The people restored by the D. Clan's projection wore expressions of confusion. One after another, they lowered their heads and stared at their hands, their brows drawing together as they struggled to comprehend what had happened.
At that moment, they all shared the same thought.
Hadn't I already died?
Among the crowd, Garp raised his head and spotted Lloyd. His expression froze in astonishment before he blurted out,
"Lloyd? What is going on here?"
Lloyd had not expected Garp to retain his consciousness. He was just about to answer when Dragon, standing beside Garp, suddenly roared,
"Lloyd!"
Teach, who had also been killed by Lloyd, fixed him with a hateful glare.
Roger, however, remained unusually composed.
He slowly surveyed the surroundings. When his eyes landed on the Red Line in the distance, they flickered slightly before he fell silent once more.
Then a trembling voice came from beside him.
"Father... Are you my father?"
Roger's body trembled.
He slowly turned toward Ace.
With a single glance, he knew.
The young man standing before him was his son.
Ace's face was remarkably similar to Rouge's, yet Roger had no difficulty recognizing the blood connection between them.
His lips moved several times before he finally spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Ace... Are you Ace?"
Ace wanted to cry, but he quickly realized that he could not shed a single tear.
He nodded vigorously.
"I am Ace. Portgas... No! I am Gol D. Ace!"
His final words were filled with unmistakable pride.
He was proud of the name Gol D.
It was the surname of the Pirate King.
Before Ace had entered the world, Dragon had told him that, to avoid attracting the attention of the World Government, he should initially use his mother's surname, Portgas. Once he had grown strong enough to reach the level Roger had once possessed, he could openly reclaim the name Gol D.
Unfortunately, that day had never come.
Before he could reach that level, Lloyd had killed him.
Memories of his death on the Sabaody Archipelago flashed through Ace's mind. His hands immediately clenched into fists, and unwillingness filled his expression.
At that moment, Roger could no longer suppress the emotions surging within him.
Although he had never met Ace during his lifetime, the moment he learned of his son's existence, the affection he had held for him since before his birth came rushing back.
As Ace's father, Roger also carried a deep sense of guilt toward both Ace and Rouge.
With those thoughts weighing on his heart, he slowly stepped forward across the flame-like cloud beneath his feet and placed both hands on Ace's shoulders.
Combining what he had seen with the situation surrounding Rocks, Roger quickly reached a rough conclusion.
The people gathered here were all those who had died.
Ace was among them.
That realization caused a sharp pain to stab through Roger's heart.
He drew a deep breath and looked at his son.
"Ace, how did you..."
The word he wanted to say became lodged in his throat.
Die.
He could not bring himself to say it.
Ace understood what Roger was asking.
He raised his head and answered honestly,
"I was killed by the Black Dragon while protecting Luffy."
Then his expression suddenly changed.
"That's right! Luffy!"
Roger had not yet reacted to the name, but Ace had already pulled away from his father's hands and begun searching the surrounding area for Luffy.
His gaze swept across the battlefield until he finally looked upward.
There, riding atop Zou, was Joy Boy.
Joy Boy's appearance had become almost identical to the form he possessed eight hundred years ago. However, anyone who had been familiar with Luffy could still vaguely recognize several of Luffy's features.
And, most importantly, the straw hat remained on his head.
Ace's eyes widened.
He immediately shouted toward the figure in the sky.
"Luffy! Are you Luffy?!"
Joy Boy heard Ace's voice and looked down.
Initially, he had no intention of answering.
He did not want to have anything to do with Luffy.
He was Joy Boy now.
In his eyes, Ace was merely another member of the group of powerful people gathered below.
However, after considering Ace's relationship with Roger, Joy Boy changed his mind. If revealing the truth could push Roger to fight harder, then there was no reason to remain silent.
"I am not Luffy. I am Joy Boy now."
Ace's pupils contracted.
"Then where is Luffy? Where did he go? And what's with that straw hat on your head?!"
Roger's eyes also remained fixed on the straw hat.
When he heard the name Joy Boy, a strange glimmer appeared in his eyes.
At the same time, Roger faintly understood the connection between Luffy and the legendary figure standing above them.
Under the gazes of everyone present, Joy Boy finally explained,
"Luffy's will was extinguished during his final battle with the Celestial Dragons."
His voice remained steady.
"Before his will completely disappeared, he entrusted this body to me. He asked me to fulfill his dream in his place and avenge him against the Celestial Dragons."
Ace's expression changed dramatically.
"What?! You mean Luffy... Luffy is dead?!"
Joy Boy slowly nodded.
"I'm sorry, but Luffy truly cannot return."
The instant those words fell, burning fury erupted from Ace.
He suddenly turned toward Lloyd.
"Black Dragon! You killed Luffy too?!"
Garp released a heavy sigh after hearing that Luffy was dead, but there was no hatred toward Lloyd in his eyes.
Instead, his gaze toward Joy Boy was filled with hostility.
He spoke in a deep voice,
"Joy Boy... You are the will residing within Luffy's Devil Fruit, aren't you?"
His eyes narrowed.
"In Foosha Village, you were the one controlling Luffy's body, weren't you?"
Joy Boy did not deny it.
"That's right. You, as a member of the D. Clan, insisted on standing against us. I had no choice but to fight you."
Garp snorted coldly and clenched his fists.
"It seems my death ultimately failed to bring Luffy back..."
He paused for a moment before looking toward Joy Boy.
"But was Luffy really killed by Lloyd?"
Dragon also frowned as he stared at Joy Boy in the sky.
Before Joy Boy could answer, Ace, already consumed by anger, shouted,
"Old Man Garp, are you confused?!"
His voice reverberated across the battlefield.
"Back on the Sabaody Archipelago, the Black Dragon wanted to kill Luffy! Who else could have killed him besides Lloyd?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, flames suddenly erupted around Ace's body.
The D. Clan's projection had restored the Devil Fruit ability he possessed during his lifetime. Even though his original body was gone, Ace could once again wield the power of the Mera Mera no Mi.
His arms from the wrists downward completely transformed into flames.
The fire surged violently as Ace thrust his hands forward, sending a massive flaming dragon claw toward Lloyd.
"Burning Dragon Claw Fist: Flame Dragon King!"
Lloyd did not even bother to dodge.
The blazing attack crashed into his body.
Yet Ace's flames failed to shake him in the slightest.
They washed over Lloyd and scattered in every direction, but even his clothes remained untouched.
Lloyd glanced indifferently at the sparks fading around him.
"Still as reckless as ever."
His expression remained unchanged.
"I remember telling you that your little flames could never hurt me."
Ace's face flushed with fury.
"You..."
Before he could finish, Roger's expression suddenly changed.
He immediately moved.
In the next instant, Roger flashed in front of Ace.
A beam of gravity wrapped in red and black lightning tore through the air and struck Roger head-on.
The immense force blasted Roger and Ace backward together.