Chapter 576 - 758 – Captain, You’re in for a Treat from Now On! [BONUS]

"Sorry, Captain. I think I need a little time to adjust."

Hina spoke apologetically.

She felt that Arton probably wanted to enjoy the dance right now, but she was not in particularly good condition and feared she would be unable to complete the dance Uta had performed earlier.

"There's no need to apologize, Hina."

Arton smiled.

"You aren't Uta. Just as you said, you don't have any dancing experience, so you can take your time and relax."

Uta nodded emphatically in agreement.

"Captain is right. You don't need to put too much pressure on yourself."

"Don't worry. Captain has plenty of patience and stamina."

"He can watch and accompany you throughout your entire practice. Tashigi learned under Captain's patient guidance too."

"Tashigi did?" Hina nodded. "I understand. I'll study hard."

"Very good."

Uta patted Hina's shoulder like an older sister, even though compared to Hina, she was clearly more like the younger one.

Hina did not feel the slightest disrespect toward Uta, however.

She had already completely accepted Uta as her dance instructor.

After all, aside from Uta, there was probably no one else who possessed such impressive skills—or who would be willing to teach her so patiently.

"Since you still haven't adjusted, let's begin by getting used to the dance."

"Come on. Follow my rhythm. Breathe deeply, then exhale."

"Follow the previous step. Take it slowly and don't rush."

Once she entered teaching mode, Uta became extremely serious. Hina was gradually influenced by her attitude and followed her instructions.

Slowly, after some time had passed, Hina discovered that she had not only adapted to her current condition, but seemed to have learned the dance Uta had performed earlier as well.

"Let's give it a try. To make the dance a little more challenging, I need to adjust the rhythm and position."

Uta smiled.

"Do you mean I should face Captain directly?"

Hina asked.

"Of course." Uta nodded. "Captain is your audience, so naturally you should perform while facing him."

"I understand. I'll do my best."

Although this differed slightly from Uta's teaching, Hina had no intention of giving up now.

She recalled the days when she had trained at Marine Headquarters. Her instructors had often encouraged the new recruits to think creatively and apply what they had learned in different ways.

Uta was teaching her a form of dance meant for entertainment rather than a combat technique, but the principle was the same.

Since she had once been able to flexibly apply the martial arts she had learned, she should now be capable of adapting the dance she had been taught as well.

With that thought, Hina's gaze gradually became determined.

She turned around and faced Arton directly.

"Captain, please carefully appreciate the results of my training."

…

Some time later…

"How did it feel, Captain?"

After sending the excited Hina out of the dream, Uta smiled and asked Arton.

"This time, even though Hina had just as little dancing experience as Tashigi, she seemed slightly more talented."

"I have to admit, she learned very quickly."

Arton smiled.

"I think so too. It looks like you're going to be in for quite a treat from now on."

Uta grinned.

…

"Since I'm helping you cultivate another outstanding dancer for the future, shouldn't you reward me properly?"

Uta rested both hands on Arton's legs and smiled.

"How would you like me to reward you?"

Arton raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.

"By continuing to practice dancing with me, of course."

"As the finest diva in our pirate crew, I have to ensure that I know more dances than anyone else."

"Otherwise, once Tashigi, Hina, or even the others catch up to me, I'll be in trouble."

Uta stuck out her tongue.

"Hehe, I won't wait until they catch up before I start working harder."

"I'll make sure I always stay many dances ahead of them."

"Arton, don't you want to enjoy my dancing?"

Uta asked.

"Of course I do. Uta is the greatest dancer on our pirate ship… no, the greatest dancer in the entire world."

"How could I ever grow tired of watching you perform? Being able to practice with you is an honor."

"Just tell me how you want me to cooperate."

Arton patted his chest and spoke as though guaranteeing that he would complete the mission.

"You don't need to lie down this time. Just sit."

Uta raised a hand to her lips and smiled.

"This time, I'm not planning to sing. I'll use the music to complete the dance instead."

Once she finished speaking, Uta guided Arton into sitting on a chair while she crouched down.

Just as Arton was wondering where the music would come from if Uta was not going to sing, countless musical notes and instruments suddenly appeared, floating through the room.

They began playing automatically, and the space was instantly filled with lively music.

"I almost forgot that Uta's Devil Fruit powers allow her to create instruments in the dream world that can play by themselves."

Arton murmured, then closed his eyes and peacefully enjoyed Uta's dance.

Even with his eyes shut, Arton's extremely sharp sense of touch still allowed him to perceive every detail of her movements.

He had to admit that Uta truly was an extraordinarily gifted dancer.

Even when performing a completely new song and dance, her movements remained remarkably polished.

Throughout the dance, Arton felt that every movement matched the music perfectly, without the slightest mistake.

"Why don't you seem very excited?"

"Your performance should have been nearly perfect, right?"

After Arton finished his drink, he looked at Uta, who had her brows furrowed and lips pursed, and asked curiously.

"No. It still wasn't perfect."

Uta shook her head.

"Actually, I made a few mistakes just now."

…

"When I made those mistakes, I also used my power to slightly alter the rhythm of the music being played by the instruments."

"That's why you didn't notice anything out of place, Captain."

"I see." Arton nodded, then placed a hand on Uta's shoulder. "Still, reaching this level is already amazing, isn't it?"

"We have plenty of time. You can keep practicing properly later."

"I suppose so." Uta sighed. "Although I'd like to keep spending time with you right now, we should probably leave the dream soon."

"Otherwise, everyone might think something happened to you."

"For now, I still don't want anyone else to learn about this private space that belongs only to the two of us."

...

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