'Koby is still alive and well. Black Beard wants to use him as a bargaining chip.'

Sengoku read the new message from his 'anonymous' informant. Kuzan… The former fleet admiral had known from the beginning the identity of the mole in Black Beard's crew. It had been fairly easy to guess. And to his dismay, it was even easier to understand what the other man was thinking.

Kuzan had infiltrated the Yonko's crew to keep an eye on him and pierce his secrets, especially his ability to wield several devil-fruits. Once it was done, he would probably send a last message to Sengoku -maybe to Garp too- revealing everything he knew while adding an apology and a goodbye.

And then instead of waiting for backup, instead of running, he would attempt to handle the threat on his own. The former fleet admiral could already imagine how this would play out. Kuzan was strong enough to hold his own against Teach for a while, but in the end the Emperor would either play dirty or reveal another card he had kept in his sleeve until now. Something that would tip the scales in his favor.

And the ex-admiral would die or go through something even worse. He probably thought nobody would care about it, that they had all discarded him because of his choices. And maybe they should have. But neither Sengoku nor Garp were prepared to lose someone else to duty.

Especially not Roci's friend. Garp's student. The lanky and idealistic young man that became a strong and disillusioned admiral. So much potential and so little self-worth. Even more so after Ohara. This was the reason Sengoku was waiting in a corridor leading to the port, his back against the cold stone of the wall. He was aware of the rescue mission his old friend was leading and would not be left behind.

When he finally saw Garp in the coming toward him, he tried to get his attention.

"Garp!"

But the stupid man kept walking, disregarding him as he walked past him towards the door. He moved away from the wall and called louder.

"Garp! Wait for me!" Finally, his friend stopped, but he did not turn around. Instead, he growled in annoyance.

"You can't prevent me from going!" Sengoku rolled his eyes.

"I know, you old fool." However, this did not seem to pacify the other, who would still not look at him.

"Then what do you want?"

"I'm coming with you. I want to help you save them."

This time Garp did turn around to face him. "Them?"

Sengoku only nodded. His friend's expression was carefully neutral. Yet there had been a flicker of something on his face... Hope? But it was gone before the former fleet admiral could really study it.

"He won't come willingly, you know that?"

"I know."

There was nothing else he needed -wanted- to say on this matter. If he could not prevent his friend to go with this insane plan, the inverse was also true. Yet Garp was not deterred and kept digging. There was now something challenging in the vice admiral's eyes.

"And then what? You will give him to the mad dog? If it's only to see him being executed, you should just let him walk the path he had chosen. At least his death would be on his own terms."

"I'll not let Akainu lay his hands on him ever again."

It was Sengoku's turn to growl in anger. After all, it was his fault it happened the first place. He was the one who had asked the blue admiral to replace him, the one that kept insisting, leading to the duel in Punk Hazard.

"Okay, so if you will not turn him in, what will you do?"

Was it relief in his friend's voice? Then again, Garp cared about Kuzan too, more than he would dare to admit. But had he gone alone to rescue Koby, he would have been forced to make a choice between saving the pink haired boy and saving Kuzan. And while he cared a lot about the ex-admiral, he would have chosen the young, still innocent, captain. But with Sengoku to help him, it was another story all together.

"I have already sent a request for some holidays. I'll take my own ship so I can take him with me." A nod. Some approval. But not enough.

"And?" Since when was Garp the one pointing out the flaws in his plans?

Because this was the crux of the problem. Once he had Kuzan safe and far away from the Yonko, what was Sengoku supposed to do? The ex-admiral was stubborn. He would try to go back to his 'mission' as soon as the older man's back was turned.

"He needs help." When Garp only eyed him with insistence, he added "I was hoping Tsuru could land me a hand me on that front."

Their friend had always been the best of them three when it came to mental health. But Garp was not convicted.

"Tsuru may not be enough." Once again, he was not wrong.

"Well…" Sengoku did have another plan. But Garp would not like it. Oh no, he would hate it.

"What?" And from the guarded undertone his voice had gained, the suspicion in his eyes, he seemed to know it.

"You are right. He would need someone who was in the Marine but left when his sense of justice did not align with what was asked from him. Someone who is now the contrary of the World Government and the Marine. Someone who can match him when it comes to strength and fighting abilities if he is too stubborn. Who is known to take strays in…"

Sengoku could see the moment Garp understood what he was saying. Immediately anger replaced suspicion, and he shouted his answer.

"No!" That was to be expected. Still, it was too soon to give up.

"Garp please…" But the other man would not listen to him.

"I'm not contacting my good for nothing son so he can... What? Adopt the lost blue pheasant?"

And well, said like this it did sound ridiculous. But at the same time, it also sounded perfect. Dragon was the best person to relate to Kuzan, and kick his ass if needed. So he said nothing, letting Garp to cool down for a few minutes. After a while, his friend took a deep breath and tried a new approach.

"You do understand that this will be considered treason once it's discovered? The pheasant -and don't tell him I've said this- is strong enough to make a real difference in this conflict."

It was quite true. But was it really a bad thing? After what the current fleet admiral had done already, after what the World Government had done already, didn't they deserve it?

"IF it's discovered. Come on, imagine how much our dear fleet admiral will be sweating when he learns about it." Sengoku was not above using his friend's hatred for the mad dog. And it was close, but Garp was still not completely convinced.

"If not for me then for Kuzan." And there Sengoku had him. The vice admiral dropped his shoulders and sighed loudly.

"You're not playing fair."

"I know. So, what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

Kuzan was lying down on his bed in the small house he had chosen as his own, trying to nap. But for some reasons he could not fall asleep. Every nerve in his body was alight with nervous energy. It was as if something big was about to happen, but he could not pinpoint exactly what it was.

Had Teach finally discovered his true goal? Or more precisely had he finally decided to act on it, since Kuzan was not naïve enough to think the Yonko was unaware of his objectives.

At first, Kuzan had been pretty sure this suicidal undercover mission had been his biggest mistake ever. It was not because of the danger. No, he was not a coward. It was because the more time he spent with this bunch of monsters, the more he felt like a monster himself.

In the beginning he had felt his heart, his mind, and his soul break a little bit more every day. Then, after a few months, something had happened. It was like his own ice had created a wall around him, protecting him from himself and the pirates around him. Ever since everything felt so... dull? It should have worried him, but instead it had been a relief.

Even his death the end of his mission did not seem so scary so depressing anymore.

With a sigh he sat up and rubbed a hand over his tired face. Maybe the Marine had finally decided to do something about the captured captain. The ex-admiral wondered who would be on the rescue mission for the pink haired boy. Probably Garp and some of his protegees.

Kuzan cringed. He would have to fight the older man. Would Garp hold back? Or would he try to kill him? By now they probably all knew about him. Garp, Sengoku, Smoker...

They must hate him for it. And he could not blame them, he hated himself for all of this. Thinking about it, about his family friends and mentors hating him, had hurt at first. But now he was just numb. If only he had been able to do this -whatever this was- back in the days, after Ohara. Things would have been so much easier.

Suddenly he heard an explosions and shouts began to rise in the distance. With a last tired sigh he got up, ready to shut down the last remnants of his emotions.

It was time to confront -and destroy– what was left of his past and futur.

As they reached the island, Garp and Sengoku were on the move, the rest of their crew behind them. Against all odds, i t did not take long for them to find their targets, Koby having manage to escape his cell an d Kuz an being hot on his heels. However, as soon as he saw him the ex-admiral stopped, frozen in shock. It was obvious tha t Kuz an had not been expecting him. He should have.

Before the he could recover from his stupefaction, Sengoku had grabbed him by the throat and thrown him into a building near his ship, away from the rest of the battle. He turned toward the soldiers behind him.

"You all know what you have to do?" He saw them nodded with determination.

"Yes Sir!" He smiled.

"Then good luck and be careful." And he took off, going after his target.

Kuzan was slowly getting up from the remains of the wall he had crashed into. There were some cuts and bruises already forming on his skin, but nothing serious. Once he saw him, a joyless smile appeared on his face. It was almost pained.

"It's nice to see you too. Of course I'm doing well, and you?" Even the joke was done without humor.

The impact had broken his glasses, and his eyes... By the sea, his eyes were lifeless. Were Sengoku and Garp too late? Why had they not tried to reach out to him sooner? Why hadn't they prevented him from leaving? But there was no use to agonize over the past. They were there now to fix this.

"Come with us. There is no need to fight."

He had hoped the proposition would let the younger man know that they still cared about him. Would give him hope. But it was the contrary. He closed off even more, and frost was beginning to emerge from his body.

"No. I'm free now. Free to choose ma path." And the older man could hear the hidden words behind this statement. The hidden meaning the man in front of him probably did not want to acknowledge. Free to choose how I die. Free to at least make my death useful.

Sengoku sighed and aimed a first shockwave at Kuzan, without putting any haki in it. The other man did not even try to dodge it, he simply took the blow and let his body being destroyed, ice cracking and breaking, only to reform it a moment later. It was a warning shot; they both knew it. A last-ditch effort to make the younger man reconsider his position.

But the stubborn ex-admiral seemed determined to make things difficult for himself. Or maybe not. After all, Kuzan knew he could not win against the former fleet admiral, yet he had not made any tentative to run. Then again it had never been in his temperament to do so. But maybe it was his way of asking for help?

Kuzan knew his ice would not help him against this adversary. So he coated both of his fists in haki and waited, trying to find an opening in the older man's guard. Nobody would come to his aid. The rest of Black Beard's crew was busy with Garp and the whole rescue party.

Sengoku probably just wanted to keep him occupied while the others rescued everyone. It was fine by him, it would give him an excuse to explain his failure to the Yonko, and the chances of him actually hurting the former fleet admiral were pretty slim.

If anything, he was the one who would need medical assistance after this fight. But it was fine. Maybe Sengoku would not despite him so much after taking his pound of flesh? But would it be enough? First Kuzan had failed him by losing to Akainu, then he had all but flee the Marines, and finally he had joined a pirate crew.

Maybe he could play it down. Let Sengoku -and even Garp- toss him around until they felt he had paid enough. Would it ever be enough?

The request to surrender was not unexpected, yet it still hurt a little. To know that they wanted to arrest him, to see Akainu finally killing him.

Speaking about Garp, the vice admiral was doing well. At leats until the stupid pink haired kid fell for the most obvious trap in the world like a rookie. Shiliew stabbed Garp, but the older man did not let it stop him. Despite the wound being serious, it did not seem like it would be lethal.

That was a relief, but it also gave him the opening he had been waiting for. Sengoku was distracted by the attack on his friend, so Kuzan hurried to make his move. His punch would probably not harm the former fleet admiral, but at least the other pirates would not be able to tell he was useless during the fight.

Sengoku almost lost his footing while dodging a haki coated fist, his concentration faltering when he saw his friend being stabbed by Shiliew while protecting Koby. But soon enough the vice admiral was back in action, punching the escapee to the ground.

In retaliation for the low blow, Sengoku punched Kuzan back and send him flying into another building, yet a little bit closer to his ship. It would take him some time to get up again. The former fleet admiral used this time to observe the situation around him. Most of the Black Beard's pirates were on the ground, out of the fight.

A moment later Avalo Pizarro decided to try to destroy the ship with the wounded and the escapees. But as Sengoku was about to intervene, both Koby and Garp managed to prevent the tragedy. Good.

Seeing everything was under control, Sengoku went in search of the ex-admiral. He found him just as Kuzan once again extracted himself from the wreckage of a destroyed wall. By the time the younger man had managed to stand on his feet, Garp and the rest of his protegees had reached the safety of their ship. Good. That only left Sengoku and Kuzan.

The ex-admiral almost seemed to relax when he saw this, waiting for Sengoku to make his move with a nonchalant expression. He was waiting for Sengoku to leave.

Yes, this was it. He expected Sengoku to leave now that the pink-haired boy and the rest of the prisonniers were out of danger. Kuzan truly thought that they would just leave him there, alone. Well, he was in for a surprise. Before he could react, the former fleet admiral had grabbed the back of the younger man's head and slammed it to the ground, holding him tightly.

And briefly memories took over. He saw himself restraining Garp at Marinford, to prevent him from killing Akainu. In retrospect, he should have let his friend get his revenge. It would have saved them so many problems.

But it was not Marinford, it was not Garp under him. Kuzan struggled, but it was futile against the strength and determination of the older man.

"Stay down." He ordered.

"No!"

It was just one word, yet it was full of revelations. Even though the ex-admiral would forever deny it, there was fear in his voice. Sengoku almost loosen his hold on the younger man upon hearing this. Why would Kuzan be scared of him? Did he really though the former fleet admiral would hurt him? Kill him? Gave him to Akainu?

He would have to correct those thoughts. But first, he needed to secure him. So while his right hand held down Kuzan, his left hand found the granite cuffs he had hidden in his coat. Quickly, he closed it around the Kuzan's first wrist.

The effect was immediate, the struggles losing in vigor and strength, until Kuzan was left exhausted and panting on the ground. It was then easy to lock the last cuff around the second wrist, securing his arms behind his back. Once he was done, he grabbed him by the shoulders to turn him on his back. The position was probably uncomfortable, but Sengoku needed to look at him in the eyes for the conversation to come.

All the fight had left Kuzan's body. Without his powers he was down a leg, and with his hands tied behind his back, even haki would not help him. He tried to wriggle, but the grip the former fleet admiral had on his shoulders was unshakable. There was no escape.

He was going to die, but not while taking out one of the most dangerous pirates in the world. No, he was going to be executed by the very people he used to consider family. Throwing him into two buildings was visibly not enough for Sengoku to get over his anger. Then again, considering his treason, it was only sensible.

Yet a part of him felt... Sad? Betrayed? Resigned? Scared? He could not resist pointing out the bitter truth.

"He is going to kill me this time."

Without his ice cooling down his body, Kuzan was more than ever aware of the burns covering a good part of his right side. They didn't quite hurt, but they reminded him of his failure. Never before had he felt so strongly the absence of his leg.

"We are not going back to the Marines."

Wait... What? Wasn't it the entire purpose of this fight? To save Koby, and for him to finally face justice for his crimes? His failures?

"Then why did you ask me to surrender?"

"I asked you to come with us." Yes, exactly. That was exactly what Kuzan had just said. He was beginning to get worked up.

"It's the same thing!" But the older man just shook his head.

"No, it's not."

Huffing in frustration in he tried once again to get away from the other man, but the hold on his shoulders tightened and he could barely move an inch. Sengoku seemed to understand his confusion though, because he decided to explain himself.

"I don't want you to die. At all."

"Why?" It was a defeated whisper. So Sengoku want him to rot in prison for the rest of his life. Chained with sea stone, caged and humiliated? It would be a fitting punishment. In a way, worse than death.

"Because I'm going to save you." The way he said it, as if it was obvious. But it was not, it was comforting terrifying to Kuzan.

"No! No, no, no, no..."

Kuzan was panicking. Because Sengoku didn't care. Garp and Smoker, they didn't care. They couldn't care. It was what had fueled his determination for this suicidal infiltration mission. the fact that he could be useful, and yet this time no-one but him would have to suffer for it. It was his last chance, his redemption. They could not take it away from him!

"No! You don't understand. I have to do it! Let me go!"

A voice that reminded him of the vice admiral Tsuru whispered that it was time he admitted it was a suicide mission. And from the look Sengoku gave him, imaginary Tsuru was not the only one thinking that way.

"No."

This time Kuzan fully trashed in the other's grip, trying to dislodge the hands on his shoulders. The warmth from the grip was alien, he did not know if he wanted to flinch away from it or it lean into it. When was the last time someone he trusted had touched him. When was the last time physical contact had meant something other than pain.

In the end his efforts were wasted. The older man would not abandon him let him go. He felt hopeful, drained and powerless.

"Why?" Just like the first time it was nothing but a whisper.

"I don't want you to end up like Roci." Was the subdue but truthful answer. "We should have checked on you. We shouldn't have left you to deal with the fallout on your own."

Kuzan shook his head, but at this point it was probably motivated by sheer stubbornness and denial. He could see that some if his words had managed to hit their marks. Despite being shorter than the other man, Sengoku was larger. He managed to throw him over his shoulder quite easily. A haki coated leg tried to hit him in his stomach, but not fast enough. Haki met haki and Kuzan groaned in frustration.

Sengoku chuckled. "Brat."

He quickly went to his ship and set sails, while maneuvering until he was in front of Garp. The larger ship would protect them until they were out of reach of the pirates. Kuzan was sitting with his back against the mast, glaring daggers at him.

And despite the other man's obvious wrath, Sengoku grinned. Anger was better than apathy and resignation. There was a new fire in the eyes of the ice wielder. All hope was not lost then.

He had decided to meet Dragon on a small and desert island somewhere on the grand line in two weeks. It would hopefully be enough for Sengoku to try and talk some sense into the younger man. If not… Dragon would have his hands full with the ex-admiral. Then again, this could be payback from all the stress he had caused Sengoku when he was the fleet admiral.

Karma is a bitch.