One Piece: It's always been you

Chapter 36 The Wedding (3)

As the time drew near, Yu still hadn't appeared. Lola, carrying her luggage, felt uneasy. She couldn't leave the room alone; the guards outside had changed batch after batch, all in case Lola slipped away.

"I hope nothing bad has happened to Yu!" She desperately wanted to escape, but she also needed to ensure Yu's safety. Trading Yu's life for her own escape was unacceptable.

"Sister Lola, we're here."

"This is... Brin?"

Lola looked around but couldn't find Pudding anywhere. Was she just hallucinating because she was so eager to leave?

"Here, Sister Lola, inside the mirror."

Lola approached the full-length mirror in the room. As she got closer, ripples appeared on the mirror's surface, followed by the appearance of Brin and Brûlée's heads.

"Why are there only two of you? Where's Yu? I hope nothing happened to her." Lola quickly realized this wasn't right. Brûlée shouldn't have known, and this wasn't part of the plan. Could Yu have really been caught?

Seeing Lola's confusion, but knowing now wasn't the time to discuss it, he said, "Sister Lola, open the window first, tie the sheets in a knot and put them down to create a false impression. We can talk about the rest on the way."

"I see."

Without hesitation, Lola connected the sheets one by one, tying one end to the foot of the bed and slowly letting the other end hang down from the window. With everything ready, she stepped across the mirror into the world within it.

"Where's You? Did Mom find out?"

“Sister Yu was almost discovered, but she’s alright now. Brother Katakuri stopped her. Let me and Sister Brulee take you away.”

"Honestly, Yu. You're always causing trouble for your brother." Pudding explained from the side, while Brûlée complained from the side, "Lola, you really are something, actually believing the escape route that Yu, who has no sense of direction, gave you. You two are really a handful."

Despite her complaints, it's clear that Brulee still cares about Yu.

"Isn't it because I still have you guys? Look, I've managed to escape unharmed."

“However, we can only take you this far. After you go out, head east, and you'll encounter the Homies. You can use your mother's Vivre Card. Keep going forward, and you'll see the ship we've prepared for you.” Brûlée stopped, turned around, and gave Lola these instructions.

"I understand. Thank you all, and please thank You for me too. I'm leaving! I'm going to find my own marriage."

"Sister Lola, you must find it! Pudding will be cheering you on in Treasure Country!"

The parting was brief. Following Brûlé's instructions, Lola quickly found the boat on the island's shore and boarded. She took one last look at the location of her mother's room, then said, "Goodbye, Mom!" Without hesitation, Lola set sail to pursue her own future.

But she never imagined that her elopement would cause her mother to harbor resentment towards her, and even contemplate murder.

"Brûlée, where are we going now?" Brûlée pulled Pudding along as they walked through the mirror world, searching for a mirror where Katakuri could be found.

"Go find Katakuri and tell him that Lola has left."

"Oh right, and we also need to tell Yu-neechan."

On the other side, at the door of Yu's room.

"What if it were you? What if you were the protagonist of this wedding? What would you do?" Yu didn't know why she asked the question. Perhaps she was too disappointed with Katakuri's actions, or perhaps she was giving Katakuri a chance, and also giving herself a chance, a chance to explain, so that she could get a less disappointing answer.

But Katakuri didn't seize the opportunity. He didn't speak, not a single word, not even a glance at Yu. He just quietly watched Yu, blocking his way.

Yu was disappointed when she received no response for a long time.

She was asking for too much.

Yu didn't go any further; she turned and went back to her room. Let everything go back to square one. Tomorrow, Lola will be at the wedding, marrying someone she doesn't love. There will be nothing between her and Katakuri anymore, so that when Katakuri's marriage is arranged in the future, she won't be so miserable.

"Snack Buckle"

Three knocks echoed in the hallway. This was the pre-arranged signal between Katakuri and Brûlée, indicating that Lola had already left.

Katakuri breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had protected Yu and accomplished what Yu wanted to do. Katakuri didn't leave. He glanced at the corner at the end of the corridor; the people there had left when Yu returned to his room.

"Mother, Lady Yu was stopped by Lady Katakuri, and Lady Lola was not allowed to escape."

"Mom, Brulee and Lady Brulee are playing in their own rooms and are not helping Lady Lola."

"Mom, Lady Lola has already gone to sleep in her room and hasn't left."

The old woman watched as her subordinates reported one by one, a relieved smile spreading across her face. "Mommom~Mommom~The wedding will proceed as planned tomorrow. The giants are already ours."

"Mom, Lord Yu wanted to let Lady Lola escape, and although he didn't succeed, do we need to...?"

"Mommom~Mommom~ The little girl thinks she's invincible, but she doesn't know that her every move is under my control. Ignore her. Since Katakuri stopped her, he won't leave any trace. If he wants to protect her, let him." The old woman felt that everything was under her control and was in a good mood. "You may leave."

On the other side, in the darkness, someone answered a Den Den Mushi (a type of electric scooped-up noodle).

"The person has already left, so it seems the wedding can't take place tomorrow. The political marriage has ended in failure."

"Really? That's great. Be careful tomorrow, and find a chance to leave when the time is right."

"I understand. However, this success also depends on one person."

"Oh, who is it?"

"Yu, she's with the Big Mom Pirates."

"What did you say!"

The person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi reacted unusually strongly upon hearing this.

That night, some were happy and some were sad; no one knew what the wedding would be like the next day.

While eating cake, they witnessed the successful marriage with the giants, received their help, and became the world's strongest pirate crew.

The wedding without the bride further strained the mother's relationship with the giants;

Lola walked down the aisle in her wedding dress and married someone she didn't love;

You probably won't want to talk to me anymore, but she'll understand when the wedding is tomorrow.

Katakuri didn't return to his room. He stood outside Yu's room for a long time. The person inside was quiet; she neither cried nor made a fuss. After an unknown amount of time, the sound of breathing came from the person inside as she slept; after an unknown amount of time, the clouds in the east were gradually tinged with red.