Chapter 307: Selling Oneself to Pay Off Debts
Judging by the countermeasures Shanks employed regarding the Elegia incident in the original timeline... calling it a complete disaster would be an understatement; it was an absolute, fundamental failure.
Operating under the twisted logic of "doing what was best for Uta," he made a catastrophically wrong decision that ultimately pushed a perfectly normal girl down the path of absolute madness.
In the end, her desperation led her to attempt to violently drag the entire world into her "Song World" to create a utopian reality devoid of pain, triggering an apocalyptic crisis that nearly destroyed the world.
Daring to leave Gordon alone to raise Uta was an insanely bold gamble. Even blindly dropping her off with a random, ordinary villager in Foosha Village would have been exponentially more reliable than leaving her isolated with Gordon.
"Don't ever assume that just because they're children, they don't understand anything," Nanamo lectured, her tone dead serious. "The truth is equally as important to a child as it is to an adult. This decision of yours will permanently alter the entire trajectory of her life."
"I have been thoroughly educated..." Shanks sighed, a profound look of realization crossing his face. "Looking at it this way, I actually feel infinitely more at ease entrusting her to you."
He pressed the brim of his straw hat down, having firmly concluded that Nanamo was a highly reliable surrogate guardian.
"Are you even listening to a single word I'm saying?!" Nanamo scowled.
"No, I heard you perfectly clearly," Shanks replied, his expression turning solemn. "I've lingered in this half of the Grand Line for far too long. In these waters, I can safely keep Uta on my ship. But the upcoming voyage... the New World is simply far too dangerous for her.
"She has her own magnificent dream to achieve, and I have monumental tasks I absolutely must complete. I will leave the responsibility of telling her the truth to you, Princess Nanamo.
"However, all the infamy and hatred born today shall be borne entirely by the Red Hair Pirates. Please tell Uta that we absolutely did not abandon her. Tell her that once her voice echoes across the entire sea, and once this world has been shaped into a slightly more ideal place... we will undoubtedly meet again."
Nanamo's response was to violently whip a small, orange-yellow seashell directly at Shanks's face. He barely managed to catch it.
"You sailed to Skypiea with Roger, didn't you? If you have something to say to her, say it yourself! This is a Tone Dial; you should know perfectly well how to use it."
"A Tone Dial, huh? It's certainly been a long time since I've held one of these. It brings back memories..." Shanks smiled nostalgically, before turning to his crew. "Alright, boys! Let's hurry! If Uta wakes up before we leave, we might not have the heart to say goodbye!"
Shanks naturally knew how to operate the Dial. He gathered the rest of the Red Hair Pirates, and together, they recorded a heartfelt, chaotic farewell message.
The physical toll of summoning the Demon King of Songs was incredibly severe. By the time Uta finally regained consciousness, the Red Force had long since departed the coastal waters; only the faintest, blurry silhouette of the ship remained on the horizon.
"Shanks..." Uta murmured, rubbing her eyes.
"He's gone," Nanamo said simply, sitting beside the bed. "His upcoming voyage is far too dangerous, and it wasn't safe to bring you along. So, he decided to leave you with me for some advanced training."
"What?!" Uta jolted upright.
"He left this recording for you before they departed. He explained things clearly enough. You should listen to it yourself."
Before Uta could even begin to process the horrific reality of the situation, Nanamo clicked the Tone Dial.
[Uta... by the time you hear this recording, I've already set sail...]
Tears welled up in Uta's eyes as the recording played. "Why... why didn't you take me with you...?"
"The things he has to do moving forward truly are incredibly dangerous. Red Hair has to enter the New World eventually. Temporarily separating from you was the most logical, safest tactical decision," Nanamo explained calmly.
"Although he made a grand promise to come see you again once your voice reaches across the sea... I certainly didn't agree to completely stop you from going to see him yourself."
The moment the emotional recording from the Red Hair Pirates ended, Nanamo smoothly dropped her own proposition, instantly reigniting the spark in Uta's despairing eyes.
"Really?!"
"I always keep my word," Nanamo smiled. "Red Hair said you were a massive fan of mine, so you should know exactly where my kingdom is located. If your adoptive father wants to conquer the New World, he is absolutely guaranteed to sail right past our front door. He couldn't hide from us even if he tried.
"Furthermore, whenever I have free time, I can casually take you out for a stroll. Even in the New World, aside from those ancient apex monsters, there are very few people who can actually cause me any real trouble."
It wasn't that Shanks was entirely incapable of protecting Uta. After all, he was destined to become one of the Four Emperors—and the one with the most terrifying, impenetrable political connections at that. He absolutely possessed the power to protect a territory in the New World.
But that was in the future. Currently, Shanks had to personally handle countless brutal, high-stakes conflicts to carve out his empire. When his attention was violently divided in a deathmatch, he naturally couldn't guarantee her absolute safety.
Nanamo, however, was completely different. Fundamentally, her daily life was incredibly leisurely and relaxed. Carving out time to babysit and train a prodigy was no trouble at all.
To successfully comfort a crying child, you first needed to understand exactly what they desperately wanted. Having quickly grasped Uta's deepest desires, Nanamo's words perfectly struck the right chords.
Combined with her massive "Idol Halo" effect, Uta's emotional state stabilized surprisingly well.
"However, don't celebrate just yet. I need to make one thing absolutely, crystal clear," Nanamo's tone grew serious. "An ancient demon was sealed deep beneath Elegia.
"During your concert, that demon maliciously manipulated your voice, tricking you into breaking its seal. That is what caused the apocalyptic destruction of Elegia.
"It wasn't your intention, and it absolutely wasn't your fault. But unfortunately, you were the catalyst. Because of this, your beloved Shanks made a massive decision. He has chosen to shoulder the absolute responsibility for this disaster. The Red Hair Pirates will take the blame as villains, intentionally drawing all the world's hatred to protect you. Furthermore, they intend to fully compensate the citizens of this nation for their catastrophic economic losses.
"But... Shanks didn't actually have enough liquid cash to pay for an entire destroyed country. Therefore, he took out a massive, astronomical loan directly from me. If you genuinely want to help him... you're going to have to work for me to pay off his debt."
Nanamo leaned in, a brilliant, highly calculated smile spreading across her face.
"The job itself is incredibly simple. All you have to do is sing upon the grandest, most magnificent stages I build for you. I firmly believe there are countless people across this sea who will gladly throw their money at us just to hear your voice."
Nanamo hadn't fabricated a single word; she merely framed the absolute truth in a highly specific, manipulative manner.
By phrasing it this way, she instilled Uta with a profound sense of purpose. Even though they were temporarily separated, Uta now firmly believed she was actively helping Shanks and fighting alongside him. Instead of falling into despair, she was instantly brimming with fiery motivation to work off the "debt."
However, Nanamo didn't immediately drag Uta back to Fish-Man Island. Instead, she took a detour to the North Blue to have Queen Otohime thoroughly assess Uta's psychological state.
Whether it was profound empathy or psychological intervention, Otohime was the absolute, undisputed master. Nanamo wanted to ensure Uta hadn't buried any dark, lingering trauma that might randomly mutate into violent self-destructive tendencies in the future.
The apocalyptic events that transpired in Elegia were utterly impossible to conceal, and the narrative developed exactly as Shanks had orchestrated.
Headlines like [The Destroyers of Elegia] and [The Vicious Red Hair Pirates] plastered the front pages of newspapers worldwide.
For countless people across the globe, this year was violently turbulent.
The world-famous, beloved stage actress Victoria Cindry tragically died after an accidental fall from a stage.
Driven by maddening grief and an obsessive desire to resurrect Cindry, the man known as the world's greatest surgeon, Dr. Hogback, officially allied himself with the Warlord Gecko Moria. Utilizing his peerless surgical skills, he began meticulously stitching together superior corpses for Moria to reanimate, creating an even more terrifying zombie army.
Uta was temporarily separated from the Red Hair Pirates. And far away in Foosha Village, Luffy also lost an immense amount this year.
His childhood friend had mysteriously vanished, and after entrusting him with his iconic straw hat, Shanks similarly departed Foosha Village.
Shortly after, his sworn brother, Sabo, was seemingly "killed" by the apocalyptic cannon fire of a Celestial Dragon. Having endured a barrage of agonizing tragedies, Luffy was forced to mature significantly this year.
Uta didn't remain in the North Blue for long. Once Otohime confidently confirmed that the girl's heart was still incredibly bright and resilient, Nanamo brought her directly to Fish-Man Island to officially commence her rigorous idol training.
Within the ranks of the Marines, a massive, historic reshuffling of high-level personnel occurred.
Former Fleet Admiral Kong was officially promoted to the prestigious position of Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's Armed Forces.
The vacant seat of Marine Fleet Admiral was successfully inherited by former Admiral Sengoku the Buddha.
Simultaneously, Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino were formally promoted to the rank of Admiral. After remaining vacant for years, the three legendary seats of the Marine Admirals were finally, officially filled.
The internal Marine propaganda newspapers aggressively heralded this reshuffle as the dawn of the "Strongest Era of the Marines," massively boosting global military morale.
Three monstrously powerful new Admirals, the legendary Hero Garp, and the relentless output of elite soldiers from the Marine Boot Camp—all of these factors caused the Marines' internal confidence to skyrocket. They firmly believed they were now perfectly equipped to violently suppress the Great Pirate Era and uphold their absolute Justice.
However... in the first half of the Grand Line, aboard a Marine training vessel, a ship full of elite recruits was currently facing the most apocalyptic crisis of their entire lives.
Despite being Marines, they were absolutely not immersed in the joyous celebration of the new Admirals.
Although the inspiring speeches from the Fleet Admiral's inauguration still echoed in their ears, fancy political rhetoric couldn't save them from the slaughter happening right in front of them.
"Weevil! My precious, wonderful son! Kill every single one of these annoying pests!"
"Okay, Mama! I'll kill 'em all right now!!"
A towering, seven-meter-tall behemoth of a man was currently violently rampaging across the deck of the warship, wielding a massive naginata. Thick, unruly blonde hair danced wildly behind him with every devastating swing of his blade.
His legs appeared comically slender, but his upper body was packed with terrifying, hyper-developed muscles. Every single casual swing of his weapon violently reaped the lives of multiple Marine recruits.
He wore a black bandana over his head, and a long, white, crescent-shaped mustache adorned his upper lip. Every single physical trait eerily resembled the legendary "Strongest Man in the World," Whitebeard. Yet, the vacant, profoundly idiotic expression plastered across his face made it fundamentally impossible for anyone to genuinely associate the two.
This pirate's name was Edward Weevil—a monster claiming the exact same surname as Whitebeard.
"You bastard... STOP THIS INSTANT!"
A furious, thunderous roar erupted. The very microsecond the voice registered, a massive, pitch-black fist violently slammed toward Weevil. The strike forced Weevil to halt his slaughter, violently swinging his naginata upward to block the incoming blow.
BOOM!
The thick, reinforced shaft of the naginata violently collided with the Haki-infused fist. The sheer kinetic impact forced Weevil to stumble backward several steps, his massive boots crushing deep holes directly through the reinforced deck.
The man who threw the punch was Zephyr, universally known as "Z"—the Chief Instructor of the Marine Boot Camp and a former Marine Admiral.
However, his current physical condition was highly unstable.
"You're really annoying! Your punches hurt a lot! Can you stop getting in my way?!" Weevil whined, sounding like a petulant toddler. "Mama told me to kill all of them! If you stop me, I'll turn into a bad boy who doesn't listen to his Mama!"
"You piece of... huff... huff..."
Before Zephyr could finish his sentence, a sudden, violently suffocating tightness gripped his chest. His movements involuntarily stuttered. In a high-speed deathmatch, that microscopic hesitation was fatal.
Weevil instantly seized the opening, violently swinging his blade to force Zephyr back before casually returning to butchering the terrified Marine recruits.
"How utterly pathetic. To think the legendary former Admiral, 'Black Arm' Zephyr, has been reduced to such a miserable, gasping state. If you hadn't arrogantly interfered with our business, things wouldn't have escalated to this point, now would they?"
Standing just behind Zephyr, a short, incredibly wrinkled old woman draped in a leopard-print fur coat and adorned with gaudy, luxurious jewelry cackled mockingly.
This was Miss Buckingham Stussy—or "Bakkin"—the woman Weevil affectionately called "Mama."
And dangling from her wrinkled fingers was a small, pressurized medical inhaler. This was the exact reason Zephyr's combat capability had plummeted so catastrophically.
As he aged, Zephyr's physical health had deteriorated significantly compared to peers like Sengoku or Garp. He had developed severe, chronic asthma. Once he engaged in extreme, high-intensity combat, he was highly susceptible to violent asthma attacks.
Originally, Bakkin and Weevil were simply in the area plundering treasure ships. They had coincidentally crossed paths with Zephyr's training vessel, which was currently conducting its final graduation exam. However, the apocalyptic, brute strength Weevil possessed vastly exceeded anything these recruits could possibly handle.
And despite her diminutive size and old age, Bakkin was no pushover. She was a former member of the legendary Rocks Pirates, recruited back in the day through a violent Davy Back Fight. Her foundational combat instincts were still razor-sharp, making her far too dangerous for the recruits to subdue.
The Marine Boot Camp wasn't a daycare; there was naturally an acceptable casualty quota for live-combat exams. Initially, Zephyr hadn't intervened. But the moment he realized the opponent was an apocalyptic monster far beyond the recruits' capabilities, he stepped in—only to suffer a catastrophic accident.
Coordinating flawlessly with Weevil's brute-force assault, Bakkin had utilized her deceptive speed to expertly pickpocket Zephyr's emergency asthma medication.
With his asthma violently flaring up, Zephyr couldn't exert even a fraction of his true strength. Facing the systematic massacre of the students he loved like his own children, the legendary Admiral was rendered utterly, agonizingly helpless.
Furious that Zephyr had dared to interfere with her lucrative piracy, Bakkin was determined to make him suffer. While directly killing a former Admiral was difficult, she knew Zephyr currently lacked the stamina to stop them. Thus, she maliciously ordered Weevil to completely ignore Zephyr and systematically butcher the terrified recruits right in front of his eyes.
However... absolutely no one aboard the blood-soaked Marine vessel noticed that, just a short distance away on a rocky reef, someone was currently violently vomiting seawater. Beside that person, someone else was laughing hysterically.
"Cough! Cough! Hrk..."
"Pfft... ha... hahaha!"
"Stop laughing! Aren't we supposed to be friends?! If you're not going to comfort me, the least you could do is not mock me!"
"I'm sorry... hahaha... I'm so sorry, I just can't help it!"
The person violently violently coughing up seawater was Yamato, while the one laughing uncontrollably was Chloe.
At sixteen years old, they were more than strong enough to independently navigate the treacherous waters of Paradise without needing constant, high-level escorts. Furthermore, Chloe possessed an absolute, fail-safe backup plan: as long as they were anywhere near the ocean, she could effortlessly summon an army of colossal Sea Kings to their aid.
Just moments prior, Yamato had a sudden, brilliant idea: she wanted to challenge Chloe to a high-speed foot race directly across the surface of the ocean.
Although Yamato was a Devil Fruit user, her Mythical Zoan abilities allowed her to project intense, freezing aura. Technically, she could freeze the water beneath her feet and run across the ice, not entirely dissimilar to Admiral Kuzan.
The race had been going relatively smoothly, but a sudden, violent barrage of stray cannonballs erupting from the distance had completely shattered Yamato's rhythm.
If she had simply frozen a massive, solid sheet of ice across the entire sea, the cannon fire wouldn't have mattered. But Yamato, wanting to look "cooler" and more skilled, had opted to only freeze tiny, individual stepping stones precisely where her feet landed.
When the unexpected explosions startled her, she missed her footing and immediately plunged straight into the ocean. Chloe had to swiftly dive in and fish her out.
"I have every reason to suspect you!" Yamato coughed, pointing a wet finger at her friend. "You deliberately waited an extra ten seconds to let me swallow more seawater before pulling me up!"
"It was to teach you a vital lesson!" Chloe snickered. "You're a Devil Fruit user! Stop trying to be so arrogant around the ocean! You can't fly, and you can't breathe underwater! Why were you trying to show off anyway?!"
"Cough... it was just a sudden whim! If it weren't for that unexpected outside interference, I absolutely wouldn't have messed up! And I wouldn't have even tried it if I wasn't traveling with you! I'm fully aware that ability users need to respect the sea!"
Thinking of the "outside interference," Yamato suddenly sat up straight, her eyes narrowing as she glared fiercely in the direction the cannonballs had flown from.
"Let's go take a look," Yamato growled, grabbing her kanabo. "I want to see exactly which blind idiot is randomly firing cannons out here and ruining my race!"
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