Chapter 359 - 198

Chapter 198 RED (5): The Breakdown of the Red Hair Diva!"Try this! Sanji... he is the best chef in the world!"Luffy wolfed down his food, shouting unintelligibly while casually shoving a thick, sauce-covered, aromatic bone-in meat stick into Uta's hands.Luffy's round, puffed-up face was filled with unmasked, almost naive pride... as if he wasn't offering a bone of meat, but the most precious treasure in the entire ocean."Mhm!"Uta smiled and nodded, steadily catching the bone stick that was almost as thick as her forearm.She turned her head, her gaze passing through the noisy deck, landing on the blond figure at the kitchen window who was smoking a cigarette while cooking in seven or eight pots simultaneously.A knowing curve appeared at the corner of her mouth, and she said in a light voice:"Luffy, you've really... changed so much."She paused, withdrawing her gaze from the distance, and let it fall back onto the man before her, who was tearing into a chunk of meat.The recklessness and childishness of his youth had long been replaced by a more solid, freer aura, even though that smile remained as pure as a child's."From that little dork who used to have snot hanging from his nose and was always crying about being hungry when we were kids—"Her tone carried a nostalgic smile,"To growing into the reliable man you are now."The sea breeze blew past, stirring a few strands of hair at her temples.Her fingers holding the bone stick tightened unconsciously, her gaze dropping to the swaying spots of light on the deck, and the warmth in her voice gradually subsided, like a receding tide."And you even have such an amazing group of companions,"Her voice grew softer, almost falling into the wind,"Becoming... a [Four Emperors] just like Shanks."She said the last two words very slowly and lightly, like a distant echo.In that voice, there was the warmth of being proud of him, the trance of a bygone era, and a trace of imperceptible loneliness, faded by the sea breeze."Hehe, you too, Uta!"Luffy swallowed the mouthful of meat, stretched out his arm, and casually slung it over Uta's shoulder, grinning a smile that almost reached his ears."You've changed super much, too—"He deliberately drew out the tone, made an exaggerated grimace, and his eyes twinkled with mischief,"From that bossy little girl who used to charge around recklessly and constantly yell 'Luffy, you idiot!'..."He leaned in closer, his warm breath hitting her ear, and announced word by word:"Into... such a crybaby now!!!""— — Luffy!!!"Uta's face instantly turned bright red, and she bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.She slapped his hand off her shoulder with a "thwack," glaring at him indignantly, her amethyst-like eyes veiled in a thin layer of anger."I was giving you a proper compliment! And you turn around and insult me!!"She muttered discontentedly, the bone stick in her hand looking as if it might strike that rubber head the next second.But within this feigned anger, the light in her eyes quietly shifted.Suddenly, as if she had caught a flash of inspiration from her memories, the thin anger in her eyes quickly faded,replaced by a cunning and bright gleam, like a child who had discovered a new game."Hey, Luffy,"Her voice suddenly softened, carrying a hint of distant reminiscence, and the corner of her mouth curled into an elusive arc,"Do you remember? Our... 'duel' from when we were kids?""Duel?"Luffy's movements suddenly stopped; the word acted like a key, instantly opening the floodgates of his memory.Almost simultaneously, he grinned, his smile becoming incredibly flamboyant, and an invisible, scorching aura burst forth from him as the center."Ah! That one—"He struck his palm with his fist as if realizing something, his voice loud and uninhibited,"The duel where you lost a full 183 times and still refused to accept it every single time?!"Pure, eager flames ignited in his eyes.The large bone stick, now gnawed completely clean, was held in his hand like a sword; he pointed it forward casually yet with a sense of power, the tip aimed steadily at Uta."Spit it out, what are we competing in this time!"He puffed out his chest, his voice filled with unquestionable confidence and joy."I, Monkey D. Luffy... will take on any challenge!""Huh? Wait... what kind of nonsense are you spouting? It was clearly you who lost to me 138 times, right?"In an instant, Uta's little face turned bright red, flames of defiance ignited in her amethyst-like pupils, and her voice rose half an octave."Na—ni—? Say that again! I didn't lose, you lost!""You lost!""You lost!"The two leaned forward almost simultaneously, their foreheads colliding with a "thud," and they stood motionless like two stubborn calves, just glaring at each other with round eyes, neither willing to take a half-step back."What childish duel is this Idiot Captain pulling now..."Law leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, sighing helplessly, yet unable to hide a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.Such an absurd scene had, at some point, become something everyone was used to."Go for it, Luffy! Don't lose to a girl's forehead!"Yamato cheered loudly while chewing on meat, waving her fist, her long silver-white hair flying with her movements."Lu—ffy—! Don't you dare be so rude to such a lovely lady!"Sanji was so angry his eyebrows were practically knotting up, and his feet had unconsciously adjusted into a kicking stance, as if he would kick that rubber head flying the next second... and then elegantly offer his sincere apologies and condolences to Uta."Hahaha, being young is truly great!"Rayleigh tipped his head back and took a large gulp of wine, the lively scene reflected in his squinted eyes.Watching this group of boys and girls bickering during this time, he actually felt that even his own heart, which had weathered so many storms, had become light and lively again.Not far away, Gordon watched this scene quietly, his gaze lingering for a long time on Uta's side profile, which was filled with anger yet shining brightly."Uta... you look really happy."He muttered to himself, a warm sense of relief rising in his eyes, immediately followed by a trace of imperceptible worry, as if he were silently weighing some important decision.— — — — — — — — — —Come now, there is nothing to fearCome, no need to be afraidThere is no anxietyNo need for anxietyMy dream is everyone's wishEveryone's wish is my dream...Under the spotlight, Uta closed her eyes and sang softly.The first note leaped out, transforming into a gorgeous melody visible to the naked eye, sweeping across the entire venue like a heavenly sound.That wasn't singing; it was the soul resonating."It's... truly beautiful."The singing had stopped, but the lingering charm still flowed like a warm current through everyone's hearts.Even without using a shred of her devil fruit ability, the power contained within this pure music was enough to shake the soul."Tch, isn't it just singing!" Luffy rubbed his nose hard, looking unconvinced,"I can do it too!"Before Uta could react, he had already stretched out his rubber arm and "whooshed" onto the center of the stage."My turn!!"The audience fell silent instantly... Luffy singing?Even Law silently put down kikoku, and the wine bowl Rayleigh had raised to his lips paused as well."Wait! Luffy, don't—"Uta's pupils constricted as a certain memory from childhood, dominated by demonic sounds, suddenly awakened.But it was already too late."The eastern sky brightens early~ The weather is hazy~ Everyone is an idiot—"The off-key, out-of-tune roaring exploded, every single note precisely dodging the melody.The air froze!!The meat in Yamato's hand dropped to the ground with a "plop," the cigarette at the corner of Sanji's mouth quietly burned out, and Law's eyebrows twisted into a knot.Rayleigh took a deep breath, his hand holding the bowl trembling slightly... Was the wine not good, or had he had enough of peaceful days, to have to suffer this?"I knew it!!"Uta crouched down in agony, covering her ears tightly with both hands,"This isn't singing at all... it's a psychic attack!!"Luffy, however, sang with increasing fervor, his limbs flailing wildly to his self-created rhythm, his face beaming with a radiant "I am definitely a genius" smile.The demonic singing continued to tear through the tranquility, and everyone finally deeply understood a truth:Sometimes, true "strength" has nothing to do with devil fruit abilities... For instance, a voice that can make Four Emperors-level powerhouses instantly break down might just be the most terrifying power on this ocean.The demonic singing continued to tear through the air."The southern sun is scorching—Idiots sweat like waterfalls!"Luffy spread his arms wide, his body swaying left and right to the "magnificent" rhythm in his mind, his rubber joints swinging in exaggerated arcs, every cracked note like a saw pulling at the audience's nerves.Uta had already curled up in a corner of the stage, covering her head tightly with the hem of her dress, attempting to physically block out this soul-piercing noise."Help... this is scarier than any siren's song..."Sanji ground his right foot against the floor repeatedly, his heart in a fierce tug-of-war between "kicking the Captain away" and "cannot be rude to a lady," veins bulging on his forehead.Law finally couldn't take it anymore, his pale fingers splaying open:"ROOM—"A transparent field instantly expanded.However, the next second, he discovered with an ashen face that the power of the Ope-Ope no Miseemed to have been subjected to some kind of bizarre interference.He could only hold his forehead and growl: "Idiot Captain... has your Haki marinated into this, or what?!""Pfft, hahaha!"Rayleigh, who had been keeping a straight face, suddenly burst out laughing, but as he laughed, he started coughing, slapping his thigh while coughing,"Hahaha... this, this is practically more fatal than Roger singing when he's drunk! The 'terror' of the new era... I've learned my lesson!""Hey! What kind of expression is that!"Luffy stood panting but with shining eyes, wiped away non-existent sweat, and looked with hands on his hips at the deathly silent, dazed Sanji and the others,"How was it! Wasn't it su...per amazing! Much more energetic than Uta's, right!"Responding to him was a ten-second, suffocating silence."Bang!"An empty wine bowl smashed accurately onto Luffy's head."You brat!"Rayleigh scolded with a laugh,"Get down here right now! If you keep singing, the Sea Kings will be scared away!"Uta only then tremblingly lowered the hem of her dress, revealing a face devoid of the will to live, her purple eyes filled with the emptiness of surviving a disaster."Gordon... I might... need a very, very long period of rest... no, a purification of my ears..."In the corner, Gordon, who had just been immersed in the gravity of his future choices, now had only a blank expression on his face.He slowly raised his hand and patted his own cheek, as if confirming this wasn't some terrible hallucination."Perhaps—"His eyes drifted, muttering to himself,"Perhaps some 'major events'... can be put aside for now.""Right now, there is clearly a more urgent problem concerning everyone's mental health that needs to be solved..."And the culprit, Luffy, was rubbing his hit head, watching everyone's colorful expressions, and showed his signature, cloudless, big smiling face."Next time! I'll challenge an even longer song!" he announced.Everyone's vision went black.At this moment, the same thought emerged in their hearts:Some "wars" might be more cruel than conquering the Grand Line... For example, how to make their Captain permanently give up the "hobby" of singing...."Luffy—! You hopeless tone-deaf idiot!!"Uta completely broke down, waves of mixed shame and anger surging in her purple pupils.Her figure leaped like a musical note, directly tackling Luffy, who was still immersed in his "victory," to the ground."Thump!"Her fair, slender legs clamped tightly around his rubber waist, she straddled Luffy's stomach, grabbed his face that was still grinning foolishly with both hands, and pulled it forcefully to both sides."I'll let you sing! I'll let you be smug—"Luffy's face was pulled into a comical, flat shape in her hands, but his mouth was still grinning; he didn't mind his rubber skin being stretched so long, instead declaring indistinctly:"Pfft, hahaha... even if you're angry out of shame... it won't change the result..."He even twisted his body in cooperation, as if this wasn't a punishment, but a fun game."I declare—" he raised his volume, his words going out of tune because his cheeks were deformed,"The 184th duel between Luffy and Uta—""The winner—""Is Luffy, which means... me!!!""Idiot—!!!"Uta felt the string of her sanity snap completely.She swung her fist, with a musician's precise sense of rhythm, and struck that rubber face with a "thud."Her fist sank in, then bounced back.Luffy blinked, his smile unchanged, as if he had just been brushed by a feather.Uta: "..."She sat on top of Luffy, her chest heaving, looking at that face filled with "how lonely it is to be invincible," a deep sense of powerlessness mixed with absurdity washing over her.By the side of the stage, Rayleigh silently put down the wine bowl he had just picked up, looking up at the sky, as if recalling whether he had ever faced such a "philosophical" predicament in his own tumultuous life.The meat on the bone in Yamato's hand slipped again, her mouth agape, her eyes swinging wildly between "Luffy is so amazing (physically)" and "is this really okay."Sanji's mouth twitched, his anger extinguished strangely, leaving only doubt about the reality of the world.That beautiful and lovely Miss Uta was currently in an extremely ungraceful position... but why, why was he actually a little envious of that rubber idiot?Law's fingers pressed against his temples, starting to seriously consider the possibility and moral cost of using "ROOM" to temporarily seal the Captaininto some silent, different dimension.Director Gordon held his forehead; he found himself seriously considering modifying a major life decision... Perhaps, protecting this world also included protecting it from some kind of "mental pollution"?He had never seen someone so shameless, and yet so completely unaware of their own "shamelessness"!The air was terrifyingly silent, save for the slight "whoosh" sound as Luffy's stretched and deformed face slowly bounced back to its original shape.Uta let go, slowly stood up from Luffy, and brushed off her skirt.She lowered her head, her long eyelashes casting shadows on her cheeks.After a long while.She raised her head, a brand new, almost awe-inspiring flame burning in her purple eyes."Luffy.""Hm?""I swear in the name of the future world's number one diva."She said every word clearly and calmly."From today on—I am going to give you special training.""Until your singing can, at the very least... not kill the fish in the sea."Luffy: "...Eh?"A premonition even more spine-chilling than "Conqueror's Haki" simultaneously struck the hearts of everyone present.