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Author's Note: You might want to play the song "Uta, The World's Continuation" before diving into this chapter. Trust me, it will make for an enjoyable reading experience._____
On this anticipated day, a curtain of light rose above every art store in the world, which numbered in the hundreds already at this time.
The light curtain was the well-known art store screen, catching the attention of millions of people around the world, who were eagerly waiting to visit the art store and get their own volume.
"Light screen? Is it another advertisement?"
In Ohara, a young man in his early twenties looked at his friend and wondered.
"I think so, today is just One Piece manga day, there's no simultaneous broadcast." His friend replied confidently.
"We're tired of ads! I want the green light, Rob-san! I want to see the golden doors of the art store open!"
Not far from the two young men, a man in his thirties was staring at the light screen, annoyed.
"No doubt people have become impatient since the last arc a month ago."
"Actually, I'm also impatient. I want to get my hands on the new volume quickly."
The advertisement segment that people all over Ohara thought was the reason for the light screen was promoting news about the hunters, progress on building sky ports, and the sea train tracks worldwide, as well as trailers for new anime or novels and more.
…
Suddenly, as the impatient people were at the end of their nerves, music from another world began to fill their ears one by one.
All over the world, men and women, young and old, froze and focused their gazes on the huge screen visible across the island and even around its coasts.
A small girl appeared, or rather, a little angel with half-red, half-white wings like the people of Skypiea but unique. What stood out more was her half-red, half-white hair.
The little girl was playing the piano, seemingly the source of the enchanting music.
Above the girl, in the sky, a familiar scene unfolded for those who were captivated by her resonant playing.
With the first words of the song, the world fell silent.
'I recall that day ', ' We played together by the sea '🎵 ' Just you and me '
With the music's tune, the Marineford square before the start of the summit war awaited Whitebeard's arrival.
100,000 marine soldiers appeared, followed by the Shichibukai, one by one, then the three admirals sitting on their chairs.
Finally, Ace, was sitting on the execution platform, as the girl's song seemed to be about him.
' Still, that scent of the ocean seems to fade each passing day ' 🎵 ' It slips away ', ' So I sing an old familiar song I hope you know the one ' 🎵
Whitebeard's pirates appeared one by one in the sky above the girl, then Whitebeard himself stood proudly on his ship, looking towards Ace with a smile as if saying, "I'm here, my son."
The harmony between the song and the opening scene of the summit war was astonishingly wonderful, shaking the viewers to their core.
Of course, they heard the song in Japanese, the universal language of this world.
The fast clips provided a comprehensive summary of the previous volume's summit war. At this moment, Mihawk was seen launching a cutting attack towards Whitebeard, which Jozu blocked powerfully.
Under the sky, the little girl singing walked with immense loneliness gnawing at her heart.
'I will sing to call you back to me ' 🎶
Suddenly, the girl's voice rose, shaking the listeners' souls.
'I need you to hear it ', ' Need you to believe in ' 🎵 ' Something out there beyond the open sea ', ' Out in the starlight ' 🎵
In the radiant scene in the sky, Marco the Phoenix intercepted all of Kizaru's laser attacks, sending him quickly downward with a powerful kick.
As the musical notes rose, dozens of characters fell from the sky. This was the moment when Luffy and his group arrived at the summit war.
'I need you to hear it ', ' Need you to believe in ' 🎵
The little girl continued to sing with a voice out of this world, causing people to shed tears without even realizing it.
' There's a wind stirring my wings ', 'That is always beckoning ' 🎵 'Calling me above into the open sky '🎶
The girl extended the word "sky" beautifully as Luffy fell from the sky, seemingly towards the little girl who sang longingly.
With the rapid succession of scenes, a fierce battle began over who would reach Ace and who would prevent it.
The captivating and beautiful musical tunes created a stark contrast with Whitebeard's terrifying power, which split the seas and made Marineford seem like a small ship swaying in the storm.
'I recall a smile ', ' Unshakable and self-assured '🎵 ' Invincible '
With the girl's song returning, Luffy's confident smile appeared as he aimed to save his brother despite all the strong opponents like Mihawk and Smoker standing in his way.
' Now it hides behind the breaking waves ' 🎵 ' Upon the shore ', ' Yes, I see more ' 🎵
At this moment, Crocodile intervened to save Ace from execution.
As the fast-paced clips of the summit war continued, with each scene showcasing Whitebeard's overwhelming power, the viewers watched in sheer amazement.
'I know every word and every note ', ' I'd never forget it '🎵 ' Because I know it came from you '
In the next scene, Luffy's unconscious Conqueror's Haki swept through the battlefield, saving Ace from execution for the second time.
The song's words matched the scene astonishingly well, making the listeners feel as if their souls would leave their bodies and enter the battlefield to help Luffy save his brother, easing the little girl's sorrow.
' Tried my best to hear it ' 🎵 ' Trying to believe in ', ' You and me having one final goodbye' 🎶 ' I'll see you waving '
The scenes accelerated to show Ace, who had previously taken a fatal blow from Akainu, embracing his brother and saying his final words.
' Trying to believe it ' 🎵 ' Trying to believe it ' 🎶
As Ace took his last breath, Luffy went into shock and lost consciousness after a scream of agony.
' That your song is now my song ', ' Through your voice I'll carry on ' 🎵 ' And one day we'll fly, ', ' You and I in the open sky ' 🎶
…
In Baterilla, Rouge's spirit shook as she saw the summit war scenes that seemed more alive than in the manga.
Ace's vivre card burning at this moment burned her heart again, and Uta's song deepened her pain further.
Her tears didn't stop flowing, not at all.
'I need you to hear it ', ' Need you to believe in ' 🎵 ' Something out there beyond the open sea ', ' Out in the starlight ' 🎵
Roger stared in amazement at the light screen displaying this summary with a soul-stirring song.
All the memories of the summit war chapters came back to life at once and in a rapid sequence. The song seemed to describe passing Ace's will to Luffy in its deep lyrics.
"This is… the missing piece."
Roger wiped a small tear from the corner of his eye, allowing himself to enjoy the soul-cleansing experience offered by this wonderful song for free.
…
' Trying to believe it '
' I think I believe it ' 🎵
' That one day we'll meet again '
' And continue this dreamland ' 🎵
' In the gleaming dawn '
' We'll wake up once again ' 🎶
Aboard the Oro Jackson, anchored near Baterilla,
Various colors and magic surrounded the little girl under the sky displaying the fast-paced war scenes.
This scene reflected in Shanks' and the other's eyes, but for Shanks, it felt like the little girl was singing to him.
"No way… heh~" Shanks shook his head in self-mockery, but the smile never left his face, thoroughly enjoying this beautiful song.
"Who could this little girl be… such pure art."
Rayleigh wiped a small tear and smiled too.
The song seemed to be ending as the scenes from the previous arc reached their conclusion with Whitebeard's rampage after Ace's death and the destruction of what remained of Marineford.
…
' Trying to believe it '
' Trying to believe in '🎶
' Something out there beyond the open sea '
' Out in the starlight ' 🎵
Back in Ohara, Victoria Cindry, the young woman considered Rob's younger sister and a famous global singer, stared in amazement at the little girl singing with an incredible style.
She could feel her spirit yearning to merge into the little girl's world to ease her sorrow and fulfill her aspirations.
"Amazing…" Cindry whispered with tearful eyes.
' That one day we'll meet again '
' And continue this dreamland ' 🎵
' In the gleaming dawn, We'll wake up '
' Once again ' 🎶
In the final words of the song, the scene of Shanks ending the war and retrieving Ace's and Whitebeard's bodies brought endless sorrow to the viewers' hearts.
As the last melody ended, people began clapping one by one, then whistling and cheering, only increasing, not diminishing.
"Oh my God! I feel like I was beside the little girl singing!"
"Who is this little girl!?"
"Is she from Skypiea?"
"What an incredible singing ability!"
"From today, I feel I won't be able to sleep without hearing this song!"
"So this was a summary of the summit was to prepare us for the new arc without forgetting any previous details, right?"
"Seriously, how could we forget such great arc events like Marineford!?"
"I haven't even forgotten scenes from Buggy's arc and the early arcs, let alone a great arc like Marineford!"
"My tears won't stop! This is the best song I've ever heard in my life! Oh my God! Is this art!?"
"I'm looking forward to hearing a new song from her! Boss Rob really takes care of young talents! I want to see this little girl!"
Whether in reality or in the forum chat, 'Uta's song: The World's Continuation' was a hot topic!
This song that Rob admired so much and chose to create an AMV with Marineford war clips as the background song to prepare viewers for the upcoming arc.
…
After the broadcast screen disappeared, Rob smiled, satisfied with people's reactions to seeing and hearing his masterpiece, the AMV he edited earlier to combat boredom.
The idea that people thought the girl who sang this song actually existed intrigued Rob.
"Who is she? This cute little girl." Olivia asked with a smile.
Rob could see the tears she wiped away before asking, a sign of her deep emotional impact from the song.
"Her name is Uta, Shanks' adopted daughter and a close friend of Luffy in their childhood. She's also a future character. You'll see her in this arc."
Rob smiled in response to Olivia.
Uta… the semi-filler character would see the light in the One Piece manga through him, at least a few scenes before appearing fully later.
At this moment, the green light from the art store shone, signaling the release of the new volume, Post-War, on the art store shelves.
Quickly, men and women rushed to take their places.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 778: Summit War Saga: Post-War Arc! (Part 2)
Chapter 779: Whitebeard is Still Here.
Chapter 780: Sanji, Reiju, and Hiyori! All for Love.
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