The Executioner

Makari Islands, West Blue. Emilio arrived on the island early in the morning posing as a tourist on a cruise. He looked around at the smiling tourists who exited the ship with excitement. 

(No one would be this happy to visit an island that's suffering.) 

A smile appeared on his face. 

"As I thought, the first place was a one-time thing." 

He and the tourist made their way to the port. 

"Good morning and Welcome visitors." 

His eyes widened when they were greeted by a navy officer. 

"I am Lieutenant Landel. I will be your guide for today." 

(A marine officer as a tour guide?) 

Emilio followed behind the rest of the tourists while he tried to make sense of the situation. 

"Lieutenant, may I ask why you are acting as our tour guide?" 

He asked the marine. 

"That's because the island is currently under Marine occupation. Two years ago, there was a rebellion and the leader of the island was killed and replaced by rebels. However, there was evidence of the Previous Supreme Leader abusing his power, so the marines didn't immediately storm the island, but instead tried to work with the new government." 

(That's right. Dragon and the others worked together to ensure the right people were put in charge. So why would the marine's take control?) 

The marine continued as they made their way into the town. 

"It worked out for the first year, the new government was willing to work with us to provide the best for the people. However, life isn't that easy. The leader the people elected went missing." 

"Missing?" 

"Yup, along with the majority of the country's budget." 

"That's impossible, there must be some kind of mistake!" 

"I'm afraid not. Whether the leader ran off with the money or this is an elaborate ruse I don't know...." 

The marine looked at Emilio. 

"I do know the people of this place suffered in his absence." 

"...How bad was it?" 

"I honestly prefer not to speak about it here." 

The marine looked at the rest of the tourists who were uncomfortable. 

"Ah, but there's no need to be afraid. The Marines have everything under control. So you can vacation with peace of mind." 

The tourists' faces relaxed except for Emilio. 

Tomoo Kingdom, Grandline. 

"......" 

Emilio stood in silence as he looked at the barren land before him. There were dead bodies lying in the streets and people casually walking past them. The stench of death burnt his nose and the moans of those around him stabbed into his ears. 

"This place was bad even back then, but not this bad. What happened? We didn't carry out a rebellion here." 

He started gathering answers. After an hour, he sat in the town square with his head in his lap. 

"So people were inspired by me and Dragon robbing the castle and forcing the king to act right and decided to take a stand. They staged a rebellion and quickly killed the king and his family, but a fight broke out regarding who should rule...This happened because they acted on the spur of the moment and didn't plan anything about the future." 

He groaned in his lap. 

"The fighting ended after a lot of civilian deaths and the new leader denounced the World Government; because of this, the surrounding countries stopped trading with this one and the people suffered even more. Another rebellion happened to remove that king and he and his family were also killed....It's so exhausting just thinking about it." 

He sat up. 

"The most tragic thing is that pirates invaded the kingdom and added more to the damage....If they didn't rebel, the first king might've been able to repel the pirates and the other countries wouldn't have turned their backs on them." 

He looked up at the sky. 

"Rebel, rebel, rebel...It's like an endless cycle." 

A thought he didn't dare to mutter came to him, but he rid it from his mind. 

"Alright, let's go to the next place." 

He walked out of the town with sluggish steps. Over the next few months, Emilio traveled to all the countries he freed along with the Freedom Fighters. His last stop was where he was expelled from the Freedom Fighters, the Bakori Kingdom. 

"Good night, Your Highness." 

The knights greeted the new king of Bakori as he entered his chambers. 

"Good night, Your Majesty." 

The moment he entered the room someone covered his mouth with a cloth. The king's consciousness faded and he blacked out. When he woke up, he was still in his chambers but facing his window. Emilio sat on his window facing the king. 

"?!" 

The moment the king saw him, he froze. 

"Guards! Guards!" 

"You're wasting your breath. I took out everyone in the castle while you were out, it's just you and me." 

Emilio spoke with a cold voice. 

"W-Why are you doing this?! Weren't you on our side?!" 

"The last time we met, I nearly killed all the rebels and you ask me that question?" 

Emilio picked up something at his feet. It was a strange fruit. 

"I heard you bought a devil fruit in an auction at Sabody. I heard it was quite expensive too, despite being an unknown fruit." 

Emilio put the fruit in his mouth and took a bite. 

"Ahh! That cost over 100 million Berries!" 

"Since you're wasting the people's money, I'm taking it." 

"Are you mad?! Why would you eat a devil fruit you know nothing about?!" 

"Because I'm talented enough to make any ability strong. Besides, I'm gonna need more than Haki going forward." 

As he talked, another Emilio appeared beside him. 

"That's if I continue down this path I'm on." 

The other Emilio stabbed the King's thighs with a knife. 

"Ah-" 

"Shh." 

It covered the king's mouth and whispered in his ear. 

"From now on, you're not allowed to say a word without my permission. Nod if you understand." 

The king nodded. The original Emilio got off the window and approached the King. 

"I have some questions regarding why revolution never seems to work. As a product of revolution and a corrupt one at that...." 

He stooped and looked into the king's eyes. 

"I hope you can enlighten me." 

The following year, the destroyed island of Ohara. Dragon was walking around the island looking at the remnants of destruction before him. 

"Hm?" 

That's when noticed someone standing at the end of the road he was on. 

"Emilio..." 

Dragon approached Emilio until he saw what gathered at his feet. They were stacks of burnt corpses. 

"Hello, Dragon." 

Emilio showed Dragon a smile. Dragon frowned in response. 

"Emilio...You're different." 

"I am? Ah, that must be because I've been going undercover more often recently. I might have gotten lost in my roles." 

Dragon looked at the bodies at Emilio's feet. 

"Oh, these. I'm planning on burying them. Don't you think it's cruel to leave them like this?" 

"....Yeah. Need help?" 

"That would be great." 

After some time, Emilio and Dragon stood on a cliff overlooking the hundreds of graves they dug. 

"I think this much is fine." 

Emilio spoke. 

"In the past, you wouldn't rest until all of the children were buried..." 

"Would I?" 

"Yes." 

Dragon looked at him. 

"You also wouldn't be so indifferent to dead children." 

Emilio continued to look at the graves. 

"I guess I've gotten used to seeing dead children." 

Dragon's eyes widened. He grabbed Emilio's collar. 

"What happened to you?" 

He spoke with a strained voice. Emilio still didn't look in his direction. 

"I simply figured out what questions I needed to ask and arrived at the answers by myself." 

"What questions? What questions are those?" 

Emilio gestured towards the graves. 

"Can this world truly be saved?" 

Emilio finally looked at Dragon. 

"Tell me Dragon. Can you save the world?" 

"?!" 

Emilio's eyes were voided of light and lacked any emotions. They were just hollow. Seeing this, Dragon gritted his teeth. 

"Of course it can be saved! Isn't that what we've been doing?! We've been liberating the oppressed!" 

"Only for them to become the oppressor!" 

Emilio shouted back. He grabbed Dragon's collar. 

"I know you're aware! You know what happened to the countries we freed!" 

He gritted his teeth. 

"None of them became happy! None of them were truly liberated!" 

He pushed Dragon. 

"They end up destroying themselves! They turned on themselves when times got rough! They let their greed and desire for power turn them into the very thing they fought against!" 

He placed his hand over his chest and dug his nails into his skin. 

"Tell me, Dragon... Was there any point to everything we've done? Were we justified for ending countless lives in the name of freedom, when everything only got worse?" 

He spoke with anguish in his voice. 

"Was there a point in any of it?" 

"There was." 

Dragon spoke with conviction. 

"We may have failed, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't keep trying until we succeed." 

"Even if we're sacrificing lives meaninglessly until we get it right?" 

"Even then." 

Emilio looked at Dragon for a while before slowly taking his hand away from his heart. 

"You demon." 

He mumbled. 

"In a world full of monsters, you must be a demon to bring change. I don't care if I'm hated, I don't care if I'm feared. If history will deem me the worst criminal ever, then let it!" 

He placed his hand over his heart. 

"I am who I am, and I will destroy this screwed-up world and bring about a new era full of joy and laughter! Even if I must build it on the ashes of millions!" 

Dragon's voice echoed across the barren island of Ohara. Emilio looked at him in shock. His eyes slowly narrowed. 

"I see. You're willing to sacrifice the present in order to bet on a brighter future." 

He smirked. 

"You delusional bastard." 

Emilio's voice was filled with mockery. 

"Are you saying that to me or to yourself?" 

Dragon calmly asked. 

"Both of us." 

Emilio sighed. 

"Let me tell you, Dragon. Your dream won't come true. No, it might come true but only for a short while. Let's say you overthrow the government and usher in a new era, just how long will that prosperity last? A year? A Decade? A Century? It doesn't matter, because the cycle will only repeat itself." 

Scenes from all the countries he traveled flashed in his head. 

"What you say is true. People will always fall into the cycle of sin, that is undeniable." 

Dragon looked at him with bright eyes. 

"But is it wrong to bet on a future where we won't?" 

Emilio shook his head. 

"However, I've decided to protect the present that I'm a part of." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I didn't just travel to the countries we freed; I traveled to everywhere there was unrest. I watch the people, I watch them fight for what they believe in, and die for a future they won't get to see. I've seen them sacrifice everything in hopes their children would live a better life." 

All emotions faded from his face. 

"I've also seen those children die cursing their parents for leaving them behind." 

"......" 

"After I did that, I went to where life was in abundance. The people were happy because it wasn't their turn to suffer. They enjoyed the world as it is." 

"What are you trying to say?" 

"Dragon, did you know? There are more places overflowing with happiness than there are hells on earth. Then, doesn't it mean we should leave things as it is?" 

"Emilio, surely you're not saying..." 

Emilio nodded. 

"I'm going to protect the present, the balance. I'm going to side with the World Government." 

Dragon floored Emilio with a punch. 

"Are you blind?! Look around you! This was done by the World Government! You want to join people who would commit such atrocities?!" 

Emilio stood up. 

"What happened to Ohara was unfortunate." 

He looked Dragon in the eye. 

"But maybe it was a necessary sacrifice for the balance of the world." 

"?!" 

Dragon lifted his fist again. Before he could, he felt a cold sensation against his throat. He looked down and there was a blade. He looked around and he was surrounded by four Emilios. 

"I'm sorry, Dragon but I'm not your punching bag." 

"Emilio...You will regret this. You don't have the cold heart those in the World Government have! You'll be crushed by your sins sooner or later!" 

"If I don't have a cold heart, then I just need to develop one." 

Emilio's eyes burned with determination. 

"I threw away my only friend. If I can do that, then there's nothing I can't do." 

He snapped his fingers and the clones disappeared. 

"Dragon, if your dreams come true, billions will die. A war with the World Government might even end the world. I want to protect as many people as possible. I don't care if they live their whole lives ignorant of the true nature of the world; as long as they live in bliss, I'm fine with that. I'm fine with sacrificing the few to save the majority. For that to happen, the World Government cannot fall." 

He turned his back to Dragon. 

"If you have a problem with my choice, kill me as I walk away from you." 

Dragon coated his fists with Haki. Emilio ignored him and continued to walk away. Dragon glared at his back before undoing his Haki. 

"I just told Vegapunk but I will tell you too! I will create an army that will overthrow this world and usher in a new era! I won't stop until everybody is free, Emilio!" 

"Then you'll need help from the warrior of liberation the Skypieans spoke of." 

Emilio answered as he continued to walk away. 

"If we meet again, you're free to kill me, Monkey D Dragon, Leader of the Revolutionary Army." 

Present time, Emilio faced Luffy and the others. Memories have the past had flashed in his mind in an instant. 

"Dragon and I saw things differently, so we took different paths, that is all I will say regarding that." 

He didn't waste his time verbalizing those memories and chose to sum it up in one sentence. He looked at all those standing against him and grinned for the first time. 

"If you think my path is wrong, then prove it with your actions!" 

Massive surges of Haki poured out of his body and shook the world. 

"Come at me and show me your resolve!"