Chapter 115: Love Triangle?

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Pell shouted anxiously, "This is bad! The battle has already started over there!" Vivi's heart sank as she took in the scene. They were too late. 

The start of the battle meant there would be casualties, and once blood had been spilt, it would be much harder to end the conflict. 

Crocodile's plan had succeeded. At this point, Vivi knew her only option was to find the rebel leader, Koza, and show him the evidence they had gathered. 

She hoped that by revealing the truth to Koza, he could stop the rebels from continuing the fight. 

"Pell, find Koza. He's the only one who can end this battle."

Byakuya held Vivi close but remained silent, respecting her decision in this critical moment. 

He planned to intervene only if the situation became truly irreparable.

Pell's vision was greatly enhanced in his falcon form, allowing him to spot Koza among the crowd, even from a thousand meters up in the sky. 

But as Pell swooped down towards Koza, the surrounding rebels recognized him. 

Mistaking Pell's approach as an attempt to assassinate their leader, they began firing stolen crossbows at him and quickly formed a human shield around Koza.

Although the crossbow bolts posed little threat to Pell, Byakuya, wanting to protect Vivi from stray arrows, enveloped Pell in Armament Haki. 

The bolts stopped short, about half a foot in front of Pell, before falling harmlessly to the ground, inadvertently injuring several rebels in the process.

As they drew closer, Vivi shouted at Koza, "Koza, order them to stop! This entire war is Crocodile's plot!"

"We've already defeated Crocodile and have proof of his crimes!"

"This evidence shows that my father is innocent! If this fight continues, the only ones who will suffer are the people of Alabasta!"

Koza turned and saw Vivi standing beside Pell, and a wave of joy washed over him. 

Just as he was about to speak, he noticed Byakuya holding Vivi, and a shadow of sadness passed through his eyes. 

He and Vivi had been childhood friends, practically growing up together. It wasn't a lie to say that Koza had feelings for Vivi.

Yet, faced with their people's suffering, Koza had chosen to lead the rebels against Vivi's father, King Cobra. 

But this hadn't changed his deep affection for her. However, seeing her with Byakuya now...

When Koza remained silent, Vivi feared he didn't believe her. 

She quickly took the Visual Den Den Mushi from Byakuya's arms. 

She displayed the footage of Crocodile confessing to his plot, projecting the image into the air for all to see, both the rebels and the royal army.

The video clearly showed Crocodile admitting to using Dance Powder to sow discord between the people and the king. 

It also revealed how he sent an agent with the power of the Imitation Fruit to pose as a royal soldier and attack Koza, solidifying the rebels' belief that the king was responsible. 

Crocodile's ultimate goal, as Cobra had said, was to seize control of the Kingdom of Alabasta.

As the footage ended, the entire battlefield fell silent. Rebels and royal soldiers stared at each other in shock. 

They realized that the entire conflict had been avoidable and that Crocodile had manipulated them all. 

Reflecting on their journey—from forming the rebel army to now laying siege to Alubarna—many rebels recalled how they had fought and killed loyal soldiers of the king along the way.

Recognizing their grave error, some rebels dropped their weapons and began to cry. 

Others looked around, confused and uncertain about what to do next. The war, involving 500,000 people, ground to a sudden halt.

Seeing this, King Cobra and Chaka exchanged relieved smiles.

Just as they had hoped, Vivi succeeded. She returned in time with the evidence of Crocodile's crimes and stopped the war. 

Vivi spoke earnestly to Koza, "Koza, please stop this. If the war continues, more innocent people will be harmed." Koza's mind was in turmoil. 

He remembered when he first formed the rebel army, refusing to believe what his father had said—that King Cobra would never do such a thing. 

He also hadn't believed what Vivi had told him back then. 

Resolutely, just as Crocodile had wanted, he rallied the suffering refugees and formed the rebel army, attacking cities one after another. 

By the time they reached the capital, Alubarna, Koza believed he was on the verge of becoming the new king of Alabasta, with Vivi as his queen. 

He envisioned leading the kingdom into a new era of prosperity. But with the truth revealed, all his dreams were shattered. 

The ideals he had held onto while forming the rebel army were nothing more than foolishness, as Crocodile had deceived him. 

Koza looked at his hands, stained with the blood of countless innocent royal soldiers. 

Then he looked at Vivi, nestled in Byakuya's arms, and felt his world darken.

Koza muttered, "Stop? How can I stop now? Kebi is dead, killed by the royal army. And many royal soldiers have died at the hands of the rebels." 

"Now you're asking me to stop. But what about the rebels who have killed royal soldiers? Are we all to be sentenced to death?"

The news of Kebi's death deeply saddened Vivi. He had also been her childhood friend, and they had been very close. 

Seeing Vivi's tears and sorrowful expression, Byakuya instinctively held her closer, gently stroking her back. 

Vivi didn't resist, resting her hands on Byakuya's shoulders as she sobbed. Seeing this, Koza forced a bitter smile.

So, in the end, I'm the fool, he thought.

After a while, Vivi regained her composure and said, "Koza, you have to believe me. Crocodile misled you." 

"While there will be some punishment, it won't be as severe as death. There will be a chance for redemption."

Hearing Vivi's words, many of the rebels breathed a sigh of relief. Now that their error had been proven, there was no need for the war to continue. 

They understood that they needed to atone for the wrongs they had committed, and that seemed fair. 

However, some rebels were not so easily appeased. They had been the most fervent in fighting the royal army, killing the most soldiers. 

In their minds, if they could just take Alubarna and establish a new government, they would be rewarded as the new nobility of Alabasta. 

Their status would rise from peasants to aristocrats, and their descendants would enjoy noble privileges.

But now, with the situation reversed, they feared losing even their status as peasants and instead being condemned as criminals. 

Despite knowing their actions were wrong, they weren't willing to give up so easily and were ready to fight one last time. 

All they needed was a leader—and that leader would naturally be Koza.

At that moment, all eyes turned to Koza. Vivi pleaded again, "Koza, please stop. Don't let more innocent people shed their blood."

Koza shook his head and suddenly asked a question unrelated to the situation, "Vivi, did you ever like me?"

Vivi was stunned by the question. She glanced at Byakuya beside her and answered firmly, 

"Even though we grew up together, I've always seen you as a brother. Besides, I already have someone I like."

Listening to their somewhat melodramatic conversation, Byakuya suddenly felt like a villain who had come between two childhood friends. 

But the truth was, I hadn't done anything! I gathered World Source Energy and promoted the 'Night' organization. 

Who would've thought I'd end up with a princess? Is this an unexpected bonus? As Byakuya pondered, Koza asked bitterly,

 "What's so great about him? He doesn't even dare take off his mask. Anyone can see he's not a good person."

<End Chapter>

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