The Siren

At Uta's words, she seemed to realize something. A hint of disappointment showed in her violet eyes, and the hair tie that rose behind her head drooped without her noticing.

She looked around at everyone, only to find that their fond, adoring gazes had somehow grown complicated. She asked timidly, "Don't you like a world filled with song?"

Just then, Shanks stepped forward and gave Uta a helpless look. He sighed. "You're still young. You shouldn't have to think about so much right now. Wait until you've experienced more with us and grown up before you make a decision."

Shanks knew that, in focusing on what Captain Roger had entrusted to him, he had overlooked many of Uta's thoughts and feelings.

So he decided he would pay more attention to Uta from then on, and guide her little by little away from losing herself in a make-believe world.

At his words, Uta looked up at Shanks, then nodded firmly.

"Mm!"

Seeing that, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

They all treasured Uta. No matter what, they didn't want her to lose herself in a fantasy, take one wrong step after another, and sink deeper and deeper.

Before long, the Red-Haired Pirates, whose thought processes were anything but ordinary, put the matter behind them. They eagerly started searching the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia for detailed information about another fruit.

Soon, they found a similar fruit in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.

It was another Devil Fruit with a double-helix pattern.

"Mero Mero no Mi? No, the pattern's different."

"..."

After a long while, they had searched the entire encyclopedia and still hadn't found any trace of a fruit identical to this one.

"Even the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia doesn't have it?"

"Looks like it's a fruit the encyclopedia never recorded..."

Devil Fruits were rare, but some still went unrecorded. Some had been erased from the records, while others had ended up in remote, uninhabited places and rarely showed themselves.

They figured it had to be one of those two cases.

In the end, having found nothing, the Red-Haired Pirates decided to put the fruit away for safekeeping.

Just then, Louis spoke up and named it. "It's the Siren Fruit."

Everyone paused, then looked at Louis in surprise. They hadn't expected him to know about a fruit that wasn't even in the encyclopedia.

Louis continued, "A siren is a legendary monster with a human face and a bird's body. In mythology, its wings were torn off, turning it into a mermaid-like sea monster."

"It would often use its irresistibly alluring voice to lure sailors in, drag them into the depths, and devour them."

"After eating the Siren Fruit, you gain the power to create illusions through song, as well as sound-wave abilities. Once awakened, you can transform into a harpy. In mermaid form, you can also use your singing to summon sea beasts and fish."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"A Mythical Zoan with two forms?"

At Louis's words, an old figure came to Shanks's mind, and he suddenly understood. "I see. That was Ms. Alina's ability?"

Many years ago, he, Roger, and the others had seen the ability Louis described in Bar. It had been extremely troublesome. Her singing had briefly controlled everyone except Roger, Rayleigh, Gaban, and Oden.

In the end, Captain Roger had acted decisively, using Conqueror's Haki to break the effect.

Even so, that song had been terrifying. The people aboard the Roger Pirates weren't weak, yet they had still been controlled.

"Mm. It was the fruit she ate," Louis said with a nod.

Alina had been the strongest member of her people in the previous era. When the World Government surrounded them, she used her song to control countless Marines and CP agents, forcing them to kill themselves. That opened a gap in the encirclement, allowing the remaining twenty-odd members of her people to escape into the depths, carried away by sea beasts.

She had snatched the Siren Fruit from the World Government and awakened it, drawing out its full potential.

Even Vice Admirals numbering close to a dozen, and CP0 agents, had been powerless against her hallucinatory song. They drew their swords and took their own lives, spilling blood everywhere.

According to the few surviving elders, all the officers and soldiers below Vice Admiral rank had been wiped out in an instant. If there had been more than one Navy Admiral or Celestial Dragon powerhouse, perhaps her people could have escaped unhurriedly.

But sadly, she herself was no match for the Navy Admiral and the Celestial Dragons. She couldn't save more of her people.

The other members of the Red-Haired Pirates looked at one another.

After a long pause, Lucky Roo recalled the mermaid form and mused, "A mermaid? Could she swim underwater?"

"No," Louis replied after thinking it over.

"..."

Lucky Roo froze, then blurted out, "A mermaid who can't go underwater? What a bizarre image."

Louis gave him a surprised look. "Other Devil Fruit users can't swim underwater either. What's so strange about this fruit not letting you go underwater?"

"Besides, if you eat it and fall into the sea, you can still breathe and wait a long time for your crewmates or the sea beasts to rescue you."

"Other users would drown in no time!"

Lucky Roo and the others froze again, similar scenes flashing through their minds.

"That makes sense. You wouldn't drown if you fell into the sea. It really does have an advantage over other fruits..."

"You could also summon a sea beast before you hit the water..."

Louis paid them no heed. Instead, he stared straight into Shanks's eyes. "Shanks, would you sell me this fruit?"

Louis hadn't tried to trick the Red-Haired Pirates into a deal by concealing the fruit's abilities. He had honestly explained everything before stating what he wanted.

Although Shanks was also a Celestial Dragon, he had earned the approval of Roger and the people of Bar. He was one of Louis's few friends, and for now, he was also on the side of those who resisted.

So, as long as their ideals didn't clash, Louis wouldn't treat him as an enemy.

That was why Louis disdained accomplishing his goals through deception.

At his words, the others stopped interrupting Shanks and the others' thoughts. They simply waited quietly for his decision.

But to Louis's surprise, Shanks didn't hesitate at all. He picked up the fruit and tossed it to him.

"..."

Louis instinctively caught it, then looked puzzled. "I haven't even named a price."

Shanks waved a hand at him with a smile. "We can talk about the price after you've set sail, gone on an adventure, and gained something from it!"

Shanks was easygoing about it. None of them ate Devil Fruits. The only one who needed a Devil Fruit to protect herself, Uta, had a powder keg in her heart. Shanks wasn't going to give her a Devil Fruit until she changed her mind.

So since Louis wanted this Devil Fruit, Shanks gave it to him without a second thought. Price, payment—none of that had even crossed his mind.

"Take it, Louis!"

"We've never cared much about this sort of thing. If you need it, just take it." Seeing their captain had spoken, the others chimed in.

After a brief moment of surprise, Louis said no more and gladly accepted the fruit.