Louis, who had originally been rather uninterested in these things, came up with an idea after hearing everyone's conversation.
"Could this be the fruit I'm looking for?"
The moment the thought occurred to him, it quickly took over his mind, prompting him to step forward and gradually draw closer to the crowd.
At this point in time, the Red-Haired Pirates looked rather ordinary. Their builds and heights weren't particularly exaggerated.
Louis was tall enough to get a clear view of the fruit lying quietly inside the wooden crate.
One of them was a pale pink, with wavy patterns covering its surface. Its stem looked like a musical note.
It was the Paramecia-type Song-Song Fruit, the fruit that originally belonged to Uta.
It had the power to draw people's consciousness into a Music World built from song. After performing a particular score, it could even unleash an almost unbeatable monster—the Demon King Tot Musica.
The downside was that the fruit didn't enhance its user's physical abilities. If the user lacked stamina, they'd have to burn through their life force to perform for a long time.
All in all, its advantages were substantial enough to outweigh its drawbacks.
The other wooden crate, however, contained two strange fruits connected by a single stem.
Both were the same size and shape as ordinary apples.
One had a pink surface covered in fish-scale patterns. The other was purple, with markings that resembled feathers.
As Louis watched, Shanks and the others picked up the fruits and held them up to the sunlight, examining them with curiosity.
"Twins. One with fish-scale patterns, the other with feather patterns." Louis's gaze turned distant, his face filled with uncertainty. "I can't believe I've run into them here..."
"What a small world..."
An elderly figure appeared in his mind: the previous owner of this fruit.
Soon, Lime Jones emerged from the ship's cabin, his long blond hair catching the light. He held a well-preserved copy of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
Just then, Yelena drew closer, having heard the commotion. She watched what was happening before her with a thoughtful expression.
Then she turned to Louis with a puzzled look. "Didn't you say Devil Fruits were extremely rare out at sea?"
It had been only a little over ten hours since she ate the Wendigo Fruit last night. Yet in that short time, two more precious Devil Fruits had appeared before her.
She found it a little puzzling. Were Devil Fruits really that rare?
"..."
Beside her, Louis fell silent. He didn't know how to answer that, either.
Just then, Shanks cried out from within the crowd. "Found it. This one is the... Paramecia-type Song-Song Fruit."
"After eating it, the user gains a dreamlike singing voice and can draw people's consciousness into a world built from song..."
"Song-Song Fruit?" Uta repeated from the front of the crowd without thinking.
Her violet eyes grew brighter, and an eager smile appeared on her face.
"It can draw people's consciousness into a world of song? That sounds so fun!"
A moment later, the other members of the Red-Haired Pirates began glancing at Uta, too. From the description, they all agreed that the Song-Song Fruit seemed especially suited to Uta, who was already determined to become an excellent musician.
Even Shanks wore a thoughtful expression as he glanced at his adopted daughter. "The Song-Song Fruit... It really does suit Uta."
Uta's face lit up with a radiant smile. She'd already suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed aloud still made her very happy.
The others exchanged glances, sharing the amusement in one another's eyes.
Then Uta gently tugged on Shanks's sleeve and blinked her tearful violet eyes. "Shanks, I want this fruit."
Shanks was taken aback, but he quickly smiled again and prepared to hand the fruit to Uta.
Just then, Yelena looked puzzled and asked her a question.
"Uta, do you want this fruit to make your singing even more beautiful?"
Uta put her hands on her hips. Her fair face was full of pride. "My singing is already in a completely different league from other musicians. I don't need a Devil Fruit to improve it!"
Everyone was taken aback. They began to realize something was off. If Uta didn't want it for her singing, why did she want the Song-Song Fruit?
A faint unease began to settle over the Red-Haired Pirates.
"..."
Shanks's eyes narrowed slightly. Without drawing attention, he tossed the Song-Song Fruit in his hand to Yasopp, then reached out and patted Uta on the head. In a doting voice, he asked, "Uta, if it has nothing to do with your singing..."
"What do you want to do with the Song-Song Fruit?"
Uta threw both hands in the air, beaming with happiness as she described her idea to everyone:
"A world built from song!"
"..." Everyone's expressions changed. Their unease had become reality.
Uta continued, "I want to create a world of music, where Shanks and all of you, Louis, and Yelena can live happily forever!"
"..."
Yelena didn't understand what Uta meant, and looked completely bewildered. But Louis, Shanks, and the rest of the Red-Haired Pirates were utterly shaken.
Shanks and the others, in particular, looked horrified as they stared blankly at their adopted daughter, as if they were meeting her for the first time.
Louis was at a loss for words. There's really no need to include Yelena and me.
Just then, Beckman's voice came from the other side of the deck. "What about our bodies? If everyone stays in another world, we'll starve to death!"
Hearing Beckman's voice, Uta's eyes lit up. She cleared her throat and said with a smile, "Happiness doesn't need a body!"
"..."
At those words, the hearts of Shanks and the Red-Haired Pirates sank to the bottom. Where Uta couldn't see, they looked at her with complicated expressions.
They couldn't understand how Uta had developed such a dangerous idea right under their noses.
In that moment, Shanks firmly buried the idea of giving Uta the Song-Song Fruit.
What troubled him most was that none of them had noticed Uta's dangerous tendency sooner.
If Yelena hadn't asked that casual question, they might not have discovered what Uta was thinking until who knew when.
Judging by Uta's behavior in the past, they might not have realized it even until she was about to put her idea into practice.
Guilt and anguish surged through them, casting a thick shadow over their hearts.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Beckman took the cigarette from his mouth and slowly came over to crouch in front of Uta, gently stroking her head.
"If Shanks and the rest of us don't like that world... will you still take us to that world of song?"
Before you continue