Luffy had just finished washing the dishes when suddenly, the scene around him shifted. In front of him appeared a long, slender instrument.
Luffy only knew that you blow horizontally on a flute and vertically on a xiao, but he didn't know much about the shakuhachi. He assumed this instrument in front of him must be a shakuhachi.
He inspected it—a bamboo flute, one shaku and eight sun in length, with a half-moon mouthpiece and five finger holes. Turning to the girl beside him, he complained, "Don't just suddenly pull me into the dream realm! My real body might just fall over, you know."
"Don't worry, I'm keeping your real body safe," Uta replied, smiling. She looked over at the sleeping Luffy in the real world. Though he appeared to be asleep, his body stood there strangely, head tilted and hands hanging down at his sides.
Uta was controlling Luffy's body.
…
In the dream, Uta wasn't wearing the same nightgown she had on in reality. She wore a stylish yellow off-shoulder top, revealing her smooth arms, paired with a plaid skirt, giving her a vibrant and youthful appearance.
Luffy felt a bit awkward. He once again noticed the winged heart tattoo on her shoulder, a cute and innocent design he had drawn for her.
What concerned him, though, was the possibility that her stomach might still bear the other mark…
Since they were alone in the dream, he nervously lifted the hem of Uta's top, revealing the intricate and enchanting dark symbol on her pale abdomen.
"Are you serious…" Luffy muttered, covering his face, feeling helpless.
He felt like rolling on the ground in embarrassment. Was this some kind of dark torment? Couldn't Uta update her dream version already?
"This was the first gift you gave me, Luffy, so I always keep it!" Uta said with a bright smile, looking very serious.
"Uh… Maybe you don't need to remember this one so clearly. It was just a dream gift, so it doesn't really count."
"To me, the dream is also a form of reality," Uta said, spreading her arms joyfully as she wandered around.
"Fine… let's get back to practicing music," Luffy said, sitting down with the shakuhachi in his hands.
With a nod, Uta sat down next to him, and the scene shifted to a field of green grass and fragrant flowers, emerging as notes of music burst forth.
Sitting here felt refreshing and calming.
"Oh, and don't forget to make my body do some training while we're here," Luffy reminded her.
He thought this was an ultra-high-level training approach—letting his mind and body train separately.
"Oh? What kind of training?"
In reality, Uta had positioned Luffy's hand on her foot, hoping to recreate the strange sensation she had experienced the previous night. She controlled Luffy's fingers, making him tickle her sole gently.
At the slightest touch, she couldn't suppress a giggle, pulling her foot back and curling up on the bed in laughter.
…
"Yeah… let's go with push-ups, five hundred reps should be fine," Luffy said after thinking it over, suggesting a training goal and explaining it to Uta.
He usually trained until he was tired, but since Uta was in control, he figured he'd set a number and let her handle the rest.
"Make sure the form is correct," Luffy reminded her.
The proper form mattered; training was about consistency.
"Got it," Uta replied.
Thus, Luffy's spirit and body went their separate ways.
In the dream, Uta began teaching him how to play the shakuhachi. The sound was melancholy and expansive, with notes that could ring out like silver bells. They spent the morning together in this tranquil dream world.
When he got tired of practicing, Luffy would switch to sketching on his drawing board or doing some light physical training, sometimes resting beside Uta and listening to her sing sweet melodies.
…
Meanwhile, in the real world…
At first, Uta was too busy having fun, tickling Luffy's feet and giggling to herself. Once she finally remembered to help him train, she realized she couldn't quite recall the exact form for the push-up.
So she tried giving Luffy's body a command, hoping his muscle memory would kick in and guide him.
To her surprise, it worked perfectly. Even though he was asleep, Luffy's body maintained impeccable form, performing the exercises with the discipline of a finely honed weapon.
His head no longer drooped, and though his eyes remained closed, his posture was sharp and focused, a testament to his well-trained body.
By lunchtime, the pirates had recovered from their hangovers, reminiscing about their wild night as they gathered on deck.
Uta, standing among them, crossed her arms as she looked up at Shanks.
"Shanks, do you realize how late it is? You're only waking up now!" She gave him a stern look. "And you still reek of alcohol!"
"Haha, sorry about that, Uta. We hadn't had a party in ages," Shanks replied, leaning against the wall, holding an empty bottle, his shirt open in a disheveled, almost artistic, drunken style.
"And you need to shave!" Uta scolded, clearly unamused.
But Shanks's gaze soon shifted to the unusual sight beside her—Luffy, drenched in sweat, yet diligently working through his exercises with his eyes closed.
"This kid… is he really training in his sleep?" Shanks asked, amazed as he watched the self-disciplined Luffy.
The sweat glistening on Luffy's face wasn't fake. It was clear that he had been working hard, a level of dedication that surprised even Shanks.
"Is he so committed that he's practicing with his eyes shut?"
Shanks found it difficult to believe.
"Hey, Luffy!" he called, but Luffy continued his exercises, oblivious.
"A seven-year-old with that much drive? That's just… amazing." Yasopp was nearly moved to tears.
"And look how he dodges obstacles with ease. Could he have already awakened Observation Haki?" Benn Beckman mused, tossing a small object toward Luffy, who dodged it instinctively while maintaining his push-ups with flawless form.
He was… unstoppable.
Closing her eyes with satisfaction, Uta basked in the pirates' praises of Luffy before proudly announcing, "You've all been fooled! Luffy is actually learning music with me in the dream world right now."
"His body's just asleep," she continued with a grin. "Luffy asked me to control it so he could keep training."
"Wait… so he separated his mind and body?" Hongo, the ship's doctor, was astounded as he inspected Luffy's determined posture, finding
it hard to believe that someone could maintain such disciplined training even while asleep.
"Unbelievable!"
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