One Piece: Starting in God Valley as a Slave

Franky's head exploded right before Nami's eyes.

Thick black smoke, laced with the scent of cola, billowed from his severed neck. His arms twitched uncontrollably before he collapsed backward onto the ground.

One of his eyes rolled away, bouncing until it stopped at Nami's feet.

Nami's vision went dark. Overwhelmed by shock, she collapsed without even the strength to scream.

Brook's eye sockets widened in horror. His cane sword slipped from his grasp, clattering onto the floor.

High above, Joy Boy—who had been locked in battle with countless black hands—finally took notice of the scene below. A sharp pang of anguish shot through his heart, and even the fiery cloud-like ribbons behind him flickered, turning momentarily transparent.

He clutched his chest, then plunged downward at full speed, muttering under his breath,

"Damn it! I have to take full control of this body! If I don't, everyone will die!"

As soon as he spoke, his expression steadied—but a blazing fury ignited within him.

This wasn't the first time.

Carl had done it again—slaughtered his comrades right in front of him.

Just from this alone, Carl was nothing like his ancestor, Cassilius!

Eight hundred years ago, during their battle, Cassilius had been utterly focused, never wasting his energy tormenting his own allies.

Now, Carl's blackened hand reached for Brook.

At that instant, Joy Boy arrived.

His grip tightened around Carl's outstretched fingers, their hands interlocked in a crushing struggle.

Carl smirked, staring at Joy Boy's grim expression.

"What's wrong? You looked like you were having fun up there. Why the long face?"

After all, according to the law of energy conservation, even smiles can't vanish into thin air.

They simply transfer.

Right now, it was Carl who was smiling.

Joy Boy refused to waste words. He knew that if he so much as hesitated, Carl would take the opportunity to claim another life.

With a low growl, his wrist suddenly swelled, surging with explosive strength as he attempted to slam Carl into the ground.

But Carl's power was beyond expectations. Without so much as a change in expression, he countered with a single hand, nearly flipping Joy Boy over instead.

Joy Boy's face flushed red with exertion. Through gritted teeth, he roared,

"Get out of here—NOW!"

Hearing this, Lindbergh didn't hesitate. He grabbed Nami and the others, retreating as far as possible.

The moment they were clear, Joy Boy clenched his fist tightly and swung at Carl's face—only for an invisible force field to stop his attack mid-air.

Carl's pupils gleamed with blinding white light, sending out powerful repelling waves.

Joy Boy's strike failed to land. Without missing a beat, he twisted his lower body, spinning like a turbine.

Carl frowned slightly as Joy Boy's rapidly rotating legs forced him to release his grip. The moment they separated, a black-red sphere of crackling electricity formed in Joy Boy's chest—radiating a terrifying aura of destruction.

As soon as it materialized, Joy Boy's fighting spirit reached its peak.

Carl's grin faded.

He grew serious.

Behind Carl, darkness coalesced into a spiraling black tornado, surging upward to form a massive, inverted ocean in the sky.

Yet, even within that abyssal void, a single ray of sunlight broke through.

It bathed Joy Boy in its radiance, gilding his body in golden light.

Slowly, he raised his head.

His eyes were calm—neither sad nor joyful.

Grasping the orb of condensed lightning in his palm, Joy Boy sprang into the air. His arm swelled massively as he ascended, disappearing into the darkened sky.

Carl lifted a hand. A deep purple energy column shot down from above, enveloping Joy Boy completely.

For a brief moment, he was frozen in place.

Then, a burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body, shattering the purple beam into countless sparks.

With a mighty roar, Joy Boy swung his fist downward.

"Liberation! The Fist of Nika!"

The might of Nika's strength, amplified by terrifying Conqueror's Haki—its power was unimaginable.

From within the darkness, the cursed blade Muramasa appeared in Carl's grip.

Darkness and Conqueror's Haki intertwined along its edge, radiating an ominous black glow.

As Muramasa extended through the darkness, it met the Fist of Nika in a direct clash.

Joy Boy bellowed,

"BE ERASED, DARKNESS!!!"

At this moment, he no longer cared whether Luffy's body could withstand the strain—he unleashed his full power without reservation.

White cracks of light spread across his body, revealing the strain of channeling such overwhelming force.

Joy Boy had been feeling suffocated since the moment his consciousness had awakened.

He had never been able to wield his full power.

And because of that, he had watched as Carl—his greatest enemy—continued to grow stronger.

Now, he had no choice.

He had to seize this opportunity.

He had to eliminate Carl—no matter the cost!

The Fist of Nika pressed against Muramasa's edge, slowly forcing it downward.

Carl's eyes narrowed. Rings of deep purple gravity rippled out from Muramasa's hilt, striking Joy Boy's fist in rapid succession.

Joy Boy gritted his teeth, pouring more force into his attack.

But in his full concentration, he failed to notice the swirling storm clouds gathering above them.

Carl, on the other hand, was the first to sense the anomaly in the sky.

He frowned.

Before he could fully process the situation, an ethereal voice echoed through the battlefield.

"Carl—dodge."

Joy Boy and Carl both froze.

Then, realization struck Carl like a bolt of lightning.

Without hesitation, he withdrew Muramasa and activated his intangibility.

Joy Boy's punch swung through empty air.

But his eyes immediately darted upward.

His face fell.

"Nerona Imu… So you are still alive! And this presence…"

His expression darkened.

"…This is bad."

With a whoosh, Joy Boy's giant arm snapped back to normal.

He spun around, rocketing downward—toward Lindbergh and the others, who were still frozen in shock.

At that very instant, the roiling clouds overhead churned violently.

Then, without warning—

A storm of colossal, world-piercing beams rained down from the sky.

A blinding flash swallowed everything.

Egghead Island ceased to exist.

In its place, the sea gaped open—leaving behind nothing but a bottomless void.

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+240 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg