Luffy's relationship with the Red Hair Pirates continued to grow stronger. He would listen to their tales of adventure in Makino's tavern, his eyes sparkling with awe. Orochimaru, however, showed no outward signs of his true nature. Luffy rarely shared personal details, so the pirates simply saw Orochimaru as his younger brother—a decent-looking, shy boy who helped out at the tavern, unremarkable in every way.
Orochimaru had no desire to interact with the Red Hair Pirates.
Uta proudly announced, "I'm the musician of the Red Hair Pirates!"
Luffy pouted stubbornly. "I can sing too!"
Orochimaru calmly sealed his ears with chakra.
"The northeast dawns early," Uta sang.
"The weather's hazy, full of idiots."
"The western islands stay dark late."
As Luffy's ear-splitting song filled the tavern, everyone fled, leaving only Orochimaru to calmly wipe glass mugs with a rag, the squeak of the cloth scraping against the glass echoing in the empty room.
"No, no... tone-deaf! The Red Hair Pirates would turn into idiots if they heard that!"
Luffy stuck out his tongue. "I'm not! Orochimaru's way smarter!"
Uta ran to Shanks in tears. "(??ヮ??)"
"Shanks!!!"
Shanks sighed helplessly. "You're the same age. Try to get along."
"I'm already nine! Don't compare me to a seven-year-old!" Uta retorted, tilting her chin defiantly.
"Luffy, why don't you take Uta for a walk around Windmill Village?"
Luffy, pouting, dragged Orochimaru, who was meticulously polishing a cup, out the door. Orochimaru groaned, "Don't drag me along... I'd rather not exist right now."
Orochimaru sat blankly on the mountaintop, watching Luffy and Uta climb below. He remembered their earlier conversation:
"Climb that cliff? No way! My clothes will get dirty, and my hair will get messed up."
Luffy had immediately scoffed, "Someone who can't even climb this little cliff? How could you ever help Shanks? Orochimaru climbed it in a flash!"
When their trio had first formed, Sarutobi-sensei had said, "Talent bridges gaps between people. Men notice women, and competition fuels mutual growth."
'That must mean two guys competing for a girl's attention,' Orochimaru thought, watching Uta and Luffy strain to outdo each other below. 'But something feels off... What am I, then?'
'Blank...(???????)'
Luffy and Uta lay side-by-side, panting.
"Not bad, Uta," Luffy wheezed.
"Of course! You can't beat me at anything!" Uta retorted.
"Lies! I have Orochimaru! He's the winner!" Luffy protested.
"Bull! I'll make you eat those words! First contest: height!"
Orochimaru won effortlessly, Uta took second, and Luffy trailed in third.
"Cutest contest!" (ゝω???)
Orochimaru won again.
"Arm wrestling match!"
Luffy held up the sign: Orochimaru wins.
As dusk settled over Windmill Village, Uta and Luffy lay on the high tower, gazing out at the town below.
"I've already sailed across so many seas and seen so many breathtaking sights," Luffy shouted toward the setting sun. "I can't wait to set sail myself and become a pirate!"
Meanwhile, Orochimaru stared blankly into space, his mind churning: 'What's the point of me even being here?!'
In the days that followed, Luffy would throw himself onto the bar counter, begging Shanks to take him out to sea. Orochimaru, as usual, was stuck cleaning up. Luffy and Uta would lie in the grass, sharing their dreams for the future, using Orochimaru as their pillow. When they raced each other, Orochimaru, inevitably dragged along, always came in first.
"Don't drag me into this! I don't want to play! When Garp comes back, he won't even take me on any missions! A two-person memory shouldn't have a third wheel!" Orochimaru silently screamed, tears welling up as he was once again caught in their tug-of-war, "Just leave me alone!!!"
"Red Hair, stop hiding! Look at me! Meet my damn gaze!"
"Beckman, what are you smirking about? Have you already forgotten how you teased me the other day? Aren't you even a little ashamed? I'm only seven! Help me!"
"Yasopp! Don't think polishing your rifle will make me forget you're ignoring me! Believe me, one day I'll beat up your son!"
Under Orochimaru's silent accusations, another day slipped by.
After the competition, drifting to sleep to Uta's singing, Orochimaru mused, "Uta's voice really is beautiful... A musician... that might not be so bad. I just hope Garp goes easy on me when he gets back—he should focus on beating up Luffy instead. Just like Sarutobi-sensei said... these bonds... they're such a pain... We promised we wouldn't get involved with the Red Hair Pirates..."
To be continued...