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"U-um… do we really have to dance like that?"
Tashigi held her hands in front of her, unconsciously rubbing them together. Just thinking about the dance Uta had once performed on top of Arton made her blush, even though she was no longer inexperienced.
On top of that, she simply couldn't imagine it. How was Uta able to dance while doing something so exhausting and so overwhelming that it made a person lose control?
And the worst part was: the dance actually looked proper. Her movements were graceful, with hardly any mistakes.
In Tashigi's eyes, doing that sort of thing was far more difficult than a battle. It was no less intense than a fight to the death.
At the very least, she didn't think she had the talent to pull off the dance Uta was talking about—much less overcome her own mental barriers and perform that dance together with Uta.
"Hehe, don't worry about it, Tashigi-chan." Uta took Tashigi's hand, smiling gently. "I'll teach you properly. Besides, don't you want to see Captain happy? Look at that expectant look in his eyes."
"Captain…" Following Uta's gaze, Tashigi looked into Arton's eyes.
His expression was still calm on the surface, but Tashigi could clearly see the faint heat smoldering in his gaze.
"O-okay… f-fine." Tashigi pressed her lips together and finally nodded. In front of the man she liked, she just couldn't bring herself to refuse.
She didn't want to disappoint Arton. After all, she'd already stirred his interest a moment ago. If she didn't help him resolve it now, she would only feel guilty.
For a moment, Tashigi couldn't help feeling a little envious of Uta. Thanks to the Sing-Sing Fruit, Uta could let Arton enjoy things inside a real dream.
Compared to that, Tashigi felt like she wasn't nearly as free.
Uta seemed to see straight through what Tashigi was thinking and spoke in a soothing tone. "Don't worry. If you ever need it, I can bring you into a dream with Captain as often as you like. And, of course, if you ever want it, I can bring just you into my dreams too~"
"But for all that, you do have to work with me, okay? I can't just stand off to the side watching you two have fun while I don't join in at all."
"Alright, alright, let's get started." Uta clapped lightly.
"In a bit, I'll dance a song on Arton first, and then you go climb on top of him. Don't be so nervous—I'll hold your waist and help you find the rhythm. Once your body gets used to the music and the beat, even if your mind goes blank from feeling too good to stay fully conscious, your body will still be able to finish things on its own."
Tashigi's eyes suddenly lit up. "R-really, Uta?"
The trace of excitement in her voice made Arton feel oddly moved.
Who would've thought that the Tashigi who had been so gentle, low-key, and easily embarrassed in the original story would be showing this kind of emotion over something like this?
"Believe in me—I'm a pro!" Uta patted her own full chest.
"Think about it. When you practice your swordsmanship, isn't it the same thing? Once your body remembers your techniques, even if your brain hasn't caught up yet, your sword can still move on its own at the right moment."
Tashigi nodded in agreement. "It… it really is kind of like that."
"Right?" Uta gave both of Tashigi's shoulders a firm pat. "And here's another secret—I'm the same way, you know."
Hearing all this, Tashigi finally gained a bit of confidence. She took a deep breath and said solemnly. "Then I'll be in your care, Teacher Uta."
"Teacher, huh?" Uta's lips curved upward. "I like the sound of that… but I'd rather you call me big sis."
"B-big… sis…" Tashigi murmured, face flushing red.
Even though she was older than Uta, in terms of how long they'd known Arton and the order in which they'd gotten close to him, Uta absolutely had the qualifications to be called big sis.
"No time like the present—let's start now." Uta turned toward Arton, eyes sparkling. "What do you think, dear Arton~?"
"I am looking forward to it," Arton replied with a smile. "But if all of us dive into the dream… who's going to handle lookout duty up here in the tower?"
Chapter 472: Uta – Captain, When Are We Going Into the Dream?
"Hehe, this is exactly the kind of time when new members of the Flameblade Pirates should step up."
Uta planted her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest.
"'New members'? Hey, hey, you old-timers haven't been bullying the newcomers behind my back, have you?" Arton raised an eyebrow as he asked.
"Who are you calling an old-timer? I'm still young, you know." Uta stomped her foot, cheeks flushing as she glared at Arton.
"Weren't you the one who said it?" Arton went on. "If Ain and Robin count as newcomers, then all of you who joined long before them are basically veterans, aren't you? Even if you add everything up, you only joined the crew a month or two earlier than they did."
As he said this, Arton couldn't help feeling a little sentimental inside.
[Diary System: Activate!]
[If I count the time, it's only been about two months since I crossed over into this world.]
[But in that short time, I've already gone through being attacked by Celestial Dragons, meeting Garp, crossing swords with Mihawk, clashing with a Marine Admiral, and killing a Celestial Dragon.]
[For most people, they'd be lucky—or unlucky—to experience even one of those things in their entire lives, and I've gone through all of them in just a couple of months. When I think about it carefully, it really is kind of sigh-worthy.]
[Could it be that I really am a genius?]
Whitey Bay: "Huh! Arton's finally started writing in his diary again today?"
Smoothie: "Arton, are you… getting sentimental about life right now?"
Boa Hancock: "To think this man would have a day where he sighs over life."
Kalifa: "Come to think of it, the time this man has spent in our world really is short, but he's stirred up an awful lot in that short span."
Stussy: "And almost every single thing he's stirred up has been a major incident."
Gion: "It's just a pity that none of those incidents could really be called 'good things.'"
Kujaku: "I heard Admiral Kuzan has already set out to search for Arton. I wonder if he'll actually manage to find him."
Doll: "The women of the Flameblade Pirates guard their Captain like hawks. They've barely given him any chance to leak their coordinates. Under those conditions, it's really too hard for us to learn where he is."
Ulti: "So annoying. At this rate, when am I supposed to find Arton?"
Ginrummy: "If there's any good news at all, it's probably that those people in the Marines and World Government who might also have diary copies are just as unlikely to find Arton."
Uta blinked and exchanged a glance with Tashigi beside her.
Tashigi's eyes were fixed intently on the diary copy in front of her; clearly, she had also noticed Arton's latest entry.
And of course she had—Tashigi, Uta, and the other members of the Flameblade Pirates all paid very close attention to Arton.
So whenever Arton started writing in his diary, it was only natural that they were among the very first to notice what was happening on his side.
'Arton really is a man who likes to jot things down in his diary anytime, anywhere… We were literally just talking about intimate things a minute ago.'
Uta let out a small sigh and temporarily closed her diary copy.
With Tashigi watching things beside her, she could relax and go do something else for the moment—like sliding her hand down into the mushroom hidden beneath the pants and wrapping her fingers around it in one firm grab.
Arton shivered, and when he felt the warmth of Uta's palm, he suddenly snapped his head up.
What he met was Uta's gaze—eyes so tempting it felt like they could practically spin threads.
With a faintly bewitching smile at the corner of her mouth, Uta continued to rub that mushroom, clearly feeling every change in it against her palm in that instant.
"Hey, Captain, when are we going into the dream?" As she spoke, Uta grabbed Arton's right hand and pressed it against her chest. "Uta-chan can't wait any longer."
"But we still haven't found someone to take over lookout duty in the watchtower, have we?" Arton swallowed, talking with his mouth while his hand stayed right where it was—and at the same time, he scribbled rapidly in his diary.
Based on past experience, he had a feeling that if this kept up, he might not be able to continue writing for much longer.
....
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