Demons run when a good man goes to war

Situated on a little island in the corner of the Grandline was a revolutionary base with more civilians than fighters. It was disguised as a fishing port and conveniently located in the center of the intersecting paths. It acted mainly as a resting place for revolutionaries to recuperate and replenish their supplies.

Sabo had not wanted to linger long, but the tranquil atmosphere and sea gulls in the evenings made him craved for peace and solitude.

It wasn't something that he gets to enjoy often, so Sabo was reluctant to leave.

He looked down at his work desk, not really seeing anything. Holding back a sigh, he rubbed his tired eyes. The ink on the documents in front of him looked like they were going to melt off the pages the longer he strained his eyes.

Hiding a yawn, he finally submitted to the exhaustion plaguing him, rolling back his aching shoulders as he straightened up. He slowly gathered the documents together to put them aside.

Being a revolutionary wasn't as glamourous as it sounded. There were much more to it than raiding slave ships, rescuing prisoners and opposing the World Government.

Namely, the monotonous and tedious paperwork. They existed for a reason after all. The revolutionary had to operate in an efficient and organized manner and everything had to be archived for that to happen.

Sabo always suspected that the only reason he was appointed Chief of Staff was because Dragon had not wanted to deal with any of that.

He prided himself on his meticulousness and really, he had to be the only idiot around that gave a damn about the paperwork. But he could never stand clutter.

He was jerked out of his thoughts when the doors to his quarters banged open. He instinctively reached out for his weapon by his side, freezing when he registered the crimson newsboy cap.

"Sabo!" Koala panted, bending over to catch her breath. "Look at this!"

She staggered towards him, slamming a rolled newspaper on the desk. The newspaper unfolded, displaying the bounty picture of a grinning, freckled Ace that took up at least half of the page.

He quickly skimmed through the article, his heart rate increasing as he picked up words like 'arrested', 'execution' and 'Impel Down'.

"Ace..." He breathed, suddenly feeling lightheaded. His legs turned to jelly and his knees buckled.

"Whoa, Sabo!" Koala exclaimed, nearly flipping the desk over as she rushed to catch him. "Are you alright?"

"Ace–" He repeated weakly. He has to stop the execution, he has to save his brother, he has to – to –

"Get a grip of yourself!" Koala shouted, slapping his cheek lightly. The slight sting on his cheek jerked him out of his hysterical panicking. When he looked up at her, his face was desperate and focused.

"I have to save Ace." He said, his eyes as hard as flint.

Night will fall and drown in sun
when a good man goes to war

Friendship dies and true love lies

Night will fall and the dark will rise

"That's six – no, a dozen levels of stupid, Sabo!" Koala raged as she struggled to catch up with his longer strides. "You can't just charge in there and save him! Without a plan!"

Watch me, he thought stubbornly as he continued to ignore her.

"You're going to jeopardize everything! Are you trying to drag the revolutionary into a war?!" She demanded, reaching out to seize his arm.

"I don't care!" he growled, trying to yank his arm back from her grip. But she was too strong and she refused to let go. "There is nothing more important than my brother!"

"Listen to reason, Sabo, please. Marineford is going to be swarming with high-ranking marines. All three Admirals are going to be there, and so is the Shichibukai. Do you think Whitebeard is going to abandon Ace? He has been tearing apart the New World trying to reclaim back his son and he's definitely going to be there to rescue Ace. Marineford is going to be filled with chaos and if you just go charging into that mess alone, you might die!" She yelled, face turning red in anger.

"And if I stay here and not do anything and – and just wait for Ace to be rescued, I will never be able to raise my head and face Luffy again!" He retorted fiercely, not in the least swayed by her argument.

When it came to his brothers' safety, he's deaf to reason.

"I'm going to Marineford, Koala," he said determinedly. "I don't want to fight you, but if you try to stop me, I won't hold back on you."

Her hand tightened around his forearm, blunt nails digging into his flesh. Her jaw clenched angrily as she met his glare with an equally furious one of her own.

It was barely a minute, but it felt like hours to Sabo, but Koala finally relented as her grip loosened.

"Fine. But either you're taking me with you," She exhaled in frustration, giving him a wilful look of challenge. "Or you're not going anywhere."

His face softened and relief warmed his chest. Before she could react, he was hugging her tightly in gratitude.

"Thank you thank you thank–" He chanted. The daunting mission ahead suddenly doesn't feel as scary as before anymore, if he has his best friend by his side.

"Yeah, yeah." Koala flushed in embarrassment, shoving him away. But there was a noticeable lack of protest when he dragged her away.

When a good man goes to war

Demons run but count the cost

"When Dragon-san finds out about this, I'm going to say that you threatened me into this." Koala said as she watched the port in the distance gradually grew smaller.

Sabo was too anxious to do anything more than rolled his eyes at her.

"He'll be fine." She smiled slightly, eyes gentle when she noticed his anxiety.

He bowed his head, twisting and rubbing his fingers together. He was grateful for her attempt at reassuring him, but he wouldn't be able to relax until he sees Ace.

"If I know Luffy at all, he'll be there too." He murmured.

Koala laughed, her teeth showing. "Definitely."

She has never met either of Sabo's brothers, but the blonde used to speak of them, weaving childhood memories into stories that made his eyes bright and his smile gentle and full of longing and love. Her heart ached whenever he gets that particular look on his face, that heart-breaking loneliness that caused him to retreat into himself and locked his heart behind a steel door. Koala knew that whenever that happened, there were only two people in this world that possessed the keys to unlock that door.

Luffy sounded even more insane and reckless than Sabo, and she couldn't imagine how but he sounded like the sort of guy that would storm Marineford to save his brother. She could only pray that at least the younger man's crew was with him.

"I'm scared." Sabo whispered, and all the things he wouldn't – couldn't say rang unspoken between them. Scared of not being able to save Ace, of facing his brothers, of failing Luffy, of losing his brothers again.

It terrified him.

"He'll be fine." Koala said emphatically, squeezing his hand. "And I'll be watching your back, so you can do whatever you have to and save Ace."

He wanted to respond but his throat felt tight and he couldn't breathe so he simply nodded.

He gazed out at the endless sea, unexpectedly calm and serene – a brief respite before the chaos that would soon sweep across the entire world. The calm before the storm.

"I'm coming, Ace."

He closed his eyes and breathed and prayed that he wasn't too late.

The battle is won but the child is lost