Return to the Hive

Several days after leaving Elegia.

The Little Ul has entered the sea area under the jurisdiction of Las Noches.

In just a few days, Uta has already formed a deep friendship with Nolan and Chopper.

They then discovered that the so-called world diva was actually just an innocent young girl who also longed for a bright future.

They played together every day, Nolan taught Uta to cook, and Uta taught them to sing and dance. This was how Uta truly seemed like a young girl in the prime of her life.

At that moment, she was sitting with Robin around a small desk, listening to General Chopper boast about his glorious deeds over the past year.

Uta would occasionally cast a look of envy and admiration, which pleased Chopper greatly.

"It's been a long time since I've seen Uta so happy, or rather, it's been a long time since I've seen her happy."

Gordon, who was playing chess with a friend, couldn't help but sigh when he saw this. He had seen her smile more in the past two days than he had in the past twelve years.

"The Las Noches is a place full of love."

Although one cannot see the game of chess in a lifetime, every time a piece is placed, it is always placed with great precision.

"Everyone, dinner's ready!"

Nolan stepped out of the cabin, and with a gentle flick of her little finger, plates of food floated steadily into the air before slowly landing on the deck.

"Lucci is so lucky! He gets to eat such amazing food every day, and now he can be friends with the world's number one musician!"

Smelling the fragrance wafting in the air, Kaku couldn't help but grab Lucci's collar again, looking displeased.

"Watch your words, okay? I'm the Captain of the Sixth Division, your boss!"

Uncharacteristically, Lucci smiled and tapped Kaku's Long Nose.

"You bastard..."

The two then began to fight.

"Little Chopper ~ How about we have a competition? Let's see who can eat the fastest! The winner becomes the boss~"

Uta picked up two dishes of roughly the same size and placed them in front of her, looking at Chopper with a somewhat provocative expression.

"Good!"

"Human Form - Weight Enhancement!"

As Chopper responded, his body suddenly swelled up, transforming into a giant over two meters tall.

"No, no! That's cheating! You can't use your Devil Fruit powers!"

Uta put her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks.

"Well... alright then~ I'm really good at snatching food!"

Chopper scratched his head and turned back into a tiny creature, but his eyes were full of confidence.

"Ready—Go!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two began their competition.

"Cough cough~"

"Have some milk, but don't choke!"

The two finished their food at about the same speed, but just as they were about to finish, Chopper suddenly choked and coughed.

Then, Uta produced an unopened bottle of milk from somewhere and handed it to him.

"It's milk! Uta!"

Chopper accepted the milk without hesitation, thanked him, opened the bottle, and drank it with relish, looking quite content.

"I'm finished eating!"

Just then, Uta put down the plate and looked at Chopper was completely bewildered, with a mocking expression.

"Eh~ This is a trap? Uta is so despicable!"

He belatedly realized that he had been tricked into drinking milk!

"Chopper lost~ From now on you should call me Uta!"

Uta crouched down close to him, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"I didn't lose... Let's do it again!"

"Hehe~ I just won't give up~"

Seeing him lying on the ground rolling around in defiance, Uta felt as if he were seeing Luffy, Luffy competed with him when they were kids. He then made a gesture with his hands in front of him and teased him recklessly.

"Um... Lord Uta ~"

Behind them, Shirahoshi gently nudged Uta's shoulder and then pointed to the deck.

"Hey~ Where's the food?!"

The plates scattered all over the deck were now empty, with Bonney lying on the floor, touching her round belly.

"You wretched Bonney! I'll fight you to the death!"

Chopper rushed over with the milk in his hand, only to be pulled into her arms and used as a pillow.

"Hmph~ That's how we are. Outsiders have a hard time causing us trouble, but the crew members on the ship are basically a big problem."

Robin, resting her chin on her hand, spoke elegantly, telling Uta not to mind.

"Is it troublesome? I don't think so~"

The feeling that everyone seemed both unreliable and dependable reminded Uta of her childhood, a feeling that called home.

"Speaking of which, Cifer, did you completely kill Tot Musica? Why do I feel like something's off?"

Uta ignored the others and went straight to Cifer's side.

"Tot Musica is immortal, or rather, it can be resurrected indefinitely; however, it is indeed dead now."

In some ways, it is similar to the virtual, but not entirely the same.

As long as the sheet music exists, it will be reborn when the music plays, provided there are enough negative emotions.

"What about the monsters you created? I remember you used my abilities to create a few monsters in the Uta's World, right? Where did they go?"

At that time, Uta's consciousness was in harmony with Tot Musica's, and she could clearly perceive just how terrifying those monsters were.

"They are still in the Uta's World."

"Eh~"

Uta's eyes widened, then he scratched his ear, wondering if he had misheard.

"Back then, they were able to come and go freely thanks to the connection between Tot Musica and the Uta's World. Now that the former is gone, they can only rely on you to get out."

This is something that Cifer discovered long ago.

When Uta doesn't use her ability to create the Uta's World, they don't exist; they're essentially trapped inside her body.

"I see~ He's a bodyguard!"

Uta clapped his hands, Satori.

Just then, the Little Ul, which had been sailing at sea for several days, finally docked at the port of Rocky Port.

"A warm welcome to our strongest Senior Cifer, as he returns from his slaying of Kaido!"

As soon as they disembarked, Bartholomew, who had been waiting there, led his men in singing and dancing in the harbor, holding up banners.

"Could that be... Uta, the world's number one diva!"

Looking at the girl following behind Cifer, Barto's cheeks flushed red.

"Even such an extraordinary musician has joined... No wonder they are the seniors of Las Noches!"

"As expected of the seniors of Las Noches!"

The younger brothers echoed loudly, and tears streamed down their faces.

"Uh... you've worked hard."

Cifer didn't linger; he simply patted him on the shoulder and walked toward the center of the island.

The same applies to the rest of the members.

"Senior Cifer actually..."

Barto fell to his knees with a thud, his expression frozen in place.

"Boss! Senior Cifer said you've 'worked hard'!"

The younger brother next to him, fearing he hadn't heard clearly, leaned close to his ear and emphasized it again.

"Senior Cifer ~ What have I done to deserve this in my life~?"

Ignoring the stares of others, Barto lay down on the ground and burst into tears.