Music Island — Elegia
Once, this place had been known as the sacred land of musicians.
Yes—once.
Twelve years ago, Elegia had been invaded by the Red Hair Pirates, leading to the destruction of the entire kingdom. At the time, it had caused a tremendous stir across the world.
Now, more than ten years later, the once-revered musical sanctuary had long since been forgotten.
Elegia itself had all but vanished from the map.
Tap—
Yuuki stepped onto the bluish-green grass, then lightly pushed off with his foot.
In an instant, he leapt onto the top of a circular tower ahead of him, its surface overgrown with moss, caked in dust, and clearly fallen into disrepair.
Looking out from above—
The entire island, long abandoned by human life, had become a deserted wasteland.
Wild animals roamed everywhere, though most posed little threat.
"So there really are only two people here."
With both hands in his pockets, Yuuki's senses had already blanketed the entire island the moment he set foot on it.
"Tch. Leaving his daughter in the care of the remnants of a destroyed kingdom…"
"I really don't know whether to call Red Hair bold… or simply overconfident."
His arrival at Music Island, Elegia had been something of an unexpected turn.
The entertainment district on the Gran Tesoro was never short of wealthy patrons.
Naturally, there was no shortage of people who gambled away all their cash and were forced to mortgage their possessions—sometimes even priceless treasures and collectibles.
Not long ago—
A merchant had pawned a Log Pose permanently set to Elegia to the entertainment district.
Truth be told, it hadn't even been worth much in the appraisal.
After all, Music Island had been destroyed for so many years that no one paid it any mind anymore.
And because it had been personally destroyed by one of the Four Emperors—the Red Hair Pirates—most people deliberately avoided anything related to the island.
After all—
Since entering the Grand Line, the Red Hair Pirates had never committed an atrocity of such horrifying scale.
As time passed, Music Island had been almost completely erased from public memory.
For Yuuki, obtaining this Eternal Pose had been an unexpected delight.
"Could it be that after absorbing luck, my own luck has improved as well?"
Yuuki gazed at the deserted island before him as the thought crossed his mind.
Others might not know—
But how could he not?
The true reason Elegia had been destroyed was not the Red Hair Pirates.
It had been Red Hair's daughter.
More precisely—
His adopted daughter, Uta.
Because of her extraordinary gift for music, Uta's singing had released the demon sealed within Elegia—
Tot Musica.
The Red Hair Pirates had naturally stepped in to stop the catastrophe.
Even so—
The Kingdom of Elegia had still been destroyed in the ensuing disaster.
Shanks, unwilling to let his daughter bear such a crushing burden, had publicly taken the blame upon himself.
Yuuki found the entire sequence of events deeply interesting.
The reason he had come here—
Was for that creature known as Tot Musica.
Though it was called a demon, it was entirely different from the devils of the Black Clover world.
To even call it a demon was, in truth, somewhat inaccurate.
It existed somewhere between reality and illusion—
A mindless entity formed from immense negative emotions given shape through music.
Judging by the traits Tot Musica had displayed, the Marines' assessment that it possessed the power to threaten the world was hardly an exaggeration.
How could Yuuki not be interested in such a unique existence?
Rustle—
A breeze swept past.
The figure standing atop the ruined, weed-covered tower vanished with it.
At the northern shoreline of Elegia—
A girl with half-white, half-red hair, wearing headphones and a white short dress with a black collar, sat atop a rock by the sea.
Her knees were drawn to her chest as her lips parted softly.
The breath of the sea from that day we played by the shore—
Why…
Why does it fade with the turning seasons?
If I sing that same song once more—
Then surely, I'll invite you to sing along with me, won't I?
Do you believe it? Do you believe it?
The shimmer of the stars, the vastness of the sea—
…
The unique, beautiful melody intertwined with the sound of waves crashing against the shore, filling the air with an indescribable beauty.
A moment later—
As the final lyric left her lips, a trace of fatigue appeared on Uta's face.
Yet her smile remained radiant.
"This song's a little sad…"
"It might not be good for the fans."
"Maybe I should rewrite the last part?"
"Mmm… how should I change it?"
"I'm getting a little tired… maybe tomorrow."
Sitting atop the rock, Uta muttered softly to herself, her expression shifting constantly—smiling one moment, lost in thought the next.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
At that moment, the sound of light applause suddenly rang out.
Uta froze, then turned around.
A bright smile had already formed on her face.
"Go— … who are you?"
At first, she had assumed it was her adoptive father, Gordon.
After all, aside from the two of them, there was no one else on the island.
And yet—
The person now standing in her sight was a complete stranger.
"You sing beautifully."
"It reminded me of an old friend."
Yuuki looked at her and smiled warmly.
The friend He spoke of was naturally Kahono from the Seabed Temple in the Black Clover world.
She used Song Magic, and her voice likewise carried a unique power.
In that regard, it resembled Uta's singing.
The reason Uta's voice was called a "voice from another dimension" was most likely because of the power of the Sing-Sing Fruit.
"W-Who are you?"
Uta's expression turned awkward.
Her pale violet eyes shrank slightly, and she nearly slipped off the smooth rock she had been sitting on.
This entire island had always been home to only her and Gordon.
Suddenly seeing a stranger appear before her—
She was clearly nervous and uneasy.
"Ah, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself."
"My name is Yuuki."
"I'm one of your fans."
"And hearing your voice live really is far more beautiful than through a visual Den Den Mushi recording."
Yuuki praised her with a sincere smile.
In reality, this was the first time he had ever heard Uta sing.
At present, she was only somewhat well-known.
She was still far from becoming the world-renowned diva she would be two years later.
Hearing that Yuuki was her fan—
A blush immediately spread across Uta's fair cheeks.
Her expression turned visibly excited.
"Um… th-thank you."
Meeting a fan so suddenly—
Uta momentarily forgot to even question why he was here on this deserted island that no one ever visited.
"Ahh—!"
Her balance suddenly faltered, and she slipped off the rock.
Fortunately, it wasn't very high, so she wasn't hurt.
Now kneeling on the sand, one hand braced against the ground, Uta instinctively reached up to touch the white ponytail on the left side of her head, looking utterly embarrassed.
Elegia was isolated from the world.
Only she and Gordon lived here.
Naturally, she had no idea how to properly interact with others.
Especially not with one of her fans.
The entire situation felt unbearably awkward to her.
And she couldn't help worrying whether that clumsy display just now had ruined Yuuki's impression of her.
"Are you alright?"
Yuuki walked over and extended a hand, his expression gentle.
Hearing that warm voice—
The awkwardness in Uta's heart eased considerably.
Her bright smile returned.
"I'm fine."
She quickly shook her head and took his hand.
Her hand was pale and soft.
By lightly holding it, Yuuki could even feel the delicate structure of her bones.
However—
He had no particular thoughts about it.
He had merely confirmed something.
Uta was very weak.
So weak that even an ordinary person could kill her.
No wonder she had already looked tired after singing just one song.
Her constitution was even weaker than that of an average person.
Clearly—
Uta had never trained.
Now that was interesting.
A sharp glint flashed through Yuuki's eyes.
His interest in Gordon deepened further.
Judging from Uta's condition, the Sing-Sing Fruit truly was an extraordinary power.
With her voice, she could drag others into the virtual Uta World without them even noticing.
Within that world—
Uta was practically invincible.
In that sense, the ability was somewhat similar to his Dream Magic.
No—
Not exactly.
Dream Magic forcibly dragged people into a dream realm.
Uta's Sing-Sing Fruit pulled only a person's consciousness into Uta World, while their physical body remained in reality.
In that regard, it was more similar to genjutsu from the Naruto world.
"It's good that you're alright."
Yuuki smoothly helped her to her feet and chuckled softly.
"You're even more charming than I imagined."
"Both your singing… and you."
"Th-Thank you…"
Both sides of Uta's face turned red.
Faced with such repeated praise, someone as inexperienced with people as Uta had very little she could say in response.
Yuuki naturally noticed this.
So he smoothly shifted the topic toward the thing she loved and excelled at most—
Music.
As expected—
Uta immediately became much more talkative.
Compared to her earlier shyness, she now seemed far more relaxed and delighted.
Yuuki didn't actually know that much about music.
But with the experience of two worlds behind him, casually discussing it posed no difficulty.
In fact—
Before long, he no longer needed to guide the conversation.
For the rest of the time, it was almost entirely Uta speaking, with Yuuki simply listening.
Before they realized it—
They had already been sitting by the shore talking for over an hour.
Looking at Uta, who was clearly tired yet still brimming with excitement as she enthusiastically shared her thoughts on music—
Yuuki understood something clearly.
Uta desperately needed someone who would simply listen.
"It's getting late."
Yuuki said softly, raising a hand to point at the sun now high in the center of the sky.
"Ah—sorry, sorry!"
"Yuuki, you're my guest—and a fan too."
"I shouldn't have kept you sitting out here on the beach for so long."
"My home isn't far from here."
"The island may be a little barren, but there's lots of really delicious food!"
Uta hurriedly sprang to her feet.
Only now did it occur to her that, as a guest, Yuuki should have been invited home.
After an hour together, the earlier awkwardness she had felt around a stranger had already vanished.
Her tone now clearly treated Yuuki as a friend.
As she spoke—
Her pale violet eyes sparkled with liveliness and excitement.
She clearly wanted to share the food of Music Island with him as well.
"I should be leaving too."
"Oh, and one more thing."
"Our meeting should remain a secret."
Yuuki suddenly said with a smile.
Leaving?
Uta froze.
The joy on her face vanished instantly.
Just as she was about to speak—
"Uta!"
A familiar voice suddenly called out from not far away.
Uta quickly turned around and saw Gordon approaching.
She immediately raised a slender arm and waved.
"I'm over here!"
But when she turned back again—
Yuuki was already gone.
For a moment, everything that had just happened felt almost dreamlike.
As though it had all been nothing more than her imagination.
An inexplicable sense of loss welled up in her heart.
Then suddenly—
Something gleaming caught her eye.
Bending down, Uta picked up a strange cross lying where Yuuki had been standing.
At its center was an eye-shaped emblem.
"Did Yuuki drop this?"
"I'll give it back to him next time."
Looking at the Magic Eye Cross in her palm, a smile once again spread across her face.
"Uta? Why were you at the shore for so long?"
Gordon's voice came from behind.
"Ah—nothing. I just practiced singing a bit longer than usual."
Remembering what Yuuki had said, Uta quickly clenched the Magic Eye Cross in her hand before turning around, speaking with a trace of nervousness.
Gordon looked at her expression, slightly puzzled.
Uta often practiced by the sea.
But she usually never stayed this long.
"Don't practice for too long next time."
"It's not good for your throat."
After scanning the surroundings once, Gordon spoke sternly.
"Got it."
Uta giggled, hands behind her back, and skipped away alongside him.
As the two disappeared from the shore—
Yuuki's figure quietly reappeared on the beach.
"Gordon. Uta. Red Hair."
Yuuki softly murmured the three names.
A faint smile curved his lips.
Though he had only spent about an hour with Uta, he had already understood her situation fairly well.
Put nicely—
She was innocent.
Put less kindly—
She was ignorant.
However—
That had nothing to do with Uta herself.
There were only two people on the entire island.
Forget proper education—
Even basic human interaction was painfully scarce.
And aside from teaching her music, Gordon had barely taught her anything else.
The primary way Uta learned about the outside world was through newspapers.
That alone drastically limited her perspective.
No wonder she would later come up with the so-called New Genesis Plan.
Using her Devil Fruit powers to drag everyone into Uta World—
Ending all suffering and pain in the world—
Granting everyone happiness and peace within that fabricated realm.
The plan was not merely naive.
It was tantamount to making an enemy of the entire world.
The result had naturally been inevitable.
"The sheet music sealing Tot Musica is in Gordon's hands."
"And the seal can only be broken by Uta's singing."
"This won't be difficult to deal with."
Yuuki's tone was relaxed.
With only Uta and Gordon here, they had no means of stopping him.
However—
Yuuki had no intention of using force.
Uta still had considerable value.
(End of Chapter)
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