A few days after Shanks and Makino's wedding, inside the bar—
"Hey, Shanks. Something's been really weird lately."
Cain leaned closer over the counter, resting his elbows on the bar as he lowered his voice.
"I don't know what's going on, but every time I fall asleep these past few days, I wake up somewhere completely different the next morning."
He frowned.
"You… wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"How the hell would I know?"
Shanks was polishing a glass, his brows knitting together.
"What, something strange happening at night?"
"Obviously."
Cain sighed.
"Every morning I wake up sore all over and covered in sweat. I usually feel like I need to jump straight into the shower."
"I already asked Uta, but she said she doesn't know anything, so I figured I'd come ask you—"
Shanks only became more confused the longer he listened.
"I've been busy taking care of Makino these past few days."
"Why would I have time to sneak over and watch you in the middle of the night?"
"Huh?!"
Cain's eyes widened.
"You haven't been watching us?"
"You're actually comfortable letting Uta live alone with me?"
Shanks stared at the hopelessly dense brat in front of him and sighed.
"Didn't I tell you at the wedding?"
"I'm leaving Uta in your hands."
"Don't tell me you seriously never understood what I meant."
At that point, the message couldn't have been clearer.
As far as Shanks was concerned, Cain was already his future son-in-law.
"Oh…"
Cain scratched his head awkwardly.
"So that's what you meant?"
"I thought you meant… something else."
Then his expression immediately turned puzzled again.
"So what the hell is happening to me?"
"Am I sleepwalking?"
"If that's really it, I'd better start paying attention before I go to sleep."
"If it keeps happening, you should probably see a doctor."
Shanks set the glass down.
"Though doctors who specialize in that kind of thing aren't exactly common."
He thought for a moment.
"Too bad Hongo isn't here. He'd probably figure it out pretty quickly."
"A doctor…"
Cain considered it.
"That's actually not a bad idea."
"I happen to know a really good one."
"And while I'm there, I've been meaning to ask him about that problem where I sometimes lose control during training."
Cain immediately thought of Chopper, who Kuma had sent flying all the way to the Torino Kingdom in the South Blue.
Conveniently enough, the next stop on their concert tour was also in the South Blue.
Stopping by to visit him would be easy enough.
When Shanks heard that Cain planned to see a doctor, he set down the glass, picked up Gryphon, and stepped out from behind the counter.
"You two are leaving today, right?"
Cain nodded.
"Yeah."
"Sabo and Koala already left, and Chiffon's wedding is still a while away, so Uta and I figured we'd head for the next stop first."
"The South Blue."
"Oh?"
Shanks casually rested Gryphon against his shoulder.
"You planning to cross the Calm Belt directly?"
"With your current strength, it shouldn't be much trouble."
Then his smile became slightly sharper.
"But before you leave, I want to see how much you've improved."
"And hopefully this weird sleepwalking problem of yours wasn't caused by me chasing you around with a sword the other day."
"Of course not."
Cain straightened confidently.
"That was a completely different situation."
"You were genuinely trying to kill me. I'm not stupid enough to fight you head-on when you're in that state."
"But this time?"
He grinned.
"I'm taking this seriously."
Shanks laughed.
"Relax."
"No personal grudges this time."
"Completely fair fight."
He carried Gryphon into the back kitchen, put away the glasses and plates he had just finished washing, then came back out.
After that, he and Cain went to find Uta.
Because if the two of them fought seriously, the aftermath would be ridiculous.
There was no way they were doing that in the real world.
…
Uta World
"Hey, hey, hey!"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Cain barely managed to block Shanks' opening attack.
"You started with something like that, and you're still claiming there are no personal grudges involved?!"
"Of course there are!"
Shanks shouted furiously as he pressed forward.
"I still haven't settled what happened before!"
"I wake up and find out you shaved my beard and cut my hair!"
His expression twisted.
"And most importantly—"
"MY LEG HAIR IS GONE!"
Cain stared at him.
"That's the part you care about most?!"
"Why isn't the hair on your head the problem?!"
He quickly retreated as Shanks closed the distance and slashed again.
"Of course the leg hair matters!"
Shanks snapped.
"I wear my pants rolled up all the time!"
"I show those legs on purpose!"
"That hair was a symbol of my masculinity!"
"And now?"
He pointed furiously downward.
"My legs are smoother than a woman's!"
"How the hell am I supposed to show my face anywhere?!"
"What happens to my dignity as one of the Four Emperors?!"
"This is not the time to care about dignity!"
Cain shouted back.
"Your usual scruffy look isn't exactly classy to begin with!"
That argument might have worked—
if Shanks hadn't already discovered the truth.
"If you'd simply shaved it, maybe I could let it go."
"But earlier, when I went into the back kitchen and found that blowtorch sitting right beside the razors…"
Shanks' voice grew darker.
"That's when I realized you little bastard burned my hair off!"
"My beard and head hair have already started growing back."
"But my legs are still smooth!"
He raised Gryphon.
"How exactly are you planning to compensate me?!"
Apparently, Shanks' sudden change in attitude had come from discovering that blowtorch in the kitchen just before this fight.
Cain immediately tried to defend himself.
"I just misjudged the heat a little!"
"I genuinely didn't do it on purpose!"
"And come on, you couldn't seriously expect me to put my hands all over you just to shave everything manually, could you?"
Shanks immediately fired back.
"You already gave me a bath, and that is what you're worried about?!"
Cain answered without thinking.
"Beckman was the one who bathed you."
Shanks' sword stopped.
His voice changed completely.
"…What did you just say?"
Then one of the Four Emperors went completely rigid.
The tip of Gryphon actually started trembling.
"I-I-I-I…"
His face slowly lost all color.
"Beckman saw me completely naked?!"
That was his vice captain!
His closest comrade!
A man he had fought beside for years!
Someone Shanks trusted enough to turn his back on without hesitation!
But not this kind of trust!
Not the kind where he lay there naked while Beckman washed him!
A suffocating wave of social humiliation crashed over Shanks.
His hand slowly raised Gryphon.
The slash that followed was somehow even more vicious than the ones before it.
In fact—
it was almost on the same level as the day he had genuinely chased Cain around trying to kill him.
…
Inside one of the bar's rooms—
Cain and Shanks were locked in a brutal battle inside the Uta World.
Their physical bodies, meanwhile, were lying peacefully side by side on a large bed.
Each had his head resting comfortably in the lap of the woman he loved, their breathing slow and even.
Makino gently ran her fingers across Shanks' cheek, concern visible in her eyes.
She turned toward the girl sitting beside her.
"Uta…"
"How are they doing?"
"They're fighting pretty hard."
Uta smiled reassuringly.
"But don't worry, Big Sis Makino. They're completely safe."
Uta had deliberately kept Makino's consciousness out of the Uta World.
She was worried the sight of Cain and Shanks fighting at full force might frighten her, especially while she was pregnant.
"Maybe it's because of the pregnancy."
Makino sighed, one hand unconsciously resting over her stomach.
"I've been worrying about everything lately."
"It feels like I've become much more sensitive."
Noticing that her own concern had made the atmosphere heavier, Makino quickly smiled and changed the subject.
"Anyway, Uta, let's talk about something else."
"For example…"
Her smile became slightly curious.
"That thing Cain was asking Shanks about earlier."
"The way he keeps 'sleepwalking' lately."
"I-I REALLY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT!"
Uta reacted like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.
She rapidly shook her head while her guilty eyes immediately drifted toward the ceiling.
There was absolutely no way she was going to admit it.
How could she possibly tell anyone that, for the past several nights, whenever Cain fell asleep…
she had secretly been using her ability to guide him around?
She hadn't done anything truly excessive or crossed any serious lines.
But she loved the feeling far too much.
The feeling of having Cain completely within her grasp.
Of being able to guide him however she wanted.
Of having, for those quiet moments, a Cain who belonged only to her.
She loved slowly surrounding him with everything that was hers—
letting every breath, every trace of warmth, every inch of closeness carry something of her.
Quietly.
Gradually.
Until he was covered in her presence.
How was she ever supposed to admit something that embarrassing out loud?!