Chapter 10: Boarding the Ship

Luffy had always kept a pretty good sleep routine… at least in this boring world without electronics, his habits were quite decent.

The main issue he had, though, was with Luffy's height.

Luffy was only about 170 cm tall—much shorter than he had been before transmigrating, and far below the norm in the One Piece world.

He wasn't expecting to be some outrageous 3-meter giant, but at the very least, he hoped to grow to around 180 cm.

So, Luffy fell asleep quickly.As everyone knows—sleep is essential for growing taller.

Uta yawned.She sang a lullaby, and watching Luffy sleep so soundly, she soon started to feel drowsy herself.

"Luffy's really like a little kid... I should carry him back to his room…"

Uta reached under Luffy's neck and knees, trying to lift him and carry him back to his bed.

But she overestimated her strength.After struggling several times with no success, Uta gave up on trying to move Luffy.

"Let him sleep here for now. I'll wake him up tomorrow morning to get off the ship…"

As she spoke, Uta gently took off Luffy's shoes and pulled a blanket over him.

And so, the two children lay side by side on the same bed, fast asleep.

The rhythm of the waves beating against the ship's hull caused the giant wooden sailboat to gently sway.

Later that night, the pirates staggered aboard, hauling a large load of supplies.

By the next morning, they'd be leaving this small island for their next destination.

They'd travel a bit before eventually returning to Foosha Village.

The captain seemed especially fond of places like the East Blue—and that made sense.Once they began contending for the title of Emperor, it would be hard to return to such a peaceful and backward sea, let alone enjoy a calm life.

"Has Uta come back?" Shanks asked the crew member on watch.

"She came back a while ago. She should be asleep by now. Those little spats between kids are really cute..."A pirate replied with a chuckle.

Shanks nodded slightly.

"Kids should play with kids. We'll head out for Elegia first thing tomorrow morning.""Uta's already nine, and she's so passionate about music… let's find her a music teacher."

Luffy awoke.

He opened his eyes.

The room before him wasn't his house in Foosha Village.

He could feel the room swaying slightly—he was clearly on a ship.There was a faint scent of incense in the air.

A half-open wardrobe revealed a row of pretty clothes.On the desk nearby were some diamond necklaces and accessories.

It was clearly a girl's room.

The soft feeling under his hand already told him where he was.

Luffy turned his head toward the still-sleeping Uta.Her red-and-white hair spilled naturally over the pillow, and her fair, delicate neck caught Luffy's eye.

"Girls really are soft and sweet… makes a great pillow."

Even if he wasn't interested in "singing tool-girls," he had to admit—she made for an incredibly comfy pillow.

He was already on the ship.Now, the next step: stay hidden until it sets sail—then it counts as a successful boarding!

Luffy's thoughts began to organize.

So… how should he hide?

In the world of pirates, the two main special abilities—Armament Haki and Observation Haki—were active skills.And considering how relaxed the East Blue was, very few people on Shanks' ship would bother activating those abilities to scan the ship.

Besides, One Piece's plot itself had proven that Observation Haki is a Schrödinger's skill—it only works when the story needs it to.

Young Luffy himself had once snuck onto Shanks' ship. He eventually got caught, sure—but he still made it on.Sabo had infiltrated Pangaea Castle and only got exposed after choosing to reveal himself.There was even a Mud-Logia user who snuck aboard Emperor Luffy's ship, hiding in a barrel the whole time—and no one noticed.

So, stealth was absolutely a viable strategy.

Luffy carefully tried to pull his hand out from under Uta's back and then crawled toward under the bed.

"Mmm…"

Just as he slipped his hand out, he accidentally woke Uta, who had been sleeping peacefully…

Uta was a kid too full of energy that could surpass even adults. Just like Luffy, she was the type to go to bed early and wake up early.

So, Uta was about to wake up too.

Option 1: Lie still and wait for Uta to wake up, then strike a deal with her to help cover for him until the ship sets sail.Option 2: Don't trust Uta. Hide carefully and wait for the ship to depart.

Luffy gently lifted the blanket, intending to climb over Uta and hide under the bed.

Just as he was about to do that, he saw Uta stretch out a pair of soft, delicate hands from under the covers—hands that didn't look like they belonged to someone living a rough life at sea—and rub her eyes sleepily.

Then, with a bit of fumbling under the blanket, she rolled right onto Luffy's body.

She was waking up!

Luffy froze.

Uta drowsily opened her eyes and saw a dopey-looking kid lying beside her.

"Luffy… you're awake."

"Mm…"

"?"

As her mind slowly cleared, Uta finally remembered that Luffy had fallen asleep in her room last night.

"Oh right. Luffy, remember to get off the ship. Shanks's crew usually sets sail around 9 a.m."

Uta yawned and didn't think much of Luffy being there.

Luffy did a quick mental calculation—according to his internal clock, there were still more than two hours left until 9 a.m.

He needed a way to pass the time.And the fastest way to kill time… was to go back to sleep.

So, Luffy snuggled back under the blanket and hugged Uta to fall asleep again.

"It's cold outside. I'll sleep a bit more."

"The temperature's a bit lower at sea…" Uta mumbled in response.

The two of them dozed off again for a short nap, but soon couldn't sleep any longer.

Uta got up.

"Huaaah~ Luffy, don't you usually wake up super early? Why are you still in bed?"

She got off the bed, grabbed the edge of the blanket, and flipped it off—exposing Luffy's small body to the morning air.

"Maybe your bed's just really comfy. I'll sleep a little longer!"

Luffy fully embraced the fact that he was a kid and began rolling around the bed.

"You're already seven! Staying in bed like this is super embarrassing!"Uta huffed angrily.

"Alright, I'll tell the truth—I want to go on a trip aboard Shanks's ship and go back to Foosha Village next time."Luffy decided to be honest and tried to convince Uta to help him hide.

"No way! We're pirates, remember? Shanks wouldn't allow you on the ship—it's too dangerous! And your family…"

"My grandpa already agreed!"Luffy gave a big thumbs-up to show it was totally fine.

Garp often disappeared for long stretches, and he'd already said he was returning to Navy HQ.In Luffy's eyes, that basically meant he had permission to sneak aboard Shanks's ship for a little while.

"But Shanks hasn't agreed yet…"

"That's why I'll only come out after the ship sets sail—by then, Shanks can't do anything about it."Luffy explained confidently.

"That's way too dangerous! What if—"

"What, are you saying Shanks can't even protect a kid?"Luffy widened his eyes and stared at her.

"My grandpa left me in a mountain full of bandits to grow up. Looks like my grandpa's stronger than Shanks."

"Nonsense! Shanks is the strongest!"Uta protested angrily."Alright, fine! Just hide in my room quietly!"

In Uta's eyes, Shanks was the absolute strongest, and she couldn't let Luffy talk about him like that.

(End of Chapter)