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That's not how it should be!
Domino's lips twitched, and she roared inwardly. If being rescued meant repaying with one's life, did that mean she'd owe herself in marriage to multiple men? She'd been rescued by plenty of different men over the years.
Setting aside anything distant, just look at what was close at hand. Magellan had rescued her once, and even then, all she'd offered him was a simple thank you.
Looking at Sadi, who still wore that blissful expression, Domino let out a deep sigh. She knew nothing she said now would change anything. It was plain that Sadi had already fallen for Ikki, eighteen or not. Even if Domino argued the point, Sadi wouldn't care, and would go right on wanting to marry him.
"Never mind, as long as you're happy," Domino sighed. In the end, what mattered to her was Sadi's happiness. If she could be happy with an unfaithful man like Ikki, then Domino had no real objection to make.
"That's right." Sadi smiled, pleased to see that Domino finally understood. "By the way, Domino, would you like to marry Ikki with me? Become his woman too?"
She leaned in, nudging Domino's shoulder with her own, laughing.
"What? You want me to become his woman too?" Domino asked, startled.
"Yes. We've been friends for so many years. If we both became his woman, we'd never have to part ways again," Sadi said, staring intently into her eyes.
Sadi knew well enough that she now stood on the opposite side from the Marines, while Domino was still one of them. If things kept on this way, it was hard to say whether the two of them might eventually end up as enemies. That was part of why Sadi wanted Domino to train alongside Ikki in the first place.
Once Domino trained with him, she'd see for herself just how good he was, which would make her more likely to take his side. And if the two of them became a couple on top of that, she'd be even more likely to stand firmly beside him. Even if Ikki eventually broke with the Marines and the World Government entirely, Domino would probably stay loyal to him regardless.
There was no rule saying a woman had to follow her husband wherever he went, but plenty of women stood steadfastly behind their man all the same, and Sadi could tell Domino was probably that kind of person. It was part of why Sadi believed that if the two of them ever shared a bed, they'd end up bound together for good.
Of course, as a friend, Sadi genuinely wanted to share Ikki with Domino too. That way, the two of them would have even more in common, and more time to spend together going forward.
Beyond all that, Sadi believed Ikki would be willing to take Domino in. He wanted Sadi to become the warden of Impel Down eventually, and once she did, she'd need help she could trust, ideally someone already loyal to him.
If Sadi simply explained that much to him, she felt sure he'd agree, offer Domino some benefit, and bring her into the fold. It wasn't even that difficult, really. She figured she could coax him a little, and he'd come around soon enough.
"..."
Domino fell silent after hearing all this. She truly didn't want to be separated from Sadi. Still, achieving that by both of them marrying the same man was more than she'd bargained for.
"Domino, you don't have to answer me right away. Think it over," Sadi said, patting her shoulder. "In the meantime, I'll look for a way to get you training with Ikki. Once you've spent time by his side and seen how good he really is, you'll understand. You'll understand why I'm telling you all this today."
Sadi had plenty of confidence in Ikki's charm, and just as much confidence in the environment aboard his ship. There was a room there, a kind of gym, where many of the women trained without bothering to dress.
Once Domino got used to being around that, she'd likely adjust to the local customs herself, and her chances of crossing paths with Ikki that way would naturally go up.
Sadi figured that after he'd seen Domino unclothed a few times, she'd stop feeling so much resistance to the idea of becoming his wife. From there, Sadi intended to give the whole plan her full effort. That was simply how these things were done, in her mind.
"Okay, I'll think about what you said," Domino said. "Sadi-chan, shouldn't you still be working on Level Six? Why don't you head back first?"
She let out an awkward little laugh as she said it. She'd finally realized there was no point saying anything more to Sadi right now. Better to talk about small, ordinary things instead and let her calm down. Only once Sadi had settled would a real conversation actually be possible.
"That's true. If I'm away from Level Six too long, those guys down there are bound to start acting up again. No, I really should go keep an eye on things. If anything goes wrong, it'll fall on me, and that's not something I can afford."
Sadi crossed her arms and nodded as she spoke. She was going to be the warden's woman here one day, after all, and before she became Impel Down's director in her own right, she couldn't afford to make mistakes at work.
"Alright, I'll get going, then. Think it over, Domino." Sadi patted her shoulder once more and walked toward the door.
Domino watched her retreating figure the whole way, not looking away until the door had closed behind her. Then she let out a deep sigh.
"I never expected to end up having a conversation like that with Sadi. Being invited to dress up for a man, of all things." Domino stroked her chin. "Isn't she worried Ikki wouldn't be able to satisfy the both of us? Then again, if it's him, maybe that wouldn't actually be a problem."
The moment the thought crossed her mind, Domino's face went red, and she shook her head quickly.
"Seriously, I must be picking up bad habits from her. How else could I have actually pictured something like sleeping with both Sadi and Ikki?" Domino muttered to herself.
"Still, as absurd as it'd be for the two of us to marry the same man, Sadi does have a point about one thing. I really could use more power right now. If I don't have enough, when something big actually happens, I won't be able to help Magellan or Sadi at all. If Blackbeard really comes, I'll probably only be able to handle the smaller things."
A hint of sadness crossed Domino's face at the thought.
"Maybe I really should go train under Ikki for a while. With Sadi's connection to him, even if I never become his wife, he'd probably still be willing to teach me something. I remember hearing he's quite the skilled swordsman."
Domino looked down at her own hand, turning it over thoughtfully. "Or maybe it's time I gave some real thought to picking up a sword myself."