Not long ago, this was still a grand hall filled with laughter and joy.
Gordon informed everyone in the kingdom about Uta's impending departure. The residents, all having a special love for music, felt a sense of reluctance knowing that Uta would leave with the Red Hair Pirates the next day.
So, taking advantage of this farewell party, they all wanted to hear Uta's songs once more.
Some people brought their own composed scores, hoping to hear Uta perform them, while others brought special mementos.
Uta did not disappoint them. She took the scores and, accompanied by the band, ascended to her stage.
However, as her singing voice carried underground, the score started moving.
During a break, Uta suddenly noticed several scattered sheets of music on the stool; thinking they were accidentally dropped by someone, she picked them up and hummed a few lines, leading to an uncontrollable situation.
The floor of the venue cracked, and amidst the trembling earth, a mutation occurred.
...
With the flutter of insect wings, Tesoro brought Stella and Gordon to a safe place and entrusted Stella to his subordinates.
"Dice! Tanaka! Protect them well! Baccarat, unless it's a critical moment, don't use your ability! If the situation spirals out of control, retreat to the harbor immediately, away from here!"
After kicking away a flying boulder, Tesoro continued issuing commands to those around him. Baccarat's Metronome is useful, but in such a catastrophic environment, using it effectively would exhaust her greatly.
In such circumstances, Tesoro quickly made up his mind: retreat.
He's willing to lend a hand if he can manage the situation, but if things exceed his capability, he would unhesitatingly take Stella away, as she was more important to him than the entire nation's populace.
But it hadn't reached that point yet, so he decided to try to handle the situation, then he turned to Gordon whom he had brought out.
"Hey, aren't you the King? Don't act dumb! Or do you know nothing at all?"
"That's... Tot Musica, the forbidden score, it exploits Uta's Fruit..."
Uta herself is also a Fruit Ability User, specifically of the Paramecia-type Sing-Sing Fruit, capable of materializing her singing to create note soldiers and a note demon king.
Through singing, she could lead others into a spiritual world, and even control people sleepwalking to some extent.
Yet Uta's current development of her Fruit Ability was still very low, only enabling her to project her voice further.
The Sing-Sing Fruit itself doesn't enhance someone's singing ability, thus Uta's innate singing talent had no connection with it, and Gordon hadn't paid attention to this detail because there wasn't much to notice fruit-wise.
"So, what is it exactly? Stop with the nonsense."
"It uses Uta, it realized before me that Uta was the ability user, and once she sings this tune, it can break the seal..."
"Great, so how do we deal with it? Knowing these details means someone else went through something similar before, right?"
A story being passed down completely suggests that there were witnesses or survivors. Since the demon king could be sealed, it indicates people had sealed it before, implying there's a solution.
"The Singing Demon King doesn't solely exist in the real world, it also appears in another dreamworld, or say an astral realm, but once it appears, it causes the two worlds to merge. To defeat it, one must attack it simultaneously in both worlds."
"Are you toothpaste?! Do I have to ask you question by question? How do we get over there!!"
"Don't...know, theoretically, only the abilities of the Sing-Sing Fruit user can transport us there, but Uta now..."
"Damn it…where is your Treasure Vault? Take me there!"
At this moment, a gigantic monster was flying in the sky, donning a black suit and top hat, wearing a hideous white wizard mask, surrounded by menacing skulls from shoulder to chest, and its arms extended like piano keys.
Its terrifyingly large mouth spewed lightning, wantonly devastating the city.
This type of giant foe is the opponent Tesoro loathes the most. He had attempted to attack earlier, but it had no effect. Without another method, he couldn't even manage to block this creature.
Even if he didn't care about the common people's lives, he had to find a way to buy time for Stella.
...
"Shanks, what should we do!"
The members of the Red Hair Pirates were at a loss against the monster Uta had become, their attacks having no effect on the demon's body.
"Damn it! Uta!! Wake up, don't let this thing control you!"
The ship's doctor, Dege, shouted angrily at the demon king, but it was meaningless.
At this time, Gordon was also thrown over, and Shanks asked him the same question Tesoro had just asked.
"So...do we just wait for Uta's strength to deplete?"
Based on Gordon's description, the appearance of the Singing Demon King depends on the Sing-Sing Fruit's domain, and many abilities fail when the fruit user loses consciousness. This seemed to be their only option.
Drawing Gryphon from his waist with his left arm, Shanks slashed at the demon king's arm, aiming to promptly destroy the creature and liberate Uta as quickly as possible.
Shanks had always been a lefty; his left arm's blade's power was far greater than his right, yet even he couldn't leave any marks on this demon king, only managed to enrage it.
Just as the monster was about to release more Thunderbolt, a pair of golden hands unexpectedly stretched out from afar, grabbing it from behind.
"Gordon, you are such a poor king!!"
Tesoro had been here for over a month, and he no longer felt as unfamiliar with Gordon.
His reason for seeking the Treasure Vault was to utilize his Gol-Gol Fruit. Initially, he planned to create a giant golden figure to draw the enemy's attention, but Ellegia Kingdom's meager treasure couldn't support such an act, ending up with him manifesting only a pair of golden hands.
But he managed to attract the Singing Demon King's attention, and as it turned its head, Shanks swung his sword towards the mask again. The pained demon king let out a roar of rage, but the lightning still discharged, leaving a vast ruin in the kingdom.
"This damn demon...Tesoro! Can you fully restrain it?!"
"I can't! There's too little gold here!"
If this were Golden Island, he might still have a chance. But with such little gold, he was at his limit. Even though the gold controlled by his Gol-Gol Fruit is enhanced, his golden hands were slowly being pried open.
"Then just keep trying, and I'll owe you a favor!"