"Oh???"
Orin noticed Uta's change. She seemed to be summoning the [Music Demon King] Tot Musica.
However…
In the current situation, what use would it be even if it were summoned?
Has this kid eaten too many mushrooms and fried her brain…?
As a burst of explosive music rang out, both the Sing-Sing World and the real world began to tremble. A massive black-red vortex started forming in midair.
Everyone noticed this.
Lyrics:
"Rain falls upon the heart, wandering in all directions~"
"Those prayers and tears that have never dried, surging forth~"
"The divine salvation that overturns all living beings!!!"
"The savior longed for by all!!!"
"Lost within prayers~"
A massive figure slowly took shape from within the vortex. It was a gigantic Demon King, even larger and more terrifying than when Uta was a child.
"Not good…"
Shanks saw this and slashed at it with his blade, but it had no effect. Instead, he himself was blasted away.
This was another mechanism of the [Sing-Sing Fruit] besides the Sing-Sing World—summoning [Tot Musica].
[Music Demon King]: Unless it is struck simultaneously by king-level attacks from both worlds, it will not take any damage.
That alone was enough to pose a world-destroying threat.
Logically, such a massive threat should have been enough to force even the Marines and pirates to temporarily unite.
But strangely,
Everyone's attention was focused elsewhere.
"Hey!!! Orin!!!"
Controlling a sandstorm in her hand, Crocodile's face looked grim as she stared at the man across from her—eyes closed—who had just been blown apart into grains of sand.
Before she could continue her attack, Shanks stepped in and blocked a strike for her.
Turning back, Shanks looked at her seriously.
"From Buggy's side—please use your ability to protect the civilians around here!!!"
Shanks could see that Uta's emotional breakdown was caused by these civilians, so he wanted to salvage what he could.
Unexpectedly, the way Shanks urgently phrased it only made Crocodile even more furious. Veins bulged across her face.
"Hey!!!"
"Who the hell is Buggy's subordinate!!!?"
That said, under Orin's witness, she had agreed to follow Buggy for a while.
Besides, she had already intended to clear the area. With a casual motion, she hurled out a massive sandstorm, sweeping up countless unconscious civilians and blasting them away.
As for where they were blown to… Crocodile couldn't guarantee that.
Hmph—
Not just anyone had the right to command her. Not everyone was called Orin.
In the distance, leading the God's Knights, Saint Garling and the others were also feeling a headache as they faced Red the Aloof.
This was a case of one broken mechanic meeting another…
Their side was indeed immortal and indestructible, but the other side wasn't much different.
The vampire's ability meant that as long as he absorbed enough blood, he could regenerate and recover endlessly.
His powerful Haki could break through their defenses, turning these unkillable God's Knights into walking blood bags.
If they kept exhausting each other like this, neither side would be able to break the other's defense.
It wasn't until Tot Musica appeared that their battle was interrupted.
At their core, their objectives were the same—to eliminate the massive threat caused by Uta. So there was no longer any reason to keep fighting.
But when they reached the center of the battlefield, they suddenly realized something was wrong.
The enemy didn't seem to be just the Music Demon King…
"What is this?"
Red the Aloof leaned on his cane, frowning as he looked at the chaotic battle in the distance.
Shanks and Hawk Eyes swung their blades together, sending red and emerald slashes toward Orin.
Orin raised her black blade and blocked them without much difficulty, then countered with a black-red slash that forced them to defend seriously.
Meanwhile, everyone else was struggling to fight against the invulnerable [Music Demon King].
"This won't work…"
Hawk Eyes narrowed his eyes. After hearing Shanks explain the situation, he also saw how dire things had become.
"We cannot defeat Orin with just us. But if this continues, Uta will die, and Orin will lose herself in the Sing-Sing World."
"Someone must hold Orin back properly while the others defeat Tot Musica."
Shanks hesitated.
"Hold Orin back? Right now, Orin can't even distinguish friend from foe…"
"I may be able to lend you a hand."
At that moment, the appearance of Red the Aloof delighted both sides.
Along with him came Garling and the rest of the God's Knights. To deal with Uta, they too needed to get past Orin.
Seeing the God's Knights, Shanks' expression turned complicated, but he said nothing. He turned and headed toward Tot Musica.
With the Cross Guild, Red the Aloof, and the God's Knights holding Orin back, the Red-Haired Pirates would deal with Tot Musica.
And those fighting alongside Shanks weren't just members of the Red-Haired Pirates…
"Damn it!!!"
"This monster actually turned my best friend into this!!!"
"Buggy Cannon!!!"
In his rage, Buggy split apart and floated in midair, hurling several Buggy Balls that exploded in flames on Tot Musica's body.
Though they had little effect, they did draw its attention and served as a distraction.
"Buggy…"
Shanks was stunned. He hadn't expected Buggy to be this nimble. Immediately, he slashed toward Tot Musica.
...
Inside the Sing-Sing World,
Luffy and the others' battle had reached a fever pitch. They launched a full-scale assault on the Music Demon King.
But due to their lack of synchronization, their attacks were ineffective, and they were repeatedly knocked back.
Orin, like a bystander, watched all of this, wondering if the difficulty had been set a bit too high.
As she thought this, she saw Buggy recklessly flying around Tot Musica.
"Buggy?!"
Buggy split himself apart to draw Tot Musica's attention, completely unaware that one of its arms was about to strike him.
Shanks tried to rush in to block it.
Seeing this, the Red-Haired Pirates hurriedly shouted to their captain:
"It won't work!!"
"If we don't attack simultaneously, we can't deal effective damage!!!"
Even so, Shanks still intended to save Buggy—at least to deflect the Music Demon King's attack.
He slashed at its arm, and then—
"Boom—!!!!"
"What?!"
"It worked?!"
"Was it Luffy and the others???"
But in reality, inside the Sing-Sing World, Luffy and the others were just as confused.
They only knew that no matter how they attacked, it had no effect—and then suddenly, the opponent's arm… exploded out of nowhere?!
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