"Damn it! Our weapons can't reach that far!"
"Cannons! Use the cannons!"
"What's going on? The cannonballs stopped in mid-air?!"
"No... that's not right, there are people on that ship!!"
BOOM—
As several cannonballs exploded in the sky, the fire and smoke faded, and Koza finally saw the person standing at the bow of that ship...
Long azure hair fluttering in the wind, a delicate and beautiful face looking somewhat travel-worn from the long journey, brows furrowed, looking heavy-hearted, yet emitting a gentle strength.
"Vi... It's Vivi!"
Koza finally recognized the visitor. "Stop—" With his loud shout, the sound of attacks gradually ceased.
Although Vivi was the princess of the Alabasta Kingdom, Koza knew she was a kind-hearted person who would absolutely never attack her own people.
Moreover, even if King Cobra had discovered the Rebel Army's base and wanted to send someone to attack, he wouldn't send his precious daughter with low combat power personally.
Therefore, Koza planned to hear what the other party had to say.
The Black Whale slowly descended, and Chrollo and the others walked down with Vivi.
A wisp of yellow sand swept past. On one side were hundreds of thousands of rebels, and on the other were Vivi, Chrollo, and the others, forming a distinct boundary like the Chu-Han Contention.
"Vivi, why are you here?"
"And... how did you know our Rebel Army was in Katorea..."
Koza asked expressionlessly.
Vivi looked sorrowful, two lines of clear tears falling down. "Koza... stop this. If you really go to attack the Royal Capital... too many people will die. They are all our people too."
"You also know they are your people, but your father doesn't know that!"
Anger hid in Koza's eyes. "He covets his own pleasure, using Dance Powder within the Royal Capital without authorization, leading to perennial droughts in many places within Alabasta, making life impossible for the people!
When he was nourished by rainwater himself, did he ever think that those people dying of thirst in the desert were also his subjects!"
"Those... were not done by my father—"
Vivi shouted, unimaginable determination in her eyes: "Someone privately used Dance Powder within the Royal Capital and framed everything on my father, aiming to provoke civil strife in this country and occupy it."
Vivi slowly spoke in front of everyone: "The culprit behind all this is... Crocodile!"
"Koza... think about it. When we were young, what a patriotic and people-loving monarch my father was. For the development of Alabasta, he didn't hesitate to bow to other countries in exchange for water sources. Such a person... how could he become fatuous and immoral just because he got old!"
Vivi's words made Koza hesitate, but some opposing voices came from the crowd behind him. "Nonsense, Mr. Crocodile is clearly the hero of this country. He constantly hunts pirates, ensuring Alabasta is safe from pirate infringement!"
"Yeah, you are slandering him—"
"Right, leader, don't trust her easily! She is a spy sent by Cobra to persuade us!"
Listening to the increasing voices of opposition behind Koza, Vivi's face was full of helplessness.
Seeing this scene, the corners of Chrollo's mouth slowly lifted. "Looks like it's time for me to act~"
He put his hand on Pakunoda's shoulder, and then a huge En was released, instantly locking onto the few people in the opposite crowd who first voiced opposition.
Then his figure flashed, disappearing from the spot, and instantly appearing beside those few people. "What do you want to do?!!"
"Stop him!!"
A commotion arose in the crowd, but how could this mob stop Chrollo's actions? He grabbed those few people, then a bullet appeared in his palm. He loaded the gun, then raised the muzzle at extreme speed, aimed at Koza's forehead, and pulled the trigger.
BANG
Koza's head was knocked back by this shot. Time seemed to stand still at this moment. "He killed the leader!"
"They really came to attack us!"
"Fire! Avenge the leader!"
Just as the Rebel Army was furious and planned to eliminate the few people, Koza's stern voice rang out, "Stop—!!"
His head slowly returned to its original position, and his forehead... was unharmed.
Expressions of confusion appeared on everyone's faces. They clearly saw the leader hit by a bullet, so how could he be completely fine?
And at this time, Koza's face was also full of shock and horror!
Seeing this scene, Chrollo smiled. The riot... would never happen again.
Koza's face was now filled with disbelief and regret. Through Chrollo's Memory Bomb, Koza already knew the whole truth.
The few people who clamored initially were the spies planted by Crocodile in the Rebel Army. Chrollo extracted their memories, compressed everything he and his group knew into that Memory Bomb, and shot it at Koza. He instantly understood the whole truth!
It turned out everything was done by Crocodile! It turned out he had hated the wrong person for so many years...
The weapon slowly slipped from his hand, and he murmured weakly, "So I am the sinner..."
Yes, organizing the Rebel Army and launching rebellions for so many years... how many compatriots died under his wrong judgment!
And how much injustice did King Cobra, whom he once respected incomparably, suffer!
He slowly turned around and told everything to the rebels behind him. After listening, everyone showed expressions of shame and put down their weapons. It turned out they had wronged the King for so many years and mistaken a bandit for a hero!
"We really deserve to die..."
"Yeah, isn't the King in danger now? We have to go back to protect Lord Cobra!"
"We are sinners!"
"Stop."
Koza stopped everyone from talking further, then turned around, facing Vivi with a sad expression.
"I am a sinner... Vivi."
"My crimes are heinous, and I should be executed. But these rebels behind me are just patriots who wrongly trusted me. Their crimes do not deserve death.
I hope after I die, Lord Cobra can forgive them and let them atone for their crimes by crusading against Crocodile!"
Saying this, he raised his pistol, about to end his life.
Vivi reached out her hand anxiously, but it was too late.
"Wait."
Chrollo raised his arm and easily knocked his pistol away.
Then he said to him with deep meaning, "Death is not atonement, but the most pathetic way to escape."
"We are not here to witness your apology, Koza. We... are here to solve the problem and save this land!"
"The fundamental contradiction of this country is the scarcity of water resources."
Chrollo pointed his finger to the sky, a faint smile outlining his lips. "I brought you a mission, Koza. Look up at the sky..."
Koza looked up in confusion, and then unprecedented excitement appeared in his eyes.