Chapter 356 - 195

Mental Control!The twilight over the Kuja sea dyed the sky a gentle orange-purple.Rayleigh leaned back in an old rattan chair, which swayed gently with the waves.He kept his eyes closed, cradling a special den den mushi in his hand, as the singing that had traveled across the vast ocean echoed in his ears.The singing was delicate and clear, like threads woven from Moonlight, piercing through storms and tides from thousands of miles away to land precisely in his ears.Rayleigh slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of complex emotion flashing through his aged yet sharp gaze.He raised his flask and took a swig, his Adam's apple bobbing as he let out a long sigh."Even though it's not the first time I've experienced it..." he muttered to himself, his voice mixing with the saltiness of the sea breeze, "this ability can still be called 'terrifying'."He hadn't missed the live broadcast three days ago.The young girl with white and Red Hair on the screen, standing in the center of the ruined stage and singing at the top of her lungs—her voice contained not just simple joy or sorrow, but a sense of power that bordered on being a rule.He was now certain that the girl... Uta, possessed a Devil Fruit ability that was extremely unique, perhaps even one of a kind.It intertwined with her singing, her emotions, and the desires deep within her soul, each fulfilling the other.This combination reminded him of the relationship between Hancock and the Love-Love Fruit: the ability was elevated by its master, and the master was made extraordinary by the ability.It was the perfect resonance of talent, disposition, and the power of the devil.However, the direction of Uta's ability... was more bizarre, more intangible, and even more dangerous."Even these old bones of mine almost fell for it..."He appeared to be lying there leisurely, but the Haki surging within him like a vast sea had already awakened like a giant beast, flowing silently through his limbs and bones, forming a nearly tangible, invisible domain that tightly surrounded him.This was his body's near-instinctive guard after the "accident" three days ago.That day, he was just listening to the singing, just as he was now.When the melody reached a certain point, an indescribable sense of fatigue and peace quietly washed over his mental defenses like warm water.If not for his will, tempered through countless life-and-death trials, suddenly awakening at the last moment and forcibly shattering that bizarre sense of immersion with his Conqueror's Haki, his consciousness would likely have been led into unknown depths by that sweet singing, just like the countless viewers before their screens.It wasn't an attack, yet it was harder to defend against than any attack.It was an invitation, an empathy, a soothing and... remodeling that reached deep into the soul.The twilight over the Kuja sea was torn apart by a sharp, explosive sound!"Huh? That sound... could it be...?!"Luffy, who was in the midst of a fierce clash with Yamato in her Makami form, suddenly froze in his movements.A fragment of a melody, extremely familiar and almost carved into the softest part of his childhood memories, pierced through the roar of battle cries and the clash of Haki, precisely entering his ears.It was the singing.A sense of fatigue, like an invisible tide, surged into his heart without warning.It wasn't physical exhaustion, but a weariness that made him want to put down all strife and sink into a peaceful dream.His gaze instinctively crossed the battlefield, locking onto Rayleigh, who was lying back in the rattan chair in the distance, or more accurately, the den den mushi in his hand that was faintly emitting music.In this split second of distraction—"Crackle—!!"Piercing black and purple lightning exploded violently!A sharp glint flashed in Yamato's red beast-like eyes as she caught this fleeting opening.The ice beneath her feet exploded, and her massive beast-god body turned into an afterimage wreathed in Conqueror's Haki lightning, tearing through the air savagely!"Thunder—"The Spiked Club was swung in a full arc, Hakilightning dancing and compressing wildly upon it, condensing into a destructive black and purple sphere of light."—Bagua!!!"Amidst the roar, the Spiked Club, containing the power to split mountains and seas, slammed down toward Luffy, who seemed dazed and standing still due to the singing!Boom—!!!A terrifying mushroom cloud mixed with black-purple lightning and ice fragments shot into the sky, the shockwave spreading wildly in a ring, pressing a massive crater into the island below!However—The next instant, Luffy's figure appeared beside Rayleigh like a ghost, completely unscathed.He didn't even look at the expanding cloud of destruction behind him; his entire attention was firmly captured by the small screen projected by the den den mushi in Rayleigh's hand.In the screen, under the stage spotlights, the young girl with white and Red Hair streaming was singing with intoxication, fine sweat beading on her forehead, her expression focused and ardent, as if she were pouring her very soul into every single note.Luffy's eyes brightened bit by bit, as if sleeping memories had been instantly ignited.His mouth widened, eventually turning into a brilliant, dazzling smile that stretched almost to his ears."Uta...!"He whispered the name, then could no longer suppress the joy in his heart: "It really is Uta!!"The sea breeze blew, fluttering his straw hat and the hem of his clothes.Behind him, the aftershocks of the explosion were still raging, and Yamato was emerging from the dust, her eyes filled with suspicion.But at this moment, for Luffy, the world seemed to be left with only the singing in the screen, perfectly overlapping with the girl with red and white hair from his memories who always loved to compete with him over who could sing louder."What, kid... are you a fan of Uta too?"A look of interest appeared in Rayleigh's eyes, even carrying a bit of the playful teasing of an elder watching a younger one.He shook the den den mushi in his hand; the girl's singing was still flowing from it.Luffy turned his head sharply, his expression even more surprised than Rayleigh's, his eyes wide: "Huh? Rayleigh, you don't know?! Uta is Shanks' daughter!!""—Nani?!!"The laziness and teasing on Rayleigh's face instantly froze and shattered.He looked as if he had been struck by an invisible hammer, straightening up abruptly from the rattan chair, turning his head in shock, his gaze nailed firmly to the screen projected by the den den mushi, as if he were truly "seeing" the singing girl for the first time.Shanks'... daughter?For the first time, Rayleigh, this Pluton who had seen all kinds of storms and waves, wore an expression of almost horrific gravity.A cold numbness quietly crept from his tailbone up to his scalp.The sea breeze ruffled his graying hair, but his gaze seemed to pierce through the screen, crossing the boundless ocean, and cast toward that island of music that had long since become a ruin.He seemed to see that lonely figure standing on the desolate stage, singing alone to the void."Luffy—!! What on earth are you all doing?!"At this moment, Yamato, Sanji, and Law broke through the lingering smoke and came to the side of the two.Yamato deactivated her Makami form, the Spiked Club still on her shoulder, looking with confusion at the old man and the young man standing opposite each other in a strange atmosphere.Sanji lit a cigarette, his brows furrowed tightly.Law held his kikoku, his eyes under his hat brim scanning the two and the den den mushi sharply.Almost at the same time they landed—The melodious, seemingly magical singing came clearly from the den den mushi again, drilling into everyone's ears.The next second—"Crackle—!!!"Two immense, peerless, yet completely different types of Haoshoku, like prehistoric beasts sensing a fatal threat, erupted simultaneously and without warning from Luffy and Rayleigh!Black-red lightning and dark-gold pressure intertwined into an invisible torrent of destruction, not attacking the companions beside them, but sweeping rudely and crushingly over the three of them and that invisible field of singing!—Crack! Crack-crack—!!!In the air, it was as if an invisible mirror had been instantly shattered with countless cracks, and then completely disintegrated!A certain sweet and dangerous veil that had shrouded their consciousness was violently torn apart!Sanji suddenly came to his senses, staring blankly at his fingers that had loosened at some point, nearly letting his cigarette drop, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he murmured: "Just now... what happened?"Law pressed his temples, which were throbbing with a dull pain, a lingering sense of dazed fear remaining in his eyes.Yamato gripped her Spiked Club tightly, her beast eyes filled with vigilance and lingering fear."You," Rayleigh's voice was calm and serious, breaking the brief dead silence, "were just pulled into some kind of 'illusion' by that singing. Although it was only a very brief infiltration."This was the terrifying thing about 'Uta' combined with that 'Uta Uta no Mi'.If one's Haoshoku hadn't reached the top level, it would be difficult to forcibly break the illusion she wove from the inside;If one's Armament Haki wasn't top-tier, one couldn't even fully defend against the direct infiltration of the singing into the body and mind;As for Observation Haki... if it wasn't top-tier, one probably wouldn't even be able to notice when one had fallen into the illusion.This was almost an unsolvable, all-encompassing mental control!"Uta... I still have a promise with Uta! I must go see her!!"Luffy lowered his head, chewing on these words repeatedly, his eyes rapidly changing from confusion to extreme determination.He suddenly raised his head, his burning gaze shooting at Rayleigh: "Rayleigh! Do you know where Elegia is?!""I naturally know the location. After all, it was once a world-famous kingdom of music, and it is marked on nautical charts."Rayleigh's brows were locked tight, "But it has long been a forbidden zone for life, barren and desolate, where even News Coo would detour around. How could Uta still be in such a place..."His words stopped abruptly.A contradiction he had deliberately ignored, or rather, dared not think deeply about, struck his mind like lightning.The "culprit" who caused Elegia to turn into ruins and was proclaimed by the world... wasn't it "Red Hair" Shanks?!If Uta really was Shanks' daughter, and she was living on those ruins created by her "father" with his own hands... what kind of cruel truth and entanglement were hidden behind this?"Let's go! I already... can't wait!!"Luffy's voice carried an unquestionable urgency, as if delaying for even one more second would be torture.Before the words left his mouth, he crouched slightly, and his nika ability activated—Boom!!!The ground beneath his feet exploded violently!His figure was like a crimson cannonball, shooting straight into the sky, instantly disappearing into the rolling thunderclouds high above!"Hey! Luffy!!" Sanji exclaimed.Immediately after, a scene that made one's liver and gallbladder tremble occurred—Rumble—!!!High above, the thick thunderclouds covering several miles seemed to be stirred by an invisible giant hand, suddenly forming a massive, wildly rotating vortex of blue lightning!Billions of lightning snakes danced and roared within it, releasing destructive heavenly might.In the center of the vortex, Luffy's figure was tiny yet incredibly clear.He reached out a hand, not to attack, but to... control!"Come... here!!"A roar pierced through the thunder!That vast lightning, capable of destroying towns and violent and disorderly, seemed to be endowed with consciousness, wailing and struggling, yet irresistibly collapsing and gathering toward his palm!The blinding blue-white light completely swallowed him, and one could only see a human silhouette struggling to "knead" and "reshape" this power of heaven and earth within it!After a few breaths, the light suddenly converged.A huge "Thunderbird", completely made of solidified lightning, with a crooked and even slightly silly shape, flapped its flickering wings and descended shakily from the clouds.Its entire body was flowing with crackling electric arcs, its beak seemed to be pinched a bit crooked, one eye big and one eye small, but the surging energy fluctuations it emitted caused ripples on the sea surface below.Luffy stood on the head of the Thunderbird, which was made of lightning, his hair standing on end due to static electricity, waving vigorously downward: "Come up quickly—!!"Sanji looked up at the "Thunderbird" that was uniquely ugly, his mouth twitching wildly, enduring and enduring, but still couldn't help it: "Your 'chicken'... is molded too ugly!!"Meanwhile, Rayleigh on the ground was already shaken to the core, his pupils contracting.He stared fixedly at the creature forcibly shaped from pure heavenly lightning, feeling the energy structure within it that was stable (despite the unstable appearance) to the point of defying common sense, a thought exploding like thunder:"Manifesting and materializing the violent natural lightning... briefly, and piloting it to fly...?!""Nagging! Isn't it fine as long as it can fly!" Luffyshouted from above, "Hurry up!!"Yamato and Law looked at each other, no longer hesitating, and leaped onto the broad back of the Thunderbird.Sanji jumped up, cursing, and was nearly singed by a stray electric arc.Rayleigh took a deep breath, suppressing the raging waves in his heart, took one last look at Uta, who was still singing in the den den mushi screen, shifted his body, and landed steadily on the back of the Thunderbird."Hold on tight!"Luffy grinned, his eyes already looking toward the distant horizon.The next second, the crooked-necked Thunderbird let out a strange cry, and its wings flapped violently—Boom!Lightning exploded, carrying a group of passengers who could be called monsters, turning into a blue streak of lightning that pierced the sky, tearing through the air, and speeding toward Elegia!Leaving only a slowly spreading vortex on the sea surface and the lingering scent of ozone in the air.