At A Split Second ⏳

And We Are Saved,

Sabo dashed a few good meters more, away from the admiral, before putting the boys down.

Ace staggered in his steps, as he covered his mouth in shock. Luffy's eyes widened in disbelief.

"It's been quite a while, Ace, Luffy," Sabo said.

"S-Sabo?! But how-" Luffy muttered.

"I'd love to start a storytelling session, but I'm afraid this isn't the right place to be. What do you say we escape this goddamned hell together?" Sabo asked.

"You're on!" Ace replied, as his crew members cheered in the background.

"Let's go!"

Less than a second, they made a quick sprint for the docks. However, Luffy suddenly slowed down as he heard the rapid beating of his heart. Black spots covered his vision as he staggered and fell onto his knees.

"Sabo..Ace.." Luffy muttered weakly, finally at his limit's limitations,  blacking out right before he hit the ground.

The both of them turned back, and saw Luffy down.

"Luffy!" both of them called in unison.

Ace got to his brother first, as he lifted him up into his arms, shaking him awake. "Luffy?! Hey! Wake up!"

Sabo got a good look at his brothers, and they're in terrible shape, Luffy even worse. "Ace, I'll carry Luffy. You can't carry him as you are now."

"But Sabo.."

"Ace, please. We need to get out of here now. It's not safe-"

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?" Akainu yelled out, turning his head around to look for them. As of now, they're too far away from him to be spotted immediately. Sabo then carefully took Luffy from Ace's arms and placed him on his back where he lay limply.

"Let's go," Sabo said, pushing Ace up for a run.

Out of nowhere, Jinbe appeared on Ace's side, frightening him.

"Jinbe! You're okay!" He cried.

"Yes, Ace-kun, I'm fine. We need you boys to escape as soon as possible," Jinbe replied.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Akainu's voice thundered, suddenly appearing in front of them. He shot out magma from his arms, creating a strong explosion that blew them back into the battlefield.

"Shit!" Sabo cursed, checking to see if Luffy was injured from the blow.

"He's really desperate," Ace muttered, wiping off the blood dripping out from his mouth.

"Sabo-kun!" a female voice called out from afar.

"That voice...Koala!" Sabo gasped.

Sure enough, a woman in a pink blouse ran to their side. Jinbe widened his eyes in familiarization. This was once the small girl they rescued...

"Sabo-kun, the ship is ready!" Koala exclaimed between huffs.

"You're not going anywhere!" Akainu yelled, getting closer towards them. "I didn't expect the Revolutionary to get involved with the war, but I'm more concerned with their Chief of Staff as brothers with these two brats. The world is always surprising."

Sabo glared at Akainu, his grip on his brother tightening even more. Glancing at Ace and Luffy, he thought,  "I can't get them even more injured. I have to let them escape here safely! But he's blocking our way, and now, even Koala's in danger."

"This is the end for you!" Akainu yelled as he drove his arm in for the kill. As if time went agonizingly slow, all they could make out were horrified faces, whilst Ace and Sabo managed to move their bodies toward Luffy, hoping that they could, in a way, protect their little brother.