As Uta's singing and Devil Fruit power intertwined, the atmosphere hit a blazing peak.
The song was like nothing this world had ever heard.
Wild. Fierce. Hopeful.
Some people closed their eyes and let themselves drown in the melody.
Some clenched their fists, blood boiling, like they could charge into the New World and punch a Yonko in the face right now.
Even those who couldn't get tickets could feel it.
Her song-ability spread outside the venue, letting people out on the streets "see" and "hear" the performance. The whole island erupted in cheers.
"Worthy of 'Soul Songstress'…" Gion murmured, eyes never leaving the stage. "That song, that voice… I can't even pretend not to be impressed. So that's why he went to the trouble of keeping her by his side."
"'He'?" Gaji glanced over. "You mean White Ghost—"
He didn't get to finish. Uta hit the chorus again, and the wave of sound swallowed his words.
Behind them, Gaji and a cluster of big guys in Uta merch were frantically waving their glow sticks in perfect sync.
Not one of them dared shout or whistle mid-song—
Anyone who disrupted Uta-chan's singing would be branded a sinner.
At one point, Gaji turned his head and locked eyes with another middle-aged man in a full Uta kit—giant banner in hand, whistle around his neck, orange-tinted glasses, and the kind of sketchy face that screamed I pay for VIP fan club perks.
They stared at each other for three seconds.
Then, very calmly, both turned away at the same time and continued waving their lights like nothing had happened.
Onstage, Uta reached her last note.
Her clear voice rang out, hung for a beat—
And faded.
For one heartbeat, the world was silent.
Then the hall detonated.
Some people were still lost in the melody.
Some had tears in their eyes.
Some were so fired up they couldn't sit still.
"Uta's grown up," Shanks said quietly, watching her slender silhouette under the spotlights.
"Yeah," Lucky Roo grinned through a mouthful of meat. "That song in her voice… makes you wanna rush into the New World and swing on everybody."
"Yeah…" Yasopp exhaled. "Would've been better if that whole incident had never happened, though…"
He hesitated, leaning closer to Shanks.
"Shanks… should we… take Uta with us again?"
He didn't dare say it too loudly, afraid Uta's fans would hear and beat him to death.
Judging by this crowd's intensity, Yasopp was sure: anyone who said a bad word about Uta right now… would not see sunrise.
Shanks slowly shook his head.
"No," he said. "Uta has her own life now. We shouldn't disturb it. Seeing her this happy…"
He smiled faintly.
"That's enough for me."
Uta left the stage amid thunderous applause.
A moment later, the spotlight snapped back on—revealing a lanky skeleton in a flamboyant rock outfit.
Brook. Soul King himself.
"Yo-hohohoho! Miss Uta has just finished a wonderful performance," Brook laughed in his unique way. "You all know she needs a little rest now. So it's my turn to bring you something new!"
"Soul King! Soul King!"
The crowd instantly flipped into Brook-fan mode.
"Next, I'll have to trouble our band once again."
The piano struck its first chords. Brook's bony fingers slid over the neck of his guitar.
"A song called 'Hall of Fame', for everyone here. Yo-ho!"
If Uta's voice and fruit created a visual-emotional spectacle…
Brook's voice bypassed all of that and went straight for the soul.
In the backstage lounge, Uta watched him on the monitor, eyes sparkling.
"Brook-kun is amazing…" she breathed.
"You're not any worse, Uta," Stella said, wrapping her in a side hug.
"That's right, Uta-chan's incredible too," little Squirrel-tan and Hiko chimed in from her other side, giving her double thumbs-ups.
On a nearby couch, Wanda stared at Brook's performance, drooling slightly.
"A singing skeleton… I really wanna take a bite…" she muttered.
Zan Gao and Pedro leaned by the door, sharing a smoke—two leopard minks clearly on guard, while Contena watched the shadows out of sight.
"Brook's voice is getting stronger and stronger," Zan Gao said. "Guess that Yomi Yomi Fruit of his has evolved again."
Pedro nodded. "White-sensei said once Brook's fruit awakens, he'll be a nightmare to deal with."
"Yeah. Boss said, if Brook fully awakens that fruit and your Haki isn't top-tier, you basically can't kill him. Smash the body, and he just reassembles the bones." Zan Gao exhaled a smoke ring, eyes full of jealousy.
"Guy can straight-up eject his own soul now… so unfair. I'm jealous."
"No helping it." Pedro shrugged. "Boss told us already: Paramecia-types are cheating. So many weird powers. Once they awaken, some of them are even more troublesome than Logias."
He clenched a fist, feeling the new power in his hybrid beast form.
"Still… I'm not complaining now."
Eventually, the concert neared its end.
Audience members filed out reluctantly, many turning back three, four times toward the stage they could no longer see.
It was the last Uta & Brook performance on Sabaody, after all.
After tonight, they were starting their global tour. Who knew when they'd be back?
Out in the crowd, Kizaru had already slipped away quietly.
He didn't dare use his light-speed ability here—too eye-catching. That would trigger a panic.
Dressed in simple civilian clothes, he just melted into the streets and vanished.
Backstage, the group headed home together, chatting excitedly.
"Today's concert was a huge success," Uta said, stretching her arms above her head.
"It was all thanks to you, Brook-ojisan," she added sincerely.
"Yo-hohoho, where, where," Brook waved frantically. "It's Miss Uta's performance that carried us."
The others all had the same look on their faces.
Okay, yes, tonight was amazing, but do you two have to humble-brag each other into orbit…?
Up front, Zan Gao suddenly stopped.
His eyes sharpened. The air around him tightened.
Pedro's hand went straight to his sword as he took half a step back to guard the flank.
Ain drew her twin blades, gaze fixed on the darkness ahead.
Wanda unsheathed her weapon and yanked Uta and Hiko behind her, shielding them with her body.
"Yo-hoho… looks like our visitors tonight might be more troublesome than usual," Brook murmured.
"So?" Ain narrowed her eyes at the shadowed alley ahead. "Still not coming out?"
A sigh drifted from the darkness.
Then Shanks and the core members of the Red-Haired Pirates walked into the lamplight.
Originally, Shanks hadn't planned to show himself. He'd just wanted to keep an eye out, make sure no one touched Uta.
But when he spotted scum lurking near the concert grounds, he and his men had quietly disposed of them.
Now, after cleaning up, they'd inevitably ended up face-to-face.
"Shanks?"
Uta stared in shock—then her expression chilled with anger.
"How've you been lately, Uta?" Shanks scratched his cheek, suddenly looking a lot less like a Yonko candidate and a lot more like an awkward dad.
"Heh," Uta laughed coldly. "Compared to when you all abandoned me, I'd say I'm doing pretty great."
In her heart, that day would always be the day the Red-Haired Pirates threw her away.
"There were… special circumstances back then," Shanks tried.
But Ain had already stepped in front of Uta, blades lowered but aura sharp.
"Red-Haired Pirates captain Shanks," she said crisply. "Bounty 1.8 billion Berries. Along with your senior officers."
Her eyes swept over them.
"If you're here just to reminisce, then please leave. Uta has already said goodbye to her past. Don't disturb her new life."
Shanks opened his mouth again, tried once more—
A lazy, drawn-out voice cut in:
"Yooo~… hoho… what's this now? Red-Haired Pirates planning to kidnap the Soul Songstress and Soul King?"
Kizaru strolled out in casualwear, hands in his pockets. Gaji and Gion walked out behind him.
"Even if I'm off-duty," Kizaru went on, "I can't just ignore something like this, you know? Otherwise that White Ghost brat's gonna nag me to death later."
"Admiral…!"
The Red-Haired Pirates tensed instantly.
Shanks glanced back—
At Uta, guarded by Ain and the others, eyes still burning.
Then at the admiral and two vice admirals blocking the other side.
He sighed and shook his head.
"…Let's go."
Without another word, he turned away. His crew followed, wary, but not looking for a fight—not here, not now.
Once they were far enough, Zan Gao and Ain both gave Kizaru a small salute.
On paper, they were still Marines. Their resignations weren't official yet.
"Mmm~… no need to be so stiff," Kizaru waved lazily. "I'm just out for an evening stroll. You walk your road, I'll walk mine."
Then his body blurred into light and shot up into the sky.
Gion and Gaji, who were long used to this group, fell naturally into step with Uta's side.
"Let's head back together," Gaji said with a grin. "Concert's over. Time for a late-night snack, right?"
Uta looked one last time in the direction Shanks had gone.
Then she turned away, nestled herself between Stella and Ain, and walked home with her new family.
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