The Sun by now had gave wave to clear skies and a shining moon. Adaline had opted for the pirates to hang back from the beaches due to the rising tensions, yet it didn't stop a few patches of pirates and Marines mingling some drinking and a few jokes flying here and there but all just taking in the events and for once relaxing. She however watched Marco place down a card and Thatch look between him and Gator with wide eyes and nodded.
"Call." He stated as Marco smirked and flipped over what would be a winning hand before Gator leaned over and gave a sly smile. "Thank you for adding to my new leg fund folks." And pulled the money towards him. Adaline gave a light smile and then looked back towards the trail where Domino had insisted on walking to the restroom alone.
"You don't think something happened?" Gator asked half jokingly as Adaline scoffed watching the trail.
"No, knowing Domino she probably got sidetracked by whatever local plants on the island. She does that." She mumbled smiling watching as Domino emerged from the path holding a green plant in her right hand with a smile.
"Look at this little guy!" She called hopping over to the table they now had set up. Domino made them move closer to the beach so that the men could feel more at ease with her around. Some of the more cheerful marines watched with amused smiles as Marco pulled away with a glance dirt falling on his cards.
"See." Adaline smiled holding the chair out for Domino who gingerly sat down and placed the lump on the table and held out her hand, quickly decaying it and growing it back with a smile. Over and over to everyone's side glances.
"No no Adaline, these guys are super rare I'm so excited I can grow these! I mean they have no real value in a battle, but if they have the proper acidity can turn in to a rainbow of colors and I mean a wide range." She smiled to look up at the concerned faces and her smile faded.
Adaline nodded "Great, you playing?" Domino shook her hand and twisted her wrist to Marcos surprise for it to grow smaller and almost the size of an earring and Domino plopped it on Adaline's head. She gave a light smile and looked up at Domino who watched it with wonder.
"What are you doing?" She asked as Domino nodded "Seeing what color it turns," she mumbled before Adaline gave her a side glance rearranging her cards. "Why?" She asked as Domino pulled back and shrugged with a winch.
"You seemed a bit salty, so maybe it'd change." She stated as Adaline went wide eyed as Gator snickered along with the others.
Marco who sat besides Domino watched her with a wary eye. He was maybe the only one beside Adaline that could tell she was forcing herself pretty hard to smile. Not only that he knew how much she must hurt. Even if he protested her movement, he couldn't really hold her down if she wanted to move and do what she was doing then she had the right to. All he could do was hope he was there to catch her fall.
Once again the night had blurred until the point a single Marine began to stand his voice carrying through the beach as he stared out towards the sea. It was as if a signal spread through the others to all collectively follow his lead.
Domino looked down as did the other two. "It's bout time." She sighed and reached for the bottle she had been holding and gingerly began to get up. Adaline bit her lip tears growing in her eyes as she moved to help Gator as well. Thatch held up his hands in an angry response but was stopped by Marco hitting him on the chest and motion for silence.
The song gently swept across the beach side calling the Marines to soft wake of the waves. Marco lightly moved over to where Domino stood leaning against a new oak tree, as the Marines seemed to harmonize in this one moment of weakness.
"The sea watches us quietly,
guiding us through our death and our birth.
From humble hometown waters,
to the waves at the end of the earth."
Domino listened to the hymn and took in a sharp breath feeling Marcos presence and moving to hold his hand with her head down. Before she joined in with the voices of the Marines, Her voice melodic and smooth, nothing like her normal one.
"The sea carries us carefully,
through the dark of night and light of day,
to the world that's just and peaceful,
so that we never lose our way."
Marco wanted to lean in to hold her as the beach became somber and the marines began to lean on each other, others crying while some fell to their knees. He could feel Dominos grip loosen on his hand as she moved to pick up the bottle that had been embedded in a small rosy throne.
"All our pain and suffering,
it swallows up in its warm embrace,
so knowingly and gently,
washes them all away. "
Domino gave a light squeeze of his hand before she moved off grabbing Adaline's hand and limping towards the beach.
"The sea watches us quietly,
guiding us through our death and our birth."
Marco watched as the moonlight beamed and danced around her injured figure standing tall. Her bare feet soaking in the water that washed away her pain.
"From humble hometown waters,
to the waves at the end of the earth."
Thatch watched as the crowd of the marines had now gathered the attention of the pirates who watched the odd scene from the sand bank. Some even humming the tune itself.
"All our pain and suffering,
it swallows up in its warm embrace,
so knowingly and gently,
washes them all away."
Marco watched as Adaline struggled to stand up but stayed as tall as she could as Domino pulled the cork off of the bottle with her teeth and spit it out in to the ocean before she held the bottled in the air and then quietly tipped it over. The alcohol spilling and mixing with the waves as they receded.
"There will come a day, I'm sure,
when I must heed its solemn call,
and walk side by side with my old friends,
resting in its foamy waters."
Marco watched with awe as the few marines still standing fell down to the others. He watched as Adaline began to fall once more before Dominos left arm shot out and held her by her arm keeping from the both of them from falling.
They stood there for a minute before Domino turned around facing her men in the moon light and held up the bottle tears streaming down her eyes but a peaceful smile graced her lips before she buried it in the sand and limped to her kneeling men and offered them up before Adaline finally fell to her knees her eyes on Domino as she wept in the sand. Domino covered her eyes with her hand. Before she looked back and whispering something inaudible but powerful so the men held up their arms in a feeble cheer before Domino looked at him her eyes sending him a heart stopping message.
Marco waited expecting a definite line to be drawn between the two parties. However she walked straight to Marco her eyes red and body broken. She stopped before him and gave him a weak smile. "It hurts." She let out before falling into his arms.
Marco held her nodding tears in his eyes at her pain and held her close. For however long she would need it. They could be lost in this moment forever as long as she was okay.
The sorrow didn't last long however, before stories of heroism and jokes began to rouse through the sadness and fires and cheers roared across the beach. But no matter how hard she tried Domino still felt distant she couldn't stop her mind from whirling around as if a typhoon of sadness, regret and weakness collide all at once. The only thing that tied her to the real world was how she reached for Marcos fingertips as they sat side by side.
By now both of them had resolved themselves to the looks just trying to find comfort in one another. Still, to Domino something was pulling her away.
"Oh come on Ada! Tell us why did you become a Marine?" Gator asked his smile beaming and cheeks red. Adaline leaned in and looked up at Domino who gave a light scoff at whatever answer she was about to give.
"Ah um, well Domino?" She asked as the surrounding men glanced between the two before she gave an nervous giggle. Domino then gave a light smile and lightly tapping Marcos chest to pay attention.
"Yeah Ada, why did you become a Marine?" Domino asked, though her voice was meant to be light it was cold causing Adaline's glare. Adaline sat straighter and began to speak before taking a nervous drink.
Domino then snickered "Hmm what was that I didn't hear you!" she began to laugh as Adaline went wide eyed and looked down her cheeks red.
Marco leaned in at Dominos laughter and murmured "Sadist-yoi." Before Domino looked up and gave a slight wink before moving back to Adaline who balled up her fists and blew up her cheeks. "Okay, I thought Vice Admiral Akainu was cute!" She stated to Domino's laughter.
Adaline looked over her face turning red "It's not funny, like you guys do not understand, I was head over heels!" She shouted before Domino nodded "That's not hard for your height!" She chirped as Adaline curled up her fists and took a deep breath. "Obviously I don't feel that way now, but I was 13 give me a break!" She called out to Dominos laughter.
Thatch looked at Adaline and tilted his head "Isn't he the way older then you?" He asked. Adaline giggled "Does that ever stop anyone? I was entranced with this strapping tall marine. I mean his being was like a god you know? So I joined, Then I got duped. He was like an old asshole." She sighed as Domino giggled to herself.
What Adaline wasn't saying was the days she would map out his every movements to show him that she was a sturdy marine to depend on. It would normally always end in Domino sabotaging the cute moment. Purely by accident of course.
Adaline took a sip and nodded towards Domino "Oh yeah? Why did you join the Marines Dom?" She asked this time with her knowing smile. She wouldn't expect Domino to give her real reason. Just the go to one that she always used.
Marco watched as Domino narrowed her eyes and tilted her head her smile fading before the men nodded eagerly. "Yeah Captain why?" She sighed. Marco watched as her right hand began to twist. "My reasons weren't as noble as Adalines. I was running away from a lot of very powerful people. So I struck a deal with the devil. Let me be a Marine, for my freedom. Much like Adaline I got duped." She repeated to a soundless crowd before Gator smiled waving off her obvious truth, "Okay now tell us the real reason." He called eagerly to know why she became a Marine.
Marco, Domino, Thatch, and Adaline stared at him awestruck before Domino burst into a nervous laughter. "I thought that was!? But I guess really it's I wanna make some difference." She mumbled before Gator waved his hand "That's not interesting!" He stated before looking back to Adaline who had lost herself in a nervous fit.
Domino shook her head "Then don't ask me you goons!" She shouted.
He once again went on a tail of how he would tell his children he was a noble Marine hero who defend the crew with just his leg and many other things Domino ignored as Marco leaned into her whispering. "You were telling the truth-yoi." He stated.
She nodded "You are the only one who could tell, but you already knew anyway that doesn't count." She mumbled as He nodded "I may have known, but that still doesn't stop me..." He whispered forgetting the crowd that had not noticed the two so close yet.
Domino looked at his blue eyes reflecting the fires glow and smiled "Stop you from what?" She asked trying to lead a wanting Marco to her victory.
"Hey Captain!" Gator called pulling Domino away from Marco as he just sighed and gave a glare to the sharped chin one.
"Hmm?" She asked taking a sip of her juice, (Marcos orders not hers). "When we get back to Marineford what is the first thing you are going to do?" He asked smiling like a fool.
Adaline laughed "Survive if she's lucky." She teased as Domino nodded pointing at her "Yeah that. I will try that." She giggled as Adaline shook her head "I am so glad I don't have to fill in the paperwork on that. I mean really Dom, you called Akoji a snow cone machine." She asked to Marco and the pirates snickers.
Domino pointed lightly still trying not to move to much. "Vice Admiral, Adaline." She stated with a posh voice. Adaline rolled her eyes "Right, right like that makes a difference." She smiled.
Domino nodded "It does, because if he was an Admiral, I could not call him an overrated snow cone machine. He would be a subpar one." She stated with a smile. As Adaline shook her head to the Marines grim faces but the pirates smiling ones.
"Whatever it is watch it tomorrow. We will have enough to deal with, and I don't need you dying from hypothermia again." She spoke. Domino sighed as Marco looked between the two.
"Again-yoi?" He asked her sounding more surprised then he meant to let on. Domino smirked "Yeah, 4 times actually, Kuzan's my training partner." She stated to the wide eyes of the pirates.
She frowned "What? We can't all have special healing powers!" She stated towards Marco before he teased "It would, be wasted on your weeds-yoi."
Domino rolled her eyes sending him a smile and silence as he whispered "I win-yoi."
Domino looked up to say something Before Adaline quickly clapped. "A no, Ma'am." She stated louder getting up and moving herself in between the two.
"I am saving you." She nodded as Domino groaned and moved away from Marco who held up his hands "You saved me from the big bad marine-yoi." He teased what Domino was thinking to go straight faced at Adalines glare.
It was Dominos turn to giggle before Adaline pointed at her. "Ah that's what I was gonna say." She mumbled. Before Adaline shook her head. "No no no, I am putting my foot down on this one. You are injured and there will be no winning or losing. Just drinking." She stated sternly crossing her arms as Thatch smiled nervously inching closer to her.
Both Domino and Marco went wide eyed and shook there heads 'no' as he waved them off and smiled "Here I'll help you. You stay here on this side and me on this side. So we keep them apart together." He stated to everyone's surprise as Adaline nodded.
"Are your drinking?" She asked as Thatch nodded and excited grin on his face.
"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked before Adaline nodded "Okay then, I'll allow it. Only if you agree that what has happened won't happen." She stated as Thatch physically sagged. "O kay." He sighed.
Domino watched with an amazed glance and then moved further against the tree stump closing her eyes sighing before visions of her crew danced in her eyes and she shook her head smiling at Adaline who was now lost in a story of the time Domino had grew poison ivy around all the marines legs to get out of a meeting.
Domino kept a light smile on her face despite the pain and images that flashed before her eyes before finally she heard the outskirts of a conversation.
Adaline giggled "Besides, could you guys imagine Domino running a whole fleet?" She snorted.
Domino opened her eyes and looked surprised "Hey what the hell? I take afense to that." She smiled before Adaline smiled "I'll bring the gate." She giggled at the taller ones way of speech.
Domino rolled her eyes and moved to stand up before and tree grew behind her helping her move before decaying. "That's it, I'm done with you guys. Goodnight." She stated before turning around and heading back to the small tent set up in the distance.
The others hollered with laughter before saying their goodnight's. Marco watched keenly as she began to hop away. He sighed to himself and put his drink down. There was no way she was going to make it on her own. He 'tcked' to himself before walking after her noticing as small bushes began to grow in the dark to hide his disappearance.
He looked behind him and then looked at the smiling woman before his very eyes watching him with wide eyes of her own as the full moon beamed behind her.
"I figured you'd follow me birdy." She smiled holding out her arm as he walked up to take it leaning her on his shoulder.
"Of course I would, you're injured-yoi." He stated looking forward towards the small hill and watched as she gave him a sly look.
"That's not the only reason," She spoke her cold voice luring him into a sense of comfort. He looked down at the woman with a small smile. She was right. Her being near him drove him crazy. He wanted nothing but her. The feeling and the high he got from her was something he wanted to never let go. But he wasn't naive. He knew that things were changing. He could feel in how she spoke or how even though she was holding on to him she was colder then she's ever felt.
"So what-yoi?" He asked her walking her pace towards the small grass hut that she had made for herself and her men. She even made some for the Whitebeards but they opted for the ship more then anything.
"So," She sighed her right wrist holding on to his shoulder. "So, I need..." She sighed looking down. Marco smiled "You need rest-yoi." His light voice picking up her spirits. She looked at his relaxed face and smiled feeling his warmth and trying to hold on to it.
"I don't want to be the one to bring it up." She spoke softly as Marco kept leading her. Now she had noticed that they had passed her small bed and continued towards a small cliff.
"Then don't, I already know what you are going to say-yoi." He stated as Domino looked at him surprised. "Really?" She asked as Marco nodded and looked down at her giving her a teasing smile and sticking his tongue out.
"You've fallen for a hot irresistible, commander-yoi." He joked.
Domino nodded patting his shoulder as he moved her to sit. "Ah yes, Thatch. I knew you wouldn't be mad." She teased back as Marco sent her a sharp glare. To think she would even joke about Thatch being the better looking one.
He leaned in and squinted staring at her eyes. She went wide eyed and pulled back. "What?" She asked as he moved to pull her eye wide and look into it and nod to himself. "As I feared-yoi." He mumbled to a very concerned Domino. "Marco what?" She whined as he pulled away almost losing his composure at how she said his name.
"You have brain damage-yoi." He stated putting his hand to his chin. "It is very serious-yoi." He stated looking at her smiling face as she lightly nudged him. He then leaned back and wrapped his arms around her pulling her in to semi tight hug as Domino squeaked.
"Marco!"
He pulled back and moved so he was behind her a small tree appearing so he could lean against it as she gingerly moved to lay back on him. "Hey look at that, your weeds do come in handy-yoi." He teased as he laid back against it and looked down at Domino sending him a genuine smile.
Domino looked up at those blue playful eyes and rolled her own. "I like to think so." She hummed and moved to watch the ocean churn and splash against the rocks. The breeze bringing the smell of sea salt and peace that called to both of them. The moons light dancing along the waves with each claiming breath they fell into a sense of being one.
Still Domino felt alone and distant and it became evident when she sighed looking up at Marco.
"Do you know what happened the other day?" She asked quietly her voice breaking as silent tears began to fall. Marco looked towards the relaxing waves and how the moons light danced off the wave breaks nodded.
"I got the jest of it. You beat a 600 million man and could still stand-yoi." He hummed running his fingers through her now browning hair as Domino shook her head and scoffed.
"Still stand? Ha, I could barely move," She gasped as her tears began to sting her face as she pulled Marcos arms closer. "It wasn't the fight that bothers me anymore it was afterwards with Kato, I couldn't get up to stop him, I wasn't aware that he was planning something..." She spoke through broken sobs.
Marco looked down and quickly took off his long sleeve shirt and held it to her face wiping her tears as she held him sobbing. "What could you have done-yoi?" He asked, looking at her wide honey eyes as he moved to dry her tears.
She gave a weak smile "You know this wasn't the first time, he tried to sabotage me? The first time was the night we met." She asked sadly motioning towards Marco and herself. Her eyes beginning to dry as her voice slowly became matter of fact. Just as quickly the tears came they had disappeared.
"The black eye?" He asked her as she nodded giving him a small smile to his shocked look.
"And you kept him on-yoi?"
Domino just shrugged and gave him a light embarrassed smile. Shaking her trying not to laugh at herself. As Marco went to hold her arms lightly.
"Yeah, I, I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe it's because how I was treated, I supposed it was from embarrassment and thought nothing of it." She laughed "Getting a black eye for something that I didn't do is not very rare." She bit her lip as Marco let out a soft sigh.
"Domino-yoi." He pleaded. He couldn't believe someone could be so naive. Or was it he was so unforgiving?
She shook her head laughing at herself. "Wait, there's more." She stated as Marco gave her another 'are you serious?' look as she giggled her voice breaking and filled with irony. "He's also the one who reported us to the HQ. That one, that one got me in trouble." She scoffed to herself.
"I had to go through what they called retraining which was basically being beat every 3 hours and painful manual labor. It felt like I was a slave again. And he did that to me." She whispered looking towards the water and not the man who wrapped his arms around her. "But something was different this time. You know normally I would of resented that feeling but oddly I wasn't ashamed and kind of welcomed the extra 'training'." She squinted looking back at Marco who watched her with relaxed eyes. He moved his hand to run his fingers through her now browning hair.
"So I didn't resent him or see him as a threat but still I tried to remove him from my service. However being on thin Ice and trying to remove the guy who called you out seemed like a bad thing, so I pulled my punches so to speak." She stated tilting her head.
"Which is something, I've never really done until recently." She stated then ran her hand through her hair again and looked at Marco with wide eyes asking him the question that had been swirling in his head. "If you knew someone was trying to undermine your captain and sabotage the crew what would you have done?" her voice breaking as she asked.
Marco let out a small sigh and held her closer pulling her so her head rested just under his chin. "I would of killed them-yoi." He stated seriously.
As Domino nodded "I thought so. Parts of me thinks the old me would of too." She stated biting her lip "What I said earlier about seeing things, is because I have, I have seen this exact same thing, hell that's how I got free was sabotage and still I kept him on because somewhere I felt that just like you and I everything wasn't so black and white." She stated.
"I mean, listen, I'm not a saint, I was a slave, then whatever else I had to be to survive. And you, you're charming, oh so sexy, a doctor, a very good one, a good man and a pirate. We both aren't exactly cardboard cut outs of what we should be." She smiled then shook her head and scoffed at his silence. "But I bet you've never pulled your punches?" She asked him as Marco looked down and placed his chin on her head.
The warmth he felt with her slowly fading away. Marco shook his head "Every battle is a fight for life or death, I don't have the luxury of pulling my punches-yoi." He spoke seriously. This was exactly how he felt and as Domino nodded he felt the last of the warmth between the two of them fade.
"If we fought, like really fought with everything we had, Would you be able to do it?" She asked him looking towards the ocean now beginning to turn and twist in the distance as if there was a storm silently brewing beyond the climate of the island.
Marco stayed silent a lump in his throat as his mouth suddenly became dry. His hand now felt wet, and cold from the island breeze, he couldn't tell if that was his own nerves or her tears that had splashed down and coated his hands in their fading warmth.
She let out a light laugh and leaned back in to his chest. Cradling his shirt as she did so. "Yeah, Me too." She smiled before looking up at his ocean blue eyes.
"Look, Phoenix, Do me a favor, when the ships arrive tomorrow, don't pull your punches." She hummed as he looked at her surprised and then closed his eyes nodding and laying his head on hers. Though they had let go of the warmth between them they still couldn't bring themselves to part from this one silent moment.
Marco looked down at her with a smile leaning his slightly as his hands caressed her cheeks. "It won't be much of a fight-yoi." He teased as she gave a genuine smile before closing her eyes nuzzling his chest and let out relaxed breath. "Just keep telling yourself that birdy."
Marco stayed silent as she slowly got lost in the melodic sound of his heart beat. Really he was stuck in this moment watching the waves across the sea thinking to himself about what was to happen next.
She was right all along there was no way an emperor would just let marines come and go from their islands. Even if she had lied, the marines would find out pretty quickly that the Whitebeards had shown up. A shocking realization hit that made him suddenly feel like a fool. He didn't once think about attacking a single Marine. It was as if everything was suddenly black and white again and he laughed to himself as the night continued on.
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AN/I know the lyrics don't match up properly, but I couldn't find the full English version but the lyrics are from the wiki. So yeah thank you! The song is called Oceans Guide from OnePiece film z.