How far can the Gomu Gomu no Mi's arms stretch?
From one side of the sea to the other.
From the deck of this ship directly to the distant Going Merry.
The ability to stretch was just so convenient, and there was a reason it could win the favour of countless women.
Because it could be so fast.
Luffy had personally named this special mode of transport the "Rubber Extreme Speed Roller Coaster."
No one who had experienced it had anything bad to say.
If it were Zoro or Sanji, Luffy would just launch them and not worry about the "landing" part of the service.
The final result would be them screeching to a halt against the Going Merry's mast.
Luffy wasn't afraid of pain, after all.
But Uta was different. It wasn't because of some "being gentle with the fairer sex" sentiment that Luffy didn't quite understand yet. It was mainly because Uta's body looked so weak. Without proper "after-sales service," she might lose half her life...
Luffy also didn't want to be beaten half to death by Uta afterwards, so he wrapped his other arm tightly around her.
But, before Luffy could even act, Uta had already wrapped her legs around his waist like an octopus, letting out a continuous stream of screams.
"Shihihihihi."
Luffy couldn't help but laugh. "Uta, we're already here. You can open your eyes."
Uta's screams had indeed stopped, but she still hadn't gotten off Luffy, her eyes squeezed shut. She'd been wondering how Luffy planned to get her to the Going Merry, but she never expected they'd just fly over.
How far apart were the two ships?!
Below them was the endless, deep sea, and she was a Devil Fruit user, remember.
The sound of the wind was indeed gone. Uta cracked open one eye and saw they were back on the Going Merry. She let out a sigh of relief.
Laughing, this guy was still laughing!
Uta gritted her teeth, baring her little fangs before biting down on Luffy's neck. Under the moonlight, the posture was ambiguous, looking for all the world like an elegant vampire lady performing an "Embrace" to turn someone into her kin.
"Ow, ow, Uta!" Luffy hissed, sucking in a cold breath. "Are you some kind of vampire?"
"...Hmph, so what if I like drinking blood?" Uta's pointy little canines were no joke, and she really had bitten down hard enough to draw blood.
She pursed her lips, a faint taste of iron spreading in her mouth as a warm current began to wander through her body.
S-so comfortable.
Luffy tilted his head to look and saw he was indeed bleeding. He shot Uta a resentful look.
"You're repaying kindness with enmity," he said.
"...Who told you not to give me any warning, and then laugh at me?!"
Uta got down from him, but her hands still rested on Luffy's shoulders, not daring to let go because they were on a mast dozens of meters high! There was only one place to stand, and Uta had to step on Luffy's feet.
"I just remembered that thing from before."
Luffy said somewhat innocently, "Didn't you scream just like that during one of our contests?"
"...You mean."
"The 'paddle the little boat and see who's faster' one, when we ran into the Lord of the Coast feeding?" Luffy said.
"You screamed just as much back then," Uta blinked, the corner of her mouth lifting.
Luffy said proudly that he'd punched the Lord of the Coast flying when he first set sail.
Uta pouted, saying she could beat that Lord of the Coast now, too. She'd just been sick and without combat strength before.
But now she was more curious about something else.
Uta stared at the spot on Luffy's neck where her little fangs had broken the skin, blood still slowly welling up.
W-want more.
Had she actually turned into a vampire because the moon was out?
She didn't know why, but drinking a bit of his blood felt like taking some powerful tonic, more effective than any herbal medicine. Did Luffy have some special bloodline?
In simple terms, Uta was craving it.
"Hey, what are you planning?" Luffy noticed her gaze, instantly wary.
"You're bleeding," Uta said.
"Whose fault is that... Let's go down first." Luffy was feeling a bit apprehensive.
Because he was very familiar with this look in Uta's eyes.
It was the "I'm about to stir up trouble" look. Who knew what mischief she was brewing?
He didn't want to get bitten again.
"Wait, you look like you're injured this way."
Uta licked her lips, making a decision that went against her better judgment. It was all Luffy's fault for having blood that tasted so good.
"Injured?"
"Yeah, you don't want your nakama to worry, do you?" Uta said.
Why did that phrase sound so familiar, like he'd heard it somewhere before?
An image of Nami flashed through Luffy's mind.
"What should we do then?" he asked instinctively.
"I heard saliva can stop bleeding."
"Huh?"
Before he could finish, Uta lunged again. Not to bite, but Luffy could clearly feel a sucking sensation.
As Uta's throat moved slightly, swallowing the mix of saliva and blood, her eyes grew brighter.
Luffy: "..."
Uta really is some kind of vampire! Luffy felt like he was being drained dry, and he couldn't even push her away. If Uta hadn't decided, the left side seemed "empty" and wanted to switch to the right, Luffy felt he would have been sucked dry tonight.
Pop.
Faced with Luffy's stare, Uta averted her shifty gaze. "What? Got a problem? See, the bleeding really did stop."
She wiped her mouth. Her red, moist lips seemed stained with something, looking even more vibrant now.
The bleeding had stopped. But didn't you have any awareness of how it stopped?
Luffy was the type to return every slight; if you bit him, he had to bite back, especially if it was Uta.
Being unilaterally sucked dry meant he lost, didn't it?
But just as he was about to move, a familiar voice rang out from below.
"Luffy?"
Luffy froze, a chill running down his spine. Honestly, he didn't know why he felt that chill. Maybe the sea breeze tonight was particularly refreshing?
Uta's hand, which had been about to pull her collar aside to expose her neck, also stopped.
She could tell from Luffy's expression what he wanted to do. This petty guy definitely wanted to bite back. There was no other thought behind it, just pure revenge, or maybe his competitive spirit.
It wouldn't be a big deal to get bitten.
Uta felt she was still coming out ahead, since the taste was so delicious... but then the voice shattered the atmosphere.
Looking down, she saw a girl with short orange hair looking up at them, an indescribably strange expression on her face.
"Nami?"
The name instantly surfaced in Uta's mind.
"Nami! This is... Uta..."
Luffy's voice grew smaller and smaller.
The night sea breeze was indeed a bit chilly, but what was with this cold that was making his teeth chatter?
Nervous.
Luffy was very nervous right now. His introduction of the two, just six words, perfectly went from a loud proclamation to a near-whisper.
He looked at Uta, then at Nami.
It was as if their gazes held only each other, a silent confrontation.
Gulp.
Luffy swallowed.
***
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