Dragon stood atop the city wall, his expression dark after hearing the scream echo through Baltigo.
"She found out after all…"
He rubbed his forehead with a headache forming behind his eyes.
"As expected, this couldn't stay hidden forever."
He slowly turned around while thinking about how to handle the situation.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed behind him.
"Koala, wait!"
"Don't run off recklessly!"
A girl rushed out from inside the castle.
She had short orange hair and wore a fitted dress with red heels. A small hat with goggles rested on her head.
Koala.
One of the Revolutionary Army's commanders, and the woman closest to Sabo.
Behind her, another figure hurriedly chased after her.
He wore a white robe, his curly light blue hair swaying as he ran. Faint fishman features could be seen around his face.
Hack.
"Koala, stop being impulsive!" Hack shouted while catching his breath.
But Koala ignored him completely.
The moment she saw Dragon standing ahead, she immediately tried to rush past him.
Dragon raised his arm and stopped her.
"Move!"
Koala looked up at him with reddened eyes.
"I'm going to save Sabo!"
She struggled fiercely, trying to break free from Dragon's grip.
Hack finally arrived beside them, panting heavily.
"Koala... listen first..."
"Sabo is waiting for me!" Koala shouted back at him.
Dragon finally spoke in a low voice.
"Koala, calm down."
The moment she heard that, tears immediately gathered in her eyes again.
"Dragon... do you even understand what happened?"
"Sabo was captured by the World Government."
"They're going to publicly execute him in less than a month!"
By the end of her sentence, her voice had already broken into sobs.
Dragon sighed quietly.
For a moment, he did not know how to explain things to her.
Koala suddenly froze.
Her gaze shifted between Dragon and Hack.
Then her expression changed.
"You already knew... didn't you?"
Hack awkwardly scratched his head.
"We... uh..."
Dragon's face also became somewhat stiff.
Koala's breathing grew heavier.
"You all knew?"
Her voice suddenly rose.
"WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME?!"
The final words were nearly screamed.
At that moment, she finally realized the truth.
The entire Revolutionary Army had probably known about Sabo's capture for days.
Only she had been left in the dark.
If she had not accidentally found the hidden newspapers earlier, she might still know nothing even now.
No wonder Sabo had not answered any of her calls recently.
Normally, even during missions, he would still contact her at least once or twice a day.
But these past few days, every Den Den Mushi call she made had gone unanswered.
She originally thought he was simply busy with a classified mission.
She never imagined he had already fallen into the hands of the World Government.
And everyone around her had deliberately hidden it.
Koala stared at Hack.
"You helped hide it from me too?"
Hack immediately looked toward Dragon for help.
Unfortunately, Dragon remained silent.
Hack had no idea how to explain this situation.
Dragon slowly released Koala's arm.
"We didn't tell you because we knew exactly how you'd react."
Koala clenched her fists tightly.
"Then you admit it?"
"Yes."
Dragon did not deny it.
"We intentionally kept it from you."
Koala looked at him in disbelief.
She had always viewed Dragon as someone dependable, someone who would never hide important matters from his comrades.
But now he was personally admitting it.
"You knew how important Sabo is to me…"
Tears streamed down her face again.
Dragon's expression softened slightly.
"That's exactly why we hid it."
"We know you."
"The moment you learned about this, you would've rushed to Mary Geoise without hesitation."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"But have you considered what would happen if you went there alone?"
Koala bit her lip and lowered her head.
Dragon continued.
"We all care about Sabo."
"When I first received the news, I also wanted to rescue him immediately."
"But emotion alone changes nothing."
Koala slowly looked up.
"Then what are we supposed to do?"
Dragon turned toward the sea beyond the city walls.
"The Revolutionary Army is not strong enough to fight the World Government head-on yet."
"The Marines alone already surpass us in military power."
"And they are only one part of the World Government."
His voice remained steady.
"Mary Geoise is the center of their rule."
"If we attack recklessly, we'll simply throw our lives away."
Koala fell silent.
Dragon continued explaining.
"This public execution is clearly a trap."
"In the past, even Ace's execution was handled directly by the Marines."
"But this time, the World Government itself publicly announced Sabo's execution."
"That alone proves this operation is different."
"Their real targets are the Revolutionary Army and Peach Garden."
"They want to lure us out and destroy us in one battle."
Koala's eyes gradually regained clarity.
Her intelligence had always been among the best within the Revolutionary Army.
She simply lost her composure because the situation involved Sabo.
Dragon continued calmly.
"The World Government is using Sabo as bait."
"They want to weaken every force connected to him, especially Peach Garden."
Koala clenched her fists.
"Then are we seriously going to leave Sabo there suffering?"
The image from the newspaper flashed through her mind again.
Sabo kneeling inside that filthy prison cell.
Covered in injuries.
Hack sighed quietly after seeing her expression.
Love really made people irrational.
Dragon finally spoke again.
"This situation is already equivalent to the World Government declaring war on us."
Koala's eyes widened.
She knew the Revolutionary Army's ultimate goal was to overthrow the Celestial Dragons and destroy the World Government's rule.
But she never expected the final confrontation to arrive this soon.
Dragon glanced at her.
"I already contacted Rolan."
"We're heading to Peach Garden."
Hearing that name, Koala's tense expression relaxed slightly.
Dragon continued.
"You should trust Sabo."
"He's not weak enough to break from this."
"The World Government still needs time to prepare."
"They won't kill him before the execution date."
Koala understood that much.
But prisons under the World Government were hellish places.
Nobody inside would be treated properly.
Dragon seemed to see through her thoughts.
"Don't worry."
"Rolan already arranged people inside the prison."
Only then did Koala finally let out a small breath of relief.
Meanwhile, on Nine Snake Island within Peach Garden territory...
Another scream suddenly echoed across the island.
"SABO!!"
===
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