One Piece: Starting in God Valley as a Slave

"Hahaha!"

A burst of laughter echoed from above. Teach frowned deeply, the sound inexplicably irritating him to his core.

From within the clouds, a massive, exaggerated face suddenly emerged, smiling down at everyone below. Wrapped in swirling bands of white flame-like clouds, with hair blazing like pure white fire, the figure laughed loudly and said:

"Hahaha! Hello, everyone!"

The people below, including Teach, were utterly startled by the sudden appearance of this face. Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets—literally. Their eyeballs sprang from their sockets as though mounted on springs, and with the emergence of this massive face, the world itself began to shift. Invisible "rules" seemed to distort.

Seeing their reactions, the figure in the sky laughed even harder. Clutching his stomach and face, he rolled midair, unable to contain his amusement.

Lindbergh, staring in shock at the floating figure, gasped when his gaze landed on the straw hat atop the man's head.

"You… You're Luffy!?"

"What!?"

The Revolutionary Army officers all widened their eyes in disbelief. Due to changes in the original timeline, Luffy had spent a significant portion of his childhood among the Revolutionaries, so they were well-acquainted with him.

But the current Luffy was so drastically different from the one in their memories that they hesitated to believe the man before them could really be him.

Teach's expression shifted dramatically upon hearing the name.

"Luffy? The Straw Hat kid?!"

Beside him, Lafitte nodded with intrigue. "It seems so. Odd. Didn't the Supernovas all perish at Sabaody Archipelago?"

Van Augur, aiming his sniper rifle at Luffy in the sky, shook his head and said, "No. I read that report. The Marines never explicitly confirmed the Straw Hat kid's death. Among the Supernovas, only one other besides him died—Zoro."

A bead of sweat rolled down Lafitte's forehead as he adjusted his hat, muttering, "Unbelievable. How did he escape? And what's with this bizarre transformation?"

Teach, well-versed in Devil Fruits, scrutinized Luffy and said, "Judging by his appearance, it must be the awakened form of a Zoan-type fruit. But wasn't the Straw Hat kid's fruit supposed to be the Paramecia-type Fruit? And yet… this form seems so familiar!"

Luffy's laughter gradually subsided. Flipping in the air, he locked his gaze on Teach and grinned, baring his teeth.

"My father's comrades… I'll protect them!"

At the mention of "father," a flash of sorrow passed through Luffy's eyes. However, his face still bore that unshakable grin, creating a jarring contradiction.

Teach was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter himself.

"Zehahaha! Kid, I don't know what's going on with you, but you seem confident. Perfect. I've been meaning to test your abilities. If possible…"

His grin turned wicked as he licked his lips.

Luffy, adopting an exaggerated expression, twirled in midair and shouted, "Ooh~! Try this first!"

He pinched a wisp of his fiery white hair and, unbelievably, molded it into a pair of sunglasses, which he promptly donned. With a slight push against the elastic cloud beneath him, he launched himself like a cannonball straight toward Teach.

As he dove, one of Luffy's arms suddenly stretched forward, coated in red lightning-infused Haki. It lashed toward Teach like a whip.

"Gomu Gomu no White Rocket!!!"

Luffy's serpent-like arm snapped back, and with a single punch, he struck Teach square in the gut.

The force of the blow far exceeded Teach's expectations, leaving him dazed with his eyes rolled back. His body was sent flying, bouncing repeatedly across the ground like a rubber ball.

Luffy didn't pursue. Hovering midair, he looked down at the bouncing Teach and burst into laughter, clutching his stomach once again.

Teach gritted his teeth and slammed a quake-powered fist into the ground beneath him. The elastic terrain rippled like a trampoline before sinking into a crater.

Landing at the center of the crater, Teach stomped down hard to anchor himself, finally stabilizing his position.

His face was still pale from shock as he muttered to himself, "This… this is the awakened power of a Paramecia Devil Fruit…"

Suddenly, his eyes widened as though struck by a revelation.

He glared at Luffy, shouting, "This is Roger's fruit! How did you get it?!"

Everyone present—from officers to lowly soldiers—had watched the world-shaking broadcast from over two decades ago.

That broadcast had immortalized the epic battle between Roger and Xebec. The sheer destructive power of their clash left an indelible mark on the world's collective memory and created a long-standing mystery.

The World Government had deliberately obscured the truth, leaving no one to truly understand the nature of Roger's Devil Fruit. They only knew that its power was unparalleled—a force capable of matching Dark-Dark Fruit.

After Roger's death, countless people, Teach included, sought that fruit. But even Teach, who had practically memorized the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, never discovered its true identity.

Now, seeing this fruit reappear in the hands of Luffy, everyone present was overwhelmed by shock.

All except Teach.

Greed overtook his expression as he sneered. He cared nothing for destiny or fate. The only thought in his mind was how to seize the fruit.

"That fruit doesn't belong to a fool like you!"

With a crazed grin, Teach activated his powers, his massive maw opening wide as he lunged at Luffy.

"Become a part of me! Zehahaha!"

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+240 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg