"Who would've thought Luffy had so much fighting experience!"
"What a beautiful fight!"
"But Luffy loves using those jump attacks—maybe it's because he's not tall enough…"
"That leaping kick to the chest was kind of… adorable. Cute and cool at the same time."
"Haha, Yasopp, you're terrible!"
"It was such a smooth, aesthetic fight. Right from the start, he went all out, clearing out a bunch of them in one go and completely breaking the enemy's morale. His moves were decisive and deadly!"
"The only question is… why didn't he just use the gun? Instead, he took the bullets out and threw them instead?" Beckman scratched his chin thoughtfully.
To the pirates, this little brawl was hardly serious, but Luffy's fighting style was entertaining, especially with the added flame effects, making it feel like an action movie.
The pirates, being fans of a good brawl, were in high spirits as they discussed Luffy's moves.
Uta, her eyes wide with admiration, watched Luffy intently.
He's so cool!
Luffy, who had just finished his fight and returned to his seat, suddenly froze.
Right… Why didn't I just shoot them? Why go through all the trouble?
He was as puzzled as everyone else.
It was almost an instinctual choice, bypassing any logical thought.
Guess my combat instincts need some work.
The soldiers Uta conjured were… well, a little slow in real combat situations.
Seeing Beckman ready to question him, Luffy felt a cold sweat break out. This is too embarrassing—I need to distract him!
Quickly, he turned to Makino and said, "Let's hand these bandits over to the nearby Navy base, and maybe use the bounty money to renovate the bar."
"Thank you, Luffy! This unexpected windfall will help a lot." Makino smiled, filling his glass with milk. "Please, enjoy."
To her, dealing with bandits and minor fights like these was just another part of life.
Living near Mt. Colubo meant bandits coming down and causing trouble was a regular occurrence. Running a bar here was not for the faint-hearted.
"Are you hurt, Luffy?" Uta reached out, pressing her hand to his stomach.
"No way! These guys were just small fry. Even the adults at the dojo could handle them." Luffy grabbed Uta's hand, feeling embarrassed at the public display.
Why does it feel so embarrassing?
It was strange. Luffy had no problem showing off his physique, but being touched like this… somehow felt different.
How odd, he thought. Is this the discomfort of being reborn in a new body?
…
"Mr. Garp, looks like your first line of defense has been broken."
Shanks, wearing his straw hat, returned from Mt. Colubo with Garp to find the defeated bandits tied up.
Judging by the way their limbs were bent and the extensive injuries, it was clear the attackers hadn't held back. One of them looked especially bad, his face almost entirely crushed.
"First line of defense? What do you mean?" Garp asked.
"These bandits," Shanks clarified.
"I don't know them. The only bandits I keep an eye on are Dadan's crew. These guys must've drifted in from somewhere else. Mt. Colubo is pretty big, after all."
"So long as they pay for what they take, I couldn't care less. I'm here on vacation, remember?"
Shanks didn't seem fully convinced but let it go. "Well, they're taken care of. There's even a bounty for them—eight million Beli." He glanced at the bounty poster for Higuma.
Garp, however, focused on the damage to the bar's entrance.
"Mr. Garp, welcome back! Luffy handled these bandits. Maybe you can take them back when you leave—and bring some Beli next time for the damages!" Mayor Slap said, gesturing to the scene.
"He took out all of them himself?" Garp asked, scratching his nose.
"He sure did. The crew was so excited just listening to how he fought!"
"Luffy's turning into quite the reliable young man."
"He's still got a long way to go," Garp said with a huff, puffing out his chest.
"Shanks!" Uta ran up to him, throwing herself into his arms. Shanks instinctively caught her, lifting her up.
"Uta, I have something to take care of. You'll need to stay here with Luffy for a while," Shanks explained.
"Eh? But I want to go too—"
"No can do. This is a trial for us men, so you'll stay here and wait for me, okay?"
Uta fixed him with a determined stare.
"Don't give me that look. Just think of this hat as me." He gently placed the straw hat on Luffy's head.
"I'll be back in three months…"
"Well, you two take care of each other, alright? Luffy, look after Uta for me."
Luffy glanced up, adjusting the straw hat.
"Uta's the older one!" Uta protested. "Luffy's the one who needs me to make sure he brushes his teeth and trains properly—I'm the one taking care of him!"
"Alright, alright," Shanks chuckled. "Then Uta, you take care of your little brother, and little brother, protect your big sister."
Garp looked at Shanks, a mixture of emotions in his eyes.
He really loves that child…
"That's more like it!" Uta said with satisfaction.
Shanks then turned to Luffy, his expression serious.
"Please, look after her. Don't let anything happen to her."
Luffy gripped the edge of the straw hat. "I swear!"
Suddenly, an unexpected feeling welled up inside him.
Wait… Is this… entrusting her to me?
He thought back to Shanks' recent training—had it been preparation for this? The "Divine Avoidance" technique… was far more difficult to master than he'd expected. He'd barely understood it!
"Then it's a promise. When I come back, return the hat—and Uta—to me safe and sound."
The pirates brought over a suitcase packed with Uta's clothes, all neatly folded and prepared for her stay.
"Mr. Garp, I'm leaving my princess in your care," Shanks said.
"Alright, everyone! Time to set sail—onward to our trial of manhood!"
The crew cheered, following Shanks back to the Red Force, which slowly began to sail away.
As they drifted into the open sea, Shanks kept his eyes on the horizon.
"Captain, will Uta really be okay there?" Lucky Roux asked, concerned.
The other pirates looked equally worried, lacking the enthusiasm they'd had when they'd first set out.
"I… don't really know." Shanks took a swig from his bottle.
In the following months, Shanks continued to hover near Fo
osha Village, secretly checking on Uta to make sure she was doing well.
Finally, three months later, he set sail north, leaving the East Blue.
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