One Piece: SSS-Rank Haki at Age Seventeen

Gordon's bony fingers clutched a yellowed parchment scroll tightly, as though it were the only thing that had supported him for the past eleven years.

Morning sunlight fell across the deep lines on his face, illuminating an almost obsessive seriousness.

"Listen carefully!"

His gaze swept across the gathered Straw Hat crew, every word sounding as if it were being forced out from the depths of his lungs.

"If we want to completely erase the Song Demon King, Tot Musica, ordinary attacks are meaningless!"

"We must attack it simultaneously from both the real world and the Sing-Sing World—coordinated assaults from both sides! Only then is there even the slightest chance!"

He took a heavy breath. Within his cloudy eyes burned a mixture of certainty and madness forged through years of relentless research.

Ever since that incident, his life had revolved around only one purpose:

Gather every scrap of information about that demon. Analyze it. Understand it. Search for even the faintest weakness.

"The moment the Demon King is fully summoned through Uta's song and descends into the world…"

Gordon unfolded the parchment. Ancient text and bizarre symbols covered its surface, forming incomprehensible diagrams.

"…its 'existence' anchors itself simultaneously in two domains: our reality, and the Sing-Sing World created by Uta's powers."

"They are two sides of the same coin, like light and shadow. Attack one side, and the other instantly compensates for it—or even transfers the damage away."

He suddenly looked up at Luffy, though it felt as though his gaze had traveled back to the battlefield from eleven years ago.

"That's why… even a crew as powerful as the Red Hair Pirates could only seal it away back then—not destroy it!"

"They had no way to enter the Sing-Sing World. They couldn't coordinate attacks between both worlds! Their attacks either struck nothing but phantoms or had their damage dispersed into the other side!"

"Huh?!"

Sanji paused with his cigarette between his fingers, his face showing a mix of disbelief and sudden understanding.

"So basically… this thing's a mechanics-type boss?"

"It's not some unbeatable force of destruction—you just need to follow specific rules to clear the stage?"

He exhaled a puff of smoke, looking speechless.

"And here I thought it was some ancient world-ending evil god…"

"Do NOT think so lightly of it!!"

Gordon nearly roared the words as he stepped forward abruptly, the parchment rattling violently in his hands.

His eyes locked onto the silent Uta nearby. Fear, worry, and deep sorrow all swirled within his gaze.

"The source of Tot Musica's power has always been Uta herself! Its strength, scale, and destructive capability are all directly tied to the summoner's power!"

Gordon's voice trembled with agitation.

"Eleven years ago, Uta was only a child who had just begun adapting to her abilities. Her body was ordinary! But now…"

His eyes swept across Uta's slender yet powerful figure.

His voice carried an almost despairing warning.

"No one can predict just how terrifying the Demon King would become if fully summoned now! Perhaps… perhaps it would be ten times—one hundred times more horrifying than before!"

The atmosphere froze under the weight of his warning.

The tension that had eased slightly after Sanji's "mechanics-type boss" remark tightened once again.

Luffy lowered the brim of his straw hat slightly. Beneath the shadow, the corner of his mouth slowly curled upward into an aggressive grin.

"So all we gotta do… is beat it up from both sides, right?"

Law stood with Kikoku in his arms, his expression calm.

"No matter how troublesome the rules are, as long as there's a method, that's enough."

Yamato hoisted Hassaikai onto her shoulder. Her silver hair fluttered behind her, excitement burning in her crimson eyes.

"Uta, we'll protect you! And we'll defeat the Demon King too!"

Gordon looked at the pirates who had instantly switched into battle mode. Not only had they not been frightened away, their fighting spirit had intensified instead.

His mouth opened slightly, but in the end, he swallowed the harsher warning he had intended to give.

He looked toward Uta, who was unconsciously being protected at the center by Luffy and the others, and silently prayed.

Prayed that the ray of sunlight shining once more upon Elegia's ruins after eleven years would finally dispel the deepest darkness.

And the hope behind this "coordination" was not only the simultaneous assault between two worlds—

But also the bond connecting all of these people together at this very moment.

"Luffy… are you really going into the Sing-Sing World?"

Yamato clenched her fists, unable to hide the hesitation in her voice.

Thanks to Gordon's detailed explanation earlier, they now fully understood the terrifying relationship between Tot Musica and the Sing-Sing Fruit.

Even for Luffy, who now stood at the pinnacle of the seas, entering that bizarre world carried no guarantee of survival.

The powers of the Sing-Sing Fruit were simply too sinister.

The moment someone heard that enchanting song, they would be forcibly dragged into another dimensional world.

If they died within that world—or if Uta herself died—their soul would remain trapped there forever, unable to return to reality.

It was an ability that was practically impossible to counter.

Like a different version of Infinite Tsukuyomi—a suicidal ultimate move unleashed by the Song Demon King at all costs.

And the Sing-Sing World itself was a higher-dimensional realm entirely controlled by Tot Musica.

Within that domain, the Demon King's power was undoubtedly on a completely different level than in the real world.

"Don't worry!"

Luffy grinned broadly and casually rubbed the tip of his nose.

His bright black eyes overflowed with confidence and defiance.

"I'm really strong, y'know!"

A heavy silence blanketed the ruins of Elegia.

Gordon solemnly handed the final pair of specially-made metallic headphones to Rayleigh.

"Even for someone like you, Dark King Rayleigh, you absolutely must wear them."

Gordon's voice was dry and serious, utterly devoid of humor.

"The Sing-Sing Fruit's forced-transfer effect possesses an extremely high-priority rule."

"It doesn't target strength or defense directly. It targets the very act of 'hearing the song.'"

Rayleigh accepted the headphones, his thumb brushing across the cold metallic surface.

He chuckled with faint nostalgia.

"To think that at my age, I'd still need a little gadget like this to avoid danger. Still…"

He glanced toward Luffy, who was already bouncing excitedly in place nearby, then shook his head.

"This Devil Fruit really is bizarre."

"Trying to constantly protect your hearing with Conqueror's Haki during battle? Far too inefficient. And there's no guarantee it'd work perfectly."

He smoothly put the headphones on, sealing them tightly over his ears.

The world instantly became strangely quiet—not entirely silent, but filtered free of all dangerous frequencies.

Sanji and the others quickly put theirs on as well.

Everyone stood ready, their eyes focused on the two figures at the center.

Gordon's warning echoed within their minds:

The Sing-Sing Fruit was powerful enough that even the strongest figures on the seas could fall victim to it if they let their guard down for a single moment.

Yet at the same time, it was "weak" in an almost absurd way…

A carefully designed soundproof headset could actually become an "absolute barrier" against its rules.

That contradiction itself was proof of how bizarre the ability truly was.

"Alright, let's do this, Uta!!"

Luffy's voice shattered the solemn mood.

A bright grin spread across his face as he punched one fist into his palm, his rubber arm making an elastic snapping sound.

He looked so relaxed that it was hard to believe he was about to willingly enter a dangerous alternate world that even Rayleigh treated cautiously.

To him, it seemed more like an exciting adventure.

Uta looked at his carefree smile and took a deep breath, burying the last traces of hesitation and worry deep inside her heart.

She gave a slight nod. Determination flashed through her amethyst-like eyes.

Her lips parted gently.

A clear, ethereal melody with overwhelming penetrative force rippled outward like tangible waves of sound centered around her.

"Shinjidai wa kono miraida…"

("The New Genesis is this future…")

Her song was no longer a grand anthem for creating an eternal utopia.

Instead, it became a precise key—

A doorway opened for only one person.

The beautiful sound waves infused with the power of special rules flowed clearly into the ears of the only person not wearing headphones: Luffy.

The instant the song entered his ears, an irresistible sinking sensation surged over him from the level of pure law itself.

It wasn't fatigue.

It was a forced "invitation" and separation directed at consciousness itself.

Luffy's Observation Haki reacted violently, sending frantic warnings through his senses as it attempted to resist the invasive law.

But Luffy—

A man who always followed his instincts above all else—

Chose to release all resistance willingly.

He closed his eyes. A hint of anticipation even appeared in the smile at the corner of his lips as he allowed the tide of song to gently envelop and pull his consciousness away from reality.

Under the watchful eyes of Rayleigh, Gordon, and all of his headphone-wearing companions, Luffy's upright body suddenly swayed.

Then all strength left him.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, he collapsed forward.

Uta instantly stepped forward and caught him securely in her arms.

Luffy's chest still rose and fell steadily. His breathing remained calm and even, as though he had merely fallen into a deep sleep.

But everyone present knew—

His consciousness was no longer inside that body.

He had already stepped into—

The bizarre and dangerous world created by the Sing-Sing Fruit:

The Sing-Sing World.

The sensation of weightlessness vanished in an instant.

Solid yet strangely soft ground met his feet.

Luffy "opened" the eyes of his consciousness.

"WHOOAAAH—!!!"

A cry of amazement burst uncontrollably from his throat.

His eyes widened into perfect circles, excitement sparkling inside them so brightly it almost looked like stars would leap out.

The world before him completely overturned his understanding of what a "world" could be.

This was not the ruined desolation of Elegia.

Nor was it any ordinary island landscape.

It was a fairy-tale realm entirely manifested from music, melody, and emotion.

Beneath his feet stretched endless meadows of cloud-like velvet, woven from dreamy shades of white and pale violet.

Stepping on them felt as though he might sink in—yet they firmly supported him at the same time.

Floating through the air were countless crystalline musical notes that seemed alive.

They flowed like glowing blue streams of light, drifting across the meadows and through the sky, leaving fleeting trails of melody behind them.

Whenever some notes collided, they produced clear, spring-like chimes.

The entire world was "breathing."

It was "singing."

The colors were pure and vibrant. The light was soft yet omnipresent.

And the sound didn't travel through the ears—

It seeped directly into one's consciousness.

It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Perfectly harmonious to the point of unreality.

"So awesome—!!!"

Luffy spun around in circles on the spot, stretching his rubber neck absurdly far as though trying to devour the entire 360-degree scenery in one glance.

"This is even cooler than Skypiea! Uta's power is amazing!!"

◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇

◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!

◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.

◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → /Chakraflow789