Capitan Briones escalates his campaign against Joaquin by ordering that a peon be whipped until he reveals the rebel's hiding place. Zorro uses his own whip to stop Briones, then frees the peon. Shortly after, the real governor returns and Rico explains that his harsh rule was only imposed to make the capital a well-run city. Rico then convinces the governor to offer the rebel a truce so he can explain his case, planning all the while to kill Joaquin as soon as the outlaw turns himself in.

The broken truce has convinced Joaquin that Diego cannot be trusted and, that if not for Zorro, he would have been killed. When Diego and Bernardo ride to his camp to explain, the rebel leader orders his men to lock the visitors in leg irons until he can decide upon a suitable fate for them. Joaquin announces his plans to kill the governor the next day while he visits a local shrine. When he tries to ride there, however, Joaquin is accidentally captured by Sergeant Garcia.