The Catalyst

East Blue, Louge Town. A massive crowd had gathered to witness a monumental event, the Pirate King's execution. 

"Why do we need to come here just to see a guy die?" 

Emilio, Ivankov, Kuma, and Dragon had also come to witness this spectacle. 

"There is something I need to verify." 

Dragon spoke with his normally serious tone as they forced their way through the crowd. 

"Verify what?" 

"The type of man the so-called Pirate King is." 

They made it to where they had a clear view of the stage. After waiting for a while, Gol D Roger was brought on the stage. Despite facing death, he wore a huge grin and walked without a care in the world. It was as if his story wasn't coming to an end, but was just beginning. 

"Woah...." 

Emilio mindlessly spoke. He was enchanted by the presence of the man in front of him. Dragon said nothing as he watched the execution from start to finish and what happened because of it. 

"My, what a fine man Gold Roger was~." 

Later that day, they gathered on their ship leaving Louge Town. Ivankov spoke with endearment. 

"I wish I got to know him before he died~." 

"I feel the same way! I can tell he was a beast when he fought!" 

Emilio spoke with overflowing excitement. He looked at Dragon who was beside him. 

"What do you think, Dragon?!" 

"...He was a profound man. He may have changed the world forever with his death." 

"Oh, you mean his speech about his treasure? I heard people already calling it the One Piece." 

Dragon nodded. 

"How much of everything is a coincidence? Just how much was planned?" 

"What are you talking about?" 

"…No, it's nothing." 

Dragon looked out on the open seas. 

"We'll find out in time." 

Some time had passed, and Emilio was now with the Freedom Fighters for a few years. 

"I want to form my own group to fight the World Government." 

Dragon Spoke to him, Ivankov, and Kuma. 

"I joined the Freedom Fighters because I wish to make a change, but with the sudden rise of pirates, I can feel the group's limitations more than ever. I'm grateful for the leaders, but there might be a need for a change. For this reason, I tried to recruit a man I respected." 

"You mean that Vegapunk guy?" 

Emilio asked. Dragon nodded. 

"He turned me down though. He said we don't have the resources to fund his vision, and I agree with him. That's why I'm planning to create an organization that can attract people of his caliber, people capable of changing the world." 

He looked them all in the eyes. 

"I want to create the Revolutionary Army with all of you who share my vision." 

"Hey, I practically gave you the idea. So you already know I'm down." 

Emilio answered. He wrapped his arms around Kuma and Ivankov. 

"I'm certain these two feel the same." 

"Of course~." 

"I will follow you to the depths of hell." 

Ivankov and Kuma answered with conviction. 

"My comrades, thank you." 

Dragon showed a rare smile. 

"So what? We leave the Freedom Fighters?" 

"Not yet, Emilio. While the resources of the Freedom Fighters are small, the people in the organization are valuable. I want to try and assimilate them into our group." 

"You mean you want to take it over? I'm down for that." 

Dragon nodded. 

"For now, we are the only members of the Revolutionary Army, but there will come a day when we number in the tens of thousands. The government will one day cower at the mere mention of us." 

"I can't wait to see the day." 

"Emilio, there's something I need you to help me with." 

"Ask away boss." 

"I want to win over everyone in the Freedom Fighters by showing off our skills and determination. Because of this, we will need to work hard to show everyone we're the future. So, we will need to gather achievements." 

Emilio grinned. 

"So what do you want me to do?" 

"Infiltrate the Bakori Kingdom, become a knight, gain the trust of powerful people in the kingdom, and give us the green light on when to light the flames of rebellion." 

"Is it okay to give, Emi-Boy such a big job? It requires a lot of skills outside fighting~." 

"Don't worry, Ivankov. Emilio can do it. You can, right?" 

"Of course! I just need to play a role, right? My parents were actors before they died. They taught me the basics as a kid. They even said I was so great at acting that I would get stuck in-character for days." 

"Is that so?" 

"Yup!" 

"...Well, he has mellowed down greatly over the last couple years~." 

Emilio showed a thumbs up. 

"Don't worry, I got this!" 

Bakori Kingdom, Grandline. As Dragon ordered, Emilio went to this kingdom and enlisted to become a knight. He quickly raised up the ranks by showing his strength and level-headiness in dire situations. It only took him a year to be hailed as the strongest knight and be assigned as the Royal Princesses' bodyguards. 

"Emilio!" 

He was leaning against a tree when the two princesses ran up to him hiding something behind their backs. 

"What do you two have there?" 

He spoke with a soothing tone. One of the girls pointed at the ground. 

"Emilio, stoop down and close your eyes." 

Emilio did as they said with a smile on his face. He felt his hair rustle. 

"You can open them now." 

He opened them and saw the bright smiles of the girls. He touched what was placed on his head. 

"It's a crown of flowers!" 

One of the princesses spoke with excitement. 

"You might be a commoner in everybody's eyes, but to us, you're a prince who protects us and makes us happy." 

The other princess pointed at the crown. 

"This is proof that you're our prince!" 

"Pfft!" 

"Hey, don't laugh!" 

"We're serious!" 

The princess puffed out their cheeks. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." 

He placed his hands on their heads. 

"Princess Tiana, Princess Shaddai, thank you." 

He stood up. 

"I'll try my best to always be your prince." 

That night, Emilio contacted the Freedom Fighters with his Snail Transponder. 

"Yes, the king is currently ill. He believes that someone has put a curse on him and is lashing out at his people. The people have reached their boiling point, even some of his advisors. I've found a group of rebels who want to overthrow him. We can support them." 

"Alright, get in contact with them and we'll be there to light the fire of freedom." 

"Roger." 

He cut the call and looked at the full moon. 

"Don't worry, Tiana and Shaddai. I will protect you two, even from your father." 

Two weeks later, the moon was hidden behind the clouds but the night was still bright. The flames of the burning castle in front of Emilio had illuminated the night. 

"Who..." 

Emilio spoke with a trembling voice. 

"Who lit the castle?!" 

His shout was drowned by the sounds of fighting around him. Rebels had stormed the Castle grounds and were fighting the knights who were caught off guard. These were rebels he had let in. Emilio looked around. The rebels were killing any and everyone they could get their hands on. Knights, maids, butlers, anyone. 

"This...This was not supposed to go like this!" 

He grabbed a rebel he recognized. 

"What's going on here?! You guys were supposed to take out the king's guards and capture him! Why are you destroying everything?!" 

"Shut up! That bastard king and his knights burned our home over baseless superstitions! So, we're going to do the same! Kill them all!" 

The other rebels cheered as the man roared. Emilio lifted the man by his throat. 

"You!" 

"Emilio, no!" 

Dragon appeared behind him. Emilio dropped the man. 

"Dragon, what's the meaning of this?" 

"It's the orders of the leaders. They told the rebels to make the king feel their pain...Now, things have gotten out of hand. They won't listen to reason anymore." 

Emilio opened his mouth to speak. 

"Haa!" 

A scream entered his ears and he looked up. On top of the castle, he saw the king with his daughters. They were being cornered by his own knights. 

"Tiana, Shaddai!" 

Emilio rushed towards the castle. 

"Why are they here? I told them to hide before I opened the gates! Don't tell me they didn't listen and went to their father the moment I turned my back?!" 

He quickly scaled the castle walls and raced to the top. 

"It's time we end your evil bloodline!" 

He heard an advisor shout. 

"Stop, stop, Stop!" 

The sounds of gunshots reached his ears as he reached the top. The world slowed down and he could see the princesses falling to the ground with blood pouring out of them. All of his memories with them flashed before his eyes. 

*Thud* 

The world became silent and only the sound of their bodies hitting the ground reached his ears. Soon after, he could hear his heart race as he looked at the bodies. The moment their blood started staining the ground, his heart became silent. 

*BAM* 

The top of the castle exploded before Dragon's eyes. The scene of body parts raining down was witnessed by everyone there. Someone fell from the sky and landed holding the bodies of two girls. He placed the girls down on the ground and started walking. As the rebels and knights watched him, Emilio vanished. The next moment broken bodies were flying through the air. These bodies belonged to the rebels. They started to run for their lives but didn't make it far before being torn apart. 

"Emilio!" 

Emilio only stopped after Dragon held on to him. 

"I know how you feel, but you can't! These people are victims too! They were just-" 

"Dragon." 

Emilio spoke with a voice devoid of emotions. 

"I'm sorry, I'm fine now." 

Dragon released him. Emilio started walking away. 

"Bury those girls in a flower field, I'm sure that would make them happy." 

"Emilio..." 

Dragon watched as he disappeared in the night. A few days later, Dragon and Emilio were sitting on a roof overlooking the town. The people were celebrating in the streets. 

"…I've been to many celebrations like this, but I'm only just realizing that these people are celebrating the deaths of others." 

Emilio mumbled. 

"I prefer to think of it as them celebrating their bright future. It's better that way. This way you won't think about the people we had to sacrifice to create this change. Like the soldiers who were just doing what was best for themselves and their family, even if it meant protecting an oppressor." 

Dragon said. 

"Or the innocent people who were just unfortunate and got caught in the crossfire." 

Emilio mumbled back. Dragon became silent for a bit before speaking again. 

"Emilio, I want to apologize for what happened to those girls. The rebellion was poorly executed, and it led to unnecessary casualties. In my attempt to make a name for myself, I forgot something very important. I forgot how dangerous the malice of man was. If I hadn't, I would've accounted for the rage and resentment that was stored up in the rebels' hearts....I could've kept them in control." 

"I don't blame you, Dragon. I've realized that we both have room for growth." 

The whole time they were talking, Emilio had not looked in Dragon's direction. He kept his eyes on the people celebrating. 

"So, what did the higher-ups say about my rampage? Am I expelled from the organization?" 

"....." 

"I see. I guess that works better for all of us." 

"I still want you to be a part of my Revolutionary Army, Emilio." 

Dragon quickly spoke. 

"Since they kicked you out, I'm planning on-" 

"Stay in the Freedom Fighters, Dragon." 

He turned to look at Dragon for the first time. 

"They might be a group of scumbags who care more about their reputation than truly liberating the world, but they can be useful to you in the future." 

He gently tapped his fist on Dragon's chest. 

"Treat them like the stepping stones they are and use them to soar to new heights that only you can achieve. Devour them and grow. After that, devour more and more. Keep devouring, keep growing until you reach the stage where the world will be forced to look at you, forced to listen to what you have to say." 

He smiled at Dragon. 

"Become the man we both know you can be." 

Emilio stood up. 

"And you? What type of man are you striving to be? What path are you going to walk?" 

"I...I don't know yet. I feel like I'm searching for answers to questions I haven't even thought of yet." 

He smiled as he looked towards the horizon. 

"So, I'm going to search for those questions and answers." 

He showed Dragon a huge grin. 

"First of all, I'm going to retrace my steps. I'm going to visit all the places I've been to before and look at them from a different angle. Maybe after that, I'll think up some questions I want answers to." 

"I see." 

Dragon stood up and stretched his hand out. 

"I hope you come find me and ask me those questions so that I can give you my answers. You know, providing a different point of view." 

Emilio laughed and took his hand. 

"I'll see you soon, Dragon." 

"You too, Emilio." 

A few months later, Emilio returned to Harha Kingdom where he first met Dragon. 

"...What the hell is this?" 

He was met with the sight of a ravaged country no better than a dumpster. The people were skins and bones and the streets reeked with the smell of rotting flesh. 

"What's going on? Wasn't the rebellion successful? Why does this place look worse than before?" 

He walked around to gather information. 

"Yeah, the rebellion was successful. The rebels replaced the royal family." 

He was talking to an elderly woman, whom he had given money to tell him what he wanted. 

"Then, what happened?" 

"Incompetence, that's what." 

The woman's voice was cold. 

"The rebels underestimated what it took to successfully rule a country. They made bad decisions after bad decisions. Soon after, there was in-fighting among the higher-ups which led to the death of the former Rebel Leader." 

"What?! That kind old guy was killed?" 

The woman nodded. 

"Killed in his sleep by his own righthand man. He had a big heart but that alone can't run a country. After that, it was downhill from there. The in-fighting became more intense, and corruption appeared in the government once again. It's as if man will always lose to their greed and thirst for power." 

The woman sighed. 

"And this leads us to our current state. Are you satisfied with what I told you?" 

Emilio silently nodded. The old woman left him with his thoughts. 

"So taking down a corrupt king doesn't solve everything?" 

He looked at the wasteland he was in again before shaking his head. 

"It might just be a stroke of bad luck. Yeah, that's it." 

Saying that, Emilio helped where he could before leaving the country. He went on a tour to retrace his steps and visit the countries he helped free before. This was the beginning of Emilio Madero's search for questions and the answers that followed.