As dawn broke through the sky, warming the earth once more, and the sea outside Allegria's shores once again shimmered with golden waves.
Everyone from the Red-Haired Pirates and the Free Adventurers stood on the giant rocks behind the beach, awaiting the girl on the beach below, bathed in the morning light.
The girl clutched the yellowed forbidden musical score tightly in her right hand, her surface calm but her heart a tempest.
"Face your fears, conquer them, and only then can you find true happiness."
Uta remembered the young man's words to her, bit her lip, and with a resolute heart, quickly raised her hand.
Lowering her head, her eyes fixed intensely on the paper, without any hesitation, she opened her mouth and began to sing.
In this moment, the girl's voice was no longer gentle as water or soft as wind, but a heart-wrenching roar.
The colossal sound, from the very first note, pierced through the entire island.
And the space where the island resided also began to twist strangely at this moment.
A power that transcended the illusory and the real, felt by all, quietly descended.
Dark wings, accompanying Uta's song, slowly emerged behind her.
Within the wings, in a twisted space resembling a galaxy, a monstrous form with a neck entwined in pale purple flames, a distorted, ferocious face filled with sharp teeth, opened its eyes as if summoned.
The demon king flapped its wings, spread its arms like black and white piano keys, and let out all manner of unspeakable sounds.
The voice, unlike any human's, easily passed through the twisted space behind Uta, transcending two worlds, and manifesting in reality.
Though this all seemed to take a long time, it was merely a few seconds from the moment Uta's song began.
And in those brief seconds, the clear sky outside had, at some point, become shrouded in dark clouds, as if the world itself feared the demon king about to be born.
"Found you."
Staring at the collapsing, twisted void behind Uta, Kong Tai's azure eyes narrowed sharply.
"You all stay in reality and hold off Uta. I'll go to another dimension to deal with the demon king."
As he finished speaking, Kong Tai's body vanished from its spot.
At that very moment, Uta's song abruptly ceased, and a mass of swirling dark energy, spanning across time and space, descended around her from the illusory dreamscape.
ROAR~
A colossal roar erupted from Uta's upturned mouth, followed by an overwhelmingly powerful blast of energy that formed a fierce whirlwind, expanding outwards from Uta as the center.
When everyone finally opened their wind-swept eyes and looked towards the beach, Uta was gone. In her place stood a colossal monster that occupied the entire beach, filling everyone's vision.
The monster's flame-burning eyes held no emotion, a complete void.
From its very appearance, it was accompanied by immense, indescribable roars, countless lasers, and black lightning that stretched from the heavens to the earth.
Indiscriminate attacks further ravaged the already damaged Allegria, engulfing it in raging flames, plunging it once again into a world-ending disaster.
Amidst the lasers, the silver-haired youth didn't look back, nor did he spare a glance at the demon king behind him.
For he knew this demon king outside was merely an embodiment of a fraction of the true demon king's power.
Even if he defeated this outer manifestation, it would inflict no damage on the true demon king.
That being's power had not yet accumulated enough, so even with the Uta Uta no Mi's power serving as a channel, it could not truly manifest in reality through this passage.
"Since you've come out, I'll come in to find you."
Gazing at the black, twisted void before him, which resembled a gateway to hell, Kong Tai stepped forward without hesitation, disappearing entirely into the darkness, his figure vanishing from this world.
"Is this the demon king?"
From atop a ruined structure, A Hua, who had somehow completed his transformation, stared at the demon king with blood-red eyes, filled with excitement.
"Truly powerful!"
With his declaration, A Hua launched the first attack.
He clenched his fist, imbued with Armament Haki, crouched low, and a surge of energy erupted around him. Then, pushing off the ground with his legs, he shot towards the demon king like a cannonball.
"You're always so impatient."
Staring at A Hua's retreating back, A Luo helplessly ran a hand through his hair, then raised his "Kurokuro," his eyes flashing red as he focused on the demon king's forehead.
BANG—!
Amidst a flash of fire, a translucent bullet, shrouded in black Haki, instantly caught up to A Hua's figure, grazed past him, and then struck the demon king's forehead with a resounding impact.
BOOM—!
A massive explosion, accompanied by a burst of flames, instantly swept across the entire island.
While A Hua and A Luo made their moves, the others were not idle.
A Tao, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, did not transform but drew the ornate longsword from his waist. His pupils shifted from black to orange, and he swiftly charged towards the demon king.
"Yohohoho!! To defeat the demon king and save Miss Uta, how could I be left out!"
Brook roared with laughter. Unlike A Hua and A Tao who attacked head-on, he gracefully weaved, his feet lightly touching the wall as he circled around, approaching the demon king from the flank.
Facing the demon king, Robin knew she could not be of much help, so she did not advance. Instead, she hugged a storybook she had found in the basement and stood quietly to the side.
Beside her, Indigo did the same.
As for Yi Sheng and Kuina, one felt no need to intervene, and the other feared accidentally harming Uta within the demon king, so neither took action.
Red-Haired Pirates.
The moment A Hua attacked, all of them, except for Shanks, charged towards the demon king.
They had seen this demon king before, nine years ago. No one knew its power better than they did.
Although they knew Uta was inside this time, and there were no ordinary civilians around, they would not simply let the demon king wreak havoc.
Another point was that A Hu and the others had moved. As Uta's family, how could they stand by and watch!
"Aren't you going up?"
Kuina withdrew her gaze from the demon king, dodging a laser beam as she turned her head. Her clear eyes reflected the fiery light as she looked at Shanks.
"No,"
Shanks did not turn back, his gaze already fixed on the demon king. He replied, "I believe Kong Tai can handle everything."
"Mm!" Kuina nodded, "I believe so too."
She did not know what Kong Tai had discussed with Shanks the previous night. However, based on Shanks' current demeanor, Kong Tai must have told him a great deal, perhaps even everything he knew.
Otherwise, Shanks would not be so calm after seeing the demon king again.
Nor would he have such faith in Kong Tai.