That night, Luffy played around in his dream world. When he was on the ship, his dreams would last until midnight, giving him and Uta a chance to sleep together in the same space. But now, living in Foosha Village, Uta went to bed early with Miss Makino, and Luffy would return to his own room, cutting their dream sessions to around nine o'clock.
Luffy held up the den den mushi, pointing the lens at Uta as he set up a song in the dream world. Since the den den mushi was a living creature, it could be brought into the dream, allowing it to record everything from within and play it back in the real world.
In the dream, creating a setting and background music was easy. All that was left was the costumes and the camera angles. Notes danced around Uta, modifying her outfit like code being altered.
She uploaded "Where the Wind Blows" and "Slowly Attracted to You," adding her name as the singer, then let the den den mushi broadcast it to the world. Thus, she took her first official step as Idol Uta.
To Luffy, the den den mushi felt like a radio station. Uta's snail would transmit the content, and other snails could receive fan messages in return, like a way for fans to leave comments.
Once they finished recording the songs, Uta decided to try on some undergarments to show Luffy.
"How do I look in these?" she asked, remembering Luffy mentioning he hadn't seen her in such clothing.
"Isn't this the kind of clothing you're not supposed to show people?" Luffy looked at her, slightly confused.
"It's just regular clothes, but shorter. They're pretty comfortable, actually. It's those other ones that are ridiculous! Just strings, calling it clothing and selling it at a high price," Uta said with a huff.
"Even if you wanted to see those, I wouldn't wear them. Shanks told me that exposing your body in front of a boy is strictly forbidden."
Uta made a gesture as if she were wrapping herself in the imaginary straps of the lingerie, only to immediately cross her arms.
"That's because boys and girls are different."
Did Shanks actually provide a safety guide like this? Luffy had assumed he left everything to fate.
"Do you want to know why boys and girls are different? I know! Call me 'big sis,' and I'll whisper it to you," Uta teased with a mischievous glint.
"I'm not particularly interested in that stuff, to be honest," Luffy replied, unless something actively stirred his curiosity.
As a reincarnated soul, Luffy was acutely aware of the material nature of the world. This new body hadn't been exposed to past habits, was still developing, and had yet to produce certain hormones, so the connection was broken.
Still, physiological impulses occasionally surfaced, even if they were dormant for now.
"Well, too bad! You can stay a kid forever, then!" Uta licked her lips playfully.
"Meanwhile, I've got big ambitions—I'm going to be a grown-up!"
Luffy chuckled awkwardly. He did wonder, though, if Uta actually understood the difference between boys and girls. Where did her knowledge come from? Shanks, perhaps?
"Alright, that's enough chit-chat for now…"
Uta placed her hands on his shoulders, then gave him a push, promptly kicking him out of the virtual space.
With a swirl of musical notes, a mirror appeared before Uta, and her outfit transformed to match a more mature style.
"So this is… what only adults can wear?"
She pressed her legs tightly together, her face blushing. "S-so… shameless!"
---
Four months later, Luffy was considering what to give Uta for her upcoming birthday. The first gift would be a song. "Always Together" seemed fitting, and he imagined it would sound beautiful if she sang it.
Luffy picked up some bowls and chopsticks to create a makeshift rhythm, jotting down notes on a piece of paper.
It was a cute song but carried a hint of sadness. That feeling could easily be tied to Ace's story, giving it a solid background for the song's creation.
呼んでいる胸のどこか奥で,
（In the depths of my heart, a voice is calling,）
いつも心踊る梦を见たい,
（I want to dive into a dream that stirs my soul,）
かなしみは数えきれないけれど,
（Though sadness will surely repeat…）
Luffy hummed as he tapped the bowls and bottles, creating a soft, twinkling sound.
"Luffy, what are you doing here alone?"
Garp followed the sound, only to find Luffy tinkering instead of training. But the music was pleasant, so he let it slide, munching on senbei as he watched.
"Hey, Grandpa, Uta's birthday is coming up soon." Luffy turned to look at Garp, who always seemed to appear out of nowhere.
"I'm preparing a birthday present for her," Luffy explained. "Don't tell me… you didn't plan to prepare anything?"
"Uta's birthday?" Garp was stunned.
"How could I forget her birthday?" he snapped defensively. "I like Uta a lot!"
"Really? You didn't even give me a gift for my birthday," Luffy remarked.
"Boys don't need presents; strength of character is what matters!" Garp grumbled, stomping off.
Once he was alone, Garp scratched his head and pulled out a den den mushi to call Sengoku.
"Hey, Sengoku, why do people expect gifts on birthdays? My granddaughter's birthday is coming up, and I need some ideas."
"Granddaughter? Where did you get a granddaughter?" Sengoku asked, baffled.
"She's my newly recognized one. Is that a problem?" Garp replied with his usual bravado.
"If you're looking for something women might like, you should probably call Tsuru; she has a granddaughter. Or you could ask Akainu—he has a daughter named Hibari, right?"
"Oh… Akainu, huh? That kid… I'm not a fan," Garp muttered, thinking of the recent intel on the Buster Call incident in Ohara.
Ever since that event, he'd noticed a change in Aokiji's demeanor, a sort of withdrawal and listlessness. Garp was worried. Aokiji was due to become an admiral, but his state of mind made Garp uneasy.
As for Akainu, his methods were far too extreme. Even when carrying out the Buster Call, the government allowed civilians time to evacuate. But that guy… Akainu had obliterated Ohara without regard for the civilians there.
Garp didn't have much to say outright, but he couldn't ignore the growing unease in his heart.
"Yes… he's far too extreme. I hope he softens once he becomes an admiral. Also, Aokiji's lack of motivation is troubling. I'd hoped
he and Kizaru might become my successors."
Sengoku, too, had his reservations about Akainu's actions.
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