In the dim basement.
Robin held the oil lamp high, its orange-yellow light illuminating the murals on the ceiling, allowing her to see more clearly.
She lacked Kouta's ability to see the essence of things directly as long as there was energy, but she could understand what was depicted on the murals by reading their records.
"How is it, what do the records say?"
"Yohohoho!!" Behind Robin, Brook's skull poked out from behind the lamplight. He looked up, his dark eye sockets staring intently at the ceiling. "Aside from thinking the murals are exquisite, I can't make out anything else."
"Mhm!" Beside them, Ahua and the other two nodded in unison, indicating they also couldn't understand.
Robin ignored Brook and Ahua's group, and directly recited what she saw.
"Human fear, human confusion, in the name of 'Totomujika', be afraid! Flee!"
At this point, she turned to look at Kouta and said seriously, "Kouta, this is what we were looking for, right!"
"It records a combination of people's thoughts passed down from ancient times, including loneliness and pain, as well as inner darkness. Sometimes, He is also called the Demon King."
"And to summon the Demon King..."
Robin suddenly stopped mid-sentence, turning to look at the white-clothed girl standing at the forefront of everyone, gazing at them with a confused expression.
"Uta's Uta Uta no Mi is the key to summoning the Demon King."
Their gaze shifted from Robin to Uta. Ahua adjusted his glasses, a look of sudden realization on his face, and then finished Robin's unsaid words.
"What are you guys talking about?"
"What is a Demon King?"
"Are you really here just to see the history of this place?"
Uta looked at everyone, full of confusion.
"We do have a purpose for coming here."
Kouta lowered his head and looked at Uta, then beckoned. A Den Den Mushi hidden in the shadows of a corner in the basement, as if drawn by some force, flew into Kouta's hand.
Looking at the sleeping Den Den Mushi, a complex expression flashed in Kouta's eyes.
He knew there might be answers here that Uta sought, but he didn't expect the answer to be a Den Den Mushi.
Knowing Kouta wouldn't do anything pointless, as soon as they saw the Den Den Mushi, everyone's gaze turned to Uta.
"What is this? How can there be a Den Den Mushi here?"
As if struck by a thought, Uta's eyes suddenly lit up. She took a few steps forward, standing before Kouta and looking down at the Den Den Mushi in his hand, her face full of hope. "Does this contain the other truth you mentioned, Mr. Kouta?"
Gordon hadn't come down. If he had, he would have been very surprised by the presence of the Den Den Mushi.
This was a Den Den Mushi that had survived the disaster nine years ago. It recorded the truth it witnessed back then, hiding silently in the darkness for nine years until Kouta discovered it today and summoned it.
Looking up, he met the girl's expectant gaze, and Kouta nodded. "Yes, this Den Den Mushi records everything that happened nine years ago. Are you sure you really want to see it?"
Even though the Den Den Mushi was still asleep, with Kouta's powerful mental strength, when facing a simple creature like a Den Den Mushi, he could easily see what it recorded without even disturbing it.
Thus, the moment the Den Den Mushi fell into his hands, its consciousness had already entered its mind, reading the stored images.
He then saw the entire process from the Demon King's emergence to its indiscriminate attacks and the swift destruction of Elegya.
Of course, this also included the Demon King's final battle against the Red-Haired Pirates. Whether it was because Uta was young, the Demon King suddenly disappeared midway through the battle, and then Uta appeared in the ruins from the void where the Demon King had vanished, caught by Shanks.
There were no more scenes after that.
However, even with just this, it was enough for Uta to know the truth of what happened back then.
As if sensing something from Kouta's tone, Uta looked at the Den Den Mushi in his hand, hesitating, then bit her lip, and finally nodded resolutely.
"Mr. Kouta, I... I still want to see. This matter has been tormenting me all these years. I don't believe, I don't believe that the kind Shanks and the everyone from the Red-Haired Pirates would be such cruel pirates driven by treasure."
"Having grown up with the Red-Haired Pirates since childhood, I believe I know Shanks very well. But the facts of what happened on this island nine years ago, and Gordon, the former king of Elegya, personally recounting them..."
"Tell me that the kindness I experienced throughout my childhood was all a lie."
"Since there is now another truth, and this truth is right before me, how can I easily give up?"
As her voice faded, Uta looked up, her gaze fixed firmly on Kouta.
"Alright! As you wish."
Kouta looked deeply at Uta, then shrugged.
However, instead of waking the Den Den Mushi and playing the recording, he looked up at the murals above.
"But before we watch this Den Den Mushi's recording, I want you to see this."
"See what?"
Following Kouta's gaze, Uta also looked up at the ceiling.
"I've seen the murals here, they're nothing special!"
She truly couldn't see anything. This was because Gordon, to prevent Uta from discovering the truth of that year, had hidden all the books that recorded 'Totomujika'.
If Uta had known about Totomujika, she might have remembered the musical score she last saw and deduced the truth of that year.
However, although Gordon had hidden the books that recorded Totomujika, he hadn't hidden the forbidden musical score. Was he selfish, or ignorant?
He had placed the musical score back in its original position once again.
Did he really not know that the murals above were not to seal the musical score, but were more like an altar?
Kouta couldn't ascertain this.
Looking at the murals, Kouta's cerulean eyes suddenly widened, and a wave of unseen cerulean energy shot out from his eyes towards the center of the mural.
*Bang*!
Thunder without sound.
The violent impact, not manifested externally, but resonating through everyone's souls, caused a slight dizziness.
Kouta didn't know how to open the mechanism above, so he resorted to brute force.
There was a layer of dense black energy protecting it, and physical attacks couldn't reach this black energy, so he used mental power.