Strongest Celestial Dragon in the History of One Piece

As time passed, the Red-Haired Pirates would leave Dawn Island for a few days and return again, as if they were searching for something. Strangely, Uta was always left behind in Foosha Village, now living with Makino, Luffy, and Gildarts. The four of them spent their days playing together, with Uta singing songs and using her Devil Fruit to entertain them.

Uta possessed the Uta Uta no Mi, a Devil Fruit that allowed her to draw people's consciousness into a dreamlike world through her music.

Meanwhile, Gildarts continued training with his own Devil Fruit abilities. He could shift between different forms, from his powerful Beast Form to a nimble Hybrid Form. Over time, he discovered a unique ability: he could put others to sleep—either if they were weaker than him or if they willingly allowed it—and then pull their dreams into the real world.

One day, he tested this on Luffy.

Luffy had muttered in his sleep, "Food… steak… ramen… pizza… meat… more meat…" as bubbles of dreams floated from his mouth. Gildarts chuckled and pulled the dreams into reality. Soon, a feast of Luffy's favorite dishes was laid out before them. However, while it looked and even smelled perfect, Luffy noticed something was wrong.

"It tastes good… but I'm still hungry!" he complained, chewing rapidly before sighing in disappointment. "This stuff looks real—but it can't make you go full!"

Despite that, the three enjoyed their time together. Their bond grew stronger with each passing day, especially when the Red-Haired Pirates returned to port. During one of their heart-to-heart conversations, they shared their dreams.

"I want to become a diva," Uta revealed one evening. "To bring smiles to people with my music. That's why I train so much."

"I want to be a pirate!" Luffy declared proudly.

"Same here," Gildarts added, grinning.

Uta scoffed. "That's such a childish dream. Pirates only cause trouble."

But there was warmth in her voice—she didn't mean it cruelly.

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One evening, the Red-Haired Pirates were gathered at Makino's tavern, swapping tales from the Grand Line and laughing over mugs of sake—until a group of bandits barged in.

"Bring out all your sake," the leader demanded, slamming the door shut behind him.

Makino, calm as always, responded,

"I'm sorry. I just ran out of my last batch."

The bandit looked around and noticed the pirates drinking.

"Then why do they have booze?" he snapped.

"They ordered the last batch," Makino replied evenly.

Shanks, ever the friendly and easygoing captain, stood up with a grin.

"Come on. You and your friends can drink with us. There's plenty to go around."

But the bandit sneered, walked right up to Shanks, and smashed a bottle over his head.

"Why would I drink with a lowly pirate like you? I've got a five-million-berry bounty!" he bragged.

Shanks didn't react. He simply stood still, sake dripping from his hair, his face calm and composed. The bandits laughed and left the tavern.

Then, to everyone's surprise, the Red-Haired Pirates burst into laughter. Loud and unbothered, they found the whole thing hilarious.

Even Uta and Gildarts, knowing Shanks' fearsome reputation in the New World, chuckled at the absurdity.

But one person wasn't laughing—Luffy.

He slammed his fists on the table and shouted:

"Why are you all laughing?! They just insulted you! You're pirates—how can you just let that happen?!"

The room quieted for a moment. The pirates looked at him with amusement, but Shanks, Uta, and Gildarts were now silent.

Gildarts knelt beside Luffy and looked him in the eye.

"Luffy… being a pirate means being free. That includes the freedom not to fight. Shanks knew what would happen—and he accepted it. That's real strength."

Shanks glanced at Gildarts with a surprised expression. He had always seen Gildarts as just a kid… but in that moment, he saw the makings of a wise and thoughtful man.

Luffy calmed down slightly—until Shanks turned his attention elsewhere, seemingly dismissing him. This reignited Luffy's frustration.

Gildarts, who already knew what would happen next, turned toward the treasure chest on the counter—just as Luffy approached it, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

Without hesitation, Luffy opened the chest.

Inside was a spiraled fruit with strange markings. His eyes lit up. He remembered what Gildarts said, that he found a strange fruit and made him a Dragon. He bit into it, and seconds later…

"BLEH! That tasted awful!" he gagged.

The following events unfolded just as in the original tale. After Luffy yelled in frustration, Shanks finally turned his full attention toward him—only to notice the now-empty treasure chest behind the boy. His eyes widened in shock.

"Wait… No… Don't tell me—!"

He rushed toward Luffy, panic etched on his face. "Spit it out! Hurry, Luffy! SPIT IT OUT!"

But before Shanks could reach him, Luffy's legs suddenly stretched, twisting awkwardly as he tried to get away. His own momentum caused him to slip and fall—his head slamming into the wooden floor with a loud thud.

"AHHHHHHH!" Luffy groaned, face red and eyes watering. "What's happening to me?!"

Shanks dropped to one knee beside him, gripping Luffy by the shoulders.

"Idiot! Do you have any idea what you just did?!"

Luffy looked up, eyes brimming with tears.

"Am I gonna die, Shanks? What's gonna happen to me?!"

Shanks hesitated, then sighed, his expression softening just a little.

"No. You won't die… but you'll never be able to swim again."

Luffy blinked in confusion at first—until realization hit.

"Wait… But pirates have to swim! If I fall into the sea, I'll—"

His voice trailed off. The weight of the truth sank in.

"I'll drown…"

The room grew quiet. Even the Red-Haired Pirates stopped laughing.