Uta stood at the bow of the ship, watching the shores of Elegia slowly disappear into the distance. She clung to Shanks' head, perched like a lady on his strong arm, while Luffy lay sprawled out on the deck, catching his breath.
"Luffy, you're already tired?" Yasopp, the blond sniper, laughed as he crouched beside Luffy, poking his stomach playfully.
"Did you enjoy Elegia?" Shanks asked Uta softly, his gaze warm as he looked at his daughter.
"Mm-hmm!" she nodded enthusiastically.
Hearing her answer, Shanks fell silent, glancing back at the island they were leaving behind. "You know, Uta, you could stay here, go to school, and become the world's top singer… I could come back and get you when you're ready…"
Uta looked up at Shanks, wide-eyed, with a hurt look on her face. Her eyes misted over. "Why would you even suggest that, Shanks…"
"No way! I'd never do that! If singing means being away from you, I'd rather not sing at all!" She threw herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face, a sight that quickly caught the attention of the other crew members on board.
"Oh boy, Shanks, what did you say to make her cry?" Yasopp teased, crossing his arms with a smirk.
"Yeah, Shanks, she was so happy to see you just now…" The other pirates gathered around their captain, grinning as they teased him.
"Not exactly gentlemanly behavior," even the first mate, Benn Beckman, remarked with a chuckle.
"Alright, alright, Uta. I'm sorry!" Shanks finally conceded, raising his hands in surrender, a helpless expression on his face.
Uta's frown turned to a grin, and she wiped away her tears. "You're forgiven!" She nuzzled his face, then frowned playfully, pulling back. "Your face is so scratchy, Shanks! You need to shave!"
"It has been a while," Shanks said, scratching his slightly scruffy chin.
"Come on, Luffy! Let's go play a game!" Uta grabbed Luffy's arm and started tugging him inside the ship.
"Just a little rest first, Uta…" Luffy sighed, letting her pull him along.
"Kids… they really don't have a care in the world," Shanks murmured, watching the pair disappear below deck. He leaned against the railing, reminiscing about his own childhood days spent running around with Buggy while watching over Roger's ship.
"Seems like Uta's not too eager to leave the ship, Captain," Benn Beckman observed, lighting a cigar and idly playing with the flame.
"What can we do?" Shanks smiled ruefully. "We'll figure it out when we get to Foosha Village. Let's hope she'll forgive me…"
...
Once they were inside Uta's cabin, she shut the door behind them, then leaned against it with both arms, trapping Luffy between them. She looked down at him with a mischievous grin.
Luffy was momentarily startled, completely unprepared to be in a "kabedon" position. There was an undeniable sense of pressure with nowhere to escape.
With his hands braced behind him, he caught a whiff of her hair's sweet scent. "Uta, what are you up to?"
Uta seemed equally caught off guard by the position, but as she looked down, she noticed his collarbone and the toned lines of his chest through his shirt, giving her a strange sense of curiosity that made her want to look closer.
"Tonight, I'm going to perform a concert on the ship," she announced, licking her lips briefly before continuing.
"Oh…" Luffy blinked.
"But here's the twist—I'm going to pull Shanks and everyone else into my world! I'll perform in the other world." She said this with a sparkle in her eyes that Luffy had never seen before, her excitement almost contagious.
"And there, I'm going to tell Shanks all about my New World plan!" Uta's eyes shone with excitement as she shared her secret plan with Luffy.
A plan for humanity's spiritual evolution…
Luffy, meanwhile, tried to focus on the present, his eyes darting between her enthusiastic expression and her words about this "vision" of hers.
"I want to give Shanks a big surprise!" she laughed, her eyes bright as she imagined Shanks's proud face, patting her head and saying how amazing she was.
Thinking about it, Luffy had to admit it was quite the plan from a grand strategy point of view: effectively uploading humanity's consciousness into a virtual utopia. Even in games, it wasn't something he'd seen—an idea straight out of the realm of sci-fi novels.
At that point, the elites and the World Government, with all their influence, could stay behind and amuse themselves with their crumbling empire.
…Wait, hadn't he played games like this, setting up chaotic situations, using devious tactics? But that was all just games…
"Luffy, isn't it a great idea?" Uta asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Yeah… definitely unique," Luffy replied, giving her a thumbs-up. After all, it was Shanks's headache to deal with, not his.
Buoyed by his encouragement, Uta became even more excited.
Then Luffy remembered the Totem Gica score he'd tucked away. He should probably let Uta know about the danger it posed—just in case it somehow influenced her into singing it without realizing the consequences. Uta was a good girl; if he explained the danger, she'd understand.
Without unfolding it, he showed her the crumpled score. "Uta, remember this? The score that suddenly appeared in front of you?"
"Oh yeah, I remember! You nearly got mobbed by the crowd because of it!" Uta giggled, recalling the performance mishap.
Her curiosity was piqued as she eyed the paper in his hand. "Is this a special piece Gordon prepared?"
"No, it's actually the legendary score of Elegia—the sealed score of the Song Demon," Luffy replied gravely.
"Gordon explained that the legends are true. Totem Gica is an ancient demon, a force that embodies pure negative emotions, and it's only capable of being activated by someone with the Song-Song Fruit. That's why it flew to you—it was trying to lure you into singing it, to bring Totem Gica back into the world."
"If you had sung it, Totem Gica would've taken control of you and used you to destroy the real world."
"This is a score that absolutely must never be sung!"
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