In the midst of darkness, Rocks let out a thunderous roar. Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body. Under Carl's guidance, the surrounding darkness didn't hinder him—instead, it carried him, making him feel right at home, like a fish in water.
With the tides of darkness churning, Rocks shot toward Joy Boy like an arrow. Confronted by the overwhelming presence of Rocks, Joy Boy snorted coldly.
"Shameful traitor! You're unworthy of the name D!"
Rocks charged forward and unleashed a fierce punch wrapped in Haki, laughing wildly.
"Traitor? I've never served anyone in my life—so who exactly did I betray?!"
Joy Boy didn't respond with words. Instead, he threw a punch of his own. The sheer power of the Nika form sent Rocks flying backward.
...
Carl raised his hand and gently waved it. The ominous darkness transformed into a soft cushion, catching the rebounding Rocks and steadying him. Rocks managed to regain his stance, but his expression turned grim. It was clear Joy Boy's strength had exceeded his expectations.
Joy Boy looked down coldly at the darkness-cloaked Rocks and said,
"Rocks D. Xebec—do you even understand what the D you carry truly means?"
Rocks grinned broadly at those words.
"Ugh, save me the preaching. I don't care what D stands for. If I had to give it meaning, I'd say it stands for destruction!"
Joy Boy shook his head.
"Fool! The D is—"
Before Joy Boy could finish, a furious roar came from below. A figure tore through the darkness and crashed directly into Joy Boy.
It was none other than Garp, his fist driving into Joy Boy's gut, sparking Haki lightning all around.
Joy Boy's eyes widened as he stared at the man in front of him.
"M-Monkey D. Garp, you..."
Garp's expression was stern. With a mighty shout, the muscles on his arm bulged and he exploded with strength, sending Joy Boy flying—just like Rocks had been moments ago.
Rocks blinked in surprise at the sight of Garp, but then a smirk crept onto his face.
"Garp, huh? Long time no see."
Garp turned and gave Rocks a dispassionate glance.
"I'm a Marine. Whether I know a pirate like you or not doesn't matter."
Rocks didn't mind. He laughed anyway.
"You're right. Marines and pirates don't piss in the same pot. But right now? Looks like we might be fighting side by side."
Garp ignored him and looked up at Carl, a complicated emotion flashing in his eyes.
...
Carl smiled faintly.
"Been a while, Vice Admiral Garp."
Garp took a deep breath and spoke slowly.
"Been a while... Carl."
Their gazes locked, and Garp instinctively lowered his head. But Carl's calm voice followed:
"Vice Admiral Garp, your deeds in the East Blue have become a model for the entire Marine force. The Navy is proud of you."
Hearing this, Garp's head jerked up. He looked at Carl in disbelief.
Carl slowly descended to the ground, stopping in front of Garp. Looking him in the eyes, he said,
"You lived by your justice. That's admirable. I recognize you, Vice Admiral Garp."
Those words—"I recognize you"—brought tears to the eyes of the seasoned Marine. Garp slowly unclenched his fists and gave Carl a full salute, which Carl returned without hesitation.
Rocks tilted his head, watching the exchange curiously. For someone who usually didn't care about gossip, he was genuinely interested in hearing more about Garp's story.
...
But Joy Boy's furious voice broke the moment.
"Monkey D. Garp! Even now—you still refuse to see the truth?!"
Garp whipped around, his cloak of justice billowing behind him.
"You're half right. I've clung to justice all my life—but I've always known exactly what my justice is. And my justice is to send monsters like you, who seek to plunge the world into chaos, straight to hell!"
Joy Boy's face contorted in rage. The crater in his abdomen from Garp's punch quickly healed. He raised a fist that had pulled back into his arm, preparing to obliterate the man he now saw as a hopeless traitor.
But just as that thought formed, his body suddenly trembled. A surge of resistance welled up inside him, and the power gathering in his fist rapidly weakened.
Garp and Rocks didn't hesitate—they struck together. Though this was their first time fighting side by side, their movements were shockingly in sync. Two iron fists flew at Joy Boy's face in perfect unison.
Forced to defend, Joy Boy raised both arms. But that cursed resistance inside him only grew stronger with Garp's presence. His counterattack was far weaker than before—much weaker than when he fought Rocks one-on-one.
As a result, he was driven back step by step, completely on the defensive.
...
Carl noticed something was off with Joy Boy. After a moment of thought, a knowing smirk curled at the corners of his lips.
"So that's it... even now, that body still carries the same bloodline as Garp, huh..."
As Carl suspected, although Joy Boy had fully taken over Luffy's body, he hadn't completely erased Luffy's residual consciousness. The psychological impact of being forced to kill his own grandfather was too overwhelming. A deep, inescapable guilt still lingered inside him.
Joy Boy realized it too. Even as he tried to defend himself against Garp and Rocks, he struggled to suppress the inner turmoil.
But Garp and Rocks couldn't care less. Their hatred for Joy Boy ran deep. Their punches came down like a torrential storm, giving him no chance to breathe.
Under their relentless assault, Joy Boy finally slipped. He took a Haki-infused iron fist from each of them—one to each side of his face. His whole head scrunched like a rubber ball, and his eyes bulged comically from their sockets.
...
Now Joy Boy was truly enraged. He let out a furious roar, unleashing both Haki and the power of Nika. But even in this berserk state, his attacks couldn't truly hurt Garp and Rocks. All he managed to do was push them back slightly.
And his troubles were far from over—Carl was already closing in, blade in hand.
In his hand was none other than the cursed sword—Muramasa.
Still reeling, Joy Boy could only run. He didn't just want to buy time to recover—he wanted to get as far away from Garp as possible!
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+150 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg