"Mm," Marco gave Robin another appreciative grin at the squeeze and rolled his thumbs over her hands. "Questioning is one thing," he glanced away sideways, "But I think I'm arriving at opposite stances, and I don't know how to reconcile that... or even if I should be. If it's something that I think will hurt Ace..." Marco gulped quietly and gripped Robin's hand a little more firmly for support. "I've never been good at standing in his way."

They had all asked him not to go hunt Blackbeard. Whitebeard even ordered Ace not to go at all. But still, it was part of Ace's freedom, part of Ace's identity. If Marco stopped him, then he wouldn't be free. Was it even safe to shift gears from that now? And more, it would mean undermining the captain, and he was definitely not comfortable with that. Not that he could do it if he stepped down either. He would be even less capable then.