diff --git a/akka-bench-jmh/build.sbt b/akka-bench-jmh/build.sbt
index d8b557d9e4..008d14d269 100644
--- a/akka-bench-jmh/build.sbt
+++ b/akka-bench-jmh/build.sbt
@@ -7,3 +7,5 @@ disablePlugins(Unidoc)
 AkkaBuild.defaultSettings
 
 AkkaBuild.dontPublishSettings
+
+Dependencies.benchJmh
diff --git a/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/AsyncWriteJournal.scala b/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/AsyncWriteJournal.scala
index 3ebda5bf2a..f7f276b6e7 100644
--- a/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/AsyncWriteJournal.scala
+++ b/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/AsyncWriteJournal.scala
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ trait AsyncWriteJournal extends Actor with WriteJournalBase with AsyncRecovery {
       val cctr = resequencerCounter
       resequencerCounter += messages.foldLeft(0)((acc, m) ⇒ acc + m.size) + 1
 
+      val atomicWriteCount = messages.count(_.isInstanceOf[AtomicWrite])
       val prepared = Try(preparePersistentBatch(messages))
       val writeResult = (prepared match {
         case Success(prep) ⇒
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ trait AsyncWriteJournal extends Actor with WriteJournalBase with AsyncRecovery {
           // exception from preparePersistentBatch => rejected
           Future.successful(messages.collect { case a: AtomicWrite ⇒ f })
       }).map { results ⇒
-        if (results.size != prepared.get.size)
+        if (results.nonEmpty && results.size != atomicWriteCount)
           throw new IllegalStateException("asyncWriteMessages returned invalid number of results. " +
             s"Expected [${prepared.get.size}], but got [${results.size}]")
         results
@@ -54,7 +55,9 @@ trait AsyncWriteJournal extends Actor with WriteJournalBase with AsyncRecovery {
         case Success(results) ⇒
           resequencer ! Desequenced(WriteMessagesSuccessful, cctr, persistentActor, self)
 
-          val resultsIter = results.iterator
+          val resultsIter =
+            if (results.isEmpty) Iterator.fill(atomicWriteCount)(AsyncWriteJournal.successUnit)
+            else results.iterator
           var n = cctr + 1
           messages.foreach {
             case a: AtomicWrite ⇒
@@ -157,7 +160,9 @@ trait AsyncWriteJournal extends Actor with WriteJournalBase with AsyncRecovery {
    * failure.
    *
    * The journal can also signal that it rejects individual messages (`AtomicWrite`) by
-   * the returned `immutable.Seq[Try[Unit]]`. The returned `Seq` must have as many elements
+   * the returned `immutable.Seq[Try[Unit]]`. It is possible but not mandatory to reduce
+   * number of allocations by returning `Future.successful(Nil)` for the happy path,
+   * i.e. when no messages are rejected. Otherwise the returned `Seq` must have as many elements
    * as the input `messages` `Seq`. Each `Try` element signals if the corresponding
    * `AtomicWrite` is rejected or not, with an exception describing the problem. Rejecting
    * a message means it was not stored, i.e. it must not be included in a later replay.
@@ -166,8 +171,8 @@ trait AsyncWriteJournal extends Actor with WriteJournalBase with AsyncRecovery {
    *
    * Data store connection problems must not be signaled as rejections.
    *
-   * Note that it is possible to reduce number of allocations by
-   * caching some result `Seq` for the happy path, i.e. when no messages are rejected.
+   * It is possible but not mandatory to reduce number of allocations by returning
+   * `Future.successful(Nil)` for the happy path, i.e. when no messages are rejected.
    */
   def asyncWriteMessages(messages: immutable.Seq[AtomicWrite]): Future[immutable.Seq[Try[Unit]]]
 
diff --git a/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/leveldb/SharedLeveldbStore.scala b/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/leveldb/SharedLeveldbStore.scala
index 360c6cfb70..4b9105457f 100644
--- a/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/leveldb/SharedLeveldbStore.scala
+++ b/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/leveldb/SharedLeveldbStore.scala
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ class SharedLeveldbStore extends { val configPath = "akka.persistence.journal.le
     case WriteMessages(messages) ⇒
       // TODO it would be nice to DRY this with AsyncWriteJournal, but this is using
       //      AsyncWriteProxy message protocol
+      val atomicWriteCount = messages.count(_.isInstanceOf[AtomicWrite])
       val prepared = Try(preparePersistentBatch(messages))
       val writeResult = (prepared match {
         case Success(prep) ⇒
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ class SharedLeveldbStore extends { val configPath = "akka.persistence.journal.le
           // exception from preparePersistentBatch => rejected
           Future.successful(messages.collect { case a: AtomicWrite ⇒ f })
       }).map { results ⇒
-        if (results.size != prepared.get.size)
+        if (results.nonEmpty && results.size != atomicWriteCount)
           throw new IllegalStateException("asyncWriteMessages returned invalid number of results. " +
             s"Expected [${prepared.get.size}], but got [${results.size}]")
         results
diff --git a/project/Dependencies.scala b/project/Dependencies.scala
index 78c5277801..02b8b26d31 100644
--- a/project/Dependencies.scala
+++ b/project/Dependencies.scala
@@ -119,4 +119,6 @@ object Dependencies {
   val docs = l ++= Seq(Test.scalatest.value, Test.junit, Test.junitIntf, Docs.sprayJson, Docs.gson)
 
   val contrib = l ++= Seq(Test.junitIntf, Test.commonsIo)
+  
+  val benchJmh = l ++= Seq(Provided.levelDB, Provided.levelDBNative)
 }