Sabo struggled to remain on his feet, blood dripping down he side of his face, body groaning in agony - his ribs were probably broken. His lungs screamed at him, and his legs wobbled, but still he stood facing the two admirals.

His companions....comrades in arms.....they were all out there, he knew.

Fighting CP9 for their lives, and their cause.

Hopefully they would escape - they had to escape. The information they held would be the key to turn the tide of the world.....

He stumbled forward, but caught himself before he fell.

The admiral - Ryokugyu? - stared at him unwaveringly, a smirk slipping onto his face. "Give it up, little revolutionary. Your cause is doomed, and the rest of your compatriots are likely getting their asses handed to them. Save us the time of beating you into more of a pulp and surrender."

"Never," Sabo spat, gasping for breath. He'd hardly heard the admiral, but he still knew the answer. "This cause is one that I am willing to die for."

"Then your life will end here," said Fujitora, the other admiral.

It had been a last ditch effort. Sabo was willing to be the sacrifice - if it meant that his comrades could escape, and get to Dragon with the princess of Alabasta, then he would die gladly for them.

Sabo had fought the two for as long as he could, using every little trick he could manage. He just hoped that he'd given them enough time.

"Wait," someone drawled. "I do not permit you the right to kill this....abomination."

Sabo froze. That aura....

Fujitora slowly sheathed his sword, head bowed in respect. "Elder."

Ryokugyu sheathed his sword, still grinning smugly.

Sabo wanted to wipe that damn smile right off.

"Grab him." came the same cold and indifferent voice.

Immediately, Sabo felt someone yank on his arms roughly. No strength left, he could only let them carry him away, head hanging limply.

"If you do not mind me asking, Elder...." Fujitora began to inquire, Sabo barely making sense of the muffled words. "What is it you plan to do with the man?"

"That is none of your concern, Admiral."

Sabo's vision grew dark, and all he could do was curse whatever fates landed him in his predicament.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Koala stared at the newspaper with shaking hands. "Sabo...." she said, blinking away tears. "No, this - this has to be some sort of lie, right?"

Dragon's face was grim. "We must find out the facts for ourselves."

"Yes!" Iva agreed. "There is no way Sabo would do this sort of thing!"

The voices around her blurred around her and she could only stare at the paper. Stumbling out of the room, she continued on into the grove of trees. Pink petals fluttered downwards, Koala lightheaded.

Putting a hand on a tree for support, she ended up propped up against it, back to the trunk, and she slid down until she was sitting.

Koala wasn't a stranger to harsh news. It was simply something they had to deal with - but this? Sabo....

The newspaper spoke lies, she new. Sabo would never hurt Nefertari Vivi or her father - he was not the assassin of the Alabastan king. But what worried her, was what it didn't tell.

They'd caught Sabo.

The World Government had her partner.

Would they leave him to rot in Impel Down? Would they give him a live execution just as they had with his brother two years back?

And she didn't even want to think about the worst option - she'd been broken when she was younger, and she sure as hell wouldn't let it happen to Sabo.

Her panic settled into a deadly calm resolve, and she wiped the water from her eyes. Koala would rescue him, consequences be damned.

Standing from the tree, she emerged from the grove and entered the base once more. Quietly shutting the door behind her, she walked up to Dragon. The man looked distressed, a strange look on him - when Dragon was distressed, it usually meant bad things.

"Dragon," Koala said, eyes meeting his own. She wondered what he saw in them, if they reflected his own determination. "Let me handle getting our Chief of Staff back."