"He's Luffy, a kid who was just sent here recently."
The only tavern on the small island had been fully taken over by the pirates.
Makino, the tavern owner and part-time bartender, seemed familiar with Shanks, introducing him to the new resident of Windmill Village.
"Hey, Luffy, what kind of man do you want to be when you grow up?"
Pirates have a knack for being outgoing; after downing a few beers, they embraced Luffy with warm enthusiasm, asking him questions.
After all, this kid had the guts to challenge their captain—he was quite an interesting one.
"I want to be the freest, happiest man."
Luffy replied with the line he now used.
"Then why not become a pirate? Pirates are the freest people in the world. We can do whatever we want, go on adventures all over the world…"
The pirates tried to entice young Luffy.
"No way, my grandpa would hit me."
"Hahahaha, just a kid after all…"
The pirates laughed it off without a second thought.
"My grandpa's super strong, you know! I think all of you together wouldn't be able to beat him!" Luffy said, visibly annoyed.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Shanks is the strongest!"
A young girl with red and white hair, carrying a glass of juice, walked over and chimed in.
"Really? Shanks, can you really beat my grandpa?"
"If that's the case, maybe being a pirate wouldn't be so bad…"
Luffy took the juice from the girl's hands and drank it in one gulp, shouting over to Shanks, who was chatting with Makino.
"Hey! That was my juice!"
Seeing her juice snatched away, the girl looked at Luffy in shock, unable to believe he had taken it.
"And Shanks could definitely knock your grandpa flying!"
"Really? I don't believe you."
Those simple words immediately riled her up. She grabbed Luffy's shirt, pulling him close and glaring fiercely at him.
"My grandpa is Garp, the Marine Hero!"
The once-lively tavern suddenly fell silent, even Shanks paused, holding his wine glass, looking at the dazed young boy with a surprised expression.
"What, is Garp that strong?" The girl didn't quite understand why the place had suddenly quieted down.
"Well… he's definitely pretty strong."
The pirates, who had been bragging just moments ago, now looked awkward and fidgety.
"Beckman, you're in trouble now! Trying to recruit Garp's grandson into piracy, hahahaha…"
"No way, I didn't say that…" Beckman was horrified.
"But thinking about it, it's kind of funny, this sort of thing…"
A new wave of laughter filled the tavern.
Shanks separated the girl, who was still clinging to Luffy's collar, giving both of them a playful smack on the back of their heads.
"That guy's a Marine. It's only natural that pirates would run if they saw Marines."
"You two are the same age, so try to get along. Luffy, why don't you take Uta around Windmill Village? We'll be staying here for a while."
"Oh, and when we get back, will you teach me swordsmanship? My grandpa only uses his fists, not cool at all."
Luffy pointed at the sword hanging from Shanks' waist.
"You brat, making demands of a pirate!" Uta was visibly displeased with the little rascal in front of her.
He was being way too casual with Shanks, even asking for favors in exchange for showing her around.
A country bumpkin in dirty clothes…
"Alright, alright…" Shanks agreed casually, patting Luffy's head, "Take good care of Uta, okay?"
"I promise!"
"Shanks! I'm two years older than him; I should be the one taking care of him!" Uta huffed, displeased.
But Luffy had already grabbed her wrist and was running out the door with her in tow.
If only it weren't the movie version…
Once outside the tavern, Luffy slowed his pace, holding Uta's hand.
If it weren't the movie version, he could just relax and train here in Windmill Village.
But… if this were the movie version, then Uta would soon summon the Demon King of Song and destroy an entire nation and island this year.
Should he try to stop Shanks from taking Uta to the Kingdom of Music? Stop Uta from leaving Windmill Village? Or sneak onto the Red-Haired Pirates' ship and stop her from singing the forbidden song in the Kingdom of Music? Luffy seriously pondered his options.
"You're hurting me!" Uta complained, signaling him to loosen his grip. As the princess of the Red-Haired Pirates, she wasn't used to being treated so roughly.
"Uta, since I promised Shanks I'd take care of you, how about you call me 'big brother'?"
Luffy grinned.
"No way, I'm older than you! You should call me 'big sister' instead." Of course, Uta wasn't going to agree to such a ridiculous demand.
"But I'm stronger than you, and my grandpa's stronger than Shanks."
"You're weaker, so I have to make you call me 'big brother,'" Luffy said matter-of-factly.
"That's not true! Shanks is the strongest! He just doesn't fight your grandpa because he's a pirate!"
After seeing the pirates' reactions, Uta vaguely understood that Luffy's grandpa was something special, but she wasn't willing to back down—Shanks was the strongest, in her eyes!
"And I'm stronger than you!"
A nine-year-old girl couldn't possibly lose to a seven-year-old boy.
Victory was assured! "Really? I don't believe you."
That same infuriating tone, along with that indifferent look again.
This guy!!! Anger bubbled up in Uta as Luffy finally stopped walking; they were now a bit away from the village.
From their brief encounter, Luffy was already certain that Uta wasn't as strong as he was.
So he grabbed her wrists, applied a bit of force, and pinned her down on the soft grass.
"Ouch!"
Uta hadn't expected this, and her backside hit the ground hard.
She watched as Luffy sat down triumphantly on her waist.
"Looks like I'm the stronger one, Miss Uta."
"My dress!!!"
Uta was more concerned about her pretty dress—Shanks had only just bought it for her. She'd even been careful while walking to avoid any dust getting on it.
And now, he'd pushed her onto the ground!!! Unforgivable!
Uta gritted her teeth, determined to give Luffy a piece of her mind, but no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't break free. Finally, she lay defeated, looking up at the boy who had overpowered her.
Boys are the worst!
Country boys are even worse! "Rude! Brat! I'm going to tell Shanks you bullied me!"
Tears began to well up in Uta's eyes.
"Turns out you're just a kid, about to go crying to the grown-ups." Luffy made a silly face.
Uta's indignation turned to anger, "You're the kid! Immature little kid! I'm the singer for the Red-Haired Pirates. I don't need to fight on the front lines. Let's compete i
n something else."
"Alright, let's see who can pee the farthest."
Standing up, Luffy faced the distant grass, then pulled down his pants to start peeing.