As if hearing the commotion of the fleet landing, a girl with red-and-white hair quickly emerged from the eerie forest. She appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen, about the same age as Setsuna and Ace.
Seeing the large crowd, the girl showed no fear. Instead, she hopped over cheerfully like a little deer, her eyes holding a clear, innocent gaze.
"Who are you guys? What brings you here?"
Setsuna smiled gently. "We are listeners drawn by the song. You must be the singer we just heard on the island, right?"
Seeing Setsuna's 'Big Bad Wolf' smile, Cavendish muttered under his breath. "Captain is about to lure away another innocent girl."
Though he knew Setsuna would definitely hear him, his compulsion to snark knew no fear.
Ace didn't respond. Cavendish turned to look and found Ace staring at the girl, looking somewhat dazed.
Seeing this, Cavendish showed a knowing smile. "You've taken a liking to her too? She is indeed pretty, but you can't compete with Captain."
"Don't be ridiculous," Ace said, looking puzzled. "It's just… I feel like I've seen her somewhere before?"
"That's right! My name is Uta. Are you all my audience? That's wonderful!" The girl was very excited. She finally had an audience.
"Could you let us enjoy that beautiful song once more? Although it's a bit crude, we can set up a temporary concert venue," Setsuna said with a smile.
"Of course!" Uta nodded repeatedly.
Setsuna turned to look behind him. "Mr. 3, the task of setting up the concert venue goes to you. You can handle it quickly, right?"
Mr. 3 instantly straightened up, very excited. Recently, more and more impressive people had joined the crew, making him feel his position was severely threatened.
But now, it seemed he was indeed irreplaceable.
"Yes, I only need ten minutes… no, five minutes is enough!"
Mr. 3 gave it his all and finally built a candle-made concert venue within five minutes.
Although the venue was very simple, Uta was overjoyed. It had been far too long since she'd been on a stage.
"Thank you, thank you all!"
The girl lightly jumped onto the stage. The moment she stepped onto it, her aura changed as well, as if she were born to be the master of the stage.
Everyone sat on the candle chairs. The girl began to sing with all her heart.
A voice like a clear spring flowed through the ruins.
Musical notes pulsed to the rhythm of the heartbeat. The song resonated, touching the soul.
Every high note was like sunlight piercing through dark clouds. Every low hum was like the tide caressing the sand.
Everyone fell into a deep sleep, drawn into a world of fantasy.
Setsuna forced himself to stay awake with his powerful will, but his consciousness was still immersed in the kaleidoscopic musical world.
He found himself standing on an endless sea, a mirror surface reflecting the starry sky beneath his feet. Uta's figure hovered against the celestial backdrop, her red-and-white hair intertwined like fire and moonlight.
"The Uta Uta no Mi is truly a terrifying ability!" Setsuna couldn't help but marvel.
The Uta Uta no Mi offered almost no enhancement in the real world. But once influenced by Uta's song, trapped in the musical world woven by her voice, no pirate, no matter how strong, could break free. They could only wait for Uta to dispel the ability or fall asleep herself.
For Setsuna, the greatest significance of Uta's virtual world was that it provided him with a virtual training ground.
He was too strong now, making it difficult to find suitable opponents.
But in this virtual world, he could have Uta create appropriate opponents for him. He could even pull Don Slime into this mental world and have battles with him here.
In the outside world, Uta's song stopped. The virtual world shattered.
The music ceased abruptly, and Setsuna found himself applauding.
It wasn't out of politeness, but a physical reaction preceding conscious thought.
Everyone awoke from their immersion, cheering loudly, completely unaware they had entered a mental world.
"If Captain's cuisine is the ultimate enjoyment for the body, then Miss Uta's song is the ultimate enjoyment for the spirit!" Mr. 3 praised Uta while also flattering Setsuna.
"This song is truly magnificent. But even more magnificent is Captain's foresight, to discover a top musician like Miss Uta on this ruined island!" Kuro followed closely, expressing boundless admiration for Setsuna.
Due to the 'excellent' example set by these two, all sorts of sycophantic praises poured out from the pirates' mouths without restraint.
Uta, unaware she was merely a pretext for everyone to praise their Captain, blushed at their compliments, her eyes shining with emotion.
Music is meant to bring people joy.
Setsuna formally extended an invitation. "Would you like to sail with us? A singer without an audience is unfortunate. We can be your audience from now on."
Hearing his words, Uta was deeply moved. Her dream was to use her songs to bring people joy and happiness.
Without an audience, even the most excellent musician could only admire their own talent in solitude. She had long wanted to leave this lonely island.
Uta was about to agree when a belated thought struck her. "Wait… you guys aren't pirates, are you?"
Setsuna answered candidly. "My crewmembers were once pirates. But they have been reformed by me. They now belong to my Gourmet Navigation Group, a voyage dedicated to searching for delicious food."
"Delicious food? That's a wonderful dream. Food can also bring people joy and happiness," Uta very much agreed with Setsuna's idea, but she was still a bit hesitant.
"I am willing to join… but I need my adoptive father's permission first."
"I agree! Your singing voice belongs to the world!" An old man walked out from behind the forest. "Keeping you on this lonely little island cannot fulfill your talent!"
"Old sir, please come with us as well," Setsuna said, not minding recruiting one more. "I wouldn't want my musician's songs to lose their joy."
"Mhm!" Uta looked at her adoptive father with hopeful eyes.
The old man seemed tempted but ultimately shook his head. "The souls on this island are lonely. If I don't play music for them, they would be too pitiful."
Hearing this, many pirates felt a chill run down their spines, 'Don't say such scary things!'
Kuma suddenly spoke. "You must be King Gordon of the Music Island from back then, correct?"
Gordon was somewhat surprised. "I didn't think anyone would still remember someone the world has forgotten."
Kuma asked solemnly, "What exactly happened back then? I heard Elegia was destroyed by the Red Hair Pirates. I've seen them before in the East Blue. They didn't seem like ruthless brutes of that sort."
Having been vilified as a [Tyrant] by the World Government himself, he wasn't very inclined to believe this particular atrocity attributed to the Red Hair Pirates.
However, Gordon's expression changed dramatically. "No! It was the Red Hair Pirates, those brutes, who committed the crime!"