Marcus ended up spending the next few days with Baby 5 because Doffy left her and a few other people on the island while he went to deal with something else. As for the other members of his crew, none of them followed her to find out what she was doing each day. And every day like clockwork Baby 5 showed up early and left incredibly late…
Even though Marcus was positive she would have just slept on his ship if he asked. But Marcus really didn't want to open that can of worms, so he was glad to see her leave each night. Besides getting to know her a little better, Marcus helped teach her about music. While he didn't know how to play a piano or keyboard himself, with the beginner guides he easily picked it up and helped her learn some of the basics.
He also trained with her some and even showed her his current training regiment that he wrote down for her. He told her that she should train and push herself to get stronger. Partly to give her something to do and because if she was busy training, she would have less chance of being taken advantage of.
It was on the third day right after lunch as Marcus was helping Baby 5 practice music that his den den mushi rang. He quickly answered it to hear, "Did you miss the sound of my voice?"
Baby 5's head whipped around to look at Marcus and the den den mushi with a frown as Marcus shook his head and said, "Hello Uta, how are you?"
"I'm better now that I'm talking to you! Where are you anyways? Did you make it to Water Seven or are you still on Alabasta?"
"Who's that dear?" Baby 5 asked in a worried tone.
"Who just called you dear?!?" Uta asked in an annoyed tone.
Marcus let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "That was Baby 5, a friend who is hanging out with me."
"Baby 5 this is Uta, also a friend."
"Aren't you my fiance?" Baby 5 asked at the same time as Uta asked, "Aren't we already married?!?"
"Who's married?!?" Baby 5 asked at the same time as Uta asked, "You proposed to another woman?!?"
Marcus let out an exasperated sigh before he said, "We're not married and I've never proposed to anyone… Both of you just decided on those things without my input."
"But we're already together!" Both girls said in perfect sync before they went silent.
Marcus let out a defeated sigh before he said, "Just do whatever you want, I don't care anymore since neither of you two like to listen."
"Good, at least you understand." Uta said in a confident tone as Baby 5 nodded in agreement before Uta asked, "So where are you at?"
"I reached Sabaody a few days ago."
"Really? What grove are you in?" Uta asked in an excited tone.
"Grove thirteen near Shakky's bar, I'm waiting for Rayleigh to either train me or coat my ship."
"Don't worry, grandpa Rayleigh will definitely train you!" Uta said in a confident tone.
"You sound pretty confident about that… You know you can't guilt trip him like you did with Mihawk." Marcus said as he shook his head.
"Don't worry, your wife knows best!"
"You're not his wife, he's my fiance!" Baby 5 replied back which caused Marcus to sigh.
"No, I'm his wife! We've even kissed before!"
Baby 5 turned to Marcus, her eyes watery as she asked, "You've already kissed her?"
"Yes, but she did force the kiss on me when I wasn't expecting it… Twice."
"But you liked it!" Uta said in her defense before Marcus replied, "Of course I liked it, every guy wants to be kissed by a cute girl…"
"So she's cute and she kissed you… Twice?" Baby 5 asked as she moved closer to Marcus.
Marcus nodded before Baby 5 asked, "Do you think I'm cute too?"
"That's a good question, do you think she's cute Marcus?" Uta asked in a dangerous tone.
"She's different from you… But she's definitely cute in her own way." Marcus said with a chuckle as he heard Uta stomp her foot before she said, "You stupid jerk with your dumb handsome face!"
Baby 5 on the other hand froze in place and her cheeks redden as she smiled sweetly, lost in her own thoughts. Marcus shook his head slightly at both girls before Baby 5 recovered as she grabbed his face a moment later and pulled him closer before she kissed him on the lips two times loudly.
As she pulled back Uta asked, "What was that?"
"We're even now." Baby 5 said in a happy and confident tone as she sat back down at her keyboard to practice again.
"Marcus… What does she mean we're even now?"
Marcus recovered from his surprise as he said, "She just acted like you and kissed me… Twice."
"She what?!?!?! That's it, you tell that hussy to wait for me!" Uta said in an annoyed tone before the line went dead.
Marcus glanced at the den den mushi for a few moments as he thought, 'She's not really gonna come here, is she…"
Marcus hung up the den den mushi and quickly dialed Uta's number three times but she didn't pick up each time. Marcus let out a sigh since he doubted she was gonna come all the way here… He planned to let her cool off and would talk with her later or maybe tomorrow.
Marcus then turned his attention back to Baby 5 who was still blushing even though she started practicing again. Marcus shook his head before he focused on what she was doing and repeated some advice he read in her training book. Baby 5 adjusted her hands slightly and tried again as Marcus sat down close by and picked up his guitar to tune it. Hours passed by as Marcus and Baby 5 practiced together with Marcus mainly helping her out when she made mistakes learning the keys.
When it was getting close to dinner time, they put away their instruments and prepared to head out for dinner. As Marcus locked up his ship he felt people entering his passive observation haki range. Marcus turned in the direction which was the small waterway that led to the dock as he said, "Someone's coming."
Baby 5 followed his line of sight as a small ship entered the hidden harbor. Marcus stared at the familiar vessel and after a moment he saw Uta. She stood near the front of the ship with her hands on her hips while her eyes were locked into Baby 5. Baby 5 felt Uta's gaze and returned it with curiosity, not sure who she was.
Marcus felt a massive headache coming on and really didn't feel like dealing with what was about to happen right now. As the ship approached closer Marcus stepped forward next to Baby 5 as he said, "That's Uta… But I have no idea why she is here. She should be in the New World with her dad."
Uta glanced at Marcus as he stepped forward and smiled brightly for a moment before it turned into a frown. Marcus smirked in response before Uta puffed out her cheeks and looked away from him. As they approached the dock, Marcus said, "Come on, let's go greet them."
Baby 5 happily latched onto Marcus's arm which caused Uta to narrow her eyes as she stared down Baby 5. When the ship was next to the dock and tossed out lines, Marcus caught sight of Limejuice and Gab who both wore smug grins. After the boat was tied off and the gangplank lowered, Uta's steps were deliberate as she stormed down from the ship towards Marcus and Baby 5.
Marcus smiled slightly as he asked Baby 5, "Doesn't she look extra cute when she's angry."
Uta started to blush before her anger took back over and she said, "Don't try to sweet talk me you jerk!"
Baby 5 stepped in front of Marcus protectively as she said, "Don't you dare raise your voice and call my fiance names!"
"Shut up you home wrecker, I'll deal with you once I'm done with him!" Uta said as she narrowed her eyes at Baby 5.
While the drama started to unfold, Gab and Limejuice leaned over the ship's railing with shit eating grins as they listened. Marcus, not wanting the situation to spiral out of control any more than it already had, gently pulled Baby 5 back and said, "I appreciate your concern, but Uta is just a little upset."
"Would you please head to the galley and prepare some tea and snacks for our guests? We will join you there in a few minutes after we talk." Marcus said in a gentle tone as he handed Baby 5 the keys for his ship.
Baby 5 put on a radiant smile as she said, "Of course dear!"
Uta looked like she was about to blow a gasket as she watched the interaction between Marcus and the other girl. But Marcus turned to her and shot her a glare that made her flatter. It was the first time she'd ever seen him act like that towards her and it made her chest tighten as her heart ached. Marcus glanced towards Baby 5's retreating figure for a moment before he focused back on Uta and said in a softer tone, "We need to have a talk."
Uta's heart felt like it was gonna shatter as she stared at Marcus while her bright eyes dimmed and misted over. Marcus shook his head at her reaction and pulled her into a tight hug as he said, "Stupid girl, you're over thinking things."
"You're not gonna break up with me?" Uta asked in a voice that almost broke.
Marcus grabbed Uta by the shoulders and held her in place as he looked in her eyes as he said in a helpless tone, "I swear you and Baby 5 are almost identical with how crazy you are."
With tears threatening to spill down her face Uta looked up at Marcus and said, "I'm nothing like that home wrecking hussy!"
Marcus locked eyes with Uta as he said, "Don't call her that. She's a friend and I want you to treat her with respect. The same way I expect her to treat you with respect."
"If she's a friend then why did she kiss you?!? And why does she keep calling you her fiance?" Uta asked in an angry tone, tears still in her eyes.
"Because she is just as crazy as you are when it comes to our relationship."
"We're nothing alike!" Uta said with a frown.
Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh before he said, "You are, but it doesn't matter…"
Marcus focused back on Uta as he said, "I want you to be nice to Baby 5 while she's here."
"Why should I be nice to tha-" Marcus cut her off with a glare as he said, "Don't. I won't tolerate you or her being disrespectful to each other going forward."
"As for why you should be nice, it's because I asked you to be nice… And she will also be nice in return."
"I don't like her." Uta said with a pout.
"That's because you're jealous and don't know her. She's a sweet girl with abandonment issues and that causes her to latch onto people if she feels needed." Marcus said as he glanced back towards his ship as he added, "I haven't known her long, but I know she's had a shitty life and me just being kind to her caused her to instantly latch onto me over a misunderstanding."
Marcus turned back to Uta as he said, "I've been trying to help her overcome her issue, but it's not something that happens overnight."
"So you don't love her and you're not gonna leave me for her?" Uta asked in a voice filled with hope.
Marcus karate chopped Uta over the head as he said, "I don't love either of you! But I consider you both good friends."
"You! You stupid jerk!" Uta said as she stomped her foot.
"Yup, I'm a stupid jerk… Now will you please be nice to Baby 5 or do I have to keep you two separated until she leaves?"
Uta frowned and looked away for a few moments before she reluctantly said, "Well if she likes you, she can't be all bad…"
Marcus shook his head before he glanced towards Gab and Limejuice before he asked, "You two enjoying the show?"
Both of them nodded before Gab said, "The crew is gonna love hearing about this."
"Oh yeah, but I bet the captain will love it even more. Marcus almost breaking his little girl's heart…" Limejuice said with a hearty laugh.
Marcus shook his head as he waved towards his boat and said, "Come over and let's have a drink and you can tell me what all of you are doing here."
Uta happily latched onto Marcus's arm like Baby 5 was doing earlier as she said, "To train with you of course!"