Chapter Text
You pressed yourself against the door, listening closely to the verdict on your fate.
“We have no choice,” a voice grumbled with resignation. “We have to send her.”
“But what about justice?” said a second voice. “How can we protect the weak if we can’t even protect our own?”
A pause reigned heavy in the air, then that first voice again. “Justice is sacrifice,” he said. “We are protecting our own.”
An amalgamation of delicate lace and ruched fabric clung to your skin, dipping low over your décolletage and flaring out just above your hips. The veil’s gauzy fabric fluttered past your shoulders and over your wings, long enough to graze the floor where the train of your dress dragged. Soft makeup on your face augmented the sharpness of the silver chain banded around your throat, ending in an assortment of teardrop shaped diamonds. You purposely rid yourself of any thoughts of collars, instead spinning around in front of the mirror with your hands over your heart and admitting to yourself that you looked damn good. Big Mom’s tailors did not fuck around, it seemed. Even still, this was not at all how you envisioned your wedding day.
You’d always imagined that if you ever got married, it would be because you really loved someone. Sighing, you hugged your arms around yourself. The feathers on your wings tickled the tips of your fingers. Being a Marine meant sacrifice.
A knock on the door interrupted your regrets. “It’s almost time.”
You nodded at your reflection in the mirror, resigning yourself to carry through. “I’m ready.”
A blur of color in your peripheral vision signaled the entrance of several sentient objects into the room. You felt a burst of anxiety as you were ushered out of the door by a giant teapot and a clock, their saccharine faces a stark contrast to the heaviness in your heart. You were led down seemingly endless hallways until you reached the final door where the man who raised you waited. On the other side of the door you could hear organ music reverberating.
You saluted him out of habit. “Admiral.”
A smile tugged at the corners of Aokiji’s mouth. “Don’t let Big Mom see you doing that.”
“Refraining would be insubordination. Besides,” you said, trying to keep your tone lighthearted. “I’m not one of them until after the wedding.”
He looked down for a moment before adjusting the cuffs on his suit jacket. “The Marines won’t forget this,” he said, eyes uncharacteristically sharp. “I’ll make damn sure.”
“It’s all for the cause,” you said, your smile tight. “I’m surprised that Big Mom is letting you be here for this.”
He cleared his throat, meeting your eyes before looking away again. “The transfer of the hostages is planned for after the wedding.”
Despite your best efforts, your smile was too heavy to keep up. “Of course,” you said. “It only makes sense.”
“I never meant,” he paused and cleared his throat again. “I didn’t want it to end up this way.”
You forced your lips to curve up again and looked down. You knew your voice would betray the first tears forming against your lower lashes so you chose to remain silent.
“You’ll be safe here,” he continued. “You’ll be taken care of.”
You nodded at the ground. “I know.”
You both paused for a moment, not sure what to say.
He held his arm out for you to take. “Shall we go?”
“Thank you,” you wrapped your hand around his arm, looking up at him. “For being here I mean. It means a lot.”
He smiled at you even though his eyes were sad. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
A group of sentient flower baskets arranged themselves to carry the train of your dress before the heavy double doors in front of you creaked open. A rush of rose petals obscured your view for a moment before the sound of shuffling shoes and creaking chairs sounded out and the guests rose to watch you make your way down the aisle. It was a beautiful day. The sharp, blue sky contrasted with only a few soft clouds. Your steps were slow, too scared to look at what, or rather who, waited for you at the end of your journey. You knew three things about this man. One, his name was Charlotte Katakuri. Two, with a bounty of one billion berries, he was one of the most terrifying pirates on the sea. Three, in just a few minutes, he was going to be your husband.
Yes, the Marines were exchanging you for a smattering of high ranking Marine officials that the Big Mom pirates had captured. Sure, you had had your brave moments, but you were a no-name Marine with no real outstanding achievements. The only reason this exchange was happening was the black, feathered wings folded against your back. You were a member of one of the few rare groups that Big Mom didn’t have yet on her island. The Marines had to make the impossible choice to hand you over to Big Mom or to have their captured officials killed, and they had chosen the path with no bloodshed. You had even agreed to it yourself, knowing it was the right thing to do. Big Mom’s sharp eyes followed your and Aokiji’s movements and you tried to focus on anything else.
As all journeys do, yours eventually ended. Your shuffling, slow feet ascended the steps and you braved a look at your soon to be husband. He was framed by pillars that arched up to the roof of a pergola, twisted through with red and pink flowering vines. The first thing you noticed was that he was absolutely massive, towering well over you. He wore a black tux with a blood red shirt underneath. His clothes were well fitted, but the thick, corded muscle underneath pushed against the fabric nonetheless. A scarf looped around his shoulders and neck, brushing just under the bottom of his nose and obscuring the bottom half of his face. You didn’t need to see his whole face to be intimidated as his piercing eyes met yours. Cropped, red hair rustled in the slight breeze while dark eyelashes made his crimson irises appear to be almost glowing. You refused to shrink under his gaze, meeting his eyes with all the fire you could muster. You felt Aokiji withdraw his arm from yours and you were left to face this terrifying stranger alone.
The officiant, another of Big Mom’s children you guessed by the candy paraphernalia he was wearing, cleared his throat. “Today we are here to witness the joining of two people, and thus an induction into the Big Mom Pirates of a former Marine…”
You were only half listening, reflecting instead on the different path your life would now take. You had Aokiji and your friends from the Marines to miss, and you would certainly grieve the loss of your freedom. Up until this point in your life, you had let your superiors and the wind take you where they wanted to and had never set down serious roots besides with Aokiji and your friends. You were afraid of what you would grow into here.
“I do.”
You jumped slightly at the gravelly voice, realizing it had come from the man in front of you. His eyes were fixed on you still. You didn’t dare to look away.
The officiant recited your name. “Do you take Charlotte Katakuri as your husband?”
You breathed deeply and summoned all the courage in your scrappy, Marine body, remembering the lives you would save by following through. “I do.”
“We will now have the exchanging of rings,” said the officiant.
You resisted the urge to flinch away as the branches of a nearby tree leaned in through the pillars of the pergola. Yeah, that was going to take some fucking getting used to. Two rings dangled from finger-like twigs. One of them was a plain band, the other was beautifully engraved with tiny diamonds arranged in the form of vines.
Katakuri reached out and closed a hand around the ornate ring before reaching out a hand towards you, his eyes meeting yours. You hesitantly held out your left hand and he slid the ring on. His hands were warm, his callouses rough against your skin. Despite his size, he was surprisingly gentle. He let go of your hand before holding his left hand out towards you. The cool metal of the band quickly warmed in your hands as you plucked it off of the branch. With shaking hands, you slid it onto his ring finger. You pulled back and released a breath you hadn’t realized you had been holding.
The officiant waved his hand over you and Katakuri. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
You felt like you were in a haze as the organ started up again, resonating in your chest along with the thumping of your heart. Katakuri held out a hand to you, the band on his finger catching the light of the sun. You hesitantly reached up and took his hand, his fingers closing around yours. His hand was warm and solid, dissipating your anxieties and grounding you to the present moment. You thought his expression had softened, but it was hard to tell with half his face covered.
Katakuri led you back down the aisle, the guests smiling and throwing flower petals and tiny candies towards you. You stole one last glance at Aokiji, trying your best to smile at him in a way that would alleviate any guilt or fear on your behalf. The look on his face told you he was trying to do the same for you. Then you turned to Katakuri, catching him staring at you. You gave him a small smile too, hoping that he wasn’t as scary as he looked.
The wooden doors you had walked through with Aokiji shut behind you and Katakuri. The sentient flower baskets carrying your train giggled and scurried off into the shadows. He let go of your hand and waved his arm towards an archway.
“Come,” said Katakuri, his gaze intense. “We must talk.”
You looked up at him, a frisson of fear sliding down your spine. “Yes, let’s talk.”
You followed him through the winding hallways, noticing the building was completely empty except for the two of you. Not that that was much help for you, you knew you couldn’t run. The sounds of your footsteps echoed in empty hallways. After a few minutes, Katakuri paused at a door. He turned to face you, lightly rapping his knuckles against the wooden frame before two eyes on the door fluttered open to look up at him. The doorknob twisted itself, swinging the door open. Katakuri wordlessly gestured for you to enter the room after flicking on the lights. The carpet was soft under your shoes. It appeared to be some sort of sitting room, two fluffy, white couches sitting across from each other with a low coffee table in between them. On the coffee table was a tray with a teapot and two heart-shaped teacups.
“Sit,” Katakuri said. “Please.”
You obeyed, smoothing the skirt of your dress behind your thighs and sitting down on the couch closest to the door. The furniture was made for people of Katakuri’s size so you had to wiggle onto it and your feet dangled a few inches off of the floor. Katakuri sat opposite to you, pouring tea in both cups before handing one to you, which you gratefully accepted. The tea smelled earthy and musky, but when you took a small sip it was almost floral.
You waited for him to break the silence and watched as he leaned back in the seat, the teacup looking almost like a toy in his huge hands. He crossed one leg so his ankle was resting on the knee of his other leg.
“So,” Katakuri began. “You did not come here of your own free will.” His intonation indicated it was a statement rather than a question.
You swallowed. “I understand my duty to be here.”
Katakuri hummed, swirling the tea in the teacup before placing it back on the tray. You couldn’t help but notice he hadn’t drank any. “Yes, but is this where you want to be?”
You paused, not wanting to be dishonest with him. “I don’t have anywhere else where I belong right now.”
He cocked an eyebrow at that. “Nowhere? From what I understand, there is somewhere very specific where you belong.”
“It’s a long story,” you started, taking another sip of the tea before you continued. “I was taken in by the Marines when I was a baby. I was too young to remember where I came from before.”
“I see,” he leaned forward, taking you in. “Then with the Marines is not where you belong?”
You shivered slightly, feeling your wings fluff slightly with the sensation that he was looking straight into your soul.
“Not really,” you said, looking down to stare at your reflection in the tea. “At least I don’t feel that way any more.”
It was too much to get into with this stranger in front of you, but despite your sense of duty you felt betrayed by the Marines for trading you in. You wished they had fought harder for you after all you had given them. When you looked back up at Katakuri, his eyes were unreadable.
After a moment, he leaned back in his seat again resting his elbows on the back of the couch. He seemed satisfied with your answer for now. “I know it will take time, but I hope you come to find a home here.”
You looked up to him. “Thank you,” you murmured.
“I understand this is a difficult transition, but you’re under my protection,” Katakuri said. “If there’s anything I can do to make this place feel more like home for you, please tell me.”
Your vision blurred with tears again. “Thank you. I’m-” you paused for a moment to collect yourself before continuing. “I’m sure this is not what you wanted either, I don’t want to cause you trouble.”
He waved his hand as if to scatter your anxieties away. “I’m flattered, but you don’t have to worry about me. I’m more concerned with you feeling safe here,” he said. “Let me alleviate any fears you may have, we’re pirates but no one will hurt you here.”
You nodded and licked your lips, your voice coming out as a squeak. “So Big Mom didn’t tell you we need to have a bunch of babies or something?”
Katakuri made a grumbling sound while holding his face. It took you a second to realize he was laughing. You felt your cheeks heat up and you slapped a hand over your mouth to keep anything else dumb from coming out.
When he had stopped laughing, he looked at you with one eyebrow slightly raised. “Let’s get to know each other first,” he said. “Then if that’s something you want, we can talk about it.”
Your face burned more. You didn’t know what was more embarrassing, the fact that you had brought up having babies with this complete stranger or the fact that he hadn’t seemed completely opposed to it. Still, you felt a little bit more comfortable now, he seemed reasonable and accommodating.
Katakuri stood up and extended a hand out towards you. “Come. Mama will want to speak with you before the exchange.”
This time, reaching for his hand was a little easier.