One Piece: Starting as a Marine Lieutenant, I Slack Off and Get Stronger

Whoosh! The crowd surged forward. There weren't many audience members left at the concert venue; they had all headed to Areggia Island to search for Luffy and Bartolomeo.

Karl was left standing there, a fake fan, which was a bit awkward.

On Aregia Island, sound soldiers flew everywhere, searching every corner, while fans, led by Uta, formed a procession to capture the pirates—well, it also resembled a group of ignorant villagers in the Middle Ages carrying torches and burning witches.

"Are you guys okay?"

"Thank you, Mr. Karl! Please put us down! We need to help Luffy!"

"Yes! Quickly put us down!"

Faced with the Straw Hat crew's request, Karl shook his head: "No, in the current situation, your going there will only make things more chaotic. I think it's better for you to stay here. Luffy will come to rescue you eventually anyway."

"Huh? No! It's so uncomfortable hanging like this! Robin, say something!"

Robin looked at Carl, thinking that he should make his own decision, but there was one thing she had to remind him of.

"Karl, be careful Uta doesn't summon Totemjika. I suspect this is part of her plan!"

“Totemjika…” Karl grinned.

“I know, that’s why I came here.”

Chapter 345 The World of Songs

Coastside.

Looking at the bustling concert venue, Carl couldn't help but sigh. Who would have thought that everything here was just people's spiritual world?

"It's time to wake up."

Reality, the Aion.

At this moment, Karl was comfortably lying on a deck chair, fast asleep, with Ain and Hancock standing on either side of him, and a naval soldier wearing high-tech earmuffs nearby.

"It's about time; it's time to wake Karl up."

Ain nodded, took out the Holy Healing Shell and the Sleepless Mushroom, first stuffed the Sleepless Mushroom into Karl's mouth, and then placed the Holy Healing Shell on Karl's chest and opened it.

Soon, golden light began to permeate Karl's entire body.

After a few breaths, Karl opened his eyes, smacked his lips, swallowed the Sleepless Mushroom, and stretched.

"Ah~ I slept so comfortably!"

"How's the situation there?" Ain asked helplessly.

"Uta has already begun implementing the plan. By the way, have the reinforcements arrived yet?"

"Look, it's in the sky."

Karl rubbed his neck and took out a Den Den Mushi: "This is Karl. Everyone, listen up! Head to Aregia Island immediately and capture Uta!"

"Roger that!"

Warships descended from the sky, surrounding Areggia Island, and naval soldiers surged out, searching everywhere for Uta's whereabouts.

"Armed reconnaissance squad 1 reports: No enemy sightings detected. All spectators are unconscious and cannot be awakened no matter what we do."

"This is Armed Reconnaissance Platoon 2. This area..."

Kizaru scratched his head: "What a terrifying ability~ You can actually pull people into a fantasy world just by singing. How did you even wake up?"

Karl, standing in the middle, smiled faintly and said, "It's nothing, I just trust my abilities. My abilities can catalyze the effects of the Sleepless Mushroom, achieving the effect of forced awakening."

"The situation is tricky! We don't have many Undying Mushrooms. It seems we have to deal with this Songstress before everything can return to normal," Fujitora added from the side. Originally, he didn't want to fight Uta.

Karl sighed, "What can we do? Sigh, that bastard Shanks, the Navy has to clean up his mess from 12 years ago. If he really dares to come, he'll be in big trouble."

Then, Carl picked up the Den Den Mushi: "Attention, everyone, attention! Assemble at the port immediately and form a defensive line."

The ape asked, somewhat puzzled, "What are you doing?"

Karl scratched his head: "I seriously doubt that Uta can control the people who have fallen into a deep sleep. Just to be safe!"

"You really know a lot, General Karl." Uta emerged from the shadows, looking at Karl with great interest.

"Everyone, put on your earmuffs immediately!"

Uta pursed her lips: "Even if you all know, so what? You can't stop me."

Looking at the vigilant navy around him, Uta smiled faintly and said, "If you kill me, everyone's consciousness will never return. Do you really not care about that?"

"Miss Uta, stop! We know you hate pirates, but you don't have to drag everyone down with you."

Uta's lips curled up slightly: "You know nothing. Oh well, it won't be long before I disappear from this world too."

Then, Uta took a sleepless mushroom from the basket and took a small bite.

"Sniff sniff~" Fujitora said seriously, "This smell... are you eating an Insomnia-shroom?"

Uta gave a thumbs up.

"Nonsense! Do you really want everyone to die with you?" the flying squirrel closest to Uta shouted.

Uta turned to look at him: "For people, what matters is not the body, but the spirit!"

"By doing this, I can grant immortality to the spirits of all people in the new era."

Zheng~

Fujitora drew his sword: "I don't want to cause bloodshed if there's any possibility, so could you please stop, little girl?"

"Stop this plan to overthrow the world!"

"Huh? What do you mean? I just want everyone to be happy."

Carl and Kizaru walked out of the crowd together. Kizaru was sizing up Uta when Carl spoke up.

"Forget it, no need to talk to her so much. It's just a Sleep-shroom!"

Karl stretched out his hand, conjuring a ball of holy light: "Purify!"

The golden light instantly merged into Uta's body, removing the buff from the Sleepless Mushroom she had consumed.

Uta's eyes widened instantly: "You, what did you do to me?"

Carl grinned. "It's nothing. I just treated your insomnia. This way, you'll feel sleepy due to the rapid decline in your energy. Once you fall asleep, everything will be back to normal, right?"

Uta's gaze sharpened. After the effect of the Sleepless Mushroom wore off, an overwhelming sense of weariness and drowsiness swept over him, and his eyelids began to droop.

"Haha, did everyone see that? Everyone, be quiet! It wouldn't be good if you disturbed her sleep!"

"You, despicable!" Uta seemed to realize something, quickly picked up a Sleepless Mushroom, swallowed it whole, and suppressed his drowsiness.

"Why are you stopping me?!"

"Because your dreams are somewhat unrealistic, this approach will not make the world a better place."

Uta shouted, his face contorted with rage, "No, in the world of Gege, people will be far removed from war and death, far removed from hunger and suffering..."

"That's why it's impossible. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural laws of this world. Escaping them won't solve everything."

“Miss Uta, it’s not too late to stop now.”

After a long silence, Uta raised her head and looked at Karl: "A new era has begun, and no one can stop it!"

Having said that, Uta raised his right hand and began singing karaoke...

Meanwhile, in the world of Karako, the Straw Hat crew is actively searching for a way to escape, while Luffy is confronting Uta.

"Uta, didn't you love the Red-Haired Pirates the most? Didn't you love Shanks the most? Why do you hate pirates so much now?"

Holding Shanks' straw hat in one hand, Uta roared in grief and indignation, "It's all because of Shanks!!!"

"At that time, I truly regarded him as a father..."

She treated everyone in Shanks' crew like family, but what about them? They only saw her as a tool for plunder.

Her favorite music kingdom, Eregia, was destroyed by the Red-Haired Pirates.

"Shanks would never do that, you should know that perfectly well!"

"Then what have I been for the past 12 years? Luffy, in Shanks' eyes you're nothing more than a tool!"

Luffy took a deep breath: "Shanks will definitely come!"

"Should I save you?"

"No! He'll come to save you!!!"

Uta scoffed, "Save me? Why?"

"He would never stand idly by while his own daughter did something like this!"

Uta's eyes flickered, and she sighed, "She abandoned me back then, there's no way he'd come..."

Chapter 346 Shanks Arrives

"Reporting to General Karl, the sleeping people have 'awakened'!"

Karl turned his head and saw that the sleeping civilians, under Uta's control, were awkwardly rushing towards the navy, trying to remove the navy personnel's earplugs.

"Admiral Fujitora, let them take off from where they are!"