The Rebellion's Leader, Kouza

A frantic guard with a headwrap yells out, sweat flying from his face, "WE'VE ALREADY SEARCHED THE ROYAL SLEEPING QUARTERS, STOREHOUSE, BALCONY, PALACE GROUNDS, AND EVEN THE GARDENS! COMMANDER CHAKA! THE KING IS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND!" Below, a wide, detailed view of the Alabastan Capital, "Alubarna", is shown. The city is filled with large domed buildings, minarets, and palm trees under a clear sky. A large jagged speech bubble commands from within the palace, "KEEP SEARCHING FOR HIS HIGHNESS!"

Inside the palace, Commander Chaka speaks with the guards. One guard asks, "Are you sure his highness didn't just go for a walk outside late last night!?" Chaka insists, "He must be somewhere!" Another guard replies, "That's impossible, sir! The guards stationed outside his room last night reported seeing no such thing! And even if he left his room, we have guards stationed all over the city! One of them would have spotted his highness by now!" Chaka looks at the king's empty, undisturbed bed with its canopy and demands, "THEN TELL ME HOW COULD HE HAVE DISAPPEARED FROM HIS SLEEPING QUARTERS!?" Chaka thinks to himself, sweating slightly, "Pell's usually the man for these kinds of jobs, But he's currently busy scouting Rain Base..." He then orders the guards, pointing forward, "I WANT EVERY INCH OF THE PALACE GROUNDS AND THE CITY COMBED THROUGH!" The guards salute, "YES, SIR!"

Chaka walks down a long, grand palace corridor with arched windows, deep in thought. "IF SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN TO HIS HIGHNESS... THEN TO MOBILIZE THE ARMY ON MY AUTHORITY ALONE WOULD NOT BE SEEN KINDLY... CURSES! WHERE COULD HIS HIGHNESS BE AT THIS CRITICAL TIME...!?" Suddenly, a guard runs up to him, panting heavily. "SIR! W-WE FOUND HIS HIGHNESS!" Chaka turns, surprised. "You found him!?" The guard stammers, sweating, "Y-yes, but... Apparently, the reports say he..." A close-up shows Chaka's face falling into an expression of utter shock and disbelief as he hears the news. "W... WHAT?"

The scene shifts to an establishing shot of a desert city with the caption "Katorea, current base for the rebels". A voice calls out from off-panel, "KOUZA! WAIT FOR US TOO!" Kouza is seen riding his dark horse furiously across the desert sands. A rebel questions, "WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS!?" As Kouza rides, he recalls a memory of King Cobra telling him, "Trust in the king, Kouza." Kouza's expression is one of intense anger and betrayal as he thinks, gritting his teeth, "HAVE YOU REALLY SUNK SO LOW, COBRA!?"

In a flashback or earlier time, Kouza speaks with an older man. Kouza says, "You should know first-hand just how much the king cares for his subjects...!" The older man replies, "...Only the old folks still say that. I personally don't care for him at all. It wasn't for the king's sake, That I decided to come here to Yuba and help you, dad." Elsewhere, rebels converse among themselves. "Did you hear the rebels now number over 100,000...?" "Yeah, I heard..." "There's been lots of casualties too..." A large group of rebels raises their weapons and cheers, "OHHH!" Another rebel says, "Hmph, don't listen to the nay-sayers. Their doubts will easily be washed away once the rain comes..." "Haha..." A rebel leader with goggles shouts, "DON'T RETREAT!"

Scenes of the severe drought are shown. People look at a dried-up canal in despair. "THIS IS TERRIBLE! THE IRRIGATION CANALS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED! WHO WOULD'VE DONE SUCH A THING!? NOW THE TOWN'S CUT OFF FROM WATER!" A dry water tap drips nothing onto the cracked earth. "If only the rain would come..." "It's already been over a year since it last rained..." A child cries loudly, "WAHHHH!" A man tends to a wounded person on the ground. "THIS MAN IS CRITICALLY WOUNDED! HE NEEDS TREATMENT AT ONCE!" Kouza looks on with a serious, pained expression. A voice tells him, "I hear Erumalu's a ghost town now. Don't lose faith, Kouza. The rain will come."

A flashback shows Kouza arguing passionately with King Cobra inside the palace. Kouza pleads, "I don't want to doubt you but the fact is, there are people starving out there! So whether or not you've actually used it in the past, I'm sure you have some left to spare!" Cobra firmly refuses, "Absolutely not! We must wait for the rain to fall naturally!" Cobra explains, "Dance Powder is a powder that calls forth misfortune. Its use is prohibited! Alabasta is not the only country that needs rain." Kouza argues back, "If we could just make a little bit of rain... Just a small amount enough to get the people through this drought... Then the rebellion might stop! I'm sure using just a little won't hurt!" Kouza yells, veins popping on his forehead, "I WON'T STAND BY AND WATCH THE TOWNS DRY UP ONE BY ONE ANYMORE!" Cobra remains resolute, sitting on his throne. "GIVE US OUR RAIN BACK, KING COBRA! That would only exacerbate the situation. You're underestimating the dangers of Dance Powder, Kouza..."

The flashback continues. Cobra says, "You haven't changed at all, have you..." Kouza turns and walks away, declaring, "No, I've changed...! I can fight now!" Close-ups show Cobra's stern face and Kouza's angry one. Kouza shouts, "JUST YOU WATCH! I'LL COME BACK TO STEAL YOUR RAIN!" Back in the present, Kouza continues his furious horse ride across the desert. He looks distressed and confused as he thinks to himself, "WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A POINTLESS THING...!?"

The scene shifts to an establishing shot of a city with the caption "Port Town Nanohana". The townspeople are confused and murmuring. "W-what..." "What's the meaning of this, your highness...!?" A man who looks exactly like King Cobra stands before them, flanked by guards. He announces loudly, "I've come to make a sincere apology! It was I who stole rain from my people!" The fake king then declares coldly, "The port of Nanohana shall be destroyed." The crowd is shocked and horrified. "As such, in order to put the sordid Dance Powder Incident behind us, I-is this a joke, your highness...?" "Your highness..."

The fake King Cobra commands his men, "BURN DOWN THIS CITY, WHICH STANDS ONLY AS A REMINDER OF CORRUPT INJUSTICE!" The men, dressed as Royal Guards, begin smashing buildings and setting fires. "YES, SIR!" The townspeople flee in terror as flames erupt around them. One of the fake guards reports back to the fake king, "OVER HERE, KING!"

The fake king watches the destruction impassively. A young boy carrying a hammer runs up to him, crying, "IT'S ALL THANKS TO YOU, THAT MY TOWN'S ALL DRIED UP!" Without hesitation, the fake king kicks the boy brutally in the face, sending him flying backward. The boy's mother watches in horror, covering her mouth. The fake king's face is shown in a close-up, looking sinister and cruel as he looks down at the boy.

The boy lies bleeding on the ground as his mother holds him back. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MY TOWNSPEOPLE!" she screams. Someone warns, "No, stop! It's too dangerous for you, little boy!" Just then, Kouza arrives on his horse, rearing up. Someone in the crowd yells, "KOUZA!" Kouza looks at the fake king with utter disbelief and rage, sweat on his face. "Just what the hell... Do you think you're doing..."

The fake king repeats calmly, "I've come to apologize." Kouza screams at him, "SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH! THIS IS AN INSULT!" The crowd murmurs in confusion, "King Cobra...!?" The fake king continues, "The man responsible for using dance powder and causing the current drought, Was me." Kouza yells again, "I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!!!" Kouza draws his sword and charges at the fake king with a furious expression. "YOU SON OF A-"

Kouza swings his sword, tears streaming down his face. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA... ANY IDEA AT ALL, HOW THE PEOPLE OF DRIED UP TOWNS FELT AS THEY DIED!? THEY WEREN'T ANGRY NOR DID THEY RESENT YOU! THEY ALL DIED BELIEVING IN YOU TO THE VERY END!" He continues to yell at the fake king, "'It's not the King's fault...' 'The King is a wonderful man...' EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO LIE, IF YOU DON'T INSIST THAT YOU'RE INNOCENT, YOU'D BE DEFILING THE MEMORY OF ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO DIED BELIEVING YOU!" Suddenly, one of the fake Royal Guards aims a rifle and shoots Kouza.

Kouza is shot and falls backward with a cry of pain, "AGHHH!" The crowd screams in panic, "KOUZA!" Kouza tumbles off his horse. "LEADER!" He lies on the ground, bleeding heavily from his wound. He gasps, "THE ENTIRE COUNTRY... EVEN US REBELS... WE'VE ALL WANTED NOTHING MORE THAN TO HEAR YOU SAY YOU'RE INNOCENT... THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR ALL ALONG!" The fake king grins wickedly and says, "Weeeeeeellp! I'd call that a wrap!"

Kouza lies wounded on the ground, thinking, "OR AT THE VERY LEAST, THAT'S WHAT I'VE WANTED TO HEAR..." Suddenly, a voice screams, "WATCH OUT! A HUGE SHIP'S ABOUT TO CRASH INTO PORT!" A massive pirate ship comes crashing down into the town's buildings, destroying them. People run for their lives in terror. "WHAT'S GOING ON!?" "AGHHHH!" "THE SHIP'S COMING DOWN!" "GET AWAY!"

The massive ship plows through the town, destroying everything in its path and kicking up huge clouds of dust. Walking calmly away from the destruction are Daz Bonez and a woman with a pipe. Daz Bonez remarks, "Was there ever any mission that we didn't find easy?" The woman replies, "This is quite a tame task for a final mission..."

The fake king touches his face. "Whew, I just can't calm down unless I have this on." He transforms back into his true form, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei. "IT'S TIME TO SKEDADDLE!" he announces. His fake guards reply, "YES, SIR!" In the background, people rush to Kouza's aid. "HANG IN THERE! KOUZA!" "THE ROYAL GUARDS HAVE DISAPPEARED!" Mr. 2 Bon Kurei dances away gleefully. "GAAHA HAHA HAHA! What'd ya all think of my 'Kingly' performance? It was the best, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei!"

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