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The sea breeze was gentle, carrying with it the sounds of the wind and the waves, and the salty smell of the ocean.
On the deck, the flames quickly receded.
The last remnants of the shadow in the sky dissipated like mist.
Kuma, Robin, and the others all stood there like statues, lost in the memories of the night's journey.
It was... fantastical.
Like a dream.
No.
More fantastical than a dream.
Nami took a sharp breath and closed her eyes.
Gordon was panting, his old bones thoroughly rattled.
Kuma took out his little notebook and began to write...
He had witnessed a miracle.
Carina was still reeling, the night's events having completely shattered her worldview.
Tashigi was in a daze, a look of awe and reverence in her eyes.
Robin let out a soft breath.
In the sunlight, the oppressive feeling was gone.
She looked around and saw Jin, standing at the prow of the conning tower, the last wisps of golden flame still clinging to him.
His massive, swollen form... at that moment, he looked like the ruler of the world, majestic and terrifying.
The sight of him shook her to her very core.
Sensing her gaze, Jin opened his eyes.
He was not in good shape.
Tot Musica had claimed more than one victim.
The souls of Elegia alone, so full of sorrow and anger, had been released in the flames, their memories flooding into him.
It was like absorbing too much "knowledge" all at once. He was stuffed. He would need some time to digest it all.
"Ai, free navigation," he commanded. "The rest of you, to your posts. I'm going to get some sleep."
His body sank into the deck, and he returned to the simple workshop from when the carrier had just been a model.
The power of the Castle-Castle Fruit shrank his body. The power of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit lightened his weight.
Before him was a single, fixed bed, a desk with a laptop and a printer, and a toolbox underneath.
It was familiar, like coming home.
No matter how much the demonic carrier had evolved, Jin had never changed the layout of this room. It was an anchor for his soul.
"There's no place like home," he sighed, touching the desk.
An outsider, long away from home... even a man with a heart of stone will feel a pang of homesickness.
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Jin had a dream.
He became a thousand different people, experiencing a thousand different sorrows, pains, angers, and despairs.
It was a terrible nightmare—
—And in the end of it, There was a musician. She had been frail and sickly from a young age, but she had been born with a kind of empathetic Observation Haki that allowed her to hear the pain of others. After accidentally eating a Devil Fruit, she had been blessed with a talent for music.
But her music was not sad. It was joyful, inspiring, powerful, and happy.
She had used her music to save people from their suffering. Until one day, she was framed as a criminal and became a wanted woman.
The people who had once loved her turned their backs on her. The audiences who had once cheered for her began to curse her, to hate her, to wish for her death.
Her husband and her child were murdered by the very people she had saved, their heads presented to a noble in exchange for a bounty.
How could they do that?
What was wrong with the world?
An overwhelming tide of pain, sorrow, despair, and anger washed over her.
More and more people came to capture her.
She didn't want to run anymore.
She returned to the place of her birth.
She sat at her piano.
And with all the hatred in her heart, she played.
She poured all of her emotions, her soul, her blood, and finally, her life, into the creation of Tot Musica.
Her malice toward the world, her intense emotions, seeped into the Sing-Sing Fruit, and at the moment of her death, it Awakened.
An uncontrolled Awakening.
Her name was Piresia.
Jin watched, impassive. It wasn't that he lacked sympathy, but... there are two sides to every story. What about the innocent people who had been killed by Tot Musica? Who would speak for them?
Right and wrong... he no longer had the heart to judge.
...
A gentle melody began to play.
It was Uta's voice.
"I come from the mountains, with an orchid in my hand..."
Her song was like a fresh breeze, like a clear mountain spring, stirring the innocence in one's heart.
The Sing-Sing Fruit allowed Uta to learn any song after hearing it just once, even in a language she didn't understand. The words may have been different, but the emotion was conveyed.
And then, Tot Musica began to play again. But it was no longer angry, no longer filled with hatred. It was calm, gentle.
And then, it became light, joyful.
Uta had rewritten the music, the lyrics, filling it with a yearning for a better life, a wild passion for the future and for freedom.
In her song, the resentment of Elegia faded away.
It, too, became specks of light, like stars, and scattered.
Tot Musica was reborn.
The dream ended.
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Jin woke up. Despite the constant nightmares, he didn't feel tired. In fact, he was full of energy.
His body had returned to normal.
And there was something soft against him.
He looked down.
Uta, naked, was lying in his arms, still unconscious. Her features were delicate, flawless.
He had "swallowed" her.
When Tot Musica was dealt with, she had returned to normal and had been "spit out."
That's why they were lying together.
To avoid any awkwardness, Jin moved to Robin's quarters and had her dress Uta. He then asked about what had happened.
"I was asleep for seven days and seven nights? That's a long time. Where are we now?"
"In the waters near Shimotsuki Village."
As they were talking, Uta, now dressed, was laid on the bed. A chain of golden fire extended from the wall, wrapping around her consciousness and pushing it back into her body.
Uta's eyelashes fluttered. She woke from her "dream."
"What... what happened?" she asked, sitting up, confused. She seemed to have lost some of her memories. But her face was flushed, and she couldn't meet Jin's eyes.
She was obviously faking it.
She might not remember much of what had happened in the "Sing-Sing Space," but she definitely knew what had happened afterward.
She was the one who had tamed Tot Musica.
But Jin and Robin, with a silent understanding, didn't call her on it.
Jin had Robin explain the situation to Uta and went outside for some fresh air. He also took the opportunity to check on the demonic carrier's changes.
It had "swallowed" the island of Elegia, which was now integrated into the ship's hull, in a second-level space within the "castle."
And the island now had a "Mirror Space," the virtual Elegia.
"Interesting," Jin thought, walking around the island. In the future, he could turn it into an amusement park, an entertainment center on the Empress.
He then went to the conning tower and contacted his various subordinates.
Dalton, Rear Admiral Enru, Hina, Crocodile, Maya... he got a status report from all of them. No major incidents.
"A solid foundation makes for smooth sailing," he thought.
He looked into the distance and saw a faint speck of green.
"Is that the island where Shimotsuki Village is?"
Jin stroked his chin. "I wonder if there's a connection between Tashigi and Kuina."
He had "borrowed" Tashigi from Smoker for this very reason: to bring her to Shimotsuki Village and find out.
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Shimotsuki Village, Isshin Dojo.
In the courtyard, a group of children were practicing.
Koushirou walked among them, correcting their posture, patiently instructing them.
"Don't just use brute force. Feel it. Breathe."
"Feel it? What does that mean, sensei?" a bold child asked.
For children of this age, a concept like "feeling" was too abstract.
Even a genius like Zoro had only come to understand it through countless battles.
A faint smile played on Koushirou's lips.
The path of the sword is like life. You have to experience it for yourself, to understand it for yourself.
"You'll understand when you're older."
"Aw, not again! I want to be a grown-up now!"
"I wish I could be a grown-up right now!"
The children chattered innocently, not knowing how many grown-ups longed to be children again.
A slightly older apprentice rushed in. "Sensei! There are some people outside. They say they're looking for you."
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