Natural Counter
Sabaody Archipelago Concert Stage
Before they could recover from the tearing and collapse of their mental world, their chests heaved and cold sweat streamed down their faces, as if their souls were still trapped in that crumbling golden illusion.
Shanks was the first to recover.
He took a step forward, exuding Haki, his crimson hair dancing wildly like flames, his entire being like a sword drawn from its sheath, charging straight at Uta in the center of the stage:
"Uta!!"
"Stop!!"
A cold shout rang out like a thunderclap.
Teleportation to the front of Red-Hair in the ROOM space, Law's eyes gleamed with a chilling light. He held the Kikoku sword horizontally in front of his chest, and the spatial ripples on the blade rippled slightly, forcefully stopping Shanks.
"Can't you see?! He's suppressing Uta's singing!!"
Shanks paused, his pupils contracted sharply, and he stared intently at the center of the stage.
The man standing there casually exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes half-closed, his tone nonchalant:
"Red-Hair, get out of the way."
--Right now.
Deep within the already shattered dream world, the lingering image of Tot Musica still writhes.
That ferocious smile trembled, its sharp teeth bared, and a silent roar emanated from deep within its throat.
It attempts to continue singing through Uta's body, forcibly playing the "Third Movement" and unfolding the melody of destruction once more!
However, just as the sound waves spread around the stage, they suddenly stopped!
It was as if an invisible giant hand, coldly snapping the spine of every musical note, existed in the entire universe.
"Buzz--"
Centered on Rosinante, a purple halo suddenly expanded outwards.
It wasn't Haki Impact, nor was it the energy fluctuations common with Devil Fruits; rather, it was a strange, absolute "absence."
The air in the center of the stage was eerily silent.
There was no response.
There was no wind.
Even the hurried breathing of the crowd was completely swallowed up the moment they stepped into this circle of light.
Uta's lips were still trembling, her vocal cords were vibrating desperately, but what came out of her mouth was utter silence—not even a ripple could be left.
"There is no 'sound' in this realm."
--This is the terror of the Calm-Calm Fruit.
If the Sing-Sing Fruit is a world-destroying demonic sound capable of unleashing a tsunami of souls and tearing the sky apart with its musical notes.
The Calm-Calm Fruit is then the cosmic singularity that appears out of thin air and devours all sound waves.
When the user of the Sing-Sing Fruit roars and plays a symphony of destruction, the musical notes materialize into a vast army, and the sound waves are powerful enough to cause mountains to resonate and collapse, and the seas to boil and recede—
The user of the Calm-Calm Fruit doesn't even need to lift a finger.
He only needs a thought, a detached glance.
In the next instant, "silence" itself transformed into the most terrifying violence directed solely at sound.
Centered on Rosinante, an absolutely silent "domain" suddenly opened up.
Within this field, the concept of "sound" itself has been sentenced to death.
The Sing-Sing Fruit's demonic sound, which should have shattered eardrums and manipulated minds, roared and Impact like a colossal stellar beast, but the moment it touched this area, it seemed to crash into an ancient, unchanging abyss of zero degrees.
No collision.
There was no explosion.
There wasn't even a ripple.
The energy, fluctuations, and even the "fact" of the existence of sound, upon touching "silence," are completely "evaporated" into nothingness, like morning dew meeting the scorching sun.
Tot Musica attempted to rule the world with "sound" using the Sing-Sing Fruit, but the Calm-Calm Fruit directly deprived "sound" of its right to exist.
Just like even the most dazzling fireworks cannot burn in a vacuum.
Its most prized vocal power, in the realm of "silence," is reduced to nothing more than the most clumsy silent pantomime.
He strained his throat and shouted with all his might, but he couldn't even hear the echo of his own heartbeat.
--That kind of despair, where the source is uprooted and completely negated, is the ultimate suppression that the Calm-Calm Fruit brings to the Sing-Sing Fruit.
The afterimage of Tot Musica finally began to twist wildly.
Its bared fangs opened and closed repeatedly, its blood-red "X" pupils burned fiercely, yet it couldn't even utter the faintest whisper.
Its existence seemed to have been forgotten by the world, gradually erased into nothingness.
Rosinante flicked his cigarette ash, a roguish smile playing on his lips, his gaze languid. "Sorry, little girl—"
Your solo performance ends here.
In the center of the stage, the silent halo gradually dissipated.
The lingering image of Tot Musica was finally completely erased, along with the eerie melody that oppressed the soul.
Uta slept peacefully in the silence, her face pale, yet still breathing faintly.
Rosinante said lazily, "Even though you were fighting like crazy inside, you probably felt like several hours had passed..."
But in the real world, only two minutes had passed.
He glanced at Shanks, his eyes lowered, his tone meaningful:
"Live feed footage... Big News Morgans will handle it. But given the current situation, you'd better figure out a way to salvage it."
Shanks' eyes suddenly narrowed.
If the truth of this matter is exposed, Uta will be regarded by the entire world as a vessel for evil—his future will be completely extinguished.
He gritted his teeth, gripped Griffon, and his figure suddenly transformed into a streak of red light, Luffy!
"?!!"
Luffy's pupils shrank sharply, and his dragon scales stood on end.
Before he could even speak, Law and Nami instantly understood his intention!
"Clouds and mist--!"
Nami gave a low shout, and with the activation of the Cloud-Cloud Fruit, a rolling sea of mist poured down like a curtain, engulfing the entire stage!
"ROOM!"
Luo brought his two fingers together, and blue spatial ripples intertwined with thick fog, causing the center of the stage to become completely distorted and unreal.
"Boom--!"
The next instant, a deafening explosion rang out from the center of the stage!
Smoke and dust billowed into the sky like a mushroom cloud, shaking the entire Sabaody Archipelago!
The audience, still in a daze from being captivated by the song, suddenly snapped out of their reverie, their pupils refocusing.
"W-What's going on?!"
"Enemy attack--!"
Usopp and Sanji immediately led the Navy Elite forward, forming a defensive line, their voices drowning out the chaos:
"Everyone calm down! A villain has attacked the stage using Devil Fruit powers—the Navy has subdued him!!"
The crowd in the stands was in a state of panic, but thanks to the elite navy, the panic gradually turned into order.
As the thick fog and smoke slowly dissipated, only the unconscious Uta remained in the center of the stage.
--Ten minutes later.
An official statement quickly spread throughout the island:
During the Concert, a villain infiltrated the staff in an attempt to attack "Singer" Uta, and used his Devil Fruit ability to stun the audience and the Live Broadcast Den Den Mushi.
The navy intervened promptly and subdued him.
"Singer Uta fainted from shock, Concert postponed."
The truth on stage was completely obscured by the fog and explosions.