Monkey D. Dragon looks at the sea, vehemently asking himself about the system that humans created that is also slowly destroying the people's lives at the back.
Many may think that Grandline is filled with wealth, but such wealth came from the various methods the system created. One of them is the creation of human slaves. He could not fathom how people stomach seeing innocents killed for entertainment.
Some of the sold slaves were used as test subjects, whether it is for drugs or testing weapons, no one would know, but Dragon does. He's seen the worst of what the people from the World Government can do.
For the past decade, they managed to free several slaves. But he knows setting them free will never be enough. They can free a few hundred today, but several hundred more are caught and turned into slaves, replacing the people they freed.
"It's a shame that Roger died." He muttered to himself, feeling sorry for a friend that somewhat shares his sentiments. Revolutionary Army may be quite big, but Dragon is aware their numbers are not enough to overthrow the system that Grandline is in. The roots of World Government are so deep that penetrating it is impossible.
It is why it is essential to gain allies from different sides. And what more could the Revolutionary Army ask than a force backed by a strong Mafia Group?
Roger would have joined his cause had it not been for the constant attacks from the other Mafia Groups in an attempt to seize Roger's throne. There is nothing Dragon can do but extend his help to the daughters.
They are like his daughters. He watched them grow up to be strong women that would have made their parents proud. One of them is working directly under him. She never failed to make Dragon proud and his praises for her intelligence are remarkable. The only thing he wants to complain about is her recklessness. That seems like a trait they took after their father.
With the recent events involving one Mafia Leader, Kidd Eustass, Dragon is expecting more unexpected things to come their way.
Despite his worries, he could not force them to stay still and do nothing. Perhaps, this will sound cruel to anyone, but what he's hoping for is the destruction of balance between the World Government and the Mafia Groups.
The World Government may be the face of justice amongst the ordinary citizens that promised them to protect against the Mafia, but behind the face is a string connecting to the Mafia Groups.
The reason why the World Government is not calling an all-out war against the biggest Mafia Groups is that they are protecting their facade. They can afford to destroy minor groups, but groups like Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and Shanks, are not an option to them.
They will maintain the status quo against these groups to maintain the balance and their facade. Behind the scenes, they are pulling the strings, striking deals one after the other with some of the Mafia Groups to continue the system. A system wherein they are worshipped by many citizens while the Mafia Groups are seen as evil incarnates.
With the three sisters, perhaps Dragon may see the status quo breaking one way or another, destruction that even Roger could not achieve.
Dragon can only place his hopes that in the coming waves, the three sisters will manage to ride the storm and come back alive.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Sab should have not given them her contact information as Blue.
'Stupid' she told herself, but this is what she has to deal with. After the messy incident with Cipher Pol, it seems that Sab has no choice but to cooperate with Kidd as Blue. She managed to get rid of a few agents which helped speed up the Revolutionary Army's operations outside of the main city.
The last communication she had with Dragon was about Orochi's involvement. It's like a Domino effect. Sometimes, Sab wonders if she did not choose to save Kidd that night and instead went after Orochi, things would have been different. Perhaps, she wouldn't have to deal with Kidd as Blue.
With things as they are, regretting will get her nowhere. But she knows, the more she stays in contact with them, the more she feels like her debt is piling up.
Even when she wishes her encounter with them would stop, this happens. At the moment, she's on her way to another mission involving the office of the World Government under Orochi's. Said man is busy hunting the Strawhats with Cipher Pol and Sab thought this is the best time to raid the office and steal the documents to finally imprison Orochi for his illegal deals.
It just so happens that Kidd is in the area. Great. Here comes another unintentional cooperation that Sab cannot get out of.
"I thought you only use your muscles to fight your enemies." Sab aka Blue snorted.
"I don't prefer this kind of method, but the next target is smarter than Apoo. 15 minutes away from Orochi's office is the lair of Hawkins. I assumed you know him."
"I do. And? What does that have to do with you coming with me to Orochi's office? I can get what I want alone without your help." They are in a park not too far away from the office. Sab parked her bike here just in case she needs it to run away. The sewer system will not be much of help to her as the tunnels were filled with poison. She does not know what they are dumping in that line, but she's sure as hell it is illegal.
"Hawkins works for Kaido. That bastard was working with Apoo too. Orochi is also working for Kaido. Given that Hawkins took a nearby area as his lair makes it obvious that he's in cahoots with Orochi. Anything I can get against that bastard will be helpful. Besides, it doesn't hurt to set that place on fire, right?"
"I'm surprised you use your brains. I thought there's nothing in there but brawns."
"What the - fuck you! What do you take me for?!" Kidd cursed at Blue for that insult. For a brief moment, Sab happily reminisces the times when they always argue just about anything. "Using strength is not the only way to win. Sometimes, I have to use mind games too."
Sab stops chuckling before looking at Kidd. Those words seemed familiar to her. Before she can process anything, Kidd told her that they are going to move anytime now. With a sigh, she nods. She could have walked away from this unintentional operation, but knowing Kidd, he might mess up anything and end up blowing the place up including whatever evidences Sab might get.
Most of the time, these pieces of evidence are destroyed so Sab is not hopeful of getting solid evidence against the World Government from Orochi's office. What she was hoping to get are leads and some transactions. That will be enough for her to file a case to the prosecutor's office.
If not, she could use it to anonymously post on the TV networks. That would be a circus.
Her plan was just to get pieces of evidence, pictures, and whatever she can get, then walk out of the building, but nothing goes according to her plans when Kidd is involved. Somehow, they managed to get discovered by the guards and are chasing after them just as she's about to reach a safebox.
While escaping, a mafia group showed up to chase after them. None other than the Hawkins Group. This just confirms that they are also working with Kaido, not like Sab doesn't know. Her focus is not on this group that laid low for quite a long time.
During the encounter, Sab inevitably got a scratch on her shoulder blade when someone from Hawkin's group swung his knife at her. She did not manage to dodge it on time.
It was nothing but a scratch, nothing to worry about. What they need to worry about is escaping which they managed to do.
"Say goodbye, then." Kidd suddenly said when Hawkin's group suddenly stopped chasing after them. Sab looked at him and saw the button in his hands. With one press, it didn't take a minute before a series of bombs exploded at Orochi's office. For some reason, he looked so pissed. Perhaps, something might have happened when he was trying to kill Hawkins earlier.
"Are you okay?" Killer suddenly asked Blue when he noticed the wound on her shoulder blade. Sab momentarily forgot her curiosity to answer Killer.
"I am. Nothing to worry about. You know what? I'm starting to regret this cooperation. Tell that to your leader who cannot use his brains." Sab walked away, leaving a stunned Killer who was blinking in confusion while staring at her back.
This really needs to stop and she needs to know how to say no to Kidd.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Kidd is fuming. Not because he didn't get anything to use against Hawkins, but because of what that bastard told him earlier during the fiasco.
"You are keen on threatening and killing those who betrayed you, but I do not see your ex-girlfriend dying."
"That's got nothing to do with you!"
"Or was it true that the great Kidd Eustass has gotten soft because of some woman who betrayed him?"
That triggered Kidd's buttons. His patience has always been short but what Hawkins told him just blew inside his head. He asks himself why he has not killed her. He usually settles debts pretty quickly, but only to Sab, he could not find himself to do it.
He refuses to believe he still loves her. No! He no longer cares about the woman who doomed him.
Swinging his glass of vodka, Killer somehow found his way beside him.
"Do you want to get drunk?" He asked.
"No. Just thinking," Kidd answered.
Pregnant silence ensues before Killer decided to break it.
"Does Hawkin's words affect you that much?" Killer was there when Kidd was engaging with Hawkins. Sure, they could have killed him right there and then, but death is such an easy way of punishing these people. Kidd will make sure he will have a painful death like Apoo. And next will be Kaido.
"No."
"Kidd..." Killer starts, unsure of what to tell his friend. But then, he calmly looks at Kidd to tell him the words he wants to voice out. "Have you ever thought of forgiving her?" There's no need to ask who Killer was talking about.
Remembering his conversations with his other members as well as what he went through, Kidd almost smashed the glass of vodka on the table before meeting Killer's eyes.
"Never! I may have let her live this long, but it does not mean I won't kill her. Her death will be painful. I swear!" He left Killer there before his friend could make any convincing argument to sway his decision.
He cannot allow himself to forget the pain she caused, the humiliation, the betrayal. Not now, not ever. There might still be hesitation in his heart, but he will not let such hesitations cloud his judgment in punishing Sab for what he did.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Killer has been with Kidd for a long time now. He was always dubbed as the dog of the mad wolf, but he never minded being his shadow. He knew what Kidd had been through before reaching this stage and Killer will gladly take a bullet for him any time of the day.
Many of the officers knew his loyalty is unshakable. They rarely see Killer disagree with Kidd, but as of late, he's been disagreeing with Kidd about his decision against Sab. Often he tries to delay Kidd in making a move against the renowned lawyer, making some of the senior members frown at the second-in-command of the Kidd Mafia Group. Heat is one of them.
Despite the questions from other members, Killer never stopped trying to persuade Kidd to delay his revenge against Sab.
Not many would dare to ask Killer why he's doing this for fear of questioning his undeniable loyalty to Kidd. And even if they ask him, he would refute with facts and grounded judgment that made them take a step back.
Behind such arguments of Killer's, he has a more severe reason why he's doing this. Something he cannot tell Kidd nor anyone else.
A day after that raid in Orochi's office, the media was frantically looking for the culprits and their motives. It was a fiasco. The streets were also very noisy about the bold movements of Kidd's group yet that is not in Killer's thoughts. His thoughts circulate about a certain woman who lives on the mainland.
With vigilance, he stayed in an alley near her new apartment. It was in the outskirts of the Mainland, as opposed to the location of her destroyed apartment.
It's 30 minutes past 5 PM. Killer does not know whether she will be in her apartment or not, but he was hoping she is. 15 minutes since his arrival, he saw her car going into the parking lot of the building. With that confirmation, he sent her a text message to meet him in a secluded park which Killer received a response that she will.
Killer waited for only 10 minutes in a secluded park before he sees Sab walking towards him. The first thing he noticed was the glimpse of a bandage on her shoulder blade that her shirt failed to hide.
"I thought we agreed never to contact each other," Sab said, raising her eyebrow at Killer.
"Indeed."
"Then, why call me here?" Killer didn't answer. His eyes are focused on the protruding bandage on Sab's shoulder. When Sab noticed this, she immediately adjusted her shirt to cover the bandage. She coughed, trying to hide the growing tension between them while refusing to meet Killer's eyes, hoping that he will not ask her about the wound.
"I came here to confirm one thing. It seems that I don't have to ask you when the answer is right in front of my eyes." Killer said.
"I don't know what you are talking about. If you don't have business with me, then, please do not contact me anymore. We agreed not to do this any longer."
"You're Blue, aren't you?" It's a rhetorical question and even if Sab will deny it, Killer's eyes are telling her that he already knew. "Your interactions with him are familiar. I don't know how no one was able to connect the dots at all. Besides your height, the way you moved was so obvious."
"Could you tell me why you called me?" Sab is not commenting on the subject, refusing to confirm nor deny Killer's speculations no matter what.
He shrugged, letting the matter go. It's not like that is what he came for anyway.
"Don't you ever have plans of talking to him? There's only so much I can do to prevent him from getting your neck, Sab. Knowing Kidd, he's the type to hold a grudge to his grave. Sooner or later, you might die by his hands."
"I know that!"
"You knew, but you're not doing anything?!"
"This is my life, Killer. I never asked you to defend me nor to do anything to prevent Kidd from killing me. Besides, I can protect myself. You don't have to worry about that."
"Sab - "
"No, Killer. I made my choice two years ago and I am standing by that choice. How many times do I have to tell you that?" This is not the first time they had this conversation. Even when Kidd was still in prison, Killer never stopped trying to convince Sab to talk to Kidd and explain everything to him. Yet, she remained stubborn about her decision.
"I don't understand why you won't tell him anything, Sab. Kidd deserves to know everything. Especially if it involves you." Killer insists, almost begging.
"I can't Killer. My existence can kill any of you." This is what he never understood about her. She is keeping so many secrets that not most people know of. If anything, Kidd might still have been thinking she's just an ordinary orphan that betrayed him.
"So stubborn. Both of you are so stubborn."
Sab cannot deny that. The moment she chose that path two years ago, she knew there was never going back. What she and her sisters are walking is a hellish path of revenge. Killer may think she can ask for forgiveness but she knew she lost that chance a long time ago.
Sighing in defeat, he just shook his head. He did everything to convince her to talk to Kidd, but it remains the same thing.
"It's tomorrow, Sab. Are you going to visit their graves?" He suddenly asks after a pregnant silence that made Sab tremble upon realizing what he meant.
"I will. Tomorrow." She simply answered.
"I'll send flowers tomorrow. Bring it to them for me, will you?" Sab looked up to meet Killer's eyes reflecting the same sadness written in Sab's. Knowing someone is also grieving with her, she felt relieved and thankful to Killer for sharing the same sentiments.
"I will. If there's nothing else, I have to go now. You have to go as well. You can't afford to be seen here."
"I know. But Sab, think about it."
"Persistent, aren't you? But it's the same, Killer. Also, remember what we agreed. Never tell Kidd anything. Nothing at all. That's your promise to me, Killer."
"I know." He knew that keeping Kidd in the dark is also a form of betrayal but Killer cannot betray Sab's trust either. Both of them are equally guilty about many things.
They part ways after that with Killer still disappointed that Sab refused to tell Kidd anything. What he can do is to try again and hopefully, both of them can work things out. Even if what she did was a betrayal, Killer can understand where she's coming from. He can never blame her for her choices. Only if Kidd knew about it.
Perhaps, Kidd will know something now especially when a familiar figure was hiding nearby as the witness of the secret meeting between Killer and Sab.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
"What did you just say?!" His question feels like a shotgun fired the instance he heard a very unpleasing word from one of his members.
"I saw Killer and Sab together." Wire's baritone voice is calm but the fire in his eyes never died down. "I followed him when I noticed he was leaving."
There are only three people in the room Kidd, Wire, and Heat. Killer is nowhere to be found at this moment and who knows where he is now.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am. Look at this." Wire gave Kidd his smartphone. The screen shows the blurry picture taken from a distance but there's no doubt that it was Killer and Sab. Wire hesitated a lot before telling Kidd about what he found out last night. In the end, he decided it is best for Kidd to know.
Kidd gritted his teeth. Several thoughts are running in his head. With eyes burning in anger, he looked at Wire as if he was asking for more information which the former didn't fail.
"I do not want to plant a seed of doubt about Killer's loyalty, but I cannot stay silent and do nothing when I know something is wrong. He's been silently protecting her. All his actions favor Sab. It's odd. He knows she betrayed you but he secretly met with her. For what?"
The next thing they heard was the table flipped over the ground and the glass of vodka shattered on the ground.
Kidd didn't say anything. His actions are clear enough that he is angry. A part of him doesn't want to believe this is happening, but looking back at his past conversations with Killer, he already knew something was wrong. Killer has been with him since the beginning. He is someone whom Kidd will take a bullet for, no questions asked and he knew Killer will do the same.
Yet, with what he found out now, he can't help but start to question where his loyalty lies. He wonders why Killer was with Sab, and what kind of connections do they have?
And the worst part of these thoughts is the idea of them being together behind Kidd's back.
With an angry shout, he kicked the table, sending the furniture tumbling down a few feet away from him.
Heat and Wire exchanged looks, worried that Kidd's temper is getting out of hand and he might do something he will regret.
"Kidd. It might not be as worse as we thought. Perhaps, Killer can explain this." Heat said, trying to calm their leader. They are in the middle of a war against an Emperor. The last thing they wanted to happen is internal friction that may cause irreparable damages in their group. They are just starting to reclaim what they lost since Kidd was sent to prison, they cannot afford to lose more.
"Hey, Kidd! Where are you going?" Wire's question fell to deaf ears as Kidd stomped his way to the parking lot, startling their members upon seeing their fuming leader ready to kill anyone who bars his path.
Heat and Wire followed Kidd, convincing him to calm down but he didn't listen. Left with no choice, they got into the car and let Kidd drive.
"Kidd. Where are we going?" No answer. They felt like Kidd is a walking bomb, ready to explode at any given chance.
30 minutes passed by and Kidd is still silent. Looking at the road they are traversing, they are afraid that Kidd's destination is none other than Sab's new apartment. They kept tabs on her even though their focus is now on getting their revenge against Kaido's group.
Kidd stopped the car right in front of Sab's new apartment. Heat, who was sitting right next to Kidd was getting ready in case the red-haired man will spring out of the car to do what he thinks he will.
In the end, Kidd remained seated as if waiting for something.
"Kidd?" Wire called, unsure of what to say. "We can't make a scene here. The World Government Headquarters is just a few minutes away."
Kidd never answered. His eyes are glued to the townhouse type of apartment. They waited for who knows how long. Heat and Wire were getting impatient on what they were supposed to do here. They thought that Kidd will start the car and leave, but Sab got out of her apartment just in time for a delivery man to arrive at her house.
The red-haired man's frown worsened when he saw the flowers delivered to Sab. It's as if all his buttons were pushed and the next thing he knew is that he was getting out of his car, ignoring the calls from his two trusted members.
The people who saw them immediately paved the way, afraid of the deadly aura Kidd is emitting. Not like Kidd cares what they think of him. All he could think about is the anger boiling in his chest.
Just as Sab is about to go back to the house, Kidd suddenly ran and grabbed her wrist. As if on instinct, Sab immediately maneuvered her wrist to get out of the man's hold and took a defensive stance. That's when she realized who just grabbed her.
"What are you doing here?"
"What is it that you want, Sab?! Do you want to fuck up my life that much?!"
"W-What?" Sab is confused. She can understand that Kidd is angry at her but the anger she sees now is different from what she's used to seeing. The anger grew deeper and as far as she knows, she didn't do anything that could have made him angrier than he already is.
Unbeknownst to her, Kidd's eyes landed on the bouquet that she just received. What caught his eyes was the note from the sender.
Instead of fuming with anger, he started laughing, amused, exhausted, angry. The emotions that Sab is seeing from Kidd are making her confused.
"So, that's it, huh? You just wanted to fuck things up."
"I'm what?!"
"Good. Good. You will regret this."
Those were his last words before he walked away followed by Heat and Wire. Sab just stood there, watching the three men walk away, still confused.
For some reason, she had a bad feeling about this.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
AN: The next chapter will be exciting too! Let me know your thoughts!