The dark golden barrier encasing Uta vanished the moment it touched the palm of the man in the scarf.
Without the protection of the barrier, Uta began falling toward the ground.
The man in the scarf spread his arms and caught Uta in a princess carry, holding her close.
Feeling the warmth of his embrace, Uta's long eyelashes fluttered slightly as she slowly opened her eyes, meeting the golden gaze of the man in the scarf.
A dazed expression crossed Uta's face, and she weakly spoke:
"Let... let me go. Who are you...?"
The man in the scarf had his face mostly covered, but his eyes clearly showed a smile.
He spoke softly:
"Silly girl, I'm your Uncle."
Uta's eyes widened in shock, letting out an adorable "Nani?"
As Uta stared in disbelief, the black scarf around the man transformed into swirling black mist and dissipated.
What appeared before Uta was a face so incredibly handsome that it seemed almost unreal.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Uta exclaimed:
"Fleet Admiral Celestial Dragon!?"
In some sense, Carl was the world's biggest star today—anyone who had seen a few newspapers could recognize his face immediately.
Uta stared at Carl, muttering to herself:
"Is this a joke? How could the Fleet Admiral be my uncle?"
At that moment, Shanks landed beside Carl, his face filled with concern as he leaned in to ask:
"Uta, are you alright? Do you feel unwell?"
With the release of the Tot Musica, Uta's usual personality returned. She weakly opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a loud roar.
Carl raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Shanks.
Shanks's expression darkened, and he spoke softly:
"You stay with Uta. I'll take care of that monster!"
Carl nodded and sat cross-legged on the ground, holding Uta in his arms as she leaned against him.
Uta's face flushed slightly, and she looked up at Carl's youthful, almost unrealistically handsome face, whispering:
"Are you really my uncle?"
Carl extended a finger and tapped Uta's smooth forehead, smiling:
"If you weren't my niece, with how you acted just now, I would've... hmm."
Uta lowered her head in embarrassment, her voice barely above a whisper:
"S-Sorry, I don't know what happened... I just couldn't control my emotions..."
"Don't blame yourself too much. Just don't eat those mushrooms again. It's because you keep eating them that the monster was able to take advantage. In a situation like this, it's surprising your mind didn't collapse."
Just then, Shanks had already engaged Tot Musica in battle.
Shanks transformed into his Dragon form, his muscular, imposing figure causing Uta to gasp in surprise.
Hearing Uta's voice, Shanks's lips curved into a proud smile.
He raised his head and let out a roar imbued with Conqueror's Haki, shaking the very world around Uta.
Immediately after, Shanks unleashed a scorching breath of dragon fire, which Tot Musica countered with a black light barrier.
The dragon's breath struck the barrier, and the intense heat mixed with the crackling Conqueror's Haki burst out, shattering the shield into countless black sparks.
Tot Musica was pierced by the dragon's fire and flew backward, crashing into the ground with a loud bang.
When it rose again, a large hole in its stomach could be seen.
However, Tot Musica, not being a normal creature, seemed unaffected by the wound, only growing more enraged.
It roared at Shanks, who furrowed his brows. He had fought this monster before and knew that what made it most troublesome was its nearly indestructible body.
As expected, moments later, a dark vortex began to form where the hole had been, and the monster's body quickly healed.
Seeing this, Shanks's eyes narrowed, his aura spiking. He drew his Gryphon and slashed out with a crimson blade of energy that cut across the sky.
Tot Musica's form changed as a pair of black wings sprouted from its back. It roared in fury and met Shanks's attack head-on, using both hands to block the crimson sword beam.
The spectators were shocked. Tot Musica's strength had clearly surpassed their expectations.
Shanks himself was also astonished. The monster before him was far stronger than the one he had faced before.
Carl, however, remained calm. He had anticipated this transformation.
Tot Musica had three forms, and it was now in its third and final, most powerful form.
As this new form emerged, Uta let out a soft groan, her face turning pale, and blood trickled from her mouth.
Tot Musica was summoned by Uta, and there was a connection between them. As it drew strength from Uta's soul, it grew stronger. If this continued, Uta would exhaust her soul and die.
Carl's brow furrowed. He had originally intended to let Shanks have a chance to perform in front of his daughter, but now it seemed there was no time to waste.
With this thought, Carl's eyes released tendrils of black mist. He gently placed Uta on the ground and whispered:
"Uta, just hold on a little longer. It'll be over soon."
His voice had a calming effect, and Uta obediently nodded, gently biting her lip as she called out in a soft, sweet voice:
"Uncle..."
Carl froze for a moment, then smiled and responded warmly, "Eh?"
In the next second, Carl's body scattered into a cloud of bats and flew off into the distance.
Shanks, still engaged with Tot Musica, seemed to sense something. He swung his sword, sending the monster flying, and soared into the air.
Tot Musica, now with its wings spread, was about to give chase, but suddenly a large swarm of black bats flew in, coalescing into Carl's form.
Carl coldly observed the gigantic monster before slowly raising his right hand, which radiated black energy.
In a stunning moment, when Tot Musica saw Carl, a look of fear appeared on its monstrous face. This creature, which only knew destruction, was terrified!
It quickly turned and fled.
But just as it did, Carl's right hand expanded into a massive dark hand and snatched Tot Musica into his palm.
Carl held the creature up and spoke coldly:
"Since you were born from darkness, then return to the darkness."
-----------
+240 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg