"My name is Lark," Sabo replied.
"Lark?"
Why does this randomly made-up name sound so familiar? {How is it so familiar?}
Vivian blinked.
Although the Revolutionary Army is now famous in the New World and the World Government sees them as a thorn in their side, it's peculiar that Sabo, the second-in-command, remains largely unknown...
Perhaps it's because the Revolutionary Army is such a secretive organization, making his identity highly confidential?
In any case, without a bounty notice, none of the marines present, except for Vivian, knew his true identity.
"Attention, salute!" Vivian suddenly commanded.
The next second, all the marines straightened up and gave Sabo a standard military salute.
Behind them, the rescued refugees also expressed their gratitude.
Sabo, however, looked a bit bewildered at the serious expressions of the marines, feeling somewhat out of place.
Is this really the navy he knew?
Are there really people in the navy who care about the lives of civilians?
Recalling the scenes he had witnessed and the experiences he had gone through, including the death of his brother Ace at the hands of the navy, Sabo couldn't help but clench his fists. Finally, he forced a smile and said, "No need to thank me... When faced with such situations, those with the ability should step in to help."
This was truly what he believed, ever since he was saved by Monkey D. Dragon as a child. From then on, he had firmly held the belief of "drawing his sword to help when he sees injustice."
No matter who the opponent was, even if it was one of the Four Emperors, if they harmed innocent civilians, he would do everything in his power, even risking his life.
"Where are you headed? We're planning to take these civilians to a nearby island. If it's on the way, you can join us on our ship," Vivian continued.
As if waiting for this invitation, Sabo immediately nodded and said, "My ship sank to the bottom of the sea just now, so I'd appreciate it if you could take me to the nearest island."
...
Sabo wasn't just passing by; he came to the waters around the Navy's G1 headquarters because the Revolutionary Army had received information that the Flame-Flame Fruit might have fallen into the hands of the navy.
Don't underestimate the Revolutionary Army's intelligence capabilities. After all, no one knows how many spies they have planted within the navy...
Wait, why say "how many"?
Is it already an accepted fact that the Revolutionary Army has spies in the navy?
"I need to find a way to get to the island where the G1 headquarters is located..."
Sitting on the deck chair, feeling the sea breeze, Sabo glanced at the refugees and began to think quickly.
First, hiding in the cabin wouldn't work. Not only because of Vivian's strength, but also because the blind marine and the fish-man had high levels of Observation Haki. It would be impossible to avoid their detection.
"Should I say I'm visiting relatives in the G1 town?"
But I don't know anything about the civilians in that town...
"That damn guy only told me about the Flame-Flame Fruit, not how to get to the island..."
As an ordinary civilian, how could he blend in and get to the island?
While he was pondering this…
"Lark."
Vivian walked up to Sabo and handed him a glass of juice, saying, "Have a drink. You must be very thirsty after holding your breath underwater for so long, right?"
Sabo glanced at Vivian, then reached out to take the juice, saying, "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Vivian smiled. Seeing that Sabo drank the juice without any suspicion, he sat down and asked, "Are you here for tourism? Or are you a merchant?"
"Neither…" Sabo shook his head. "My hometown was raided by pirates, and I had nowhere to go, so I set out alone on a boat."
"Raided by pirates? That's quite a common reason."
Vivian said, showing a melancholic expression, resting his hands behind his head as if recalling his past. "When I was young, my parents also died because of pirates."
"I was too young to save them, so I hated myself. I trained hard, hoping that one day, if I encountered such a situation again, I wouldn't be as powerless as I was back then… But in the end, I still couldn't protect anyone."
"What do you mean by that?" Sabo asked, puzzled.
Vivian had once single-handedly stopped Marco from rescuing Ace on the battlefield at Marineford. Although Sabo hadn't seen it live, he had read about it in the newspapers afterward.
It could be said that Vivian was his enemy.
If it weren't for his identity and the fact that the strength of the people on this ship was unfathomable, he might not have been able to suppress the anger deep within him.
Vivian continued, "On that day at Marineford, 270 of my comrades died beside me… I couldn't save them, and I could only watch as my old friends were slaughtered. Besides that, I also personally sent a very good friend to the execution ground…"
He was, of course, referring to Ace.
Sabo also caught the meaning in Vivian's words, "Friend? You mean Portgas D. Ace was your friend? Aren't you a Marine? Can Marines and pirates be friends?"
His expression showed a hint of surprise, and he was also a bit suspicious. Could it be that this Vivian had figured something out and was testing his identity?
"Why not?"
Vivian's smile became even more bitter. "Not just Ace, I'm also very good friends with Luffy… I saved that Straw Hat kid's life, so naturally, Ace, as his brother, was very grateful to me."
"You saved Straw Hat Luffy's life?" Sabo's expression became even more astonished.
"That's right." Vivian nodded, then reminisced with a look of happiness, "After that, I was assigned to Impel Down, and Ace was also sent to prison. We spent a very pleasant time together in the sixth level…"
Sabo: ???