[Warning, special reward time is approaching. Please quickly raise the song proficiency level to Lv1...]
"I don't need to be like you. I should be fine as long as I can sing a song," Luffy didn't know what Lv1 represented.
But as long as he could sing, his proficiency should increase rapidly.
"If you beg me, I'll consider it. Oh, and you have to call me 'Uta-nee-san'."
Uta was momentarily stunned by his sudden request, then she put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin slightly.
"Uta-nee-san."
Luffy didn't hesitate at all.
Endure a little, and the sea grows calm; take a step back... only to get angrier the more you think about it!
Luffy secretly swore to himself that he would pay her back double, no, super double, later.
What should he make her call him? It had to sound really cool and imposing.
"Are you okay?" For a moment, Uta suspected Luffy's brain had been fried just like hers had been.
If it was to become the Pirate King, Uta thought it made sense for Luffy to agree to her demand so decisively. But why learn music?
To become the Pirate King!
"Teaching a dummy like Luffy, huh? You probably don't even know all the 'do-re-me-fa' notes yet, right? This really is a bit difficult." Uta was at a loss; she seemed to have agreed a bit too hastily.
"You wanna go back on your word?" Luffy's single sentence left Uta speechless.
"No..."
"Then you're afraid I'll surpass you."
"Hah? Surpass me?"
Uta's beautiful eyes widened as she spoke.
"Hey, hey, hey. I know you might seriously want to learn some basics. But Luffy, you want to surpass me in this?
Did you burn your own brains out while cooling me down earlier? Singing isn't like your training, you know? It's not something you can master just by yelling louder!"
Although the medical skills and fighting power Luffy had just shown made her view him in a new light, this was the field of music—she had reached the summit through unimaginable sweat and solitude.
Mhmm, all through effort and sweat, plus just a tiny bit of talent?
She walked up to Luffy, extended a slender finger, and gently poked his cheek, which was puffed out in dissatisfaction.
"Don't look down on me."
Luffy's competitive spirit was ignited by Uta, and he even forgot his initial goal.
"Hmph, we'll see then!"
Uta took the [Basic Music] book from Luffy's hands, flipped through a few pages, and suddenly frowned prettily.
Oh no, how do you actually teach someone?
Uta was undoubtedly a genius. Beyond her singing talent, she excelled in music theory. Her hit song was her own creation. Even Gordon had expressed astonishment at her incredible lyric-writing and composition skills.
There was a clear line between a genius and a dummy.
Just like a vocal technique that seemed simple to Uta was complete gibberish to an outsider.
It was like a chicken trying to talk to a duck.
"If you don't mind, allow me..." Gordon interjected at just the right moment, a gentle, benevolent smile on his face.
He could see Uta was still tired from her recent illness, and besides, teaching music to a reckless boy with obviously no foundation and possibly zero talent?
That patient's work was probably more suitable for an old man like him.
Who was Gordon?
As the ruler of the Island of Music, Elegia, Gordon's musical attainments were quite high. He was the one who had taught and raised Uta.
...
Having a teacher was a good thing.
It would also confirm the result of Luffy's earlier thinking.
He had used his brain properly.
Sometimes his proficiency increased inexplicably fast. Luffy had summarised the pattern: it always happened under Nami or the others' guidance.
In other words, having someone teach you made proficiency increase faster than figuring it out yourself.
What originally took two days to reach Lv1 might only take two hours with a teacher.
Of course, it also depended on the teacher's skill level.
"Teacher Gordon, let's begin." Luffy was impatient.
"Mr Luffy... before we begin, could you tell me what understanding you already have of music?"
Gordon's teacherly demeanour surfaced immediately. "For example, what songs have you heard before? Or have you learned any instruments? Anything related to music you've been exposed to is fine."
"Or rather, what does music represent in your heart?"
Luffy scratched his signature straw hat, searching his memories hard.
Apart from hearing the minstrel in Windmill Village sing a few folk songs, and occasionally someone humming a tune on Shanks' ship, there really wasn't much.
He recalled the music theory book he'd just struggled through, feeling dizzy. All those tadpole-like notes and symbols were like hieroglyphics to him.
Remembering them at all was an achievement.
"Music is... singing things out?"
Gordon: "..."
Uta facepalmed, looking utterly exasperated.
In a way, he wasn't wrong.
"That... expressing emotion is indeed very important, but the technique and expressiveness of music require systematic learning and practice."
For a layman, learning music could be extremely painful. What could make Luffy endure this pain?
Gordon was curious, so he asked.
Why?
The question made Luffy freeze up instantly.
Was he supposed to say:
"Because there's a 'Pirate King Training Plan' in my head forcing me to learn, saying it has something to do with Nika or something?"
Wouldn't that make him sound completely insane?
His eyes shifted, glancing at Uta, who was standing to the side with her arms crossed.
As an early fan of Uta, he had seen her radiant on stage. That free, uninhibited style, as if she could pour all her emotions into her singing, did look pretty cool.
Otherwise, Luffy wouldn't have thought about finding a musician first when setting sail.
"I just think Uta looks really cool when she sings," Luffy said.
"Eh?"
Uta hadn't expected Luffy to say that at all. The smirk on her face instantly froze, replaced by a flush of red that rapidly spread across her cheeks and the tips of her ears.
This idiot actually knows how to give a compliment?!
She instinctively wanted to retort, but the blunt praise caught in her throat, and she could only turn her head away awkwardly.
"Hmph, you realise how amazing I am now? A bit late for that, dummy!" Uta's lips curled upwards, a smile she couldn't suppress at all.
Gordon let out a meaningful "Oh?" His smile instantly grew brighter.
"Hey, old man, your smile is gross!" Uta rarely saw Gordon smile.
"Heh heh." Gordon chuckled without explaining.
His gaze moved back and forth between Luffy's earnest face and Uta's reddened ears, his smile infinitely benevolent, as if he had glimpsed some secret peculiar to the young.
"So you saw a wonderful role model. It's easier when young people have a goal. Who knows, maybe one day you really can stand on some stage together with Uta and sing a duet? Isn't that a wonderful thing to imagine?"
The implication in Gordon's words was far too obvious.
"I have no such thoughts!" Uta was the first to react, her voice rising like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Hey, you explain it too!"
Luffy said nothing, merely looking intently at Gordon.
He had no time for fooling around.
He walked up to stand before Gordon.
***
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