I'm back again. ^^ So this the first part of the wedding. Two parts, one deals with some preparation and the ceremony and the second part will be about the reception, which was quite more fun to write. The whole bonus is 14 word-pages long. So I hope you enjoy this part and the second part next week ;)
The name for Shanks and Makino's child was suggested by Psycho the Random Vixen. Thank you for that =)
Now I am starting to wonder how long the last bonus part will be~ As I had a request to go through the whole nine months. But let's see how it turns out (it will be at least two parts).
Also, I know it is Monday. But I think it can fit with my plans at the moment so I am changing to upload-day for the last bonus-chapters to Monday. So the next one will be out 28.05 (or 27.05 if I upload after shortly after midnight again^^)
myzmsandraa99: Then my plan of making it romantic was a sucess^^ Is there a word missing in your question? Because I can't think of any possible meaning(or it is just my problem because English is not my mother language).
Psycho the Random Vixen: I like to include the reader ideas sometime or just use it to make something different what they wouldn't expect. But I am not very creative with names(it's a surprise I found a name for the head nurse and one I like for Marco's and Luffy's baby) and not even the gender of Makino's child is known to make it easier... but I like the name Seán. So introducing in this chapter will be little Seán as Makino's and Shanks' little boy who finally gets to meet his uncle Luffy.
CelinaB: Just from your reaction, you waited for the proposal, didn't you? ;)
~Bonus 4.1 - The Wedding~
Marco felt a headache starting. The planning of a wedding was more annoying than working through his piles of paperwork.
They didn't have to worry about the clothes as Izo had begged to take care of these. So this point was off the list.
The rings were already dealt with. Two simple gold rings. The engraving was kept simple, too. There would be the date of the wedding day, the first letters of their names intertwined (M & L) and the words 'A new dream'. He really had to thank Jozu for his help as the third division commander knew a trustworthy jeweller who did really great engravings.
Food and so one was dealt by their cooks. They only had to give a few suggestions on the cake. Sanji and Thatch were insulted even by the slight suggestion to look for some other cooks to help.
A location for the wedding was something that could be discussed when the guest list was ready. Because the location had to be chosen under various aspects which would be defined by the guest list.
So this simple list of people was the biggest problem.
If it would be a normal wedding from one of their members they would invite their allies to celebrate on some of the islands under protection. This usually got a lot of attraction around the Grand Line and the marine always seemed close to attack them, if there was a wedding. But the last wedding was years ago when the marine headquarter was still stationed in Paradise. Also, they hadn't Akainu as Fleet Admiral back then.
The magma bastard wouldn't even bat an eyelid to attack them if he noticed something big was going to happen. Another problem was that the marine headquarter was now located in the New World. That meant keeping the chance of attracting attention as low as possible had to be their goal.
So they had to keep the guest number low. This wasn't easy as they both knew a lot of people and were somehow connected to them. Luffy to people he met on his journey and Marco to the allies, who were like family.
The first suggestion was to only celebrate with the two crews. That would mean all nine Straw Hats and the 1616 member of the Whitebeard pirates.
But then Sabo's name fell and Luffy whined that the blonde member of the revolutionary army should be part of the wedding. After all, he was Luffy's brother. So when they invited Sabo, he would bring the orange-brown-haired girl named Koala, who was said brother's girlfriend, too. When Luffy just informed his brother about the wedding, Ivankov was there, too, and declared he would participate to present Monkey D Dragon, Luffy's father. Because the man himself would definitely like to come by but would attract too much attention.
This meant three people were added to the guest list (total 1628 guests).
Then Luffy suddenly wanted to invite civilians who took care of him when he was just a little boy. This meant the bear of a woman named Dadan, who wanted to roast him, and Makino, Akagami's lover, should be part of the wedding, too. So they would get to know Luffy's nephew. Also, there were a few more names of civilians form Foosha Village and some bandits (he still didn't think he heard that right) from Mt. Colubo.
Marco massaged his temples.
With inventing these civilians (and bandits), they had to be even more careful. They even had to think about getting them to the New World without making the marine suspicious. Because as a famous pirate crew of the strongest man in the world and the pirate king with his crew, they couldn't just go to one of the Blues without raising a lot of attention.
"Ji-chan is coming and he didn't want to take a no", Luffy said and interrupted his thoughts.
Marco looked shocked at his fiance who stood at the door.
Ji-chan? That meant Luffy's grandfather, Monkey D Garp, the hero of the marine, wanted to come to their wedding?! This wasn't a positive thought. No, that was not good.
"Your grandfather wants to come?" "Yeah, he was in Makino's bar when I called her to tell her about the wedding. I didn't hear him at first. He only said something after I told Makino that I am engaged", Luffy said with an innocent smile. His lover still stood at the door like he expected to that he needed to run.
Marco sighed and waved the black-haired man over to him. Luffy stepped next to his desk and had innocent look on his face. Marco pulled his lover into his lap and nuzzled his face into the crook of the younger one's neck. He felt a hand caressing his shoulder. A small smile ghosted over his lips and he wrapped an arm around Luffy's waist.
"I'm sorry", Luffy mumbled. "Your grandfather is making this more complicated, yoi…", Marco said tiredly. His fiance did make a strange sound. "Luffy? Is there more I should know, yoi?" "Shanks wants to come, too. To be there when I get married and also to see Makino and Seán again", Luffy mumbled.
Marco groaned. This could only mean trouble. Finding a safe place for nearly 1700 people including two Yonkos, three members of the revolutionary army and a vice admiral(the hero of the marine!) to celebrate the wedding of the first mate of one Yonko and the pirate king would be really troublesome. Oh, he forgot the Ex-Shichibukai and new Yonko Trafalgar Law and his crew. So three Yonkos. That was going to be trouble alone…
Also, he had to deal with their allies to tell them that they couldn't come to the main event. He hoped that he could avoid some conversations… like the one with Withey Bay. The woman loved to annoy and tease them like a normal little sister. But just the presence of these people on the guest list made it impossible to invite the allies from them.
Fingers caressed his hair. "You worry too much, Marco", Luffy said and left kisses over his face. Marco lifted an eyebrow an watched his fiance's face carefully. "You should take a break." And with that statement, Luffy connected their lips.
Well, this seemed to be a nice break. Especially if his brothers could keep out of his room for some time.
The emphasis was on IF. They couldn't stay out.
He swore to throw some certain commanders overboard when this call was finished. Who thought it would be a good idea to tell their allies about the Wedding, yet? They were still working on the guest list and hadn't decided on anything, yet. (Luffy telling Makino was an exception.)
So now Marco had now to deal with a precious ally, but also the worst nightmare of every brother: their sister Whitey Bay.
"No, you can't come, Bay. The marine will most likely get suspicious if the Moby Dick and the Red Force are close by. They will attack when they noticed your ships there, too, yoi."
"So Akagami is allowed to come? But we are family!"
Marco suppressed a groan. This woman couldn't just accept something without a reason sometime. Why couldn't Thatch or Ace deal with her? Then these two would also get their punishment.
"Akagami is, unfortunately, Luffy's role model. But the more important reason is that Akagami's lover is one of the closest people Luffy has to a family. This woman is a civilian and she will bring her child along if they come. This means we have to be even more careful than at the usual weddings, yoi", the blonde said. He hoped that it would make Whitey Bay stop. The woman may be called Ice Witch, but she had a soft spot for children.
He waited for an answer. This was a good sign. That meant she was thinking about his words.
"Fine, but we will get an after-wedding-party", she said. Good, she was being reasonable.
"I will talk about it with Luffy. Can I go to sleep now, yoi?" He heard a chuckle from her. This wasn't good. "You just want to have sex with your dear finance, because you sound kinda frustrated like you need to get laid, Marco-chan."
Marco starred first shocked, then angry at the den-den-mushi. The nerve of this woman. Without saying another word he hung up.
Should she call again, he wouldn't care. Some other commander could deal with her. He had better things to do than dealing with her.
Marco didn't really notice how crew member jumped out of his way or tried to hide when he passed them. The Phoenix opened the door to his room and locked it after he entered.
His mood got better when he noticed Luffy sleeping peacefully in his bed. A smile ghosted over his lip. It made him quite happy to see that his lover decided to stay in his room instead of sleeping on the Thousand Sunny.
The blonde changed into his pyjama pants and joined Luffy under the blanket. His fiance, oh how he loved this word in connection with Luffy, grumbled slightly as he circled the other's waist and touched the naked skin with cold fingers.
"It's only me, yoi", Marco whispered and kissed Luffy's neck. The black-haired young man seemed to calm down. Marco carefully shifted them both so that Luffy was secured in his arms and he was able to bury his face in the black locks.
Finally a few minutes of peace.
Ace was slightly jumping up and down. He was nervous and it felt like his clothes were too tight.
The fire logia user seriously envied Marco and Luffy who got custom-made clothes by Izo. If the cross-dresser hadn't been so busy with making these for the couple, Ace would have asked, too.
But when he saw Marco's suit, which was simple but somehow elegant, he really wanted to know what his little brother would wear.
"Nervous, Ace?", Thatch asked with a grin. "Why should I be nervous? Shouldn't you be thinking about proposing to Izo? Isn't it embarrassing that my baby brother gets married earlier than you?", Ace teased and watched how the redhaired man gaped like a fish.
A grin ghosted over the black-haired man's face. But before he could hear Thatch's reaction, Zoro appeared with Chopper hanging on his back. The little reindeer was mostly only there to prevent the swordsman from going the wrong way.
"Ace, we need your help", Zoro said. Ace envied his brother's unofficial first mate. The swordsman looked so less troubled about wearing a suit.
Ace looked unsure at the others. Sabo wasn't here, yet. He should wait for his brother. After all, they were both Luffy's best man.
"Don't worry, Ace, yoi", Marco said and gave him a light push. Jozu behind the blonde nodded in agreement. Thatch may look a bit grumpy but seemed to agree as well.
"I'll be back as soon as possible", Ace promised, before he followed Zoro.
His grey eyes widened when the swordsman and Chopper lead him to Luffy's preparation area.
"Zoro, Chopper, what is going on?", has asked worriedly. No answer. This only made him worry more. After all, it would mostly involve his baby brother!
"Oi, marimo, what did you tell him?", Sanji said and lifted his leg when they met the other Straw Hats. "Shut it, ero-cook."
"Be quiet, you two", Nami said and hit both of them.
Now Ace was confused. If they were this relaxed, then everything should be fine with Luffy. So why did they need his help? He looked from one member to another. They all pointed at Zoro.
"What is going on?", has asked again. He hoped that he would get an answer now.
"We discussed this a lot but in the end, we decided that the honour to give Luffy away should belong to you. Sure, Luffy is our captain. The man we decided to follow until the end. But before he is that, he is your brother", Zoro said.
That shocked Ace. They wanted him to gave Luffy away?! The role was normally fulfilled by the father of the 'bride' or by a crew member when it was a pirate wedding. He didn't expect the offer to do this honour.
"Why not Sabo?", he asked. His blonde brother was better at stuff like that. "You are the first brother we met. You asked us to take care of him. Something we promised you early on our journey, even if this wasn't always easy… Also, we feel that Luffy had possible a deeper connection to you than to Sabo. Our idiotic captain broke into Impel Down and fought in the war just to save your life. Also, he jumps you first when both of you arrive at the same time", Nami explained. The other Straw Hats nodded.
Ace blinked a tear away. He was honoured when Luffy asked him to be his best man together with Sabo. But this was an honour given by Luffy's crew.
"You still stay Luffy's best man", Usopp said. "And don't you dare to say something. We have mostly planned the reception. So it is fine to let his family play the important parts at the wedding", Nami told him with a grin that told him that he shouldn't disagree.
Marco massaged his temples. A few days ago, he thought that he would be the one who worried the most at the wedding.
But it seemed the title was better with Thatch. The cook got more and more nervous the longer Ace was away.
Jozu had already put one hand on Thatch's shoulder to stop him from moving.
Marco was glad that he asked the third division commander to be his best man.
This decision surprised some of their members as many only remembered Thatch and the Phoenix being some mismatched twins when they were younger.
But Jozu was the person that Marco trusted the most after Oyaji and Luffy.
Some ex-members of the Whitebeard pirates could probably remember how Marco has stood on Jozu's shoulders to scold their father for drinking too much or how the blonde has just sat there while they both have watched the sea.
So there should be no wonders if you know the full history of them.
Thatch became jumpier again. Sabo appeared. The suit of the blonde seemed a bit overdressed but well, there would most likely be a simple reason for this. Sabo looked relaxed even if Ace was still away.
"I don't know where Ace is. Zoro got him…", Thatch started to ramble, but the revolutionary member lifted his hand to stop it. "I know. Robin sent one of her clones to me. They talked Ace into the duty of giving Luffy away. So I am not surprised to find him missing."
Marco nodded at this information. It relieved him a bit, because he had a feeling, even if Luffy's crew was accepting and supporting them, that Zoro would glare at him the whole time.
Even if the relationship between the swordsman and him had gotten better (it involved winning a drinking competition against Nami to reduce Zoro's debts), he swore that the green-haired man would just glare because wanted to make sure that Luffy is safe.
A hand on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts. Marco turned his head to look at Jozu, but the third division commander pointed to the guests.
Izo had taken his seat next to the other commanders. The cross-dresser noticed his look and gave him a bright smile.
He let his eyes wander. The green-haired young woman, introduced as Makino, had the little boy named Seán on her arms and smiled brightly. Akagami and his crew were next to her. It was a surprise for him to see that the Yonko behaved that much.
Marco noticed that Luffy's and Ace's foster-mother glared slightly at him. She looked also uncomfortable with sitting next to Garp. The old vice admiral seemed to be in a good mood. This made Marco wonder why Garp didn't glare at him. No, the marine behaved strangely, too.
His thoughts were interrupted when the music started.
His blue eyes were fixed on the other end of the aisle. There came the two D-brothers. Ace looked a bit nervous but happy and clung to the arm of the second division commander was Luffy.
He studied his lover carefully with a soft smile. Now Marco knew why Izo had begged to dress Luffy up. His cross-dressing brother had made a simple but beautiful white dress for his lover to wear. On the black hair laid a daisy chain as decoration and the bouquet included only flowers that meant love, luck and happiness, if he remembered Vista's flower language right.
Then his fiance stood in front of him. Ace glared shortly at him before the second division commander smiled and linked the left hand of Marco with Luffy's right hand. "Take good care of him", his ship brother whispered and took his place next to Sabo, who was now holding the bouquet.
Marco intertwined his fingers with Luffy's and both shared a soft glance before their attention was turned the priest, who began his speech which no one would remember (except Vista).
He caressed his lover's hand with his thumb as the pirate king seemed a bit nervous. It was a gesture to calm both of them down. Marco felt a soft pressure on his hand. Luffy had understood. Good.
"Do you take this man as your wedded husband?"
Marco turned his head to look at Luffy. Their eyes met and he noticed the famous bright grin on his lover's face. "I do", was said by both of them at the same time.
The Phoenix could hear someone, probably Vista, sobbed when they exchanged the rings.
"I now pronounce you as a wedded couple. You may kiss."
Before the priest could even finish his last sentence, Luffy had his arms around Marco's neck and he was pulled down into a kiss.
Their first kiss as a wedded couple.
Marco circled Luffy's waist with his arms and hold him close while he deepened the kiss. Not caring that the other watched.
Now he was really allowed to show off that Luffy belonged with him. Now the bond they had forged over the years had become visible to everyone with the rings on their fingers.
A gunshot interrupted their kiss. Glass breaking and someone whined.
Marco pulled Luffy closer and looked around.
"Don't you dare to ruin my hard work by showering them with champagne!", Izo said and stood now in front of Thatch.
The cook had a broken bottle in his left head and was soaked with liquid, that had possibly been in the bottle.
He could hear Luffy laugh and felt more relaxed. For a second the Phoenix thought that the marine would attack. But this was a nice entertainment.
"Oi, don't waste the booze for the reception!" "Don't just think about the alcohol!"
Marco resisted shaking his head. Now there was only the reception to survive and then he and Luffy would be away from this chaos. The honeymoon was something sweet, even if theirs included visiting their allies(well more Whitebeard allies as Straw Hat allies, but it was going to be less trouble than these loveable idiots).
I know some of you will ask about Luffy wearing a dress. I will explain after I published the second part. But let me tell I had a hard time to decide what they should wear. First, it was a kimono, then both suit, then kimono again and then suit and dress.
Also sorry for not writing more details about the speech of the priest and vows (because I was lazy to think of something :X). But I would say their vows include the word 'dream'.
So till next week ^^