Meanwhile, Yamato sat on Kaido's broad dragon back, her long white hair blowing wildly in the whistling sea wind.
She was idly scrolling through her phone when suddenly, a notification for Uta's latest concert video popped up.
In the video, Uta stood under the spotlight, her red and white hair shimmering with a dreamlike glow in the stage lights, and her voice was no longer as enchanting as rumored, but instead conveyed an unprecedented sincerity and softness:
"Everyone… I have learned the truth of everything." Uta gripped the microphone tightly with both hands, tears glistening in her eyes, "Regarding the power of the song-song fruit, regarding those terrible rumors… I promise everyone, I will absolutely never do such things again."
Her voice was gentle yet firm, echoing between the sea and sky:
"I just want more people to hear my songs, to find a moment of relaxation through music, and to release the stress of life.
I want to use my songs to bring a little beauty to this world…"
Yamato's eyes instantly welled up!
She suddenly stood up, almost slipping off the dragon's back, and quickly grabbed Kaido's dragon horn in fright.
But at this moment, she didn't care about that, shouting excitedly at her phone screen: "Uta! I support you! You must stick to your dream!"
Her voice echoed between the sea and sky: "All those sleepless mushrooms are lies! Don't believe them! You must take good care of your body!"
As she spoke passionately, Yamato even waved her spiked club, almost hitting Kaido's dragon head.
"Hey! My unfilial child!" Kaido shook his head in pain, his dragon whiskers trembling with anger, "What are you going crazy about?!"
But Yamato was completely immersed in her emotion, continuing to shout at her phone: "Uta! Your songs are really great! I will always support you! You must sing happily!"
Kaido rolled his giant eyes, muttering from his dragon mouth: "Are young people these days all this crazy about idol chasing?"
He completely couldn't understand his daughter's fanatic state, "Isn't it just a little girl singing? Is there any need to be so excited?"
"What do you know about idol chasing!"
Kaido pouted.
Chase, chase, as long as she doesn't chase Oden.
Yamato stared blankly at Uta's sincere smile in the video, her heart feeling as if it was tightly gripped by an invisible hand.
The sea wind whistled past, but it couldn't blow away the surging emotions in her heart.
"This girl… is just like me…"
Uta's phrase, "make this world a better place," was like a key that suddenly opened a tightly locked door deep within Yamato's memory.
She seemed to see herself from twenty years ago, also a child imprisoned on Onigashima, also longing for freedom and understanding.
It was just that her body was bound by chains, while what confined Uta was her heart that longed to be loved.
Yamato's fingertips unconsciously traced her neck; the scars from the Sea Stone chains had long healed, but the pain in her memory was exceptionally vivid at this moment.
She understood that loneliness too well: being misunderstood by the world, being hurt by her closest relatives, yet stubbornly believing in the beauty of this world.
"She achieved what I couldn't…"
Yamato's clenched fists trembled slightly; Uta chose to heal others with her songs, while she could only resist fate with violence back then.
This gentle power made Yamato both envious and heartbroken.
She suddenly wanted to tell Uta: You don't have to be perfect, you don't have to bear the expectations of the whole world, just be your true self.
Yamato looked up, gazing in the direction of Elegia, her eyes shining with determined light.
This time, she would protect this "sister" she had never met in her own way, not as the successor of Kozuki Oden, but as Yamato, who had also emerged from the darkness.
"Wait for me, Uta," she whispered in her heart, "This time, it's my turn to be your guardian."
And Kaido could only continue flying helplessly, occasionally flicking his dragon tail to express his displeasure.
But seeing his child's rare happiness, he ultimately just snorted lightly and slightly slowed his flying speed, allowing Yamato to watch the video more steadily.
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"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"