One Piece: I Am King Luffy

Luffy took a moment to recall how he used to think as a child, trying to understand Uta's feelings.

Maybe she felt like she was holding others back?

That was his guess. Whatever the reason, he knew he had to comfort her—after all, who would be harsh to a young girl?

"Uta, you're overthinking it. So what if you can't use Haki? I can't either," Luffy said, sipping water as he sat beside her.

"Everyone has something they're good at. I can't sing, but you sing beautifully," he added.

Luffy's tone-deafness was a natural limiter. Besides, he wasn't a music student—he had no idea how to improve his voice anyway.

"You… are trying to comfort me, aren't you? Ugh, I'm the big sister here!" Uta glared and tugged on Luffy's cheeks in frustration.

"Luffy keeps improving, but I don't even know what I'm supposed to do…" she muttered, biting her lip in frustration.

It's one thing when you don't have peers. But once you do, comparisons happen—and with comparison comes pressure.

People often define happiness by comparison. They always want to be better than others.

That's where Uta's feelings of discouragement were coming from.

"If you don't know what to do, then just do what you like. Accepting failure isn't a bad thing either," Luffy replied.

Sometimes letting go of pressure really did make life easier.

Uta felt much better. After a short emotional slump, she joined Luffy for physical training. She even challenged him—only to be defeated quickly.

After lunch, Luffy gave her that familiar hopeful look. "Uta, do you need a nap?"

Uta instantly knew what he was planning—he was craving to use his Conqueror's Haki again.

"You're really hopeless…" she huffed, but didn't say no.

She allowed herself to be knocked out by Luffy's Haki, drifting into a surprisingly restful nap.

By the time she woke up, she felt fully recharged.

Once again, Conqueror's Haki swept across the ship. The crew didn't even flinch—used to it by now.

As long as Uta didn't mind, they didn't either.

They took out small boats to collect the fish that had been knocked out floating on the surface. Conqueror's Haki was becoming a great fishing tool.

Still, a few pirates grumbled. They'd just gotten fish to bite—and then Luffy's Haki knocked them all out.

"This is just cheating! Might as well drain the ocean!" they cursed.

Suddenly, the lookout shouted, "Pirates spotted!"

He'd seen a pirate flag in the distance, which excited the crew.

Sailing the seas was boring—every day was endless blue. Spotting a rival ship and going to battle had become the crew's favorite pastime.

"Shanks, is there any quick way to become stronger?" Uta asked, clinging to Shanks after her nap.

"Hmmm… only Devil Fruits can do that," Shanks replied.

"They're mysterious fruits with terrible taste—but once eaten, they give the user incredible powers. The downside is, you'll never be able to swim again."

Shanks continued, "Remember the day we went to Windmill Village and found a weirdly patterned fruit in a treasure chest? That was a Devil Fruit."

"The purple one we got from defeating that Navy ship?" Uta asked.

"Yep," Shanks nodded. "But I'm not letting you eat it yet."

"Why not?" Uta pouted.

"Well, that one was under World Government escort. We need to identify it first—some Devil Fruits can horribly mutate your body. You wouldn't want to become a freak, right?"

He patted her head and began explaining the different types and classifications of Devil Fruits.

"I've decided! I'm going to become a Devil Fruit user in the future!" Uta declared.

"Training is exhausting—it's better to get strong quickly!"

"Then you'd better be ready to become a landlubber," Shanks laughed.

Luffy emerged from the shooting range, wiping sweat off with a towel.

"Luffy really likes to train," Shanks commented.

"There's nothing else to do on this ship. All the adult games are too dangerous for us kids," Luffy shrugged.

Fighting pirates, slaying sea monsters, evading the Navy—it had nothing to do with the kids onboard.

"Hahaha! Starting to regret becoming a pirate?" Shanks teased. "We're bored every day too!"

"But don't worry—we're going to hold an entertainment event tonight!"

Shanks had come up with something fun.

"Beckman, go hide some treasure chests around the ship. Whoever finds the most wins!"

"Then I'll definitely win!" Uta raised her voice proudly. "I'm the daughter of a pirate!"

"What's the prize, Shanks?" Luffy asked.

"Hmmm… In one week, we'll be restocking at Glass Bead Island. Whoever wins gets full freedom to shop however they want. Sound good?"

"Glass Bead Island?!" Uta's eyes lit up.

"Is that place famous?" Luffy had no clue.

"Of course! It's the world's most fashionable island! DOSKOI PANDA's headquarters is there! They even hold regular dance contests!" Uta was practically glowing.

"I won't lose!" she shouted, motivated by the prize.

Luffy wasn't backing down either. "You'll see what my training's done for me!"

He wanted to buy stuff too—he wasn't letting her win.

"Alright, whoever finishes dinner first gets a head start. And if you both find the same number of chests, the winner will be whoever finds the most valuable treasure," Shanks explained the rules.

The two kids wolfed down their food and sprinted off the moment they were done, racing through the ship.

"Go Uta! Don't let Luffy win!"

"Luffy, I'm betting on you!"

The pirates eagerly cheered on both of them.

"Place your bets! Who's gonna win?" a blond-haired pirate shouted, waving around some Berries.

Adults always found ways to make their own fun.

What began as a kids' game quickly turned into a betting frenzy.

Luffy didn't know the ship well—he mostly stuck to the bath, toilet, bedroom, and shooting range. His experience was limited to the first deck.

So he wasn't as efficient at searching as Uta.

The cheerful girl darted into the lower hidden corners and quickly found several small treasure chests.

Luffy, meanwhile, took his time exploring like he was on a stroll through a shopping street. It took quite a while before he found his first chest.

(End of Chapter)