Chapter 38

Marco's fingers were a ghostly pallor as they gripped the map set out on the table before him. He was trying hard, so very hard not to lose every ounce of his control and instead focus on setting a course toward the ship that had taken Felicity prisoner.

How could he have been so careless? He should have been so much more careful with her, he should have never let her out of her sight knowing the threat of the Navy was still so very real! And now...

"I already said I'm fine!" Izo's voice rang out, snapping Marco out of his thoughts as his gaze turned toward the infirmary. "We need to be focusing on finding Felicity! Now for the last time, get out of my face before I decide to take my hairpins out and ram them where the sun doesn't shine!"

Well, at least Izo seemed to be in better shape than he was when he had been brought back to the ship the day before.

"So what's our plan, Marco?"

Marco's head snapped back toward his brothers, all giving him the most serious looks he had ever seen out of them. He shook his head and pointed to the map. "From what I've gathered, the ship that took Felicity is heading in this direction." He pointed to an island where he knew a nearby Navy base was. "I believe they're headed to this island. They'll more than likely stop here to stock up on supplies before taking Felicity back to their headquarters."

And once she was back to Marine headquarters, there was no way Akainu would ever let her out of his sight again. Marco knew he couldn't let that happen, he couldn't let Akainu have Felicity.

"My plan is to attack the ship before they can even get close to that island yoi. They may or may not be expecting an attack, which is why I'll be going by myself to rescue Felicity."

When Marco relayed his plan, the response from his brothers was instantaneous.

"Are you insane? Of course they're expecting an attack!"

"You can't seriously go by yourself."

"What if they seriously hurt you or Felicity, or both of you?!"

Marco's eyes narrowed. He knew his brothers meant well, but he couldn't risk their lives. "That's my plan and I'm not changing my mind yoi. After the way Kizaru ambushed and attacked Izo and the others, I'm not going to risk anymore casualties."

"But Marco," Jozu quickly interjected, frown marring his face. "You have to realize that they're more than likely expecting someone to come for her, so you know they'll be ready for anything. It would be best if you let us all come with you so we can fight together to bring Felicity back."

There were several murmurs of agreement among the other commanders. "Jozu's right," Haruta piped up. "Lissy's our sister! Whether you like it or not, we're all gonna help get our sister back!"

"Yeah!" His brothers all cried out their concurrence at once.

Marco should have realized this would happen. Everyone on board had grown to love Felicity and truly see her as their sister, and that meant that they all wanted to be right there when Marco enacted his rescue operation.

"I can't let you go yoi," he groaned, shaking his head slowly. "We've gotta be smart about this, we can't just go in guns blazing and just expect Akainu to give his daughter up so easily. I know he'll probably have all kinds of reinforcements lined up just in case we show up, but I'd rather risk my own life than risk losing any more of my brothers yoi."

"And if you think we're going to just sit back and let you risk your ass to rescue Duckling, then you've got another thing coming!"

All eyes turned to Izo, who quickly stormed into the meeting, eyes blazing with something akin to pure fury. "It's my own damn fault that Kizaru was able to snatch Duckling up, and I'll be damned if I don't do something to help get her back!"

Marco felt his features soften, turning to look at each of his brothers. He could see the same resolve within them that Izo had, and if that was how they truly felt, then who was he to keep them from doing what they truly felt they had to do?

"Are you sure about this yoi? You all know it's going to be a hell of an escape plan." He waited until all of the commanders gave their assent one by one before slowly grinning. "Good, then here's what we'll do…"

He turned his head down to once again look at the map, quietly dictating orders to each of his brothers. Marco just hoped that Felicity could hold on a little while longer for him to finally rescue her and bring her back where she truly belonged.

Felicity tugged at the long skirt she was currently wearing, eyes narrowed into a piercing glare as she stared hard at the plate set in front of her. She knew that she shouldn't try to fight against it, that in order to keep everyone she had grown to care for and love safe, she needed to play along and pretend to be the good daughter, but damn it all she hated this.

"You should really try and eat something, ma'am. It isn't good for you to starve yourself like this."

She whipped her head up, glaring daggers at the Marine who had made the suggestion. As though she could even think about possibly eating anything while she was being forced against her will to stay aboard-

Felicity stiffened the moment she heard her stomach rumble loudly. She felt her face flush and mumbled under her breath about how stupid this all was before snatching a piece of bread off her plate. She tore into it with a voracious bite and forced it down with a hard swallow. It wasn't bad, but it would have been better if it had been raisin toast.

Felicity froze in her seat the moment she heard the door behind her open and heavy steps walk closer and closer toward her. She already knew in her heart just who it was behind her.

"I see you haven't lost your appetite. I suppose that can be counted as a positive considering all I'm sure you went through during your time with those damned pirates."

All of a sudden, Felicity felt incredibly nauseous and her fingers curled into her skirt. She slowly lifted her gaze and watched as her father took a seat at the head of the long table. He wouldn't look her in the eye, but instead briefly glanced at her appearance.

"Good. It's nice to see you out of those rags Kizaru found you in." He reached for a glass on the table, taking a long swallow from it before placing the glass back down. His eyes narrowed as he stared hard at Felicity's hair. "I thought I sent word that I wanted you to pull your hair up. It looks like a mess when you wear it down the way it is now."

Felicity's fingers tightened again and she forced the vicious retort down. What she wanted more than anything was to tell her father to go to hell, that she would wear her hair however she saw fit and that Marco quite liked her hair down the way she now wore it, but she had to remember the ones she had left behind. Her father could just as easily decide to take his anger out on them if he found her answers unsatisfactory.

"I-If it's alright, I'd prefer to wear it down… Father." She chanced a glance up at her father before continuing. "It hurts to wear it up for too long, and I just thought…" Felicity stopped as she noticed her father's brow quirk up just slightly.

Sakazuki released a heavy sigh before turning to his plate, grabbing at the toast on there. "I loathe seeing it down like that, but if you insist on wearing it like that, you'll just have to find a style that isn't so downright unkempt."

Felicity bit down her retort and instead nodded her head. "Yes, Father. I'll see what I can do with it to make it more presentable for you." She forced a small smile onto her face, thankful he hadn't threatened any harm for not doing as he wanted her to do. She grabbed her toast, taking a bite the same time as Sakazuki bit down into his own.

The pair quietly ate, not saying a word for several long minutes until Sakazuki finally looked at his daughter, studied her small mannerisms to see just how much she had changed since the last time he had seen her.

"I must say," Sakazuki began slowly. "I'm impressed that you've finally seen that your rebellious ways just won't work for you. I thought it would have been more of a fight out of you to get you back here where you belong."

Brown eyes narrowed but Felicity refused to meet her father's gaze. "I'm just surprised it took you this long to decide that you wanted me back." She quickly continued without giving him a chance to respond. "And I suppose I've always been rebellious just like Mama in that regard, always wanting more out of life before eventually resigning myself to the fate I've been dealt." The words tumbled out before she could stop herself and she peeked out of the corner of her eye to see her father's reaction.

Sakazuki froze in his seat, his anger slowly welling up within him at the comment about his late wife. Felicity knew that even the mere mention of Johanna would send him into a rage, but he couldn't let his wretched daughter get the best of him.

He slammed his hands down onto the table and stood from his seat. "I seem to have lost my appetite," he muttered coldly. "But no matter, we'll be docking tomorrow. Make sure you get enough rest." As he passed by Felicity's chair, he paused and reached down to grip her shoulder.

Felicity winced and ground her teeth together to keep the cry of pain in. Her entire form became rigid as her father leaned down, murmuring in her ear. "If any of those bastard pirates show up for you, I'll kill them all one by one without a second thought, and I'll force you to watch."

A chill went down her spine and Felicity had to force herself to speak. She knew if she didn't convince her father that the Whitebeards were in fact, not coming to rescue her, then he would do whatever it took to wipe them out completely. "I-I don't see why they'd come for me. I wasn't anything more to them than a…" She swallowed hard, trying to force the words out. "A hostage."

"Good." Sakazuki released his daughter and turned to the Marines at the door. "Make sure she doesn't leave her room for anything. If she tries to leave, no matter the reason, you let me know and I'll deal with it."

"Yes sir!"

Felicity waited until the door shut with a loud thud before she let a lone, solitary tear fall down her cheek. And so it began, the life she thought she had finally escaped had once again grabbed hold of her, and she knew her father would more than likely never let her see the light of day again once they reached Navy headquarters…

Quickly, she reached up to wipe it away before pushing her chair back. "I think I'd like to return to my room now please."

The moment she stood to her feet, her eyes shot open as she felt the sensation of her stomach churning and immediately knew she had to get out. Felicity quickly rushed out of the room, where she hastily emptied the contents of her stomach over the side of the ship. Her entire stomach was in knots over everything that had just transpired, so it wasn't any surprise that she was feeling sick like this, but she couldn't allow herself to become so easily nervous to the point where she got sick every time she dealt with her father.

"Ma'am?" Felicity slowly turned, trying not to make herself sick again with any sudden movements. "I'm sorry, but we need to escort you back to your quarters now." Resigned, she released a sigh and nodded, allowing the men to lead her back to the quarters she was to stay in for the time being.

"If you need anything, just knock on the door and let us know." The men regarded Felicity with sadness in their eyes, almost as if they pitied her for who she was and what she would surely have to deal with at the hands of her father.

Felicity silently nodded in acknowledgement, opening the door before shutting it firmly behind her. The moment she locked the door, she sunk to her knees and released a heavy sob, burying her face in her hands. The tears quickly soaked her skirt, but Felicity didn't care. The only thing on her mind was the family she had left behind. She would miss everyone on the crew, but it was the thought of Marco that absolutely tore her up.

"Marco…" She never even got to say goodbye to him.

"I don't know what's got you so upset, but I'm right here yoi."

Felicity's head whipped up and her mouth hung open. There, standing over her was the grinning visage of her lover. She couldn't believe it. "M-Marco?"

She couldn't believe it, there was just no way he was actually right there in front of her. It had to be a dream. Even if it wasn't real, even if she was going crazy, she had to know for sure. She scrambled to get to her feet, launching herself at the blonde. The moment her body collided with his, she buried her face in his neck, choking back a sob as she felt strong, familiar arms wind around her form.

It was really him.

"Marco, oh Marco…"

"Shh," he murmured, all the while running his fingers through her hair in an attempt to untangle her curls. "Didn't I tell you? I'll do whatever I have to in order to keep you safe, even if that means killing or dying myself."

Felicity finally pulled back slightly, beaming up at her lover and letting her fingers trace his features. "I can't believe it," she whispered. "I just can't believe you came for me. But how did you even get in here? There are Marines all over the ship!"

His response was to chuckle, and that sound completely warmed Felicity's soul. "Did you really think I wouldn't be able to find a way to you? It was fairly easy to slip in here without being detected, and now I'm here and not leaving without you yoi." He gave her a lazy grin, letting their eyes lock onto each other's before leaning down to press his lips firmly against her own.

All too soon, the kiss was over and Marco released Felicity in order to stare hard at her face, gently brushing knuckles over her cheek. "He hasn't hurt you, has he?"

Felicity knew exactly what he meant and shook her head, curls bouncing around her face. Marco's features relaxed upon hearing she hadn't been harmed in any way. "That's a relief, otherwise I'd have to murder him right here and now yoi," he murmured before releasing her in order to peer out the window. "Two guards," he muttered to himself. "Shouldn't be a problem to take them out."

Brown eyes widened as Felicity quickly realized that Marco meant to try and free her, and if her father found out Marco's plan, he wouldn't allow the Phoenix to escape alive. "But Marco," she whispered, tugging at the back of his shirt in order to pull him to her. "My father knew that there was a small chance that you would come for me. I tried to tell him that you didn't want me back, but he's made sure that the ship's full of Marines and they're all on high alert."

A brow slowly quirked up and Marco chuckled darkly. "My sweet, little swan," he spoke softly. "Did Marineford not teach you anything yoi?" He pressed a kiss to the top of dark, messy curls, reaching his hand down to lift Felicity's face upward.

"The Whitebeards always come for their own, no matter what yoi." He waited for the look of surprise and a soft gasp from Felicity before continuing. "I've got a plan, and I need you to listen carefully and do exactly as I say. If we're careful, we'll be out of here before Akainu even realizes anything's going on."

*strolls in after 4 years of not updating* Sup? Is anyone even still following this story anymore? I really wouldn't blame y'all if you weren't. LOL

So long story short, life has really gotten in the way of me not updating, including marriage, trying to get pregnant and new jobs. Thankfully with recent events in the manga, I was miraculously inspired to write this next chapter and hope to keep working on this story until I get to a good place where I can take a break and then work on Temperance's story, and maybe even get a chapter or two up of DLG.

If y'all enjoyed, feel free to leave a comment or subscribe or favorite. I appreciate all the support I've been given over the years and hope I don't let you all down in the future.