"Shambles: Personality Transplant Surgery."
The moment Law activated his ability, Cain's consciousness swapped with Uta's in an instant.
Strangely, however, Uta did not wake up.
Even Cain collapsed unconscious on the floor.
The sight startled everyone senseless.
Law also felt a headache coming on and immediately began examining the two of them again.
…
"SHANKS, DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND! WHY?! WHY?!"
Little Uta ran toward the harbor, screaming until her voice tore, surrounded by blazing fire and collapsed ruins.
Far out on the sea, the Red Hair Pirates were sailing away with their ship loaded with treasure.
Cain stood in the distance, silently watching everything unfold.
"This is… Uta's past…"
"Careful!"
Seeing little Uta charge forward without any regard for herself, her steps stumbling as she nearly fell into the sea, Cain's heart tightened.
He hurriedly rushed over and pulled her tightly into his arms.
"Why? Why, Shanks?!"
Uta buried herself in Cain's chest and burst into tears. Her tears poured down, quickly soaking his clothes.
Cain tightened his arms around her, holding her firmly as he gently patted her back again and again.
"It's okay, Uta. It's okay."
Under Cain's gentle comfort, little Uta's crying gradually quieted, though she was still sobbing softly.
Just then, the world around them suddenly shifted.
The flames and ruins disappeared, replaced by an endless pure-white space.
The small figure in his arms slowly grew taller, becoming the graceful Uta of the present.
Feeling the familiar warmth surrounding her, she slowly straightened and lifted her eyes to look directly into Cain's.
"Hey, Cain… am I useless?"
Her voice carried a faint sob.
"Shanks thought I was a burden and abandoned me. Later, when I went out to sea with you, I couldn't help with anything either. Instead, I became a burden to you too. I…"
Cain looked at her reddened eyes, then gently raised a hand to the top of her head.
He brushed the loose strand of hair covering her left eye behind her ear and met her gaze.
"Silly girl. How could you think that?"
"Do you remember what we told Luffy back then? Every member of a crew has irreplaceable value. You aren't nearly as useless as you imagine. Whether it was to Shanks or to me, you have always been someone extremely important."
"Do you remember? Back on that warship, if you hadn't come to save me and Ace, we might have already been dragged off to Impel Down."
"But I can't stop myself from thinking that way."
Uta's voice sank lower and lower.
"I'm so scared. I'm scared you'll leave me one day, just like Shanks did. Even though I know I shouldn't think like that, I still worry. I worry that I'll trouble you, just like those nights…"
"Uh, nights?!"
Cain's voice carried a trace of shock.
"Yeah. Those nights on Elegia. You didn't sleep well, did you?"
Uta wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, then suddenly showed a faint smile.
"But now I've already figured out what those things were about."
As she spoke, she lightly waved her hand in front of Cain, and a thick book appeared out of nowhere.
It was the paper Vegapunk had published on the physical traits of various races.
In order for Uta to control Doflamingo and announce the relevant information, she had carefully read through the paper before.
She had already learned all about the content regarding the differences between men and women.
So there were certain things she now understood too, though her face had gone bright red while reading them.
"I understand those things very clearly now."
Uta looked at Cain, apology showing on her face.
"I caused you a lot of trouble during that time, didn't I? I'm really sorry."
"Don't worry. I won't do that again."
As she spoke, Uta stepped out of Cain's arms and turned her back to him.
Her voice carried a loneliness so faint it was almost impossible to notice.
"But I'm still unwilling to accept it. I want to keep Cain by my side, all to myself. But I also know that Cain has his own life and his own adventures. I don't want you to be tied down because of me. I…"
Before she could finish, a warm chest suddenly pressed against her back.
Cain hugged her tightly from behind, resting his chin against the top of her head. His voice was soft.
"We made a promise, didn't we? I won't abandon you."
"Then what about that Lilith who appeared beside you? And you…"
Uta suddenly turned around, her voice carrying a grievance even she herself had not noticed.
Cain looked at her puffed-up expression and could not help laughing.
"Ah, sorry, Uta. I forgot to tell you. Lilith isn't human in the usual sense."
"Huh?"
Uta froze.
Cain continued explaining.
"You know the famous Dr. Vegapunk, right? The author of that paper I gave you. Also the rotten old man I told you about before."
"Yeah. I heard he's over sixty years old. But what does that have to do with her?"
Uta frowned, utterly confused.
"Strictly speaking, Lilith is Vegapunk. She's one of Vegapunk's Satellites. She has Vegapunk's memories, but represents the 'evil' part of Vegapunk's personality. In other words, at her core, Lilith is that old man."
"Eh?!"
Uta finally understood.
She had already learned from Shakky what "jealousy" meant, and she also knew that she really had been jealous of Lilith staying by Cain's side.
But she had actually gotten jealous of a rotten old man?
That was way too embarrassing!
Her cheeks instantly turned bright red. She looked straight at Cain and stomped her foot angrily.
"Then you—"
Before she could finish, Cain's hand had already settled gently on top of her head, rubbing it and directly cutting off her hesitation.
"What are you thinking? Compared to some rotten old man, of course I'd rather be with Uta."
Uta's heart trembled.
The embarrassment from earlier was instantly replaced by warmth.
She then forced herself to speak in a strong tone.
"Stop patting my head. You know I'm two years older than you, right?"
She took a deep breath and tried to calm the heartbeat pounding like a drum in her chest.
Then she looked up at Cain's smiling face, gathered every bit of courage she had, and spoke softly.
"Hey, Cain… how do you see me?"
Cain froze for a moment and was just about to answer when Uta quickly reached out and covered his mouth.
"No. You don't have to say it."
"This time, I'll be the one to take the initiative."
"Huh?"
Cain looked completely lost.
"Shakky-nee said the chance of this working is very small. She said it might make you hate me, distance yourself from me, or even leave me."
Uta's voice trembled slightly, but she did not back down.
"But I still want to try. I want to fight for that one tiny chance of success!"
She took a deep breath.
Her eyes were unbelievably bright as she spoke each word clearly.
"Cain… suki desu. Daisuki desu!"
"It's not ordinary 'like.' It's the kind of like that means love."
Her voice carried a faint sob.
"Shakky-nee told me a lot about love before, but I never understood whether what I felt was really love. I could never find the answer."
"Before the war started, during the days when you were gone, my heart felt so empty."
"Even then, just being able to contact you every day already made me happy."
"But what I never expected was that I would actually get jealous of a rotten old man…"
"And it was at that moment that I finally understood."
"That feeling where my heart races, where I'm scared of losing something before I even have it…"
"That's love!"
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