Chapter 177 - 35

Chapter 35"Huh?""Let's go to the going merry. I want to take you to meet my crew. Is that okay?"He's asking for my opinion?Wonders never cease.Does it have some special meaning?Like… making some kind of declaration or something.Uta didn't want to have anything to do with pirates, but since Luffy had already said as much, she would show some mercy and go meet them!If Luffy's crew were a bunch of heinous villains… then Uta wouldn't be at ease leaving Luffy with them; she would have to snatch him away. Besides, an adventure is an adventure regardless of who you're with. Luffy just wants to go on an adventure, right? It's not like he actually wants to become the Pirate King.Luffy also felt it was strange. In the past, he would have just grabbed Uta's hand and left, acting first and asking questions later.Damn it, all that toxic knowledge has gotten into his head."Well, since you've put it that way… then I'll go meet them."Uta was a little nervous, and her palms quickly started sweating. She tried to pull her hand away, but it was held tightly."Are you coming with us, Mr. Gordon?" Luffyinvited."I won't get involved in you young people's business." Gordon declined the invitation.Luffy then excitedly pulled Uta outside....Uta's ship was very large, and it was precisely because of this that pirates from the Grand Linehad chased them all the way to the East Blue.Many guards had died in that battle; that was just the norm on this sea. Now, apart from Uta and Gordon, only a few sailors remained on the ship.Flying the flag of the World Government meant that they had a connection to the World Government. Whether that connection was bought or otherwise, ordinary pirates wouldn't dare to act recklessly. For the sake of future safety, Gordon decided to go to a nearby Marine base to obtain Marine escorts once again.From Gordon's attitude toward Luffy, it was clear that he didn't harbor a deep hatred for pirates.It was just that Uta loathed pirates intensely. Luffyfelt there was a hidden story behind this, guessing it might be related to why Uta left the ship, or perhaps even related to Shanks and his crew.In the past, he might have just asked directly, regardless of how Uta felt.But now, he had this feeling of consideration in his mind.It must be because he's read too many books!"I say, can you let go now?"Inside the cabin, Uta spoke softly."Huh… why?""You're still asking why?"Uta bit her lower lip, her face flushed. "Do you think a girl's hand is something you can just hold whenever you want?""Tch, do you think a boy's hand is something that can just be held whenever? You held mine plenty when we were kids," Luffy said.Regardless of whether he was right or wrong, he just wanted to refute whatever Uta said.Besides, holding her hand felt soft, and a warm sensation emanated from her palm.This feeling was different from when they were kids, yet it also felt exactly the same.The path to the deck seemed exceptionally long.Luffy actually had quite a few things he wanted to ask Uta. Getting his mouth to stop was not an easy task, unless you used meat.But right now, he was thinking about the Klabautermann and Nika, so he was a bit lost in thought.Habit, it seems.Her body seemed to have regained a bit of the old feeling. Luffy was right; she was even wilder when they were kids, dragging Luffy around everywhere for all sorts of competitions.That's why they say childhood sweethearts have a thick health bar—they have shared, beautiful memories.Uta gradually relaxed and looked up at the boy beside her. His profile was sharp and well-defined, slowly overlapping with the face in her memories.Cuteness contest.Arm-wrestling contest.Singing contest....These terms subconsciously surfaced in her mind, and she burst into a giggle."What's wrong?"Luffy asked, confused."Nothing, just thought of some happy things."Uta hummed a little tune. "Have you decided what song to sing later?""New Genesis?" Luffy said."Why this one?""This is your favorite, right, Uta?"Luffy added, "It's also the song named after your dream."What was Uta's dream?To create many songs and use the best stage and singing voice to bring happiness to the world.Luffy's dream only changed after hearing about hers."You still remember?" Uta asked softly."Hehe, of course! That's why the first thing I wanted to do after setting sail was to find a musician.""…Ah, I just thought of a not-so-good memory."Uta couldn't help but retort, "Back then, you were clearly tone-deaf. Why did you improve so quickly?""Maybe it's… talent?" Luffy used a questioning tone.Indeed, his singing when he was a kid was enough to make Uta cry.Didn't he know whether he had talent or not?Seeing Uta still deep in thought, Luffy was terrified of being exposed, so he pulled her along forcefully. "Alright, let's go!"Go?Uta froze, then let out a series of screams.Chapter 42: The First Meeting of Uta and NamiHow far can the arm of a Gum-Gum Fruit user stretch?From one end of the sea to the other.From the deck of this ship directly to the going merry in the distance.Stretching is just very convenient, and there's a reason why it's favored by countless women.Because it can be very fast.Luffy named this special mode of transportation the "Rubber High-Speed Rollercoaster."No one who has experienced it has said it's bad.If it were Zoro or Sanji, Luffy would take them flying, but he wouldn't guarantee the after-sales service regarding the landing.The end result would be stopping by crashing into the going merry.Anyway, Luffy didn't fear pain.But Uta was different. It wasn't because of some chivalrous sentiment that Luffy didn't quite understand yet; it was mainly because Uta's body looked very frail, and without after-sales service, she might lose half her life…Luffy also didn't want to be beaten half to death by Uta afterward, so he held her tightly with his other arm.However, before Luffy could act, Uta had already wrapped her legs around his waist like an octopus, letting out a series of screams."Heehahaha."Luffy couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Uta, we're here. You can open your eyes now."Uta's screaming had indeed stopped, but she was still clinging to Luffy and hadn't let go, her eyes tightly shut. She had initially wondered how Luffywould take her to the going merry, but she hadn't expected him to just fly them over.How far apart were the two ships!Below them was the endless deep sea, and she was, after all, a Devil Fruit User.The sound of the wind had indeed stopped. Utaopened her eyes a crack and saw that they had indeed returned to the going merry. She let out a sigh of relief.Laughing, this guy is still laughing!Uta gritted her teeth and bared her little fangs, biting down on Luffy's neck. Under the Moonlight, the pose was ambiguous; someone unaware might think it was an elegant female vampire performing the embrace to turn a thrall."Ouch, ouch, Uta." Luffy gasped and said, "Are you some kind of vampire?""…Hmph, so what if I like drinking blood?" Uta's sharp little fangs were no joke, and she had indeed bitten down hard, drawing blood.She licked her lips, and a faint taste of blood flooded her mouth as a warm current began to wander through her body.So… so comfortable.Luffy turned his head to look and saw that he had indeed been bitten until he bled. He looked at Utawith a resentful expression."You're returning kindness with ingratitude, aren't you?" he said."…Who told you not to give me any mental preparation, and to laugh at me!"Uta got down from him, but her hands were still resting on Luffy's shoulders, not daring to let go because they were on a mast dozens of meters high! There was only one spot to stand, and Utacould only step on Luffy's feet."I was just reminded of that thing from before."Luffy said, sounding somewhat innocent: "Didn't you scream like that once during a competition?""…You mean.""Paddling the small boat to see who was faster, only to run into the Lord of the Coast eating there," Luffy said."Didn't you scream back then too?" Uta blinked, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.Luffy said very proudly that when he set sail, he had punched the Lord of the Coast away.Uta pouted and said that if she encountered the Lord of the Coast now, she could win too. Before, it was just because she was sick and had no combat strength.However, she was more curious about one thing now.Uta stared at Luffy's neck, where fresh blood was still slowly flowing from the spot she had bitten open with her little fangs.So… so want to drink it.Could it be that because the moon came out, she really turned into a vampire?She didn't know why, but it felt like drinking a little of his blood was like some kind of great tonic, with effects even better than so-called herbal medicine. Did Luffy have some kind of special bloodline?To summarize simply, Uta was craving it."Hey, what are you trying to do?" Luffy noticed her gaze and looked alert."You're bleeding," Uta said."That's because of you… let's go down first." Luffywas a bit scared.Because he was very familiar with this look in Uta's eyes.It was the look of someone about to cause trouble; who knew what kind of mischief she was holding back.He didn't want to be bitten again."Wait a second, you look like you're hurt."Uta pursed her lips and made a decision that went against her conscience. If anyone was to blame, it was Luffy's blood for being so delicious."Hurt?""Yes, you don't want your crewmates to worry, do you?" Uta said.Why was this sentence so familiar? It felt like she had heard it somewhere before.