Having said that, Uta spread his arms, looked at Luffy, and said with a smile:
" Luffy, as you can see right now, all of you here are my fans, and I have countless fans all over the world!"
"I have indeed achieved my childhood dream, but now I have another dream, and it's about to come true!"
"Hmm? What's your dream? Tell me about it!"
Luffy's face showed interest.
My dream now is...
Uta paused for a moment, but then immediately continued excitedly:
"I want to create a world without worries or sorrows, where people don't have to struggle for a living and can simply enjoy happiness!"
"And the Sing-Sing World we live in now is this world!"
Look, Luffy!
"Look at those people now, aren't they all beaming with joy? They don't seem to have a single worry on their faces!"
Uta pointed to the crowd in the stands and said.
"They will achieve immortality in this Sing-Sing World, an immortality of living happily every day!"
(⊙o⊙)...
" Uta... your idea is good, but the problem is, isn't this a virtual world?"
"Even after people wake up, they're still in reality!"
Luffy couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Who says they'll wake up?"
Uta countered with a question.
Then, without Luffy's reply, he said directly:
"Once you enter this Sing-Sing World, you will never have the chance to leave; your spirit will remain here forever!"
"Live on in this world forever!"
"Of course, Luffy, you don't need to feel lonely, because not only are you a crewmate, but I'll also be here with you. Let's go back to how we were when we were kids!"
"Don't want!"
Uta had barely finished speaking when Luffy's words froze her smile on her face.
He looked up and stared intently at Luffy, the smile fading from his lips, and asked calmly:
Why? Wouldn't it be better to live happily here?
"Don't become a pirate, that's totally pointless!"
"Don't want!"
Luffy shook his head again, looked at Uta seriously, and said:
"It's certainly fun here, but it's only temporary!"
"Becoming the Pirate King has always been my dream, and I can't give it up for anything!"
"And Uta, do you really think staying here all the time is happiness?"
"Why don't you ask the audience members on stage if they'd be willing to stay here indefinitely?"
Luffy looked at Uta calmly with a deep gaze and asked.
"Of course they would!"
"They are all my biggest fans, they love listening to my songs, and they'd definitely like to stay here forever!"
"Just go ask them and you'll find out!"
Uta said firmly without even thinking.
Luffy didn't say much, just repeated the same sentence.
Uta narrowed his eyes, immediately looked up at the crowd in the stands, glanced around, and then shouted:
"Everyone! Are you having fun here?!"
"Happy!!"
Hearing the enthusiastic responses from the crowd, Uta couldn't help but smile, glancing smugly at Luffy before continuing to ask the others:
"How about we enjoy these days forever?"
"..."
To Uta's surprise, this time after she asked the question, no one answered her immediately. Instead, there was a moment of silence as everyone fell into deep thought.
The sudden silence startled Uta. She had imagined that everyone would cheer and affirm her answer after she finished asking!
What's going on here?
After another period of silence, people in the crowd began to speak one after another.
"I'm happy now, but it doesn't seem right if things continue like this, does it?"
"Enjoying it is certainly good, but it always feels a bit unsettling!"
"..."
Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, their words clearly expressing their disapproval of continuing to enjoy themselves in this way.
"How... how could this happen?"
Uta said in disbelief.
"Because such happiness is not reassuring for most people!"
Xia Chen said calmly, his gaze fixed on the Uta below.
"Feeling uneasy?"
Uta looked up at Xia Chen, her eyes filled with confusion and inquiry.
"For most people in this world, happiness is certainly the most important thing!"
"But life... wouldn't it be too monotonous if it were only about happiness?"
"It's certainly enjoyable to be here, without having to think about anything else for the time being, but if this continues for too long, it will feel too empty!"
"It's like a mirage, giving people a sense of unreality, so naturally people won't admire it!"
So... not everyone wants to stay here as you think!
" Uta, even so, do you still intend to leave everyone in this world?"
Uta:...
Uta remained silent for a long time, without saying a word.
After an unknown amount of time, the confusion in Uta's eyes gradually faded, replaced by determination. She looked at Xia Chen and said:
Yes! That's right!
Even so, I will still do it!
"I've experienced things that most people haven't, so I believe everything in the real world is fake, whether it's feelings or anything else!"
"Since everything is an illusion, why not live happily in this world?"
"You've experienced things that most people haven't? You mean Shanks abandoning you?"
Xia Chen looked calmly at Uta and said softly.
"How... how did you know?"
Upon hearing this Uta's face immediately showed a look of horror. Then, as if he had thought of something, his expression turned even more grim, and he shouted:
"It was Shanks who told you that, wasn't it!"
"What? Is it really worth mentioning that he abandoned me and destroyed Elegia?"
"No, no, no! That Red Hair guy didn't tell me any of this, and as for how I know it, you don't need to know!"
"But I feel I still need to tell you the truth!"
Xia Chen gazed intently at Uta.
Originally, he wasn't planning to get involved in Uta's affairs and let the Red Hair guy handle it himself.
But Uta's calling him his idol just now changed his mind.
Although he is not someone who is easily influenced by others, he cannot bear to watch his little fans who admire him suffer.
It would be fine if Uta had no connection to him, but since she called him her idol, he wouldn't just stand by and do nothing!
After Uta, maintaining the Sing-Sing World would take a huge toll on Uta's physical strength.
It's okay in the short term, it only consumes physical strength, but it won't work in the long term, because then it will consume her life force.
He will be responsible for telling Uta the truth. If Uta chooses to stop voluntarily, that would be best. If not, he will have to resort to some means...