Episode 1029

"A Faint Memory - Luffy and Red-Haired's Daughter Uta" is the 1029th episode of the One Piece anime.

Short Summary
Luffy meets Shanks and Uta for the first time, and the two children begin developing their friendship.

Long Summary
The Straw Hat Pirates sail on the sea, listening to New Genesis on a Tone Dial, though Jinbe doesn't recognize. Usopp tells him that it's famous around the world, and Brook adds that it "makes your heart beat wildly" with its melody. Meanwhile, Uta stands on a cliff, staring out into the ocean and thinking about her childhood.

12 years ago, Luffy walks through Foosha Village, practicing his punches. He pushes Woop Slap back, knocking over a fruit stand, and the mayor tells him to go help out the other villagers instead of wasting time, but Luffy refuses. The shopkeeper gives Luffy a bag of fruits, and Luffy leaves, heading off into the mountain. There, he runs into a monkey who attempts to take the fruit. Luffy offers the fruit if the monkey can beat him in a fight, and they begin to spar. In the end, Luffy wins the fight, and the monkey walks off in shame, but Luffy offers him half the fruit, and they eat together.

Later, Luffy is chased by a boar, and ends up falling off a cliff into the ocean. However, he is pulled out of the water by Garp, who lectures him about sinking in the ocean, stating that he can't become a Marine if he can't swim. Meanwhile, out at sea, the Red Hair Pirates are sailing with a young Uta on board. Shanks gives her jewelry from a treasure chest, and she puts it on, preparing to sing a song for the assembled crew. However, she notices that Shanks isn't watching, and goes to see what he's looking at. She finds him looking inside a chest containing a fruit, but he refuses to give it to her despite her being his daughter. She admonishes him for a being a cheapskate, but he denies it, and points to the Goa Kingdom, where the crew will be staying for a while.

Back on the island, Luffy talks to himself about not becoming a Navy soldier, and states that he's going to leave the island and do something big. He sees the Red Hair Pirates approaching the shore, wondering who they are, and he runs to the dock to meet them. Luffy tells them to leave the island, but Uta challenges him to force them out, proclaiming herself Shanks' daughter. However, Shanks tells her to leave Luffy alone, stating that they're not here to fight.

Some time later, the Red Hair Pirates sit in Partys Bar, and Luffy declares that he wants to be a pirate, though Shanks admonishes him. Luffy asks to tryout for the crew again, and plays a shell game with Shanks, but Shanks cheats and Luffy isn't allowed on the crew. Luffy tries to reverse the trick on Shanks, hiding the coin in his mouth the same way, and swallows it when he's confronted. Suddenly, Uta enters the bar, telling Luffy not to get too close to Shanks in a tacky outfit. She reveals that she's a diva, and the musician of the Red Hair Pirates.

The crew clear out the bar, leaving only a single table with a spotlight in the middle, and Uta begins singing Where the Wind Blows. The song impresses Luffy, who states that he can sing too, and he begins singing the Moron Song. However, his singing annoys Uta, and she runs out of the bar screaming. She says that he's off pitch, and his singing will make the crew's IQ drop, though he disagrees. When Uta cries to Shanks, he tells them to be friends since they're the same age, though Uta disagrees since she's 9 and Luffy is 7. Shanks asks Luffy to show Uta around Foosha Village, and the kids head into the mountains.

Luffy challenges Uta to climb a cliff, and after a short back and forth, they begin racing up it. They reach the top at the same time, and Luffy says that he's impressed with her climbing abilities, but Uta says that there's nothing Luffy could beat her at. He gets angry, and they begin competiting. They have a height contest, a cuteness contest, and an arm wrestling contest, all of which Uta wins. They then have a screaming competition, which Uta wins by projecting her voice. Luffy challenges Uta to another competition, but she says that he's just a kid, who hasn't realized that the most fun place in the world is inside yourself.

Later, the two head back to an abandoned windmill, arguing about Shanks' merits and demerits. They climb to the top and look out over the town, though Uta says she's seen more beautiful scenes out at sea.

Back in the present day, Uta states she's going to make her dream come true, and continues to look out over the ocean.

Anime Notes

 * While Luffy was stated as being able to swim in the anime version of his flashback, this episode remains more consistent with the manga version, with Luffy being unable to swim.
 * The eyecatcher displays Shanks's former wanted poster with his bounty of 1,040,000,000 at the time.
 * The Red Hair Pirates and Uta stress the importance of a musician in a pirate crew, likely what made Luffy search for one so earnestly when he began exploring one himself.
 * Luffy sings to Uta a verse (from Chapter 311's SBS) of the Moron Song, first sung in Chapter 257 (Episode 169).