"What?! You're saying you want the entire population of Fish-Man Island to relocate right here to our Goa Kingdom?!" Sabo stared in dumbfounded disbelief at Luffy, who was grinning from ear to ear.
Luffy's only response was an uproarious laugh and a hearty nod.
Drake let out a quiet sigh. He had seen this coming from a mile away, but things were certainly about to become lively on an unprecedented scale.
The wedding ceremony between himself and Sabo would surely rise to a grandeur never seen before. The people of Fish-Man Island certainly wouldn't miss it, which wasn't a bad turn of events at all!
Although Weitian had mentioned that a modest, understated affair would suffice—preferring not to draw too much unwanted attention, as marriage was ultimately a matter between the two of them—she had felt that keeping things quiet and serene was wonderful enough.
Drake, however, still believed it was far better to have more people shower them with blessings.
After all, this was the paramount milestone of a lifetime. Without realizing it, Drake's thoughts had already drifted toward the grand ceremony ahead.
"Guess what surprise I brought for you guys?" Luffy piped up out of nowhere.
"What is it?" Sabo asked, puzzled. "Wasn't the arrival of the Fish-Men the surprise?"
The great migration of Fish-Man Island was already an earth-shattering revelation; it would vastly ease the administrative governance of the New World Government across the seas.
It was an unexpected twist beyond his wildest imagination.
"Of course not! The real surprise I wanted to tell you is—I'm getting married!" Luffy suddenly vaulted to his feet and declared.
Everyone blinked in frozen silence before their jaws dropped simultaneously, as if they had just heard the most unfathomable absurdity under heaven.
Drake was snapped out of his reverie by the collective gasp. It took him several seconds to process what had just tumbled out of his younger brother's mouth.
Did he just say he's getting married?
Did my ears deceive me?
"Luffy! You can't be serious, can you?!" Sabo shot up from his chair. "Who on earth are you marrying—"
Before Sabo could finish his sentence, a striking figure stepped smoothly through the entrance.
Long, alabaster legs, a statuesque and towering silhouette, and an imperial aura capable of looking down upon all creation.
The Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock!
"Luffy!" The imperious, disdainful gaze that ruled over the world vanished without a trace the moment her eyes locked onto Luffy.
With an expression brimming with gentle devotion, she embraced his arm tightly, resting her entire frame against him.
"I have already arranged for the next Empress of Amazon Lily. Once we are wed, we can live together for the rest of our days."
"She's... the Pirate Empress?" Sabo muttered as realization hit him, finally piecing the impossible puzzle together.
"Th-This is way too sudden..."
"Wait, doesn't that mean out of the four of us brothers, three are getting married at once, leaving Ace as the odd man out?" Drake mused aloud after a moment's thought.
Still, Luffy's breakneck pace genuinely shocked him. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined Luffy would walk down the aisle alongside them.
And as for their eldest brother, Ace...
"No, I'm already married." Another voice drifted from the doorway.
Everyone froze. Turning their heads in unison, they watched a procession of legendary figures stride through the entrance.
"Ace!"
"The division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates... and Red-Haired Shanks!"
"You guys..."
"AHAHAHA! Looks like we'll have to throw back quite a few extra barrels today!" Shanks was the first to speak, booming with cheerful laughter.
"Shanks! What are you doing here?!" Luffy's eyes popped wide.
"Luffy, getting hitched without so much as sending word our way? That's bad form, anchor!" Lucky Roux chimed in, tearing a bite of meat from the bone.
"Damn right! Luffy, there's no way in hell we'd ever miss your wedding!"
Before long, the entirety of Foosha Village was packed to overflowing with titans of the sea. Only after a round of inquiries did the truth come to light: several months ago, Ace and Yamato had already tied the knot in private.
All that was missing was a formal wedding ceremony.
And so, the decision was struck on the spot: to host a joint grand wedding for all four sworn brothers—a spectacle without precedent in the history of the world.
Even so, Drake and the others resolved to keep the scale grounded and intimate. With the staggering renown and standing they currently commanded, even a single one of them hosting a wedding would detonate shockwaves across the entire globe, let alone all four standing at the altar together!
Night fell, and Makino's tavern blazed with lantern light once more. If the denizens of the New World ever learned of the assembly gathered inside this humble tavern, they would brave any storm to sail across the seas just to bear witness.
To miss an epoch-defining gathering of this magnitude would mean an outlaw could never hold his head high in the pirate world again.
Commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, elite officers of the Red Hair Pirates, every single member of the Dragon Flag Pirates.
And lastly, the entire crew of the Pirate King.
The night was long, destined to pass without a wink of sleep.
While Luffy and his three brothers drank to their hearts' content, quiet, bustling movements stirred across the entirety of Foosha Village under the veil of darkness.
What had once been the most remote, unassuming hamlet in the Goa Kingdom had transformed overnight into the most formidable epicenter on the planet.
The following morning, when Drake and the others stepped out of the tavern, the scene awaiting them left them thoroughly thunderstruck.
The entire village was draped in festive lanterns and crimson banners, alive with boundless cheer and commotion. Radiant, joyful smiles bloomed across every villager's face.
Just as the flabbergasted brothers opened their mouths to ask what madness had unfolded overnight, Nami and Robin materialized before them.
"Nami! Robin!" Luffy laughed heartily. "Hey, what are you guys doing here, and what's with all the—"
"Save your questions for later! Follow us, all of you!" With that, Luffy and his brothers were swiftly corralled away.
"Hey, wait... Nami, Robin, what are you dragging us off to do?" Luffy looked entirely bewildered, a sentiment shared by Drake, Ace, and Sabo.
The four brothers were herded away without ceremony, leaving Shanks and his officers exchanging knowing, hearty chuckles behind them.
"To get changed, of course! Today is your wedding day!" A woman stepped out before them, cutting in smoothly.
"Ain? Even you're in on this...?" Drake's eyes snapped wide the moment he recognized her.
Since when had Ain formed such a tight-knit conspiracy with Nami and the others?
And a wedding?
Today?!
"What?!" The brothers cried out in unison. This was entirely too sudden! By Drake's most optimistic estimates, the ceremony would take at least several days to prepare—the logistics were far too messy to rush.
Only when they were ushered into a private chamber did the reality finally settle into their bones.
There, standing before them, were Weitian and the other brides, fully adorned in their wedding attire.
Every word they had prepared to say dissolved into thin air. The gazes of the four brothers softened into profound tenderness.
Or rather, an overwhelming flush of embarrassment swept over them.
These legendary figures who had shaken the four seas and reigned over the oceans stood there wearing flustered, thoroughly sheepish expressions.
Only Luffy appeared relatively unbothered, wearing his usual cheerful grin. Even Sabo blushed furiously, completely stripped of his usual dashing, composed elder-brother poise.
Ace was trying his hardest to project the unbothered facade of a seasoned, long-married husband, yet his eyes kept darting nervously toward Yamato every other second.
"My, Captain! What's with that look? You haven't gone and lost your mind, have you?" Ain gasped dramatically, widening her eyes as if witnessing a miracle.
From the second Drake crossed the threshold, his gaze hadn't shifted an inch, utterly transfixed on Weitian.
She was draped in an alluring crimson gown, just as she often favored, but this ceremonial piece was clearly a bespoke creation of magnificent artistry, its long, flowing train cascading across the floorboards.
Her tall, statuesque figure was accentuated to absolute perfection, framed by a daring low-cut halter neckline and a daringly slit hemline.
In all the time he had known her, this was undoubtedly the most breathtakingly revealing ensemble she had ever worn.
For a moment, Drake was hopelessly spellbound.
Ain's teasing finally snapped him out of his daze. His face flushed bright crimson as he shot a venomous glare at his subordinate—this brat actually dared poke fun at her own captain now!
"It's only natural he'd be mesmerized," Makino remarked, stepping into the room with a warm, beaming smile, her eyes sweeping across the four brides. "Every single bride today is breathtakingly gorgeous, a supreme beauty among beauties."
"It would be a miracle if they didn't lose their minds staring." Turning her gaze toward Drake and his brothers, Makino added briskly, "Alright, hurry up and change into your attire! We took care of all the wedding preparations last night—after all, none of you hopeless boys would ever know how to plan an event like this anyway."
Faced with her gentle chiding, Drake and the others didn't offer a shred of protest, merely rubbing the backs of their heads with sheepish smiles.
Because Makino was entirely right.
When it came to marriage, they were all completely clueless, utterly ignorant of the traditional procedures involved.
Though Drake had talked about holding a wedding, in his eyes, the ceremony was merely a symbolic formality—a shared pledge to walk the rest of their lives together before the elders of their family.
As for the granular logistics, he knew next to nothing.
In a daze of compliance, they slipped into the ceremonial attire Makino and the girls had prepared. Because Weitian wore a stunning red gown, Drake's ceremonial robes were tailored from rich crimson silk.
Sabo was fitted in a pristine, tailored black tuxedo.
Ace's attire was the most startling of the bunch—it resembled a suit of ceremonial armor, drenched in blood-red hues.
It appeared tailor-made to complement the blazing mantle of the Flame Emperor. According to Makino, Yamato had specifically requested this design, as Ace had casually agreed to it in an offhand conversation long ago.
Hearing the explanation, Ace froze for a second before letting out an awkward, embarrassed laugh.
"Ah, that... I was just joking around back then..."
The room nearly collapsed in disbelief—how could anyone joke about their wedding attire?!
"Well, no harm done! It looks magnificent anyway, ahahaha...!"
Drake let out a soft sigh, his eyes drifting over to Luffy.
Luffy had been dressed in an immaculate white tuxedo, perfectly complementing Hancock's flowing white bridal gown. The only comical detail was...
Ever since putting on the formal suit, Luffy wore a constant scowl of profound reluctance, clearly viewing the stiff fabric as an instrument of utter torment and restraint.
Because everything had been simplified, the traditional taboo against the bride and groom seeing each other before the ceremony was bypassed entirely.
The ceremonial stage had been erected on an open hillside clearing just outside Foosha Village, where an extraordinarily lavish, elevated altar had been constructed.
The four couples mounted the high platform together as the ceremonial rites commenced in harmonious order.
The special guest presiding over the ceremony was none other than the Emperor himself, Red-Haired Shanks!
Seated in the primary guest rows below were the elders and guardians of the brides and grooms. Beyond the familiar faces of the village, a dignified woman bearing a distinct resemblance to Weitian sat among them.
She was Weitian's mother.
Over the past three years, Drake had already met her in person; seeing Drake and her daughter officially join hands for life filled her heart with boundless joy.
Just as the ceremony approached its emotional climax, and the grooms prepared to lift the veils of their brides, a thunderous uproar suddenly detonated across the horizon.
A massive armada of colossal warships plowed through the swells, surrounding the coastline of the Goa Kingdom in a layered, ironclad blockade!
"Luffy-san! And Ace, Sabo, Drake! Congratulations on your wedding!"
Only when the warships drew near did the crowd discern the true nature of the fleet.
The insignia emblazoned across the sails was recognized by every soul sailing these four seas:
The New Marines!
Yet what sent shockwaves of sheer disbelief rippling through the onlookers was that alongside the Marine fleet sailed another colossal, entirely unknown armada!