Chapter 120: Destroy It

"Save Uta first, then deal with this big guy!" Shanks said in a deep voice.

Right now, Uta was inside Tot Musica's body, and they didn't dare act rashly.

Just as he finished speaking, Shanks prepared to charge into Tot Musica. But someone moved faster.

"Mana Burst: Flame!"

Surging golden flames erupted around Caelan, propelling him straight into Tot Musica's body ahead of Shanks.

Seeing this, Shanks had no choice but to remain outside and draw its attention.

"She's clearly my adopted daughter, so why is he more anxious than I am?" Shanks restrained Tot Musica, feeling somewhat confused.

At this moment, Caelan had already entered the interior of Tot Musica and was speeding through it.

Inside, it was filled with floating black musical notes and countless twisted staves. A distorted and unpleasant melody echoed throughout, strange and eerie.

"Found her."

After searching for a while, Caelan located Uta—likely the core of the Demon King of Song.

The red-and-white-haired girl, with her signature music headphones, was curled up and sobbing.

"Shanks… I'm sorry."

"Gordon… I'm the one who brought disaster."

Uta's tears kept flowing. Her heart was broken.

After fusing with Tot Musica, she recovered vague memories from the past.

Elegia wasn't destroyed by Shanks—it was destroyed by her. Shanks, the man she had resented for so long, had taken all the blame for her actions.

Gordon, who raised her, had also lost his country because of her.

The weight of that realization crushed her spirit.

At this moment, she saw Caelan surrounded by golden flames, like a sacred angel descending from the heavens.

"Are you an angel sent to judge me?"

Uta threw herself into Caelan's arms, wishing to be purified by the holy fire.

"I'm not here to judge you. I'm here to save you."

Feeling the frail body of the young girl in his arms, Caelan frowned slightly.

Right now, Uta was showing clear signs of self-destruction.

"Save me? I'm a sinner who's destroyed everything. I don't deserve to be saved."

Uta looked hollow, her voice weak and lifeless.

"Don't save me. I don't deserve to live in this world!"

"I destroyed Elegia, and now I've endangered the East Blue. I'm a monster!"

She struggled desperately in Caelan's arms, crying out in anguish.

"It's not your fault. It's the Song-Song Fruit you ate. The sheet music of the Demon King of Unsealed Sound appears before every user of the Song-Song Fruit."

"Whether by accident or despair, each one is drawn to sing it."

Caelan held her steady as he walked, speaking calmly.

"Even so, it was still me who did it. I deserve to die."

Uta's struggle weakened, but she still couldn't accept living. Her guilt had completely crushed her will.

"…Sigh."

Caelan exhaled deeply.

"If you die, the Song-Song Fruit will be reborn somewhere else. Another user will awaken it and summon Tot Musica."

"Uta, you don't want this demon to appear again, do you?"

He whispered into her ear.

Uta remained silent, visibly shaken.

If she became a living cage for Tot Musica, then she still had a duty to live.

"If you think you've committed great sins, then why are you choosing to escape through death?"

Caelan smirked slightly and continued provoking her.

"I'm not escaping!"

Uta glared at him, like a defiant little lioness.

"Then stop running. Join me. Help me build a new world and atone for your past mistakes."

Seeing that his provocation had succeeded, Caelan casually extended an invitation.

"I want to atone… but why should I join you? Maybe you just want to use Tot Musica to threaten the world."

Uta replied cautiously.

She recognized his face and heard the rumors—Caelan, the madman who had even killed Celestial Dragons. Who knew if he had designs on using Tot Musica for world domination?

"Compared to Tot Musica's meager power, you're far more interesting, Red-Haired Songstress."

Caelan whispered into her ear.

He wasn't obsessed with illusory power.

She didn't believe Caelan's flippant talk. That was a demon even the Red-Haired Pirates couldn't suppress—how could it be underestimated?

Since Uta didn't speak further, Caelan simply held her tightly and burst out from within Tot Musica's body.

"Uta, it's been a long time."

Shanks looked at her and greeted her with a soft smile.

"Shanks..."

Uta replied in a whisper, tears flowing again.

She didn't know how to face her adoptive father.

After ten years of hatred, she finally realized that Shanks had been acting out of kindness all along—and she was the true culprit behind everything.

The guilt and emotional gap were too much to bear.

"We can talk about the past later."

"Miss Uta, can you seal this monster again?"

Aokiji looked at her seriously.

"No… the forbidden song has already been sung. I can't control it anymore."

Uta shook her head bitterly.

Tot Musica had been completely unsealed. She no longer had the power to suppress it.

"No problem. We'll just destroy it."

Caelan handed Uta to Nami and the others, then turned around to face the Demon King of Song.

"Don't blame yourself, Uta. We'll handle the rest."

Shanks said firmly, his back turned toward her.

As her father, it was only natural that he clean up his daughter's mess.

"Shanks… and Caelan…"

Uta's eyes were filled with tears. She didn't even know what to say.

Caelan stood side by side with Shanks as they faced off against Tot Musica.

Caelan didn't wait.

"Brahmastra"

Caelan's aura was condensed to its absolute peak.

He dashed forward at lightning speed, an unstoppable blur of light.

The massive blade in his hand was coated in jet-black Armament Haki, encircled by golden flames and a swirl of dark madness.

It fused the flames of Karna, the insanity of Heracles, and top-tier Armament Haki.

The pressure was so immense it seemed to crush the atmosphere itself.

He charged at the still-rampaging Tot Musica, who was unleashing chaotic destruction in every direction.

Boom!!!

A thunderous explosion rocked the sky.

Like striking through rotted wood, the terrifying Demon King was torn apart in an instant, reduced to black smoke.

The very same Tot Musica that once destroyed Elegia was utterly powerless against Caelan.

Uta watched, dumbfounded, as Caelan obliterated the monster in a single strike.

(To be continued.)

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