He Who Sins

Across the island, chaos and mayhem ran rampant. The citizens who were killing each other were now looking at each other with deep fear. Many of them witness friends and family turn into Felix before exploding. Everyone distanced themselves from each other. No one knew what was happening or why it was happening. They also didn't know if it could happen to them. This caused many to freeze in fear. As for those who didn't witness the horrifying spectacle, they continued to fight without remorse. 

Back at the orphanage site, Felix formed a new hand sign with his fingers with a huge grin on his face. 

"All Lives: Return!" 

Thousands of people across the island simultaneously froze. 

"What? Is it happening again?!" 

Many realized the odd phenomenon and quickly distanced themselves. Their eye's peeled open in horror as the skin started being pulled off of those who froze. Following that, was the flesh leaving the skeletons, before they too disappeared as if being sucked into a vacuum. 

"Huh?" 

El Nino and La Parca stopped in their tracks. They could sense what was happening. 

"What's going on? Why is El Verdugo absorbing all the clones?" 

La Parca shook its head at El Nino's question. 

"Could it be that El Verdugo...." 

Back at the orphanage site, Felix's body started emitting a golden light. 

"What the hell? He feels a lot stronger all of a sudden!" 

Luffy shouted. 

"With this, I'm at my full strength." 

Felix clenched his fists with a huge grin. 

"With this, we can have fun killing-" 

Felix swallowed his words mid-sentence. 

"Wha-Ugh?!" 

His body started twisting and turning unnaturally. 

"How can this....Weren't you asleep?" 

"I was, but I sensed a disturbance." 

A voice rang out in the area. Luffy and the others searched for it. 

"La Verdugo, you're acting out. You've lost sight of your role. Just like Felix, you've been corrupted." 

They blinked and someone appeared beside Felix. They were dressed in a grey vest suit and with a jacket hanging off their shoulders and fedora on their head. 

"I've become corrupted?" 

"That's right. You strayed from our goal is doing unnecessary stuff." 

This person looked just like Felix but had zero emotions on their face or in their voice. 

"For example, you wanted these people to permanently kill you which is why you're doing everything to push them past their limits." 

(So that's why he didn't kill us and kept playing around...) 

 Caria thought. 

"Just like Felix, you've sought out self-destruction. That cannot happen." 

The person looked at Luffy and the others. 

"We will keep the balance at all costs." 

He stretched his hand out at El Verdugo, and it started breaking down before disappearing. 

"The clones have become weak, so I will do this myself." 

He snapped his fingers and La Parca and El Nino who were far away broke down as well before disappearing. This person brought his hand down. He took off his jacket and hat before fastening his gloves. 

"El Verdugo did something unnecessary and allowed you to reach levels that can threaten me." 

He took a step forward. It felt as if a giant had started walking with how the world shook around them. 

"Be grateful for the chance given to you, because it will be your last." 

"Who the hell are you?" 

Caria couldn't stop herself from asking. The person, no, the entity in front of them felt completely different from all the Felixes they met. This one felt like the embodiment of unwavering terror. 

"Me?" 

The entity spoke as its every step made the earth cry. 

"I am Emilio Madero, the original El Verdugo and sole member of CP-." 

He vanished and reappeared between all of them. 

"I am your judge, jury, and executioner." 

"Kong Gun!" 

Luffy fired a powerful punch at Emilio who lifted his hand in response. Luffy's punch bounced off Emilio's hand as he was forced to take a couple of steps to the side. 

Emilio turned his head towards Luffy. 

"Son of Dragon." 

"Why do you keep mentioning that?!" 

Luffy flew at him with Hancock on his back. 

"I am Monkey D Luffy!" 

Luffy's arms seemed to multiplied beside him. 

"Kong Organ!" 

A barrage of powerful fists flew at Emilio. He evaded the punches with swift footwork. He jumped over a slash from Caria. Her body flickered and Emilio kicked in front of him. Sparks flew as his foot clashed with her swords. 

"So you used the forbidden medicine. I take it you intend to die." 

He kicked Caria away and evaded a kick from Astrid who chased him. Astrid swung at his vitals with a savage gaze. Emilio backtracked evading his attacks before hitting him with a punch to the temple. Astrid paused for a second before attacking again. 

"So he threw away his sanity." 

Emilio jumped in the air and kicked the air to create some distance. He was hit by a high-speed kick from Jessie. Jessie started hitting him with hyper-fast punches. His punches were so fast even Emilio couldn't keep up. He gave up on trying to block them and coated his fist in Conqueror's. 

"Law Breaker." 

He punched out but stopped his fist inches away from Jessie's body. Explosive noise rang out as Jessie was hit by a powerful shockwave. His body was blasted away with blood flowing from his mouth, nose, and ears. Jessie stopped just before he hit the ground and flew towards Emilio. 

"So he's really awakened." 

"Felix!" 

Luffy flew at Emilio again. Emilio quickly scanned his surroundings. He was being attacked from every direction. 

"Judicial Arts:...." 

Emilio lifted his fists as his entire body was coated in haki. 

"Executioner." 

Jessie was the first to reach him. Jessie fired lightning-fast attacks. Emilio threw away defense and started trading blows. His fist overpowered Jessie's and started assaulting his body. Caria was the second to reach. Black butterflies surrounded Emilio before his body was covered with cuts. His blood sprayed but he ignored it. He kicked Jessie in the chest and cracked his chestplate. Caria stabbed her blades in Emilio's limbs over and over again. Emilio attacked her but his attacks would always miss. Caria was moving faster than the eye could see. 

"Kong Rifle!" 

The third to reach was Luffy and Hancock. Emilio was sent flying from Luffy's punch. Hancock jumped off Luffy's back and twisted in the air. 

"Love Drill!" 

She hit him with a spinning flying kick. Emilio blocked the attack but was forced into the earth. Hancock jumped off him and a shadow cast over him. Astrid fell out of the sky like a meteor and stomped him into the ground. Astrid was swept off his feet as Emilio stood up while holding him by his leg. Astrid started kicking him but Emilio ignored him. Luffy popped up in front of him with his palms together. 

"Leo Bazooka!" 

Emilio swung Astrid like a bat and he was hit by Luffy's attack. 

"Oh, crap!" 

Luffy freaked out. Emilio's body flickered. He slammed his fist into Luffy's stomach. 

"Ugh?!" 

Emilio hit Luffy with blinding fast attacks, sending him flying. A cut appeared across Emilio's face as Caria appeared behind him. She disappeared but so did Emilio. They reappeared with Emilio stomping her into the earth. He was forced off the ground by Jessie who crashed into him in his bird form. He brought Emilio into the air before hitting him with quick slashes from his Haki-coated wings. Emilio punched at his beak but Jessie returned to his human form to avoid it. He hit Emilio with another barrage of lightning-fast attacks. Emilio took the attacks and punched Jessie in the throat. He swung his arm down and a large cut appeared over Jessie's chest. Emilio swung his hand again and another cut appeared forming a cross. He slammed his palm in the center of the cross. 

*BAM* 

Invisible force penetrated Jessie's body and an identical cross popped up on his back. Jessie fell out of the air. 

"Double Culverin!" 

Two fists flew at Emilio. He kicked the air to move out of the way. The fist zigzagged and slammed into him. He looked up and saw Hancock leaping off Luffy's back. She slammed her heel on top of Emilio's head and forced him to the ground. Just as he was about to hit the ground, black butterflies flew around him. A light flashed and large cuts appeared across his chest, cutting his vest into pieces. He hit the ground and Astrid buried his fist in his stomach. Emilio's hand grabbed Astrid's face and picked him up off the ground and slammed him into the earth. Emilio stood up and punched out. His fist clashed with Caria's swords. They shattered and he punched her in the gut. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. 

"Love Bazooka!" 

Hancock popped up at his side and hit him with a blast of hearts. Emilio stumbled back but he was still able to evade Jessie's surprise attack. He slammed his leg into his stomach and kicked him away. Astrid grabbed him from behind and supplexed him into the ground. Emilio sprung to his feet and kicked Astrid in the face almost breaking his neck. 

"God dammit!" 

Luffy cursed while breathing heavily. 

"What's up with this guy?! No matter how much we hit him he just gets back up and keeps fighting!" 

"It's like he doesn't feel pain." 

Hancock said. 

"The fact I've returned to my senses means I'm reaching the limit of my awakening." 

She looked at everybody else. They were covered in wounds and showed obvious signs of exhaustion. Caria especially. Her hair was almost completely white. 

(I don't know what's happening with her, but I don't like it. We need to end this quickly.) 

She looked at Emilio. He was covered with blood from head to toe and every part of him was wounded. He looked like someone who had one foot in the grave. 

"And yet, it doesn't feel like he's going to fall." 

There was a fire burning in Emilio's eyes. It was as if he would fight death itself before he drops dead. 

"Caria, Jessie, Astrid." 

He suddenly spoke the trio's names. 

"Your resolve to give your life to protect what you believe in is admirable." 

"I don't want your praise." 

Caria spat back. 

"I know because you guys hate me and that is natural." 

Emilio spread his arms. 

"I have no intention of running away from your hatred. I intend to face it head-on." 

His eyes burned with resolve. 

"…What are you?" 

Hancock couldn't help but ask when she saw him like that. 

"A sinner who will continue to sin until the day he dies." 

Emilio answered immediately. 

"I will kill my friends, betray the children I raise, and destroy the place I call home without batting an eye." 

"How? How can you do that?" 

Caria asked with a heavy breath. 

"Because I must maintain the balance." 

"You keep saying that! What do you mean?!" 

She grew angrier by the second. 

"Is this balance more important than everything else?! Is it more important than the bonds you had with us, with Tate?!" 

"Tate Tobin's death was unfortunate, really unfortunate. He...He was truly my friend just as I saw you guys as my children." 

For the first time, Emilio's voice was soft with emotion, even his eyes softened. Upon seeing that, rationality returned to both Jessie and Astrid's eyes. When they looked at Emilio they couldn't help but see the man who raised them, they couldn't help but see their father. 

"The Sheriff?" 

Even Luffy sensed the change. 

"I am the original, so the memories and feelings of Felix Crouch are a part of me." 

Emilio's voice became even softer. 

"Can't you stop this? It hurts trying to kill you. Can't we just--" 

"That will never happen." 

Emilio cut off Jessie. 

"We've reached too far to turn back now...." 

He sighed. 

"If only Tate had listened to me. I tried my best to change his mind. Even luring pirates here but he refused to back down." 

Emilio's eyes sharpen once again. 

"That's why I had to kill him, that's why I had to sin once again by destroying this place." 

"I don't get it! Why are you willing to go so far?!" 

Astrid shouted. Emilio looked at Luffy. 

"Monkey D Luffy, do you know why I keep bringing up your father?" 

"No, but it's annoying as hell though." 

Luffy frowned. 

"It's because he and I go way back. Before you were even born, before I was an agent of the government." 

His eyes narrowed. 

"I was one of the founding members of the Revolutionary Army."