"Well, you really live up to the title of the legendary God Slayer!"
When Shanks saw Caelan's attack, he couldn't help but cheer.
With the power of that sword alone, Caelan was worthy of ascending to the rank of Yonko.
In terms of pure swordsmanship, he wasn't far off from his close friend, Dracule Mihawk.
"You flatter me. I didn't even scratch that monster."
Caelan curled his lips and replied modestly.
While he was speaking, the Tot Musica he had just slashed into pieces began reassembling itself, as if it were immortal.
"Haha, don't blame yourself. I couldn't do anything to it either."
Shanks laughed heartily, then drew his famous sword, Gryphon.
The next moment, he stepped forward hard and shot toward Tot Musica like an arrow from a bowstring.
As Gryphon swung, it was wrapped in streaks of black and red lightning.
Boom!
With a single strike, Tot Musica's arm, made of piano keys, shattered completely.
Though slightly weaker than Caelan's blow, it was still powerful enough to kill a Marine Vice Admiral.
Yet the injury didn't last. In just a moment, Tot Musica's arm regenerated.
"As expected, normal attacks are useless."
Shanks sheathed his sword, his expression turning serious.
"That kind of regeneration... it's like it can't be killed!"
Gion's face was grave as she couldn't help but exclaim.
This Demon King of Song was far too difficult to deal with. Attacks that could have killed it didn't even faze it. It was completely unaffected.
The entire Red Hair Pirates crew showed no surprise. They had faced Tot Musica ten years ago.
Yasopp stepped forward and explained the situation.
"The Demon King of Songs, Tot Musica, is a demon sealed by the ancient user of the Sing-Sing Fruit. It can merge the Song World with the real world, causing immense destruction to both."
"To defeat it, you must destroy it in both the Song World and the real world simultaneously. Otherwise, it's impossible to eliminate this monster."
Everyone fell silent after hearing this.
"That doesn't sound too complicated. As long as someone fights it in the Song World, the strength of two Yonko should be enough."
Borsalino rubbed his chin and analyzed, which was rare for him.
He clearly wanted to finish things quickly. Staying here with these people made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
"The issue is, there's no one of Yonko-level or close to it inside the Song World. Once the soul enters the Song World, the body left behind becomes defenseless."
Beckman pointed out the main problem.
In front of them, more than a dozen pirates danced erratically, proving Beckman's statement.
The group fell silent.
Entering the Song World meant the real body would be left vulnerable, unprotected.
And with everyone outside focused on fighting Tot Musica, they wouldn't be able to guard those bodies. The risk was enormous.
Who should enter? Who would protect their body outside? Could they even be protected?
These were all serious problems.
"There's no need for all that. I'll take care of it."
Caelan stepped forward and said in a deep voice.
He had originally intended to use Tot Musica's immortal body to blow off some steam.
But since everyone was in such a hurry, he might as well get rid of it now.
"You!?"
"I need to remind you—attacking in just one world is useless."
Shanks frowned at him, emphasizing the terrifying nature of the Demon King of Songs.
"Relax. I won't act unless I'm confident."
Caelan smiled slightly, speaking with quiet certainty.
The next moment, to everyone's shock, Caelan shouted.
"Spear!"
Above Elegia, the golden divine spear embedded in the ground before the Golden Lion suddenly turned into golden light and shot through the sky toward Caelan.
"What!?"
As he watched the spear fly away, the Golden Lion's face turned green.
How could he not understand now? That spear had been left behind by Caelan deliberately to track him.
He had treated it like a treasure. But it was really a time bomb!
Without thinking, the Golden Lion activated his Float-Float Fruit powers to fly away in panic.
Caelan didn't care about his reaction. He wouldn't be able to escape anyway.
"Behold...
These are the shining armor and earring given to me by Surya, the god of the Sun.
But know this.
Once I transform myself into the life's radiance, this gold will no longer be my armor.
It will merely be a sign that I am burning bright as the Sun, here where you can see it.
Kavacha and Kundala!!"
He loudly recited, summoning the noble phantasm inherited from Karna.
A golden suit of armor as dazzling as the sun wrapped around Caelan's entire body, making him look as sacred and untouchable as the sun itself.
Everyone was stunned. The light surrounding Caelan was so radiant, it was like a second sun had risen in the sky.
"The Sun God? Nika?"
Shanks stared, muttering in disbelief.
This looked even more like the Sun God than Luffy's Fruit!
While everyone was still in shock, Caelan's majestic voice rang out again.
"Feel the mercy of the King of Gods."
"You will be destroyed with this one strike."
"Vasavi Shakti!"
The golden armor melted away, and all his vitality and magic power flowed into the divine spear in his hand.
Everyone could clearly feel that Caelan had poured his entire life into that spear.
"Is he seriously going that far?"
The Red Hair Pirates' scalps went numb.
This was a suicidal attack, and even before it was fully formed, they could already sense a fatal danger from it.
If it hit, the target would definitely die. But Caelan would also die.
To keep them safe, he chose to burn his own life.
They had only known him for a short while. Wasn't this too much?
The next instant, a blindingly sharp and massive light spear formed.
Golden flames and thunder swirled around it.
A divine spear gifted by Indra, the Thunder God. A lightning-based weapon designed to kill in one strike!
In a flash, it shot toward Tot Musica.
Boom!
The giant, dark, and twisted monster instantly disintegrated like melting snow.
The Demon King of Songs, which had to be destroyed in two worlds simultaneously, was erased in an instant.
A massive crater appeared where it once stood.
The walls of the pit were smooth and flawless, as if carved by divine hands.
"Oh my god!"
Everyone stared at the destruction in disbelief, dazed by the sheer force of the blow.
It was like the sun had crashed down, like divine punishment had struck.
Beautiful, yet unimaginably dangerous!
Anyone hit by that attack would be obliterated instantly.
Aboard the Marine warship, both Borsalino and Kuzan were horrified. They could tell that even if they fully elementalized, they wouldn't survive that strike.
Humans would be completely annihilated. Objects would be obliterated. The environment itself would be altered.
Time passed.
But the Demon King of Songs never reappeared.
"It's really gone?!"
Shanks couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The Demon King of Songs, which they couldn't destroy no matter what, had been completely wiped out by that attack.
It hadn't just returned to the seal, waiting for another chance to reemerge.
It had been completely erased from existence!
"Isn't that normal?"
Caelan smiled calmly.
[Vasavi Shakti: O Sun, Abandon Thy Crown!]—as an EX-ranked Noble Phantasm, it is a one-use treasure activated by sacrificing one's life.
Its power is enough to utterly destroy all individual existences: whether they be mythical creatures, legendary beasts, humans, shields, armies, barriers, or even gods—nothing can resist it.
Only conceptual defenses based on the idea of a world can withstand it. For example, Achilles' EX-ranked treasure [Akhilleus Kosmos] could block it.
Obviously, there's no such treasure in the world of One Piece.
Which means, once Caelan uses this attack, it guarantees a one-hit kill!
Even the so-called Demon King of Songs was erased under this attack.
(To be continued.)