For such a huge figure, Marco’s part in the Wano narrative appears minor. But future One Piece arcs may have something major cooking for the Phoenix.
The former first mate of the Whitebeard Pirates and the de facto commander of its remains, Marco “the Phoenix” is an important character in One Piece. The hitherto neutral vice-captain allying with Luffy during the Wano arc means a great lot for both the Straw Hats and the international stage as the two big powers come together.
This is why it’s weird that Marco actually hasn’t done anything thus far. His participation in the Wano storyline was hinted as far back as Chapter 820 where the Straw Hats debate recruiting him, and again in Chapter 909 where he ostensibly ignores Cat Viper’s call to action. As such, it’s a shock when he shows up in Wano after all, eager to fight alongside the alliance against Kaido.
All Marco has done thus far, though, is temporarily distract King and Queen. Fighting two Yonko Commanders at once is definitely no minor achievement, but the series doesn’t pretend their fight is vital — Marco himself makes it plain that he’s only holding them off for Zoro and Sanji to deal with. With Zoro and Sanji now battling the two Calamities, Marco seems to have pulled out totally, and quite anticlimactically given how much buildup he had. As the lone protector of Whitebeard’s community, Marco made it plain that he would only leave in the most dire situations, yet his job so far hasn’t justified that choice.
It’s certainly conceivable, though, that there’s something more in store for the Phoenix. The Wano arc is a partial retelling of the Tale of Momotaro, a Japanese folktale about a child named Momotaro who, with the promise of millet dumplings, persuades a trio of companions to fight a monster that resides on an island called Onigashima. In One Piece’s rough adaption, Kozuki Momonosuke is named after Momotaro, and Kaido’s headquarters, Onigashima, is the same as the demon’s island. The character Tama likewise employs magical millet dumplings to win Kaido’s men over to the alliance’s side.
One significant aspect from the narrative is the identification of Momotaro’s three allies: a monkey, a dog and a pheasant. Momonosuke, meanwhile, has aligned himself with Monkey D. Luffy and Yamato, possessor of the Okuchi-no-Makami Devil Fruit — a wolf god. This suggests that the folktale’s monkey and dog have exact analogues in One Piece, but the pheasant is still unaccounted for. Given Marco’s phoenix Devil Fruit powers, he’s the only significant hero with a bird motif currently on Onigashima, making him the most viable contender.
While Marco’s decreased involvement thus far could make him a perplexing option for the pheasant, it would be a sneakily suitable pick. After all, the notion of inherited will is one of One Piece’s key themes — Marco is the main inheritor of Whitebeard’s will, while Momonosuke is the inheritor of his father Oden’s, himself a former Whitebeard Pirate. The Wano arc is Momonosuke’s coming-of-age narrative, and it would be right for him, as Oden’s proxy, to stand beside Whitebeard’s.
That’s all very well for Momonosuke’s character journey, but Marco’s won’t be so straight cut. The former Whitebeard Pirates first mate has had a terrible time of things. Following the events of Marineford and the ensuing Payback War with Blackbeard, Marco’s term as captain of the Whitebeard Pirates hasn’t been very fruitful. The guy lost his adopted father and sibling on the same day, and his crew is presently scattered, leading to Marco becoming a recluse — but fighting with a Kozuki again is precisely the push the Phoenix needs. It’s Momo’s desire to open Wano’s boundaries and accept responsibility on the international stage, and Marco doing the same would match that narrative well. After all, complementing its world’s grand political gestures with more personal character beats is One Piece’s bread and butter.
Plus, as the inheritor of Whitebeard’s will, Marco will come to the foreground of the plot sooner or later. Oda has revealed that the self-proclaimed son of Whitebeard, Edward Weevil, will play a key part in the series moving forward, and he has his eyes set on destroying the remainder of the Whitebeard Pirates. If Marco is going to be part of the eventual encounter with Weevil, then he’s going to need to get his rhythm back first, and the climax of Wano is the perfect chance for him to do so.
Marco, at now, is an anomaly in this arc. For all of the elaborate plotting, his place in the tale is still a mystery. But Oda is a purposeful writer, and Marco’s seeming lack of presence thus far and the absence of the pheasant is no accident. Whatever the finale of the arc looks like, and whatever route Marco’s character takes, it’s a given certainty that no one will see it seen coming.
