With their destination clearly marked and Shanks' crew possessing years of experience navigating between the Four Seas and the New World, their journey proceeded at remarkable speed. Though they made no stops along the way, the sights visible from the Red Force's deck amazed Ace and Luffy—their first glimpse of the vast world beyond East Blue's familiar waters.
"There it is," Shanks announced from the bow, pointing toward a distant landmass. "The Music Kingdom of Elegia."
What greeted them was a vista of devastation. Where once stood a beautiful nation dedicated to the arts, now only ruins remained scattered across the landscape like broken instruments.
"Did Tot Musica cause all this destruction?" Gustave asked, surveying the desolate scene.
"That night, the demon emerged and destroyed more than half the island's buildings," Shanks replied heavily. "I tried my best to stop it, but this beautiful country was still lost. Tot Musica was the strongest opponent I'd ever faced—I couldn't claim victory, only managed to seal it away again through desperate effort."
"Don't dwell on the past," Gustave said, placing a reassuring hand on Shanks' shoulder. "Our mission now is bringing Uta home."
Shanks nodded with renewed determination.
On Elegia's lonely shores, Uta had spent countless hours staring across the empty waters since the Red Hair Pirates' departure. The island's destruction weighed heavily on her spirit, and she often came to this dock seeking solace she couldn't find.
"Uta, let's return to the palace," King Gordon said gently, approaching from behind.
"Yes, Grandfather Gordon," she replied listlessly, turning to leave—then froze as familiar red sails appeared on the horizon.
"Shanks!" The name escaped her lips involuntarily, carrying months of longing and pain.
But almost immediately, her expression darkened with fury. That man was no longer her beloved father, but the monster who had destroyed her new home and everyone in it.
Gordon's heart clenched at the sight of the approaching ship. On that terrible night, Shanks had begged him to maintain the lie—to let the Red Hair Pirates bear responsibility for Tot Musica's rampage while caring for the traumatized child.
"Grandfather Gordon, let's go!" Uta grabbed his hand, desperate to escape before the pain became unbearable.
But four figures had already landed on the dock before them.
"Po! Uncle Gustave! Tom!" Uta's resentment toward Shanks couldn't diminish her joy at seeing these cherished friends. "How did you get here?!"
"We came to bring you home, Uta," Po said with his gentle smile, extending his hand toward her.
"But why are you traveling with Shanks?" Confusion filled her voice. "He's the criminal who destroyed Elegia!"
"Mr. Gordon," Shanks said, his voice heavy with resolve, "I've come to take Uta home. I've decided to tell her the truth about that night."
Uta's eyes darted between Shanks and Gordon, her mind racing. "The truth? What truth?"
"Shanks," Gordon asked seriously, "are you certain about this?"
"Yes," Shanks nodded firmly.
"What's going on?" Uta's words trembled with confusion and growing anxiety.
"Uta, we lied to you about what happened that night," Shanks began slowly. "The destruction of Elegia wasn't caused by us. It was..."
As Shanks revealed the horrific reality—how her singing had awakened Tot Musica, how the demon had possessed her body, how an entire kingdom had died because of her voice—Uta's world crumbled completely.
Unable to process such devastating truth, she fled toward Elegia's center, seeking somewhere to hide from the unbearable reality.
"Gustave, was it right to tell her?" Shanks asked, doubt consuming him.
"Don't worry," Gustave replied confidently. "Since Po, Tom, and I followed you here, we'll definitely bring Uta back."
He called to his friends, and all three immediately pursued the fleeing girl.
"Shanks, who are they?" Gordon asked, watching the trio disappear into the ruins.
"They're my friends," Shanks answered slowly, "and some of Uta's most beloved people."
Moments after Gustave's group caught up with Uta, a massive explosion rocked the island. A monstrous shadow erupted skyward—Tot Musica had broken free of its seal once again!
"Damn it! How is this possible?" Shanks gripped Gryphon's hilt, staring at the nightmare he thought they'd ended forever.
Beckman, Luffy, and the others quickly anchored the Red Force and joined their captain.
"Shanks, is that Tot Musica?" Luffy asked, his voice small before the terrifying apparition.
"Yes," Shanks confirmed grimly. "That is the Demon King Tot Musica!"
He drew his blade, preparing for another desperate battle—when suddenly, storm clouds gathered overhead and massive lightning bolts crashed down upon the rampaging demon.
"Gustave and the others have engaged Tot Musica!" Shanks shouted. "Let's support them!"
Without hesitation, he charged toward the battle with Gryphon raised high, his crew following immediately.
Luffy started to rush after them, but Ace grabbed his arm.
"Ace! Why won't you let me fight?!" Luffy demanded.
"You idiot!" Ace shouted back angrily. "You and I would only be liabilities against something that strong! We'll help when the situation stabilizes!"
"Damn it!" Luffy punched the ground in frustration, forced to acknowledge his current weakness.
"Gustave!" Shanks called out after deflecting one of Tot Musica's attacks. "Why has Tot Musica emerged again?"
"I don't know!" Gustave replied while dodging the demon's claws. "We just caught up to Uta when this thing suddenly appeared!"
Neither could spare attention for further conversation as Tot Musica's assault intensified, forcing them into desperate evasive maneuvers.
"Why is Tot Musica so much stronger than before?!" Beckman yelled after barely blocking a devastating strike.
No one had answers, and the demon's power seemed to grow with each passing moment, forcing the heroes into an increasingly desperate defense.
After prolonged combat yielded no progress, Gordon suddenly recalled crucial information from ancient texts.
"I remember now!" he shouted from the sidelines. "Tot Musica exists simultaneously in both the real world and the spiritual realm! To defeat it completely, we must attack from both planes!"
"Moreover, Tot Musica's manifestation depends on Uta's emotional state. She must resist the demon from within the dream world!"
"But how do we enter the spiritual realm?" Luffy asked frantically, watching the battle grow more dire.
"Tom!" Ace exclaimed suddenly. "Tom must have a way!"
When facing impossible problems, Tom had always provided impossible solutions.
Ace and Luffy braved the chaotic battlefield's edge, shouting this revelation to the combatants.
Hearing their cries, Tom immediately produced a pen from nowhere and began drawing casually in midair. A door materialized before everyone's amazed eyes.
When Tom opened his impossible portal, they could see an identical world beyond—complete with its own rampaging Tot Musica.
"Shanks!" Gustave called out. "Po, Tom, and I will enter the dream world! We'll attack from both sides simultaneously and end this once and for all!"
"Understood!" Shanks replied.
Gustave, Po, and Tom rushed through the portal. Just as Tom's door began fading, Luffy suddenly sprinted inside.
"LUFFY!" Ace screamed in fury and terror. "You reckless idiot! I'll make you pay when this is over!"
Inside the dream realm, the team immediately coordinated their assault. Po engaged Tot Musica directly with his Emperor-level strength, Gustave targeted vital points with precision lightning strikes, and Tom harassed the demon from range with a shotgun that appeared from his inexhaustible cartoon arsenal.
Though Tom's weapon seemed modest, each shot caused Tot Musica to roar in genuine agony.
While the trio occupied the demon's attention, a small figure found Uta trapped within her own mind.
"Uta! Uta, wake up!" Luffy shook her desperately.
When Gustave's group had called out to Uta earlier, it had created a vulnerability in her defenses. Tot Musica had exploited that opening to imprison her consciousness, allowing the demon to manifest with ever-increasing power as her confusion and despair deepened.
Under Luffy's persistent efforts, Uta's eyes finally opened.
"Luffy? Why are you here?"
"I came to bring you home!" he said with pure joy.
"Home?" Uta curled into herself, tears flowing freely. "I don't have a home anymore. I destroyed Elegia. I made Shanks bear the shame of destroying a country. Everything is my fault."
"You're even dumber than me!" Luffy declared with characteristic bluntness. "And Ace always says I'm stupid!"
"You didn't destroy Elegia—Tot Musica did! The demon just used the seal your singing accidentally opened!"
"What matters now is standing up and helping Gustave, Shanks, and everyone defeat Tot Musica!"
"Don't you want the whole world to hear your voice? How can you share your music if you don't defeat this thing first?"
Despite his usual hot-headedness, Luffy possessed an unshakeable determination to pursue his goals regardless of obstacles—exactly the quality Uta needed most.
"Luffy..." she whispered, looking at him with new understanding.
"Uta, stand up! Let's defeat Tot Musica together!"
He extended both hands toward her with absolute confidence.
"Yes!" Uta grasped his hands and rose to her feet.
The moment she stood, Tot Musica screamed in agony as its power began weakening dramatically.
In both the dream and physical realms, all the heroes coordinated their most powerful attacks, targeting Tot Musica's forehead simultaneously.
In a cataclysmic explosion that shook both worlds, the Demon King Tot Musica was finally, completely destroyed.
As the smoke cleared and silence returned to Elegia, Uta's long nightmare was finally over—and her real family had come to bring her home.