The pirate ship set sail right on time. Shanks leaned against the ship's railing with a barrel of ale in hand, watching the distant shoreline fade away.
Seagulls circled overhead as Uta let out a discreet sigh of relief.
"I'll go back to my room now!" she announced, darting towards her cabin.
Luffy had his head poking out of the window, staring at the ocean. Uta quickly glanced around in a panic, spotting no one nearby. She hurriedly pushed his head back in and closed the window before entering the room.
"Be careful not to get caught!" Uta warned him. "If they find out you're here now, they might just turn the ship around and drop you back at Windmill Village."
"Don't worry, Uta. My ears are pretty sharp," Luffy replied with a grin. Looking for something to occupy himself, he began to browse Uta's room, his eyes landing on some books.
"Hey, Uta, can you teach me how to read?" he asked.
Luffy had never been taught to read. He certainly hadn't learned from Garp, who hadn't exactly been the educational type. With no one to guide him and lacking the motivation to read, he'd remained illiterate up to this point.
While he wasn't a fan of Uta's two-toned hair, she was a capable teacher, and the idea of having a cute girl read with him sparked his interest.
"You don't know how to read?" Uta asked in surprise.
"There's no school in Windmill Village. That's only on bigger, fancier islands," Luffy explained.
"Shanks taught me to read! Leave it to me!"
Seeing this as a chance to redeem herself after repeatedly losing games to Luffy, Uta confidently took on the role of his teacher.
She pulled out a picture book about music and began introducing him to letters.
Luffy furrowed his brow. Even with Uta's help, learning new words felt like an uphill battle. The script looked strange, a mix of half-English and half-Japanese, typical of anime worlds that loved to throw in bits of English.
He began to drift off into his own thoughts. Maybe he'd need three tutors to get motivated to read seriously…
A swift smack on the head from Uta's book snapped him out of his daydream.
"Focus!" Uta scolded, her tone firm. She was starting to enjoy her new role as a teacher.
She had begun to realize that Luffy, for all his strengths, was surprisingly slow when it came to reading and writing.
He couldn't explain why, but while physical skills came naturally to him, academics did not. It felt as though his brain slowed down when faced with letters and numbers.
Frustrated, Luffy chalked it up to his body holding him back. It must be this body slowing down my progress!
Reading had an impressive soporific effect, so Luffy decided he'd save it for nighttime to help him fall asleep.
As lunchtime neared, Uta grew anxious. "Luffy, do you think Shanks would really be mad if he found you now?"
After all, he couldn't hide in her room forever.
"Hmm… When do you think Shanks will figure out I'm here?" Luffy asked.
"Maybe around lunchtime or dinner. I'll have to bring you food, which makes it easier for you to be discovered," Uta pointed out.
Luffy nodded in agreement. I'm bound to be caught eventually.
"Then let's aim to get caught tonight," he suggested.
By that time, Shanks wouldn't want to turn the ship back around just to drop him off.
Uta left to eat lunch while Luffy stayed in her room, continuing his efforts at reading.
She thought about sneaking him some food, but lunch wasn't as easy to transport as breakfast. Pirates dined on big plates of fish and meat, far too bulky to smuggle. Carrying a plate back to her room would be suspicious.
She fidgeted with her chopsticks, absentmindedly thinking about how to sneak food to Luffy.
Maybe I'll just bring him some fruit…
"Uta…" Shanks called, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked at him, slightly dazed, and made a small noise of surprise, having not heard what he said.
"Uta, are you not enjoying the food today?" he asked with a concerned expression. "Or are you feeling unwell?"
Shanks had always been attentive to Uta's needs, and her odd behavior hadn't escaped his notice. The other pirates looked over at their little princess as well.
"Uta, are you not hungry?"
The cook, noticing her unease, placed a bowl of soup in front of her, filled to the brim with a fragrant broth.
"N-no, that's not it…" Uta forced a smile and waved the soup away, feeling flustered by all the attention.
She hesitated, wondering whether she should come clean to Shanks about Luffy.
"Is there something you want to tell me, Uta?" Shanks asked, catching the hint of something unsaid.
"Actually…"
Unable to bear the pressure, Uta finally spilled the truth.
…
"What?!"
The pirates' eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
"Luffy snuck onto our ship?"
"We're doomed! Garp's gonna come after us!"
The entire crew erupted in chaos.
Shanks held his head in his hand, exasperated. He hadn't expected Uta to help Luffy hide aboard.
"Captain, Luffy's really in Uta's room!" one of the bigger pirates announced, lifting the small boy out by the collar.
Luffy, dangling in the air, crossed his arms with a look of mild disappointment.
"What should we do, Captain? Should we turn back?" a pirate asked.
"Shanks, I just wanted a bit of a vacation. No need to overreact!" Luffy said, sounding perfectly at ease.
Now that the secret was out, Uta felt much lighter.
"Yeah, Shanks, he just got tired of that tiny village. Besides, we're not heading to the Grand Line, so it's fine, right?" Uta added.
Shanks sighed, weighing his options.
"Much as I'd like to kick this kid back to shore, we're already a fair distance out…"
"Exactly, Shanks. We're too far now. Turning around would just make it look like you're scared of Garp," Luffy declared, acting as if he had Shanks cornered.
"Plus, I can be really useful. If the Marines ever catch up, I can vouch for you," Luffy added, giving a thumbs-up with a confident smile.
Grumble~
Luffy's stomach chose that moment to rumble, prompting laughter from the entire crew.
"All right, let's get you fed, you little troub
lemaker. But don't make a habit of this…" Shanks said, setting a bowl and chopsticks in front of Luffy with a resigned smile.