One Piece: SSS-Rank Haki at Age Seventeen

The sunset over the Kuja Seas painted the sky in gentle shades of orange and violet.

Silvers Rayleigh reclined in an old rattan chair, the chair swaying softly with the rhythm of the waves.

His eyes were closed.

In his hand he held a specially modified Den Den Mushi, and in his ears echoed a song carried across the ocean.

The voice was delicate and clear—like threads woven from moonlight—piercing through storms and tides thousands of miles away before landing precisely in his ears.

Rayleigh slowly opened his eyes.

A complicated emotion flickered in his aged yet sharp gaze.

He lifted his sake flask and took a long drink, his Adam's apple rising and falling before he let out a deep sigh.

"Even though this isn't the first time I've experienced it…" he murmured quietly, his voice mixed with the salty sea breeze.

"This ability is still… terrifying."

He hadn't missed the livestream from three days ago.

On the screen, the girl with half-white, half-red hair stood on a ruined stage, singing with all her heart.

Her voice contained more than simple joy or sorrow.

There was something deeper within it—

A force almost like a rule of the world itself.

Rayleigh was now certain.

That girl—Uta—possessed an extremely unusual Devil Fruit ability, perhaps even a unique one.

Her power intertwined with her singing, her emotions, and the deepest desires of her soul.

They strengthened one another.

It reminded him of the relationship between Boa Hancock and the Mero Mero no Mi.

When a Devil Fruit perfectly resonated with its user—

The ability became extraordinary.

Talent, temperament, and devilish power vibrating in perfect harmony.

But Uta's power…

Was even stranger.

More invisible.

And far more dangerous.

"Even an old man like me almost fell for it…"

Although he appeared relaxed in the chair, a massive torrent of Haki was already circulating through his body like an awakened beast.

It formed an invisible but tangible field around him.

Ever since the "incident" three days ago, his body had instinctively remained on guard.

That day, he had simply been listening to her song.

Then the melody reached a certain section.

A strange sense of comfort and fatigue quietly washed over his mind.

Like warm water flooding over the defenses of his consciousness.

If his battle-hardened will hadn't awakened at the last moment—

And if he hadn't forcibly shattered the strange immersion using Conqueror's Haki—

His mind might have sunk into the unknown depths along with the countless viewers watching the broadcast.

It wasn't an attack.

Yet it was more difficult to defend against than any attack.

It was an invitation.

A resonance.

A soothing touch that reached the soul itself—

And reshaped it.

Meanwhile — Kuja Seas

The tranquil evening was suddenly torn apart by a sharp explosion.

"Huh? That sound… could it be…?!"

In the middle of his fierce battle with Yamato in her Okuchi no Makami form, Luffy suddenly froze.

A fragment of melody—

Extremely familiar, deeply engraved in the softest corner of his childhood memories—

Pierced through the roar of battle and the thunder of clashing Haki.

It was a song.

Fatigue rose suddenly in his heart like an invisible tide.

Not physical exhaustion.

But a desire to drop everything and drift into peaceful sleep.

His gaze instinctively moved beyond the battlefield.

Toward Rayleigh lying in the rattan chair.

More precisely—

Toward the Den Den Mushi in Rayleigh's hand, which was faintly transmitting music.

At that moment of distraction—

CRACKLE—!!!

Violent black-purple lightning exploded in the air.

A fierce gleam flashed in Yamato's crimson beast eyes.

She caught the fleeting opening instantly.

The ice beneath her feet shattered.

Her enormous divine-wolf form became a streak wrapped in Conqueror's Haki lightning, tearing through the air.

"Thunder—!!"

Her kanabo swung into a full arc.

Haki lightning condensed wildly around it into a destructive sphere.

"—Bagua!!!"

With a roar, the attack carrying mountain-shattering force slammed down on Luffy.

BOOOOOOM—!!!

A mushroom cloud mixed with lightning and ice crystals erupted skyward.

The shockwave crushed the island beneath them into a massive crater.

But—

In the next instant—

Luffy appeared beside Rayleigh like a phantom.

Completely unharmed.

He didn't even look back at the expanding explosion behind him.

All his attention had been captured by the tiny screen projected from the Den Den Mushi.

On the screen—

Under the stage spotlight—

The girl with red-and-white hair was singing passionately.

Sweat glistened on her forehead.

Her expression was focused and burning with emotion, as if she were pouring her entire soul into each note.

Luffy's eyes slowly brightened.

Like memories suddenly ignited.

His grin widened—

Until it stretched nearly to his ears.

"Uta…!"

He whispered her name.

Then he couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart.

"It really is Uta!!"

The sea breeze fluttered his straw hat.

Behind him, the aftermath of Yamato's explosion still raged.

But for Luffy—

The world now contained only two things:

The voice from the screen.

And the red-and-white-haired girl from his childhood memories.

A Revelation

"Oh? So you're a fan of Uta too?"

Rayleigh raised an eyebrow, amusement in his voice.

He shook the Den Den Mushi slightly.

The girl's singing continued flowing from it.

Luffy turned toward him with even greater surprise.

"Huh? Rayleigh! You didn't know?!"

"Uta is Shanks' daughter!!"

"—WHAT?!!"

Rayleigh's relaxed expression shattered instantly.

He shot upright from the chair as if struck by lightning.

His eyes locked onto the image of the singing girl.

Shanks'… daughter?

For the first time, the legendary Dark King Rayleigh looked deeply shaken.

A chill crawled up his spine.

His gaze seemed to pierce the screen itself—

Crossing the sea—

Toward the ruined island of Elegia.

He imagined the lonely girl singing on a deserted stage.

The Others Arrive

"Luffy! What are you two doing over here?!"

Yamato, Sanji, and Law broke through the smoke and landed beside them.

Yamato had returned to human form, her kanabo resting on her shoulder.

Sanji frowned while lighting a cigarette.

Law held Kikoku, his sharp gaze scanning the Den Den Mushi.

At that exact moment—

The magical singing flowed clearly from the snail again.

And then—

CRACK—!!!

Two overwhelming waves of Conqueror's Haki erupted simultaneously from Luffy and Rayleigh.

Black-red lightning and dark golden pressure exploded outward.

Not aimed at their companions—

But brutally tearing apart the invisible influence of the song itself.

CRACK—CRACK—!!!

It was as if an invisible mirror in the air shattered into countless fragments.

The sweet and dangerous veil covering their minds was violently ripped apart.

Sanji blinked in confusion.

His cigarette had nearly slipped from his fingers.

"What… just happened?"

Law pressed a hand to his temple.

Yamato tightened her grip on the kanabo, her eyes full of lingering caution.

"You three," Rayleigh said calmly.

"Were just pulled into a brief illusion by that song."

"This is the terrifying power of Uta… and the Uta Uta no Mi."

Unless one's Conqueror's Haki reached the highest level, it was almost impossible to break the illusion from within.

Without top-tier Armament Haki, even the body and mind couldn't fully resist the infiltration.

As for Observation Haki—

Unless it was equally advanced, one wouldn't even realize they had fallen into the illusion.

It was nearly an unsolvable form of mental domination.

Luffy's Decision

"Uta… I made a promise with Uta."

Luffy lowered his head, repeating the words.

Then his eyes hardened with determination.

"I have to see her."

He suddenly looked up at Rayleigh.

"Rayleigh! Do you know where Elegia Island is?!"

"I know the location," Rayleigh replied.

"It used to be a famous musical kingdom, so it's marked on navigation charts."

"But it's been a dead zone for years. Not even News Coo fly near it anymore."

"How could Uta possibly still be there—"

His words stopped.

A contradiction struck his mind like lightning.

The person blamed for Elegia's destruction…

Was Red-Haired Shanks.

If Uta truly was Shanks' daughter—

And she lived on the ruins created by her father—

Then what truth was hidden behind that tragedy?

Luffy's Lightning Creation

"Let's go! I can't wait anymore!!"

Before anyone could respond—

Luffy crouched slightly.

The power of the Nika Fruit surged.

BOOM—!!!

The ground exploded beneath him.

He shot into the sky like a blazing meteor.

High above—

A massive thundercloud began spinning violently.

Millions of lightning bolts raged within it.

At the center—

Luffy stretched out his hand.

Not attacking.

Controlling.

"Come here!!!"

The chaotic lightning began collapsing toward his palm.

He forced the raging power of nature into shape.

Moments later—

The light vanished.

A huge creature descended from the clouds.

A bird made entirely of lightning.

Its shape was crooked.

Its beak slightly bent.

One eye bigger than the other.

But the enormous energy it emitted rippled the sea below.

Luffy stood proudly on the bird's head.

"Get on!!"

Sanji stared upward, his face twitching.

"That 'chicken'… is ugly as hell!!"

Rayleigh, however, was stunned.

He stared at the lightning construct in disbelief.

Turning wild lightning into a physical form—

And using it as transportation?

"Stop complaining! It flies, doesn't it?!" Luffy shouted.

Yamato and Law jumped aboard.

Sanji reluctantly followed.

Rayleigh took one last look at Uta singing on the Den Den Mushi screen.

Then he leapt onto the lightning bird.

"Hold on!"

Luffy grinned toward the horizon.

The crooked lightning bird flapped its wings—

BOOM!!!

A streak of blue lightning shot across the sky.

Carrying a group of monsters toward Elegia Island.

Leaving behind only swirling seawater—

And the lingering scent of ozone in the air.

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