The people released from the Shadow of D all wore confused expressions. They looked down at their hands, brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
They all shared the same thought—"Weren't we already dead?"
Among them, Garp looked up and caught sight of Carl. His eyes widened in shock, and he exclaimed,
"Carl?! What the hell is going on here?"
Carl hadn't expected Garp to retain his consciousness. Just as he was about to reply, Dragon—standing next to Garp—roared,
"Carl!!"
Teach, who had also been killed by Carl, glared at him with burning hatred. In contrast, Roger remained composed, glancing calmly around at his surroundings. When his gaze fell on the Red Line, his eyes flickered briefly before falling silent.
Then, a trembling voice reached his ears.
"Father... are you my father?"
Roger's body trembled violently. He turned his head slowly toward Ace—and with just one look, he knew. The boy in front of him was his son.
Ace's face resembled Rouge's far too much to be anyone else.
Roger's lips quivered, and he rasped hoarsely,
"Ace... Are you really Ace?"
Ace wanted to cry—but no tears came. He nodded firmly.
"I'm Ace. Port—no! I'm Gol D. Ace!!"
At the end, Ace shouted with pride. He took pride in the name "Gol"—it was the name of the Pirate King.
Before he ever set sail, Dragon had warned him to keep a low profile. To avoid attracting the World Government's attention, he'd used his mother's surname, Portgas. Only when he had grown strong enough to match Roger should he reclaim the name Gol.
But he never made it that far—he was killed by Carl before he had the chance.
Ace clenched his fists, face twisted with unwilling fury as the memory of his death on Sabaody Archipelago surged back.
Roger could no longer hold back the tide of emotion in his heart. Though he had never met Ace in life, he had loved his unborn child dearly. As a father, he felt he had failed both Ace and Rouge. Thinking of that, he stepped forward slowly on a cloud of flames and placed both hands on Ace's shoulders.
Given the situation with Rocks and himself, Roger quickly deduced that everyone here—including Ace—was already dead.
His heart ached with that realization. He drew a deep breath and asked,
"Ace... how did you..."
He couldn't bring himself to say the word "die." But Ace understood.
He raised his head to look Roger in the eye and said,
"I died protecting Luffy... I was killed by the Marine. Wait—Luffy!"
Roger hadn't yet registered who Luffy was. But Ace had already broken free of his grasp and was looking around frantically—until he lifted his head and saw Joy Boy riding on Zunesha high above.
Joy Boy's appearance had almost completely returned to what he looked like 800 years ago, but to those familiar with Luffy, his features still held traces of the Straw Hat captain. And with that iconic straw hat perched on his head, Ace shouted at the sky:
"Luffy! Is that you, Luffy!?"
Joy Boy glanced down at the sound of Ace's voice. He hadn't intended to respond—he wanted nothing to do with Luffy anymore. He was Joy Boy now.
And besides... compared to the others gathered below, Ace was just a small fry.
But considering Ace's connection to Roger, and wanting Roger's cooperation, Joy Boy decided to answer.
"I'm not Luffy. I'm Joy Boy now."
Ace's pupils shrank. He immediately asked,
"Then where's Luffy!? What happened to him!? And that straw hat—why are you wearing it!?"
Roger was also staring at the straw hat, and when he heard the name "Joy Boy," a strange light passed through his eyes. He was already beginning to piece together what had happened between Luffy and Joy Boy.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Joy Boy calmly explained:
"Luffy's will was extinguished in the last battle against the Celestial Dragons. Before it faded completely, he entrusted this body to me—to fulfill his dream, and to seek vengeance against the Celestial Dragons."
"Nani!? You're saying Luffy... Luffy is dead!?"
Joy Boy nodded slowly.
"Unfortunately, yes. Luffy is never coming back."
A wave of rage exploded from Ace's heart. He spun toward Carl and roared,
"You killed Luffy!!!"
Garp let out a heavy sigh at the news of Luffy's death. But he didn't direct any hatred at Carl. Instead, his gaze toward Joy Boy was filled with hostility.
He spoke in a low, steady voice,
"Joy Boy... You're the will that resided within Luffy's Devil Fruit, aren't you? Back in Foosha Village... you were the one who controlled his body, weren't you?"
Joy Boy didn't deny it.
"Yes. Because you, a member of the D clan, chose to stand against us. I had no choice but to fight you."
Garp snorted coldly and clenched his fists.
"So in the end, my death couldn't bring Luffy back... But was it really Carl who killed him?"
At that, Dragon also looked up sharply at Joy Boy, brow furrowed.
But Ace, his mind consumed by fury, shouted,
"Garp, are you senile?! Back in Sabaody Archipelago, the Admiral already wanted to kill Luffy! Who else could've done it if not him!?"
As he shouted, flames exploded around Ace's body. The Shadow of D had restored his Devil Fruit powers, allowing him to use the Flame-Flame Fruit despite no longer having a physical body.
His arms turned to fire as he hurled a blazing claw at Carl.
Carl didn't even try to dodge. The attack didn't budge him in the slightest—not even a thread of his clothes was scorched.
He glanced indifferently at the fading sparks and said flatly,
"Still as brainless as ever. I told you before—your little flames can't hurt me."
Ace's face flushed red with fury, and he growled through clenched teeth,
"You...!"
Before he could finish, Roger's expression suddenly changed. In a flash, he appeared in front of Ace.
A moment later, a gravity beam wrapped in red-and-black lightning struck Roger squarely, blasting him and Ace backward in a burst of energy.
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+150 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg