The Last Stand

Luffy and the others faced Emilio and his overwhelming intensity. 

"No matter your reason, you will pay for everything you've done here!" 

Luffy didn't back down. 

"Hancock!" 

"Don't worry, Luffy." 

Hancock coated her legs in haki and stone. 

"I got your back." 

Luffy glanced at the others behind him. 

"Let's goooo!" 

He blasted off the ground and flew at Emilio. His fists sunk into his forearms. 

"Kong Gatling!" 

Luffy fired a barrage of powerful punches at Emilio, whose eyes flashed red. He ran towards Luffy while evading the punches. 

"Love Bazooka!" 

Hancock appeared in the middle of the storm of Luffy's punches. She pointed her fist at Emilio and blasted him with a burst of hearts. Emilio was forced back. Luffy's punches all flew at him. Emilio coated his body in Haki and focused everything on defense. 

(So she used Future Sight.) 

He thought as the punches bounced off his body. He leaped back and released his haki. Two lights flashed before his eyes. Jessie and Caria hit him with high-speed attacks the moment he dropped his defense. Cuts appeared on Emilio's already wounded body. Yet, he still took a step forward and thrust his palms out. 

"Judgement!" 

He fired a shockwave that countered Luffy and Astrid's combined surprise attack. Their fists clashed with the shockwave for a second before they were blown away. Emilio backpedaled to evade heart arrows. He looked at Hancock as she held a pink bow. 

"Venus' Arrow!" 

The bow grew larger than her before she fired a large arrow. Emilio lifted his hand coated in conqueror's haki. 

"Segregation!" 

Space itself seemingly split as the arrow was cut into two. Emilio spun around and swung his hand again. Caria and Jessie ducked under the slash and flew at him. Caria slashed him across the chest while Jessie slammed his fist into his liver. Their eyes widened. It felt like hit a wall. They quickly distanced themselves. Emilio's body flickered and he popped in front of them. He thrust his hands out towards their chest. 

"Ohhh!" 

Luffy flew in and grabbed them before they were attacked. 

"Ugh?!" 

Luffy groaned as he started to bleed from his side. Emilio had pierced his side. 

"How dare you?!" 

Hancock swung down her heel at Emilio's head. He threw an uppercut coated in Conqueror's haki. Hancock's heel was blown back and she was forcefully flipped in the air. Emilio timed her and thrust his fingers at her heart. 

"Move!" 

Astrid pushed her out of the way and Emilio's fingers pierced into his body. He clenched his teeth and punched Emilio across the face. He was hit by a blast of seawater and forced back. 

"Att-Ugh!" 

Astrid swallowed the blood trying to escape his mouth and shouted again. 

"Attack him while he's weakened by seawater!" 

Hancock flew at Emilio with a flying kick. Emilio blocked it and stumbled back. She chased after him with a roundhouse. Emilio evaded it and slammed his fist in her side. She slammed her leg in his side but he blocked it with his arm. He punched her in her stomach and she flew back. 

"Weakened by seawater?" 

Emilio glanced at everyone who was attacking him from every direction. 

"Do you think my resolve is so weak that I'd let nature stand in my way?!" 

His body flickered and explosions erupted. Luffy, Caria, and Jessie were hit by multiple clones at once. The clones disappeared as fast as they appeared and Emilio alone was left. He grabbed Luffy by the face and slammed him into the earth. 

"Do you think I'll back down after coming so far, Dragon!" 

Luffy hit him with a barrage of punches while on the ground. Emilio was forced off him. 

"I am not my father!" 

Luffy flew at Emilio, who threw a punch. He took the punch and was being forced away. 

"Culverin!" 

His arm stretched and slammed it into Emilio's torso. The two of them were blown back. Emilio's body rolled on the earth. A shadow cast over him. He looked up and saw a black butterfly flying at him. 

"Underworld Butterfly Cut!" 

Two large cuts appeared in the ground. Emilio crossed his arms in front of him and blocked the attack with Haki. However, there were two nasty cuts on his arms, exposing his bones. Caria thrust her swords at his throat. Emilio rolled out of the way to escape. Jessie crashed into him and lifted him into the air. 

"Why don't you give up, Felix?! You're already on the verge of death!" 

Emilio grabbed Jessie's supersonic wings and they stopped. 

"My name is Emilio Madero..." 

A snapping noise reached his ears as he broke Jessie's wings. Jessie let out an anguished scream. 

"And I won't give up until I'm dead!" 

"Jessie!" 

Caria kicked off the earth but crashed back to the ground. She was breathing heavily and her vision was getting blurry. 

"Is this my limit?" 

An old memory flashed in her mind. It was the memory of her master's last day. On his deathbed, he gave her a black sealed box with a skull on it. 

"Caria, your talent for the sword is the real deal, but I'll be honest; it won't be enough to take on the monster swordsmen of this world. I know you're hardheaded, so you definitely won't run when you encounter someone you can't beat. This drug isn't for that. This drug is only to be used if you are in a fight you can't lose, not because of pride but because there are people you need to protect." 

He pointed at the box. 

"Take that when you're prepared to die for the people you love." 

"Hah~. Hah~. Get up." 

She gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand. 

"The work isn't over yet." 

She looked up. Luffy flew at Emilio who threw Jessie aside when he saw him. 

"Dragon!" 

"I'm Luffy, you bastard!" 

The two threw punches that clashed in the air. Luffy stretched his hands behind him. 

"Leo Bazooka!" 

He blasted Emilio out of the air. Emilio twisted his body and landed on the ground. He flew back up at Luffy who was diving at him. 

"This world is hell! There's no such thing as eternal salvation!" 

"I don't know anything about salvation! I only know I'm gonna beat your ass for everything you've done!" 

The two clashed again and Haki spread out around them. 

"Well said! After all, no matter how you try to pretty it up, the cold truth is that force controls the world!" 

"What the hell are you blabbing about?!" 

Luffy hit him with a Kong Gun. Emilio took it and hit Luffy with an uppercut. 

"I'm talking about the cruelty of this world and why I had to betray you, Dragon!" 

"I said, I'm Lu-" 

Luffy was punched in the face before he could reply. 

"The World Government is corrupt and led by heartless bastards who are better off dead!" 

Emilio started raining down punches. 

"Even so, they are the most powerful entities in this world! For them to fall, it would take a war never before seen! Billions would die! Countries would cease to exist! The world will be reduced to ash!" 

He grabbed Luffy's leg and threw him towards the earth. Luffy crashed into the earth and bounced off it. He flew out of the way to evade Emilio, who was falling from the sky like a meteorite. 

*BAM* 

The world shook and haki sparks flew. Emilio emerged from the dust clouds with haki sparks emitting from his very soul. It was as if the angel of retribution had descended to pass God's judgment. 

"The World Government is shit, but it keeps the world in order! So if I want to prevent the loss of countless lives, I must become a shitty person who sacrifices the few for the many! I can't afford to doubt! I can't afford to hesitate! I must always keep moving forward!" 

"Screw that!" 

Luffy flew at him again. The two's fists clashed again. Caria appeared at Emilio's feet and slashed at his legs. Emilio jumped over the slash but was kicked in the face by Hancock. His body rolled on the ground. He got up and Astrid was throwing a punch at him. Emilio was faster and burst open his mouth with a fist. 

"?!" 

Yet, Astrid still slammed his fist on Emilio's temple. Emilio's brain shook in his skull. Astrid stepped in and hit him again in the throat. Emilio's air supply was cut. Astrid stepped in again. Emilio swung his hand and a slash appeared across Astrid's face. 

"Rhino Schneider!" 

Luffy slammed his feet on the side of Emilio's head and blasted him away. He immediately flew at him. 

"You want to save people?! No matter how you try to justify it, you're scum!" 

Emilio quickly got to his feet. 

"Yes, I'm the Scourge of God! History's greatest sinner! But, so what?!" 

Emilio roared as he flew at Luffy. Hancock and an injured Jessie tried to block his path. 

"DISAPPEAR!!!" 

He accelerated past them and sent them flying. He kicked Luffy in the stomach. 

"If I'm so wrong, then strike me down like the god you are, DRAGON!!!" 

"Like I said..." 

Luffy grabbed Emilio's leg. 

"I'm not my father, you senile old man!" 

A shot rang out and a spear penetrated Emilio's shoulder. He looked back and saw Frantz holding a crystal harpoon while blood poured out of him. 

"Ahh!" 

Emilio broke the spear with his hands. Caria appeared from behind Luffy with butterflies flying around her. 

"This is our finale, Felix." 

She disappeared and reappeared behind him. Her swords shattered and she collapsed to the ground. Blood sprayed from Emilio's body and stained the earth. Luffy hit him with a Kong gun and he bounced off the earth like a ball. He struggled to his feet with his body wobbly. His ears were ringing and his vision was blurry. Yet, he raised his fists. 

"Dammit." 

Luffy mumbled before deflating and hitting the ground. 

"I can't move..." 

He groaned. Emilio looked at him and smiled. 

"So was I right all along, Dragon? You're on the ground and I'm standing." 

"Caria! Hey, Caria!" 

He turned his head after hearing frantic cries from Jessie. He saw Caria laid out on the ground gasping for air with blood flowing out of her eyes, nose, and ears. 

"...She managed to stop just before the medicine burned all her life force, but it did too much damage. Even if she survives the backlash today, she'll have only a few years to live max." 

He mumbled. Jessie shielded her with his body. Emilio looked at him. 

"Both arms broken and body badly beaten. You're done too." 

He was kicked in the head by Hancock. He stumbled a bit and looked at her. She was breathing heavily and looked like she could pass out at any moment. Astrid slowly approached him while trying his best not to fall. Frantz was already laid out on the ground. Seeing this, Emilio burst out laughing. 

"Hahaha! I win! I was right!" 

He laughed while everybody else glared at him. His laughter grew louder as tears flowed out of his eyes. His laughter slowly died down and all the emotions left his face. 

"This world…this life is shit." 

At that moment, dozens of arrows pierced his back and rocked his body. He slowly turned around. Dozens more hit him. 

"Snake Princess!" 

Hancock looked and saw Elder Nyon approaching with the Kuja Pirates. They aimed their bows at Emilio. They fired again but several clones appeared in front of him and took the arrows. 

"Shit!" 

Seeing this Hancock tried her best to move her body. However, one of the clones raised its hand and signaled her to stop. 

"That's enough, Boa Hancock. The fight is over. We have no more reason to fight." 

Jessie looked at the clone in shock. Despite them all having the same face, this clone had a sense of familiarity to it he couldn't mistake. 

"Felix?" 

The clone looked at Jessie with a sad expression before smiling. It didn't say anything and just picked Emilio up and put him on his shoulders. The clones then ran carrying him away. 

"After him! Don't let them get away!" 

Elder Nyon shouted. The Kuja pirates started to chase. 

"Don't bother." 

They stopped when Luffy spoke up. He looked in the direction the clones went off in and spoke. 

"It's like he said, it's over." 

Meanwhile, the clones continued to carry Emilio away as he continued to mumble absentmindedly. 

"This world...This world...Dragon...Tate..." 

The clones looked at him with pity but said nothing. None except, Felix Crouch. 

"Don't worry, it's almost all over....Soon, we will rest."