Sabo looked up groggily. His arms chained above him, all he was able to do was dangle helplessly. His coat, vest, and boots were gone, leaving him in his undershirt and slacks - both run ragged.

From what he could tell, he was in a small chamber, shadows creeping up its walls. Unlike average cells, the one he was kept in was sterile. It made him wonder who had been in the cell before he had become its occupant, and what exactly that person was put through.

To put it simply, it worried Sabo, but not as much as his spectators did. But he smirked anyways. "Wow, looks like I have a full turn-out tonight. Didn't expect that all five of you would show up."

The five Elders stood before him, surveying him calculatedly. The blond one in the suit glared at him. "Silence, human!"

"What lovely weather we're having," Sabo continued. "I'd heard a thunderstorm was fore-casted for today, but since I'm in this cell I'm all -"

A crack echoed throughout the cell, and Sabo's chains rattled. He blinked away the spots in his eyes. Damn, he thought. They may be old, but they can swing punches like nobody's business. He smiled, though one of his wounds had opened up from the slap, blood dripping down his face. "Careful there, or you might ruin my handsome face."

"Enough of this, you cocky brat," the wanna-be Whitebeard growled, though Sabo figured Whitebeard had been more impressive. "You will answer our questions, or die."

Sabo lifted his chin. "At least I have something worth dying for. You're just grubby old men hoarding their own worthless wealth."

"Why, you -" the blond one stepped forward, fists clenched, when the tall bearded one put his arm out, halting the advancement of the blond one.

"Do not rise to his provocations. He is a simple dog, barking." His eyes glinted. "There are many ways to get a dog to behave."

"Oh yeah?" Sabo spat at them. "Just try it."

The bald one came forward - he was the only one dressed in traditional robes, and used a sword as a cane. Sabo briefly considered attempting to steal it to break out, but it wouldn't work - one needed free hands to use a sword, after all. And he was anything but free.

"What did you learn?"

"My friend taught me how to cross-stitch," Sabo answered. "You should try it sometime."

"Where is the Revolutionary Army located?"

"To the right of the North Star, obviously," Sabo said.

"Where is Nefertari Vivi?"

"Not here," Sabo grinned sharply - the princess had gotten away safely. He couldn't save her father, but she had not been killed.

The bald man studied him closely, and Sabo looked him in the eyes. Finally, the bald man turned around. "He will not speak."

The blond man smiled - a nasty, ugly thing. Sabo had half a mind to tell him so. "So we'll break him until he does."

"No."

The mustached one arched an eyebrow. "He is the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army; are you sure we shouldn't torture him, then do away with him?"

The bald man stopped walking. "What he desires is death. I will not award him that."

With that, the bald man walked out of the cell.

The blond one crossed his arms. "Ah, I think I understand..."

The man with the beard nodded. "Perfect timing for the auction."

Sabo froze. Auction....

"We'll have to contact that auctioneer. Tell him to only bring the special specimens. After all, an auction in Mariejois must be perfect." The man with the scar about his eye looked at Sabo. "Isn't that right, Mr. Revolutionary?"

The rest of the Elders filed out of the door. The one with the blond one began closing the door. "Enjoy your last couple days as a free man, human."

The door closed, and Sabo was left in darkness. He wasn't sure how long he was in there. They didn't feed him. No one came in at all.

Auction.

They were going to auction him off.

Sabo knew many escaped slaves - they seemed to gravitate towards the Revolutionary Army, for either protection or as an outlet for their rage at the injustices against them. His own partner had been an escaped slave. She didn't speak about it, but he knew that she had nightmares often, especially after a mission. He'd seen the Mark of the Sun on her back, knew the mark that it covered.

He had destroyed many auction houses, freed hundreds of slaves. Sabo had broken off slave collars, and crushed the chains to dust. He fought for freedom - and by fighting for it, he was going to lose it.

And there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was too weak, too wounded, to use any haki techniques to rip his chains off, and the seastone cuffs binding him stole his remaining energy. All he could do was sit there, and wait, even though he wanted to rub his wrists raw trying to escape.

Koala preached patience - and common sense. If he was going to escape, he needed to be in peak condition. Because he would escape. He still had a job to do. He still had a little brother to look after. Neither was something he could just drop. Even if it killed him, he would escape Mariejois.

After what seemed like ages, the door cracked open. It wasn't any of the five Elders. Instead, it was a wiry, greasy looking man dressed in a velvet suit, a yellow rose tucked into the front pocket. A few thugs stood behind him.

The greasy man walked into the room delicately and looked Sabo over, nodding. "Ah, yes. The star of the show tonight. Even with the mermaids and the sky people, the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army is bound to get the Celestial Dragons riled up!" The man nodded to the brutes. "Collar him. The auction starts soon, and it needs to go without a hitch!"

One of the thugs stomped over and practically shoved the collar around his throat so hard it knocked the wind out of him. He instantly noticed how heavy it was, how it weighed on his shoulders. The other one unlocked the chains, and Sabo stumbled to the floor, arms free.

Immediately he was tugged forwards by the chain connected to the collar around his neck.

"Now," the man said primly. "I suppose you know the drill here, considering the amount of auctions you've crashed in the past, but if you try to escape, that collar will go ka-boom, understand? There'll be trouble if you try to escape day one and we're demanded a refund, you know. Understand?"

Sabo glowered at the man. "Sorry, I don't."

The man raised his hand and slapped Sabo. "You fool! Don't cause any trouble for me...or for your new masters!"

"No one is my master."

The man suddenly gripped Sabo's chin, forcing him to look at the greasy man. "Listen here, you brat. You may have been some big shot outside of Mariejois, but here you are nothing. You'd better get used to being property, and quick."

Then the man tossed Sabo back and stalked off ahead of them. The thugs tugged on his chain, and they began walking again. Sabo looked around the halls. Just as his little cell, the hallways were small and filled with shadow. It was a place prisoners were put in to die. But what he was getting was worse.

An idea - not a plan, per say, but a vague idea - began to form in his head as he walked through the passage. Koala had told him about a fishman named Fisher Tiger; apparently, he had broken into Mariejois and freed the slaves there. If Sabo could get himself free at some point...maybe he could free the other slaves.

And burn down Mariejois while he was at it.

Suddenly, they stopped. They'd arrived in a large room, cells filled with people - mermaids, fishmen, minks, and humans. Sabo was shoved into one of the cells at the end of the room. He stumbled into the wall, but ended up bracing himself against it.

The other occupants in the cage - a mermaid whose scales seemed to reflect rainbows and a child mink - looked at him. His heart clenched - they looked so devoid of hope. Sabo smiled at them with clenched teeth as he gripped his side. It had been injured in his fight against Rob Lucci, to protect Vivi from being assassinated.

(That was actually how they'd been discovered....But as long as everyone was alright, and they completed their mission, Sabo wouldn't apologize for saving the woman's life. She treated her people well, and she was also Luffy's friend.)

"Listen up people!" the man raised his voice, addressing all the people in cells. "The show is going to start in a few moments, so be on your very best behavior!"

He was met by silence, but he seemed to take it as agreement. The man walked off through a door, and Sabo thought he glimpsed audience seats. They were filled with people with white robes, and he shivered with prickling rage. Celestial Dragons.

He turned to the mermaid and the mink child. "Hey, my name is Sabo. Are you two alright?"

The mermaid lifted her eyes to meet his. "Define 'alright'." she deadpanned.

Sabo tilted his head to think about it. Their situation was, in every single aspect, horrible, so he really doubted any of them were alright. But, "Not physically hurt?"

The mermaid's lips quirked upwards, but he found no humor in it. "Then I am doing rather wonderful, how about you, revolutionary?"

He rested the back of his head on the cool stone. "Eh. Could be better."

The mink looked up at him with wide eyes. "You're a....revolutionary?"

"I am," he answered.

"Don't get your hopes up, kid," the mermaid said. "Freedom fighters can't fight for freedom if they're not free. He's useless."

Sabo ignored the mermaid's cynicism. He wanted to reassure her that he'd free her, but he had an inkling that she wouldn't believe him. "Don't worry. I've got a card or two up my sleeve. Don't count me out just yet."

Improvisation was his one and only card. At least it was what he was best at, so he was kind of used to it. Sabo never got to use it in such odds before though.

At the front end of the cells, Sabo noticed people being taken from their cells and into the next room. The mink child beside him blanched, shivering. The mermaid paled at well, her eyes trained on the door.

"Do you want to learn a game?" Sabo offered to the mink, and the child turned his eyes to Sabo hopefully.

"A game?"

Sabo nodded sagely, forcing himself to ignore a woman sobbing as she was forced out of her cell. "Yeah, I used to play it all the time with my brothers. Here's how you play...."

Of course, no such game existed, but he was great at making stuff up on the fly. When he'd been younger, they'd never really played any traditional games - it was mostly "kill that tiger!" or "cross the swamp!" And he couldn't forget their daily challenges. (Sometimes they played poker with Dadan, but he didn't have any cards on him so that was off the table.)

The mink fully embraced the distraction, focusing on every word Sabo said. Even the mermaid seemed to be listening, as her eyes flickered from the door to Sabo. And whenever he heard the sounds of the other prisoners being forced out onto the auction stage, he made up a new rule. Some of the others in the cell next to them also seemed to be listening in as they crowded as close as they could to hear Sabo explain the game.

But one by one, they got picked off. Their cell door opened, and the thugs stepped in. Their eyes were pinned on the mink. Before he knew it, Sabo had placed himself in front of the mink.

"Hello there, gentlemen," Sabo smiled pleasantly. "Did you know how brittle bones are? So brittle - I've actually crushed a guy's skull once before, it was crazy."

The two thugs looked at each other, and advanced. Sabo rushed them, fists swinging. He had sat in his damn cell, listening to the brokenhearted prisoners. He didn't have his team to stop him from being reckless, and Sabo couldn't just sit their and let the kid face that crowd of vicious monsters.

Sabo slammed his fist against the thug's face, but the other thug yanked on the chain attached to his collar, then slammed his own fist into Sabo's own injured side. Sabo wheezed and crumpled to his knees.

"Sabo!" the mink cried out, the thugs picking him up from the scruff of his neck and carrying him out to the stage.

The mermaid looked down at him from where she sat in the corner. "Save yourself the trouble," she said. "And don't try to make yourself their own personal punching bag."

Sabo smiled bitterly. "Yeah. That'd be the smart thing to do."

His heart panged. Koala would probably know what to do - he got them into their messes, and she got them out. He missed her and her steady presence at his side. Even when they were young, she had felt solid, unlike himself - he had no home, no family, no memories. She was his rock.

When the thugs came to take away the mermaid, she just looked at him. "Save it for another day, revolutionary."

He was alone, and he allowed himself to acutely feel his own failure. The Revolutionary Army was supposed to help people, but there were hundreds of people out there, like the mermaid and the mink, who were being stolen from their homes and forced into servitude. How could they declare that they fought for freedom when there were so many still in captivity?

Every person rescued is another person freed. If we can save even one person, we can save another. Then another, until the world is under freedom's banner.

Finally, they came for Sabo. Tugging on his chain, he got to his feet and allowed them to show him out onto the stage. He dimly heard the announcer.

"-ere he is, the one you have all been waiting for, the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army!"

Sabo was led to the middle of the stage in front of the announcer. He glared into the bright, blinding lights.

"A fine specimen he is, don't you say? To become the second in command, he must be rather strong, so don't be discouraged by his battle wounds! He can do any manual labor, and can even be used as a mode of transportation!"

"And if you want a piece of eye candy, even with that scar, the Chief here is no joke! Look at that bright, curly hair! And those sky blue eyes, as well as his lean form! I've heard that he's actually the son of a noble family - no wonder he has such an appearance!"

"Along with his appearance and strength, the Chief here possesses a Devil Fruit! The Mera Mera no Mi, once held by pirate Gol D. Ace! A great addition to your household - you'll never be cold again!"

Sabo clenched his hands, shaking. How dare they even speak of his brother....How dare they force upon him a name he didn't want.

"And of course...." the announcer continued. "If you don't want him for practical means, he is the perfect slave to take your frustrations out on after a long day! As the Chief of Staff for the Revolutionary Army, it's as if you're delivering a direct blow to Monkey D. Dragon himself!"

That got the crowd talking. Sabo felt sick. This wasn't freedom - it wasn't what he, or his brothers, wanted. He'd always hated the spotlight, unless it was on the battlefield. He hated being placed under all those judgmental stares, and his scar, his scar - they're the ones at fault for his damned scar.

"And you can have him for a select amount of time! Now, we'll be starting the bidding a 602,000,000 berries! Any takers?"

"607,000,000!" someone shouted.

"607,500,000!"

"608,500,000!"

The announcer continued to rile up the crowd, and Sabo stood there, frozen. He felt if he moved, he would do something regrettable and have his head blown off. And as much as he didn't like his scars, he wanted to keep his head, thanks.

"Sold!" the announcer declared. "for 674,000,000 berries, to Saint Jalmack! Thank you all for attending....."

Sabo chain was yanked again, and he was led into a different holding area as the announcer thanked all of his sponsors (he made sure to remember each and every name). The rest of the prisoners were all in numbered cells, which he figured stood for a specific Celestial Dragon.

The cell he was in had a girl from Skypiea, her little wings tense. Sabo sat beside her, having no energy to comfort the girl, tears in her eyes.

Celestial Dragons began to pour into the room, taking the prisoners with them as if they were some new toy bought at the store.

Blinking, he saw a pair of feet stopped right in front of his cell. Raising his eyes, Sabo froze. That man.....

Fire sprung out from the deck of his boot, and Sabo hurried, flapping his coat at it in an attempt to put it out. Only a minute on the sea, and already he was being shot at.

Sabo looked up at the massive boat, and at the figures that looked down at him. One held a grenade launcher - he wore some sort of silly white clothing with what looked like a glass case over his head.

They locked eyes for a moment, and the man hoisted his grenade launcher at him once more. "No!" Sabo cried out. But it was too late - an explosion, fire, water filling his mouth and nose, that ringing sound that just wouldn't stop and -

Sabo stared at the man, horrified. "You," he whispered.

Saint Jalmack stared down at him, no hint of recognition in his eyes. The cell door swung open and two thugs came in and grabbed Sabo. Not knowing what was happening, Sabo struggled wildly, fists swinging and feet kicking until he was wrestled to the floor.

"The girl's can go on her back," Saint Jalmack stated with an air of indifference. "But him....I want it over the heart."

His shirt - they were more like rags a that point - was practically torn off, and Sabo's confusion cleared when he saw the tool the other thug was carrying. The branding iron of the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon - the brand of slavery.

Without mercy, the thug pressed the branding iron against his naked chest, and he held in a yell of pain.

But the smell of burnt skin reached his nose, and he couldn't help but think of that time, years ago, when he'd gained his other scars.