Originally, when Gorden shouted, "I'll give it to you," Ash felt a chill run through him and instinctively wanted to light a fire to warm himself.
Still, Gorden's words had truly caught his attention.
There were Devil Fruits here in Elysia.
Thinking about it, that wasn't surprising. Most kingdoms across the seas either possessed Devil Fruits or at least information about them. Since Elysia had something as unusual as a music demon, it made sense that Devil Fruits would also exist here.
Following that logic, if the Sing-Sing Fruit could release a music demon, then this Paramecia-type fruit likely originated from Elysia in the first place.
Seeing Ash fall into thought, Gorden hurriedly continued, his voice trembling.
"Five. A full five. I can give you five Devil Fruits. I don't ask you to spare me. I know I am guilty, and I'm willing to atone for my sins. But please, spare Uta. She is innocent. She's still just a child. I beg you. I beg you. I beg you."
Gorden's pitiful groveling made Ash frown. If possible, he would have avoided looking at this man for even a second longer.
Unwilling to waste more time, Ash lifted his chin slightly.
Gorden immediately understood and scrambled toward the room behind him.
With Observation Haki locked onto him, Ash had no concern about Gorden attempting to escape.
Moments later, Gorden returned carrying five explosive treasure chests along with a ring of keys.
He placed them carefully before Ash and knelt again.
"These are Devil Fruits collected by Elysia over the years. Four are Zoan types: the Bear-Bear Fruit, Model Panda, the Ox-Ox Fruit, Model Giraffe, the Cat-Cat Fruit, Model Red Lion, and one Paramecia-type, the Accordion Fruit, which suits our kingdom."
"We originally planned to keep the Accordion Fruit and trade the four Zoans for music-related fruits, but we never had the chance."
At first, Ash had no interest in Gorden's explanation. But when he heard the names, something clicked.
He recalled the animal band that appeared behind Uta during her worldwide concert.
They had little screen time, but their species were obvious.
Ash had once looked into them out of curiosity.
Slim, the panda DJ. Girashu, the giraffe bassist. Brion, the lion guitarist. Capone Meow, the cat drummer. And Daxong, the dachshund accordionist.
Back then, he had assumed most of them were Minks, aside from the dog. Now it was clear, those four were Zoan users.
Most likely, they were meant to be Uta's bodyguards.
Regardless, these five Devil Fruits were a valuable gain.
Ash glanced at Gorden, whose face was filled with desperate hope, and felt a faint sense of disgust. The man's dependence on Uta bordered on obsession.
Still, since Ash had accepted the fruits, the request was effectively granted.
And in truth, aside from replacing the fruits, he had never intended to harm Uta.
Uta wasn't a pirate, a trafficker, or a criminal. While she had destroyed a kingdom, the only surviving victim, Gorden, had chosen not to pursue it.
So why should he?
But the true victims were another matter.
Ash sensed the unnatural temperature within the palace and let out a cold laugh.
"I won't kill you. But since you know you are guilty, then face your sins yourself."
As he spoke, Ash activated his soul-based ability, something he rarely used and had yet to fully master.
In an instant, countless translucent, shadowy figures filled the palace.
They glared at Gorden with overwhelming hatred.
Ash looked at the lingering souls of those who had died unjustly in Elysia and let out a quiet sigh.
"I can't bring you back to life. But in your current state, you can interact with the living world. This will last for one hour."
"What you do next is your choice."
With that, Ash stored the five treasure chests and disappeared.
In the next moment, he appeared near the shoreline, not far from Uta, who stood staring blankly at the sea.
From the direction of the palace, faint, piercing screams echoed through the air.
"A sin committed must be repaid."
Ash spoke calmly, then turned his gaze toward the girl with half-red, half-white hair. She stared at him in shock.
Was Uta innocent?
In many ways, yes.
Was she guilty?
Without question.
At her core, she was simply an overly naive girl.
As a child, she didn't understand what pirates truly were. Because she admired Shanks, she dreamed of becoming one herself, even challenging Luffy to childish duels every day.
Later, when her Devil Fruit power spiraled out of control and destroyed Elysia, she believed the Red Hair Pirates were responsible and that they had abandoned her. For years, she lived with both longing and resentment toward Shanks.
In the original timeline, after witnessing the suffering of people across the world and understanding the true nature of pirates, she tried to end the Great Pirate Era.
Her solution was to create a world of music where everyone could live happily.
But deep down, she knew it was impossible.
She understood that her power would eventually fail, and when it did, it would cost her life.
In a sense, after realizing the truth behind Elysia's destruction, she chose a path of self-destruction as a form of atonement.
However, she didn't realize that the Sleepless Mushrooms she consumed would gradually drive her into madness, eroding her control over her emotions.
That loss of control ultimately led her to summon Tot Musica, the ancient demon that had once destroyed Elysia.
Ash exhaled slowly.
Uta's actions were a mix of innocence and foolishness.
Her intelligence showed in trivial matters, yet failed her when it truly mattered.
Then again, poor judgment in critical moments was hardly unique in the pirate world.
I've been dealing with exams lately, so updates have been a bit slower than usual.