Looking at Gordon's face, filled with wariness and open hostility, Yuuki gave a light smile and said calmly,
"Even if I told you I had no ulterior motive, I doubt you'd believe me."
"That bounty poster of mine… you were the one who deliberately let Uta see it, weren't you?"
"What are you planning to do to Uta?!"
Gordon was the first to move.
He pulled out an old-looking flintlock pistol and angrily aimed it at Yuuki.
Yuuki's gaze landed on the gun, and one of his brows lifted slightly.
An amused expression crossed his face.
"There's no need to shout so loudly."
"Don't worry. Uta is sleeping soundly right now. She can't hear what we're talking about."
Yuuki shrugged and even deliberately stepped aside, giving Gordon a completely unobstructed view of Uta.
Gordon's eyes immediately darted toward her.
Then, after quickly glancing back at Yuuki and seeing that he made no move, Gordon hurried over to Uta's side.
Seeing the exhausted look on her sleeping face—
the slight furrow still lingering between her brows even in sleep—
Gordon let out a sigh of relief.
Then he quietly sighed again.
"That bounty poster of mine… you were the one who gave it to her, right?" Yuuki asked flatly.
"That's right."
Gordon rose to his feet once more, staring fixedly at Yuuki.
"How interesting."
Hearing that answer, Yuuki found the situation even more amusing.
"What exactly is your purpose for coming here, pirate?!"
Gordon's voice was cold as he raised the flintlock once more and pointed it at Yuuki.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
"A man whose own kingdom was destroyed…"
"And yet he raised the one responsible as his own daughter."
"How truly noble."
Yuuki raised a hand and gestured toward the desolate, abandoned Island of Music—Elegia.
A mocking smile appeared on his face as he slowly applauded.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out.
Gordon's expression twisted with rage as he fired without hesitation.
However, when the bullet reached Yuuki, it was stopped by an invisible force and simply dropped to the ground.
"Don't be so angry."
"You know full well that the gun in your hand can't possibly hurt me."
Yuuki folded his arms across his chest.
Looking at Gordon, whose eyes had widened in shock, the smile at his lips deepened.
"Human nature really is fascinating."
"The bounty poster… the gunshot…"
"You were trying to provoke me."
"You wanted me to kill you."
"Or perhaps…"
"To kill both you and Uta."
"Y-you…!"
Mixed with Gordon's anger was disbelief.
He stared at Yuuki as though he had seen something impossible.
Whoosh!
In Gordon's vision, Yuuki's figure vanished instantly.
Startled, Gordon reflexively took a step back and hurriedly looked around.
For some reason—
standing before Yuuki gave him the suffocating feeling that he had been completely seen through.
"What should I call someone like you?"
"Pitiful?"
"Tragic?"
"Or perhaps someone seeking death as a way to end everything?"
A calm voice sounded from behind him at an angle.
Gordon spun around.
Yuuki was now sitting cross-legged atop a nearby rock, one hand propping up his chin as he looked at him indifferently.
"What do you know?!"
"A brat like you—don't act so self-righteous just because you know a little about Elegia!"
Gordon clenched his fists tightly.
His voice was filled with suppressed fury.
Seeing Gordon react as though some deeply buried truth had been dragged into the light, Yuuki let out a quiet laugh.
"Perhaps in the beginning…"
"As a friend of Red-Haired Shanks, you truly did intend to teach Uta to become the greatest musician."
"But people change."
"Every time you looked upon the ruins of your destroyed kingdom…"
"Every time you looked at Uta…"
"I imagine your heart was torn apart."
"And yet, after all those years together, you had long since come to regard her as your daughter."
"Caught between those conflicting emotions…"
"you've been suffering, haven't you, Gordon?"
Yuuki's dark eyes seemed almost capable of peering straight into the human heart.
They reflected Gordon's trembling body.
Just as he had said before—
human nature was complicated.
Besides—
none of this was difficult to infer.
Even in the film, whether it was Uta's death at the end or the fragmented flashbacks throughout, there had always been something left unsaid.
For example—
the true cause behind the destruction of Elegia.
Years ago, Uta had already found a visual Den Den Mushi by chance and learned the truth through the footage recorded inside.
Which meant—
Uta had known for a long time that she herself was the true destroyer of Elegia.
The appearance of that Den Den Mushi was, in itself, highly suspicious.
There were only two people living on the island—
Uta and Gordon.
For something like a visual Den Den Mushi to be "accidentally" discovered—
that alone was strange.
And after Uta died in the movie, when the Red Hair Pirates departed with her body—
Gordon never appeared.
Yet Gordon was clearly still alive.
One had been her adoptive father before the age of nine.
The other had been her adoptive father afterward.
For Shanks to entrust Uta to Gordon's care, their relationship was clearly far more than ordinary friendship.
They were close enough to be called lifelong friends.
And yet, in the final sequence—
Shanks and Gordon never once met face-to-face.
That was not to say Uta's death was Gordon's doing.
But the implementation of Uta's "New Genesis" plan had undeniably been enabled by Gordon's tacit allowance.
Whether it was Red-Haired Shanks or Gordon—
in Yuuki's eyes, the two were more alike than either would like to admit.
"Y-you…"
Gordon's lips trembled.
He found it unbelievable.
Not only did this person know that Uta was Shanks's daughter—
he also knew the full truth behind Elegia.
"The destruction of the Island of Music…"
"The fall of the kingdom…"
"That hatred is not something time can easily erase."
"If you seek revenge, your target can be the Red Hair Pirates."
"It can even be the legendary demon, Tot Musica."
"But the one person it should never be directed at…"
"Is a child who was only nine years old at the time."
"Especially when that child has now become your daughter."
"Isn't that right?"
Yuuki spoke lightly, still resting his chin on his hand.
Thud!
Gordon's body shuddered.
Then he collapsed to his knees.
Both hands braced against the ground as he bowed his head deeply into the sand with a dull sound.
"Do you want revenge?"
Yuuki flashed forward and stood before him.
Gordon slowly raised his head, his body trembling.
"What must I pay?"
The sun had already begun to set.
The sky was painted in a faint golden hue.
The distant sea, where gold and deep blue intertwined, glowed orange beneath the evening light.
Birds soared across the island skies.
A cool sea breeze swept over the beach.
On the sand, Uta stirred.
She felt as though she had never slept so peacefully before.
Her pale violet eyes opened hazily, and she rubbed them with her fair arm.
When she saw the sunset by the sea, she froze.
"I slept that long?"
Then her shoulders relaxed.
The heavy gloom that had weighed on her heart for so long had vanished during her clash with Yuuki.
That familiar sense of lightness returned, bringing a smile back to her face.
"Yuuki should be gone by now, right?"
"When he comes again next time…"
"I should apologize."
She murmured softly to herself, patting her cheeks.
Then suddenly her expression changed.
"Oh no… I'm going to get scolded."
At this hour, she needed to hurry back.
Otherwise, Gordon would definitely start worrying again.
With that thought, she quickly got to her feet, brushing the sand from her clothes and preparing to hurry home.
However—
the moment she turned around, she froze.
Not far behind her, a campfire had been lit.
Several fish, roasted to a fragrant golden crisp, were skewered over the flames.
And on either side of the fire—
Gordon and Yuuki sat facing one another, seemingly in conversation.
Only then did Uta notice the delicious aroma of grilled fish in the air.
As if sensing her gaze, Yuuki turned and waved toward her.
Uta looked at Yuuki, then at Gordon.
Something crossed her mind.
In an instant, her face turned bright red.
A moment later, she walked over to the fire.
She carefully glanced at Gordon—
only to find that he did not seem angry at all.
In fact—
for the first time in her life—
she realized Gordon could actually smile.
If the slight upward curve at the corners of his mouth could be called a smile.
In Uta's memory, Gordon had always been strict and stern.
She had always thought that if he and Yuuki ever met, the atmosphere would be unbearably tense.
At the very least—
it should never have looked this harmonious.
What had happened while she was asleep?
Yuuki really was a mysterious person.
A warm, inexplicable happiness welled up in her chest as she looked at him.
"You must be hungry. Eat something first."
Yuuki took one of the cooked fish from over the fire and handed it to her.
"Mhm."
Uta nodded.
She had many questions.
But seeing the gentle expression on Yuuki's face, she suddenly no longer felt such a strong urge to ask.
For a while, the only sound was the crackling of burning firewood.
The three of them sat in quiet silence.
Uta nibbled on the grilled fish.
On the surface, all her attention seemed focused on the food in her hands.
But from the corner of her eye, she kept sneaking glances at the other two.
Gordon sat quietly, head lowered.
Only when Uta had nearly finished her fish did he finally seem to gather his thoughts.
He looked up at her.
"Uta…"
"I'm sorry."
Uta blinked in confusion.
"What are you talking about, Gordon?"
"There's something I've been hiding from you all these years."
And so Gordon told her everything.
The full truth behind the destruction of Elegia.
When he finished, Uta did not react with shock.
She merely gently wiped the corner of her mouth.
"I know."
Gordon opened his mouth—
but for a moment, he no longer knew what to say.
Of course, he knew that Uta already knew the truth.
After all—
he had been the one who deliberately let her find that visual Den Den Mushi.
But what he had never understood was—
why Uta had always pretended not to know.
Even just now, after hearing the entire story in greater detail, she had not even pretended to be surprised.
At that moment, Gordon suddenly realized—
perhaps he had never truly understood Uta.
Drip.
A crystal-clear tear slid down her cheek and fell to the ground.
"Actually…"
"I'm the one who should be apologizing, Gordon."
"I've always…"
"I've always wanted to apologize to all of you!"
Uta suddenly lifted her face.
By now, it was already streaked with tears.
"Uta…"
Gordon stared in shock.
Then, filled with remorse and regret, he pulled her into his arms.
"I should have told you everything sooner."
"You must have suffered so much, carrying all that guilt inside."
"This is my fault, Uta."
Yuuki glanced at the two of them but did not interrupt.
The reason he had taken the time to speak with Gordon was because Gordon was someone incredibly important to Uta.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say—
both of them were deeply connected to Shanks.
Yuuki intended to make his move in the New World.
And among the Four Emperors, Shanks was the only one he truly considered troublesome.
If he remembered correctly—
Red-Haired Shanks was also a member of the Figarland Family, one of the Celestial Dragon bloodlines, and was connected to the God's Knights.
Only now did Gordon seem to finally make up his mind.
He gently patted Uta's shoulder before looking seriously at Yuuki.
"Can you really do it?"
His voice trembled ever so slightly.
"Don't worry."
"Leave it to me."
Yuuki's expression was equally serious.
Uta looked at the two of them with reddened eyes.
"What are you talking about?"
Yuuki smiled gently.
"Uta…"
"Do you want to go out and see the world beyond this island?"
The outside world?
Hope instinctively flickered in Uta's eyes.
But she did not answer immediately.
"If you want to leave this island…"
"Then there is something we absolutely must resolve first."
"Tot Musica."
Yuuki's gaze shifted to Gordon.
The moment Uta heard that name, her face turned deathly pale.
Elegia may now be desolate—
but building a ship was hardly difficult.
The reason Gordon and Uta had remained trapped on this island all this time—
the reason even the Red Hair Pirates had not taken Uta away—
was all because of Tot Musica.
A force capable of effortlessly destroying an entire kingdom—
one that even the Red Hair Pirates had been unable to eliminate.
If something with such terrifying power were allowed to roam the seas freely, the devastation it would cause was unimaginable.
And at the end of the day—
Uta herself was Tot Musica.
Or rather—
Tot Musica was a product of the Sing-Sing Fruit.
Gordon took a deep breath.
From within his coat, he slowly took out an ancient-looking sheet of music.
The moment Uta saw it—
her face turned even paler.
Her body trembled as the horrifying memory surged back.
The image from the recording.
The vision of herself transformed into a monster, destroying the kingdom.
"Uta."
"Let's put an end to it once and for all."
Yuuki stood and extended his hand toward her.
Uta stared at the hand before her.
Fear.
Confusion.
Her trembling eyes met Yuuki's.
"Even Gordon believes in your words."
"Then…"
"I believe in you too."
Taking a deep breath, Uta slowly placed her slender, delicate hand into Yuuki's palm.
(End of Chapter)
⭐ Enjoying the story?
You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon!
Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects. Thank you for reading!
The story has been completed on Patreon! patreon.com/AminaSim
Next Bonus Chapter at 5800 powerstones.