Pedro's face was deathly pale. Though Joy Boy had held back in his punch, it still wasn't something he could easily endure.
By the way, in this timeline, Nekomamushi had been killed by Jiger long ago, so Pedro had never gone to Whole Cake Island to steal the Poneglyphs, nor had Big Mom taken his lifespan.
Stumbling slightly, Pedro stepped between Joy Boy and the rest of the Mink Tribe, his voice steady but serious.
"That was a fair duel. I lost because I wasn't strong enough. It's not his fault."
He then turned to Carrot, his tone softening slightly.
"Carrot, step back. He's not our enemy."
Carrot got up from the ground, wrinkling her nose in frustration. She shot Joy Boy a glare before retreating to Wanda's side, muttering softly,
"Wanda..."
Wanda tapped Carrot's forehead with a finger and scolded her,
"Next time, don't be so reckless. If he could take down Captain Pedro in one hit, what makes you think you could even scratch him?"
Realizing her impulsiveness, Carrot lowered her head and nodded obediently. Seeing her reaction, Wanda's expression softened. She patted Carrot's long rabbit ears and motioned for her to stand behind her.
The other Minks sheathed their weapons, and the tense atmosphere gradually eased.
Joy Boy scratched his head and looked at Pedro.
"Sorry about that. I only recently took over this body, so I didn't have full control of my strength."
Pedro frowned at the phrase "took over this body," but instead of pressing further, he glanced at his limp arm and asked,
"Are you a pirate?"
"Yep."
"Then what's your bounty?"
Joy Boy tilted his head in thought.
"Hmm... should be around 3 billion belly, I guess."
"NANI?!"
The Minks all widened their eyes in shock. Carrot couldn't help but blurt out,
"You're lying! There are only a handful of pirates with bounties that high, and I've never seen your face on any of their posters!"
Pedro furrowed his brows, eyeing Joy Boy with suspicion. His voice turned cold.
"Are you messing with me? I've never heard of a great pirate named Joy Boy."
Joy Boy blinked twice before realization dawned on him. He smacked his fist into his palm.
"Ah! Right! My wanted poster doesn't use this face or name. The bounty's under 'Monkey D. Luffy.' That should ring a bell, right?"
"You mean that rookie who suddenly became infamous a while ago? Straw Hat Luffy?"
Grinning, Joy Boy pointed to his tattered straw hat, which had a hole in it.
"That's right. See? This is the straw hat."
Pedro studied Joy Boy's face carefully before nodding slowly.
"You do resemble him... So you're using a Devil Fruit ability right now? A Zoan-type, I assume? Not just any Zoan, but one of the rarest—Mythical Zoan?"
"Yo! Sharp eyes, Pedro. You got it right."
Pedro remained unfazed.
"It's nothing special. Not far from here, in Wano, there were multiple Mythical Zoan users. But they all died at the hands of the Celestial Dragons. That includes one of the former Four Emperors—Kaido of the Beasts."
He paused, gauging Joy Boy's reaction before continuing.
"If what you're saying is true... if you've fought against the Fleet Admiral and survived... then you just might be worth that 3-billion-belly bounty."
Joy Boy absentmindedly touched the hole in his straw hat, his voice calm.
"I've clashed with the Fleet Admiral more than once. But every time... I lost."
Carrot stepped forward again, cupping her hands around her mouth to shout,
"Stop talking nonsense! You don't even look like Straw Hat Luffy!"
Pedro crossed his arms.
"Why don't you drop the transformation and show us your real face?"
Joy Boy shook his head.
"Can't do that. This is my real face now."
Pedro's expression darkened.
"Then what's going on here? First, you say you're Luffy, then you say you're Joy Boy. You're making it really hard to believe you."
Joy Boy sighed.
"Fair enough. I'll explain it simply. I am Joy Boy. As for Luffy... he no longer exists. To gain the power to defeat the Fleet Admiral, he gave his body to me completely. In other words—"
Before he could finish, Carrot's eyes widened in horror. She pointed at him, her voice filled with disgust.
"So you took over his body? That's just evil! You're not a good person!"
Joy Boy's expression stiffened. His voice sharpened as he snapped back,
"Don't talk nonsense! Luffy chose to give up his body. His crewmates and family were slaughtered by the Fleet Admiral. If he didn't do this, he would never have been able to defeat them. I didn't forcibly take his body!"
Carrot pouted, still unconvinced, but before she could argue further, Wanda shot her a warning glare. Swallowing her words, Carrot begrudgingly muttered under her breath,
"Tch. Yeah, right. Who in their right mind would willingly give up their body? Not a good person, not a good person..."
Joy Boy turned away, his sharp hearing picking up her grumbling, but he forced himself to remain calm. Arguing with a girl like Carrot would only make him look guilty.
But... was he really not guilty?
Deep down, he knew the truth.
Back when Luffy's spirit was at its weakest, he had nudged him—convinced him to let go and accept "fusion." He had promised that Luffy's will would remain in control.
And yet... Luffy's presence had completely vanished.
Joy Boy hadn't just borrowed Luffy's body. He had erased him.
A fleeting trace of guilt flickered in his eyes.
But just as quickly, he crushed it.
He was Joy Boy, the embodiment of absolute freedom. He would bring that freedom to the world—liberate those suffering under the Celestial Dragons.
Before that mission was complete, he could not allow himself to waver.
He clenched his fists and whispered to himself,
"Luffy... don't blame me. This is all for freedom."
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+200 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg