Chapter 155 Luffy Reveals Joy Boy's IdentityBut despite all his calculations, he hadn't anticipated Luffy's absurd strength.
That terrifying attack, reminiscent of the sun god Nika, reminded Rayleigh of the legends he'd read in the Poneglyphs.
Although he'd never believed Luffy was Joy Boy—after all, the Nika Fruit possessed its own consciousness and had been evading the government—
now, Luffy had actually uttered that name himself!
"How do you know that name?!"
Rayleigh's face was filled with disbelief. Logically, this secret should be known only to them and the Celestial Dragons' high command.
"I can tell you with certainty, I am Joy Boy."
Luffy squinted, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on the weather.
"Impossible!" Rayleigh immediately retorted, "Joy Boy would never submit to the World Government as a lackey!"
"Generally speaking, that's true," Luffy nodded, "but I don't need to explain it to you."
Rayleigh suddenly burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face.
"Come on! Kill me! With your strength, I believe you wouldn't let Ace die on the battlefield!"
"That's hard to say," Luffy said coldly. "I've already arranged a way out for Ace. If he insists on walking into a dead end, then don't blame me."
Rayleigh was stunned, seemingly not expecting Luffy to say that.
Looking at Rayleigh's resolute face, Luffy couldn't help but admire him a little; the old man certainly had guts.
At that moment, Onigumo's warship slowly approached.
Onigumo and Doberman, who had just wanted to fight Luffy, now fawned over him.
"Congratulations, Vice Admiral Luffy! This is an incredible achievement!"
"The legendary first mate of the Pirate King has fallen at your hands! Like father, like son!"
"I'll send men to retrieve Rayleigh right away. With this feat, you're the next Admiral!"
The men showered Luffy with praise, making him sound like he was on top of the world.
Luffy ignored the sycophants and turned to the heavily injured Rayleigh.
"This is the first and last time. Now that you're retired, don't cause trouble with this old man."
"Everyone, listen up! Return to headquarters!"
The vice admirals on the warship paled instantly upon hearing this.
"What did you say? Vice Admiral Luffy! You're letting him go? This is a golden opportunity to capture Dark King!"
"That's right! Letting him escape will only cause more trouble later!"
The vice admirals stamped their feet in frustration, desperately trying to persuade Luffy.
Luffy abruptly turned his head, unleashing a terrifying surge of Conqueror's Haki that pressed down on everyone like a mountain.
"I said! Back to headquarters! Can't you understand human language?"
The five vice admirals felt a sudden urge to breathe, instantly falling silent in terror.
They weren't afraid to die on the battlefield, but to be killed on the spot by Luffy for "disobeying orders" would be too humiliating.
Luffy looked at Rayleigh again, his gaze complex.
"I spared you this time because you helped Hancock and her sisters return to Amazon Lily."
"If you dare to stand against me again next time, I will kill you."
"Finally, a word of advice: you'd better not get involved in this war."
"Not a single member of the Whitebeard Pirates will leave Marineford alive this time! I said it! Even the Heavenly King himself couldn't save them!"
With that, Luffy leaped back onto Hancock's Perfume Serpent.
Hearing that Luffy spared Rayleigh for her sake, Hancock was moved to tears and threw herself into Luffy's arms.
The Marine fleet turned and slowly sailed away, leaving only a few pieces of wreckage floating on the sea, testament to the earth-shattering battle that had just taken place.
Rayleigh struggled to climb onto a large plank, lay back, panting heavily, and murmured to himself as he gazed at the azure sky.
"Monkey D. Luffy... just how many secrets are you still hiding?"
"Roger, it seems the era we started is truly coming to an end..."
Only 10 hours remained until the public execution.
Marineford's harbor was brightly lit and bustling with activity.
Warships lined the shore, and under the cover of night, countless families of naval personnel thronged towards the refugee ships.
"Don't push! Board in order!"
"There's room for everyone! Don't worry, everyone!"
Just then, two ships suddenly appeared on the horizon.
The sentries on shore immediately sounded the alarm, and panic erupted in the crowd.
"Pirates! Pirate ships have invaded!"
"Shut up! You idiot, look closely, that's the Shichibukai Boa Hancock's ship, she's here to help us!"
"The one behind is a warship transporting prisoners! Vice Admiral Luffy has brought them back!!"
The Perfume Serpent and the warship slowly approached the shore.
Garp, picking his nose, swaggered over from a distance with an air of nonchalance.
"Tch, why did I have to come all this way to pick up this brat? I'm the elder, after all."
Garp recalled Sengoku's furious outburst in the office just hours earlier.
"Garp! Look at the mess your grandson's made! He actually let Rayleigh go! If word gets out, where will the Navy's face be?"
Garp rolled his eyes dismissively. "Come on, the Roger Pirates disbanded voluntarily, they weren't captured."
"Do you want the Navy to fight both Whitebeard and Rayleigh at the same time? Are you tired of living?"
"Besides, even if you bring Rayleigh back, you'll still have to find an excuse to release him. Am I wrong?"
Garp's words exposed Sengoku's ulterior motives, leaving him speechless for a long time.
Actually, Sengoku was also feeling a chill; who would have thought that old man Rayleigh would interfere?
They initially thought sending five vice admirals would be enough to secure the mission, but if it weren't for Luffy, this escort mission would have definitely failed.
Who would have thought that Luffy would single-handedly crush Rayleigh, even nearly killing him?
That's a terrifying being who can go toe-to-toe with a Marine Admiral!
Garp, however, was unfazed, laughing heartily, "Hahaha! No wonder he's my grandson, he's got guts!"
Sengoku, tired of hearing that, snapped, "Since he's your grandson, you go pick him up! Don't bother me!"
Back to the present, it's 2 AM.
Ever since Luffy damaged a corner of the moon, the night has been exceptionally dark.
Due to the side effects of the Escanor template, Luffy was as thin as a stick that night, looking like he could be blown away by a gust of wind.
He walked off the ship looking dejected, and ran into his unruly grandfather.
"Ah?! Luffy!"
Garp's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw Luffy, who was now skin and bones.
"What happened to you?! Did you use some forbidden technique that consumed your lifespan to defeat Rayleigh?!"
The others, including Onigumo, who had just disembarked, were also shocked and moved by the sight.
"So that's it! Vice Admiral Luffy exhausted his life force to defeat Rayleigh!"
"No wonder he let Rayleigh go in the end; he must have been too weak to fight anymore!"
"It was for the greater good! We owe Vice Admiral Luffy our lives!"
Onigumo and the others had tears in their eyes; Luffy's image in their hearts instantly became glorious and heroic.
Luffy listened to these imagined scenarios, his lips twitching uncontrollably.
"I just get weaker at night, okay?! Don't you understand the setting?!"
But he wasn't stupid enough to explain. Let the misunderstanding continue.
Just then, Hancock shyly pressed herself against him, and Garp's expression instantly changed.
He leered at Luffy and Hancock, giving them a knowing look.
"Hehehe, good wine is good, but don't overindulge, young man, take care of your health."
Garp nudged Luffy with his elbow, winking.
Luffy stared blankly at this lecherous old man. When did this guy become so sly?
But thinking about it carefully, Garp, this old fox, had cornered Roger several times; how could he be just a simple-minded brute?