Uta suddenly lifted her head and looked at Sakazuki, disbelief written all over her face.
At the same time, the world was thrown into uproar.
From Sakazuki's words, it sounded as though the destruction of Elegia held another hidden truth, one far more terrifying, and that the catastrophe might have been caused by the young girl herself.
* * *
On islands across the world, people gathered before video Den Den Mushi screens, visibly shaken.
Not only had Sakazuki's words dragged them into the story, but many of them had personally suffered at the hands of pirates.
"Hey, hey… is this real?!"
"She was only a child eight years ago! Don't tell me it really was her?!"
"If Fleet Admiral Sakazuki says so… then it's probably true…"
"No matter what, she's still Red Hair's daughter."
"Destroying a country isn't strange for pirates, right… aren't pirates all like that…?"
* * *
In the New World, both pirates and Marines began to move.
No one could predict what would happen next. Full combat readiness was ordered everywhere.
Meanwhile, far from Marine Headquarters, aboard the Red Hair Pirates' ship.
Every single person radiated killing intent as the ship sped toward Marine-controlled territory. Simultaneously, all allied crews under their banner were mobilized.
Watching Sakazuki interrogate Uta on the screen, Shanks unknowingly clenched his fist tight. His gaze was locked onto the image.
"Sakazuki…"
Frenzied killing intent surged outward along with Conqueror's Haki. Heaven and earth seemed to change color.
* * *
The New World. New Marineford.
On the execution platform, Sakazuki looked at Uta and spoke in a calm, indifferent tone.
"Was my question not clear enough, daughter of Red Hair? Tell me. Did you hear the wails of those tens of thousands of people in the dead of night? Did you hear them asking why you killed them?!"
Uta seemed to lose all strength. Her body went limp as she shook her head weakly, a painful voice slipping from her lips.
"I don't know…"
Sakazuki let out a soft scoff. "You don't know? How could you not know?
"The true culprit behind the destruction of Elegia, the songstress who used her Devil Fruit to slaughter tens of thousands, Uta."
* * *
Countless islands erupted.
Before, it had only been speculation. But now that Sakazuki himself had said it, people did not doubt it at all.
Angry voices rose, filled with hatred.
"Kill her!"
"Kill her!!"
"Kill her!!!"
No one knew who started it, but soon the cries merged into one, as if the entire world were drowning in calls for her death.
* * *
The New World, New Marineford.
On the execution platform, Sakazuki's voice continued to ring out.
"As the Marines continued their investigation, we uncovered the hidden truth behind this incident. The entire world was deceived by the Red Hair Pirates.
"The real culprit who destroyed Elegia is the Red-Haired Shanks' daughter standing beside me, Uta.
"She consumed a terrifying Devil Fruit at a young age. During the music festival held by the Elegia Kingdom, her power went out of control.
"This child, only nine years old at the time… slaughtered an entire country by herself. The only one who knew the truth, the foolish King Gordon, helped Red Hair deceive this child and deceive the entire world.
"Everyone believed the fall of Elegia was the work of the Red Hair Pirates. And this child, who destroyed a kingdom and killed tens of thousands, grew up happily on the ruins of Elegia. Sleeping atop countless wronged souls.
"This ridiculous self-comfort is called sacrifice by pirates. It is praised as loyalty. And yet no one ever thought about the wailing of those tens of thousands of dead!"
Sakazuki looked at Uta, whose pupils had lost all focus.
"This truth has been hidden for eight years. But… as the true culprit, the daughter of Red Hair… do you really not know?"
Uta stood motionless, like a puppet that had lost its soul.
Sakazuki stared at her and continued in a cold, flat voice.
"You know. You just don't want to bear it."
A trace of awareness returned to her. She spoke through the pain.
"I don't know…"
Sakazuki ignored her denial.
"You don't just know. You know everything clearly, but you chose to run from reality. You chose to push all of this onto your father, Red-Haired Shanks."
She lowered her head deeply, her face dark as she whispered again.
"I don't know…"
Sakazuki looked straight at her.
"You know."
Her body trembled. A low, hoarse growl escaped her throat.
"I said—"
She suddenly raised her head, as if transformed into a different person.
"I DON'T KNOW!"
The crazed expression. The bloodshot eyes. The rage.
Everything pointed to the truth.
A terrifying force burst from her body, nearly breaking her free from the two soldiers restraining her.
Boom!
A vast wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Sakazuki, sweeping across heaven and earth. Everyone on the island felt their ears ring as dizziness washed over them.
Uta bore the brunt of it. She was slammed to the ground, the iron stakes piercing her body mixed with powdered Seastone. Combined with the Seastone cuffs behind her, she was left completely unable to resist.
Sakazuki waved his hand, signaling the two soldiers to step back.
He looked down at Uta lying beside him, unable to rise, then crouched down.
His voice dropped into a devilish whisper, tempting and torturing her, as well as the Red Hair Pirates far out at sea.
"How pitiful… A failed father. And a failed daughter.
"Red Hair carried everything on his back to protect the daughter he loved. Yet he never knew his daughter already knew the truth, and chose to run away.
"How disappointed would Shanks be, if he knew your true face…"
It was a textbook montage of lies. Yet there was no way to refute it, because everything Sakazuki had said was true. He had only twisted the order.
But no one cared anymore.
Because the world was about to change.
On the execution platform, Uta lay on the ground, shaking her head violently, screaming without a sound.
Sakazuki slowly reached out, pressed a hand to her neck, and lifted her to her feet.
Rip!
The iron stakes tore through flesh. Large chunks were ripped open without breaking, the bones of her lower leg clearly visible.
But it no longer mattered.
Gripping her throat, Sakazuki turned toward the video Den Den Mushi.
"Red Hair. And the other Emperors of the New World.
"This is only the beginning.
"You'd better protect what matters most to you. We… will deal with you. One by one…"
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out, and the body fell lifelessly to the ground.
**
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