One Piece: It's always been you

Chapter 8 Joyful Town (2)

"Cough...cough cough..." The hand on her neck loosened slightly. Yu breathed in the air and couldn't stop coughing.

Katakuri regained some of his senses, but the Devil Fruit power remained attached to him. He clutched his head in pain, the gun slipping from his grasp and falling to the ground.

"Uh... stay away from me."

Katakuri tried to back away from Yu, but the further away he was from Yu and the closer he was to Buck, the more pain he felt, and the harder it became for him to break free from the control.

"Quick! Take him away from Buck, the farther the better!" Buck's father said from the side.

"okay, I get it."

Despite the pain, Yu charged towards Buck and his group behind Katakuri. Buck knew Yu intended to attack him and tried to control Katakuri to block the attack.

However, he couldn't fully control Katakuri right now, and Yu's speed was so fast that he appeared in front of Buck without warning. He circled Buck's abdomen, spun in the air, and then kicked him in the head.

Although Buck did not faint, he was somewhat confused as a result.

Seeing their leader knocked to the ground, the henchmen behind him were at a loss. While they were still dazed and powerless to fight back, several vine whips grew from the ground and bound them one by one.

After resolving the issue, Yu hurriedly checked on Katakuri's condition. Since Buck's powers hadn't dissipated, staying there would be dangerous sooner or later, so he pulled Katakuri towards the nearby mountains.

"Uncle, you should leave quickly too. The vines won't hold you off for long."

"I understand. Thank you."

After Yu and the others left, Buck's father did not linger, leaving the Buck Pirates alone, struggling to break free of their restraints.

"How are you? Are you still feeling unwell?" Yu led Katakuri deeper into the mountains and found a cave, so she took Katakuri inside to rest.

"...Where's the Earth Dragon?"

"Huh? Tu Long? Who's this?" That's strange, there should only be the two of us, where did this third person come from? Could it be that uncle from earlier?

"My gun..."

"...You can't even take care of yourself, and you're still thinking about your gun?" You was furious. In that situation, who would have thought to grab such a big gun? "I didn't grab it."

"you..."

"Shut up, you dragging us down! Don't speak!"

Yu stood up and looked down at Katakuri, who fell silent after being yelled at. His consciousness was being controlled, and he was struggling mentally; he was exhausted.

"You wait here, I'll go look around."

Yu's sense of direction is actually quite poor. When she first entered the mountains, she just went wherever she saw a path. It wasn't until she realized something was wrong that she stopped in the cave. She had given up hope of exploring the mountains outside the cave, but she thought she could give it a try inside.

Sure enough, there was flowing air inside the cave, proving that there would be another exit if they kept going. After walking a little further in, You stopped.

First, she saw that the path inside the cave was full of thorns, which was obviously man-made. Although it was not Seastone, the hardness of these thorns was such that she could not break through them with her abilities. Perhaps Armament Haki could be used to try. Second, she heard Katakuri's voice coming from outside the cave. He was restraining and suppressing something.

Buck is going to find them so quickly? Katakuri is in danger.

Upon reaching the cave entrance, Yu could clearly hear Buck roaring as he searched for them.

Damn it, if it weren't for his abilities, Katakuri alone wouldn't have put them in such a passive position.

Thinking of something, Yu's eyes lit up. Katakuri alone could resolve this crisis. Although there was no rush to defeat Buck, there was no problem in getting away unscathed.

"!"

Yu slowly walked over and knelt down in front of Katakuri, pressing his right hand against Katakuri's forehead and his left hand against Katakuri's chest. Then, a pale green light emanated from Yu's hands. Katakuri felt the pain of being controlled gradually fade, and his mind had never been so clear.

As Katakuri marveled at Yu's abilities, he felt a chill on his forehead, and the person in front of him collapsed softly to the ground.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine, just a little weak." Yu collapsed to the ground, her eyes slightly open. "Don't fight Buck, head into the cave, there's an exit. I'm going to...sleep for a bit."

Before she could finish speaking, You fell into a deep sleep.

"Captain Buck! They're here!" Buck's crew appeared outside the cave.

"Ah, so that's where they are! Grab them!" Buck appeared quickly upon hearing the crew's call.

Katakuri obeyed Yu's instructions, picked up the unconscious Yu, and headed into the cave. Buck, naturally, did the same, pulling his crew along to give chase.

Soon, Katakuri arrived at the thorny area that Yu had seen earlier. He also realized that it wasn't Seastone; Armament Haki could shatter the thorns, but this also cleared the way for Buck.

He chose to empower himself and wrapped the person in his arms tightly with glutinous rice to prevent her from getting hurt again.

As they passed through the thorns, Buck and his companions' voices gradually faded. It seemed they weren't chasing them; they were safe.

Katakuri reverted to his original form and cautiously moved forward. The cave was dark, but with Katakuri's Observation Haki, it wasn't a problem.

Although Yu wasn't as tall as Katakuri, he wasn't small either. Now, held in Katakuri's arms, he looked exceptionally small. The person in Katakuri's arms wasn't sleeping soundly; his brow was furrowed, and his breathing was uneven.

"Hmm..." Her brows furrowed even deeper.

Katakuri held her with one arm, smoothing the small mound of hair on her forehead with the other. Just as he did, the person in his arms shifted slightly, the soft touch drawing Yu closer to Katakuri.

Katakuri was slightly startled, but he didn't delay any longer. Holding Yu, the two continued to venture deeper into the cave.