Chapter 355 - 194

Chapter 194: RED (1): Prelude, Weaving Dreams with Song!Elegia, once a paradise of music!!Back then, the melodies of the Seven Seas converged here, and every street flowed with improvised movements.Singers and musicians from around the world spent their entire lives just to step onto this sacred ground, letting their souls resonate with notes in a festival that never ended.However, a disaster that no one could explain burned the paradise into a silent graveyard.The amphitheater of the past now only has charred pillars piercing the sky, like an interrupted swan song.No life, no singing, only endless ruins that had been pressed with a mute button.And as for the culprit of the disaster, the world's accusations anchored a name like an iron nail—the Red Hair Pirates.Legend has it that they ignited a towering fire to seize some forbidden sheet music or artifact, causing prosperity to cease abruptly on the piano keys.From then on, the flag of Red Hair was soaked in the wails of Elegia in countless narratives.This kingdom, which once made even the stars accompany it, now sits lonely in a corner of the New World, gradually forgotten by the waves of time and the memories of the world.The routes of the News Coo had long since bypassed it—no events, no signs of life, meant no news worth delivering.Only endless wind passed through the broken walls year after year, as if searching in vain among the ruins for that unfinished symphony.The sea breeze silently swept past the broken pier, where a young girl stood quietly by a fractured mooring, gazing at the mist-filled horizon.Her hair color was like day and night severed by time—the left side was pure white like fresh snow; the right side was scorching crimson like a prairie fire.Her delicate face was adorned with clear, sweet makeup, her pink lips like petals dipped in dew, and the slight upward arc at the corners of her eyes hid a touch of fragile stubbornness within her sweetness.Her skin was as fair as porcelain made of Moonlight, glowing with a faint luster, the trace of having once been nourished by thousands of songs and blessings.She was Uta.The adopted daughter of the "Four Emperors" Red Hair, the childhood friend of the "Four Emperors" Luffy, and the "World Diva" who would one day shake the seas with her singing.She looked at the empty sea and parted her lips slightly.Without accompaniment, without an audience, clear singing suddenly flowed out from between the rubble.The voice was like a spring seeping out from the depths of the ruins, pure and penetrating, every turn of the melody filled with intense emotion.But deep within that melody, there was an unresolvable grief entangled, as well as a boundless, sea-like loneliness.The singing echoed among the broken walls, but Uta kept her eyes lowered, walking listlessly along the dust-covered path.She walked very slowly, her gaze sweeping emptily over the collapsed musical score sculptures and the charred remains of the stage.She longed to see a familiar silhouette on that gray-blue horizon... the Red Force that was always accompanied by laughter and music.The man she once regarded as a father should be standing at the bow, his Red Hair flying in the wind, raising a hearty smile at her.She also wanted to see that rubber idiot.She wanted to pull his face and say, "I sing ten thousand times better than you," wanted to race him again to see who could reach the clock tower first, wanted to secretly steal his meat while he was eating obliviously...But the "Four Emperors Monkey D. Luffy" in the mouths of fans sounded harsh and unfamiliar.He wouldn't be easily pranked anymore, right? Did he... still remember the promise from back then?She wanted to sing truly, carefree.Like before, for the people she cherished, for the whole world.But.So many years have passed, tides rising and falling, stars brightening and fading, only the ruins kept her company.The sea breeze lifted her white-and-red intertwined hair, a few strands brushing across her lips, tasting salty and astringent.The place in her heart that had once been slightly warm from waiting was turning, day after day under the blowing sea breeze, inch by inch, into cold, dead silence.Only the singing still drifted over the ruins, like an eternal solo concert that no one showed up for.After a long while, she sighed softly and stopped looking at the empty sea.When she turned around, her footsteps were a bit firmer than when she arrived.She strode toward the depths of the island, toward the most core ruins... there, she had rebuilt "Hope" with her own hands....Passing through the collapsed archway, the scene changed abruptly.In the center of the dilapidated amphitheater, a luxurious wooden stage had actually been erected."Gordon, I'm back."Uta's voice rang out in the empty theater, carrying a hint of lightness."Is the stage ready?"A bright smile had already blossomed on her face, and the sadness and deathly silence that had previously shrouded her brows and eyes disappeared like mist blown away by the sea breeze.It was as if as long as she stood here, in this place that belonged to her, the Uta filled with song and light would instantly awaken."It's been ready for a long time!"A figure jumped down from the side of the stage.Gordon... this former musician and current guardian brushed the dust off his hands, looking at the young girl with shining eyes before him, his expression one of helplessness mixed with indulgence."It's not like it's your first concert, why are you still as excited and nervous as if it's your first time on stage every time?"Uta was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then slightly puffed out her cheeks, like a child whose secret thoughts had been spoken aloud."How can that be the same?" She put her hands on her hips, her voice crisp as she retorted,"Every performance is a gift for the most important audience. Especially today... it's for my dear fans!""How can I be perfunctory with my feelings for them in the slightest?""Hahaha, you're right."Gordon smiled gently, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothing out.He walked behind Uta, gently supporting her shoulders, and led her toward the spotlight in the center of the stage."Hurry and start, Uta. Your fans... they can't wait any longer."The wind passed through the gaps in the ruins, making a whimpering sound; at this moment, it sounded like the silence before a boiling point.Uta took a deep breath and stood firm in the center of the light.She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, only pure light and burning conviction remained in her pupils.At the same time, Gordon also turned on the visual den den mushi.The concert began...."Finally... is it starting? Uta!!""Although there hasn't been a stream for three days, I am still your most loyal fan!!""Uta... you're becoming more and more beautiful, just like an elf flying out of a musical score!"Thousands of visual den den mushi opened their eyes at the same moment.Countless eager gazes poured into this virtual "theater," and comments flooded the screen instantly like a tidal wave.They came from different islands and were in different situations:Some huddled in dilapidated attics, some hid in the bottom holds of merchant ships, some hid in broken shelters...Yet at this moment, they were sharing the same anticipation."I need Uta's singing so badly... as soon as I hear it, I feel like I can take a breath for a while and forget how terrible reality is.""Yeah, thanks to Uta, for this half hour I don't have to think about tomorrow's food, the damn Heavenly Tribute, or those bastards burning, killing, and looting on the sea!""You don't know... that group of pirates just looted my village yesterday... if I wasn't out trading... my, my family...""My condolences...""Pirates... should all go to hell!!"The comments were gradually drowned out by painful outpourings.Tyranny, looting, loss, despair... countless tiny wails converged through the cold screen, every word soaked with the weight of life.In the center of the stage, Uta quietly watched the virtual light screen emerging in the air.Her expression was calm as water, but the depths of her pupils reflected the scrolling suffering.Once upon a time, she still held a vague longing and filter for the word "pirate,"But now, she knew better than anyone the blood and lies hidden under that flag.She silently kept every word, every cry for help in her heart, carving them into the foundation of the melody.Then, she took a light breath and parted her lips toward the Sound Shell.The moment the first note flowed out—The world went quiet.The sound did not just travel through the den den mushi; it seemed to seep directly into the listener's soul.The clear high notes washed over the rocks like spring water, and the low, turning melodies smoothed out wrinkles like a warm breeze.All the accumulated anger, fear, and sadness were gently wrapped and lifted by this singing, then slowly dissolved.In front of the screens, one figure after another froze.Their wide eyes gradually lost focus, their clenched fists loosened without knowing when, and their tense shoulders slumped. Tears slid down silently, but the corners of their mouths raised in a dazed smile.Then, as if all their strength had been drained, or as if they had finally fallen into the dream they had longed for, they lowered their heads one after another, falling into a deep "slumber."Only steady breathing sounds rang softly in every corner of the world.Under the spotlight, Uta's figure became increasingly dazzling.Her loose white and red long hair moved without wind, the simple wing decorations on her back spread out in the halo, as if she had truly transformed into a Song Angel descended to the human world.Her posture carried both honey-like sweetness and a kind of inviolable, cool, and handsome aura.—That was the dreamlike quality unique to her, fusing dreams and determination into one.And her singing was turning into an invisible bridge, leading thousands of broken hearts toward the place she created, where there was no pain, only eternal music and laughter—Utopia.