Uta's singing voice carried across the sea. Both the Red Hair Pirates, who seemed to be just passing by, and the warship that was biting at the Red Force's heels heard the beautiful melody clearly.
"Where is that singing coming from?" a soldier operating a cannon asked, startled.
"Is that... someone holding a concert?" On the warship, a Marine wearing a "Justice" cape held a pair of binoculars, taking in the scene within the distant strait. Then, he remembered where they were. "That's right, this is Elegia!"
He hurriedly lowered his binoculars and warned Vice Admiral Garp, who was continuously throwing cannonballs. "Vice Admiral Garp!"
Garp didn't even turn his head. "What is it?" he asked back.
"This is Elegia! Someone is holding a concert on the island! We have to drive the Red Hair Pirates away!"
However, Garp just reached up, calmly picked his nose with one hand, and with the other, casually tossed another cannonball. "You mean this?" he said, unconcerned. "I noticed it long ago. I'm hurrying!"
Garp indicated that if there weren't a crowd of civilians a nautical mile away, he would have already rushed over and given that Red-Haired brat a good thrashing, just like before.
Then, as if he'd thought of something, he reached out and casually wiped his finger on the uniform of a nearby soldier. "By the way, have you found those two guys I knocked into the sea earlier?"
"..."
The Marine soldiers looked at each other.
"Mr. Bogard has already taken some men out on a small boat to search, but there's been no sign of them so far..."
On the other side, on the deck of the Red Force.
The members of the Red Hair Pirates were gathered on deck. Although they were covered in wounds, spiritually drained, and wrapped in bandages, a doting smile still appeared on their faces when they heard the distant song.
"It's Uta's singing!"
"We finally made it. It was worth taking a beating from that guy Garp!"
"Now that she's seen us, Uta-chan probably won't be angry with us anymore, right?"
Hearing Uta's voice, the spirits of the Red Hair crew were lifted, and they felt their bodies fill with strength. At the bow of the ship, a bruised and swollen Shanks stood with his sword in one hand, a look of joy on his face.
"Uta, we didn't break our promise!"
Beside him, Beckman silently lit a cigarette, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. "Your singing is getting better and better, Uta!"
A moment later, Shanks straightened the straw hat on his head, a determined look flashing in his eyes. "Everyone, it's time to buy enough time for Limejuice and Hongo!"
"YEAH!!" The Red Hair crew's fighting spirit soared.
At the concert venue, on the stage beneath the giant green crystal.
Uta stopped singing and took a deep breath. Then, she smiled and waved to the entire audience. "Everyone, the concert is over!"
"The Marines are here! Everyone, run!"
The entire concert venue was stunned into silence. Gordon saw this, shook his head, and then went on stage, instructing the citizens to evacuate quickly while ensuring their safety.
On the giant reef, Louis let out a chuckle. Beside him, Yelena put a hand to her forehead, on the verge of losing her composure. "Honestly, who tells people to run for their lives just because they see the Marines!"
The two ships offshore gradually moved away, but the commotion they created grew more and more intense. A sudden, massive roar echoed for several nautical miles, and the hurricane-force winds it generated even created considerable waves within the concert venue.
On the distant sea, one could faintly see flashes of black and red lightning. The force of punches created huge waves, and slashes cut across the sea, splitting the ocean apart. The sheer scale of the distant commotion constantly challenged the citizens' understanding of reality. Even from a great distance, they could feel the aura of death. Driven by this, the people quickened their pace of escape.
Under a crisis they had never experienced before, the people completed their evacuation in an extremely short amount of time. In the vast strait, only a few people remained.
After checking that no one was left behind, Gordon slowly walked onto the stage and came to Uta's side. He looked at Uta, who was smiling brightly, with a very complicated expression. "Uta, are you all leaving?" he asked softly.
"Yes!" Uta nodded excitedly. Then, she took a deep breath and bowed to Gordon with a smile. "Thank you, Elegia, for your care and guidance these past days! I am endlessly grateful!"
Gordon was taken aback, then the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. He reached into the backpack behind him and took out a thick stack of musical scores, handing them to Uta. "These are the scores you haven't had time to learn yet. I hope you won't waste the musical talent that heaven has gifted you."
Uta's face bloomed like a flower. She smilingly accepted Gordon's scores and hugged them to her chest. "Of course! I still have to let my partners hear even more outstanding songs!"
Just then, the prototype Flügels scattered behind Uta slowly walked over. Uta saw this and waved to Gordon with a bright smile. "Just you wait! I'll become the world's number one musician, and then I'll hold a concert like no other!"
A pair of hands made of wood reached out from behind Uta. The humanoid puppet, which looked like a graceful young woman, leaned down and wrapped its arms around Uta. Spreading the snow-white wings on its lower back, it rose into the air, carrying the young songstress away.
Gordon looked up at the figure departing against the sun, a smile gracing his lips. "I look forward to that grand concert, the new star of Elegia!"
Thud...
Uta landed on the reef. One by one, the graceful figures circled in the sky, surrounding the giant rock.
"Uta!"
A voice, very familiar to Uta, called out. A figure completely covered by a soaking wet cloak stood on the reef, quietly looking at her. Nearby, another similarly cloaked figure was squatting on the ground. They were quickly taking medical instruments out of a waterproof bag and having Yelena attach the device's cables to her body.
Uta immediately recognized the two of them and cried out excitedly, "Limejuice! Hongo!"
Limejuice took off the hood of his cloak and looked at Uta with relief. "Uta, we made it!"
But soon, she noticed there were only two of them, and her expression faltered for a moment.
On the ground, Hongo quickly operated the instrument, a happy smile on his face. "Uta, you sang wonderfully. You weren't scared at all, even in front of tens of thousands of people. You've grown again!"
Uta heard this, pushed her thoughts aside, and showed the two a proud smile. "I'm your daughter, after all! Why would I be scared by a mere tens of thousands of people!"
As she spoke, she looked out at the Red Force, which was in a fierce battle with the warship, a faint look of regret on her face. "It's just a shame... that Shanks and the others couldn't come..."
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