"What is that?!!!"
Hurricanes howled. A massive explosion and clouds of smoke swallowed the entire Kingdom of Elegia. Even Shanks was forced back several steps by the sudden impact.
"This is…"
Gordon, one of Elegia's natives, stared blankly at the unfolding scene, jaw hanging open.
"Tot Musica!!!"
"It is the ancient Demon King of Song. It has taken control of Uta and is using the power of her Sing-Sing Fruit to manifest itself!!!"
When news spread that Uta was going to leave with Shanks, the music loving people of Elegia had begged her to give them one last performance.
To let the whole country hear her, they had broadcast her voice nationwide, amplifying that beautiful song as much as possible.
That act had drawn out the sealed score in the castle's underground vault. The score had tempted Uta into using her Devil Fruit power to set it free…
"Tot Musica, huh? Sounds pretty serious."
Shanks pressed down on his straw hat and let the wind whip at his coat, his expression dark and heavy.
His own daughter being controlled by some monster was something Shanks absolutely could not tolerate.
The moment the seal broke, countless guests who had been joyfully gathered were blasted away by the shockwaves. Only the members of the Red Hair Pirates still had enough strength to protect themselves.
Together, they looked up.
What hovered above was a monster even larger than a giant.
Piano keys wrapped around its body. A tuxedo fused with a grotesque jester like form, like an enormous nightmare doll.
The ancient Demon King of Song -
Tot Musica.
Uta's eyes were empty. Her body was trapped deep within Tot Musica's grotesque form.
It opened its fanged maw. A terrifying radiance, like a dragon's breath made of light, began to gather inside. Beams and lightning raged outward, reducing Elegia to scorched earth and a sea of fire.
Gordon watched his beloved Elegia be obliterated before his eyes. Tears streamed down his face as he shouted.
"Do not let it control you, Uta!!!"
The Red Hair Pirates were much more direct.
A crew of monsters, every one of them unleashed their full strength to hinder Tot Musica's movements.
But their blows did almost nothing. It was like striking a barrier of light. The only result was a few ripples.
Even Shanks, with a swing of his sword infused with Conqueror's Haki strong enough to be called emperor class, could only knock Tot Musica back a step, making its huge body rock as a violent red explosion blossomed on impact.
"Did that do it?"
Landing, Shanks stared seriously at the center of the blast. The Red Hair crew gathered at his side, Observation Haki sweeping out.
In the next instant.
Everyone's expression darkened.
"Impossible. Even Boss's attack did nothing?!!!"
This younger Shanks clearly had not trained his Observation Haki to the heights he would one day reach. He did not fully understand the interaction between the Sing-Sing Fruit and Tot Musica.
But even he could sense it.
Simple brute force was not enough to defeat this thing.
In the original timeline, the Red Hair Pirates' battle against Tot Musica had already been a hard, grinding fight. That battle had only ended quickly because Uta was still a child and her stamina burned out fast.
Now, though, Uta's physical condition was far better than in that timeline. She might not have endless stamina, but she could still hold out against the Red Hair Pirates for quite a long time.
And besides Uta's stamina running out, there was only one other way to defeat Tot Musica.
Someone had to enter the world created by Uta's Sing-Sing Fruit. Only by attacking from inside and outside at the same time could they inflict real damage at the source and bring it down.
The problem was…
Uta was already unconscious. She had not brought anyone into her Sing-Sing world at all.
So how were they supposed to launch an inside outside pincer attack?
Which meant that, right now…
Even though this Tot Musica was not the full power version summoned by an adult Uta, it was still a pure mechanics boss - a gimmick monster.
Aside from waiting for little Uta to run out of strength, there was no way to beat it.
As time passed, even the Red Hair Pirates began to look battered under the relentless assault of an immortal, undying Tot Musica.
Elegia was completely destroyed. Flames raged. Piles of rubble smoldered. Someone managed to send a final report to the Marines a moment before being erased by beams and lightning.
Ash streaked Shanks's face. He panted lightly.
Everyone's hearts were sinking.
Then.
Vrrrm!!!
Crack crack crack crack!!!
An overwhelming surge of Conqueror's Haki and a space twisting force rolled in from the far off sea.
Under those two powers, every member of the Red Hair Pirates - and even Tot Musica itself - froze for a brief instant.
"This is…!!!"
Every head turned toward the distant surface of the ocean.
There, a tall, relaxed figure was walking toward them.
Terrifying thunderclouds coiled around him. The space nearby seemed crushed by his presence. His long hair streamed behind him. In his handsome face, a pair of eyes burned with black and crimson light.
"Wow. I show up a little late, and you have already made such a mess."
Late, but still on time.
(Movie style flashback entrance)
Black Gun Ozz.
Bounty: 4,049,000,000 berries.
"It is Ozz!!!"
Shanks's eyes lit with surprise and joy.
"Lord Ozz is here. What a lifesaver!" Lucky Roux grinned, his big white teeth showing through his soot stained face.
"But…"
"Even with Lord Ozz here, it will be hard to actually hurt Tot Musica, right?"
Yasopp sounded uncertain. He was highly skilled in Observation Haki, and in some aspects even surpassed Shanks.
He could vaguely tell that Tot Musica, this mechanics type monster, was not something numbers could solve. At best, more people just meant it was easier to keep it pinned down.
What he did not know was…
The best way to deal with a mechanics boss…
Was with another mechanics boss.
On the other side, just as the Red Hair crew focused on Ozz, Tot Musica also sensed his hostility. Terrifying red light gathered in its mouth again.
Beams rained down wildly toward the distant figure walking across the sea.
But once more, they did nothing.
Those attacks, strong enough to erase an entire kingdom, sank without a trace the moment they neared Ozz, as if they had fallen into the deepest ocean trench.
The next second.
The exact same beams reappeared behind Tot Musica, as if teleported through space, and slammed squarely into its back.
They did not inflict any real damage, but the huge body shook violently and its movements paused for a heartbeat.
"That was… Tot Musica's own attack!!!"
Huddled behind cover, Gordon had seen the miracle with his own eyes. His jaw dropped.
Without even raising a hand, walking as casually as if on a stroll, Ozz had redirected every one of Tot Musica's beams back at the monster itself.
So this was…
The king who ruled these seas.
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