When I'm Sleeping, Perhaps I Am

The towering Huo Guang stained the night with a crimson glow, and the town, already riddled with holes, was filled with suppressed sobs.

People walking on the ruins searched for their lost relatives, and many others knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly, staring at the broken limbs and remains in front of them.

The weathered, ancient parchment fluttered in the wind and landed in front of Gordon.

"Mom, where is our home?"

"Home... home is already... waaaaaah!"

"Why, why are the gods treating us like this? What did we do wrong?"

"It's all... it's all... it's all your fault! If you hadn't brought this child here, how could Elegia have ended up like this!"

Snap!

The bright red stains on his black cloak made the smashed tomato stand out starkly. Shanks lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Faced with the anger of the people of Elegia, he made no attempt to defend himself, and understood the profound grief that this sudden tragedy had filled their hearts.

"That's right. It's all our fault. It was done by the Red-Haired Pirates. It has nothing to do with Uta."

A deep voice echoed in the sky above Elegia, Shanks raised his head, his eyes resolute.

"Please, this is all the pirates' fault. It has nothing to do with her. She's just a child, nothing more."

At that moment, everyone who met the Red-Haired Shanks's gaze subconsciously released what they were holding and lowered their heads in silence.

"Actually, it's not Uta's or their fault. We really love this child's singing..."

"But if we don't blame them, who else can we blame? Waaaaah..."

The Huo Guang blazed Kuma, and in the near-death silence, a gentle and calm voice rang out once more.

"Now that the sealed musical score has appeared, how about we make a deal? King Gordon of Elegia."

Gordon, who had carefully put away the few parchment sheet music pieces, was taken aback upon hearing this and instinctively looked in the direction where Huayue was.

"My savior who saved Elegia, what is the deal you're talking about...?"

"I will heal Elegia's wounds. In return, you will hand over the Song Demon King Tot Musica to me. How about it?"

Upon hearing this, the citizens of Elegia showed expressions of disbelief, and some hot-tempered citizens even shouted angrily on the spot.

"Soothe the pain? What a joke! My child died at the hands of that little girl, how can you soothe my pain?!"

"My family was also..."

"And my love, this is simply impossible! Can you bring the dead back to life? Are you a god?!"

One by one, the crowd rose up in anger. Gordon's face darkened. This matter was indeed not Uta's doing, but it was caused by her.

"My benefactor, thank you for saving us all, but Tot Musica is far too dangerous, I... I really..."

"Alright, it's settled then. In exchange for reviving everyone, you give up the Song Demon King, Tot Musica."

Gordon stood there, stunned, wondering if he had misheard.

"How can the dead be resurrected? Do you really think we're idiots?!"

"Enough! That's enough! You pirates can't possibly understand our grief. Can you even comprehend the feeling of losing a loved one?"

"Drive them out, drive the pirates out of Elegia..."

The enraged crowd instinctively searched for any weapons they could muster, attempting to drive away the entity that kept reopening their wounds and rubbing salt into them, a scene of utter rage.

However, Huayue remained calm, simply focusing her gaze on Gordon, awaiting his decision.

Thump!

"Your Majesty Gordon!"

"Your Majesty, what is this...?"

"Everyone, listen to me. This has nothing to do with anyone, and we don't need to make a naive child take responsibility!"

"My benefactor, I beg you. If you can truly help me, I am willing to entrust Tot Musica to you for safekeeping. Please heal the wounds of the people!"

Gordon, kneeling heavily on the ground with tears in his eyes, looked at the ruins of his country and wanted to hold on to the last glimmer of hope.

"Can the dead really be brought back to life?"

Ben Beckman took a deep drag on his cigarette, wisps of smoke curling around him, but his eyes were full of suspicion.

"Two possibilities: one is the special ability of Devil Fruit..."

Red-Haired Shanks looked at Uta, who was fast asleep with a rosy and healthy complexion, and the weight that had been hanging over his heart finally settled.

"What's another possibility?"

"Then he must be a god!"

Lucky Roux chuckled strangely, while Ben Beckman scoffed.

"Fool, how can there be a god in this world?"

"Tch, ignorant low-level pirate. If gods truly exist, it must be His Majesty, for His Majesty is omnipotent!"

A cold, arrogant voice rang out from the shadows, instantly reminding the members of the Red-Haired Pirates of the blonde beauty with bat wings.

"Deal made! Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique!"

Under the Kuma Huo Guang, the flickering shadows suddenly expanded, instantly covering the entire city of Elegia.

Beams of emerald green light shot into the sky, falling into every corner of the Music Kingdom, like a gentle drizzle extinguishing the flames of despair.

Where am I?

"How did I get back? I was just somewhere, it felt like I was soaking in a hot spring..."

"Elle, Elle! That's great, that's great!"

"My child, my child is back!"

In an instant, they experienced great joy in a moment of great sorrow. Many of Elegia's citizens went crazy, but most felt gratitude and awe.

"Hey! Hongo, hurry up and give me a punch, let me see if I'm dreaming or not."

Bang!

With one punch, a bright red fist mark appeared on Yasopp's face, leaving the bewildered members of the Red-Haired Pirates speechless.

"Gods above, have we encountered gods?!"

"This... this..."

Gordon's body stiffened, as if he had encountered some unbelievable reality, until the paper in his hand that summoned Tot Musica seemed to have a mind of its own and tried to escape, which brought him back to his senses.

"My benefactor, this is the music that summons Tot Musica, that...that..."

Like a mouse encountering a cat, no matter how much the music in one's hands struggles, it still cannot escape the confines of one's fingertips.

Huayue turned her head, her smile gentle, like the moonlight that dispels dark clouds, bright and flawless.

"Is there anything else?"

"Excuse me, are you a god?"

Upon hearing this, Huayue smiled and replied earnestly.

"While I'm sleeping, I might be..."

With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and left, with Yamato following casually behind. Only Hiyori gave a slight bow before hurriedly catching up.

Red-Haired Shanks pondered for a moment, then laughed as well.

"Alright, brothers, let's set sail! This time it's going to be a resounding victory!"