"Don't leave meeeeeeee," Sora groaned, latching onto Ken as he tried to make his way down to the beach. She tried making the most disgusting face she could to match her tone of voice. "Don't leeeaaaveeeee meeeeeee!"

Ken chuckled, trying to fix his uniform. "I'm sorry, I have to go," he said, patting her on the head.

"Don't leeeaaaveeee meeeee," she roared like a dying animal, squeezing her arms around him tighter. Ken laughed, and kept walking, Sora being dragged onto the sand.

"You're so clingy, Sora," he said, and felt her grip around his knees release immediately.

She looked up at him and made a face, sticking her lower lip out and furrowing her brows so that she looked quite troll-like. "Am not!"

Ken held out a hand and pulled Sora off the sand. "Junshou!" called his second in command, Akira, as he dragged a little boat to the shore. Sora glanced out and could see a marine ship out in the distance. She frowned.

"I have to go," Ken told Sora again. He pressed his forehead to hers. "These three days have been really great. Thank you so much, Sora. I love you."

Sora laughed slightly. "You're talking like you're never going to see me again. Go do your mission and come back. We'll be here for a while."

Ken smiled and nodded, patting her on the head. "Okay," he said, despite himself. "I'll see you then."

He turned to leave, but Sora grabbed his wrist. "Ken," she said quietly. "You're coming back, right?"

Of course. Of course she could see right through him. But Ken just turned and grinned. "Yeah. Come on, Sora. Who do you think I am?"

Sora smiled, letting him go. "Okay. Come back soon, then. I love you."

Ken felt his chest tighten at those words. It might be the last time he ever heard them. He pulled her in close and planted a kiss gently on her lips. "I love you so much," he whispered, ignoring Akira calling him in the background.

Sora smiled, tapping a finger on his nose. "Good luck dealing with Adrian," she said, and Ken blinked several times. Sora giggled at his surprise and grinned. "Come on, Ken. Who do you think I am?"

So, she knew. He didn't know how or why, but regardless, he pulled her into another hug. "I'll come back to you. I promise."

"I'd come with you," Sora said, and then looked at Ken straight in the eyes. "But this is something you have to do, right?" Ken nodded. He wasn't going to put her in danger. "Then, go. I believe in you. I'll be right here when you get back."

"Okay," Ken said, ruffling her hair. He pulled away, waving. His confidence had been renewed. He could do this. He could stop Adrian and protect Sora and Arashi Island. He could make it back home to her. He suddenly felt a little silly for wanting to keep his mission a secret from Sora when all he really needed was her to believe in him. When she believed in him, he was invincible.

He slapped Akira on the back as he hopped into the little dinghy. "Let's head back."

Akira glanced down at his superior's fingers. "You're married," he said as he rowed the tiny boat.

"A couple days ago, yeah," Ken replied with a grin.

"Thanks for the invite, Junshou," Akira replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He was probably the only person in the marines that knew about Ken's relationship with the infamous pirate Belleville D. Sora. He had met her several times and was actually surprised at how sweet she was.

"You had to do my bidding while I was getting married to my beloved," Ken replied, and then laughed diabolically, wiggling his fingers and turning his face to the sky.

Akira snorted, shaking his head. "My God. You and Sora are perfect for each other."

"I know," Ken said with a grin.

"Don't leave her all alone," Akira said, raising both his eyebrows. "We'll back you up, Junshou. Just make sure you make it home to your wife."

Ken smiled. "I will."

"We've got word that Brower's ship is about a hundred miles north of our position here," Akira said, doing what he did best – being in command. It was convenient for Ken to have such a dedicated partner at his side, and Akira really didn't seem to mind that he took care of a lot of Ken's work. Ken was actually going to recommend Akira off his division so that he could start his own as a Junshou.

"Then when we get aboard the main ship, we're going to intercept him quickly. I don't want him anywhere near my island, or my wife," Ken said, also shifting gears. He needed to take this seriously. If he didn't, then he really wouldn't be able to make back to Sora after all.

Ken climbed aboard his ship, greeting all his men with a smile and a wave. "Let's do this."

Marine ships were some of the fastest in the sea, so once Akira told the helmsmen about the new coordinates, they wasted no time into redirecting the ship and sailing full speed ahead. Ken's fingers tingled anxiously, the sword at his waist suddenly feeling heavy. He was a world renowned swordsman, but today, would that be enough? Regardless of his jitters, Takamune Kenjiro refused to stand down and refused to show his apprehension. Behind him was his division – his nakama. Behind him was Arashi Island. Behind him was Sora. And if he broke now, Adrian would only hurt the people standing behind him and Ken couldm't live with himself if he let that happen.

The sound of the sea was all Ken had heard. For some reason, today, he treasured it more than ever. The ocean was the thing that had brought him to where he was today. It had led him in the path of a marine and despite the uniforms and the rules and the work hours, Ken didn't regret a single thing. His true home was the ocean.

"Junshou," Akira's voice snapped him from his thoughts. Ken's attention was directed by Akira's at the large ship ahead. Black sails were up, bearing a jolly roger that he would never forget.

"Get ready for battle!" Ken bellowed to his division, and the hundred or so marines on his ship cheered and roared in return. "As marines, we will put a stop to Brower Adrian once and for all! Do not stand down!" His words were parried with more cheers of agreement. He turned his eyes to the front of the ship as they approached closer. He was brimming with confidence now, remembering Sora's words. She believed in him.

Adrian's ship fired the first cannonball, blasting into the side of the ship that made the vessel rumble. "Take them out!" Ken roared, watching as his men unsheathed their blades and cocked their rifles. He whipped out his sword, Masamune, blocking a blow from a pirate that had swung over to his ship. Using the back of his blade, he slammed it into the intruder's skull, and he dropped, unconscious. Ken didn't have time to bother killing small fries. He merely defended, knowing that in a matter of time, Adrian would come. He was impatient and impulsive – the completely opposite of Ken.

"I'm definitely not surprised you got wind of me coming here."

Ken whirled around to see Brower Adrian standing with his head cocked, his dirty blonde hair falling into his black eyes. He was dressed in a plaid open front flannel and loose cotton pants, a sword hanging off his hips. He looked quite casual for the captain of a ship.

"You're not getting anywhere near Arashi Island," Ken said immediately, and sheathed his sword. He kept his hand over it, though, ready to draw at a moment's notice. His Iaidou was much faster now.

Adrian's hands flicked down to Ken's hands briefly, and the corner of his lip was pulled up into a smirk. "Oy, oy, got married didn't you? That Belleville D. Sora is young but she's a sexy bitch, isn't she?"

Ken narrowed his eyes slightly. "Don't speak about her that way."

"Ah, don't worry, I'm not going to rat you out or anything," Adrian said, flicking his wrist as though waving Ken off. "Although, that would cause problems for you with some of your marine friends, eh? The famous Takamune Kenjiro getting married to a dirty pirate like Belleville."

"I said don't speak about Sora that way," Ken snapped, annoyed now.

Adrian just laughed, shaking his head. When he looked at Ken again, Ken remembered why he hated Adrian so much. Adrian's face was contorted in malice, his lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes little beads in his face. "I'll talk about whoever I want the way I fucking want, Takamune," he spat viciously. "I'll fuck your slutty little wife, kill her, and then kill you. So shut the fuck up and don't think that for one second you can tell me what to do!"

Ken tore forward, whipping out his blade and slashing as fast as he could, outraged. How dare Adrian talk about Sora so vulgarly. Adrian dodged, rolling out of the way, flipping over to slam a kick at Ken's head. Ken evaded, and when he looked up at Adrian again, the man was pulling something out of his pocket.

"Interested?" he asked, snapping a little pill and tossing it into his mouth. He threw his head back, swallowing it, and then shuddered, squeezing his fists open and closed. "I come from Kagakushima; we're known for our chemistry and prowess in medicine. I decided to go a different route, though."

He held out his arm and Ken saw that thick spikes were exploding from his skin, tips razor sharp and glistening in the afternoon light. "I've been studying devil fruits my entire life and I have developed pills that can copy abilities," he boasted, smirking at Ken's shock. In an instant, Ken saw Adrian's face in front of his and barely backed up in time to dodge his arm slamming down. The spikes tore through the slats on the ship, wood flying everywhere. If Ken had been hit by that, he would probably be dead.

Adrian winced for a moment as his arm returned to normal. "They're the most versatile, so I can do only the paramecia types I've seen," he informed Ken, squeezing his fist open and closed.

"So, you've made a pill that can copy devil fruits," Ken said, narrowing his eyes. "What are you planning on doing with that? Are you planning to mass produce and sell it?"

Adrian scoffed. "As if. What I've made is revolutionary; I know that already. But I'm not planning on making money from it. All the pills are DNA specific – only to mine. If you took one, you'd die. It keeps people from copying me, you know?" he added arrogantly, cocking his head.

Ken thought for a moment as Adrian snapped another pill, popping it into his mouth. Ken made a move to burst forward, but he was suddenly rocket punched in the face, and stumbled backwards for a moment, slashing behind him as Adrian tried to move. He glanced at Adrian, who was, again, squeezing his fists open and closed.

Paramecia type devil fruits were versatile, yes, but all devil fruits come with a price: becoming an anchor. It was an even exchange. The greatest strength for a pirate, with the greatest setback for a pirate. But because Adrian hadn't consumed a fruit, but used the powers of one – no, of many – there had to be a set back to his technique. And in an instant, Ken knew what it was. One attack. Adrian had one attack per pill before he needed to take a new one. That was his chance.

Adrian cracked another pill and threw his head back, this time, his arm covered in a thick white liquid, like wax. It formed itself into a rather large axe that was connected to Adrian's body. Ken furrowed his brows. Adrian's pills were fast working chemicals that altered the user's DNA itself, the same way that devil fruits did. Except it wasn't just one time, it was many times, and in many different ways.

Ken smirked slightly. "You sure you want to use that many pills against me? I bet you get sick afterwards, huh? Or maybe lose a few years off your lifespan? The constant forced morphing of your physiology can't be great, can it?"

Adrian let out a sharp cackle. "As it that matters to me," he snapped. "Every two pills take about a year of my life, and yeah, I do get a little sick sometimes. But that doesn't matter as long as I fucking kill you."

"I assure you that that is not going to happen," Ken hissed, and lunged forward, slashing out in front of him. Adrian blocked with the axe and sparks flew as Ken tried to push through the surprisingly strong wax. Adrian was having difficulty pushing Ken off as well, and in one final burst of strength, Ken cut through Adrian's guard, breaking the wax and spilling Adrian's blood onto the deck. The pirate clutched his now injured hand, hopping backwards.

"I am the Meitou for a reason," Ken said, flicking the blood from his sword and sheathing it again, receiving a nasty glare from Adrian. Adrian rushed him, enraged, drawing his sword and slicing wildly. With Ken's speed, he was able to backstep and use his footwork to slip away from Adrian and dodge his parries, keeping his hand over his sword.

"Stop fucking running away from me Takamune!" Adrian shrieked, his movements becoming more rapid and more wild and in a quick motion was able to catch up to Ken's speed, slicing his shoulder. Ken leapt backwards, confused. Was there something else Adrian was using?

The blonde pirate licked the rivulet of blood from his sword, flashing a grin that looked more like baring his fangs. "My body is like a living chemistry set," he informed Ken, shifting his flannel to expose a series of thin tubes with liquids pumped into his body. "Chemicals to increase physical strength, speed, endurance. There's no fucking way you will come close to surpassing me, Takamune." He fixed his shirt, smirking.

This was why Ken was never able to surpass Adrian. As a swordsman, Ken knew that Adrian was actually quite good, but in comparison to Ken, Ken was much better endowed. It was all of Adrian's tricks and poisons that made him formidable. He didn't use his own physical strength and instead relied on his knowledge of medicines to push him over the top. It was what infuriated Ken. Had Adrian just been another sword-wielding pirate, Ken would have finished him long ago. The man was a cheater.

Ken's grip tightened on his blade. Cannonballs exploded around him, but the clangs and roars of the two crews brawling were drowned out by Ken's overwhelming determination. Regardless of what happened in the past, Ken needed to end this today.

Adrian dug one more pill from his pocket, popping it into his mouth. "This is the last one I brought today. So, I'm gonna kill you right now," he said, swallowing. He opened and closed his fist, Ken watching as his bloodied arm became coated in steel.

"Other way around," Ken told him, and simultaneously, they rushed each other, their quick battle's final attack moving so quickly that in a blink, it was over. There seemed to be a long pause between them, one waiting for the other to fall.

With a thud, Ken dropped to the deck, stabbing his blade into the wood to keep himself from falling over completely. He glanced at his left leg, blood flowing from it freely from a wide gash. Ken could see the muscle and a faint white slit of his bone and used all of his upper body strength to keep himself up. Adrian's sword was jabbed straight through the side of his knee. Ken blinked several times, trying to remain conscious as blood emptied from his body. That cheater had used two swords.

Adrian pressed a palm to his abdomen to feel warm blood flowing out of a wound so deep he was actually surprised that none of his internal organs were hanging out. He turned slightly to see Ken's hands shaking as he struggled to try and lift himself off the ground to yank out the sword protruding from his leg. Adrian smirked, whipping around.

"What were you saying, Takamune?" Adrian snarled, tilted his head from side to side with a sickening pop.

Ken didn't say anything, fighting to stay conscious. His green eyes landed on the thick crimson liquid flowing around him. That was his blood, wasn't it? He wondered how much that was.

With a quick motion, Adrian tore his sword from Ken's leg, forcing the Meitou of the Marines to let out a roar of pain. Adrian dabbed his tongue over the blood stained blade and grinned toothily, a lion closing in on the antelope. "I told you I would fucking kill you. Too bad you didn't get to survive long enough to watch me fuck your precious wife. She's a screamer, isn't she? Belleville looks like a screamer."

"Shut up," Ken breathed, the corners of his eyes darkening. Dammit! How did he lose to a cheating pirate like Adrian!

Adrian slammed the blunt side of the blade into Ken's temple, knocking him aside. His sword clattered away. "I don't think you should speak to the victor that way, Takamune," he spat. "Have some fucking respect!"

"Fuck you," Ken snarled, using his arms to hoist himself up. Adrian was standing over him now, sword dripping with blood.

"Are those your last words?" Adrian said mockingly, laughing. Ken didn't respond, glaring up at Adrian as the pirate held up his blade for the kill. He had a few minutes left in life and the only thing he was thinking about was the fact that he had let Sora down. She had believed in him and he hadn't been able to make it back home to her. What kind of husband was he?

"Junshou!" called a voice and Ken looked up at the sound of a gunshot straight through Adrian's chest. Akira swooped in, before Adrian could move and rammed the gun into Adrian's forehead. "Retreat," he growled.

"What makes you think I'm going to—"

"The battle is over," Akira interrupted. And it was. Adrian glanced around to see marines standing by, tossing the bodies of pirates overboard while the rest of the pirates still left on Ken's ship were swinging back over to their own, calling for Adrian. "Retreat. Don't make me say it one more time. Or I will fire."

"Taichou," called one of the pirates, Adrian looking back at his first mate, a dark skinned man with a rifle strapped to his back.

Adrian smirked, glancing down at Ken despite the gun being held to his forehead and blood dripping from his arm and chest from the sword and bullet wounds. "We're not done, Takamune."

Ken was using all his strength to stay conscious. "Don't ever come near my island again."

Adrian was backing up now, holding his hands up. "We're not done, Takamune," he repeated, and with that, fled the ship. Akira kept his eye trained on Adrian to make sure that he really did leave and as the tattered remains of Adrian's ship floated away, he turned back to Ken, who had finally lost consciousness.

Akira's breath caught as he followed the trail of blood. Ken was still losing blood quickly. He knelt at his commadore's side. "Yamada! Kinoshita! Get help!"

Ken burst awake, covered in cold sweat.

Sunlight leaked into the room through the curtains and he was breathing hard, out of breath. What happened? Where was he?

"Morning, studly," said a voice, and Ken turned to the source to see Sora sitting at his bedside. She smiled slightly.

"Sora," he breathed and she moved from the stool to the bed, kissing him gently. "I'm sorry-I-I couldn't—"

"You came home," Sora said softly, brushing the silver hair from his face. Ken noticed the bags under her now-glossy eyes as she struggled not to cry. "You came home to me. That's all that matters, okay?"

"I let you down, I couldn't beat him, Sora."

"It's okay," she said, placing another kiss on his lips. "You're okay. That's all that I care about, Ken."

Ken paused and let out a breath. "I love you."

Sora smiked and lifted a finger to flick a tear from her eye. "I love you."

He rolled his shoulder blades back, stretching. He felt a little better. Maybe the injuries he sustained hadn't been so bad. "Do you, um, want to get lunch?" he asked, and in one motion, managed to swing his legs over the side of the bed.

"Ken—" Sora started, but Ken already stood up. He let out a grunt as he put pressure on his left leg and instantly dropped to the ground. Sora scurried to his side, helping him up. Ken looked down at the lower half of his body, seeing that under the cotton shorts he was wearing, his leg was wrapped in thick bandages. He pressed a finger into his knee and in return received a sharp explosion of pain.

"They…said that you might not be able to walk again," Sora said quietly and Ken felt the world around him mute. He could never…walk again? "The wound was really deep and it damaged a lot of nerves and muscle and scathed the bone. Your knee was completely blown out." Sora looked down at her lap, her fingers shaking. "I'm sorry, Ken, I—"

"No," Ken said, patting her on the head. Sora looked up to see that Ken was smiling, his freckles riing with his cheeks. "What are you apologizing for, silly? It's fine."

Sora shook her head. "No, if I had just gone with you—"

"Then you might not be here," Ken said. "And I couldn't…deal with that. Okay? It's fine, Sora. Don't worry. Help me up?"

Sora brought herself to her feet, and Ken stretched his arms out, Sora pulling him up onto the bed. He took a deep breath. "Okay," he said quietly, smiling and nodding at Sora despite the fact that he felt like his insides were being shoved through a grinder. If he showed weakness, Sora would break and the only thing he wanted to do was make her smile. He couldn't be weak. He couldn't break down. He needed to be strong for Sora.

The woman lifted a silver crutch off the wall, holding it lightly. Ken reached for it, but Sora didn't let it leave her fingers. Ken chuckled. "I need that to walk," he said, grinning.

"Ken," Sora choked out, bringing her free hand to her face to cover her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Hey," he said softly, placing his hand over her small hand that was curled around the clutch. "I said it's okay. It's, ah, just another hurdle, you know? I can deal with it, Sora. Please don't cry," he said, hearing his own voice falter.

Sora continued to cry softly, her whole body shaking as she tried to hold in her sobs. "Sora," Ken whispered. "Sora, look at me." The younger woman wiped her tears away, allowing her deep blue eyes to lock with Ken's. For the first time in her life, she saw Takamune Kenjiro's eyes watering. "You're a strong woman. Please be strong for me, too, okay?"

Sora choked out one last sob and then nodded. Ken held out his arms and Sora embraced him tightly, and she inhaled deeply, and then exhaled, her entire body shaking with the motion. Ken lifted Sora away for a moment, placing his hands on her cheeks with a warm smile. His lips pressed against hers lightly. "Believe in me. It'll be fine." Sora nodded, the corners of her lips turning up into a tiny smile. Ken grinned. "Alright, then. Let's go downstairs and have some lunch."

Sora pulled herself up helped fix Ken with the crutch, fitting it to his body. She laced her fingers through his other hand and aided into leading him out of the room. Tiny bursts of pain shot through his leg, still, even with the crutch, but he ignored it as Sora assisted him slowly down the steps.

The entire bar erupted into cheers upon seeing Ken, who glanced up to see several men from his division and the Whitebeard pirates sitting together, holding up mugs. He blinked several times. Was this real?

"They kind of had to find out," Sora said, smiling sheepishly. "We were all here when you came back, so there wasn't really any choice. But they won't say anything. Or we'll kill them."

The men laughed at Sora's last little joke – half of them wondering if it was, indeed, a joke – Ken chuckling as well.

"Let me get you lunch," Sora said, and helped Ken hobble over to the barstool next to Marco as she ducked into the kitchen.

The blonde man sighed slightly, his lips tilted into a smile. He patted Ken on the shoulder. "Welcome back, Junshou," he said.

Ken smiled. "Nice to be back, I guess."

"Got Adrian?"

"Nope."

Marco blinked several times, not sure what he had heard. How was Ken still here if he hadn't beaten Adrian? Had he allowed that man to flee? But Marco didn't have time to ask as Sora reappeared with a platter of food for Ken. She placed down the rather large lunch and Ken clapped his hands together with a grin. "Thanks, love."

"You're welcome," she said in a singsong voice, smiling. "You were out for a week. Figured you might be hungry."

One week. Ken had been sleeping for one week and the wound on his leg still felt like he had gotten it yesterday. He felt that sinking feeling again, swirling around in his stomach, drowning him. He suddenly couldn't breathe, feeling his chest tighten. He was weak. He was so, helplessly weak.

"Thanks," Ken said with a smile.

Sora returned the gesture. Ken knew that he needed to smile, even if he felt like shattering, because he needed Sora to keep smiling. If she thought that he was okay, then she would be okay.

The days went by as such. Sora stayed by Ken's side, night and day. It wasn't like she didn't do that normally, but it was different now. Before Ken's injury, Sora and Ken stood on their own, as two independent parties that met at the middle to be together. Now, Ken felt like Sora was slowly melding into him, losing herself in the process.

She used to sleep in and Ken would be greeted in the morning by Sora snuggling into him, but now she woke up extra early to take care of things around the bar. She came back up when Ken awoke and helped him down the stairs, brought him breakfast, and went wherever he wanted or needed to go. Ken appreciated her care, he really, truly, did, but he couldn't help but feel like he was burdening her.

"Junshou, we're going to be leaving in a few hours," Akira informed him. Over a month had passed since Ken's injury and he was still feeling aches in his leg. He was useless without that silver plastic at his side. Ken knew that he couldn't go back to headquarters like this.

Ken patted Akira on the shoulder with a grin. "You're the Junshou now," he said.

Akira blinked several times as though he hadn't heard correctly. Sora looked up from her place at the bar. She worked full time now that Ken couldn't help out; she had to learn quickly to compensate while she and Eiichi worked on hiring other people.

"Ken," Akira said, using his commadore's name. He shook his head in disbelief. "No, man, I'm not Junshou. You are." He used informal speech. Ken was not only his senior, but his friend. They had been working together for years. Despite the fact that Akira did a lot of Ken's work, Akira honestly couldn't imagine life in the marines without Takamune Kenjiro leading him.

Ken smiled weakly. "I can't be a marine like this, Akira."

"Yeah, well, you can do rehab," Akira suggested, nodding with a smile. "I'm sure they'd be happy to fund a rehabilitation program for the Meitou of the Marines."

"I can't," Ken said, still smiling. "It's been a month and my leg is stll sore when I put pressure on it. It'd take years and years of rehab for me to be able to walk even slightly normal again. And I wouldn't be able to be a swordsman anymore; it's a lot of down time that I don't get to practice." He paused briefly, making sure that he was still smiling. He had been practicing his smile, making sure that it didn't look fake, despite the fact that it always was nowadays. "I'm…okay with staying here. You'd make an awesome Junshou, Akira. You guys can leave without me."

"You can't retire," Akira said immediately, shaking his head in disbelief. "Come on, Ken, don't just give up—"

"It's an order," Ken interrupted, taking Akira by surprise. Ken turned so that his back was facing Akira, and he lifted his beer mug to his face, taking a swig to hide his face from Sora. "Leave."

Akira was stunned. Ken had never been sharp with him at all. They had been friends – nakama. Akira pressed his lips together. "Fine," he said quietly, and reverted back to speaking politely. He bowed. "It was an honor to serve under you, Takamune Junshou. I will not shame our division."

He saw Ken nod slightly his former commadore resting his forehead in his hands. "I know you won't."

Akira averted his eyes to the ground. "Goodbye, Ken."

"Later."

The door jingled quietly behind Akira as he left and Sora stood, frozen. She wasn't even sure that she believed what happened. Ken kept his head down and Sora placed her hand over his. "Ken?"

He took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, allowing it to settle in. He was…retired now. He would probably never be able to walk normally ever again. For the first time in over a month, Ken felt his body swell with overwhelming hatred. Brower Adrian. That man had taken everything away from Ken and for a moment, Ken's mind was exploding with a white rage and the only thing he wanted to do was spill Adrian's blood.

Ken glanced up to see Belleville D. Sora flashing him a gentle smile and suddenly…it didn't matter. It didn't matter that he couldn't walk, it didn't matter that he was no longer a marine. Sora was alive. His family here, on Arashi Island was alive. Ken may have lost to Adrian, but he had won, too, hadn't he? He had managed to protect the people he cared about most in this world and that was the only thing that mattered. Perhaps this is what it meant to win. Hollow victories were still victories.

"I love you," was all she said, and Ken involuntarily smiled. He was alive. He could hear the woman he loved say those words to him.

"I love you, too."

"I'm gonna stay," Sora said with a smile, latching her hand onto Ken's. Before the winter set in, the Whitebeard Pirates were going to take their leave. They had spent a lot of time on the island this time around, Sora tending to Ken, but no one really minded. Everyone cared about the former marine and wanted to be there to support him.

Marco felt his chest tighten. Sora was going to stay? They were on the beach now; Ken had insisted on coming out to say goodbye to everyone, but even he seemed surprised with Sora's statement.

"Sora, what are you doing?" Ken asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Staying," she said, grinning at him. "I want to stay with you."

"Tell her she's insane," Ken said to Marco, who only shrugged.

"If she wants to stay, then we support her." That was the right thing to say, right? Izou shoved Marco, furrowing his brows, and Thatch and Jozu looked concerned. Had she even spoken to Whitebeard about this?

"See?" Sora said, bouncing up and down. "I want to stay here with you, Ken."

"So, why are you dressed like a pirate?"

It was true. Sora was dressed in her bikini and shorts as though she were going to leave today, too. "I wanted to dress up in celebration of my nakama going out to sea," she said with a smile.

"Stop," Ken said, unraveling his fingers from hers. He captured her face gently. "Sora. What was the one thing you wanted to do?"

"Be with you," she said without hesitation.

"Sora," the silver haired man said gently. "I can't let you do this to yourself. You can't stay here. I know you – if you stay on Arashi Island, you're going to go insane."

"Psh," she said, waving him off. "I love Arashi Island."

"And I do, too," Ken said with a sigh. "But I have to stay. You don't."

"I want to stay."

"Sora, listen to me," Ken said, locking eyes with the woman. "Your dreams come first. Seeing the world comes first, Sora. You wanted to go on an adventure, and you have the chance to go. You're a strong woman – a great pirate – and you can't just throw that away for me."

In that moment, Ken saw Sora falter, her expression wavering for a moment before returning back to her normal persistant self. He knew that he was right. He knew that she couldn't stay here. Sora belonged out on the ocean, going on adventures, laughing and drinking with her nakama, not trapped on a tiny island with Ken for the rest of her life.

"Look," he started gently, seeing as this was quite sensitive for her. "It'll be just like before. We can meet up here a couple times a year and you can tell me all about your adventures at sea. Make memories so that you can come back and tell me stories, so that I won't go insane."

"But, Ken," Sora said, frowning, her shoulders slumping.

"I'll be fine, princess," he said, patting her on the head. "Don't be ashamed for choosing your dreams. I understand – I want you to choose your dreams. I'll always be right here, but the chance to become a strong pirate and sail the seas is now. I'll be here when you come home."

Sora hesitated for a moment. "Promise?"

Ken smiled. He knew that he could convince her that becoming a pirate was the right thing to do. He snatched up her pinky, linking it with his. "I promise. I will definitely be here when you come home."

"You won't die?"

Ken laughed, messing up her hair. "Have you met me? I'm never going to die."

Sora grinned widely, flashing her first real smile in what seemed like eternity. Her dimples creased her cheeks and Ken couldn't help but feel himself melt. He loved that smile. "You promised. So, when I come back, I'm gonna have a lot of stories to tell you."

"I can't wait."

Sora tugged on Ken's shirt, pulling him down into a deep kiss, their lips dancing together in perfect time. She pulled away, leaving Ken slightly dazed. "Thank you," she said softly, tucking her arms under his to hug him.

"What for?" he whispered back with a smile. He grinned at her. "You were born to be a pirate, Sora. Go out there and be awesome."

"Okay," she said, nodding. "I'll call you everyday. I love you."

"I love you," Ken replied, kissing her lightly.

Marco stepped forward, holding out his hand for Ken to shake. Ken smiled, taking the first division commander's hand. "I love you, man. Do you wanna kiss, too?"

"No, Ken, you weirdo," Marco said with a chuckle, shaking his head. He smiled at Ken, who was laughing. "We'll be back."

Ken was still smiling as the division commanders waved and headed down the sand. "Looking forward to it."

"Ken…died smiling," Sora said quietly, looking down. She and Ace had made their way way up the mountain and were now standing in front of the granite stone, the sounds of the waterfall seeming so soft compared to Sora's story. "It hadn't even been six months, and Adrian came back. He killed Ken. And if I had just stayed. If I had chosen Ken instead of my stupid dreams then he would still be alive today. I would have been able to protect him."

Sora turned to Ace, her eyes watery. "And every time I look at you, every time I look at you, I see Ken. You look so much like him that it destroys me. It forces me to remember the mistakes that I made and forces me to remember the fact that the man I loved most in this world is dead because of my selfish decision," Sora said, and averted her eyes to the earth.

"You can't blame yourself for his death," Ace said, unable to think of anything else to say.

"I've heard that so many times before," she replied. "But it is my fault, isn't it? I chose my dreams over love and as a result, my most precious person was killed."

Ace stood, silent. Before coming up the mountain, he thought that he would be able to handle whatever Sora would tell him about Ken. He thought that he would be able to sympathize or empathize, or anything to how Sora was feeling, but he couldn't. For a lack of better words, he just didn't feel good. He didn't understand. Here was Sora, spilling her innermost secrets about her past to Ace, and all he could think about was how...worthless he was.

Worthless. His stomach clenched at the thought of that word. He was a substitute. A shell that looked like Ken, and talked like him – essentially, a replacement. Worthless.

But Sora didn't know. She didn't care. She just kept talking.

"I'm sorry," she told Whitebeard, kneeling before him. "I need to leave your crew."

Whitebeard was silent, staring down at his only daughter with remorse.

"Sora, please reconsider," Izou said, stepping forward. "What will leaving us really do?"

"I can protect people here," Sora said firmly, pressing her head to the deck. Everyone noticed that she was looking a lot thinner and paler. Had she been eating? Ken had been dead for nearly a week now and Sora had locked herself in her room until then. Marco could hear her sobbing late into the night until it finally stopped when she fell asleep in her tears. It was painful, for everyone. Ken was everyone's friend.

But he had been Sora's lover. Her most important person was gone and he was never coming back.

"I apologize and I understand if you do not agree with my decision, but this is something that I need to do. I will take Ken's will and protect this village with my life. No one will ever die here, ever again." Sora's body was shaking as she tried to cry. She literally had no tears left. Her body was just shaking as her eyes tried to produce liquid, but her tear ducts were all dried out.

"If you feel that is what you must do," Whitebeard said, the regret obvious in his voice.

"Thank you, Oyaji," Sora said, and stood up. She took a deep breath, facing her nakama. "Thank you for everything, everyone," she told the division commanders. "I really love and appreciate everything you all have done for me and I promise that I will never forget any of you," she said, closing her eyes. "Please come and visit Arashi Island anytime. My home is yours as well."

All the division commanders and crewmen wanted to step forward and stop her. They wanted to scream at her, drill into her mind that this wasn't right; that she needed to continue to be a pirate. They needed her; they loved her – she was nakama. This was wrong. She couldn't give up. What about adventure? What about not wanting to stay in one place? What about never living in Arashi Island? What about following her dreams to see the world? None of that meant anything if she just gave up and stayed on Arashi Island.

But no one stepped forward. Instead, everyone stepped aside, allowing her to pass. As her nakama, the Whitebeard Pirates knew that they had to respect her wishes. She had already made up her mind.

Sora felt numb as she waded through the shallow ocean. She stared up at the white sand and leaning palm trees that lined the outskirts of the village. She needed to forget how the thick, salty wind felt against her skin, forget how it felt to constantly be in the company of nakama. She needed forget being about what it felt like to be a pirate.

This was her home now.

"I used to…come up here all the time after Ken died," Sora said, looking down at the grave. "But then it started to become really painful and I kind of stopped. And when I came here with you, I just remembered everything and it hurt a lot. I used to come up here and talk to Ken," Sora said, chuckling slightly as she shook her head. She turned to Ace and smiled slightly. "Is that weird?"

Ace shook his head, still numb. "No."

"Do you mind if I say something now?" Sora asked carefully, as though she was the one afraid of offending Ace.

Ace shook his head again, smiling lightly at her. "Yeah, go ahead."

Sora took a deep breath, her hands shaking. "Ken, you piece of shit, I can't believe you left me," Sora started, and Ace involuntarily smiled a little at Sora's rather straightforward introduction. Her voice softened. "Sorry for not really coming by. It's been a rough past couple of years. But, um, I've been doing a lot better, you know. And I think it's because of this person." Sora turned to look at Ace, smiling gently. She didn't look at the grave as she spoke, and stared right into Ace's eyes, the man drowning in shades of blue, despite himself. "His name is Portgas D. Ace. He took my place as second division commander, so he's strong. He's funny and thoughtful and sweet, and really looks out for me, you know?"

Sora turned back to the grave and smiled gently. "I think I'm slowly being able to be okay with everything because Ace is here with me. I know he may look young and everything, you're up there thinking that he can't take care of me, but you don't have to worry, Ken. You can trust him." Sora looked back at Ace and smiled, dimples creasing her cheeks this time. "I know I do."

A/N: I stayed up all night rewriting this because originally I had just made it so that Sora was talking the whole time about everything but I kind of wanted to emphasize Ken's importance and the reason he died. Sorry for the late updates and sorry if it's getting crappy, but thanks for supporting me. New chapter out in a day or so. Thanks for reading, reviews are appreciated. Let me know what you think! :)

P.S. Jane deBelleville was a real life French female pirate who went rogue after her husband was executed for treason. I did borrow her last name, but I found out afterwards abut her husband and whatnot, and I guess it ended up working out okay since while Jane became a pirate after her husband died, Sora stopped being one after her husband died. Idk, just a little piece of trivia and now I'm done talking. Thanks again!