Ian suddenly opened his eyes.
He was lying on the deck.
"Huh? What's going on?"
A face leaned close to him. A little girl bent over, looking down at him in shock.
Uta stared at Ian with disbelief in her eyes. "I haven't even released my ability yet. How did you get out?"
"Nothing much, just a minor ability," Ian said as he sat up. Then he looked at Uta and praised, "It really is an incredible ability."
Indeed, it was truly remarkable.
After being dragged into the dream space by Uta, if it weren't for the dazzling surroundings reminding him, Ian really couldn't tell the difference between the dream world and the real world.
The body in the dream world was no different from the one in the real world. The air, sounds, gravity—everything was exactly the same.
No wonder even Luffy, with his beast-like instincts in the movie, only realized long after being trapped that they had been pulled into the dream world.
"Hmph."
Ian's straightforward compliment made Uta a little proud.
She was naturally outgoing and cheerful. Even though revenge was all she had in her heart now, her original nature would unconsciously show through.
She didn't even have time to wonder how Ian had come out of the dream world.
"But…"
Ian turned his head to the side of the deck.
There were many people gathered there, and the huge, muscular Solem was even loudly cheering.
In the middle of the crowd, Hancock and Yamato were locked in a fierce battle.
The gleaming spiked club clashed repeatedly against the slender, powerful white legs, unleashing wave after wave of overwhelming haki.
"What are those two up to now?"
"About that," Nearby, Jack, who had been guarding the unconscious Ian, scratched his head.
"Brother Ian, after you passed out, Big Sister Yamato and Hancock started arguing over who would get to be your lap pillow."
Ian's lips twitched slightly.
He looked toward Uta once again.
"Again, Uta," Ian said, "Try once more. Let's see if this time you can pull me into the dream world."
"Huh? Again?"
Uta was already a bit impatient; she had come seeking Ian's help to become stronger.
"Alright then."
The little girl finally nodded.
Her lips parted slightly, and pure, clear music flowed from her throat.
The power of the Sing-Sing Fruit activated once more, about to pull Ian into the dream world again.
But at that moment, black lightning of haki erupted from Ian's body.
Haki is always the most effective countermeasure against Devil Fruit abilities.
Ian's Haki wasn't on par with the top-tier masters, but it was definitely among the best on the seas.
Uta's singing still echoed across the deck, but Ian stood motionless, staring at her.
"Huh?"
Uta looked confused. "Why?"
Earlier, he had managed to break free from her power once, but now it seemed her abilities couldn't even take effect at all.
Ian smiled faintly. "That's Haki. You're still far from mastering it."
Haki truly could resist the powers of the Sing-Sing Fruit, preventing one from being dragged into the dream world.
But that wasn't very useful.
Ian had already tested this in the dream world moments ago.
Simply unleashing Haki at full strength inside that space wouldn't allow him to escape.
He had to transform into his Winged Dragon form, relying on the godly immunity of his ability to break free from the dream world.
So, if one didn't know Uta's power in advance, by the time they reacted, they would already be trapped in the dream world—where no amount of Haki could help.
However, if you were aware of Uta's ability beforehand, you wouldn't even need Haki—just plugging your ears could nullify the effects of the Sing-Sing Fruit.
It was rather useless.
"Everyone, gather around."
Ian called out.
"Ian! Are you awake?"
Yamato immediately stopped fighting Hancock and ran over with a smile.
"Ian!!"
Hancock was just a step behind, moving swiftly like the wind.
"So," Law looked at Uta with some surprise, "what exactly is her ability?"
She had actually knocked Ian out cold.
Considering Ian's mastery of haki, even without deliberately activating it, many special Devil Fruit powers were ineffective against him.
"You'll find out soon enough," Ian chuckled lightly and said to Uta, "Uta, pull everyone in this time."
"Again?"
Uta was extremely impatient.
"Don't worry, this will be the perfect time to start the special training."
A faint smile curved Ian's lips.
"Is that so?"
Uta was a bit doubtful but eventually nodded, "Alright then."
The girl began to chant softly once more.
This time, her ability targeted all the officers aboard the Golden Dragon.
"Eh!!"
Yamato rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
In the blink of an eye, she had left the deck of the Golden Dragon and arrived in this entirely unfamiliar space!
"What just happened?"
Hancock also struggled to understand. She looked far into the distance, but all she could see was an endless plain.
Looking up, there was no blue sky or white clouds—only strange musical notes dancing everywhere.
"Have we been taken to another world?"
She couldn't help but guess.
"No, that's not right!"
Drake suddenly spoke up. "Just now, Lord Ian was unconscious after being affected by Uta's ability! That means, right now, our bodies should still be lying on the deck just like Lord Ian's."
"Perhaps," Law boldly guessed, "it's our souls that have been pulled in!"
"Souls?"
Viola was taken aback.
It sounded so mysterious.
"That's right."
Ian smiled and nodded. "Uta's ability can pull everyone who hears her singing into this dream world."
"Everyone?"
Jack couldn't help but exclaim in shock. "Just by hearing the song, you're affected?"
Ian nodded gently.
Instantly, everyone took a sharp breath.
If you weren't prepared, who would deliberately cover their ears to avoid hearing the sound?
And once you hear Uta's singing, your Soul would be dragged into this space in an instant, while your body, losing control, would fall outside like a lifeless corpse, left defenseless!
This was an absolute game-changer on the battlefield!
Even the most battle-hardened warriors, caught off guard, would face total disaster the moment their Soul was pulled into this space!
For a moment, everyone's eyes changed to look at Uta with a mix of surprise.
What Ian didn't say was that Uta could also control those bodies to some extent once their Souls were lost.
"That's not all," Ian continued, "feel your own bodies."
"Hm?"
Yamato clenched her fists upon hearing this, then exclaimed in surprise, "It's exactly the same as the outside world!"
"That's right."
Ian nodded. "Although it's a soul, everything here is the same as the real world — the body, abilities, Haki, memories. And even if the soul gets injured, it won't affect the original body."
"What does that mean?"
"It means we can fight as hard as we want in this world!!"
Yamato was already cheering.
"This place is simply the best training ground!"
Jack was instantly excited too. "We can unleash ourselves and fight at full strength!"
Ian smiled and nodded.
**********
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