SIX YEARS AGO

Two years had passed since Sora first set foot on the Moby Dick. She had become the second division commander shortly after obliterating Kinga's ship over a year ago. Upon hearing that that man was approaching Whitebeard again after he let Kinga go so mercifully, Sora was outraged at his disrespect. Marco had let Sora take care of it and she had used a move no one had seen before – tatsumaki dageki – that destroyed his ship. She had stood on Kingda's head, pressing his face into the deck as he surrendered to Whitebeard, and taken the position as second division commander.

Sora rarely saw Ken, but talked to him a lot through the den den mushi he had bought her. She knew she was in love with him; she had always been in love with him. And she was overwhelmed with excitement at the fact that he felt the same way. She had spent years trying to catch up to him, and thought that maybe, she was finally closing the gap between them.

"You're going to Arashi Island soon?" Ken asked when Sora had called one afternoon.

Sora smiled. "I'm trying to ask Oyaji if I can go. I'll be leaving today or tomorrow."

"Cool, I'll take off, too, and meet you there," he said, and Sora felt her chest swell with happiness. Ken, who she had spent her entire life chasing, now stood beside her. "Oh, shit, sorry, love, I have to go. I'll call again later, alright?"

"Okay."

"Bye for now. I love you."

"Ditto."

"Say it back!"

"Don't you have to go?" Sora laughed.

"Say it back!"

"Ken, I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Say it back!"

Sora sighed. "I L-word you."

The den den mushi rolled its eyes and Sora giggled. "Bullshit, come on, I really have to go," Ken said, and Sora could hear people yelling 'Junshou!' in the background.

"Oh, you got promoted!" Sora said.

"Sora! Say it back!"

"Okay, I…love you."

"Awesome! Bye!"

"Bye," Sora said, but Ken had already hung up.

"Oh, aren't you just the cutest?" Izou said, coming into the room, and Sora flushed. "Just marry him and have children! They will be the cutest kids in the world!"

Sora laughed. "We had a deal about getting married."

"Oh?"

Sora nodded. "I have things to do first," Sora said, not divulging any more, and Izou respected that.

"Well, Oyaji said that you can go home for a little," Izou told her. "We're all coming right? I would love to meet your little brother and all your little friends at home."

"Kohaku is Ken's brother," Sora reminded Izou and the man shrugged.

"Family is family, right? Now come on, the advance ship is being prepared already," Izou said, opening the door for Sora. "Half of the division commanders are staying here and the other half are coming with you for the advance."

Sora nodded. "Sounds good."

"Are you excited?"

Sora laughed; there was no trying to pretend around Izou. "Yeah."

"How long has it been since you've seen Ken?"

"Too long."

"Still a virgin?"

"I don't think that's a very appropriate question."

Izou gasped, slapping her on the back. "That's a no!"

"Shut up," Sora said, swatting him away as Marco approached them.

"You look excited," he noticed, grinning as he ruffled her hair. "Ready to go home?"

"So ready," Sora said, nodding. "Are you coming with the advance?"

Marco shook his head. "First division is on standby. I might be coming afterwards, though."

"Oh, okay," Sora said. "As long as you come. Promise you'll come, okay? I want to introduce you to everyone!"

How could Marco resist her smile? "Okay. I'll be there a few days after you."

Sora grinned and nodded. "Sounds good." Sora hopped aboard the smaller ship, waving at the division commanders that stayed behind and to Whitebeard. Then she turned to the bow and lifted a hand, and the sails inflated, speeding up the ship. They were set to arrive at Arashi Island in a few days.

Ken was waiting for her on the beach, and Sora waded through the water as fast as she could, water splashing all around her and drenching all her clothes. Ken laughed as Sora tackled him, and he tightened his arms around her, lifting her from the earth as she squealed happily. The sun was setting, turning the sky orange and making the ocean sparkle in the distance.

"I thought you were never going to come," Ken said with a grin, planting a soft kiss on her lips. Even after being together for so long, Sora still felt the fireworks whenever Ken kissed her. "Hey, guys," he greeted Izou, Jozu and a few other division commanders as they made it to the shore.

"Long time no see," Izou said, shaking hands with Ken.

"Come on, let's go have a drink," he said, lacing his fingers with Sora's and starting towards the village. With his other hand, Ken fished something out of his pocket, and unfolded it. "By the way, I saw this. I probably shouldn't be praising you, but it's pretty cool." Sora looked at what he was holding to see that it was her wanted poster. "180,000,000 Beli. Gonna cause more trouble and make it go higher? I heard the World Government offered you a Shichibukai position."

Sora laughed and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Turned it down."

Ken nodded. "Of course." They reached the outskirts of the town and Ken paused for a moment. "Oh, also, while we were out at sea one time, Akira told me this story. Have you ever heard of the red string of fate?"

Sora furrowed her brows. "No. What's that?" She made a motion to start walking again, but Ken stayed put.

"It's an old folklore about this invisible red thread that connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance," Ken said, smiling. Ken released her hand and made a little gesture, squeezing his fingers together and stretching it out as though displaying the red thread. "The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break."

Sora smiled back. "That's cute." She stepped forward again, eager to see everyone at home. She wondered how Kohaku was doing, and Michio and his sons—

"Yeah, I thought so, too." Ken said, not following her. Sora turned to tell him to hurry up, to find that he was on one knee, and took her hand. Izou let out a squeal and clapped his hands together excitedly, slapping Jozu on the shoulder multiple times, unable to contain himself. "You know, Sora, I always thought we'd end up together."

Sora was speechless, unsure what to do or say besides stand there. "Ken, w-what are you—"

"Even when we were kids, I always kind of knew that no matter where life took us, I would always find my way back to you," he continued. "And I was right. It's crazy how it all happened, don't you think?" Sora, of course, was still in shock, and couldn't respond. Ken just smiled. "You are the strongest, most beautiful woman I have ever met, Sora, and I would be honored if you would be my wife."

Ken reached into his pocket and picked out a spool of bright red thread. "K-ken, we had a deal, I thought—"

"Yeah, we did. When you become older and stronger, right?" Ken asked with a grin, remembering. "Well, you're eighteen now – an adult – I truly believe you've exceeded the second criteria a long time ago." Ken looked at the red string and smiled up at Sora, whose eyes were now watering. "No matter where we go in life, whether it means to walk down the path of a marine or a pirate, I will always be with you. I love you. With every fiber of my being, I love you and I will love you until the day I die and even after death. I promise to keep every promise we have made and ever will make, I promise that distance will never come between us, I promise that I will always protect you. So, Belleville D. Sora, will you marry me?"

"Yes," Sora breathed, dropping to her knees to throw her arms around Ken. The crewmen and division commanders cheered loudly. "Yes," Sora said again, flicking a tear off her cheek and grinning at Ken widely.

"Awesome," Ken responded and flashed her a grin, his freckles rising with his cheeks. He unwound some thread and carefully tied it in a ribbon around her pinky finger. He looked at it for a moment and scratched his head sheepishly. "I was going to tie it to myself, too. I guess I should have thought that one out better."

Sora laughed and kissed him, smiling. There was no other man she would rather be with.

"Let's get married tomorrow," Ken said, cupping her face. Sora stared into his big green eyes.

"Tomorrow?" Sora asked, surprised. "Isn't that a little late notice for a wedding?"

"Your nakama are here, and we're at home. What better time and place?" asked Ken with a grin, patting her on the head.

He saw Sora's spirits fall slightly. "Marco's not here."

"What?" Ken realized now that the first division commander hadn't come up the beach with Sora and wondered why. He had a favor to ask of him – no, not a favor. A promise. Ken swallowed a lump in his throat. He glanced down at Sora, hiding his worry. "Can you call him and ask him to come? I have to leave in three days."

"Oh," Sora said, sounding disappointed at this as well. Ken couldn't help it, though. He needed to set off to deal with Brower Adrian before he came to Arashi Island and threatened this island's entire way of living. But that came second. Everything else in the world came second to Sora. Ken wanted to make sure that Sora knew that he loved her. What better way to profess love than by a wedding? Ken would have done eventually anyway; he meant everything he said. But he hated doing this to Sora. He hated it. It wrenched his stomach and crushed his chest under an inexplicable, excruciating weight, but he needed to. He needed to marry Sora now because in three days, he might be dead.

"But let's make these next few days special, okay? I'm assigned a mission in three days so I have to work, but I'll be sure to call you afterwards," Ken said, smiling despite himself. He couldn't bring himself to tell Sora that there was a chance he was going to die in three days. It was cowardly, he knew it. But Ken also knew that if he ever saw Sora unhappy, even for just a second, then he wouldn't even think about the village and he would just stay at her side. He knew that was selfish. So he needed to force himself to leave.

Sora flashed him a smile and Ken felt all his worry eradicated completely. "Okay. I'll call him. He's gonna be my maid of honor, you know," she grinned, sticking her tongue out at Ken. "You can't steal him for best man."

Ken chuckled, helping her off the sand and dusting himself off. "Fine, Izou'll be my best man."

"But I want to be the maid of honor!" Izou complained, making a face like he was crying at Sora, who just giggled.

"Let's go back and find a den den mushi," Sora said, her hand finding Ken's. "I'll go call Marco and tell him to hurry up!"

Ken smiled. "Okay."

Sora was skipping happily, and Ken couldn't help but grin at this. For the next three days, he would make her the happiest she had ever been. And if by some miracle, he survived the mission, then he would continue to make her happy everyday for the rest of his life.

A part of him, however, wished that she were a little more sensitive to other people's feelings. Ken thought that it was actually pretty obvious that the first division commander, Fushichou Marco was in love with Sora. Ken had an inkling of that the first day he had ever met Marco. Sora asking Marco to stand beside her as she married another man was probably not exactly on the top of his To-Do List. But Ken sighed. She was happy. That was all he could ask for.

Sora was skipping so quickly that Ken was forced to just let her go, smiling at her back as she ducked into the Sky Pub, one hand clutching the roll of red thread. Izou flanked him and flashed a grin. "I'm so happy for the both of you," he said, clapping his hands together.

"Me, too," Ken replied, shoving his hands in his pocket. His chest swelled. Tomorrow, he would be married to the woman of his dreams. Belleville D. Sora would become his wife.

"How long were you planning on marrying her?"

Ken smiled at the cross-dresser. "A very long time. Probably since the day I met her."

Izou couldn't stop grinning, clapping his hands again. "That's so sweet. I'm sure Sora is just as happy. She talks about you a lot, you know."

Ken looked as though this were surprising news and scratched his head sheepishly. "That's great," he said. "I didn't know she talks about me."

Izou could tell in the man's words that he was actually serious. How could he not know how much Sora cherished him? Izou pursed his lips together for a moment, slowing down his pace and allowing the other division commanders to pass him. "Sora loves you," he said slowly. "She loves you so much. So, I think that if there's something on your mind, you should tell her."

Ken's silence confirmed Izou's suspicions that there was something going on with Ken that was much deeper than just a wedding. How was it that Izou was so attentitive to people? But Ken just smiled, despite the fact that he was struggling for words. "I want her to be happy. So, even if you suspect something, please don't say anything to her. I love her. I—I don't know. Just—please. Don't mention anything. I'll tell her eventually. Just…let me do it on my own."

Izou sighed, placing a hand on Ken's back. "Fine. Promise you'll tell her whatever it is that's going on with you, okay?"

Ken nodded, placing a hand on the door to his bar. "Okay. I promise."

"Marco, Marco, hurry up and come to the island! Oyaji, too! Everyone! Hurry! Like sea bunnies! Quickly!" Sora was screaming into the den den mushi, shaking the snail so much that the little animal actually looked sick.

"Woah, woah, slow down, Sora. What happened?" Marco asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm getting married! Tomorrow!" she squealed, catching the attention of the bar as well, the men and women erupting into cheers and smiles.

Ken seemed to be the only one that noticed a brief pause over the den den mushi. "Married? Congratulations, Sora. I'm so happy for you," Marco said, and Sora nodded as though he could see her.

"Thanks! We're getting married tomorrow and I want you to be my maid of honor."

Marco chuckled. "I don't know if we'll really make it in time tomorrow morning."

"Then we'll have it at night. That's okay, right, Ken?" Sora asked, turning to the silver haired man, who nodded. "Ken said we can get married at night. Please, Marco? Whitebeard is my father and you're my best friend. I wouldn't feel right if you two weren't there with me on my wedding day, even if it is late notice."

The little snail let out a sigh as Marco did on the other line. "Alright. We'll definitely be there."

Sora let out a cheer. "Thanks, Marco. This means a lot to me."

"Yeah, no problem. I gotta go, so I'll see you tomorrow night okay? Congrats again and tell Ken the same."

"I will," Sora promised, and hung up, turning to Ken. "Marco's coming."

"Cool," Ken said with a grin. Ken had to admit that sometimes, he did get a little jealous of Marco. Marco had the privilege of seeing Sora everyday. He had the privilege of being her nakama, versus Ken, who only saw her a few times a year due to their occupations. It was so frustrating sometimes; there were instances when he just wanted to throw down his sword, give up being a marine and just be with Sora.

But he couldn't get in the way of her dreams. She seemed to love adventure – she loved the sea more than anything. She wanted to see the world and above anything else, Ken needed to let Sora do that first. Maybe one day, they coul retire together and start a family.

Ken chuckled inwardly. Sora, settling down? That was just as likely as the moon falling.

Sora grinned up at Ken. "So, do I need to buy a dress or anything?"

"There's no need to be fancy," Ken said, kissing her nose. "It's just you and me."

"I don't really have a lot of clothes here, you know," Sora said, looking down at herself. She was dressed in her black bathing suit and grey shorts. "I should go buy something nicer."

Ken grabbed her arm as she made a move to spin off the chair. "I already said there's no need, silly," he chuckled. "As long as we're married, I don't care what you're wearing. You can wear nothing, if you want. That'd be great."

Sora shoved Ken playfully, laughing. "Tomorrow night, we're gonna be married," Sora said, smiling.

"Yup. We'll be Mr. and Mrs. Takamune," Ken said with a grin, sitting down at the bar stool next to her. He definitely liked the sound of that.

Sora scoffed. "Uh, my name is still going to be Belleville D. Sora," she said, and Ken stared at her with the most neutral face he could muster. Sora poked his shoulder. "Oh, come on. This is totally a modern marriage. It's okay if I don't take your last name, right?"

Ken nodded, seeming to understand. "Yeah, totally. We'll just be in one of those modern marriages where the husband and wife don't love each other," he said, making the saddest face he could possibly make, his frown wrinkling his cheeks and his eyebrows causing creases along his forehead.

Sora giggled, slapping his shoulder. "Oh, stop. If we ever have kids one day, they can be Belleville-Takamune."

Ken threw his head back, howling with laughter. "Belleville-Takamune? Please, our two sons – Sano and Amano – are going to be only Takamune's."

"Sano and Amano?" Sora asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "Okay, first of all, those are probably the most ridiculous names I have ever heard. Second of all, we're going to have three kids, a daughter, a son, and then another daughter. Thirdly, they're going to be Belleville-Takamune kids, Jane, Sebastian, and Anne."

"Three kids? Are you kidding me? You're terrible with kids. You let my little brother drink sake when he was like, five. And no matter how many kids we have ever, I'll be doing everything."

"That's totally not true," Sora laughed, flicking her wrist and waving him off as though she had not, in fact, snuck sake to a toddler.

"Also, Jane, Sebastian, and Anne are terrible names."

"Sano and Amano are no better. They're not Bananas In Pajamas."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ken laughed, pushing Sora's grinning face away.

"You know, Bananas In Pajamas? Like B1 and B2 come down the stairs and they sing songs and rhyme and stuff. That sounds like Sano and Amano to me," Sora said as a matter-of-fact.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ken said, shaking his head. "You're crazy, you know that, right?"

She giggled, spinning around on the chair. "I know. And I also know that I'm going to keep my name," she told Ken. She wasn't demanding, she wasn't harsh – she was gentle. It was a statement, but Ken could feel in her voice that she was, in fact, asking him.

"Is it that important to you?"

Sora smiled and nodded. "My name is the only thing I really have to myself, you know? If that hadn't been written on that little plastic plate that had almost been washed out, when I was found here, what would I have been? Belleville D. Sora is who I am. It's the last thing I really have of my own. I'm sorry, Ken."

Ken smiled, patting her on the head. "You don't need to apologize. It's fine. You can keep your name."

"And you can be Belleville Kenjiro!" Sora said with a giggled and Ken made a face, shifting his hand so that he could push her face away.

"Definitely not going to happen."

Sora smiled, chewing on her lips. "Ken, we're getting married."

"We're getting married," the silver haired man repeated with a smile.

"Weddings are fantastic!" Izou said, coming up behind them and slinging his arms around both Sora and Ken. "We shall drink tonight in celebration!"

Sora shook her head. "Not me."

"What? Come on now, Sora, you're old enough to drink. Have some fun," Ken encouraged, immediately agreeing to Izou's idea of a party tonight.

"Oh, I'm not too great with alcohol," Sora said, shaking her head.

"But you're a pirate," Ken reasoned, raising an eyebrow.

"So? Don't stereotype all pirates to be drunkards!"

Izou's eyes widened. "You haven't seen Sora drunk, Ken?"

Ken blinked several times as Sora slapped Izou's shoulder as though he divulged a secret he wasn't supposed to have. "No, I only see her a few times a year, remember? We're normally having sex. Like bunnies. Everywhere, all the time, fast and furious, furniture breaking—"

Sora punched his shoulder, the man wincing and grinning at her. "Ken!"

"Okay, one, details on that later," Izou told Ken jokingly, receiving a punch from Sora. "And two, you need to see our little baby Sora drunk. It's one of those things in life that you just need to experience before you die."

Ken chuckled at Sora, who was flustered, slapping Izou on the shoulder repeatedly. "Looking forward to it."

"Not gonna happen," Sora said immediately, snapping her head at Ken and sticking her tongue out. "I don't want to embarrass myself. You might not want to marry me anymore!"

Ken laughed, rolling his eyes. "Come on, nothing will ever change the fact that I want to marry you," he said, and Sora pretended to still be mad at Izou as an excuse to hide the color creeping in on her cheeks. "Celebrate tonight!"

"Yes, celebrate! I'll go out and get you some daiginjo. It probably won't be as good as Oyaji's, but it is daiginjo," Izou teased, wiggling his finger in Sora's face.

Izou grinned at the fact that the mention of that top of the line sake always made Sora cave. It was the crew's secret weapon. Sure, they liked to say that they banned her from drinking but sometimes, they felt it was thir job to let their second division commander relax. Or, at least that's how they justified it.

"Fine," Sora sighed exasperatedly.

"Great!" Ken said, ruffling her hair. He turned to Izou and grinned. "So, what does Sora do when she's drunk? Is she an angry drunk? A happy drunk? A poetic drunk?"

Izou smirked, tapping Sora on the nose. "Oh, you'll see."

Marco shrugged on an open front white linen shirt, tying his turquoise sash around his waist. He strung on his golden belt and exhaled deeply, running a calloused hand through his tuft of blonde hair. He was happy for Sora. So, so happy. He knew how much she loved Ken.

But it hurt. It hurt more than a stab in the chest, more than a gunshot, more than a broken bone. No, it was a wound much, much deeper than that. He was so jealous of Ken that it kept him awake at night, clawing at his insides. Ken was the luckiest man in the entire world and more than anything, Marco just wanted to be him. He wanted to be with Sora.

There was a soft rapping at the door, and Marco turned with the sound. "Come in."

It was pushed open, revealing a smiling Sora. She had changed into a short strapless cotton dress that rippled around her knees. Her hair was tied over her left shoulder and she was wearing an arrangement of tiny white roses near her ear. Simple white heels adorned her feet, strapping around her ankles. She seemed to glow brighter than the lights in the room.

"You look beautiful," Marco said sincerely, and Sora's grinned widened.

"Thank you," she said. "Ken told me I didn't need to get anything but I mean, I can't really wear a swim suit to my wedding, right?"

Marco smiled. "Right. You nervous?" Despite Sora's smiling face, Marco knew. He memorized the way she carried herself, and tonight, her confident aura slightly less so tonight than normal.

"Yeah," Sora said, plopping down on the bed. "It's crazy, huh? I love Ken so much and yet, I'm nervous about getting married."

"That's normal," he said, rolling up the sleeves to his shirt. It was a casual wedding – no one was going in suits. Ken had made that very clear when everyone arrived, greeting all the division commanders by pleading them not to change clothes. That was the main thing Marco respected about Ken – Takamune Kenjiro, the Meitou of the Marines, didn't care that Sora was a pirate. He didn't care abut status or occupation. He treated all the men aboard the Moby Dick as friends. This made it impossible for anyone to hate Ken.

"Yeah," Sora said again. "But I don't know, it's such a big thing, you know? I'm getting married. I'm going to be with Ken for the rest of my life."

Marco smiled. "Weren't you going to do that anyway?"

"Yeah," she laughed. "But after today, it's like…for real. There's no looking back after today, you know? Like…what if something happens? What if something happens to me? Or what if something happens to Ken?"

Marco patted her head gently as not to mess up her hair. "Come on, don't think like that. Today's supposed to be the happiest day of your life."

Sora glanced up at Marco with those big blue eyes he loved so much. "It is. Thanks for coming, Marco. It wouldn't be the same if you weren't here with me today," she said, and stood up. She glanced down at her hands, wringing her fingers together lightly. "You're very important to me and I know I don't say it enough, and I'm sorry about that. I truly believe that I wouldn't be who I am today if you weren't always standing by my side and pushing me to become stronger. You made me Belleville D. Sora, you know. If you couldn't make it tonight, then I don't think I could stand on that altar."

It was words like that. It was her sincere words that made Marco feel so loved and appreciated – more than ever before in his life – that made it impossible to ever stop loving her. No other woman had spoken to Marco like this. No other woman looked at him the way she did. No other woman was Belleville D. Sora except for the one standing in front of him. And tonight, he had to stand beside her one more time while she married someone else. It was perhaps the most painful thing in the world.

But he couldn't say that. No, he could never tell Sora the way he felt about her. If he ever let anthing slip then there was a chance that he could lose her forever and he would rather suffer through this unrequited love than to have her cut out from his life. Even though she said that he was the person that made her who she was today, Marco truly believed that it was the other way around.

So, he just smiled, and patted her head again, pushing down his feelings. "Of course. I will always support you. You should know that by now."

Sora grinned up at him and without warning, pressed herself against him in a warm embrace. "Thank you. You've always been here, saving my life, you know. You're my best friend, and I love you."

Marco hugged her gently, swallowing a lump in his throat at her last sentence. She loved him. But not nearly as much as he loved her. "I love you, too." He pulled away before he let his emotions get the better of him, and grinned, putting on a façade. "Now come on. Let's get you to your wedding, alright? I'm sure Ken is waiting."

Sora smiled bightly. "Yeah. Let's go."

The summer air was brisk as the two of them headed to a small villa near the beach. The ceremony was going to be held here, but there were already people at the town square setting up for the reception. Tonight was an event that was going to be shared by all the people of Arashi Island, and the Whitebeard Pirates as well.

Marco set Sora in a small waiting cabin. Whitebeard was lounging outside it, sippin from a bowl of sake already. Sora giggled at this, standing next to her father. "I'm actually late," Marco told her. He nodded towards the room where the ceremony was going to be held. "I'll be up there, okay?"

Sora nodded. "Okay. See you there."

"Yeah," Marco said, turning. He lifted his hand to wave. "See you there."

Sora watched him leave, taking in a deep breath. Whitebeard glanced down at her. He had taken Ken's statement to heart and had not bothered to change out of his oversized captain's coat. Many of the division commanders hadn't either. "Excited?" Whitebeard asked, placing down the bowl and standing up.

The young woman glanced up at Whitebeard. "Thanks for coming, Oyaji," Sora said with a smile, unable to contain her enthusiasm. Her brief talk with Marco had helped ease her anxiety about being a married woman.

Whitebeard laughed heartily. "Wouldn't miss this for the world. Takamune is a good man."

"I'm glad you think so," Sora said, clapping her hands together. It really meant a lot to her that Whitebeard approve of Ken. She was glad that he, too, didn't mind that Ken was a marine, just the way that Ken didn't mind piracy.

"I wouldn't give you away if I didn't think so, now would I?" Whitebeard said, a tiny smile curling his large lips.

Sora laughed. "Guess not." She paused for a moment. "Thank you for everything, Oyaji. You gave me something when I had nothing and truly, you are the best father any daughter could ever ask for."

Whitebeard smiled warmly, patting her head with his finger as a response. What was there to say now? Sora had grown a lot in the few years Whitebeard had known her. She was a respectable, powerful woman and continued to grow stronger everyday. But it was still nice to hear that she really did think of Whitebeard as her guardian. As her father. She was indeed one of the parts to the entity that was Whitebeard's treasure – family – but she was also his only daughter. "Let's get you to Ken," said the captain, and Sora nodded, the two walking side by side.

Izou smiled up at Ken, who was fidgeting with the cuffs of his white shirt. "Nervous?"

"I'm never nervous," Ken said, chuckling. He paused for a moment and smiled slightly. "I'm excited. I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for this, you know? Like, if I were to die tomorrow, I'd be satisfied with the way I lived my life."

Izou grinned, placing a hand on Ken's shoulder. "That's how it should be." And then softer, "Have you told her yet?"

Marco turned ever so slightly at the sound of this, hearing Izou's tone, but didn't say anything about it. Ken turned his eyes back to the door as it opened. "No."

Ken smiled warmly. Sora had – of course – not listened to him, and bought a white dress and in the dim glow of the lanerns strung through the aisle, she looked like an angel, floating towards him. She had a tiny hand placed on Whitebeard's, and the aisle had been made large enough for the giant captain to make his way through, and Ken could see in Sora's face that she was trying so hard not to burst out into dance. She had probably watched many wedding videos within the past twenty four hours.

As she stood before the altar, Whitebeard gave her that final gentle push, giving Ken a nod, and making his way towards a seat that had been specifically made to accommodate for his size. "I thought I told you not to buy anything," Ken said quietly, taking her hand.

"I'm not gonna get married in a bikini," Sora giggled, squeezing Ken's hand as the priest started the ceremony. Sora wasn't even listening, her eyes dancing across the room, admiring the last minute set up. The mahogany altar was decorated in arrangements of white roses, seeming to be a light orange in the glow of the lanterns hung to illuminate the place. Sora glanced out into the audience to see the division commanders in the first row, along with Michio, Eiichi, Akio, and Haruo. To Sora's side, Marco stood, listening intently to the priest as he talked about something. He gazed at Sora out of the corner of his eye and nodded towards the priest as though to tell her to pay attention, but she just stuck her tongue out at him, receiving an eyeroll.

All of the people that Sora loved most in the world – whether they be pirate or not – were here with her tonight. All of the people that stood behind her and pushed her to grow were here now, supporting her unwaveringly. She smiled gently at this, and felt the hot sting of tears creeping into her eyes. She turned her head to the sky, trying to blink them away, and Ken nudged her teasingly, smiling.

"Do you, Takamune Kenjiro, take this woman Belleville D. Sora to be your lawfully wedded wife?" asked the priest.

Ken grinned. "Yeah. Of course I do."

The man turned to Sora. "And do you, Belleville D. Sora, take Takamune Kenjiro—"

"Forever and ever. I do," she said with a wide grin, causing Ken to sigh slightly.

"The rings," the priest called with a smile, and Kohaku, dressed in a white flannel and beige cotton shorts, came up, two rings on a small pillow. They were simple bands, except they were a deep crimson. Ken took one and Sora took the other.

"I had these made today," Ken told Sora, taking her hand. "Because no matter where we go in life, Sora, I will always love you. There's a red string that keeps us connected. We were meant to be together."

Sora smiled as Ken slid the red ring onto her finger. "I don't like the color red," she responded, taking Ken's hand and doing the same, making the older man chuckle. "But I guess it'll do."

"I love you," Ken said with a smile.

And unhesitatingly, Sora replied, "I love you, too."

Even the priest couldn't help but smile. "Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may—"

Sora threw her arms around Ken, planting her lips onto his as the crowd cheered. Ken deepened the kiss, pulling her closer, wrapping his arms around her thin body. They were married. And Ken knew that there was no other woman he would want standing by his side besides Belleville D. Sora.

A/N: Sorry for the late update. I had to rewrite this chapter because it was crappy. And it's finals week so I don't have much spare time, so please understand the slow updates this week. Reviews are appreciated! Thanks again for reading :)