Sabo wanted to say something else, but the words got stuck in his throat.
No sound came out.
Only his bloodshot eyes and violently beating heart remained.
The entire battlefield fell into a strange silence for a moment as everyone looked toward Koala with complicated expressions.
The meaning behind her words was impossible to misunderstand.
Anyone could see how deeply she cared for Sabo.
Some people were even moved by her courage.
This was the largest war in the world.
Yet despite knowing the danger, she still came here without hesitation just to save the man she loved.
If not for the battlefield separating them, some people might have actually cheered for them.
Luffy blinked before turning toward Ace.
"Oi, Ace, is that Sabo's girlfriend?"
Ace stared at Koala for a few seconds before shaking his head slightly.
"I don't know. But those two definitely aren't ordinary partners."
Unlike before, Luffy now understood relationships far better.
After spending so much time with Margaret, he was no longer as clueless as he used to be.
Seeing Sabo with someone important to him made Luffy genuinely happy.
Meanwhile, Koala and Belo Betty's arrival had also drawn the attention of the Revolutionary Army.
Dragon rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"She still came in the end."
He already knew Belo Betty could never truly stop Koala.
Koala looked gentle most of the time, but once she made up her mind, even the Revolutionary Army's commanders struggled to change it.
Dragon had not wanted her to come because he understood Sabo too well.
Koala's presence would affect him emotionally.
Still, arriving before the war officially erupted was far better than appearing in the middle of complete chaos.
At least her chances of survival were higher.
Suddenly, a figure shot out from the Marine forces.
A heavily made-up female Vice Admiral stomped on the ground hard enough to crack it before launching herself toward Koala like a cannonball.
Armament Haki instantly wrapped around the blade in her hand.
A fierce pressure exploded outward.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared directly in front of Koala.
Belo Betty narrowed her eyes and raised her leg, Armament Haki covering her high heels.
But before she could move, Koala had already stepped forward first.
Bang!
A slender fist collided directly against the Vice Admiral's sword.
The crisp sound of metal rang across the battlefield.
The collision instantly released a violent shockwave that shattered the small aircraft beneath their feet.
The Vice Admiral's pupils shrank slightly.
She could clearly feel the terrifying strength hidden inside Koala's seemingly delicate arm.
A girl around twenty years old possessing strength like this was absurd.
The Vice Admiral sneered coldly.
"Little girl, this is a battlefield, not a playground. Go back before you lose your life."
As she spoke, she poured more force into her blade.
Koala was pushed backward several meters.
Seeing that, the Vice Admiral's expression became even more arrogant.
"Sabo!"
The moment Sabo saw Koala being forced back, his heart tightened instantly.
This was exactly what he feared.
Once the war started, Koala would become a target.
And what followed would be endless danger.
Luffy immediately stepped forward.
"I'm going to help her!"
Ace quickly grabbed his arm.
"Wait."
"Huh? But that's Sabo's girl!"
Before Luffy could rush out, Koala's voice suddenly rang across the battlefield.
"You know nothing about love!"
Boom!
Koala suddenly stepped backward with her right foot and planted it firmly into the shattered ground.
Her retreat instantly stopped.
At the same time, a powerful shockwave burst from her arm.
Fish-Man Karate.
The strange force traveled through the Vice Admiral's blade and directly into her body.
The Vice Admiral's face changed instantly.
"What?!"
Bang!
A terrifying force exploded outward.
The Vice Admiral was blasted away hundreds of meters like a broken kite before crashing heavily into the ground.
The surrounding Marines stared in shock.
Koala slowly lowered her fist.
From beginning to end, she did not even look at the Vice Admiral again.
Her eyes remained fixed only on Sabo.
"Sabo-kun, nobody is stopping me from saving you."
Sabo secretly relaxed after seeing her unharmed.
But his worry only deepened.
This battlefield was far too dangerous.
Even if Koala fought as a member of the Revolutionary Army instead of a prisoner, surviving here was still incredibly difficult.
Even Sabo himself did not know whether he would survive this war.
At this moment, more than anything else, he wished he were free.
Not to overthrow the World Government.
Not for freedom or revolution.
Just to stand beside Koala and protect her.
The surrounding Marines finally erupted into chaos.
"What the hell?!"
"She sent Vice Admiral Ranku flying with one punch?!"
"That woman is a monster!"
"Impossible! Vice Admiral Ranku actually lost in direct combat?!"
The Revolutionary Army members all sighed in relief.
Koala was practically the treasure of the Revolutionary Army.
If something happened to her, many of them would go insane.
Luffy burst into laughter.
"Shishishi! She's awesome!"
"That's exactly how you should punch Marines!"
Ace also looked at Koala with surprise.
He had not expected her to be this strong.
Not only was she beautiful, but her strength was impressive too.
And the way she looked at Sabo made everything obvious.
Vice Admiral Ranku slowly climbed out from the rubble.
Her expression had become ugly.
Koala's complete disregard for her made the humiliation even worse.
She had never been ignored like this before.
Veins bulged on her forehead as she clenched her sword tightly.
"What love? What nonsense!"
"You idiots have all lost your minds over these disgusting emotions!"
"This is the World Government's territory!"
"All of you criminals are going to die here!"
Ranku hated hearing people talk about love more than anything else.
Her Devil Fruit ability allowed her to grow stronger through interactions with men.
Because of that, she looked down on emotions like love completely.
But Koala ignored her entirely.
She did not even bother replying.
Kizaru watched the scene while rubbing his chin slowly.
His usual lazy expression showed slight surprise.
"Ooh~, scary."
"Is this what they call the power of love? So frightening."
Far away in East Blue, Windmill Village was unusually crowded.
Inside Makino's bar, almost the entire village had gathered to watch the live broadcast.
The atmosphere was noisy but tense.
Everyone stared at the screen without blinking.
"That girl is Sabo's girlfriend? She's really pretty."
"Sabo's lucky."
"Hah, if I looked like him, girls would like me too."
"You? Stop dreaming. You don't even own a house."
"Oi! Why are you attacking me personally?!"
"I just hope Sabo survives and comes back for the wedding."
At that moment, loud noises suddenly came from a room deeper inside the bar.
"Untie me already!"
Dadan's furious voice echoed repeatedly.
Unfortunately, nobody paid attention to her.
Back on Crusimia Island, beneath the execution platform, a white-haired figure clicked his tongue irritably after seeing Koala standing there unharmed.
"Useless Marines."
His voice was extremely low.
Then he flicked his finger casually.
A black object wrapped in Armament Haki shot through the air.
Its speed was terrifying.
The object almost vanished during flight.
In less than a second, it appeared directly in front of Koala's forehead.