The Leaders

Inside the palace, Crocodile looks down with a cigar clamped in his teeth, asking in a mocking tone, "Did you come by the secret path you used to use as a child...!?" Vivi, covered in sweat and dirt from her struggles, looks shocked and screams out, "KOUZA!". In a large central panel, Kouza stands in the doorway, panting heavily. He is battered, covered in dirt and blood, holding his sword loosely by his side. A heavy "DON!!" sound effect emphasizes his sudden arrival. In the bottom left panel, Crocodile looks slightly surprised by the intrusion, muttering to himself, "Am I... Seeing things...?". The tension in the room spikes as the rebel leader finally confronts the true mastermind behind the country's suffering.

Outside the grand palace entrance, Kouza stands looking up at the towering building. He says to himself, "With the intention of persuading the Royalist Forces, but... I came here...". Inside the palace walls, Kouza looks down in absolute shock at the defeated bodies of the royal guards scattered across the floor. Among them is Chaka, defeated and lying motionless on his stomach in his human-jackal hybrid form. Vivi looks distressed and worried, her face covered in sweat. Crocodile stares down at Kouza with a cold, calculating expression. Kouza, still panting heavily from his journey and the shock of the scene, mutters, "Chaka...!" as he takes in the devastating reality of the fallen guards.

Kouza's face is shown in a tight close-up, his eyes wide with horror behind his tinted glasses. He stammers, "I can hardly believe what I'm seeing... The first thing I see here is the king... About to be murdered at the hands of this 'Country's Hero'...!". Crocodile throws his head back and laughs heartily, his large coat billowing. "Kuhahaha! Isn't this an interesting turn of events!? In the midst of the rebellion's climax... To think the leaders of both sides would all come here and meet each other! It's as if this war is being fought by head-less lizards!" Crocodile then looks down at Kouza, adding, "Just imagine the worst-case scenario in your head and I'm sure you're bound to reach the correct answer." Miss All Sunday stands quietly in the background. Kouza looks confused, and Crocodile tells him, "You seem confused but it's quite simple."

Crocodile stares intently at Kouza, asking a pointed question: "DO YOU LOVE THIS COUNTRY?" Kouza glares back silently, sweat dripping from his face. King Cobra, pinned against the wall by Crocodile's hook, weakly calls out, "DO NOT DOUBT THE KING, KOUZA". Vivi desperately yells, "VIVI! Kouza, you-". Kouza, tense and resolute, replies loudly, "YUP! IT'S THE COUNTRY I WAS BORN IN!" Vivi looks up at Crocodile with intense anger, tears welling in her eyes, declaring, "That's all undoubtedly the work of... THAT STOLE THIS COUNTRY'S RAIN!? JUST WHO'S THE ONE," pointing the blame directly at the Warlord for the drought and the ensuing civil war.

Crocodile grins wickedly, smoke trailing from his cigar as he reveals his grand deception. "IT WAS ME, KOUZA! ALL THE THINGS YOU REBELS THOUGHT WERE THE KING'S EVIL-DOINGS, WERE ACTUALLY TRAPS SET UP BY MY ORGANIZATION. THESE PAST TWO YEARS... HAVE BEEN MOST AMUSING, WATCHING BOTH YOU REBELS AND THE ROYALISTS DESPERATELY DANCE ABOUT ON THE PALM OF MY HAND...!" Kouza stands frozen in shock as Crocodile continues to mock him, "IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FAR BETTER FOR YOU, TO DIE WITHOUT FINDING OUT THE TRUTH, HOWEVER! KUHAHAHA!" Kouza looks down, trembling with rage and disbelief, muttering, "King Cobra...!" Cobra, still pinned to the wall, urges him, "Don't listen to him!" Kouza pants heavily, overwhelmed by the horrifying revelation that his entire rebellion was manipulated.

King Cobra speaks urgently to Kouza, his face strained. "There's something only you can do right now...! Go out there and save even just one more life from this needless bloodshed if you can!" Kouza looks up, surprised by the king's command, exclaiming, "WHAT!?" Crocodile glares at Cobra, annoyed by his interference. Cobra reveals a horrifying truth to the rebel leader: "IN LESS... THAN HALF AN HOUR, THE PALACE SQUARE WILL BE BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS!" Cobra yells desperately, "HURRY!" Kouza is stunned by the news of the impending explosion. Crocodile looks down at the king, his expression darkening as he prepares to silence him. "Oh, still alive, are you?"

Crocodile suddenly lunges forward with terrifying speed, swinging his massive golden hook directly at King Cobra. A loud "DOZU" sound effect rings out as the hook slams into the stone wall right next to Cobra's head, narrowly missing him. Vivi screams in terror, her hands flying to her face. Crocodile then grabs Cobra by the neck and violently slams him down onto the floor. Vivi cries out, "NOOO! Vivi...". The impact kicks up a cloud of dust as Cobra is pinned to the ground by the ruthless Warlord, who stands over him menacingly.

Vivi yells at Kouza, her face contorted with desperation. "What're you doing!? Get off of me! The palace square's going to become a battlefield soon and if it's really going to be blown up, then I- You can't let it BECOME a battlefield!" Kouza is shown lying on the ground outside, looking up at her. Vivi continues her desperate plea, "If you just go out there and tell the soldiers that the palace square will be blown up," but Kouza interrupts her, "You're still not thinking straight!" Vivi, with tears streaming down her face, screams at the top of her lungs, "Then there'll truly be a pandemonium! Everyone will be too panicked to listen! YOU CAN'T STOP THE WAR NOR SAVE ANYONE THAT WAY!"

Vivi continues her impassioned speech to Kouza, "The proper course of action is still the same thing you should have done from the start! This whole fabricated rebellion must be stopped!" Crocodile smirks, amused by her resolve, "Ohh, An excellent judgment, princess...!" Kouza looks at Vivi, questioning his own actions, "Am I wrong!?" A massive, chaotic battle is shown raging outside the palace, with thousands of soldiers and rebels clashing violently amidst clouds of dust. The roar of the crowd fills the air with "WAAAAA" and "DODODO" sound effects. Vivi tells Kouza firmly, "And that's something only you can do!" urging him to take responsibility and end the fighting.

Crocodile looms menacingly behind Vivi and Kouza, raising his golden hook high into the air. "AND DO YOU REALLY THINK, THAT I'LL JUST STAND BY AND LET YOU DO THAT...?" Vivi and Kouza look back over their shoulders in shock as the Warlord prepares to strike them down. Suddenly, Chaka intercepts the attack. In his human-jackal hybrid form, Chaka blocks Crocodile's hook with his large sword, sparks flying from the clash. He yells his own name, "CHAKA!", as he steps in to protect the princess and the rebel leader, proving he is not yet defeated.

A large stone statue of a jackal is shown outside the palace. Chaka declares proudly, "I am this country's guardian deity... The jackal! The one that destroys, The enemies of the royal family...!" Crocodile looks unimpressed, his cigar clamped in his teeth. "Is exactly what stupidity is." Chaka, panting heavily in his hybrid form, retorts, "...And that, Then I will use it to fight! As long as I have even one breath left in me," Chaka stands firmly between Crocodile and the others, instructing them urgently, "Princess! Kouza! Run now and do what you must! I still have enough strength to hold him off for a little while...!"

Kouza immediately turns and sprints away down the corridor, a "DASH" sound effect following him. Chaka recalls a memory of a young Kouza asking him for training. "SUCH A FICKLE CHILD. WEREN'T YOU THE ONE WHO BEGGED ME TO TRAIN YOU?" Young Kouza complains, "WHAT THE HELL! THAT'S NOT FAIR, GO EASY ON ME A LITTLE!" Chaka replies, "I GUESS EVEN THE LEADER OF THE SAND SAND GANG ISN'T ANYTHING SPECIAL." In the present, Kouza says, "Got it!". Vivi looks back at Chaka with concern, calling out, "CHAKA!". Outside, the battle rages on. A soldier reports, "2ND ROYAL SQUADRON REPORTING TO MAIN FORCES! 2ND ROYAL SQUADRON REPORTING TO MAIN FORCES! THE 4TH LINE HAS BEEN BROKEN THROUGH!" The massive stairs leading up to the palace are shown as the report continues, "THE REBELS ARE NOW MAKING THEIR WAY PAST THE CENTRAL SQUARE, AND ARE HEADING TOWARDS THE NORTHERN BLOCK! THEY'LL BE AT THE PALACE SOON!"

A commander of the Royal Guards stands at the top of the palace stairs, shouting orders to his men below. "TAKE OUT THE WHITE FLAGS! PUT UP THE WHITE FLAGS OF SURRENDER THIS INSTANT, ROYALIST SOLDIERS!" The soldiers look up in absolute shock and confusion. "WHAT!? But Princess Vivi...!" one exclaims. "We're to surrender!?" asks another. "What will come of this country if we do that!?" A soldier suddenly points up the stairs, yelling, "HEY, LOOK! It's Kouza! Why's the leader of the rebels here of all places!?" The guards are bewildered by the sudden appearance of their enemy's leader at the palace.

Kouza stands at the very top of the palace stairs, looking down at the Royal Guards. He shouts, "LISTEN TO ME! WE WISH NEITHER VICTORY NOR TO FIGHT! ALL WE WANT IS TO STOP THIS WAR!" He looks battered but fiercely determined. "I WILL TELL THE REBELS, THAT THIS WHOLE FIGHT IS POINTLESS!" He pleads with the soldiers, "There is absolutely no reason to fight anymore! We cannot spill anymore needless blood! SO WAVE THE WHITE FLAGS! I BEG OF YOU!" The soldiers listen, stunned by the rebel leader's desperate plea for peace and his willingness to surrender.

The rebel army is shown charging fiercely toward the palace, riding on horseback, camels, and running on foot. They roar, "THE KING IS RIGHT BEFORE US! I CAN SEE THE CLOCK TOWER! RAAHHH!" The massive force approaches the palace square, weapons drawn and ready for a final clash. "WE'RE ALMOST AT THE PALACE SQUARE! PREPARE FOR BATTLE! GET YOUR GUNS READY!" Suddenly, a rebel in the front lines looks up in surprise, his eyes wide as he notices something unexpected ahead. "WAIT! HUH!?"

Kouza stands atop a large stone structure at the base of the palace stairs, holding up a massive white flag that catches the wind. Behind him, the Royal Guards have also raised numerous white flags. The rebels halt their charge, staring in disbelief at the sight. "WHITE FLAGS!?" "THE ROYALISTS ARE WAVING WHITE FLAGS!" A rebel in the crowd recognizes the figure holding the largest flag. "KOUZA!?" Kouza stands tall and resolute, his face serious as he signals for the end of the conflict, hoping his men will understand.

Kouza shouts at the top of his lungs to the rebel army. "THE BATTLE IS OVER! Rebels! Lay down your arms and quell your rage! The Royalists no longer have any intent to fight!" The massive rebel army comes to a complete halt, the dust settling around them as they process his words. From a distance, Vivi watches the scene unfold, clutching her hands in prayer and whispering, "PLEASE STOP!" The rebels murmur among themselves, lowering their weapons. "Is it... Really true...?" "Kouza...!" Kouza looks out over the peaceful crowd, a sense of relief washing over him as he thinks to himself, "Yes... The war is finally-"

Suddenly, the fragile peace is shattered by two loud gunshots. "BAM BAM". Kouza is violently thrown backward as bullets strike him in the chest and shoulder, blood spurting from the wounds. He falls backward off the stone structure, his face contorted in pain. In the crowd below, a man dressed as a Royal Guard—but sporting a sinister grin—holds a smoking pistol. He shouts, "DAMN ROYALISTS! HOW DARE YOU!" The rebels, seeing their leader shot down by what appears to be a Royal Guard, instantly erupt into a furious rage, their weapons raised once again, the Warlord's trap springing shut.

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