One Piece: Starting in God Valley as a Slave

Amidst the mechanical roar, Emet slowly stood up, the light in his eyes flickering before stabilizing.

The massive figure of Emet made Nami a bit afraid, and she instinctively hid behind Luffy, clutching the corner of his shirt.

Luffy, however, simply tilted his head back to stare up at Emet, a look of confusion flashing in his eyes.

Emet lowered his head, looking down at Luffy like an ant, and spoke in a mechanical voice:

"Joy Boy… is that you? We meet again at last!"

As he spoke, Emet's voice became more and more excited. Nami and the others nervously turned their gazes to Luffy.

Under their watchful eyes, Luffy shook his head and replied,

"I'm not Joy Boy! I'm Luffy, Monkey D. Luffy!"

Hearing this, Nami and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since the person claiming to be Joy Boy had appeared, there had been a strange aura surrounding Luffy, making them deeply worried that Luffy might be completely taken over by Joy Boy.

Emet was stunned by Luffy's response. He muttered to himself,

"Not Joy Boy? Then what was with the Drums of Liberation just now… Wait, D?"

As he spoke, Emet slowly leaned closer, his gaze focusing on the straw hat atop Luffy's head. A sudden realization dawned on him.

His massive head nodded slightly as he said,

"I see… So you're the inheritor of Joy Boy's will. As expected, his will never fades!"

Luffy frowned slightly and was about to reply when his mind was suddenly struck by a heavy sensation. His right eye turned gold, and his face bizarrely split between confusion and seriousness.

Nami and the others immediately realized that Joy Boy had "possessed" Luffy again, though it seemed to only affect half of his body this time.

Even Joy Boy himself was startled by this realization but quickly understood.

"So, my battle with Blackbeard drained my mental strength even more than I thought… I can't even fully control this body anymore. Oh well, I suppose it's time to properly meet this kid."

With one half of his face frowning, Luffy murmured,

"Huh? This feels weird… why can't I feel the right side of my body?"

From the right side of his face, Joy Boy chuckled and replied,

"Luffy, that's because I'm currently in your right half! This is the first time we're talking like this, isn't it?"

Luffy's eyes widened, and he flailed his arms.

"What? What did I just say?!"

Seeing Luffy acting so strangely, Nami and the others rushed over and grabbed his "normal" left side in a panic.

In their urgency, they pulled with so much force that Luffy's left side stretched, elongating unnaturally. Meanwhile, his right side, where Joy Boy was present, remained motionless as if rooted to the ground.

Watching Luffy's body stretch further and further, the group let go in alarm, causing his left side to snap back with a loud smack!

The rebound sent Luffy's body swaying unsteadily, leaving him momentarily dizzy and giving Joy Boy another opportunity to speak.

He laughed and said,

"No need to panic. We just met recently—there's no reason to be so tense. I'm not a bad guy!"

Nami and the others glared at him with mistrust. Even Lindbergh, who had some understanding of Joy Boy's story, firmly stood with Nami and the others. As the strongest combatant among the crew at the moment, he stepped in front of Nami and raised an electrified claw, locking his eyes on Joy Boy with unwavering vigilance.

The atmosphere became tense.

Suddenly, Emet exclaimed,

"There's no mistaking it! This aura… You are Joy Boy!"

Joy Boy moved one of Luffy's golden eyes to meet Emet's gaze, then smiled.

"Long time no see, Emet. You've been asleep here for quite a while, haven't you? Sorry to disturb your rest."

Hearing Joy Boy's familiar voice, the light in Emet's eyes flickered erratically, as if crying, though as a machine, he had no tears to shed.

With a deafening crash, Emet knelt on the ground, his voice booming,

"I'm so sorry! I failed to fulfill our promise!"

A shadow of sorrow passed through Joy Boy's eye as the smile on his face faded. He looked at Emet, silent for a moment before speaking softly,

"Emet, don't say that. You've done well—better than anyone could have asked for. The one who truly broke the promise was me. I've let too many people down."

On the left side of Luffy's face, his expression showed signs of waking up, as if preparing to regain control. However, Joy Boy firmly suppressed him.

From the crew's perspective, Luffy's body trembled violently, his left face showing a pained expression while the right side glistened with sweat. Joy Boy, gritting his teeth, pleaded,

"Sorry, Luffy, but please… let me speak to Emet for just a moment!"

Joy Boy's depleted mental strength made it difficult to suppress Luffy's consciousness. The harder Luffy resisted, the more energy it consumed.

Luffy, hearing Joy Boy's request, surprisingly calmed down. He muttered,

"Fine, I'll let you borrow my body for a bit."

Nami panicked and shouted,

"No! Luffy, don't trust him! Take back your body!"

Struggling to turn his head, Luffy glanced at Nami and said,

"Nami, no matter what, he saved us before. He also helped me beat Blackbeard. Lending him my body for a little while won't hurt."

Nami was left speechless as Luffy turned back, murmuring to himself,

"Alright, it's your time now."

With that, the light in Luffy's left eye dimmed, and his left side fell limp. Joy Boy's right side softly whispered,

"Thank you, Luffy."

Emet, seeing the complete transformation, began to speak, but Joy Boy interrupted,

"Sorry, Emet, but time is short. Do you still remember the thing I sealed inside you?"

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+240 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg