Over the years, Shanks had always kept Uta in his thoughts. Thinking of her now, a faint smile formed on his face as he said,
"Speaking of which, that child has become a very famous singer. I really want to attend one of her concerts."
The members of the Red Hair Pirates joined in. None of them had seen Uta in a long time, and the thought stirred a sense of nostalgia.
At that moment, Lloyd spoke, his tone flat,
"If you want to see her, do it sooner rather than later. Forget it, we leave now."
Shanks was caught off guard and looked at him with confusion,
"Now? Brother, there are things you might not know. Back then..."
"Back then, you took the blame for her without letting her know. I am aware of it."
"..."
"Do not look at me like that. Pudding's awakening will take some time, and I have nothing pressing to handle. I will go with you."
Although Uta was only Shanks' adopted daughter, he had always treated her as his own flesh and blood. By that logic, she could also be considered Lloyd's niece.
The reason Lloyd urged Shanks to leave immediately was simple. From what he remembered, Uta's fate had not been a good one. Most likely, she had already walked toward her own end.
Thinking of this niece of his, Lloyd found it somewhat absurd. At such a young age, she had already conceived something as extreme as an all-encompassing dream world. Even the likes of Xebec would have found that level of ambition noteworthy.
A faint scoff escaped Lloyd, but when he noticed Shanks still standing there in a daze, his expression turned cold.
"What are you waiting for? Tell them to set sail."
Shanks snapped out of it at once. Though doubts lingered in his mind, Lloyd's expression left no room for questions. He immediately signaled the crew.
Roux, who was called over, scratched his head in confusion,
"Boss, where are we heading?"
Lloyd answered without hesitation,
"Elegia."
...
On Elegia, the Country of Music,
King Gordon sat on a sofa, his face filled with concern. Not long ago, he had received a call from Shanks through a Den Den Mushi. Shanks had said he was coming.
The purpose of that visit was obvious. It was for Uta.
Over the years, Uta had become increasingly difficult to understand. Gordon had wanted to tell her the truth about what happened back then, but Shanks had stopped him. Because of that, Uta's misunderstanding of Shanks had only deepened.
As he was lost in thought, the door suddenly opened.
A young woman stepped inside, wearing a short white dress. Her hair was striking, split evenly down the middle, one side pink, the other white.
She smiled and waved,
"Teacher."
Gordon was momentarily startled before nodding,
"Uta, you are here."
Uta walked closer, noticing the tension in his expression,
"You seemed distracted during dinner yesterday. Did something happen?"
Gordon hesitated before speaking carefully,
"Uta, do you still remember Shanks..."
The moment his name was mentioned, Uta's expression turned cold. She cut him off immediately,
"Teacher, please do not mention him."
Gordon froze, then sighed,
"Uta, you have misunderstood him. Back then..."
Once again, he was interrupted.
"Do not talk about the past either. Tell me, is he coming here?"
Gordon could only nod.
Uta narrowed her eyes slightly, forcing her emotions down as she spoke in a low voice,
"Why is he coming? To take me away?"
"I do not know. He only said he wanted to see his daughter."
The moment those words left his mouth, Uta's composure shattered. Her eyes grew moist, and her body trembled as she clenched her fists.
"Only now does he remember me? Too late."
Without another word, she turned and left, slamming the door behind her.
Back in her room, Uta threw herself onto the bed, burying her face in the pillow as muffled sobs filled the air.
Time passed.
When she finally sat up again, her expression had gone blank. Tear stains still marked her face as she stared at the ceiling.
"The plan will move forward ahead of schedule."
By dinner, Uta appeared completely normal. She spoke with Gordon about music as she always did, as if nothing had happened earlier.
That only made Gordon more uneasy.
Later that night, he returned to his study and took out a red-haired Den Den Mushi. After a series of sounds, Shanks' voice came through.
"Yo, Gordon, calling this late. Something wrong?"
"I mentioned you to Uta today. Her reaction was not normal. I am concerned."
There was a brief silence before Shanks replied,
"You can tell her the truth now."
Gordon sighed,
"I intended to, but she refused to listen and ran off."
"I see... it seems she no longer recognizes me as her father."
"Are you still coming?"
"Yes. I was already on my way when we spoke earlier. I should arrive around noon tomorrow."
Gordon's expression changed,
"That soon?"
"It is sudden, but I cannot let her carry this resentment forever. Besides, I am not the only one coming this time."
Gordon assumed he meant the Red Hair Pirates and did not think much of it.
After a moment, he said,
"Very well. Then you will have to tell her yourself. I hope the two of you can reconcile."
"Thank you, Gordon."
"I should be the one thanking you. If not for you back then, Elegia would have been destroyed."
Shanks laughed lightly,
"As her father, it is only natural."
At that moment, Gordon heard a faint noise outside the door. He set down the Den Den Mushi and stepped out to check, but there was nothing there.
Around the corner, Uta pressed herself against the cold wall, her hand tightly covering her mouth.
Her heart surged with longing for Shanks.
But that feeling was quickly swallowed by something darker, something more violent. Her expression hardened once again.