The Leaders

In the top panels, a scarred man with a cigar asks, “Did you come by the secret path you used to use as a child...!I” A young woman with pigtails reacts in shock, shouting “KOUZA!” as sweat flies from her face. Below, a large dramatic panel shows Roronoa Zoro standing with swords on his back, coat billowing, looking serious. He thinks, “Am I... Seeing things...I” Large stylized sound effects “ドドン!!” and “ハア...” emphasize the moment.

Zoro stands before a grand domed palace, thinking, “With the intention of persuading the Royalist Forces, but... I came here...” The ground is littered with fallen bodies. In smaller panels, a cloaked figure lies motionless, another body sprawls near a door, and Zoro looks on with a grim expression. A woman with pigtails stares worriedly. A man in a white hat and fur-collared coat appears, followed by a scarred man with a cigar who says “Chaka...!” Zoro reacts with surprise.

Close-up on Zoro sweating as he says, “I can hardly believe what I’m seeing...” and “The first thing I see here is the king... About to be murdered at the hands of this ‘Country’s Hero’...!” A massive panel reveals Wapol laughing “Kuhahaha! Isn’t this an interesting turn of events!I” while declaring, “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!” Zoro sweats heavily, thinking “!!” as a woman in a hat comments on the worst-case scenario.

Rain drips from a damaged ceiling as a stern man with a mustache addresses the crowd. "DO YOU LOVE THIS COUNTRYI" he asks. Another panel shows a tall cloaked figure standing silently. "DO NOT DOUBT THE KING, KOUZA," commands a bearded man with wide eyes. Vivi suddenly appears, bloodied and desperate, shouting "VIVI! Kouza, you-" A scarred man with spiky hair stares coldly while a bandaged companion grins and declares, "YUP! IT'S THE COUNTRY I WAS BORN IN!" In a wide splash panel before the palace, Vivi looks up in horror. "That's all undoubtedly the work of... THAT STOLE THIS COUNTRY'S RAIN!I JUST WHO'S THE ONE," she cries as the cloaked figure stands before the grand building.

Crocodile looms with a massive grin, cigar in mouth. "IT WAS ME, KOUZA!" he boasts. "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...!" Koza, battered and kneeling with his weapon, glares up furiously. "TO DIE WITHOUT FINDING OUT THE TRUTH, HOWEVER! KUHAHAHA! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FAR BETTER FOR YOU," Crocodile laughs. Koza's eyes widen in shock. "King Cobra...! Don't listen to him!" he warns as sweat pours down his face.

Crocodile leans in close, sweat on his scarred face. "Go out there and save even just one more life from this needless bloodshed if you can! There's something only you can do right now...!" Koza reacts in alarm. "WHAT!I" Crocodile continues, "THE PALACE SQUARE WILL BE BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS! IN LESS... THAN HALF AN HOUR." Koza shouts "HURRY!" while Crocodile mocks, "Oh, still alive, are youI"

Vivi clutches her head in despair as Koza charges forward with his weapon raised. Crocodile is hurled backward through the air in a massive impact, "ドスッ!!" The cloaked figure crashes into the palace wall. In the next instant Crocodile is on the ground, bloodied and smoking. Vivi stares in horror. "Vivi..." croaks the fallen man. Crocodile's eyes snap open as he gasps "NOOO!" with a violent reaction, "!!I"

The long-haired princess clings desperately to the spiky-haired man, shouting, "You can't let it BECOME a battlefield! The palace square's going to become a battlefield soon and if it's really going to be blown up, then I-" He struggles and yells back, "What're you doing!I Get off of me!" She pleads further, "If you just go out there and tell the soldiers that the palace square will be blown up..." He snaps, "You're still not thinking straight!" In a dramatic close-up, the princess's face fills the frame as she cries out, "YOU CAN'T STOP THE WAR NOR SAVE ANYONE THAT WAY! Then there'll truly be a pandemonium! Everyone will be too panicked to listen!"

The princess continues firmly, "The proper course of action is still the same thing you should have done from the start! This whole fabricated rebellion must be stopped!" The stitched-face man replies with a grin, "An excellent judgment, princess...!" The spiky-haired man questions, "Am I wrong!I" A massive battle erupts in the city streets with swords clashing, debris flying, and fighters leaping between buildings amid large impact SFX. The spiky-haired man later kneels before the princess and declares, "And that's something only you can do!"

The large swordsman in a checkered outfit looms overhead with a blade, declaring, "THAT I'LL JUST STAND BY AND LET YOU DO THAT...I AND DO YOU REALLY THINK," while the princess and spiky-haired man react below. Close-ups show tense expressions. In the next sequence the stitched-face man clashes fiercely with the large fighter, who is sent flying amid impact lines and the sound effect "CHAKA!" as the princess watches in shock.

Statues of a jackal-headed guardian deity stand tall as narration and voices declare, "The one that destroys, The jackal! The enemies of the royal family...! I am this country's guardian deity..." The stitched-face man smokes and states, "Is exactly what that stupidity is....And that, Then I will use it to fight! As long as I have even one breath left in me." In the final clash the large fighter pins the spiky-haired man down while the princess cries out, "Princess! Kouza! Run now and do what you must! I still have enough strength to hold him off for a little while...!"

In a flashback, a stern trainer with white hair glares at a young Chaka, who clutches a sword and protests, "SUCH A FICKLE CHILD, WEREN'T YOU THE ONE WHO BEGGED ME TO TRAIN YOUI" Chaka snaps back, "WHAT THE HELL! THAT'S NOT FAIR, GO EASY ON ME A LITTLE!" The trainer smirks, "I GUESS EVEN THE LEADER OF THE SAND SAND GANG ISN'T ANYTHING SPECIAL." Chaka answers firmly, "Got it!" as the scene returns to the present. Chaka stands on the palace steps with a ponytail-haired ally, both looking tense. Reports flood in: "2ND ROYAL SQUADRON REPORTING TO MAIN FORCES!" and "THE 4TH LINE HAS BEEN BROKEN THROUGH!" A wide view shows the city under attack, smoke rising as the narration states, "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!"

Rebel forces mass before the palace walls, shouting, "PUT UP THE WHITE FLAGS OF SURRENDER THIS INSTANT, ROYALIST SOLDIERS!" and "TAKE OUT THE WHITE FLAGS!" Royalist soldiers on the battlements react with shock, "!!!" Inside, armored commanders argue desperately: "What will come of this country if we do thatI!" and "We're to surrenderI! WHAT!I But Princess Vivi...!" Suddenly Kouza, the rebel leader, appears among the troops, prompting cries of "It's Kouza! Why's the leader of the rebels here of all places!I" and "HEY, LOOK!"

Chaka stands at the top of the grand staircase inside the palace, arms raised, declaring, "ALL WE WANT IS TO STOP THIS WAR! LISTEN TO ME! WE WISH NEITHER VICTORY NOR TO FIGHT!" He continues passionately, "THAT THIS WHOLE FIGHT IS POINTLESS! I WILL TELL THE REBELS," while a close-up shows his determined face. Below, royalist soldiers on the walls plead with the advancing rebels, "I BEG OF YOU! SO WAVE THE WHITE FLAGS! We cannot spill anymore needless blood! There is absolutely no reason to fight anymore!"

The rebels charge forward in a massive wave, camels and fighters surging through the streets as one yells, "RAAHHH! I CAN SEE THE CLOCK TOWER!" Another shouts, "THE KING IS RIGHT BEFORE US!" Commanders order, "PREPARE FOR BATTLE! WE'RE ALMOST AT THE PALACE SQUARE!" and "GET YOUR GUNS READY!" The palace looms ahead. In close-up, a wide-eyed character gasps, "HUH!I" while another yells, "WAIT!"

White flags suddenly rise across the royalist lines as the battle rages in the capital square. A massive banner unfurls from the central platform while soldiers wave smaller white flags on poles. "WHITE FLAGS!I" someone shouts in shock. "THE ROYALISTS ARE WAVING WHITE FLAGS!" The narration declares. In the lower panels, Kouza stares in disbelief from the front lines, eyes wide and mouth open, while a stern spiky-haired man in a coat stands beside him with three exclamation marks of surprise. The crowd of rebels and royalists freezes amid the waving flags and distant palace architecture.

A commanding voice rings out over the battlefield: "Rebels! Lay down your arms and quell your rage! The Royalists no longer have any intent to fight! THE BATTLE IS OVER!" The spiky-haired swordsman stands tall on a raised platform, cape billowing as he holds a massive white flag. Below, rebels lower their weapons. A close-up shows a blonde woman pleading, "PLEASE STOP!" while clenching her fist. Kouza sweats heavily, murmuring "Yes... The war is finally-" and "Kouza...! Is it... Really true...I" as mounted royalist troops appear in the background. Sound effects echo "ドドド...ド..." across the scene.

A sudden violent clash erupts as a cloaked figure is struck mid-air, body twisting with impact lines and debris flying. "DAMN ROYALISTS! HOW DARE YOU!" a rebel roars in fury. Nearby soldiers react with shock, one yelling "GRIN" while gripping weapons. The large panel shows the ongoing chaos of white flags still waving amid the crowd, with royalist troops holding position. Sound effects crash with "ズドドド!!!" and "オオオ" as the fighting threatens to reignite despite the surrender signals.

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