If Sabo had thought the kid's shoulder digging into his gut as they'd run through the town earlier had been bad, it had nothing on the gut-dropping feeling that slammed into him as the kid launched them into the air. It almost felt as though his stomach had been left behind with how he'd been jerked upward.

The wind rushed past far stronger than he'd ever experienced before, but the force of it wasn't painful to handle. It was almost as if the kid was managing their speed to ensure they would both be comfortable. How the kid seemed to know what the fine line between too fast and too slow was, he figured he'd never know. He could ask, but given how little either of them had shared with each other, it was unlikely he'd ever receive an answer.

But putting that aside, it was an utter surprise to look down and see just how far above the surface of the water they were. It stole the breath from Sabo's lungs and left him dizzy. This region of the grand line was abnormally calm, which served them well but left him more than a bit confused. But that was far from the only thing boggling his mind. In all honesty, Sabo's mind was still struggling to get back in order from piecing together what little he had known about the kid and matching it with all this new information.

This kid clearly had some kind of Devil Fruit, though it wasn't one Sabo recognized. Maybe the kid had been staring out at the sea each time they had fled on a boat because he was afraid of drowning. It wouldn't be that much of a surprise, considering it was an incredibly dangerous weakness. While Sabo had technically had an escape route, the kid would have been dead weight in the water.

Yet since the kid could fly, why had he allowed Sabo to drag him onto his boat twice? He could have left whenever he had pleased. Even so, he was glad the kid hadn't. Otherwise, he would likely be stuck back on the island without backup. Or perhaps he would have made it past the island and been caught by the warship. Who knew, really?

He wasn't one for what-ifs, but he couldn't help but weigh the risk the kid had taken upon himself to help Sabo against the risk Sabo had faced. Either this kid was as kind as he seemed, or he was wandering around like a lost puppy and latched onto the man for lack of any other supportive person in his life. Or lack of any constant person in his life, it seemed.

Once he had gotten over the startling whiplash and dragged his wandering thoughts back on track, Sabo found that he was actually quite… comfortable. The tendrils had originally wrapped around him in several places, dragging his body along for the ride. But now that they were on the move, new ones had settled him into a semi-seated position, looping underneath his thighs, knees, and both upper and lower back. He was leaning forward quite a bit in a bid to reduce the drag of his body against the air, since the kid was entirely perpendicular to the water and seemed to glide through the air without much difficulty at all.

From a distance, it probably looked as though Sabo was seated on the kid's back, but he was hovering at least a few centimeters above. A quick glance confirmed that the black tendrils were also wrapped all around the kid's body as well, essentially tying the man to him without forcing them to touch.

He couldn't help but spare a moment to wonder if the kid didn't want to be touched, or if he was worried that Sabo was the one that would complain.

He wasn't settled on the kid's middle back, which would have been the best place to sit if he had been sitting on the kid directly—but instead, he was closer to the kid's haunches. Which made sense, considering the kid's worn and torn backpack covered most of his back. Sabo's own bag was also on his back, also carefully secured with the tendrils.

Curiously, the tendrils had formed quite the intricate net that secured them in place. Oddly enough, it made him feel far more safe than most of the secure vessels he had traveled on. Sabo could only assume that this was the kid's doing. He would have liked a bit of warning, or even an off-handed mention that he could do this, but supposed he should really come to expect the unexpected at this point in his career.

Besides, Sabo wasn't complaining since he had a hold on everything that could be incriminating and the warship was a mere speck in the distance. There was no way that the Marines would be able to catch up to him now. He had never been one to believe in karma or some kind of universal judgment, given all the horrible people that continued to do whatever vile thing they pleased without consequence. But he couldn't deny that good will often begot good will. He had helped the kid and it seemed the kid was keen to help him in return.

At the moment, putting aside his gratitude and doubts alike, Sabo just had to know one thing.

"Where are we going?!" he shouted into the wind, wincing as he barely heard his own voice over the air rushing past his ears.

Surprisingly, the kid seemed to at least hear that he was trying to speak, since he turned his head so that his own ears weren't completely deafened by the breeze.

They were high enough that the air was noticeably thinner, though not significant enough to cause any issues. Even so, keeping his breathing even and deep took more effort than he cared to admit, but he sucked in a deep breath anyway and repeated himself. He tried to shout louder than before, though he wasn't sure he'd managed it. At the very least, the kid looked as though he understood. Even so, he didn't attempt to provide a response, not that Sabo believed he would have been able to hear the exact question anyway. So they continued without a word for several more minutes before their speed slowly decreased until eventually they were just floating in place above the open sea, no land, ship or people in sight.

While the kid had adjusted himself so he was vertical once more, Sabo remained hovering in the air next to him, only supported by the black tendrils.

He was a bit… perplexed as to how they were hovering in mid-air. Sabo knew that it couldn't have been one of the Six Powers the Marines used, since it required rapid movement of the legs to jump in the air. Hovering like this without jolting slightly up and down was quite literally impossible with that technique. But he wasn't going to comment on it. He'd seen plenty of strange things in the Grand Line, what was one more?

"Sorry for not warning you. I wanted to get us far enough away before I risked slowing down to explain," the kid blurted out, just as Sabo had been prepared to repeat his question.

The man nodded, since that was a smart thing to do, "It's quite alright. Your quick thinking saved us from a good deal of trouble. I only wanted to ask where we were going."

The boy offered a sheepish look.

"You have no idea, do you?" Sabo laughed, "That's alright, I might have an idea."

"Is it… where you were planning to go originally? I can drop you off somewhere else if you need me to. You don't have to take a detour because of me."

The blonde just started at the kid, a frown tugging at his lips. If he were a normal person with a normal life, he might have taken the kid up on that. But he knew he couldn't just direct him back to Baltigo and risk their security just because it was an inconvenience to delay his return. Besides, he had already considered making a stop to visit Ivankov and discuss potentially bringing them back into the fold. With any luck, the kid wouldn't be too put off by the queerness.

He shook his head. It would work out.

"No, I was planning to stop by there anyway. There is an island somewhat close by. I have a friend there… or perhaps a colleague is a better term. There is no Marine presence on or around the island, so we could rest there temporarily, if that suits your fancy," Sabo proposed.

The kid seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding, "You will have to navigate as we go."

"No problem, let met just grab the eternal pose from my bag. We were already headed in the right direction, I just need to make sure we don't drift off course."

As Sabo rustled through his bag to find the hidden pocket with a handful of eternal poses, he noticed the kid was doing much the same with his own backpack. By the time he tucked away his log pose in exchange for the eternal pose, the kid had settled his bag into is place on his back. The kid looked at him expectantly, as though he had hoped Sabo wouldn't comment on the rusted, dented, dirty face-guard the kid had placed around his neck.

Well, he wasn't going to say anything. It would likely be useful as a windbreaker. The only question he had was why the kid had something like that. Especially something that was so clearly fitted to his face and expertly crafted, yet so utterly ruined beyond repair. There was no way that had been something he'd found in the trash or made himself.

"Was there anything identifying on that ship?" the kid inquired, looking… a bit nervous, if not guilty, startling Sabo out of his thoughts.

Sabo smiled softly, "No, there's nothing that will trace back to either of us, unless you left something there yourself."

The kid seemed to process this, his frown deepening as his eyebrows furrowed.

"So where, exactly, are we going?" the kid asked as he once again manipulated those tendrils so the two of them were back in a comfortable—yet aerodynamic—position.

"You'll know it when you see it," he laughed, "The trees are bright pink, so you'll spot it the moment it peeks over the horizon. My colleague—and the people that live there, honestly—are a bit strange, so please don't mind them when we get there."

Assuming Ivankov actually returned there after Marineford. The communications officers back at Baltigo had yet to hear anything back from them, but there had been no reported sightings since then, so he figured this was the best place to look. He supposed it was always possible that Ivankov was headed straight back to Baltigo. That would be out of character for Iva, though if that was the case, they could at the very least stock up on supplies from friendly faces.

"If you say so."

Without another word, Sabo leaned down to show the kid the direction the pose was pointing. The kid squinted at the horizon, glancing between the two for a moment before settling the face-guard into place over his face. Then they were off once more, flying at insane speeds towards their destination.

The trip, though easy, was more than a bit boring. Aside from the few times he'd had to steer the kid back in the right direction a when he'd gradually veered off course, everything was… uneventful. In his line of work, that was a good thing. For some reason, it was unsettling.

Typically, Sabo would use travel time like this to chat up his colleagues, but with the wind rushing in their ears, that wasn't feasible. He would rather not lose his voice by attempting to scream over the loud air. With only the strong breeze, bright sun, and occasional shifting of the tendrils to keep him company, Sabo had too much time to think. Most of that time was spent thinking about the kid.

Of course at some point, nature called and he'd had to tap the kid repeatedly to get him to slow down enough to hear him. Stopping to relieve himself had been… more than a bit awkward. The kid didn't make a huge fuss about it, but that hadn't erased the utter embarrassment that came with having to ask him to stop for such a reason. Twice. But at least the kid also took advantage of the opportunity as well.

Sabo had also forced the kid to pause their trip once more mid-day, pulling out rations from his bag. The kid hadn't had any food in his—which he only knew because he'd dug through it back in the base (he hated that the kid seemed content to not mention it—and he'd been expending a lot of energy by flying such large distances. With a passenger no less. Although the kid had tried to deny it, Sabo had seen the beads of sweat on the kid's forehead as well as the way his hands shook.

Hell, the kid had started using his legs as well, giving small kicks that made the ride noticeably rougher than before.

Needless to say, Sabo was unimpressed with the kid's willingness to ignore his own exhaustion in favor of reaching their destination. That was biggest issue with their method of travel, in Sabo's opinion. The kid was their only method of transport and he couldn't take a break at any point until they either arrived at Momoiro or found some small, insignificant island or debris somewhere that they could use to rest. And they certainly hadn't found the latter so far, otherwise he would have insisted that the kid take a breather.

And Sabo didn't think he could make any progress swimming while keeping the kid's head above water. Hell, he wasn't sure he could tread water with the kid's dead weight for long enough that he could recover some energy. Plus he'd have to dry off before using his powers, which meant Sabo would have to keep his whole body above water…

Yeah, so as much as he wished he could force the kid to relax and take care of himself, it was ultimately the least feasible option.

But that presented the second biggest issue with this method; Sabo had absolutely no idea how much further or longer they had until they reached Momoiro. Normally, when sailing, there was a decent estimation of how long certain trips would take. There was always error, of course, since weather was unpredictable, brutal, and often disrupted the most direct route. But as things were now, Sabo had no sense of their travel speed.

Sabo hoped the kid would be able to reach the island, otherwise they were as good as dead. If it wasn't drowning via exhaustion, it would be starvation, since he only had so many rations.

Luckily, he wasn't the type of person to be pessimistic. Despite the sighs of exhaustion, the kid had yet to actually slow down or nod off. They hadn't lost altitude nor wobbled enough for Sabo to think the kid had been about to fall asleep at any point. Even though it had been hour at this point, they were still going steady.

It was a bit baffling, if nothing else. Sabo had come across a number of powerful people, especially those with Devil Fruits, but he hadn't ever witnessed someone using it on end for so long. The kid had managed to make it for nearly all of the hours that the sun was in the sky. At the moment, the sun was setting and he was at a loss for what to do.

The kid occasionally gave off sporadic sparks that danced like lightning around him. He only noticed how each one illuminated the area around them a little bit once the sky grew less bright, so at least he would still be able to check his log pose. Yet he couldn't help but think about the other possibilities of something going wrong. They had yet to set foot on anything solid, and given how barren the waters had been all day, he had a sinking feeling that that would continue to be the case well into the night. On the off chance it wasn't, he was worried they would miss it.

He didn't want the kid to continue without sleep, though the kid simply shrugged off his concerns when he'd grown worried enough to ask him to stop.

So he let that slide without a fight (not that he had an alternative option that didn't spell certain death), though he kept that concern in the back of his mind and promised himself to keep an eye on the kid's level of exhaustion.

Of course, the other concern he had was the fact that the light from the sparks lit them up like a beacon in the dark. Although he was mostly sure that they hadn't been followed, if they came across anyone, there was a good chance they wouldn't be able to hide. And if whoever they stumbled upon was a threat… well, the kid was tired and he didn't have solid ground to fight on.

Sabo knew it wasn't likely that they would cross paths with anyone, but in his experience, it was better to be safe than sorry. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst and all that.

They continued to travel into the night, only stopping once more when Sabo insisted the kid eat again and they took the time to relieve themselves. He was determined to stay awake with the kid to monitor and keep watch while the kid focused on what was no doubt an equally exhausting and mind-numbing task. Honestly, he admired the kid's ability to continue on like this with a single-minded focus that very few people possessed. Of course, Sabo had met many people of that sort by nature of his… profession, but such a strong will from a child was an oddity.

Unfortunately, Sabo didn't have that same kind of drive, though admittedly he had been running on only a few hours of sleep a night for the past four weeks, barring the previous night in that rented room. Despite blinking himself back awake once, twice, five times, Sabo eventually drifted off into a dreamless sleep to the sound of rushing wind and reassuring flickering lights emanating from the kid carrying him.

The trip had been going smoothly so far. He was still a bit on edge and annoyed, but honestly, when was he not? Last night, he'd checked as to whether the Vivre Card had moved and it hadn't. At least, not noticeably. They were still a little too far away for any minor movements to be noticeable, but Ace figured that since Deku was likely stuck in a cell, there wouldn't be any changes anyway.

Jozu had convinced him to take a break and sleep before he passed out either from exhaustion or one of his sleep attacks, reassuring him that everything would go smoothly in the mean time. And he trusted his crewmates, his brothers, so he had relented. But that had been last night.

The minute he'd woken up, it was already mid-morning and he'd rushed to the navigation room to ensure that everything was on track. He'd been more than a bit annoyed to find the room empty, but given the smell of food wafting through the floorboards, he figured it was for a good cause.

But then Ace frowned as something caught hit attention. Something definitely wasn't right.

Based on the eternal poses and their speed, the Vivre Card should have been moving straight ahead. But right now, it was drifting to the left. Did that mean that Deku had moved? Had the Marines really scheduled him to be escorted to prison so soon? Sure, the kid had proven himself to be more than capable of fending off powerful Marines, but was he truly that much of a threat that they would push up their typical schedule?

Even Ace had waited in a Marine Base cell for a week before being transported to Impel Down. Hell, they hadn't even bothered to give him a fake trial that they were known for (which, he now knew was because his idiot of a brother had utterly demolished the place).

And now Deku was being taken not threedays after his capture? Or at least after his captivity had been publicly announced. It didn't make sense. Either the Marines had lied to save face and Deku was still running free or Deku had managed to escape and had fled a great enough distance that the Vivre Card was shifting directions.

Ace was utterly torn between the possibilities—between his doubt and lack of respect for the Marines and their capabilities and his disbelief of Deku's surprising competency. Obviously he hoped it was the former, but if it was that latter, he would revel in pride for the kid.

With a groan Ace rubbed his forehead and steeled his nerves. He didn't want the inevitable I told you so from Marco, but he knew keeping everyone in the loop was important. He couldn't just rush off and make brash decisions on his own, since that was what had gotten them into this whole mess in the first place. Izou wouldn't let him forget that. So as he walked out of the navigation room, he didn't bother searching for anyone.

Instead, he yelled out, "We've got a situation here!"

Partially because he knew it would annoy the crap out of Marco and partially because he knew that they would discuss it faster if he called everyone at once rather than searching for them individually. Not that this was a particularly big vessel, but he'd had more than one impromptu, accidental game of hide and seek even in relatively close quarters.

Jozu was the first to arrive, likely since he had taken up the morning watch. Izou was next, just moments later looking as immaculate as always despite likely having just woken up again. Marco was last, not sparing a moment before glaring at Ace. He just gave the man a sheepish grin and brushed it off.

If he could forgive Marco for his… comments, Marco could forgive him for pushing his buttons as most siblings would.

"The Vivre Card is pointing in a different direction now," he explained without any preamble.

Izou pursed his lips, his eyebrows pinching as he tried to decipher the implications of that statement with his sleep-addled brain. Jozu seemed to put two and two together based on the pensive frown that took over his face. But his other brother… his other brother looked uneasy at the news.

Ace led them back to the navigation room so they could see for themselves, "I only noticed this morning. We haven't changed course, based on the eternal poses, so this means Deku is on the move."

"It doesn't make sense that they would have such a short timeline. Typically it takes a week to process captured criminals before transport," Izou muttered.

Much to Ace's surprise, Marco jumped in to correct him, "But not if the Marines want to save face. With Ace, they had to keep everything under-wraps by making all their actions as non-urgent as possible. They kept his capture under the radar until the right time. Since Deku was shown to hold back the most powerful Marines to the whole world, it would make sense that they were streamlining everything to ensure his capture wouldn't be disrupted."

Jozu nodded, "I've been thinking. It was always odd that Deku's capture was announced before they had him secured in Impel Down. It's possible that the media leaked it and the Marines hadn't originally wanted anyone to know until they were ready."

Ace was relieved that they seemed to agree that there was still a high likelihood that Deku was indeed captured by the Marines. If they had started debating whether they should abandon their mission because of the quick transport, he would have lost it.

"Well then," Marco sighed, "Let's get to work on revising our plan."

The four of them shared a hopeful smile, one that made Ace's chest grow warm despite the fact that he was literally made of fire. He wouldn't trade this for the world.

Hopefully, he could show Deku that he deserved this happiness too.