Gordon! Farewell, Red-Haired!

The first thing to be clear is this.

The Demon King of Song was summoned by Uta.

Although it was completely unintentional, the sealed Demon King of Song could not have been resurrected without her.

The young girl bears at least secondary responsibility for this tragedy that occurred in Elegia.

For a girl who is only nine years old this year, this secondary responsibility is already quite terrible.

After all, the current situation is that the entire country of Elegia has been destroyed, and more than 100,000 people have lost their lives.

If this kind-hearted little girl knew the truth, she would probably break down on the spot and lose the courage to continue living.

Therefore, in order to protect her, Shanks will never reveal the truth.

Even if they meet again, Red-Haired will definitely take all the blame on him.

Therefore, the conflict between the father and daughter could never be resolved.

Red-Haired is just like Li Xunhuan; for Uta's sake, he desperately tries to push her away from him.

Ian sighed as he thought about it; he could only play the role of Long Xiaoyun for a while.

I feel so embarrassed.

"I'll go back and pack my things first! Let's hurry and get going!"

After deciding to leave with Ian, Uta seemed to regain her energy immediately.

She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and got up.

They even started urging Ian to hurry up and leave.

It's clear that she really longs to meet Red-Haired again.

However, the final result was different from the grand date she had hoped for.

However, it was at this time...

"Uta? Who are you talking to?"

A man walked up from the other side of the stage, looking at Ian with utter astonishment, and then at the many friends below the stage.

Especially when you look at those two enormous giants.

"Ian??"

The man's body suddenly trembled violently as he recognized Ian's identity.

It must be said that Ian's reputation now truly deserves to be described as resounding throughout heaven.

Anyone who has read a newspaper before will find his appearance familiar.

This is the grandeur of Pirate Emperor.

Why are the Beasts Pirates here?

The man was completely baffled.

"Who are you?"

Ian started to play dumb.

"He's Gordon!"

Uta quickly introduced him to Ian, "He's the King of Elegia. He also survived that night and has been taking care of me ever since!"

Ian was certainly no stranger to this man.

He was not only the King of Elegia, but also a very talented musician.

Besides the Red-Haired Pirates, he is the only one who knows the truth.

In the original work, he is both Uta's second adoptive father and Uta's music teacher.

"Gordon!"

Uta introduced Ian and the others to the lone King, "This is Ian, you should know him, he's that bastard's friend, I knew him before."

Gordon opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no sound came out.

This is troublesome!

How did they end up provoking a Pirate Emperor?

Ian looked at the King and nodded politely. "I thought something unusual had happened here, so I came to check."

"But after hearing Uta's words, I became even more puzzled. Shanks doesn't seem like the kind of person who would do something like this."

He acted as if he really was the Red-Haired's good friend.

Although the two can indeed be considered friends to some extent.

Gordon pursed his lips.

My mind was instantly in turmoil.

"So, I'm really curious, King Gordon,"

Ian asked, "Does this country hold some hidden treasure that even Shanks couldn't resist? Or is it all just a misunderstanding?"

"This--"

Gordon suddenly felt his mouth go dry and stammered, unable to say anything.

He and Red-Haired had made a pact that they must never tell Uta the truth.

A true man keeps his promises.

"It all happened so suddenly,"

All he could say was, "I didn't realize it either, but the Red-Haired Pirates did indeed steal this country's treasure."

"I see?"

Ian nodded. "As expected, we still need to go to Shanks to figure this out."

Gordon's eyes widened instantly, and he exclaimed in disbelief, "Lord Ian, you said you're going to find Red-Haired?"

"It's not just Ian!"

At this moment Uta said seriously, "Gordon! I want to go too! I have to find out what happened!"

"No! No way! Uta!"

Gordon almost screamed instinctively.

He immediately realized he had overreacted and quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Isn't that too dangerous?"

"Danger?"

Uta was somewhat surprised. She looked at Ian and said, "But Ian is stronger than that bastard!"

She used to insist that Shanks was the strongest, but now that idea has changed.

"Now that you're on my ship, you're my companion."

Ian said at the opportune moment, "Don't worry, King Gordon, I will protect little Uta."

"I'm not one of your allies!"

Uta said instinctively.

You are welcome anytime.

Ian chuckled softly.

The little girl snorted.

After this incident, she no longer had any good feelings towards pirates.

King Gordon felt a chill run down his spine.

It's over, there's no way to stop Uta!

What to do?

Should we let Uta leave with this group of pirates?

Although it's now said that the Hachinosu Island region ruled by Ian is the safest sea area in the world, he is a pirate unlike any other.

But a pirate is a pirate, and this guy can do all sorts of crazy things!

Just as King Gordon was torn between his inner turmoil, Ian smiled and looked at him.

"If King Gordon is truly worried about Uta, then come with us."

"Huh?"

Gordon was taken aback.

Ian said, "Aren't you curious? Why did your country suffer such a fate?"

"Yeah, Gordon!"

Uta said seriously, "Come with me, let's go find that bastard and get to the bottom of this!!"

Why would I be curious? I know the whole story perfectly well!

But I can't bring myself to say no.

Gordon looked at Uta's serious expression, and his heart sank.

It can't be stopped.

What kind of reason could possibly stop Uta from doing what she wants now?

His King, who no longer had his own country, took a deep breath.

Then he said, "Okay, I'll come too!"

Ian's lips curled into a smile.

It doesn't matter if this guy comes along.

Like Red-Haired, he would never reveal the truth.

As I said before, all I need to do is play dumb.

Gordon and Uta each went back to pack their things.

So when the Golden Flying Dragon left the island, there were two more passengers on board, and now Elegia was truly empty.

Ian's friends were very puzzled by his decision.

I have absolutely no idea why Ian wants to take care of this little girl.

They still have to go through a lot of trouble to find the Red-Haired.

I can only conclude that Ian's collecting obsession has flared up again.

This guy likes to go around picking up little devils.

Perhaps this little girl has some special talents.

Gordon appeared quite reserved when he first boarded this world-famous pirate ship.

After all, those gathered around him were all Ian's companions, the most famous pirates in the world!

On the contrary, nine-year-old Uta was much more outgoing.

Having traveled and eaten her way around with Red-Haired, she wasn't at all awkward on the Golden Flying Dragon.

She even proactively urged Ian, "When are we going to find Shanks?"

"It won't take long,"

At that moment, Ian was fishing on the gunwale of the boat. "Don't underestimate my intelligence network."

Morgans was in charge of the underworld, while Stussy was in charge of the legitimate world. With both sides working together, Ian's intelligence capabilities were already quite formidable. While not comparable to the World Government, the gap wasn't too large.

In fact, they received news of the Red-Haired Pirates quite quickly.

The New World isn't actually that big. After excluding the territories of the four emperors, the area available for the Red-Haired Pirates to operate in is really not that large.

Based on their departure direction from Elegia and their sailing speed, determining their current sea area is not a problem.

Then all they need to do is keep an eye on this sea area and send people to watch out for the islands there. When the Red-Haired Pirates land, their whereabouts will naturally be revealed.

That's the value of Ian's intelligence!

After confirming their whereabouts, Violet activated her Thousand Mile Eye instantly, locking onto the Red-Haired Pirates and leaving them nowhere to hide.

"Have we finally found them?"

Little Uta was thrilled when she heard the news.

Ian chuckled and said to her, "Yes, we'll go now, but little Uta, you seem to be having a lot of fun."

Uta's smile froze instantly, then the little girl retorted stubbornly, "I just can't wait to confront that bastard!"

This statement is probably true; Ian has no doubt about it.

Even now, Uta probably still harbors a sliver of hope.

I hope that the Red-Haired Pirates didn't do that.

There was a reason why she hoped they would abandon her.

How could so many years of feelings just vanish in the blink of an eye?

"Let's go then, and give him a good talking to."

Ian didn't seem to care.

I completely predicted Red-Haired's reaction.

The Golden Flying Dragon sailed towards the waters where the Red-Haired Pirates were located.

Almost visibly, the closer they got to that area of the sea, the more agitated Uta became.

She was filled with anticipation, but also with fear.

Gordon was even more uneasy. If Uta were to see Red-Haired again, it would only be another huge blow to her.

Red-Haired would never tell the truth; he could only push Uta away with a cold attitude and take all the blame upon himself.

Gordon finally mustered his courage and quietly approached Ian. "Lord Ian, how about we don't go looking for the Red-Haired Pirates?"

"Oh?"

Ian raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that, King Gordon?"

"After all,"

Gordon licked his lips and said somewhat cautiously, "You have no grudge against the Red-Haired Pirates, and you're even friends with Red-Haired Shanks."

"Is there any need to make enemies of them because of our country's affairs?"

"While the Red-Haired Pirates may not be as powerful as Pirate Emperor like yourself, they are still a rare and formidable pirate group in the New World. Isn't this a huge loss for them?"

I have to say, what this guy said makes a lot of sense.

But Ian just chuckled, "That makes me even more interested."

"What exactly did Shanks do to make your King completely disregard the destruction of his country and not want to see him again?"

Gordon's body jerked instantly.

This guy is way too perceptive!

If we continue talking to him, he might actually expose the truth!

Gordon chuckled dryly. "I was just suggesting it. If you don't mind, then I have nothing more to say."

He left in a disheveled state.

Something's not right.

Luo emerged from around the corner. "He seems terrified of Uta and Red-Haired meeting."

"Could it be that he was the one behind all this?"

Who knows?

Ian casually remarked, "We'll know the answer after I meet with Red-Haired."

"This is really something to look forward to!"

Luo grinned.

It seems like a very interesting event.

"Yes, it's really something to look forward to,"

Ian smiled too.

It'll be soon.

Uta will soon officially join the Beasts Pirates and become his subordinate.

In a sea area somewhere in the New World, the Red Voss slowly moved forward.

This ship is the flagship of the Red-Haired Pirates.

On the deck, the Red-Haired Pirates, who are usually full of energy every day, seemed rather listless today.

They sat sprawled in twos and threes on various parts of the deck.

Raki Lu, who usually had meat with him all the time, had no appetite today and just kept sighing every two minutes.

Not only them, but even Red-Haired and First Mate Beckman were sitting on opposite sides of a small table, drinking one glass of wine after another in silence.

The treasure taken from Elegia was still scattered and piled up on the deck, with no one bothering to deal with it.

Uta's departure was a huge blow to this pirate crew that valued their comrades the most.

Uta, who has lived on this ship since childhood, is not only Shanks' daughter, but also the junior of all of them, their source of joy, and their little princess.

"I understand how everyone feels right now!"

At this point, Yasopp, who was usually in charge of livening up the atmosphere on the ship, stepped forward and said, "But we can't go on like this forever!"

"We'll meet Little Uta again someday! We can't let her see us looking so dejected then—"

"Um!"

Yasopp was suddenly startled and turned around in surprise.

Even faster than him, the Red-Haired and Beckman stood up and looked out at the distant sea.

The expressions on their faces had both frozen.

"No way?"

The Red-Haired pursed his lips. "Uta?"

"And,"

Beckman gazed at the large, golden ship that gradually emerged from the horizon in the distance. "They even came with Ian!!"

What exactly happened?

At this moment, Red-Haired' mind was a bit confused.

Didn't they leave Uta in Elegia in Gordon's care?

How come they're both on the Golden Flying Dragon now?

How did they get involved with Ian?

I have absolutely no idea what's going on.

"Captain!!"

Yasopp ran over quickly, "We have to do something!"

Red-Haired instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist.

Should Uta and Ian stay together?

This won't do!

Ian is too dangerous!

Those Red-Haired had interacted with him knew very well that this man harbored unimaginable ambitions.

He'll start making his move sooner or later; it's far too dangerous for Uta to stay with him!

"But, Shanks,"

Beckman said seriously, "If we want Uta to come back, then we have no choice but to be honest with her about everything."

Otherwise, Uta will never forgive us.

The Red-Haired's body froze instantly.

His face turned ashen.

Finally, he took a deep breath.

"She's still too young."

He said in a low voice, "This is a sin she cannot bear."

He paused. "If she's to be punished for this, then let me take the blame for her. I'm the one who brought her to Elegia."

On the deck, the pirates who had already stood up all looked at him.

"It's us."

Beckman casually exhaled a smoke ring.

"Hahaha! Well then, guys,"

The Red-Haired suddenly laughed heartily, "Don't mess up the performance next."

"Hahaha! Captain! Who do you think we are!"

The pirates burst into laughter.

However, the smiles now are merely forced.

On the Golden Flying Dragon.

"The Red Fosse has been spotted!!"

Babanuki's voice echoed across the deck.

Uta bit her lip, rushed to the bow of the boat, jumped onto the gunwale, and looked into the distance.

On the distant sea, the ship she knew so well lay silently, waiting for them to approach.

"..."

Gordon walked over quickly, but couldn't utter a single word.

Ian and his friends also came to the bow of the ship, standing behind Uta and quietly watching the approaching Red Foss.

Those who were close enough could already see the Red-Haired and his companions behind the hull of the opposite ship.

Uta looked at those faces that she knew better than anyone else.

The image finally settled on the red-haired man.

Tears welled up in her eyes instantly, and her small body trembled uncontrollably.

"Shanks!!!"

Finally, Uta, completely disregarding her divinely bestowed voice, shouted hoarsely into the distance.

Why?!

The animation of the Kamunagi was pretty cool, but the Griffin effect when Red-Haired jumps in is a bit hard to pull off. If Griffin turns into Griffin, what about Zoro?