Midoriya had needed that hearty meal more than he cared to admit. Fighting with Rayleigh and then flying such a long distance took more out of him than he had planned for. He was grateful for that Vice Admiral's good will, even if he still got angry at the man's inaction.

After he finished the meal and the plates were taken away, he was astonished that there was no one left guarding him. It was exactly what he'd hoped for, but it was still a shock for it to work out. He hastily brought out Black Whip and did his best to fiddle with the lock mechanism. It was difficult, considering he'd never had any practice with lock-picking, but eventually he made it work. Reflexively, he rubbed at his wrists the moment the latch released, making sure to set the cuffs down gently so they didn't make a loud noise as they hit the ground.

With a frown, he stared down at the cuffs. He could just leave them, but then it would be obvious that he didn't have a Devil Fruit. Maybe if he took it with him, they would think he still had them on and would underestimate him because of it. Plus, who knew when they would be useful later on. If he ever was up against an opponent with a Devil Fruit, Sea Stone would be the perfect counter.

Reluctantly, he picked the cuffs up and grasped each end. Squeezing his eyes shut because of the sudden bright light and desperately hoping that it wouldn't be too loud, he powered up One for All and pulled at the chain until it snapped. The sound echoed in the dead silent hallway, but after a moment of holding his breath, nobody arrived to investigate.

He let out a heavy sigh and stood, reluctantly securing the cuffs back on his wrists where his Mid-Gauntlets would usually go. These cuffs were far heavier than he was used to, but it was better than not being able to block projectiles if necessary.

Midoriya stepped towards the bars and peeked out as far as he could. He didn't notice any cameras, which was a bit odd, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. It was possible that they were further down the hallway or near the exit, but there was only one way to find out. Maybe he could throw the cuffs from a distance and break any cameras he came across before they spotted him.

He would figure it out, one way or another.

Without wasting another second, the boy gripped the bars and tugged, One for All sparking and illuminating the dark space once more. The bars gave way much easier than the chains had, and before he knew it, he was out of the damned cell and standing free in the hallway.

A quick glance in both directions confirmed that there was no visible camera, so he simply steeled his nerves and turned towards the way that old man had left just hours prior.

At the end of the hallway, where a heavy, fortified door stood, there was some odd snail hanging on the wall. It looked… a bit grotesque and odd, but he figured it was harmless. His only question was how it managed to get down here. It was like there was food here, was it trapped? He shook his head. There was no time to worry about some weird, lost snail. Instead, he gripped the door handle and braced himself for the resistance of a lock.

His jaw dropped as the door swung open with no resistance.

Were they serious? This was supposed to be a military base and this was their level of security? This had to be some kind of a joke. There was no way it was this easy.

But he shrugged off his disbelief and headed up the spiral staircase and onto the first floor. Just as he had expected, the cells were in the basement of the building. It made sense, especially if the inmates were strong enough to or had Devil Fruit powers that could shatter walls or level cities. Being held underground ensured that attempts at breaking out were curbed just by the fact that the building would come crashing down on top of them before any theoretical prisoner would manage to escape.

Well, he had reached the stage of his plan where he honestly had no idea what to do or where to go next. Midoriya obviously needed to locate his backpack, since the weird compass thing, his Mid-Gauntlets, and other supplies were incredibly useful. Without them, any long term plans would be on the back-burner and he really couldn't afford to play things by ear every time he had to skip town to escape… All for One or Shigaraki. He couldn't put innocent civilians at risk just because he was strapped for supplies.

All of a sudden, alarms started blaring, startling Midoriya out of what had no doubt been a solid minute of him muttering up a storm. Then he heard the shouts coming from down the hallway and immediately knew he was screwed.

In a panic, he dashed in the direction opposite of where he'd heard the voices. Luckily for him, there were leading up that he quickly scaled. He wasn't sure how they managed to catch onto his escape so quickly, but he figured that as a general rule of thumb, people escaping would go for the exit on the first floor. It was a damn good thing they didn't know he could float.

Hence, he dashed up the stairs, skipping the second floor and exiting on the third.

Unfortunately, he was met with a Marine soldier who had clearly been about to head down. Without a second thought, Midoriya slammed his fist into the man's face and ran past him, not checking to see if the man went down. As he raced down the hall, he heard shouts from several directions and before he knew it, he was cornered in a four-way intersection of hallways. He grit his teeth and readied his fists and glared.

They wanted a fight? They would get one.

Much to his surprise, despite being outnumbered, the soldiers were easy to tear through. Even without using his quirk, their coordination and teamwork was a mess. They clearly knew how to fight, but without their weapons, they seemed hesitant. Or maybe it was because of how he mowed through soldiers at Marineford. It was possible he had gained something of a reputation much like how he had while wandering the crime-ridden streets back home.

That aside, he made easy work of them and even flipped several of them over, launching them back down the hallway until they crashed into a pile of crates that he hadn't even realized had been there. He would have questioned why they were sitting out in a hallway, but given the disorganized mess that was this base, he figured he had his answer.

Midoriya dashed down the hall, glancing at the windows and grimacing at the fact that they were all closed and locked up tight. He could break one, but then the loud noise would attract more soldiers and there was a chance that someone here also had the ability to fly. He wasn't going to risk it.

But as he sprinted through the halls, he saw more and more of those… snails. Were they… some kind of replacement for cameras? It was incredibly strange, but given all the quirks he'd seen, he supposed it wasn't impossible. That would explain why he had been caught so easily.

He was thrown out of his thoughts by crashing face-first into a figure, only seeing a flash of blue and black before they were both sent sprawling to the floor. He scrambled back to his feet as he heard more shouting from down the hall. A quick glance at this person made it obvious that he wasn't a Marine, given the lack of uniform or white coat, so Midoriya instinctively shoved him towards the open window the moment he noticed it, relieved that the blonde man followed his lead and launched himself out the window.

Midoriya immediately followed him, using Black Whip to close the window behind them and he scrambled to find purchase in the rough tree bark. With the cuffs on, it was best not to show his quirks.

Briefly, he wondered if he had made a mistake by bringing the man along, but he tried to push that thought out of his mind as they both began climbing down to the ground.

Sabo swore that it wasn't his fault he got into so much trouble. He was just cursed with bad luck. Or at least, that's what he would tell anyone that tried to blame him for the shit he got himself into. Besides, he had managed to get himself out of all the trouble he found himself in, which had to count for something no matter what Koala said.

So while this situation was not exactly ideal, it was far from the worst circumstances he'd ever stumbled into.

After the conflict in Marineford, the Marines were doing their damned best to suppress the specifics of the battle from becoming sensationalized news. Unfortunately, at the present moment, the Revolutionary Army knew about as much as the public did. They had a few contacts and spies within the navy, as well as Kuma serving as a Warlord. But just days before the battle, Kuma ceased contact with them completely.

As far as Sabo was aware, the only allies present at Marineford were Ivankov, Inazuma, and Kuma. Each of their other spies were spread out across several bases, but luckily none of them had been called to the front lines. However, in the aftermath of the battle, Marine officers were shuffled like a deck of cards across the scattered bases. The reorganization completely scrambled their strategically placed spies, so only one of their contacts had managed to check in to inform them of the issue.

But while the Marines were busy reorganizing, Sabo had figured that now was a good time to steal some information so they could be a step ahead of the Marines, and by extension, the World Government.

The Revolutionary Army wasn't exactly ready to go into an all out war with the government just yet, but every little bit would help. Hence why he was sneaking into the G2 base, searching for classified documents. It was supposed to be an easy in and out mission, taking a guard's uniform and simply walking in like he belonged there. Hell, the patrols had been such a mess that he hadn't even had to do that much to slip in undetected. It was something he'd done hundreds of times and this wasn't supposed to be any different.

Sabo was currently rustling through the drawers in an empty office. He believed it was meant to be the Base Commander's office, or perhaps the second in command's office, but it appeared to have been vacant for some time. Perhaps the commanders were one of the casualties in Marineford then? It seemed the Marine Bases in this region of Paradise might be vulnerable if this turned out to be a trend. Given the short notice of the event, they must have called in high ranking officers from only the nearby posts. A mass exodus of high ranking Marines from all over the world would have drawn attention, after all.

Sabo huffed in annoyance as he continued rifling through the paperwork. It was a disorganized mess, which wasn't necessarily a first, but the lack of any sensitive documents was notable. Had someone cleaned this out?

A scowl pulled itself across his lips without his permission. If so, then this whole trip might have been a bust. If the highest ranking officers weren't present and their offices had been cleared, there would likely be a change in leadership, which meant unknown variables. He supposed that was useful information in and of itself, but he had been hoping to come back with something more, if only to keep Koala from ripping him a new one.

With a sigh, he did a once over in the room, making certain that everything looked as though it had not been touched. It was certainly time to leave before someone got wise and caught onto the fact that he was here.

But just as he reached for the door, alarms began to blare loudly. On instinct, Sabo flinched back, swinging around so his back was flush against the wall next to the door, out of mind was like a whirlwind. How had the Marines caught on to his presence so soon? He'd been just as careful as usual. Were they still on guard from the battle?

No, he could have sworn they were more disorganized than this, even if they had still been on guard.

He shook his head, freezing in place as he heard a set of boots rushing down the hall. They didn't slow down, so they clearly didn't have his location. This made things a bit easier, even though his mind was still caught up on his cover being blown.

Had someone seen him as he'd slinked through the halls? Or was someone with well-trained Observation Haki present at this base?

Sabo forced himself to take a deep breath and calm his mind, expanding his senses to get a feel for what he was dealing with. If he was patient, he could have a straight shot out of here without running into any guards. It might take some vandalism of a window or two, but that would hardly be the worst of his crimes.

He just had to be patient and not jump the gun.

But then he felt it.

It was such an odd feeling, a presence that was out of place yet familiar. The feel of that person made him inexplicably anxious, yet it was somehow relieving all the same.

Sabo shook his head violently. He had to dispel any distractions. He could figure out why the familiarity was hitting him later, it wouldn't matter if his memory returned if it ended with him captured and possibly executed. Or worse, used against the Revolutionary Army. While he hoped that Dragon knew not to trade all their work for his life, sometimes he wasn't so sure. Maybe he was projecting his own unwillingness to leave anybody behind onto him. To be honest, he could never tell when it came to that man.

He narrowed his eyes and pushed away those thoughts as he waited for just a moment longer. Sabo could handle this, he'd dealt with worse. But before he knew it, the wave of familiarity vanished, leaving him feeling utterly empty even as the presence that had triggered it remained within his range.

At least the presence seemed calm as it remained in one place, unmoving. There was a good chance that he wouldn't have to face them today, or ever. For as much as he wanted to know, he knew dredging up something from the past would do more harm than good. He was no longer in it for himself. Sabo now played a pivotal role in the Revolutionary Army, he couldn't afford to give the Marines any information on him, especially since he didn't know the complete picture of his past either. It wasn't like before, when he was just another nobody trying to do good. He had to remember that because of his position, he held value, regardless of how difficult that was for him.

So he remained where he was for just a bit longer. He could feel several soldiers approaching rapidly, their boots clicking harshly against the poorly-polished tile floor. Their breathing was harsh as they rushed to the opposite side of the base. From what he recalled of his brief glance at a base-map, the holding cells were in that direction.

Well, that and the mess hall, but he had a feeling that they weren't all rushing to get first dibs on dessert.

For some reason, that little quip in his head made his chest ache something fierce. It was almost like he was missing something. There was supposed to be something more there, but his mind could only fill in the joke itself. Was there some response he was supposed to be expecting? That was ridiculous.

He shook his head as he heard and felt the soldiers leave his immediate vicinity. There still wasn't a clear path he could use to get out, but it was better to do so now before whatever caused the alarms to go off was dealt with. The increased vigilance would become a problem, so he figured it was better to abuse the hell out of the current chaos.

That's what he was good at anyway, no matter how much Koala claimed it to be the absolute bane of her existence.

With only a deep breath and a moment spared to adjust the pipe on his back, Sabo swung the door open and stepped out. Heading to the right would be the safer bet, since that was the direction the soldiers had come from, but he wasn't so sure. Going left would lead him directly into the thick of things, but that unsettlingly familiar presence was also to the right and he hoped to avoid them at all costs.

Koala was going to kill him for this, he knew, but lucky for him she wasn't here. Maybe he would just buy her something as an apology if she ever found out.

Without a second thought, he turned on his heel and ran down the hall to the left. The next few intersecting hallways were oddly vacant. The way his shoes made the occasional echoing squeak as he ran was nerve-wracking, though it went to show how much of a mess this base was if the floor was only clean enough to cause a sound every ten steps. As he got closer to the far side of the base, the shouts and barked orders began to drown out the intermittent sounds of his own movement.

As Sabo reached another intersecting hallway, he made a split-second decision to turn the direction opposite of a sudden crashing noise. If he had to place the sound, he'd say it sounded like crates splintering into pieces and scattering their contents onto the floors. Whatever mess that was, he would do well to stay out of it. Hopefully it was just some scuffle between soldiers on the base and not something else.

Luckily, that reflexive decision served him well as he came across an open window with a tree within jumping range. But just as he was preparing to make a dive for it, something caught his eye. He skid to a halt, softening his stop by letting his gloved fingers glide against the not-so-clean floor. As he rose back to his feet, Sabo couldn't help but stare in confusion.

He could have sworn he had studied the map of the premises, but this room area wasn't marked as anything important on that paper or by a nameplate next to the door.

Yet here was a heavily locked door to the left of the open window, without so much as a peephole to see inside the room. That practically screamed suspicious. And as much as he needed to get the hell out of this base, he couldn't help but be invested in this oddity.

For as long as he could remember, Sabo had always had decent hunches. It had served him well not only in many dangerous situations, but in some diplomatic or strategic ones too. At times, he figured these hunches had to do something with the memories he was missing. But now? He knew for a fact that it had nothing to do with that. He just had a hunch. And given how empty his hands were even after all the trouble he'd gone through to sneak in and steal intelligence?

Well, he figured he might as well see where this hunch would lead him. After all, the shouts and loud crashes had yet to quiet. At the very least, it would buy him a few minutes longer. Once he was out of the base proper, he could probably manage an effortless escape. He could probably do it with his eyes closed.

Sparing only a brief glance over his shoulder, Sabo approached the door and carefully knocked on it. The sound reverberated, but it wasn't quite right. The door was a bit more fortified than others, which was odd, but he wasn't going to question it. It wouldn't be an issue for him. He moved his hand a bit and knocked again, listening closely to how the sound traveled through the solid more so than the echo it created in the air. He frowned as another attempt also proved incorrect.

But then he heard it and he froze, a grin stretching across his lips. Usually, he liked to have an audience when he did this, since it was more fun that way. But he supposed since this was meant to be a stealth mission, it would have to do.

Sabo pulled his arm back, spreading his fingers apart so that the pointer and middle, ring and pinky, and thumb all curved, reminiscent of a dragon's claws. He coated his hand with Armament Haki, and rotated his wrist a bit, to add a little torque to the brute force. He slammed his fingers into the door, digging the tips into the thick metal and twisting a bit before pulling back.

He'd hoped that he could have shattered the door entirely, but when that didn't seem to work, he settled on ripping it off of its hinges.

With a pleased sigh, Sabo tossed the door behind him, paying no mind to the conflict that was still brewing a few hallways away. Their noises would likely cover anything he did. And even then, he would only be there a minute before making a quick getaway.

He strolled in, adjusting his top hat since pulling at the door had shifted it out of place. The room didn't appear to be anything special on first glance, though there were several lockers filled with miscellaneous items lining the walls. Upon closer inspection, there were folded papers taped up next to several of them. Out of pure curiosity, Sabo pulled one off and straightened it out.

Sabo couldn't help but puff out an amused breath. This must be the room where they store the personal affects of prisoners. Clearly some of those prisoners were more high-profile than others. He could only assume these papers were the bounty posters of wanted criminals who had been imprisoned here, their faces plastered right next to the belongings taken from them.

It was some badge of honor for the soldiers here, which he could understand on principle, but the sight of it still made him sick. He could never understand how people could take such personal belongings and treat them like trophies. These were precious items, alongside more practical ones, he was sure. But Sabo could sympathize. His hat and goggles were the only things he really had left from his old life. From before he lost everything. Anyone that treated personal affects like for some kind of sick satisfaction or pleasure were less than dirt in his eyes.

With a sigh, he did his best to tape the paper back in its place on the wall of shame, glancing around for any unlocked filing cabinets or drawers he could rifle through. Much to his dismay, there wasn't any such thing in the room.

The only thing that wasn't locked down was a table in the middle of the room and a backpack resting on top of it that looked as though it was on its last legs. Sabo allowed a frown to tug at his lips as he stepped forward to inspect it. The zipper compartment was easily opened, though it caught on the fraying fabric a few times as he gently tugged at it. He could respect that it was a well-loved item, or perhaps just used by someone who couldn't afford to get something new.

If the former was true, this bag most likely belonged to some marine on-site. The latter would mean that it belonged to some prisoner here. The thought of that left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth.

What was most curious, however, was that contents inside had clearly been rifled through. There was dirty and torn clothing inside as well as something metal, though whatever the item was it appeared to be utterly broken. There were others supplies such as bandages and even a log pose, but nothing else. He shuffled the contents back into the main compartment, taking a moment to peek in the smaller ones. All of which were empty.

As he zipped up the bag, he realized that there was a bounty poster resting right underneath it. Sabo frowned and lifted the bag off of the paper, setting it aside.

"The Green Devil, huh?" Sabo muttered to himself, wracking his brain to try to remember why that sounded familiar to him.

Luckily it wasn't the kind of familiar that left him frozen in place and stricken with confusion. This familiarity was surface level and not quite so heart-wrenching.

Of course, his next question was why it was here of all places. Although there were bounty posters here, he knew for a fact that the actual filing room where bounties were updated and stored was on the other side of the building. With a shrug, he swung the backpack onto his back and made sure it was situated without getting in the way of his pipe. It never hurt to have more supplies and who knew if he might need a distraction.

Tossing something as (surprisingly) heavy as this in someone's face was always a good distraction against Marines, in his experience.

With a long-suffering sigh, Sabo sauntered back out of the room. He wasn't as literally empty-handed as before, but in terms of intel, he was still shit out of luck. He couldn't help but lament what a bust this whole trip had been. At the very least, he should probably stick around the neighboring kingdom to scope out the political situation. If there was any opposition to the monarchy or unrest or, if he was lucky, a developing rebellion, it would serve their cause well to know about it.

But first, he had to get the hell out of this base.

Then he felt a presence suddenly burst into existence as he turned to inspect the open window. Sabo grit his teeth out of frustration. The confusion and upset from the room had broken his concentration and he had let himself stop monitoring the base with Observation Haki. It was such a rookie mistake to make that he couldn't help but be a bit annoyed. But that flash of irritation was quickly dispelled as the person slammed into him, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Luckily the both of them didn't slide very far, but it still left him reeling.

Sabo rubbed at his head, shaking it a bit at the odd rush of nostalgia that washed over him from being barreled into of all things. Just what the hell was up with him today?

However, he didn't have more than a second to try to collect himself before the shouts grew far too close for comfort. The person that had crashed into him with full force seemed to think the same, pulling Sabo to his feet and shoving him towards the open window.

On instinct, more than anything, Sabo let the momentum carry him to the ledge before he used it to make a leap for the closest tree. As he swung onto its branches, he let himself glance back just in time to see the person launching through the air on a direct collision-course with the branch he was hanging off of. He let out small yelp and let go, scrambling to grip a lower branch before he fell any further.

For as much as parkour and unconventional exits were second nature to him, they were currently on the third floor and he didn't particularly feel like dealing with a broken bone at the moment. It wasn't the worst he'd ever been faced with, but he'd made a bet with somebody that he could manage to go on five missions without getting hurt and if he ruined his streak now, he'd never be able to show his face around the base again out of pure embarrassment.

Perhaps agreeing to announce to the whole base that he was Dragon's long lost son if he failed wasn't the greatest idea, but he honestly thought he would be able to manage it! Especially since he only had stealth missions lined up at the time.

"We need to hurry," the person—although honestly the voice sounded much younger than he had anticipated, more like a child, teenager at most—said.

Sabo let his instincts kick in rather than replying. A glance up at the window confirmed that the kid had somehow closed it on his way out, so hopefully the door ripped off its hinges would distract whoever had been on the kid's tail for long enough that they wouldn't notice them escaping from out the window.

A glance at their surroundings (as well as what he remembered from that map, perhaps it wasn't as much as he had thought he would remember) confirmed that they were a decent distance away from where his boat was hidden away. If they were to get away without being caught, this kid would have to refrain from loudly sprinting about as he had before slamming into Sabo.

The kid was crawling down the tree—Sabo following suit as soon as he noticed—utterly oblivious to the way his hands began to bleed from the rough tree bark. The blonde genuinely wondered why there was a kid in this base, not to mention running from soldiers. Was he some troublemaker that snuck in to do some mischief? That would explain why the Marines were caught up in it all. It was a huge breach of security if some teen could slip in despite their best efforts.

Then it all clicked into place.

The moment they reached solid ground, Sabo turned to him and shrugged one of the straps off of his shoulder, "Is this your bag?"

The kid turned to him with wide innocent eyes, ones that made the blonde's heart hurt despite himself, and nodded. Sabo slipped the other strap off and handed it to the teenager, who accepted it gratefully. The man was getting awfully tired of odd tugging in the back of his mind. It was like his heartstrings were being toyed with, yet he didn't even know why. The urge to protect this kid was strong, much stronger than it should have been given how they quite literally just ran into each other.

It was incredibly vexing. He couldn't afford to be caught up handling some child, especially not when he could be putting the kid in more danger. Of course, the kid paid Sabo no mind as he struggled with making a decision. Instead, the kid was rifling through the backpack, clearly searching for something.

No, he couldn't just leave the kid here. Maybe he could dump him off back at his home before returning to his own vessel waiting for him on Lulusia. Yeah, that seemed to be the best option here. But how the hell was he going to ask the kid where he lived? He couldn't just be upfront with it, especially since he likely didn't know who Sabo was.

"Kid, come on. We need to go," he said instead.

He could figure it out later. They still had a decently long trip by boat in which he could think it through.

But then his eyes widened as the kid tugged out the log pose. The needle was pointing away from where his boat was hidden, of course, since the docks for the base were facing Lulusia for easy access. The kid clearly thought that following the needle was their best option.

"I have a boat hidden on the opposite shore," Sabo blurted out before the kid could propose a course of action.

Luckily he didn't seem to mind, simply looking at him closely, scrutinizing his face before nodding, apparently in agreement. Sabo nodded back and began to lead the way. As they dashed along the outside wall of the base, he pushed out his senses and started mapping out anyone that might get in their way. The coast seemed clear, which was almost too good to be true. But he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

In all honesty, Sabo was impressed by how well the kid seemed to be holding up. He was certain that the teen had picked up on the stress of the situation, but he had yet to question anything or do something incredibly stupid. Which was a bit more than he could say for some of the… unfortunate colleagues he'd worked with in the past.

Much to his surprise (and relief), the two of them made it to the rocky shore where he'd hidden the boat. There were trees that blocked the path down to the water, but after the climb earlier, these were child's play. The kid also didn't seem to have any difficulties, even though his hands were still roughed up. When it came to readying the small vessel and preparing to sail, the kid was utterly useless.

It made him wonder how the kid managed to sneak into the base in the first place. Did he have family stationed here? Or had he snuck in on a Marine vessel? He'd had a feeling that this kid was ballsy, but he wouldn't have expected something like that from someone with those wide eyes.

Before long, the alarms and sirens were nothing but a distant sound, drowned out by the crashing waves around them. Luckily for them, the weather decided to be kind and relatively calm. It was always a hit or miss as to whether he would have an easy or rough time out on the open waters after such an escape.

The kid was just sitting there, staring out at the open sea, mesmerized by the arrhythmic fluctuations of the water around them. If he hadn't known better, Sabo would have guessed that this kid had never seen an ocean before. Although he couldn't say he blamed the kid. Even now, there was something about the open seas that appealed to him like nothing else. It warmed his heart and made him feel lighter in a way he couldn't even begin to describe. He always felt like he was still missing something, despite finding his purpose in the Revolutionary Army.

So he didn't say a word about the kid's odd fixation, instead finding solace in their shared admiration of the vast water around them. The teenager didn't seem too keen to talk to him either, so at least it wasn't uncomfortable. The kid left him to manage their heading and make sure they didn't go off-course while he left the kid to stare out at the horizon or fuss with what little was in his bag.

By the time Lulusia was in sight their line of sight, the silence had long since become awkward. At one point, he'd almost asked the kid why he had been in that base, but the moment he'd gotten the kid's attention, there was just something about the way his eyes bore into Sabo that made him swallow his words. It was almost like the kid was looking straight through him. It didn't help that the kid also had nasty eyebags that rivaled those of the intelligence division back at the base. After that, he made it a point to leave the kid alone until the teen approached Sabo.

He was beginning to wonder whether this kid really was just some troublemaker or if there was more here that he was missing.

Occasionally, when he spared a glance to make sure the kid wasn't getting into trouble, Sabo caught the kid nearly nodding off. It was getting dark outside, since it had been evening when the alarms first blared. Now, with the kingdom of Lulusia, there was so little light that it was nearly impossible to distinguish the rocks on the coast from the deep, dark water.

It had been a while since he last checked on the kid, since he figured the teen would likely use the time to sleep. But apparently, the kid had made it his mission to defy any and all expectations; he was wide away, toxic green eyes practically glowing despite how dark it was. It was unsettling and unnerving, but something about the kid's demeanor left him unable to be truly wary. Maybe that was a poor assessment. Maybe he would come to regret thinking that. Yet despite all common sense, Sabo felt at ease. Or perhaps at ease was the wrong way to put it. More like… he felt… safe. As strange as that sounded, it felt right.

Sabo sighed as he pushed that thought out of his mind, "We're here."

"Is there anything I can do to help us dock?" the kid muttered.

The tone of his voice was oddly soft despite the hint of roughness that belied poor conditions. It wasn't that the voice sounded unused so much as it was the harshness of the pitch clashing with the natural tone he must have. It was almost like two parts of him were warring with each other.

That, or he was some prideful teenager trying to appear far more tough than he actually was. And although that seemed far more likely, given the way he had handled himself while they fled the G-2 Base, Sabo was disinclined from making disarming assumptions like that.

"No, everything is good to go. Just make sure you have everything you need. Watch your step!" he cheered.

The kid didn't say anything in response, but he heard shifting around, so he figured the kid must have heard him. He was tired, after all, so he might have given a non-verbal affirmation and not realized that Sabo wasn't able to see. Or maybe the kid didn't feel the need to speak up. It didn't particularly matter in all honesty. Sabo's mind was just wandering a bit. It was difficult to focus a lot, especially in the aftermath of a stressful experience. Since they had made it off the base without a hitch, he essentially crashed and lost most of his ability to focus.

Not the most convenient weakness to have, but he would take it, considering the alternative was that he would have died as a child from the head trauma. Ivankov was the only reason he was still alive. Which reminded him, he should stop by and speak to Iva before he headed back to Baltigo. If Iva was up for it, he could return to his duties and take the Chief of Staff position back. While Sabo had grown used to the role, it was still more than a little daunting. Plus he was young, which caused problems now and then, especially with new recruits.

His messy train of thought was broken by the near-silent kid speaking up to check on him, "Are you alright… uh, sir?"

Sabo blinked, swiveling his head towards the kid's voice, taken aback that the kid was obviously no longer on the boat. He'd gotten off and the blonde hadn't even noticed? Well damn, he must be especially out of it. It had to be whatever had been making him feel all that familiarity and nostalgia for his missing memories earlier. It must have messed him up more than he'd thought.

"Um… sir?"

"Right!" Sabo blurted out, hopping up after a quick check that he had all of his supplies as well, "Just a moment."

As Sabo fiddled with the boat, the kid seemed to grow restless.

"Are you sure you're-" the kid coughed, "What are you doing with the boat?"

"No need to worry about it! I'm all done. Let's get going!"

The kid startled as Sabo suddenly hopped off of the boat and shoved it away from the shoreline.

"Why did you-"

Instead of replying, he gently grasped the kid's wrist and tugging him inland.

"Watch your step," he warned as they began ascending the steep hill and into the line of trees.

At some point, he let go of the kid so that he wouldn't trip over the massive roots that protruded from the ground. The forests on Lulusia were quick dense, though the underbrush was thin and nearly non-existent. It was the roots that one had to watch out for, since they were incredibly winding and often looped in ways that easily ensnared feet. It was a bit pathetic how much trouble he was having, but the teen also seemed to be struggling, so at least he wasn't the only one. When there had been enough light out, it had been fairly easy to traverse this terrain. In the dark? Not so much.

Admittedly, this hadn't been his best plan.

But before long, they reached the edge of the dense forest. Lights from the town were in sight, though clearly still a distance away. The sky was finally visible above them in patches as the canopy finally thinned, the stars shimmering beautifully despite the lack of moonlight in the sky. Of all the nights for their to be a new moon, it had to be this one.

The kid paused the moment they reached the edge of the trees, bright eyes darting around to examine the run-down buildings that made up the slums. Sabo was suddenly glad that he'd picked the slums rather than the red-light district to travel through. That aside, he figured it was about time to get the kid home.

"I would like to walk you home. In what part of town do you live?" Sabo enquired, hoping that he wasn't about to scare the kid off.

He didn't want this kid walking around alone, especially since this side of town wasn't the safest. That had been part of the reason he had planned to dock here. This teenager should at least be somewhat aware of that, though, since they'd be more familiar with this place than him. However, instead of answering, the kid froze, tensing up. Sabo ground to a halt, turning to face the faint outline of the kid that was made visible by the dim starlight.

He waited for a minute, letting the kid take his time. It might have just caught up to the kid that Sabo was a stranger he met running from a Marine Base. It made sense that he wouldn't want to lead him to his house. But the kid didn't even try to stutter an excuse or even run away, merely remaining still, aside from glancing around awkwardly.

Sabo decided he would have to be the one to break the silence, since the kid clearly wasn't going to, "It's alright if you don't want me to follow you home, but I'd like to at least walk you through the bad part of town."

"That's not…" the kid trailed off, turning his whole body to face away from Sabo almost guiltily.

What was up with this kid?

"I don't…"

A sinking feeling settled into his stomach. This kid wasn't homeless was he? Or maybe he had run away from home? Or had his parents died? Sabo didn't want to ask, didn't want to know. Even so, he had a strong urge to make sure this kid was alright.

But just as he was about to back off and reassure the kid that they could find somewhere to stay for the night together, the kid spoke up.

"I don't remember," he admitted.

Sabo froze, staring at the kid in disbelief. He didn't… remember?

The teenager clarified, "I don't remember much of anything… to be honest. I just woke up and…"

Memory loss then. Just like… just like Sabo. At the very least, this kid wasn't as young as he'd been, but he was still some kid. He didn't deserve to just… draw a blank in place of family and friends. Who knew how long this kid had been alone in the world, struggling to get by without knowing anything about himself. Had the kid found himself at the Marine Base and was trying to ask for help or something? And they ran him off? Sabo was overwhelmingly angry at the blatant corruption of the Marines, even though he really should have expected something like this.

Sabo took a deep breath and shoved the overwhelming feelings aside. It would only serve to make the kid feel worse if he made them obvious. He knew that first hand, pity was never comfortable or appealing. Pity was a tool to be used in espionage situations only.

He stepped forward and faced the kid directly, "It's alright, I can help you out. How about we find a place to stay for the night and then we can try to figure out your situation."

The kid stared up at him, his eyes faintly glowing, as though trying to determine whether this was a good idea. Sabo let the kid study him. Whatever it took to make the kid feel safe, he'd do. Maybe he would bring him back to the Revolutionary Army. This kid seemed kind and clearly had a bad experience with the Marines. Perhaps he would join their cause.

He received a wordless nod from the kid and the two took off to find a place to stay.

They were the target of many greedy, leering stares as they walked through the run-down part of town. It was a familiar feeling, to be the target of such looks, since he had found himself in many different situations and locations where he was out of place. But he had expected the kid to feel put off and wary. Yet the kid didn't give the impression that he was at all concerned. Once again, Sabo was struck by how mature and… hardened this kid seemed to be. It was like he knew how to handle anything that was thrown at him.

Sabo couldn't help but wonder when this kid lost his memories and what he'd been through since to make him like this. When he'd first woken up not knowing anything, he had been a bit lost, a bit wary. It wasn't until he'd made the decision to join the Revolutionaries officially and started combat training that he truly felt comfortable and confident in himself. It had just felt right. He had a feeling that this kid hadn't found that and instead had to build up this strong demeanor to keep himself safe.

He hoped he was wrong, for the kid's sake.

Overall, they managed to get through the seedy part of town without too much trouble. There was one bastard that decided to get a bit handsy and received a nasty kick to the shins for his trouble, courtesy of the kid. It had taken everything Sabo'd had not to burst into a fit of laughter at how short the interaction had been. The man hadn't even had the time to make a single propositional innuendo offering a good time before the kid reacted.

The kid must have a nasty kick, since the man—nearly twice the kid's size—keeled over immediately.

Safe to say Sabo was feeling a little bit better about the idea of the kid being on his own, since he could clearly handle himself to some extent. The rest of their walk was uneventful. They managed to locate an inn (though a bit shiftier than he would have liked, but given how different he and the kid looked, it wasn't as if they could pretend to be related) and booked a room for the night.

They spoke little as they prepared to sleep, though Sabo mentioned his plans to leave the island in the morning, to which the kid didn't protest.

He waited for the kid to settle in his bed, snickering as he fell asleep nearly immediately despite the glare he'd directed toward Sabo every time the man commented on or joked about how tired he'd looked. It took a bit longer for him to fall asleep himself, but before long, he was drifting off into a restless sleep.

Sabo awoke to a loud crash and the sound of soft, yet heart-felt swearing. He sat upright, quickly scanning the room for immediate threats, only to find none.

"Come on, we need to get out of here," the kid muttered, frantically tossing his things into his bag.

The kid was still wearing the same outfit from yesterday, much like Sabo, which was confusing, considering he could have sworn he'd seen a change of clothes in the bag. He wasn't going to push it however, since they apparently needed to high-tail it out of there.

Without a word, he grabbed what little he had and followed the kid out of the room. There was no longer anybody working at the front desk, so he slammed the keys and some cash on the counter on their way out.

As they walked outside, they were met with chaos. A few people ran down the street in front of them, away from the safer part of town, which was odd. They looked relatively well off, so they shouldn't have had any business in the poorer districts. With a frown he glanced over to see if anything big was happening, only for a loud explosion to go off in the distance.

"Oh shit," he blurted out.

"Pirates again?" the kid muttered incredulously.

Sabo shot the kid a look, "What do you mean again?"

"You must have just missed them when you came into town then. There was a pirate attack… probably a few days ago. Maybe a week at most. I'm surprised another happened so soon after the Marines so easily took care of it."

That was… a bit odd, to be honest. But after the shitshow that was Marineford, he wasn't shocked that pirates would become overconfident in their own competency. So close to a Marine Base though? That was strange.

"Well," Sabo sighed, "My vessel is in that direction. We're going to have to go through that mess if we want to get out of here."

The kid simply shrugged, tugging the backpack higher up on his shoulders and looking up at Sabo expectantly. The man scratched at his head before setting off, kid in tow. The first half of their walk was easy, though they did earn a few strange looks for walking towards the attack rather than away from it. On the bright side, nobody stopped them, since everyone was too busy making a quick escape from the attack.

As the drew closer, however, the explosions and gunfire and screaming began to die down. Sabo figured it meant that the pirates had been easily subdued, which made sense considering they'd have to be overconfident fools to even attempt something like this in the first place.

The two of them approached the scene, finally reaching the area of the most destruction, which was somehow in the middle of town. Sabo was honestly impressed that the pirates had managed to get so far into town without making their presence known before making such a fuss. He wondered what their plan had been to escape though, since they were so far from any shore. Hostages? As if that would work on Marines so close to the Red Line.

Of course, he should have known that getting too close to the scene after escaping a Marine Base wasn't a smart decision. Sabo knew they were screwed the moment he locked eyes with a Marine who had been watching another soldier tie up one of the idiotic pirates.

"There he is men, apprehend them!" one of the commanders barked out.

He cursed, dashing down an alleyway to their right.

He glanced back to check if the kid was following, which thank everything the was. The shouts of the soldiers echoed in the close quarters, covering the sound of the men no doubt reloading and readying their weapons. The kid grabbed Sabo's wrist and sped up, making a quick series of sharp turns that he hadn't even known were there. They were damn lucky it was, because if that had been a dead end, Sabo wasn't so sure he would have been able to protect the kid from gunfire and defeat all the soldiers on their immediate tail before backup was called.

This kid was either a genius or incredibly lucky. Or both.

Sabo couldn't help the grin that split his face as the kid dragged him into doubling back down one of the alleyways. It took incredible willpower to suppress a laugh as the kid tossed a rock into another alleyway as they passed it, nailing a glass bottle and making it shatter. Loudly.

This kid was a natural.

Unfortunately, they were severely outnumbered and backup had likely been called for intake of the pirates long before they had been spotted. So it was no wonder that despite losing their initial tail, they quickly ran into another group of Marines. The kid grit his teeth, but didn't say a word, only turning on his heel and going back the way they came to turn down an alleyway they had run past. They turned down another and waited again, this time behind a large container filled with garbage.

"He's got a hostage! Find him quickly, men!" one of the Marines shouted.

Moments later, a squadron of men ran past the alleyway where they were hiding, weapons drawn.

"Shit. Now we've got to deal with," Sabo grimaced, gesturing in the direction the Marines ran in, "...all of that. Why the hell did they have to prioritize us over those pirates?"

That last part he muttered to himself under his breath, but the kid must have heard him since he shrugged. Sabo felt his eyebrows furrow against his will at the way the kid kept his gaze averted. The remark had been directed internally in frustration, but the kid was acting like it had been meant for him.

Regardless, Sabo elected to ignore it as the teen ducked his head around the corner to check the street for any Marines. That was an incredibly suspicious response (or lack thereof), but Sabo wouldn't exactly say that his own situation was any less suspicious. So here they were, two equally suspicious people standing around as chaos unfolded around them. Or more realistically, as chaos followed them.

But now that he thought more on it, he still had no clue why this boy had been running around a Marine base in the first place. Hell he didn't even know the kid's name. But if there was one thing he had learned in his time doing infiltration, even if someone was your enemy, any temporary assistance could be the difference between life and death. Regardless of whether he had successfully tricked the boy into being his ally or if the kid regarded him in a similar way, at least he had a temporary alliance.

"It's clear," the boy muttered as he suddenly dashed out from behind their temporary cover, not sparing even a moment to glance back to check if Sabo was following.

That stuck him as even more odd, since most civilians (and children, for that matter) tended to second-guess and double-check in stressful situations like this one. People had to be trained out of the habit for real combat and espionage. Hell, even people specially trained in that sort of thing would still double-check when it came to situations where civilians were present. Even he had done so earlier. Did this boy just not care? Or had he realized that Sabo was hardly a civilian?

Either way, he figured it didn't matter, since their current goal was to get the hell out of here without getting caught. Besides, if he did end up bringing the kid to join the Revolutionary Army—after a long vetting process and potentially a background check both to find if he has a family to go home to and to make sure he wasn't a spy—then those skills would come in handy.

They dashed through the streets, not bothering to take it slow nor attempt to blend in, since this area was completely vacated. Anyone walking calmly in this area was more out of place than people running. Besides, if they recognized him like he suspected they might have, then it didn't matter whether or not they were seen. Anyone laying eyes on them was an issue.

Sabo did his best to use Observation Haki to avoid running into anybody, but it was hit or miss. There was so many people around, not to mention he was simultaneously trying to navigate the most direct route towards the shore. It didn't help when the kid suddenly gripped his arm again and tugged him around a corner and into another alleyway. It was really long and mostly empty, though there was a stack of crates large enough for them to stand behind.

"What was that for?" Sabo hissed, trying to focus back on his Haki to try and locate whatever threat the kid had noticed that he had somehow missed.

"There was a kid ahead of us," the kid himself murmured, "It's best not to go that way."

He frowned, "There was a kid? I didn't see anything."

The teen peeked around the crates for a moment before replying, "She was sitting down right outside the door to one of these buildings. I only noticed because I heard her sobbing loudly."

Sabo sighed. He hadn't even noticed. Guess he still needed to work on not blocking out his other senses while using Haki.

"At the very least, the kid might be a good distraction, since her crying might lead the Marines to question her for which way we went…" he stole a glance at the frowning teenager next to him and added "Or try to help her, I suppose. But I'm not holding my breath."

"Right…" the kid said blandly.

"Well, I think we're in the clear now. Should we try going back the way we came to throw anyone still following us off our trail? Or should we continue down this alleyway?"

They stepped out from behind the crates, glancing both directions as they struggled to make a decision. It seemed that neither of them were familiar enough with the area to make a call. Which made sense, since their initial choice to head in this direction had already been a gamble. Even so, he knew they needed to make a decision soon, otherwise the Marines would catch up with them. While they hadn't been right on their tail, they hadn't been all that far behind either.

"Alright, let's go-" Sabo sharply inhaled as the boy suddenly rushed him, interrupting his question to shove him to the side.

For a split second, he second guessed his own trust in the kid, lamenting his stupidity. However, that notion was quickly corrected. In a flash, the blonde was tipping backwards, stumbling to regain his footing without looking down. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the boy as he brought up his arm as if to guard from an invisible attack. But then the boy swung his arm back out just as quickly, sparks (and a flash of stray lightning?) flying as something clanged.

It was as if a switch had been flipped, the boy's shy and wary expression had hardened into something focused and determined. Sabo stared at him, trying to shake off the sudden change in demeanor while simultaneously trying to piece together what had just happened.

He finally glanced down, hearing the echo of gunfire as he stared at the red metal cuffs on the boy's wrists.

Had the kid just…?

"We can't stay here," the boy stated, leaving no room for protest as he picked Sabo up with one arm.

The blonde was speechless as he was tossed over the boy's shoulder like a sack of potatoes and effortlessly hauled ass across town.

Honestly, it was a wonder that the Marines didn't start chasing them despite apparently being within shooting range. Where the hell had that bullet come from? As the kid continued to flee, he couldn't see anyone. But a quick check with Haki revealed that someone was ducked behind the wall. They must have been preparing for some kind of duck and shoot standoff as a distraction, which is probably what Sabo would have done. Unfortunately for him, this kid was a lunatic and didn't let the soldier stall them. Instead, he was running like a maniac, somehow managing to dodge another shot the soldier fired the moment he realized he was in the clear to peek back around the corner.

He could imagine the strange picture the pair of them made. They probably looked absolutely ridiculous: a short child carrying a much taller adult over their shoulder, sprinting like their lives depended on it, somehow dodging gunfire all the while.

Which, well... their lives did depend on it. Hence why he wasn't complaining, even as the boy's shoulder dug painfully into his gut. Or perhaps his silence was more because of the odd wave of nostalgia that hit him without warning. There was just something about how strong this boy was, and how they were running away from chaos in a fancy part of town, that reminded him of himself. Although he chaos in uptown was only a common occurrence as of the last few years, so he had no idea why that aspect in particular left his chest aching with longing. The part that made sense, had to do with the fact that he'd always been an unusually strong child, although he had never known the reason. It had just been a fact of life for as long as he could remember. He wondered what it was about this situation that had struck him so deeply to his core that it left him speechless.

Sabo sighed and craned his neck back to see where they were going. It was just his luck that these strange feelings would show up again—and repeatedly, no less—when he didn't have the time to address them.

"Hey, kid," he called out, doing his best to not sound like he was struggling to breathe as much as he was. They had bigger things to worry about at the moment and he didn't want to distract the kid lest he accidentally run into a dead end.

Said kid angled his head slightly towards him but didn't give a verbal response as he ducked under a bridge.

Sabo took that as an indication that he was listening and continued, "I think that the boat is on the shore to the left of here. It isn't at an official dock, it's hidden out by the rocks, similar to the ones we left the last boat at. If we can get there, we can leave without being spotted."

The kid seemed to consider that for a moment, his head facing fully forward once more as he skid around a sharp corner, nearly tripping over a passed out drunkard in the process. For a minute, Sabo thought that that kid hadn't heard him, since he hadn't responded nor changed directions, but then the kid quickly glanced from side to side before digging his heels into the ground, crouching, and launching them into the air.

Sabo would never admit it if anyone asked, but he nearly lost the contents of his stomach with how much force the kid's shoulder jutted into his gut because of the sudden jump. But he quickly recovered as the boy made an impressively soft landing on the roof of the building that had just been next to them.

Before he could comment on the kid's odd actions, the boy leaned forward and deposited him flat on the roof without so much as a warning. Sabo considered playfully complaining about the rough treatment before immediately thinking better of it as the boy laid down right next to him, pressing his body flush against the roof tiles. The shouts of Marine commanders barking orders and the sounds of Marine boots thundering against the well-worn stone roads were enough to seal his lips shut.

Perhaps leaving without being spotted was a pipe dream. Why were there so many Marines here? This was more than he had expected to handle such a pitiful pirate crew, not to mention this was the wrong part of town. They had made sure to put a lot of distance between them and where the pirate attack had been concentrated. They were practically on the opposite side of town!

But at the very least, with grunts like those, he knew they would be temporarily safe up here. No one ever remembered to look up and they certainly wouldn't have the Haki training that would give them away. Apparently the kid had been thinking along those same lines. Sabo briefly wondered why a kid like him would have to know something like that before immediately discarding the thought.

He had seen enough horrible situations and abuses of power to know that the innocence of children was hardly protected by the government. Nico Robin was a prime example of that.

The boy next to him sighed heavily, only slightly out of breath as he took full advantage of the brief reprieve.

"So are you-"

"Which way to your vessel? I think I got turned around," the kid interrupted.

Sabo blinked. That… was a good question actually. He had no idea. In the chaos, after being chased in circled, he'd long since lost his sense of where they were.

He had originally planned to leave that morning and take the most direct route, give or take a few detours here and there to seem less suspicious. But once he'd seen the explosion, he knew he'd have to make due with a longer detour. He thought he would have been able to manage, but since the kid had pulled him around a bit, he would now have to improvise. He had genuinely no idea where they were in relation to his vessel and he had no good guesses either. Not to mention there was no way they could walk up to a local and ask for directions, not now. At least neither Koala nor Hack were here, otherwise he would never hear the end of it.

Poor planning, they would say. He disagreed. He was a wonderful planner, it was just that plans never survived first contact with the enemy, so of course all of his plans went haywire. They were all high-stakes and dangerous, so he had to be extra prepared to improvise at the drop of a hat.

Sabo risked poking his head up a bit, taking stock of their immediate surroundings. He recalled leaving his boat near the denser parts of the forests on the island, so heading towards the wooded areas would probably be their best bet. The only problem was that the entire island was littered with patches of dense wooded areas. He would just have to pick a direction with confidence and use the process of elimination if he was wrong, he supposed. They probably wouldn't get caught, so long as they were careful about it.

Hopefully.

He pointed towards the tips of the trees that were barely in sight, peaking out from behind the roofs of the houses on the edge of town, "Let's try that way."

The boy just shot him an odd look before apparently rolling with it.

Much to Sabo's surprise, though, the boy ran across the roof and leapt off of it. The man let out a breath in relief that he hadn't even known he'd held in the moment the kid's feet landed firmly on the next roof. He wanted nothing more than to shout at the kid for doing something reckless, but he knew that it was a smart thing to do.

If they could travel to the edge of town on the rooftops without being spotted, they might be able to sneak off the island without getting caught. It was their best bet, so Sabo reluctantly followed suit. The kid was much louder than Sabo liked, but somehow they made it all the way there, only returning to the street level when they passed a road that was far too wide to jump across.

Sabo navigated down to the shoreline, pointedly ignoring the small noises the kid made every time the man nearly tripped or the precarious ground underneath him gave out and forced him to step back. The kid was having a similar problem though, so he figured it wasn't laughter.

"Aha!" he exclaimed excitedly as he spotted a familiar pile of large boulders near the shoreline, "It seems our gamble worked out for us."

"That's good. How soon until we can depart?"

"Ten minutes, maybe fifteen at most."

The kid nodded and stepped into the boat. It was more spacious than the last one, as it was meant for two or three people (four if they were desperate). But being bigger meant that there were more ropes to secure and things to double-check for damage before they left. The boy didn't seem to mind though, so Sabo got to work.

Honestly, it was a surprise that they managed to leave without a hitch. The moment they left and Sabo was certain that they wouldn't crash into the rocks on their way out to sea, he made sure to check that all of his things were still present and hadn't been touched. The kid seemed to have understood not to touch anything, luckily, and nothing was out of place so they were good to go.

But of course, nothing was ever that easy. Not ten minutes from the coast, the kid called out to him.

"There's a Marine battleship heading towards us."

The kid sounded a bit nervous, which caught Sabo off-guard. After everything they'd just done, this was the thing that left him nervous? Maybe the kid was afraid of water.

"Shit," he replied, "We might have to abandon ship and swim for it then. If we're smart about it, we might be able to sneak on board and hide while they think we've drowned."

The kid didn't say anything in return, staring sternly at the battleship in silence before soft muttering began leaving his lips at a rapid pace. Sabo blinked in surprise as he tried to get the kid's attention. Now was not the time to panic like this, they needed to prepare and he needed to know if this kid knew how to swim.

But then the kid seemed to snap back into awareness, staring intensely into Sabo's eyes with those toxic green irises of his.

"Attacking head-on or even sneaking on-board isn't a good idea."

Well, the kid wasn't exactly wrong. It was always risky to sneak around, since getting caught meant death or wishing you were dead. But Sabo had a lot of experience. He was sure they could manage and it was better than turning back.

"They've got a Vice Admiral on board."

Sabo froze, "What?"

"It was an old man, but he was very intimidating and with how the guards were talking about him, I'm not so sure getting near him would be a good idea."

He swallowed thickly. An old man? Did that mean… Vice Admiral Garp? But why would he be at the G-2 Base of all places? He usually stayed at Marineford to train recruits, or at least that was the last thing Sabo had heard. Actually, how did this kid know that Garp was there? And what did he mean by guards?

"If that's who I think it is, you'd be right about that."

Admittedly, Sabo was beginning to panic. This wasn't how he had thought this would go. It was supposed to be a simple in and out, not a chase that ended with the Marine Hero Garp on his tail. Shit shit shit.

"Do you have everything you need? Can it be carried in one bag?" the kid interrupted before he could spiral.

"Quite."

"Is it packed or can be packed in the next… minute?"

Sabo frowned, wondering what the kid was getting at. But instead of questioning him, he picked up the bag that had been resting on the floor next to him and gestured it towards the kid.

The boy nodded resolutely at him, "Then we're good to go."

"What do you mean… What the hell are you doing?" Sabo was unable to get anything else out before the kid swung his own backpack on his back and looked up at the sky, squinting up at the bright sun as he started doing squats.

"Alright, hang on tight!" the teen called out as he stood up straight, an odd light emanating from his legs.

That was the last thing he heard before black tendrils appeared out of nowhere and curled up around him.

Then they were flying.