Grandline Koukai: Roots of a Revolution

Roots of a Revolutionis a Grandline Koukai side story about a member of the rebellion in Alabasta.

Synopsis
High above the city of Alubarna Zyeen, a leader of the Alabastian rebellion prepares to ambush Jafar's caravan. While waiting, he recalls the events that led the once patriotic man to rebel against the government. When his village was ravaged by bandits, Zyeen took a group of men to the capital in search of help. A kind young man named Harun tried to help him and gave him the appropriate paperwork to fill out. Confused by the terminology, Zyeen tried to return to ask Harun for more guidance but was turned away at the gate. When was evident that no one else cared much nor would help when Zyeen was left with no choice but to break into the castle and ask Harun for help. Sneaking in under the guise of a guard, Zyeen witnessed the king being an utter drunken wreck partying with the nobles. Realizing that the king was too much of a wreck to properly lead his people and that the bureaucracy and nobles didn't care about the common people, Zyeen returned home to defend his people himself. However, upon arriving, he and his men found everything destroyed. Snapping out of his recollection, Zyeen was alerted that Jafar is approaching and they begin their attack. Too late, they find out that it had been a trap set up by Jafar and Jack the Ripper as the rebellion forces are in turn ambushed and thoroughly beaten by the marines with Zyeen being the only one to hold his own for a while. Jafar threatens to kill Zhara if Zyeen does not surrender. Rose joins the fray, having escaped Ya'rule and joins the fight, freeing Zhara - allowing her and Zyeen's remaining men to escape. Jack fired off his blades at Zyeen who jumps in front of them so they don't harm his daughter. As he died, Zyeen sent a fragment of his spiritual energy to Rose containing his memory and a plea to protect his daughter. Rose defeated Jack, with a pledge to fight for Alabasta and Jafar ran away. Zhara was overcome with grief at the loss of her father, but sensing his spirit from Rose, she allows him to take her away.

Story
High above the bustling city of Alubarna a man looked down from a church bell tower, biding his time before an unsuspecting caravan would enter the city. How small the people seemed as they mindlessly went about buying and selling goods that would be taxed far beyond their worth to enhance the comforts of some noble who would never appreciate the suffering that resulted. It was disgusting. Here these people were struggling just to survive another day fighting hunger and poverty against terrible odds and for what? Grand palaces and feasts they would never be allowed to see? Worst of all, they acted as if there was no other choice. A scowl crossed the man’s face as he recalled once being in their position.

For years he too had just accepted it as the way of things. It was the grand design and will of some creator that those born into power were of superior nature and make than their subjects, capable of things the common man could only imagine. His lot in life was to serve the nobles and their king who had been designated to lead and protect their nation with their supernal skills. Yes, he had believed in the hierarchy with the utmost reverence. But no longer was he be fooled by such primitive lies established solely for control – not after what he had seen.

Years ago his small village had been an important stop along the tax collection route for the caravan to stop and replenish their source of water, to eat, and to rest. Given time, this attracted the attention of raiders and thieves after the loot that would soon be in the hands of the hierarchy. To protect the people, the government had built a grand wall around the humble site and sent a portion of their guard to keep the ruffians from harming anyone. Yes, that was when he had believed in them. That was when he had thought his labors were all contributing to the security of his loved ones and the loved ones of his fellow Alabastians throughout the nation. However, when the taxation route had been redesigned to no longer require them, the troops’ assistance stopped. The bandit attacks did not.

Certain that their pleas for assistance were being intercepted by the dastardly liars and thieves, the man decided to deliver the message directly to the capital. He organized a group to accompany him and fight their way if they must. With passionate cries he had rallied his men. It had been agreed. About half the townsmen would risk the journey while the other half stayed to protect the remaining villagers. He recalled the members of his party saying farewell to their families, assuring them it would not be the last time they would see one another. Repressing a sad smile, the man recalled parting with his own wife.

The man closed his eyes to better visualize the image of his beloved, Lairra. He did his best to relive every sensory memory - the soft, but calloused touch of her hard working hands gently stroking his face, the scent of freshly made bread that she had woken up two hours before him to bake emanating from her direction, and the sparkle in her eye as she blinked back tears, forcing a smile with her tender lips before wishing him a safe journey. He had comforted her with a loving embrace, telling her that she would see him in a matter of weeks, bringing back more security for her and their daughter. He would keep her safe, no matter what the cost. Although he didn’t know it at the time, it would be the first and last lie he would ever tell her.

To the man’s surprise, the journey had not been nearly so perilous as they had imagined. In just under a week they had arrived with relatively few skirmishes and no casualties. The men demanded to alert the King of the perils facing their village. It was here they met the greatest obstacle: the bureaucracy.

Just outside the King's royal palace, a young man was directing the guardsmen to their positions. It was evident they were preparing for some kind of important event to transpire. Security was tight, evenly spread out throughout the King's court yard that surrounds the palace building. A royal guard escorted Zyeen and his men to the youthful director. He introduces himself as Harun, Co-Captain of the King's elite royal guard.

Zyeen had introduced himself to the light haired young man and began to explain the plight of his village. He explained the terrible attacks that had beset them and why they needed to request help from the government officials as well as the urgency of the matter with the expectation of being directed toward assistance.

It was clear from the expression on his face that Harun felt sorry for Zyeen and his followers. To make sure he could give the travelers his undivided attention, Harun orders his guards to have someone named "Shar" arrange the security teams. Afterwards, Harun lead Zyeen to a small office in a building just outside the palace. Harun took a moment's leave to another room then returned with a stack of papers. "Unfortunately things like this continue to happen all across Alabasta. Our soldiers are spread thin, so you'll have to fill these out to make a formal request for military support. Please return when you're finished and I'll do everything in my power to see that your village is protected."

Zyeen thanked the man for his help and began to fill out the tower of papers. He did his best to be as understanding as Harun had been to him, but he couldn't help feeling frustrated as he came across words and phrases that he had never seen or heard in his life. What in the name of all things holy was "eminent domain" or "diversionary protocols"? What made a person considered "indigent" or "self sufficient"? The terminology made his head spin until finally he had to ask for help. Unfortunately, Harun was occupied with other measures and the man Zyeen approached wasn't quite as sympathetic.

"Excuse me sir but the Captain has already given you the proper guidelines. You need to leave the royal grounds immediately, return another day". The guardsmen didn't even allow Zyeen to respond, he had his escorted off the grounds.

Return he did, only to be turned away five more times without even the slightest assistance. The guards would not permit him to see Harun until he finished the paperwork. He could not finish the paperwork until someone like Harun could explain how to do so - and as he had little money, no one other than Harun was willing to even listen. While he certainly wasn't happy, he understood the difficult position the kingdom was in. His men, however, were far less patient. It wasn't fair! They needed help and this was just wasting valuable time! Zyeen recalled being torn. He could not allow their rampant frustrations to ruin everything they were working towards. However, he had to admit a part of him agreed with them, though all logic and thought of his family stopped him from saying so. Instead, Zyeen focused all his energies on trying to either get help or figure out what he could of the paperwork himself. He knew that unless they could get this filled out, there would be no hope for his people. Meanwhile, his men were beginning to lose faith in him. Some went so far as to make plots to storm the castle - a terrible idea by all means, that would get them all killed! But over half of his men were getting so desperate they would rather die than return home without fulfilling their task. Immediately upon finding out about this insurrection, Zyeen faced them and pleaded not to do anything rash and ruin their chances. After much debate, the only thing that would stop his men, was if he managed to get the paperwork done in those next twenty-four hours. He weighed all options, begged and bartered with the guards at the gate. But they left him with no choice. He would have to sneak in to get the help he needed. Either that, or be held responsible for the demise of everyone he knew and cared for.

Later that night, the castle shook from the sheer amount of people going wild inside. But there was only controlled chaos, and their was no danger, aside from the danger of drunkenness. The King had thrown himself a party at the royal palace, and was celebrating with dozens of other high class citizens. While everyone was enjoying themselves, Harun however, was quite annoyed by the situation. He would have to constantly keep the King's image untarnished, which was difficult considering how intoxicated the royal had become. "My King, I think you've had enough to drink for the night" Harun pleaded. "Enough!? No way, I'm just getting started!" The King replied before bursting out into laughter.

Across the room, Zyeen watched Harun speaking with that drunken idiot. It had been all too convenient to find a guard who had stolen a little too much wine, take his uniform and infiltrate the palace. From what he had witnessed Harun setting up before, it had seemed nearly impossible. If he had only known how easily breaking in could be, he would have certainly done it sooner and be back with his dear Lairra and their precious Zhara. Originally Zyeen had planned to ditch the uniform before approaching Harun in his office, as he figured the man would not approve of his methods and possibly even have him arrested. However, after learning he was at the party he knew there would be no way to approach him out of uniform. Perhaps he could make some sort of agreement after explaining the inefficiency of Harun's men being responsible for allowing him to even get this far. Zyeen stood at attention as he had seen countless guard in his time in the city, watching and waiting to be able to approach Harun. That blasted drunk would not leave the man alone! Zyeen could not tell what was said, only that from his expression, Harun was not amused by the loud mouthed fool. How long would they go on? Finally unable to bear much more, and having to take the calculated risk anyway, Zyeen walked around edge of the room until he was closer to his target. He would approach Harun and tell him he has urgent business, saving him from the ridiculous Noble or aristocrat that was plaguing him.

Harun only needed a glimpse of the mans face to recognize Zyeen was not a member of the royal guard. Without making a scene, Harun quickly and effectively moved Zyeen away from King Nefertari. In a flash, Harun had Zyeen pressed against the wall in the next room with one of his daggers to the trespassers throat. The calm and sincere Harun was gone, this one's eyes were filled with cold malice. This Harun was ready to end Zyeen's life in an instant. "I matters not who you are, or why you're here. The fact is that you're trespassing on the royal property, and that makes you a threat to his majesty."

"I beg to differ, it matters a lot why I'm here because that determines whether or not I'm a threat." Zyeen's eyes flashed with defiance, but he softened with a sigh, knowing to fight would simply be to lose. "You are not my enemy and I am not yours. You kill me, and my entire people are going to be annihilated. I need help, Harun. I wouldn't be here otherwise. Your own men's incompetence is what got me in here, not any malice of my own. Those fools posted at the outer gate were nearly as drunk as the buffoon talking to you a moment ago."

Before responding, Harun delivers a swift punch to Zyeen's gut. "That buffoon you're referring too is your majesty, King Nefertari." Harun turns away and walks back towards the celebration. "Leave the palace at once, I will come and find you myself tomorrow."

''Good luck with that. ''Zyeen resisted all impulses to spit back a retort as he clutched his stomach still reeling from the hit. Despite the feeling in his soon-to-be-bruised gut telling him otherwise, clearly Harun was being merciful by sparing his life. It would be foolish to provoke him. After a while, the sharp pain faded to a subtle ache and he his breath enough to think again as he snuck back outside the wall to find his men. That was the king? A quiet chuckle laugh caught in his throat and reverberated through his chest. The hopeless drunkard that was shamelessly prancing about much to Harun's dismay? That was the king? The laugh spread to a small grin and his shoulders shook slightly as the sound escaped his mouth. That. Was the ''King? ''The man who was supposed to be leading this land? Defending his people? ''Him?! ''Zyeen threw his head back with a roaring, psychotic cackle that shook his entire frame. A few of his men rushed to his side with concern, asking what was wrong.

"Nothing." He replied when he had finally calmed enough to speak. Letting out one final snicker and a sigh before raising his voice, Zyeen's face and tone suddenly transformed into a dead serious sneer. "We're leaving. There's no need to waste any more time here. They're not going to help us - we need to get back to our people where we can actually make a difference." He began to walk. "Hey! Wait up! Where are you going?!" They called. He continued moving until they followed. Of course, that had been the key lesson he kept with him the rest of his life. Unlike that extravagantly vulgar man who called himself king, Zyeen would be a man to actually lead by example.

"Sir, Jafar's caravan was just spotted approaching the outer rim. It's practically unguarded just like intel said," The voice of a fellow rebel snapped Zyeen out of the memory of back to the present moment. Honestly, he was quite grateful for the interruption, as he had no desire to relive the horrors they had discovered upon returning home. This was their chance! If they could take the noble hostage it could very well turn the tide of the war in their favor. The sooner it was over, the sooner he could see the sweet smile on Zhara's face. The sooner she would be able to grow up in a world as beautiful and free as her smile.

Zyeen watched as the caravan drew near, eager to get his hands on the corrupt noble that once oversaw his village before it fell to shambles. ''My wife was murdered by your negligence. I will not let her and the countless others who have fallen because of that incompetent excuse for a King and his selfishly apathetic Nobles to have died in vain.''

In reality, everything was actually going perfectly according to Jafar's plan. He sat inside his litter, while his subordinates carried him towards the capital. He holds Zhara close to his side, as if he is trying to comfort the sobbing child. Across from him sits Jack the Ripper, leader of a group of Marines sent to aid the rebel suppression. "We've been trying to find these scum for weeks, and yet you discovered them...using a vase?" Jack said with a look of confusion that was hidden behind his mask. Jafar laughed before replying "That's what I told you didn't I? Don't believe me? Take a look inside" and tossed Jack the vase. Jack takes a quick glance inside and his shocked by the light he see's inside. "What's that light?" Jafar nudges Zhara, and asks her to tell Jack the origin of the vase. She doesn't respond, and only her sobs can be heard. "I'll speak for her then. We believe this thing was used by her father to keep this young lady safe, and keep them connected if you will. Ya'rule figured out a way to track him using this.". Using this information, Jack was able to piece together Jafar's plan. He tracked down Zyeen and leaked information about a virtually unguarded caravan so that Jack and his men could ambush the rebels.

Zhara wanted to run but the terrible man was holding her too tightly. But even if she could, where would she go? There was no one she could trust anymore. Maybe someone could help her find Daddy. He couldn't possibly be the evil man Jafar said he was, could he? Yet the entire way he had listed the many things that her father had done, the people who suffered and died at their hands. If even one of those things was true... Still, even if she doubted him, she didn't want them to kill him. Despite the confusion that drove her to tears, she could never stop loving her father. And deep down in her heart was the most minuscule hope that somehow Daddy would save her.

Jafar orders his men to place his litter on the ground. He turns to Zhara and asks "Are you ready to see daddy again?"Jack isn't amused by Jafar's cruelty but he still follows orders and quietly moves his men into position for the ambush. Jafar revels his in the genius of his plan, and taunts "And here...we..go!"

The moment the litter hit the ground Zyeen surrounded the path in a blinding flash of light. Men with darkened goggles jumped into action immediately upon the signal, the only ones able to see their opponents. Extending his arm, Zyeen fired off a barrage of golden projectiles around the litter to disable any remaining guard, careful to leave their prize unscathed.

The few guards that Jafar had were nothing more then decoys. As Zyeen and his men approached the litter, Jack stepped out of it to confront them. "You shouldn't have come here Zyeen. Surrender now, or you will regret every action you've taken against the government."

"You're surrounded by my men and in no position to bargain." With a twitch of his right hand, Zyeen fired off a swift speck of solid spirit, carving a notch in Jafar's priceless looking neck decoration. "Surrender now regretting every crime you're committed against the Alabastian people and we'll offer you the mercy you've never shown us."

Jafar steps out of his litter and reveals to Zyeen that he has his daughter hostage. "I'm actually in the best position to bargain, and I will not be merciful!". Jafar holds his wand to Zhara's neck, and gives her a tiny jolt of electricity, causing her to shriek in pain. Jack steps in front of Jafar and issues one last warning "Give us the locations of all the other rebels, or you will never see your daughter again."

"Stop it! Let her go!" Zyeen can't bear to see his daughter in the hands of that disgusting nobel. His men stare at him with anticipation. If he surrenders that information, the entire nation will continue to suffer, if he doesn't...

"D-Daddy?" Zhara is quaking in terror and fear. She's too young to understand everything that's at stake.

"I can't betray my people the way you have, Jafar, but don't you DARE harm another hair on her head!" He knows what he needs to do. The resistance will suffer dearly without his abilities, but it's the best option he has. "A trade. Let her go with my men and take me instead." "You have been a thorn in my backside for far too long. You think you're life is worth the entire rebellion? Your arrogance is sickening, you're no lord, no soldier, nobody this girl should be proud of. You're just another lowly criminal, nothing special! I will set her free, but only after I see you dead at my feet!!" Jack signals his men to appear from the shadows, his men are masked assailants that surround Zyeen and his men. "Take them away reapers!"

Cursing under his breath, Zyeen's stepped back into a fighting stance as Jack's men came at him. Covering his hands in spiked solid spirit, he began firing off a machine like swarm of spirit bullets at the enemy, trying to stop them before they could get within range to do any damage. The cursing increased as he realized his men were outnumbered - if his daughter weren't there they would've been louder too. He continued trying tho help his men face their attackers until one of them reached and engaged him directly. Zyeen pulled back all his spirit energy and focused on making solid spiked gloves, swinging left then right, firing one or two shots of bullets when he could.

In only a few moments, just outside Alubarna had been transformed into a battlefield. Jack's men, nicknamed the Reapers by other marines, were skilled fighters, who had much more experience then Zyeen's rebels. Only Zyeen himself could stand up to them thanks to his devil fruit abilities, but this only made him the perfect target for Jack. "Leave him to me" was the last command Jack needed to issue before he confronted Zyeen directly. Jack unsheathed his twin scythes and rushed Zyeen, deflecting any bullets the rebel sent at him.

Staring down his new opponent, Zyeen tried to get a quick read on what he was going up against. He continued to fire off small bullets - if nothing else they served as a distraction and forced his scythes to move to deflect them. He would have to make this fast; his men wouldn't last long on their own against these fighters.

The bullets had no effect on Jack, who had seen his fair share of devil fruit users. "You're attacks won't have any effect on me," Jack proclaims as he gets within range and takes a slash at Zyeen's head with his left scythe.

Instinctively Zyeen barely managed to deflect the blow with his right arm and took a jab with his left. The two reciprocated blows, neither seeming to have an advantage, but Zyeen had a vague fear and suspicion that the man was holding back. In his periphery vision, he could see his men falling, but he couldn't focus on that if he was to continue holding his own. Zhara was watching, horrified, he was sure. He couldn't fail her. Not now. Not again!

Jack stepped back for a moment to issue another proclamation; "You've done well to last this long Zyeen, but you should've complied before this battle started, Lord Jafar will not be merciful". Immediately afterwards, Jack closed the distance between the two and strikes Zyeen's face with the sea stone hands on the back of Jack's right scythe.

An unnatural sensation overcame Zyeen as he realized he couldn't defend himself. He had heard of sea stone before, but this was the first he had ever encountered it. For the matter of seconds it was in close proximity and contact with his skin, a sharp jolt ran down his spine, draining his energy. He slammed into the ground without being able to brace for impact. The moment he was able to move again, Zyeen tried to strike at Jack's legs in hopes of knocking him off balance long enough to recover, but it was too late.

One strike of sea stone is all it took to nullify Zyeen's spiritual powers. Jack blocks Zyeen's last ditch effort with his left scythe, using it to stab Zyeen's leg, pinning him to the ground. Meanwhile, the other rebels are dropping like flies. As Jack lowers his right scythe to Zyeen's neck, the rebel leader begins to realize this is the end. "You should know, I am not a merciful man either."

Repressing a cry of pain, Zyeen stared up defiantly. "I wouldn't expect any coward working with that noble to be." He was going to die here, in front of his daughter, helpless as she was. In the end, he was unable to defend his country. Unable to defend her. I'm sorry. ''I failed you. ''Turning his head to face Zhara, he wished she didn't have to witness this. It was cruel. It was wrong. But if he was going to die, he wanted her to be the last thing he saw. His beautiful little girl, heart wrenching as it was to see her sobbing uncontrollably because of those monsters. He hoped she'd learn to forgive him. That someday, she would once again be able to wear that perfect smile her mother had passed down to her. There were so many things he wished he could tell her, but no time to do so. If nothing else, she needed to remember that no matter what "I love you, Zhara." Having said that most important phrase as his last words, Zyeen closed his eyes in resignation.

Jafar watches closely, laughing while gripping Zhara, who is wailing and crying at the sight of her fathers defeat. Just before the scythe reaches Zyeen, Jack is pushed back by a mysterious force. The entire battlefield is suddenly covered in dust, and when it settles, Rose appears standing tall, while Jack's men lay defeated. Rose stands over Zyeen, protecting him from Jack. But his gaze is set on Jafar. The young lord is shocked by Rose's appearance. "How..how did you get away from Ya'rule!?" Rose doesn't reply, instead he fires his eye beams at Jafar in response. The cowardly Jafar narrowly ducks in time to avoid the beam, but he has to release his hold on Zhara to do so.

"Thank you, Rose!" The little girl immediately took advantage of the situation and wiping her tears, ran to her father's side, holding him tightly, trying to help him up. Her father wrapped his leg wound in a soft golden glow, keeping himself from bleeding to death, and with Zhara's help stood, commanding his remaining men to finish off what they could while making a retreat. He wasn't sure whether the attacker trustworthy, but his daughter at the moment any enemy of Jafar was an ally of his, if the two of them were able to work together, they could still win this. "Zhara you have to get out of harm's way! Follow my men and I'll meet you when we're finished here!" She shook her head, refusing to leave without him. "I'll be back, I promise, be strong for me, okay?" He kissed her forehead, leaving a tiny bit of soul light in her hands. "I promise." Reluctantly, she ran. Regaining energy, Zyeen worked quickly to ensure that Jack's men would stay down before turning his sights on Jafar.

"No! Take Zhara and get out of here. She's been through enough already. I can handle them myself." Rose was focused on Jack, but his words serious, and directed towards Zyeen. Jack took note of his words, before realizing who Rose was. "You..you're Rustyrose, former Rear Admiral. The government turned you into a machine, and deemed you a failure. You were disgraced, discharged and imprisoned. But rather then retain what little honor you had, instead you became a Pirate. Even then you're crew was destroyed during the incident at Angel's Lobby, and you found yourself alone once again. Everywhere you go, destruction follows. I won't allow your chaotic path to destroy Alabasta. You will die here, alone to the very end!"

Zyeen looked back and forth between the two men as if contemplating his next move. He was so close to accomplishing his goal - he couldn't leave now. However he was becoming increasingly aware of the intense pain caused by Jack's scythe and he knew if he stayed he probably wouldn't return. "I leave it to you, Rusyrose." Zyeen turned and rushed to catch up with his daughter.

"I don't know how you escaped Ya'rule, but I have the means to deal with you myself!!" Jafar shouted before using a mysterious magic wand to create a torrent of purple colored lightning to shock Rose. Rose screamed in pain as electricity stunned his mostly mechanical body. Jack viewed this as the perfect opening. Not an opening to attack Rose, but rather an opportunity to strike down fleeing rebel. Jack chants "Execution", the name of a technique where Jack combines his two scythes into a propeller blade, then launches the spinning death blade straight for Zyeen.

It all happened in slow motion for Zyeen. He could see the blade coming an he instinctively began moving to doge it, only then realizing that it would continue forward and hit the body of the girl running ahead of him. Once again, instinct took over, but rather than move away, he threw himself full-force between the incoming weapon and his daughter. Lifting his arms, he made a shield with what energy he had in hopes of at least slowing the blade. Too late, however, he realized in wide-eyed horror that he'd forgotten about the sea stone as the shield shield shattered into golden dust and the blades made contact with his body. Zhara stopped as the light her father had given her flickered. Confused, she turned to look behind her, screaming at the sight and racing back towards her father "Daddy?!"

Just recovering from being stunned by Jafar's lightning, Rose opens his eyes to see Zhara's running towards her collapsing father. The sight reminded him of when Jafar's underlings took Zhara away, while Rose was faced with fighting Ya'rule. Ya'rule and his men had surrounded Rose, using their mystical staves to shoot flames at him. But Rose was finished pulling his punches, and decided to use his hidden blades to counter and slice the flames until they dissipated. Rose's next move was decisive, and would change the course of the battle. Rose used his eye mounted lasers to quickly strike down Jafar's henchmen, leaving only Ya'rule standing.

"Why would you hold back this awesome power" Ya'rule puzzled, "Was it because you fear it?"

Rose waited for his eyes to lose their bloodshot that came as a result of shooting the lasers to respond; "I often lose myself into the one man army persona that was built into my mind all those years ago. I wanted to shield Zhara from that, but now I don't have that restriction. Now I can show you just how powerful I am!"

It only took a moment for Rose to close the distance between he and Ya'rule, immediately after finishing his sentence, Rose used his fist to smash Ya'rule's head clean into the ground, destroying the henchmen's mask in the process. Then something strange happened; Ya'rule's body transformed into green electricity, creating a flash of light. When the light disappeared, Rose found himself back in the middle of the desert. Rose knew that this was a way to keep him away from Zhara and her father, but he would eventually find his way back to them.

"Daddy! Daddy, you have to get up!" Zyeen could hear his daughter crying out at the top of her lungs, but his vision was failing him as he continued to lose blood. He felt her wrap her hand around his "Sweetie, you need to get out of here." He tried to remain calm though his strength was fading fast.

"I won't leave you, Daddy! You have to get up! You have to!" Tears streamed down the side of her face, landing on her fathers hand in heavy droplets.

"Okay...okay...Zhara, I need you to do me a favor, okay? Take my hand, and show me where Rose is. Can you do that, honey? Point my hand toward him, I want to help him." He knew she was giving him a confused look, although his eyes could not make it out. But she did as he said and Zyeen silently prayed that if there was any form of diety or force in the universe out there that could hear him, that it would taking pity on him and let this work. Summoning every last bit of spiritual energy he had left in his body he formed a small bullet, pouring into it what little consciousness he had left to deliver one simple message. "Please. Please, Rustyrose, keep her safe. Whatever it takes. Please." Just before Zyeen took his last breath, he fired. By some miracle, it hit its target.

The light entered Rose's body, sending a shiver of energy up his back. Zyeen's power was coursing through Rose, and not only did he receive his message, but his memories as well. It was difficult for Rose to process at first, he clutched his head as a lifetimes worth of memories invaded his mind. Jack saw this as an opening and used his scythes to slash Ramon, sending the cyborg flying back.

"You are next Rustyrose!" Jack proclaimed as he rushed towards Rose. Rose lied face up on the ground, clutching his face as Jack approached. Jack was prepared to strike Rose once again, but abruptly halted after seeing Rose's face. "You're a machine, yet.. Why? Tell me why, why are you crying!"

Tears streamed down Rose's face as he witnessed all of the moments Zyeen and Zhara had shared. Rose wiped his face clean and stood tall above Jack before replying; "Because I'm more human then you could ever know. You say you're fighting on the behalf of Alabasta, yet you've allowed this land to tear itself a part. For Zyeen and all others who suffer, I will fight to reclaim this country from you scum!"

Jack took a few steps back, shocked by Rose's words. "Lord Jafar, flee into the capital and tell the Royal Guard what's happened he-" Jack was unable to finish his sentence before Rose instantly struck him down with a mere wave of his arm. He used a quick strike of his incredibly fast, near invisible blades to cut Jack down.

Jafar watched from a distance, gritting his teeth. "Don't forget what Jack said, you're next Rustyrose" These were Jafar's final words before he used his mysterious wand to create a bright light. When the light disappeared Jafar did as well.

With a heavy heart, Rose walked over to Zhara and tried to take her weeping body away from her father's corpse. He struggled for a while, as he didn't wish to harm Zhara, but she refused to let her father go. Then suddenly, she could feel his warmth, his love and even his voice. Reluctantly, she turned to face Rose, allowing him to lift her away from her father. It was only then, when she let go of him, that she realized that her father's presence was emanating from the man before her. With the last of his strength, Zyeen had left a message for her; "I love you Zhara, I always will, and I'll always be with you, forever." She could feel it in her very core. Forever? How was that possible? With a heavy heart she wiped her eyes and wrapped her arms around Rose's neck. This was definitely Rose yet when she closed her eyes, it felt like she was holding her father. Zhara continued to mourn quietly, but didn't protest as Rose stood and turned to flee the scene of the battle. As she watched her father's body disappearing in the horizon, Zhara whispered a few last words of her own. "Goodbye, Daddy. I love you too."