Chapter 11: Uta’s First Lie

Although Uta had impulsively agreed to help cover for Luffy,it only took three seconds for her to regret it.

Last night, Shanks had clearly refused Luffy's request to board the ship.So now, Uta was technically going against Shanks's wishes.

Even though she trusted Shanks to protect Luffy,she knew she was stepping out of line.

Grrrroooowl—

Luffy's stomach growled—he was hungry.It was already breakfast time.

"I'm going out to get some food. No one should come into my room,so don't go wandering out, okay?"Uta was hungry too, and said this to Luffy.

She then got ready to change clothes before heading out.

She'd been so tired the night before that she had fallen asleep without even taking a bath.

Just as she was about to change, she looked over and saw Luffy's dumb, dazed expression.Her hand, which had been holding her strap, froze midair.

"Luffy, no matter what happens, you're not allowed to come out from under the blanket, you hear me?!"

Uta tackled Luffy onto the bed, wrapped him up in the blanket, and covered his head,leaving just a small gap for him to breathe.

"Got it."Luffy mumbled from under the covers.

Uta took a deep breath.While changing, she kept her eyes locked on the blanket, feeling a strange mix of nerves and excitement.

"Okay, I'm going to get breakfast. Be good and stay here.""Bring me some milk!"Luffy poked his head out.

Meat, eggs, and milk were essential breakfast items—especially for growing taller.

"Got it…"

Uta tied her hair into a quick ponytail and headed out.

"Uta, did you and Luffy make up yesterday?"A pirate greeted her with a grin.

Most pirates got up late, but a few were disciplined enough to rise early.Shanks's crew was an elite team, after all.

"Yeah, we made up!"Uta replied cheerfully while pouring milk into a cup,grabbing a quick bite at the table and secretly stuffing some bread into her clothes.

"By the way, did Luffy leave already?" another pirate asked.

"He left last night."Uta's heart skipped a beat—this was the first time she'd lied to these people who were like family.Her cheeks flushed, and a light sheen of sweat formed on her forehead.

"Oh, so he's gone? That little guy is something else… turns out he's Garp's grandson…"The pirates chatted in amazement.

"Yeah, but Luffy's so skinny—he doesn't look anything like that monster of a man."

They continued talking about Luffy, leaving Uta a bit puzzled.

"Is Garp really that strong?"she wondered."He doesn't seem as scary as Big Mom…"

She wanted to listen in more, but remembering that Luffy was still hungry,she grabbed another piece of bread, refilled the milk, and hopped down from her seat.

"I'm full!"

"Uta ate quite a lot today—two glasses of milk!"commented the pirate in charge of food, glancing at her tray in surprise.

Uta jogged back to her room and placed the bread and milk on the table.

"Luffy, I brought food!"

Luffy poked out his little head.Overjoyed at the sight of food, he sprang out of bed and immediately dug in.

"What weird meat is this?"he asked after taking a bite of the bread, which had a slice of some unknown meat in it.

He was hit with a burst of freshness and chewiness unlike anything he'd had before.

"Probably meat from some sea monster.They always fish up weird sea creatures while sailing,"Uta explained.

"Heh! Pretty good, huh?Country bumpkins like you don't get to eat this kind of thing very often!"she teased smugly.

Uta proudly covered her mouth and bragged.

"It's so delicious!"Luffy's eyes sparkled with stars. With so little entertainment in his life, he had learned to focus on food. But supplies in Windmill Village were extremely scarce—he rarely even had a chance to taste something truly delicious.

Indeed, if you want to improve your quality of life, you have to go out to sea!

"Hehe!"Luffy's praise filled Uta with joy.It was a kind of prideful delight—like successfully showing off to a friend.

After eating and drinking their fill, Luffy began exercising, while Uta cleaned up the table and chairs, carrying the empty cup out to wash.

"Uta, we'll be saying goodbye to this place soon."Beckman stood at the bow of the ship doing light stretches, gazing out at the peaceful little village.

"Do you think Luffy will come to say goodbye?""He… probably won't," Uta said a little shyly. "We already said goodbye last night."

"I see… The course is set—we're heading to the music kingdom, Elegia.There, Uta, you'll have a wonderful music teacher."

"Next time you see that little brat Luffy, give him a big surprise with your voice!"

"Elegia?!"Uta's eyes widened in delight. "We're really going there?!"

Just like Drum Kingdom, Elegia is world-renowned for its music.It's even more famous than Drum Kingdom—after all, Drum is a winter island, and visitors often dislike the harsh climate.But Elegia is a livable island, attracting countless artists in search of inspiration.It's also as ancient as a nation like Alabasta.

"By the way, Beckman, is Luffy's grandpa really that strong?I heard the others talking about it…"Uta chatted casually.

"Mm. He's one of the most famous powerhouses in the world.Anyone who's seen Garp fight would never doubt his strength."Beckman nodded.

"In fact, the East Blue is known as the weakest sea for pirates,but that makes it the strongest sea for the navy—and that's because of Garp.As a vice admiral, he occasionally comes back to sweep through the area."

"Only a vice admiral?" Uta asked, surprised.

"Well… I don't know much about the navy's internal promotions,"Beckman admitted.But everyone knew—Garp alone raised the value of being a vice admiral.

Time slowly passed, and the once quiet pirate ship gradually became lively again.Crew members climbed up and down, lowering the pirate flag.The massive ship began turning around, preparing to set sail.

"Luffy didn't come for breakfast today."Miss Makino looked at the untouched portion of food meant for Luffy.She thought back to the question Luffy had asked Shanks the night before—and started to grow concerned.

"Is this really okay…?"

Luffy was a very disciplined child. His daily routine never changed.So when he suddenly didn't appear at his usual place and time,everyone began to suspect something was wrong.

The only variable on the island… was Shanks's ship.

"Luffy probably… talked to Garp about it, right?That kid's always been very sensible…"Miss Makino considered whether she should give Garp a call.

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen that little brat Luffy around.He's not even here to see us off? I'm hurt."Shanks stood at the bow of the ship, casually scanning the shore.But he didn't see anyone there to send them off.He rubbed his forehead with a sigh.

"He is the grandson of a navy man.Maybe they're just being cautious.Want to wait a bit longer?" Beckman asked,glancing sideways at Uta.

As pirates, they didn't care much whether someone came to see them off.But Uta might care—this was her friend, after all. Would she be sad?

…Or was it just his imagination?Uta actually seemed really happy to set sail soon?

(End of Chapter)