Marco in One Piece

Marco is usually composed and level-headed in the face of difficulty or misfortune. He seems to be a little fun, yet he can quickly turn serious. The only times Marco has displayed extreme emotion thus far were directly associated with Whitebeard's condition. Marco's normally calm composure was broken when he witnessed his commander, Whitebeard, being stabbed in the chest.

Like several other characters, Marco has a highly distinctive speech pattern where he ends his sentences with "-yoi," which is just a basic tic without any meaning.

Since he has been a part of the Whitebeard Pirates for at least thirty years, Marco has a very high level of exposure to and fighting experience inside the dangerous New World. He became the leader of the Whitebeard Pirates after Whitebeard and Portgas D. Ace died at Marineford, demonstrating his degree of intelligence and fitness for holding a leading position.

The fact that he was the first person in Moby Dick to spot Red-Haired Shanks' Hashoku Haki shows that he is also a skilled sensor of power. He gave them the go-ahead to avoid Shanks' Haki, showing his concern for his crew.

One of the most notable traits of Marco is that he admires refined brilliance, even if it comes from someone he has never met before. Such folks automatically win his favor.

Marco is a tall, slim, blond-haired man with some stubble on his chin with a tired expression. He wears an open purple jacket and a light blue sash around his waist, elaborately decorated with a golden-yellow belt. He wears what appears to be some sort of straw decoration on his left leg, and he is seen sporting dark gray knee-length trousers and black sandals.

In contrast to his bare chest in his first appearance, he has tattoos on his chest, the cross and crescent moon emblem that resembles a black outline of Whitebeard's Jolly Roger. In Robin's and Luffy's opinion, Marco's head resembles a pineapple.

Initially, in the anime, Marco had the general appearance of a crew member: a black-haired man with pale skin and various outfits. His appearance was altered, along with his light purple jacket, black trousers and dark red tattoo, when he became more formally recognized in the story. Later on, he received a different color palette. Once more, the color of his jacket was changed to a much brighter purple, while the shades of his trousers, tattoo, and skin were all changed to dark blue.

After the time skip, Marco wears a light button-up shirt and glasses while working as a doctor on Whitebeard's home island. He has more facial hair as well. Twenty-two years ago, Marco was also a part of the Whitebeard Pirates. His appearance is largely the same as it is now, the same as at the age of 23. Marco's unique tuft of hair was curlier when he was younger. He wore a black pair of trousers, a shirt with vertical stripes and no shoes. He didn't really change much in terms of appearance as a teenager.

Crew

Marco and Whitebeard had a close relationship. Their bond was so deep that it resembled a captain and first-mate relationship in many ways. The fact that Marco was in charge of the first division hints at their friendship. Like other crew members, Marco referred to Whitebeard as his "father."

The other commanders and Marco shared a close bond with the rest of the crew, and it appeared that he and Ace also had a close friendship. Other than that, Marco bonded closely with several other members of the crew.

Allies

• Luffy: Despite never meeting the Straw Hat captain, Marco was among the first to recognize him during the Marineford battle. Marco instantly liked Luffy despite the two never having any direct contact. Eventually, after the battle at Marineford, and two year time-skip, Marco helped Luffy during the raid in Onigashima.

• Shanks: In the beginning, Marco was not very fond of Shanks. However, after the battle at Marineford, Shanks helped the Whitebeard Pirates in providing a proper burial to Edward Newgate and Ace after stopping the war. Since then, Marco has been very grateful to Shanks, though he refused to join the Red Haired Pirates when Shanks offered him.

• Nekomamushi: The mink and Marco sailed together on Whitebeard's ship many years ago, so they are well acquainted. When Nekomamushi approached Marco to help Luffy in Wano, Marco refused because he had to look after Whitebeard’s village. Later, Marco changed his mind and reached Wano prior to the raid in Onigashima.

• Straw Hat Pirates: Marco has developed a fondness for the Straw Hat Pirates and has great expectations from them, much like their leader. He decided to back Luffy in his bid to become the Pirate King. Throughout the Onigashima raid, he repeatedly offered assistance to the crew, and he holds them in the highest regard.

Enemies

• World Government: Marco despises the World Government's oppressive policies, particularly the Heavenly Tribute. As he points out, many countries choose not to join the political organization because they cannot pay the enormous tax demanded by the World Nobles to gain access to resources to protect civilians from crime and poverty.

• Marshall D. Teach: Blackbeard is viewed by the Whitebeard Pirates as an enemy and a traitor because of his involvement in the capture of Ace and the killings of Thatch and Edward Newgate. He was surprised to discover Teach wielding his captain's power. Marco hates Teach and calls his behavior disgusting. He also accuses him of being ungrateful for taking advantage of the crew.

As the former leader of the Whitebeard Pirates' first division, Marco had command over the 1,600 crew members who were lower in rank than him and was held in high regard by Whitebeard as his "right hand." He also seems to hold a strong will, as he remains unaffected by powerful Haoshoku Haki.

The Whitebeard Pirates' retreat from Marineford appears to have been carried out under Marco's advice after Whitebeard's death. Up until the crew's eventual separation after the Blackbeard Pirates had defeated them, Marco was the one who led the crew into the Payback War against the Blackbeard Pirates.

The Five Elders mentioned Marco (just by his name) and the remaining Whitebeard Pirates as one of the few organizations still capable of defeating Blackbeard after the battle at Marineford. At that time, Blackbeard was already widely regarded as the leading contender to succeed Whitebeard as Emperor. While acknowledging Marco's commitment to the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance was unworthy of a man of his stature, Emperor Big Mom also recognized Marco's strength.

Marco is shown to be a fierce opponent in battle. He demonstrated his abilities at Marineford when he engaged each of the three Marine admirals in combat and won, temporarily. Big Mom and Marco engaged in a brief, head-to-head confrontation on what appeared to be equal terms. Marco seemed confident that he could keep the Emperor busy. The two All-Stars King and Queen, Kaidou's two best fighters with simultaneous bounty totals over 1.3 billion, were successfully repelled and overpowered by Marco.

Since he was a little child, Marco has been highly intellectual, supporting his crew with knowledge and intelligence rather than just physical strength. While he had a strong interest in navigation as a child, it is unknown how extensive his knowledge of navigation is today. As a ship doctor, he possessed enough medical expertise.

Physical Strength

Marco is exceptionally physically strong. With the help of his phoenix transformation and a focus on kicks off the ground, he appears to enjoy this kind of attack. He has been observed aerially in his hybrid form, dealing slicing damage with strong kicks (and even knee attacks) delivered with either his human legs or feet transformed into phoenix claws.

Marco is exceptionally quick and agile, especially while flying. When one of his allies is in danger, he immediately protects them. Marco has shown excellent endurance in addition to self-regeneration. The only event where he was seen otherwise, is when he was shackled with Seastones.

Devil Fruit

Marco consumed the Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix, allowing him to change into a phoenix or a human-phoenix hybrid. He has a highly well-developed understanding of his transformation, which enables him to change certain areas of his body as necessary. His nickname, "Marco the Phoenix," comes from this ability.

As a bird-type Zoan, Marco obtains taloned bird legs that he may use for powerful kicks or to slash enemies with, as well as wings that let him fly in both his hybrid and complete phoenix forms.

Even when not transformed, Marco can freely summon his "Blue Flames of Resurrection" from any part of his body. These phoenix flames are more powerful than regular fire and have incredible healing powers; while engulfed in flames, Marco can quickly regenerate from almost any physical harm he sustains, much like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

It is stated, or at the very least implied, that he can heal with the flame from any wound received, even injuries sustained while his powers were suppressed. Due to his incredible capacity for recovery, Marco can easily repulse powerful attacks. He can share his healing flames with others, enabling him to heal others simultaneously. His fire has less impact on others.

Haki

Marco is a very proficient user of Busoshoku Haki, as evidenced by his ability to physically confront and kick away Logia users by imbuing his legs with it. He is also capable of using Kenbunshoku Haki.

Video Games

Other Appearances

• Marco visits Samba Island in One Piece Premier Show 2012 to find the New World pirate Chameleone, who had broken with the Whitebeard Pirates after killing some of his companions. Together, Marco and Luffy take him down. Additionally, Marco appears in One Piece Premiere 2017's retelling of the Summit War of Marineford.

• One of the Tokyo One Piece Tower's Photo Spots, "MEMORIAL WALL Remember Marineford," has a statue of Marco next to an image projection wall.

• In Super Kabuki II: One Piece, Marco appears during the Marineford Arc retelling.

• The Marineford version of the Hungry Days commercial features Marco.

• Marco has appeared in several figurine series, including Portrait of Pirates and One Piece World Collectable Figure.

Q. Did Marco join Luffy?

A. Marco aided Luffy during the Onigashima raid in the Wano Country arc.

Q. Who is stronger between Ace and Marco?

A. Ace is stronger than Marco in battle, and in all aspects.

Q. Who is more powerful between Zoro and Marco?

A. Marco is stronger in a battle against Zoro because of Marco’s healing abilities.