After another half-hour, Uta had gathered several treasure chests, enough to fill her arms. Exhausted, she huffed and puffed, making her way back to the deck.
"Uta, that's amazing! You've already found so many chests," Luffy called out, admiring her haul. He was only carrying three chests himself.
Uta smirked. "Luffy, why do you only have three? At this rate, you're going to lose the contest. I've already finished exploring the second and third levels."
"Wow, impressive! But you must be getting tired," Luffy replied, a mischievous smile creeping onto his face.
"Yeah, a little…" Uta replied, a hint of suspicion flashing in her eyes.
"Let me help you carry them!" Luffy offered, seizing his moment.
Before she realized it, he placed his three chests into her arms, then scooped up her entire stash and bolted up the stairs.
"Gotcha! Uta, you're just too nice!" Luffy laughed, sprinting ahead, delighting in the look of surprise on her face.
He had planned this move from the start, saving his energy while waiting for Uta to carry out all her finds. In this world, strength ruled, after all. Uta, time to pay for your weakness!
As he dashed up the stairs with her chests, the triumphant smile faded from Uta's face. Her purple eyes filled with tears as she clutched the two chests left in her arms.
Luffy's pace slowed, a pang of guilt stabbing at him. The sight of her teary face made him feel the weight of what he'd done.
I'm the worst…
The instant those tears fell, Luffy skidded to a halt. He placed the pile of treasure chests on the steps, looking back at Uta, unsure of what to do.
"Luffy, you're so mean!" Uta sniffled, accusing him. "I just wanted to play together…"
I'm the worst, the absolute worst! he thought, wracked with guilt. I'm an adult! I shouldn't be stealing from kids. This has to be some twisted effect of being in this body…
As Luffy stood frozen, trying to find words, Uta lifted one of her remaining chests and whacked him on the head.
"Ha! Gotcha, sucker!" Uta laughed, dropping the teary act and dashing up the stairs with her loot.
The impact knocked Luffy to the floor, and as he landed, the lid of one of the chests loosened, a purple sphere rolling out and coming to rest beside his face.
"Silly Luffy! I'm the daughter of a pirate! You should've known better than to underestimate me," she crowed, running off to show Shanks her haul.
Luffy glanced down at the fruit that had fallen out of the chest.
It was purple, with a swirling pattern and a green stem sprouting from the top. Luffy's heart skipped a beat.
A Devil Fruit.
In an instant, he knew this was no ordinary fruit—this was a Devil Fruit. The sight of its familiar shape and color made him tremble.
Has Shanks already obtained the fruit meant for me?
He studied the fruit in his hand, memories and questions swirling. The sea's ultimate treasure, a Devil Fruit was valued at no less than 100 million beli. It granted powers beyond imagination, but the cost was being forever cursed by the sea.
Luffy held the fruit up, feeling its weight. As the grandson of Garp, he had often wondered if he should eat a Devil Fruit himself, to gain strength faster.
He'd been waiting to see how fate would bring the legendary Gum-Gum Fruit—or the "Nika Fruit," as it was truly called—into his life.
But now…
He stared at it for a long while before finally closing the lid and putting the fruit back in the chest. "My grandpa's a Marine hero, my dad started the Revolutionary Army, and I'm the protagonist of this story! I don't need this fruit."
An ability that had lain dormant for 800 years, better left forgotten.
Even without it, he would become strong. He was destined to be Luffy, with or without a Devil Fruit.
The decision made, he took a deep breath and closed the lid. He would face his future on his own terms, not bound by fate or any Devil Fruit.
Lifting the chest, Luffy carried it back to the deck to give it to Shanks.
"Luffy, you're so slow!" Uta was already there, sticking her tongue out at him.
"Uta wins!" Shanks announced.
"Woohoo!" The pirates cheered, clapping for their young songstress.
"As promised, Uta can shop to her heart's content on Glass Pearl Island!" Shanks proclaimed, laughing.
"Ow, Uta, you really whacked me hard," Luffy grumbled, rubbing his head.
She giggled, "Luffy, you're sturdy enough; it's fine. Plus, tonight's sleep aid is on you!" She patted his forehead, putting a bandage on his little bump.
"Morality held me back from victory!" Luffy muttered, leaning his head on Uta's shoulder dramatically. "One day, I'll be free of this worthless conscience."
Uta just blinked at him, puzzled. "You're so weird, Luffy…"
That evening, he released another blast of Conqueror's Haki over the ship, unintentionally stunning a fresh batch of fish. At this point, the pirates didn't even bother fishing them out—it was just too many to deal with.
"Seems like Luffy's Haki has gotten a bit stronger," one pirate mused.
"Really? I thought it was about the same," another replied.
"Eh, maybe just my imagination."
…
Feeling the satisfying release of his Haki, Luffy enjoyed a bath, changed into fresh clothes, and finally settled into bed, gradually drifting off.
Lying there, he tried to focus on sensing the energy within him.
Breathe in… breathe out… slowly, he let himself slip into sleep.
"In battle, you must keep a calm mind to use Observation Haki," he murmured in his dream.
"If the heart isn't calm, Observation Haki won't work…"
In his dreams, Luffy practiced using Haki.