I guess the title says it all. The question is, how will this go? What tactics or plan will Uta use to fight Tot Musica and will it be in her favor? Does anyone have any doubts in going against Tot Musica? Read to find out! I don't own One Piece.
A couple days after the great battle between Uta and Abell, they have finally healed. Thanks to Echo's medical expertise and the pair's unnatural ability to heal fast, they were up and ready for the next challenge. The mission to not defeat, but destroy Tot Musica. All were shocked at Uta's words as the word 'defeat' wasn't mentioned, but 'destroy'. That isn't a word that Uta would use and it piqued everyone's interest, with the exception of Gordon who only had great concern over this idea. Uta had the idea all thought up during her time in bedrest, but wanted time to write out her thoughts. So, she asked the others to give her two days to write out her thoughts for which they let her. However, Abell made sure to confiscate any Wakeshrooms in her possession. After two days of patient waiting, the meeting with Uta and the others begins. Everyone waited in the living room awaiting Uta's arrival to explain her grand plan. Despite the opinions of some of the individuals, in the end they were all swayed to accept Uta's plan and they are all ready to hear Uta out since she spent a lot of time and effort into coming up with this idea. However, despite all five waiting in the meeting room, Uta was nowhere to be seen.
"So, how're your injuries?" Rave asks, breaking the silence.
"Like they were never there." Abell said, smiling as she flexed her arms. "See? It's really all thanks to Echo's top notch medical skills."
"You girls are unbelievable." Gordon said, sighing. "One moment you two are both injured too move and the next, you just eat and sleep for the day and already all better. Hard to believe you two are even human."
"You know, I'll take that as a compliment." Abell said, smirking. "I know Uta would too."
"You know, I want to fight Uta just like the way you did." Pitch said, sighing. "You're pretty lucky, you know."
"I wouldn't say that I was lucky so to speak." Abell said, thinking back to the fight. "We were fighting with the intent to beat each other to a bloody pulp. Would you be able to do the same?"
"I wouldn't know until I tried fighting her in order to give you an honest answer." Pitch said, thinking a bit. "At the very least, I won't win against Uta even if I tried my hardest."
"Yeah, kinda figured." Abell said, chuckling. "Although, I'm sure even Uta would have a hard time fighting you if you tried your absolute hardest."
"Huh? I didn't catch that last part." Pitch said curiously looking over to Abell.
"Never mind that." Abell said, waving off Pitch. "I'm just glad me and Uta were able to fully heal before the big battle."
"Uta aside, I do want to say that the reason you healed so fast was strange." Echo said thinking back to when she was doing treatment on the pair. "When Uta healed up as fast as she did, that was just plain strange. You, on the other hand, there was a reason why you healed fast and it wasn't due to my skills."
"Am I from a different race or something?" Abell asks curiously. "Maybe my dad was from a half-breed or something."
"No, it's nothing like that. Your blood composition is pretty unique." Echo said, leaning back in her chair. "My hypothesis is that it has something to do with your diet."
"My diet? I eat the same stuff you do." Abell said, surprised. "How can that be the case?"
"Well, I always knew you were weird." Pitch laughs. "Now it's scientifically proven!"
Pitch's comment earned her a punch to the face by Abell before she got back to the conversation.
"It's not like I snack on anything different than you guys outside our normal meals." Abell said. "You sure that's true?"
"Most positive, but with your permission I could do some more testing to confirm." Echo said, a bit excited.
"No thanks." Abell respectfully declines. "I don't wanna be someone's guinea pig."
"Fine, so be it." Echo said, pouting.
"Maybe you should." Gordon said nervously. "I don't want you to get food poisoning."
"There's no way your food would have a negative effect on my health." Abell reassures Gordon.
"That aside, where's Uta?" Rave asks. "She isn't the type of person to be late for something."
Just as Rave finished her sentence, Uta came out from one of the doors dragging out a large blackboard that read 'Take Down Tot Musica Plan'. Naturally, everyone, including Pitch and Rave, were a bit skeptical of this plan. Still, it would be a waste not to hear Uta out as she spent two days working on it.
"Did you take that from the lecture hall?" Gordon asks. "Please don't take stuff from there, it's for music purposes only."
"Don't sweat the small stuff." Uta said, putting Gordon's comment aside. "Besides, the topic of Tot Musica is basically about music."
"So, are we ready to get this meeting started?" Pitch asks, leaning back into her chair.
"Well, to start off this meeting, there are two important things that I want to bring attention to." Uta said seriously. "My first point is explaining what Tot Musica is. Gordon, can you please repeat your version of Tot Musica, or rather, Elegia's version of it."
Gordon nods and puts his hands together as he takes in a deep breath.
"Tot Musica is a being created by Dawn Giovanni from the combination of using the Awakened power of the Sing Sing Fruit and human sacrifices." Gordon answers. "Using live sacrifices, he then made a music sheet that can summon the living incantation of the Sing Sing Fruit. However, he didn't realize that Tot Musica had a mind of its own and the thing rampaged around Elegia and thus destroyed most of the island. This information has been brought down to each ruler of Elegia for the past several hundred years."
"That's what the people of Elegia taught us, but thanks to some studying, we found out what Tot Musica really is." Uta said. "The fact is, Tot Musica wasn't created, but was an existing being that was known for a much longer time, right Echo?"
"The statues in the forbidden library proves as much." Echo answers with a nod. "People have obviously known about this deity for centuries longer than what is recorded here in Elegia. However, there is no known incident about Tot Musica in our known history."
"In other words, Tot Musica is an existence that the ones from above don't want others to know." Abell finishes. "Uta told us the stories of how Luffy said the World Government wanted some giant weapon that shipwrights in Water 7 handed down, which I can only assume is one of the Ancient Weapons. Don't know which one, but I have a pretty good idea of what it could be due to the rumors I heard."
"Tot Musica is said to have the power equivalent to an Ancient Weapon." Uta adds. "I wouldn't be surprised that anything about it would be erased from our history books so that only the ones who know about it could acquire that demon."
"Anyways, after reading the book made by Dawn Giovanni himself, it turns out that he didn't kill his followers to summon Tot Musica, but in cold blood." Uta said, chilling everyone to their core. "His followers didn't want to go along with his plan to take control of Tot Musica, but he didn't want anyone ratting him out so he committed manslaughter against his own men."
"That's cruel." Pitch said, shaking.
"Yeah, but we have no idea why the truth has been altered though." Uta said. "Perhaps one of his victims escaped death and made the story up? Maybe there was an unknown witness who saw the ordeal and mistaken Giovanni's goals. Who knows?"
"The fact is, Dahn Giovanni still killed his followers in cold blood and summoned Tot Musica willingly in both stories so I doubt it makes him any more of an innocent." Gordon said. "As expected from a former pirate."
It was only then did he get glares from Uta and Pitch. He then remembers that both were formal pirates and regrets his words.
"We're just joking." Pitch said, smirking. "Not every pirate is like Luffy, Ace, or Shanks. Naturally, most pirates are pretty much scoundrels. Like Rave's brother."
"Hey! He's not a scoundrel!" Rave argues.
"His captain crushed me and Abell underneath a pile of garbage, their crewmates stabbed and burned us, and he shot you." Pitch flat out said. "I don't see how they are honorable in any way."
"Well, you never..."
"STOP! We're getting off topic!" Uta yells as she is in between Pitch and Rave. "Remember, destroying Tot Musica?"
"Fine, fine." Pitch said, sighing. "Let's get back to finding out why the king summoned that demon in the first place. Surely you found something out, right Uta?"
"Yeah, I did." Uta said with a nod. "Giovanni's goal was to claim Tot Musica's power for his own. In the end, it was his greed for more power that caused him to summon Tot Musica."
"Power does that to people, doesn't it?" Echo comments.
"Hold on, we know that Tot Musica was summoned by Giovanni, but how did Tot Musica get defeated three hundred years ago?" Rave asks. "Did the former king have the power to defeat it or something?"
"In the book Giovanni wrote, he said that the power of Tot Musica was too much to bear so he then decided to cut off its power source by sealing it within a music sheet created by his awakened devil fruit." Uta explains. "He said he did it successfully, but he couldn't conceal its power completely and that's why users of the Sing Sing fruit put a new seal on Tot Musica every couple of decades."
"If it's possible to seal it, why not just do that again?" Rave asks. "Wouldn't sealing it be enough for you?"
"Well, there are multiple reasons why, but the main one is that I simply don't know how to fix the seal." Uta answers. "So our next best solution will be to destroy it from the source."
"I see. If Tot Musica is destroyed then there will be no worries in redoing the seal or that demon as a whole." Abell said, understanding the conclusion. "In a sense, destroying it would be the logical choice, but how will we be able to do that?"
"I'm glad you asked because that brings us to our next topic." Uta said excitedly. "Our next subject is that no one, in any record, has found the secret to destroy Tot Musica or even tried. So how do we do it?"
"Didn't Shanks defeat it when you were absorbed by that demon ten years ago?" Rave asks curiously.
"It's actually eleven years ago, but the point is that defeating it is one thing, but that will only be a temporary fix as the being will come back after a couple of years once it returns to the sheets." Uta answers. "The same thing most likely happened three hundred years ago. Right, Gordon?"
"There is truth in your words." Gordon said with a nod. "There is no evidence that Dahn Giovanni defeated that demon, only that he did seal that monster within the music sheets. As of today, we only know that Tot Musica can only be resealed and cannot be destroyed permanently due to its connection to the Song World."
"What does the Song World have to do with defeating Tot Musica?" Echo asks.
"Normally, when Tot Musica is summoned to our world, it'll take control of both the Song, or Uta, World." Uta explains. "When that happens the only way to destroy it is to attack it from both worlds simultaneously. Since the music sheet was made by the power of the Uta World, Tot Musica can just draw power from within."
"Ah, so the music sheet is like a gate that connects the Uta World." Echo said as she put the pieces together. "And Tot Musica is stuck in that gate which is like a version of purgatory."
"That's the theory." Uta confirms. "It would explain why Tot Musica is never at full power when summoned and is still capable of drawing power from the Uta World."
"Wait, how did Shanks defeat Tot Musica then?" Pitch asks. "You said he and his crew all fought that thing in our world."
"Yeah, I have a pretty good theory on why that is." Uta said, rubbing her chin. "If I'm right, then that means it could lessen our chances of defeating Tot Musica upon summoning it."
"Does it have to do with Tot Musica being unable to go at full power when summoned?" Gordon asks. "If so, I think I'm on the same page as you."
Everyone quiets down to listen to Uta.
"It's just a hunch based on my personal experience, but I believe that if a weak Sing Sing user summons Tot Musica, it's most likely that they will be unable to handle the power of Tot Musica and will pass out." Uta said as she thought back to her experience. "It's entirely possible that Tot Musica's strength reflects on the user who summons it and only the strong can truly handle that thing. A weak summoner means that the Demon King will be summoned weak."
"Hold on, are you saying Tot's Musica's strength reflects on the Sing Sing user?" Echo asks, shaking her hand. "You are way too strong now and if you summon Tot Musica..."
"Yeah, again in theory, if I summon Tot Musica as I am right now, it will be unimaginably strong." Uta said, narrowing her eyes. "There is no solid evidence to prove this claim other than the first time I summoned Tot Musica. It's obvious that we can't do any test drives to prove this, but I say it's a fair assessment. Right, Gordon?"
"Without a doubt, when Tot Musica was released into our world ten years ago, it was weak in comparison to the stories I heard." Gordon nodded. "Despite the destruction it caused, that monster wasn't even in its final form and also lost to Shanks."
"I suspected as much." Uta said silently.
"I hate to say this as the lone survivor among Elegia's citizens, but I consider this island lucky." Gordon continues. "If that thing was in its final form, then the island of Elegia would've been no more."
"That thing has the power to destroy islands?" Pitch asks, shocked.
"Of course, didn't you notice Elegia's shores before?" Uta asks. "Under the waves are dozens of destroyed buildings and pavements. It's almost like this place sank into the ocean or more accurately something sent into the ocean."
The women looked shocked and then looked over to Gordon who let out a sigh.
"Just as Uta said, three hundred years ago, this island was a lot bigger. Four times as big if I recall correctly." Gordon confirms. "All around Elegia's coast, you will see a mile worth of destruction of what was once the island of Elegia and the one who caused that was indeed Tot Musica."
"If Uta's theory is correct, then how will we compete with Tot Musica?" Abell asks angrily. "Uta's plan on getting stronger is now going against us and we may have to face a monster capable of destroying islands."
"That's where MY plan comes in." Uta said as she flips over the blackboard revealing her roadmap to victory. "Take a look!"
Uta's plan looked a lot like blueprints at first, due to the fact it shows more drawings than writings. If there is one thing that everyone learned about Uta in the past, it's that even though she has beautiful handwriting and can draw music notes flawlessly, her abilities as an artist are left to be desired. However, the drawings were clear enough to get an idea of what Uta's plan is. On the blackboard were five pictures drawn and each of them had stick figures of what looks like Uta and the others. The first drawing is of Uta singing with some music sheets and two groups, the next is a picture of a crude drawing of Tot Musica with a line split down the middle, the next is of Uta singing with music notes surroundings her, the final drawing is of some paper burning, and the next drawing is a picture of everyone attacking Tot Musica. Uta pulls out a baton and taps it against the blackboard.
"Here's the plan to defeat Tot Musica! Everyone got it?" Uta asks happily.
"HELL, NO!" Everyone screams in union.
"Are you stupid? We don't understand a thing!" Abell said angrily.
"Can you please explain to me what the hell we're doing?" Pitch asks, raising her hand.
"You didn't mention a single thing about the plan!" Rave yells angrily. "Just some dumb drawings."
"My cat can draw better plans than this." Echo comments.
"How dare you use our batons in such a disgraceful way!" Gordon scolds.
"Order! I need order!" Uta yells as she waves the baton in the air. "Just shut up and listen!"
Everyone reluctantly went silent and allowed the diva to speak her mind out, although they were all not quite happy about it.
"First off, my drawings are cute. Second off, you have many batons, Gordon and finally, I was going to explain the plan in detail." Uta said as she waves the baton. "That is until I was rudely interrupted by the peanut gallery."
"Yeah, like that was the perfect place to end your sentence." Abell said sarcastically.
"No talking back!" Uta scolds as she swipes the baton towards Abell.
Suddenly, the baton snapped due to Uta swinging it too fast. Everyone went deadly silent as they watched the piece of wood fly in the air and land on the ground. Uta begins to sweat and looks away as she feels the glare of Gordon burning her.
"Baton. Now." Gordon orders.
"Yes sir." Uta said humbly as she handed Gordon the broken baton. "I'm sorry."
"Well, you surely didn't gather us here to do comedy skits so you came out with it." Gordon said sternly.
"Yes sir." Uta said as she bows apologetically.
If there is anything that everyone learned during their time here in Elegia, is that no matter how strong Uta is or how much influence she has, she is still no match for Gordon. No one really knows what kind of training she went through, but it was enough to make Uta cease any tomfoolery.
"Anyways, I'll explain each picture in detail so you all have a better idea." Uta explains. "After I'm done explaining the plan, you can ask questions."
Everyone nodded in silence and Uta pointed her finger to the first drawing which is of her singing.
"The first step is to split you all into two teams, Abell and Pitch in one and Rave and Echo in the other." Uta said, pointing to the small group of four above her singing stick figure.
Rave suddenly stands up, stopping Uta from continuing.
"Hold on! Why are the strongest duo getting together?" Rave asks frantically. "Me and Echo won't stand a chance by ourselves and I barely know how to use haki!"
"First off, you underestimate yourself." Uta said. "Also, I said to wait to ask questions."
Rave settled down and sat back in her seat.
"Once you get into your groups, I'll summon Tot Musica by singing the song that is written on the old ancient sheets." Uta explains. "Gordon, the location of those music sheets are the same, right?"
"Yes, they are resting in the chambers next to the hidden library." Gordon confirms with a nod.
"As I said before, Tot Musica is a being that can be fully functional in both the Uta World and normal world simultaneously." Uta said. "That goes for the Sing Sing user."
"I see, so you will be fighting in both worlds." Pitch said. "I assume since the Uta World is safer you want Rave and Echo to enter there while me and tattoo stand guard in the real world."
"Yeah, for now, that'll be our starting positions." Uta said. "I wanted Gordon to be included in Rave's group, but..."
"I think I would rather stay in the real world." Gordon said. "If you two are wondering what you could do to prevent yourselves from going into the Uta World, you can use Uta's extra headsets."
"Oh yeah, they have a mute function." Pitch said.
"Once I summon Tot Musica, we're going to try and weaken it in both worlds by attacking it in union." Uta said. "We still won't know how strong it is until we fight it, so we need to be precise in our attack patterns."
"Sounds easy enough." Pitch says. "With a target so huge, I doubt we will have any problems."
"Yeah, well, I doubt it." Uta grumbles. "Truth is, not only do we need to time our attacks, but they need to be strong. According to Gordon, Shanks and the entire crew were needed to defeat Tot Musica in its weakened state and we only have five fighters going against this demon."
"Modern firearms and blades will not hurt Tot Musica as the legend says." Gordon added. "Abnormally powerful attacks will be the way to go as we have seen with Shanks."
"Thankfully, you are all very powerful individuals so I have faith that you guys can get the job done." Uta said, looking back at the blackboard. "However, if my theory on the strength of Tot Musica is accurate, that will not be enough."
"I guess that's where step three comes in?" Abell asks impatiently.
"I'm getting to it!" Uta snaps back. "Geez guys, what's your deal today? Anyways, once Tot Musica is weakened or our attacks fail to damage it, I'll use my awakened abilities."
"You mean the same thing you used on Abell?" Pitch asks. "Those were your awakened abilities?"
"Don't remind me." Abell scoffs.
"An awakened Sing Sing user can bring back objects or power from the Uta World to the real world by singing." Uta explains. "If I used that power on Tot Musica, what do you think would happen?"
"If your theory is correct about Tot Musica drawing power from the Uta World, they will be unable to draw energy from the Uta World and will be weakened!" Echo said excitedly. "Then we can go to the next step which is to destroy the gate or in this case, the music sheets."
"Hold on, I know you said we can't ask any questions." Abell said, raising her hand. "But I need to know if you are even capable of bringing the Demon King of Songs out from the Uta World to the real world."
"I have an idea of how to do it and I kinda practiced a bit." Uta said as she looked to the side. "Using my ability will take a lot of energy, but it should be doable."
"Ok then, and how will we destroy the music sheet?" Pitch asks. "I'm sure it can't be destroyed by ordinary means."
"Actually, it can." Uta said quickly. "It's possible as long as Tot Musica isn't residing in it and once it is summoned we destroy the music sheets quickly and effectively."
"And how do you know that it's possible?" Pitch asks.
"Well, you saw Abell crush the objects I brought back from the Uta World with your own eyes." Uta said, crossing her arms. "Don't tell me you forgot already."
Pitch and Rave think back to the time Uta summoned those large music notes and then remember Abell crushing it with her brute strength alone. When Uta puts it like that, the whole thing does sound possible.
"Of course, no matter what the outcome is, we must destroy those music sheets once Tot Musica is summoned." Uta said. "If it escapes back into the music sheet, all of our efforts will be for nothing."
"Ok, who will have that task of destroying the music sheet?" Echo asks.
"I assume that it's my job?"
Everyone looks over to Gordon who's sitting idly.
"I guess the former ruler should take on that responsibility." Gordon said, staring at Uta who hasn't stopped to object him. "Although, I guess you figured that out when you made that plan."
"Of course hearing you will destroy it came as a surprise to me." Uta said avoiding eye contact with Gordon. "I would never put you in harm's way."
"You know, I'm just as to blame for the incident if not entirely." Gordon said, shocking Uta. "It's the least I can do."
"Huh, what are you..."
Gordon raises his hand to stop Uta.
"Why don't you finish your plan before we get off track." Gordon suggests.
"You...you got me there." Uta said, scratching her head. "Ok, let's continue on with the final step which is probably the most simple out of all of the steps. Use all of our manpower to burst Tot Musica apart."
"So we're doing the same thing Shanks and his crew did, but with the hope of destroying Tot Musica permanently now that it can't retreat to the Uta World." Abell said, nodding. "Can't get any more simpler than that."
"That's the master plan." Uta said, concluding her plan. "Of course, with a target as deadly as Tot Musica, there will be some hiccups and we will not get out unscathed. Even if our plan is laid out, it won't be easy."
Everyone nods in agreement.
"Also, this is not up for debate, but if I'm unable to succeed, I want you all to escape and leave me behind." Uta said, shocking everyone. "Tot Musica will be after me so as long as I'm still alive, it will focus on me, the Sing Sing user."
"But..."
"No matter what, if I die in this battle, you all need to survive." Uta said cutting her friend off. "Got it?"
"At least, let me stay too."
Everyone looks over to see Gordon standing up.
"If Elegia is going to fall, I want to be there to see it." Gordon said. "It's my duty."
"Yeah, I can agree on that, but no one else got it?" Uta asks.
WHAP! POW! BAM!
Without any hesitation, all of the Section Leaders take a turn on striking Uta in the head.
"What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Uta asks as she holds her head in pain.
"YOU HONESTLY THINK WE WILL GO WITH YOUR DUMB ASS PLAN?!" the Section Leaders yell furiously.
Uta was so shocked at her friend's fury that she couldn't even retort.
"You absolute fool." Abell growls. "You think we will go along with your suicide plan? What an idiot."
"After all we've been through, you expect us to go through with that?" Abell asks with a hurt voice. "I must admit, I underestimated you."
"I didn't follow you just to watch you kill yourself." Rave said, upset.
"What's with you guys?" Uta asks, confused. "There's no reason for you all to get killed over me if..."
Uta looked over to see Pitch and Rave in tears. She has never seen them so saddened before and it stunned Uta.
"We will never go with a plan that will throw your life away!" the two said.
"Same thing can be said about you Gordon." Abell said. "There's no way I'm letting you or Uta die on my watch."
"Uta is one thing, but why save an old man like me?" Gordon asks.
"Isn't it obvious?" Echo asks as she steps in between the group. "The bond between you guys is too strong to be broken by some mere song demon, am I right?"
"Heh, even the outsider gets it." Abell said, chuckling. "As your Section Leaders, we are here to be with you through thick and thin. Even if it means facing hell itself."
"You took the words right out of my mouth." Pitch said, smiling behind her mask.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Rave adds.
"I've gone too far into this rabbit hole to leave you two behind." Echo adds. "Besides, there is so much more I want to learn from you all."
"Looks like it's a rebellion." Gordon said, laughing nervously. "I guess we're out of luck."
Uta looks at everyone smiling at her and she feels a great deal of guilt. Gordon lets out a sigh and nods in response to the Section Leader's resolve. Uta couldn't help, but laugh in self pity at the sight.
"Yeah, I've underestimated your resolve." Uta said, holding her head in her hand. "Now that everyone said their piece, I need to ask who's not on board with this plan?"
No one spoke up and gave Uta a determined look which gave her some relief.
"Ok, that's a relief on my part." Uta said, letting out a heavy sigh. "Now, who has questions?"
Abell raises her hand making Uta look at her disgusted.
"Anyone other than Abell?" Uta asks rudely.
WHAP!
"OW! I was just kidding!" Uta cries as she rubs the bump on her head. "You need to stop hitting me!"
"You've been pissing me off lately so I had it bottled up for awhile." Abell said as she cracked her knuckles. "Ready to answer my question?"
"I will once you show me some damn respect!" Uta yells back.
WHAP!
"Yes ma'am. I'll behave." Uta said humbly.
"Alright, now my first question is that are you willing to risk your life for this?" Abell asks in a more concerned tone. "If we do this and fail, you may never achieve your dream of making a New Genesis."
"It's fine." Uta said, a bit discerned. "One of my first goals was to summon Tot Musica and defeat him. That was the plan from the beginning."
"My last question is have you told him yet?" Abell asks nervously. "Luffy, I mean."
Uta's face changed from concerned to sadness and thinks back a couple days beforehand.
~Three days ago...
"You're doing it? You're going to summon the music man?"
"You mean Tot Musica? Then, yeah."
Uta and Luffy were holding another video call and as they went on to their weekly call routine, Uta brought up the topic of her making the decision to fight Tot Musica. Luffy was already aware of her fight with Abell and showed great concern over it, but Uta assured her friend that she and her made up in the end.
"This Tot Musica thing, was it the same thing that destroyed that music city?" Luffy asks.
"Yeah, same one." Uta confirms.
"The one that Shanks defeated, right?" Luffy asks.
"Uh huh, the exact same." Uta answers nervously.
"Do you think you are on the same level as Shanks?" Luffy asks in a more angry tone.
The change in Luffy's voice surprised Uta as she never heard Luffy in a serious voice before. For some reason, it made her hesitant to even continue talking.
"What's your point?" Uta asks nervously.
"If you face that thing as you are, you may die." Luffy said.
Uta knew the cost of facing Tot Musica could result in her demise, but hearing it from Luffy, or rather somebody else, felt entirely different. What Uta felt next wasn't sadness or confusion, but rage.
"You think you can boss me around?" Uta asks angrily. "Who do you think you are thinking that you can choose the path I take?"
"Oh please, like you can destroy something only Shanks is capable of defeating." Luffy yells back. "You think you can do what he can?"
Uta's rage only boiled from there.
"You think I can't defeat this on my own?" Uta roars. "Well, I'm going to and there is nothing you can do about it!"
"And you're just ok with dying?" Luffy yells back.
"If I die, it will be without any regrets!" Uta answers angrily. "I don't care what anyone else says! Not Gordon, not Abell, and not even you! I don't give a..."
Uta trailed off as she saw Luffy's saddened face. Uta realized that she crossed a line that should not have been crossed. She then regretted everything she had just said.
"So, you think that I'm fine with the thought of you dying, right?" Luffy asks through gritted teeth. "I guess, I had you all wrong."
"Luffy, I..."
Uta felt a pit in her stomach that was all too familiar.
"Well, screw that! If your plan involves you dying, there is no way in hell, I'm letting you do that." Luffy yells angrily.
Uta was stunned as she thought Luffy would be more sad than angry. The look on Luffy's face was something she has never seen before.
"And what will you do about it?" Uta asks, regaining her composure.
"I'm going to stop you." Luffy answers.
"No, you won't." Uta said glaring at Luffy. "No matter what, don't ever come here."
"Like you can make me." Luffy spats back. "This dumb plan of yours will..."
"Luffy, do you respect my plan to make a New Genesis?" Uta asks Luffy. "If so, then let me do this my way!"
Luffy couldn't respond to Uta's comment and just froze there angrily.
"Just as the road to becoming the Pirate King is full of death, so is mine." Uta answers. "I'll say this once and I'll say this again. Don't get in my way, or I will go ahead and stop you personally."
"I won't lose to you twice in a row." Luffy said glaring at Luffy. "I'm going there even if it kills me."
Uta grits her teeth in anger and would have crushed the snail with her hand if she didn't lose to her anger. Flashes of her and Luffy playing and hanging out enter her mind and more recent memories begin to appear.
"Luffy, you have a loyal crew waiting for your return after another year of training." Uta said calmly. "They're waiting for their captain to return."
Luffy didn't know how to answer Uta's statement and looked away.
"Don't throw your life away for me." Uta said, holding back her tears. "This may as well be the last call you and I make, so just know..."
"This will not be out last call!" Luffy yells. "You will defeat Tot Musica and get back to me alive! The only person who will defeat you from here on out will be me! So don't you dare lose to that music man!"
Uta looks away from the screen and wipes her tears away.
"...Yeah..." Uta said softly. "Back alive...You really do know the best way to cheer me up, do you?"
Uta looks over to Luffy who is now saddened and it bothers Uta greatly. Surely, this conversation must not be easy for Luffy, but Uta decided that he would be the first person to know about this. She owes him that much and if she left him out of the dark, the situation would've been much more dire.
"Uta, I didn't have the power to save Ace, you know." Luffy said not looking up. "But maybe, as I am right now, I could help you. If just a little."
Uta could tell where this was going and she had a feeling that this would be brought up.
"Why not let me help you?" Luffy pleads. "I can be of help to you and I won't get in the way! I promise!"
"You're training Luffy and you said it yourself, how can you fight against a monster that only Shanks was capable of defeating?" Uta asks. "It's better if only we fight this thing."
"Fine." Luffy says, crossing his arms.
Huh? He gave up way too fast. Uta thought as she watched her friend pout. That's not like him at all to give up so easily. No, I must be overthinking it.
"Look, I promise you that once this all rolls over, I will call you again." Uta said softly. "Can you trust me on this and please hold off until then?"
"Last time you said that, it was the day I lost you."
Uta's eyes widened as she remembered the day that Luffy and her were separated by Kuma and the devastation she felt was unimaginable. It must've been even worse for Luffy.
"But, if it's you, I'm willing to wait." Luffy said.
"That's the last thing you said to me before I lost you." Uta said, smiling sadly. "This raises some flags, huh?"
"But this time it's different because we're stronger." Luffy said. "Right?"
"Yeah, you're right." Uta said smiling. "We have gotten stronger."
"It's almost time for me to go, but promise me you will come back to me alive." Luffy said. "If not, I'll come over to you!"
"It won't come to that." Uta said smiling. "Thank you for listening to me, Luffy. You have no idea how much your words mean to me."
"I'm your childhood friend." Luffy said. "Of course, I'll come over to help if you need it."
"No need, but I'll see you later."
"You better!"
Uta hangs up and she feels tears welling up. She cries softly as the thought of that being the last call to Luffy enters her mind. Luffy helping her would be something she would want, but could let him be caught up in her ideals. However, hearing him say that he would help her through this moment meant the world, but he's a pirate and she's a diva. He shouldn't be getting involved and this must be the best choice. Even if she won't see him again, this has to be the best choice.
"Yeah...must be..." Uta weeps. "I'm sorry, Luffy..."
~Present day...
"No, he doesn't know." Uta lies. "I have no intention of bringing him into my problem."
"Still, why not?" Pitch asks. "You meddle in his affairs all the time."
"No, I don't!" Uta argues back. "Wait..."
Uta then realizes that she has done quite a bit in the name of Luffy such as helping him escape Loguetown, aiding him in the Auction House, assisting him in fighting Kuma, going to Amazon Lily, breaking into Marineford, and being with him for some of his training in Rusukaina. Now that Pitch mentions it, maybe Luffy wanted to join because he felt indebted to her. However, Uta shouldn't think about stuff that won't happen and pushes that thought aside.
"Luffy is quite the strong individual so having him would help us majorly." Abell said. "We all know how capable he is and by now he is a stronger fighter than any of us Section Leaders. You have contact with him, why not ask him?"
"Personally, I don't want him to be caught up in this life or death situation." Uta honesty says. "He is busy training to become a stronger person and I shouldn't break his concentration. Even ten minutes a week could ruin his training and Rayleigh is quite the generous man to let us have that."
Everyone understands the situation and Abell drops the topic hesitantly. Gordon thinks back a couple days beforehand and remembers as she accidentally eavesdropped on their conversation. He knew that Uta told him everything and how conflicted she was when Luffy begged her to come and help her. If he were in a position to bring someone important to him into a life or death situation, he wouldn't drag them in either. However, Uta's friends are different and are not by any means ordinary people.
"I have a question too." Pitch said, raising her hand. "I understand you want to destroy Tot Musica to expand on your New Genesis, but why are you in such a rush? Surely, you could've waited maybe a year or two to get better control of your awakened abilities or gather more allies."
"Yeah, that detail was bugging me too, but I was afraid to ask." Gordon added. "Surely, the seal would...wait."
Gordon looked over to Uta who had a grim look on face and nodded.
"I think it will be better to show you rather than explain it." Uta said. "Come on, follow me."
Uta leads everyone into Elegia's catacombs and down the long hallway. Everyone recognized this as the path to go to the forbidden library, but Uta led the group further down. Gordon has a bad feeling as he knows where Uta is taking the group. Uta then walks everyone to the dead end of the hallway and once everyone has gathered, Uta pushes one of the bricks activating some mechanic to open a secret door.
"It wouldn't be surprising to find some hidden passages in some old ruins." Echo said. "But, I still can't believe I let this pass me."
"How do you know about the secret passageway?" Gordon asks.
"Instincts." Uta answers. "Now, follow me."
Everyone follows Uta as they did, their tension in the air thickens and it feels as if they were entering an invisible layer of fog. They can sense it in the all and it was sickening just to be in it. Finally, Uta leads them to a large room and everyone was shocked with fear when they saw what was before them. A large cobblestone door that was chained shut with several layers of talisman. With just a glance, everyone could tell what the purpose of this door was for.
"What the hell?" Rave asks, shocked. "Is that what they use to keep Tot Musica away?"
"It's huge." Echo said, staring at the door. "All of this just to hold some music sheets?"
"Naturally, the people feared Tot Musica and the previous Sing Sing users would reseal it every couple of decades due to that fear." Pitch said. "However, it looks like that won't work this time."
"The seal wasn't like this ten years ago." Gordon said nervously. "The walls, chains, and even the talisman..."
"Yeah, they're deteriorating." Abell said, looking at her surroundings. "The chains are rusting , the talisman is burning, and the stone wall is cracking apart."
CRACK! CRICK! SNAP! CRACK!
Everyone freezes as the stone walls begin to break apart and the dreaded feeling grows even stronger.
"Yeah, Tot Musica is too strong for the seal too bear and even if I did reseal it, I doubt it will hold." Uta said nervously. "The only option to prevent its full recovery is to destroy it."
"That's why you are in such a rush." Abell said. "You want to get rid of it before the seal breaks."
"Still, using so much reinforcement and talisman for a music sheet, it's like it's keeping a curse away." Echo said backing up.
"A curse...yeah, that's exactly what this is." Uta said with a laugh. "Tot Musica was created many centuries ago by the God of Curses, or better yet the origin of the power of the Sing Sing fruit."
"Curse?" Gordon repeats.
"The Sing Sing Fruit's true name is the Curse Curse Fruit." Uta said. "A power feared by all."
Everyone was silent as they stared at Uta in shock and disbelief.
"How long did you know about this?" Gordon asks.
"Since we explored the hidden library." Uta admits. "C'mon, let's go. I don't want you all to get too exposed to this darkness."
Everyone leaves as soon as possible and Uta decides to go, but she then hears that cursed voice. The same one that was keeping her up at night. She looks back to the stone gate and glares.
You are...close to despair...soon...you will be mine...
Uta doesn't get why she can hear this voice, but she can make a clear prediction who it is.
"As if I would lose to some old music sheets." Uta said with a scoff. "I will destroy and you will fear despair, not me."
With that Uta leaves the room as the sound cackling can be heard as she walks further away. With everyone exhausted from the plan explanation, the majority went to sleep, with the exception of one individual. It is Gordon. Once everyone went to bed, Gordon walks over to the intercom room and unlocks a side door with his personal set of keys. He then walks over to a transponder snail and picks it up to make a call.
I'm sorry Uta, but you leave me with no choice.
"Hey, it's me. Listen, to what I'm about to tell you."
Looks like things are getting intense now. Uta's plan is laid out and everyone is on board for this life or death mission. Unfortunately, it looks as if Luffy decided not to go or rather, Uta forced him to say, and so he won't come to help. There are other lore hints and revelations that Uta has revealed to her friends which will most likely be expanded later in the story. Also, who is the person that Gordon is calling? Find out later in the next chapter! As a side note, a new chapter will be posted about every two weeks instead of one due to their length so just be aware! Until next time, bye!