...
The Straw Hat crew's exploration in the dream world did not stop. In an unmarked area, they discovered a hidden secret door.
Pushing it open, what met their eyes was a completely dark space. Towering bookshelves reached straight to the ceiling, piled high with yellowed scrolls and books.
"This place… is completely different from the outside world."
Robin touched the wooden grain of the bookshelf, surprise flashing in her eyes.
"Watch out!" Zoro suddenly drew his swords.
From both sides of the bookshelves, two towering stone statues slowly "awakened."
Red light glowed in their eyes. The stone swords and stone axes in their hands came slashing down with whistling wind!
"These statues… are protecting something!"
Sanji blocked a stone sword with a kick, his tone stunned.
The stone guardian statues attacked with exceptional ferocity and showed no sign of fatigue.
The Straw Hat crew was forced into battle. Sword flashes, kicks, and cannon fire intertwined in the library.
"Those books… they must be the key!" Nami suddenly shouted.
While the Straw Hat crew battled the statues fiercely, Robin suddenly looked up and saw symbols appearing on the ceiling…
In contrast, the real world on Elegia had fallen into an eerie calm.
Uta stood at the center of the stage and stopped singing. She breathed lightly, cold sweat beading on her forehead. The toxicity of the Wake-shroom was beginning to blur her vision.
But her consciousness remained clear—because she had to stay clear until the plan was complete.
Holy Land Mary Geoise, between powers.
CP0's Rob Lucci reported the latest intelligence expressionlessly:
"According to model calculations, Uta's ability has spread through the global live broadcast, affecting people to varying degrees. If her 'dream world' fully solidifies…"
He paused, his voice ice-cold: "It is estimated that seventy percent of humanity's consciousness will be permanently imprisoned. Their real bodies will become vegetative, and social order will completely collapse within hours."
"Seventy percent?!"
Saint Mars, who had always been relatively calm, suddenly froze, his tone filled with shock and astonishment.
Saint Saturn's eyes widened too. For the first time, a look of horror appeared on that usually composed face: "Far beyond expectations… far beyond expectations!"
Saint Mars trembled—not from anger, but from dread.
It was the instinctive dread of world rulers facing a massive threat that could completely overturn the existing order.
The Five Elders exchanged glances.
Every face was grave to the extreme; even their breathing had become rapid.
Seventy percent of humanity…
The foundation of the World Government's rule was population, taxes, and order.
If seventy percent became vegetative at once, the remaining population could not sustain the current social structure.
Agriculture would collapse, industry would halt, trade would cease… Civilization's regression would be measured in days.
"We must stop it at all costs."
Saint Nusjuro's voice was hoarse: "Even if it means destroying the entire island of Elegia, even if it means sacrificing all the civilians on the island…"
His words shocked the other four. Elegia had quite a large population!
Inside the dream world, Uta was soothing the crowd.
Suddenly, commotion erupted from the back.
A fat figure swaggered forward, surrounded by dozens of black-clad bodyguards.
He wore a bubble helmet and luxurious Celestial Dragon attire. Seeing this outfit, every person in the dream world—regardless of their previous status—immediately knelt down in unison.
Even the soldiers Uta had converted from Marines into "guardians" instinctively dropped to one knee.
Even young children were firmly pressed to the ground by their parents, not daring to lift their heads.
This was the absolute deterrence brought by the Celestial Dragons, the World Nobles, the "descendants of gods" with supreme privileges.
Uta furrowed her brows tightly.
Having grown up on Elegia, her understanding of Celestial Dragons came only from the fragments Gordon had told her. In her eyes, this was just a ridiculously dressed, arrogant weirdo.
"Thanks for coming to my concert."
Uta even cracked a joke: "But this is my world—there are no VIP seats here."
Her words instantly made the fat Celestial Dragon's face flush red. His bodyguards, seeing this, immediately drew their pistols…
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Bullets shot toward Uta but were blocked by an invisible musical note barrier one meter away, clinking and falling to the ground.
"Useless trash!"
The Celestial Dragon suddenly exploded in rage. He actually raised his own golden pistol and aimed at the bodyguards who had just fired…
"Bang!" "Bang!"
After the shots rang out, the bodyguards fell.
"What are you doing!"
Uta cried out in shock. Instinctively rushing forward, healing musical notes surged from her hands to treat the wounded. In this world she had created, her ability could indeed do such things.
But the Celestial Dragon didn't even glance at the fallen bodyguards. He pointed at Uta and screamed: "What are you idiots standing around for! Grab her! Take her alive! I want to make her my slave!"
The surrounding Marine soldiers gritted their teeth, faces ashen as they stood up.
"Aren't the Marines supposed to be the force of justice?!"
Uta stomped her foot in fury, coldly questioning the Marines: "Why obey orders from someone like this? Why hurt innocent people?"
The Marine soldiers clenched their fists hard, nails digging into flesh.
But they had no choice. In this world, a Celestial Dragon's command was absolute. Resistance meant death—or even implicating their families.
"Because they are 'gods.'"
An old soldier said in a low voice, full of bitterness: "And we… are just mortals."
Hearing this, Uta froze.
She looked at the masses kneeling on the ground, at the suppressed rage and fear in the Marine soldiers' eyes, at the twisted face of the Celestial Dragon contorted in anger…
Suddenly, she laughed.
"Gods?"
Uta raised her hand and lightly traced a line in the air.
Musical notes shot out like chains, instantly binding the Celestial Dragon and all his bodyguards, hoisting them into the air!
"You—you dare?!"
The Celestial Dragon screamed. "I am Saint Charlos! My father is—"
"Smack!"
An invisible slap struck his face.
Uta's face was cold as she controlled the musical notes to deliver blow after blow of "beating" to this so-called World Noble.
Each strike caused real pain and carried full humiliation.
After finishing, Uta turned and shouted to the kneeling crowd: "Everyone, stand up! Don't kneel to people like this! In my new era, there are no Celestial Dragons, no slaves—everyone is equal!"
However, what answered her was not cheers, but dead silence.
The people not only did not stand; they buried their heads even lower. Some even began to tremble.
"P-Princess Uta…"
An old man said in a trembling voice: "You struck a Celestial Dragon… this will, this will bring enormous trouble… The entire island of Elegia will be destroyed by a Buster Call!"
"Yes, please release Saint Charlos quickly!"
"Please, we don't want to die…"
Pleading voices and dissuasion rose one after another. Some even began quietly retreating, wanting to flee.
Uta tried to explain: "This is my world! Celestial Dragons can't hurt you!"
But the fear was already etched into their marrow.
Centuries of rule had made the Celestial Dragons' "sacred and inviolable" status an iron law of this world.
It could not be changed by a few words from Uta.
At that moment, Coby stepped forward from the crowd at the right time, his voice clear: "Everyone, Uta's plan is to use Wake-shrooms to sustain her life. When she dies, this dream world will be permanently solidified.
At that point, our consciousness will be forever trapped, and our real bodies will become vegetative."
"She says she's creating a new era, but she's actually creating an eternal prison!"
In an instant, all the pent-up fear, doubt, and anger erupted completely.
"So you wanted to imprison us?!"
"Let us out!"
"Demon! You're the same kind of demon as those pirates!"
"We believed in you, and this is how you treat us!"
Complaints and curses surged like a tidal wave. Though some die-hard fans still tried to defend Uta, they were quickly drowned out by the larger roar.
Uta stood frozen in place, looking at the people who once gazed at her with adoration. Now their eyes held only anger and betrayal.
She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out.
Until a child's sharp voice rang out:
"Mommy, is Sister Uta a bad person?"
Those words became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
The light in Uta's eyes went out.
"No… no…"
She murmured to herself. Then her voice suddenly rose into a hysterical scream: "I'm not a bad person! Everything I did was for the new era! For all of you!!!"
Light exploded from her body! Violent musical notes swept across the entire area!
Wherever the light passed—civilians, Marines, even Celestial Dragon Saint Charlos—everyone's bodies began to twist and deform, ultimately turning into various toy dolls.
Eyes vacant, smiles fixed.
No more questions, no more fear.
Uta stood amid the sea of toys, panting heavily. Tears mixed with sweat slid down her face.
She looked at this now "quiet" world and showed a twisted smile.
"This way… it's fine…"
"No one will oppose anymore…"
"The new era… can begin…"
Inside and outside the light curtain, there was dead silence.
After a long while, Golden Lion Shiki finally let out a long breath, his voice dry: "I never thought… the status of Celestial Dragons would instill such terror even in people inside an illusion.
In the end, it was this way… that completely broke Uta."
His words struck a chord.
"It's not fear,"
Bartholomew Kuma—who had once been a slave—spoke in a low voice. The huge body actually trembled slightly: "It's an 'obedience program' imprinted deep in the soul.
Even knowing it's a dream, even knowing the other side can't harm them… the moment they see those clothes, hear that title, their bodies instinctively kneel."
Whitebeard looked at the people turned into toys, at the despairing yet mad smile on Uta's face, and slowly closed his eyes.
"What… tragedy."
And the Five Elders, at this moment, sank into even deeper anxiety.
Uta's madness meant she would push the plan forward at any cost.
...
[Everyone, it's almost over. The next chapter is Loki's memories—the original development route of God Valley, including Old Hash being controlled and Loki patricide!]