One Piece: It's always been you

Chapter 70 We Must Go to the West Sea

Yu was fast asleep, nestled on Katakuri's shoulder, completely unaware of where she had been taken or what had happened. Katakuri hadn't thought this far when he first brought Yu out; he simply wanted to give her some fresh air. But who knew the townspeople would assume he and Yu were having a child?

He never liked explaining anything, and as a result, the townspeople believed him. The story spread, and by the time it reached Katakuri's ears, everyone was praising their daughter's cuteness. Hearing so many compliments, Katakuri himself didn't realize he'd developed a strange vanity, and he desperately wanted it to be true.

However, looking at little Yu now, he couldn't help but feel that he himself was somewhat indescribable. What was that word again? Beast? No, no, he absolutely wouldn't do that. Yu had said before that she wasn't an adult yet. Although he didn't know exactly what that meant, Yu wouldn't allow it, and he absolutely wouldn't do it.

It's fine as it is now.

Katakuri patted Yu's little head; the soft, fluffy fur felt wonderful. However, he had never known that children could sleep so soundly; his younger siblings didn't sleep like Yu. This was truly worrying.

"Katakuri, you're finally back."

As soon as Katakuri opened the door, he was greeted by Perospero's "friendly" greeting, his eyes slightly raised, giving off a sinister vibe.

"Yu hasn't woken up yet? If she wakes up sooner, will she know about Katakuri-nii-san..." Perospero didn't dare say those cheeky things to Katakuri, but someone had to say them for him, and Cracker was a good candidate.

Sure enough, before he could finish speaking, Katakuri unleashed a Conqueror's Haki attack, and Cracker sat there stunned, speechless.

He looked around with a pitiful expression, but no one paid him any attention. Smoothie even moved away in disgust, not wanting to get close to him at all. Waaah, why is he always the one who gets hurt?

"Hmm~" A soft sound came from her shoulder; You had woken up.

Thinking that it was his Conqueror's Haki that had woken Yu up, Katakuri felt a little guilty. "Do you want to sleep a little longer?"

Yu had been sleeping for quite a while, but when she saw Cracker and the others arrive, she immediately perked up. Not many people had come these past few days, and she was quite bored. "I'm not sleeping anymore. It's rare for Little Firecracker to come."

Katakuri handed Yu over to Cracker and the others, then walked away with Perospero. Before leaving, he gave Cracker a warning look, telling him not to say anything he shouldn't.

Cracker nodded dejectedly, thinking he'd tell Yu as soon as he turned around. Although this would make him happy for a while, his brother might leave him with no future. Not worth it, not worth it, forget it.

"What did Mother tell you?" Katakuri roughly guessed why Perospero had come to see him. He had put the affairs of Whole Cake Island aside for some time, but he couldn't completely ignore them.

"Remember to go to the cake center tomorrow to discuss the specifics. If you don't go to the council soon, it will be difficult to explain to your mother." However, Perospero was quite curious as to why his mother would turn a blind eye to Katakuri's matter. "Things in the West Blue haven't been peaceful lately."

West Blue? Katakuri frowned. The most memorable incident in the West Blue, the Ohara Island incident, happened ten years ago. It's now just a floating island, and the whereabouts of that demon child are unknown. How could this be...?

"I understand. I will be there on time tomorrow."

In the past, Katakuri wouldn't have had a problem, but now, neither taking Yu along nor leaving her behind was safe. And given her personality, she would definitely come along. He needed to think of a good excuse to get his mother to send someone else.

"No! You can't refuse!" Yu's resolute voice came from the room at night. "You can't refuse tomorrow. I'll go to the West Sea with you."

“It’s too dangerous for you to go out to sea like this. I don’t agree.”

"Karry! I have to go to the West Sea!" Yu's attitude was firm, leaving no room for Kakashi to object. "If you don't go, I'll find another way to get there."

"..."

Inside the room, two pairs of eyes stared at each other, each with their own plans, neither willing to back down nor making any concessions.

"Click"

The sound of the door closing.

Yu wasn't going to give up; she was determined to go to the West Blue. She had to persuade Katakuri before he refused Big Mom. After hearing that Katakuri had gone back to his room and hadn't gone out again, Yu went to bed early, preparing to get up early and wait for Katakuri.

But now Yu's body can sleep for a long time, and when he woke up the next day, Katakuri was already in the center of the cake.

"Brûlée, could you use your abilities to eavesdrop on whether Katakuri has refused to go to the West Blue?"

"No. If I go to eavesdrop now, Mom will definitely find out. I'm not going!"

Yu asked repeatedly, almost falling asleep from the question, but Brulee firmly disagreed.

Good grief, this time Katakuri is determined not to let me know the outcome, so that no matter whether I refuse or not, he won't take me along.

No, she absolutely has to go!

Yu ran to Katakuri's room and waited for him to return.

Cake Center Conference Room.

The children sat around the old woman. The video bug in front of them played information about the West Blue that the pirate crew had learned.

A whirlpool appeared in the western sea area, and there is still no news of the ship that was caught in it; it can be said that it is gone forever.

Merfolk and fish-men followed the whirlpool down, but even after diving to the bottom of the sea, they still couldn't find what was at the end of the whirlpool.

The Navy also dispatched an action team to maintain constant contact with those outside the vortex, but all signals were blocked once inside the vortex.

“But just yesterday, someone spotted ships entering the whirlpool at the edge of the island,” Mondor explained, flipping through his book notes.

"What's it like inside the vortex?"

“It’s a pity, that person has amnesia.” Montor shook his head. “He knows nothing about what happened inside the vortex.”

"However, there was some extra treasure on that person's ship."

"Mommom~ A whirlpool suddenly appeared at sea. After going in, we came out from somewhere else, suffering amnesia but carrying treasure." The old lady's excited voice came from above the group. "How interesting! We want to join in the fun."

For Big Mom and her crew, a few small boxes of treasure wouldn't normally be of much interest, but since the contents are unknown, why not explore them? The Big Mom Pirates will definitely send someone, and Big Mom already has someone in mind.

"Mondor, who do you think should go?"

Mont-d'Or was a little embarrassed by the sudden mention of the topic. Everyone present knew that their mother had already decided to send Katakuri, otherwise she wouldn't have specifically asked Perospero to call him over.

In previous minor missions, Mom could turn a blind eye if Katakuri didn't show up. However, regarding the unknown things beneath this vortex, it's arguably best to send the most capable Katakuri. As the strategist of Totto Land, Mont-d'Or's words still carry the weight of the family's trust.

But to pass this dilemma to him is truly unethical of his mother. Ignoring his mother isn't an option, nor is sending Katakuri. This strategist is better off without.

"At the bottom of the sea... it's best... for someone without a Devil Fruit... to go," Mont-d'Or slowly stated his opinion, unable to escape his mother's gaze. "But, just to be on the safe side..."

Yes...yes...

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Mont-d'Or, waiting for him to utter those four words. Mont-d'Or was already sweating profusely, hesitating to say what to say. What if Katakuri rejected their mother? Knowing their mother's temper, she wouldn't treat even Katakuri differently.