One Piece: Starting in God Valley as a Slave

The name "Joy Boy" was utterly unfamiliar to most people, so when "Luffy" mentioned it, it failed to cause much of a stir.

Currently, without Robin—the historian of the Straw Hat Pirates—present, the rest of the crew exchanged confused glances, utterly clueless about the name.

However, a few members of the Revolutionary Army reacted differently. They froze for a moment, their eyes widening in disbelief as realization dawned upon them.

As one of the prominent figures of the Revolutionary Army, Lindbergh had once heard this name from Dragon himself. He furrowed his brow and asked,

"Joy Boy? That Joy Boy from 800 years ago?"

"Luffy" looked up at Lindbergh and smiled.

"Never thought someone would still remember me. How delightful."

As he spoke, "Luffy" took a deep breath. His neck suddenly swelled, effortlessly shaking off Franky's grip.

Descending slowly to the ground, he stretched his body, then said,

"I've told you—I'm not your enemy. We should be allies."

Franky roared angrily,

"Our ally is Luffy! You're no ally of ours!"

"Luffy" sighed and replied,

"Your temper's a bit much… Fine. I understand if you don't see me as an ally right now. But one thing you should realize is this: in the current situation, without my help, you're all going to die at the hands of that Fleet Admiral. And it'll be a miserable death."

Hearing this, Nami and the others shuddered, their faces turning pale. The horrific memory of Sanji, Zoro, and the others meeting their ends resurfaced in their minds. Usopp's death, in particular, stood out as the most gruesome.

The nightmare of Sabaody Archipelago had left an indelible scar on their hearts. Whenever they thought back to it, their grief and anger were accompanied by an overwhelming sense of fear.

The source of this fear was the man who seemed as invincible as a god of death—the Celestial Dragon who had become the Fleet Admiral.

"Luffy" seemed to sense the thoughts running through their minds. In a steady voice, he said,

"Yes, the existence of that Celestial Dragon is indeed a massive threat. But there's no need to despair. He hasn't yet reached the level of someone like Cassilius from back then. We still have time."

To the crew, the name Cassilius sounded even more unfamiliar than Joy Boy. This time, "Luffy" didn't bother to explain further. Closing his eyes, he continued,

"That's all for now. My time is running out. I'll see you all again soon..."

Chopper, who had reverted to his normal form, finally caught on. Clenching his small hooves, he shouted,

"We only want Luffy back!"

"Luffy" smirked. The white flame-like tendrils and cloud surrounding him began to dissipate, and his flaming white hair gradually reverted to black, falling around his face.

Then, Luffy's body wobbled before collapsing. Nami rushed forward to catch him.

As Luffy slowly opened his eyes, he looked up at Nami and murmured weakly,

"Nami…"

Though Luffy's voice was faint, Nami immediately recognized it. Tears welled up in her eyes as she choked out,

"Luffy, you scared me to death!"

As his consciousness cleared, Luffy sat up in Nami's arms, blinking a couple of times. Suddenly, he leapt to his feet and shouted to Lindbergh,

"Uncle Lind! Where's the guy who bullied you? Let me send him flying!"

Lindbergh quickly interjected,

"You've already taken care of him! Now, you need to rest!"

"Huh?" Luffy blinked. A wave of memory surged through his mind. After a brief moment of confusion, he frowned and muttered,

"That's right… But wait, I don't think it was me who sent him flying. I ate a handful of those balls Chopper gave me, and then I couldn't control my body…"

Hearing this, Chopper exclaimed in shock,

"Luffy! How many Rumble Balls did you eat?!"

Luffy tilted his head in thought.

"I don't know. I just grabbed a handful and ate them!"

"What?! A handful?!"

Chopper froze in disbelief, practically turning to stone on the spot.

Nami, who had already learned from Chopper about the dangers of the Rumble Ball, was enraged. She stormed over and punched Luffy square on the head, shouting,

"You idiot! Why would you eat so many?! Didn't Chopper tell you about the side effects?!"

A large bump formed on Luffy's head almost instantly, an impressive feat given his abilities as a Mythical Zoan user.

But unlike his usual reaction of wailing and clutching his head, Luffy fell silent. He lowered his head and said in a somber tone,

"Nami, I know. But I was scared. Without enough power, I can't protect those I care about. Just like... at Sabaody."

His words froze Nami in place. Franky and the others also lowered their heads in silence.

Lindbergh and the others in the Revolutionary Army were familiar with the events at Sabaody. The deaths of Zoro, Sanji, and others had been clearly reported in the newspapers.

And Ace… The image of his head mounted atop Marine Headquarters was one that continued to haunt them.

Understanding the weight of the crew's grief, they could only look on in silence.

After a long pause, Nami stepped forward and gently pulled Luffy into a hug. In a soft voice, she said,

"Luffy, I'm sorry."

Luffy responded in a muffled voice,

"It's me who should apologize. I underestimated everything. Like he said, being a pirate isn't child's play."

Nami looked down at Luffy's black hair and asked,

"He? Who are you talking about?"

"The guy living in my body. You've already met him. His name is Joy Boy."

"And who exactly is Joy Boy?"

Luffy looked up, his eyes clouded with uncertainty.

"I don't know… He stopped talking again. But before he went quiet, he told me to find a robot named Emet."

Franky perked up slightly at the mention of a robot.

"Emet? That's a robot? Where is it?"

Luffy furrowed his brow, deep in thought, before raising his hand and pointing in a direction.

"It feels like something over there is calling to me…"

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+240 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg