-Man's 'weapon' would even work with his injuries. But you can't force me. I abide by The Bro Code!!"
"…Pftt." The lady's ice-cold bearing completely crumpled and she fell on her rear, trying to forcefully stop herself from laughing at the weird young man in front of her.
***
(A/N: Marc's new spell is inspired by the Compress Quirk from MHA. Some might think the way he uses music to develop the spell is lame and such. But I used myself as an example here as I often use music to kickstart my slow brain. "Music is the art of thinking with sounds" or so I agree with.)
(Words: 2789)
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
McNiels
McNiels I wanted to end this chapter right, so I made it a long one. Make sure to back this brother up and support me with a Power Stone if the chapter managed to pull a smile from you.
BTW. I removed the lyrics from the previous chapter and added just the song's title like in this one. I'm afraid of violating any copyrights.
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