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It wasn't just Shanks—the familiar yet unfamiliar faces of the Red Hair Pirates all struck Uta.
Every single face had once been deeply etched in her memory: Lucky Roux's hearty laughter, Yasopp's dashing figure carrying his long rifle, Beckman's steady composure with a cigarette in his mouth, and the crew members' smiles—some simple and honest, others bold and unrestrained…
They had all once been the most vivid colors in her childhood.
But now, those faces seemed shrouded in a thick layer of mist. Though they were right in front of her, their outlines were so blurred she couldn't grasp them at all—like old days she desperately tried to hold onto, yet they slipped further and further away.
"Hahahaha! You actually dared to come!"
Uta raised her voice, shouting loudly to the crowd around her who had been bewitched by her song: "Everyone, listen up! The worst pirate has arrived here!
He wants to destroy our paradise—let's drive them away together!"
Her sharp tone carried a barely noticeable tremor. She bit down hard on her pale lips, her teeth nearly sinking into the flesh.
Complex emotions surged in Uta's eyes—resentment, hatred, and a trace of grievance she herself refused to acknowledge.
In the next second, she took a deep breath. Her fingertips plucked the hidden musical strings in her sleeve, and the familiar melody flowed out once more.
It was that enchanting demonic tune. The moment the song enveloped them, the people's eyes turned red. Like ignited powder kegs, they roared and howled, surging toward Shanks and his crew like a tidal wave.
Fists, rocks, wooden sticks—all kinds of attacks landed on the Red Hair Pirates.
The crew instinctively wanted to fight back, but Beckman stopped them with a single look.
They could only awkwardly raise their arms to block, trying their best to avoid the irrational civilians.
And at the very center, Shanks himself showed none of an Emperor's bearing.
He slightly lowered his gaze. His cloak was pulled askew, his face had taken several punches, and faint blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Shanks hadn't even used Haki—these attacks all landed squarely on him.
Yet from beginning to end, he never struck back. He simply allowed the furious fists to fall upon him, his eyes surging with guilt and heartache that no one else could understand.
"Shanks…"
Watching him silently endure, Uta felt as though an invisible hand had clenched her heart, the pain so intense she could hardly breathe.
The emotions pent up inside her suddenly burst out of control, like floodwaters breaking through a dam, surging so violently that her whole body trembled.
The first to sense this abnormal fluctuation was Luffy in the illusion world. Seeing Uta like this, he immediately knew—Shanks had arrived!
And at that moment, all their companions sprang into action together.
Zoro was the first to draw Wado Ichimonji from his waist, the blade gleaming coldly. Sanji leaped upward with Geppo, faint flames flickering at his toes…
Nami swung her Clima-Tact, thunderclouds gathering in her palm. Chopper swallowed a Rumble Ball and instantly transformed into his Heavy Point form…
Everyone switched to combat mode at the same time, charging straight toward Uta with clear purpose.
Their movements were swift and coordinated, but Uta's ability was truly troublesome.
Wherever her song reached was her domain. Invisible sound waves turned into sharp blades, constantly assaulting the group.
Zoro's swords buzzed from the sonic impacts, Sanji's attacks repeatedly missed, and Nami's thunderclouds were shattered by sound waves before they could even be released.
The battle fell into a stalemate for a time. Everyone was injured, yet no one retreated.
After a hard-fought struggle, Bartolomeo seized the moment. He thrust both hands forward, and a transparent barrier instantly rose from the ground, completely trapping Uta inside.
Uta pounded desperately against the transparent walls. Her song became broken and hoarse, but it could no longer escape.
She looked at Luffy outside the barrier, at his resolute gaze, and the light in her eyes gradually dimmed.
But before the chaos could reach its peak, a piercing barrage of cannon fire suddenly tore through the sky.
Everyone looked toward the sound. On the horizon, a dense fleet of Marine warships was sailing toward the island, their Justice flags flapping fiercely in the wind.
Shells rained down like a storm, kicking up clouds of dust on the ground. Another wave of Marines landed using Geppo. The lead officer's face was grim as he shouted loudly: "Target: Uta—kill on sight!"
They had clearly brought reinforcements this time, fully determined to wipe Uta out completely.
"Kill on sight?"
Beckman furrowed his brows tightly and couldn't help shouting angrily at the Marines: "Can't you see there are so many civilians here?"
"The sacrifice of a few civilians is nothing compared to upholding justice."
The officer replied expressionlessly, his tone chilling to the bone.
It turned out that just moments ago, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki had given the order: civilian casualties were acceptable if it meant stopping Uta's rampage!
Akainu's cigar was crushed in his grip. Tobacco mixed with spit fell to the ground. The magma aura around him surged, nearly distorting the air with heat.
Seeing this scene, the Marines watching from God Valley all wore particularly strange expressions.
Garp clenched his fists tightly. Tsuru furrowed her brows lightly. Zephyr looked at Akainu's back with a complicated gaze.
Even the usually steady Sengoku couldn't help but darken his face.
They never imagined that the future Sakazuki would become so ruthless—willing to abandon defenseless civilians entirely just to eliminate Uta.
Earlier, Golden Lion Shiki had stood by with his arms crossed, smirking coldly, certain that hostages would be the Marines' greatest weakness.
He had assumed that as long as civilians were present, the Marines wouldn't dare act rashly.
But the scene before him froze the smile on his face.
He never expected the other side to be heartless enough to ignore civilian safety and launch a full assault.
Orders were orders. Even though the Marine soldiers below trembled and turned pale, they still forced themselves to raise their rifles.
Their fingers shook violently on the triggers, their eyes filled with struggle and fear.
In the chaos, someone's hand twitched—"Bang!" A gunshot rang out. A bullet fired from the chamber and struck a civilian who couldn't dodge in time.
Blood gushed out instantly, staining the person's clothes and everyone's vision red.
The wounded civilian fell to the ground, groaning in pain. The real-world Uta saw the scene clearly.
Her pupils contracted sharply. Her blood seemed to freeze in that moment.
In the dream world she created, her ability could heal any wound—even severed limbs could be restored through song.
But in the cold reality, facing that slowly flowing blood, she was powerless.
An overwhelming sense of helplessness instantly swallowed her.
[God Valley side]
Watching the Marines open fire on defenseless civilians, Garp clenched his fists hard. In his entire life, what he hated most was seeing innocent people caught in the crossfire.
Even if forced by circumstances, treating civilian lives as worthless went too far!
There was also something Garp didn't know—how the Marines and Celestial Dragons treated civilians when he wasn't looking…
Tsuru, Zephyr, and Sengoku all furrowed their brows in unison.
Looking at Akainu's brutal expression on the screen, their hearts were filled with mixed emotions.
Having crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, they understood war's cruelty all too well—but they had always held a bottom line: never harm the innocent.
Yet Sakazuki's actions had completely shattered that line.
And the most ironic part was that the ones now stepping forward to protect the panicked civilians were none other than the Red Hair Pirates—the very group the Marines called "villains."
Beckman, cigarette in mouth, strode to the front of the crowd and spoke heavily. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried unquestionable authority: "Everyone, listen—no rash actions. Protect the civilians at all costs!"
The crew immediately responded. Lucky Roux hoisted the injured civilian and quickly carried them to safety.
Yasopp stood on high ground, precisely shooting down any stray bullets.
The rest of the crew formed a protective circle around the trembling civilians.
Beckman looked at their frightened faces, a trace of guilt flashing in his eyes.
Uta reaching this point was something the Red Hair Pirates bore undeniable responsibility for.
They had failed to protect her properly, allowing her to become what she was now.
He absolutely could not let Uta bear any more sins.
"How cruel…"
A lazy voice suddenly rang out from midair. Everyone looked up to see Kizaru slowly descending from the warship.
He still wore that carefree demeanor, a roguish smile on his lips.
"Little girl, come with me obediently and save yourself some pain."
Before his words even finished, Kizaru's figure turned into a dazzling golden light and vanished.
In the next instant, countless specks of light burst into brilliance. Innumerable golden lasers poured down like a rainstorm toward Uta inside the barrier.
This was his signature move—Yasakani no Magatama.
The technique was inherently wide-area destructive. The blinding light instantly covered half the island.
Even though Kizaru deliberately restrained the power and avoided civilian-dense areas, the scattered shockwaves still stung people's skin painfully.
One could imagine what would happen if it struck a normal person…
"Bang!"
Just as the lasers were about to hit the barrier, a red figure shot skyward.
Shanks moved at astonishing speed. Almost the instant Kizaru acted, he had already drawn his sword.
Griffon gleamed with cold light. With a single swing, a sharp sword wave sliced through the air, forcibly splitting the sky full of lasers in two.
Seeing this, Kizaru hurriedly activated his Pika Pika no Mi ability, turning into golden light to retreat to safety.
But Shanks was faster. The moment Kizaru's form solidified, an icy sword edge was already pressed against his neck.
Shanks' cloak fluttered in the wind. He slightly lowered his gaze, looking at the blade at Kizaru's throat. His face still wore that casual smile, but his eyes held no warmth at all.
"Sorry about this…"
Shanks' tone was as casual as if chatting about the weather, yet the sword at Kizaru's neck carried an undeniable threat: "I have some family matters to deal with right now. Could you hold off for a bit?"
At the same time, the Red Hair Pirates' doctor Hongo crouched down beside the bleeding civilian and shook his head helplessly.
He quickly pulled hemostatic medicine and bandages from his bag, frantically dressing the wound.
But the injury was too deep. Blood soaked through layer after layer of bandages—no matter how much he tried, it wouldn't stop.
And in the illusion world, Uta—trapped inside the barrier—saw everything clearly.
That piercing red stained her vision like a red-hot brand searing into her eyes.
An intense wave of despair instantly engulfed her.
She watched Shanks confronting Kizaru from behind, watched the civilians protected by the Red Hair Pirates, watched the blood spreading across the ground. The emotions she had bottled up for so long finally collapsed completely in this moment.
She slowly sank to the ground, shoulders shaking violently. Tears fell silently like broken beads.
Then her emotions shattered entirely…
Another effect of the Wake-shroom was to drive people mad. With both versions of Uta breaking down simultaneously, she—who had never used Tot Musica before—finally hesitated no longer!
Uta began singing the forbidden song to summon the Demon King. The power was so overwhelming that it instantly shattered Bartolomeo's barrier.
Immediately afterward, a dark purple black hole appeared. In both the real world and the illusion world, a massive figure emerged!
In the illusion world, everyone was suddenly clad in brand-new battle attire—clear proof that Uta had gone completely mad, no longer able to distinguish friend from foe…
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