One Piece: It's always been you

Chapter 105 Two Worlds

“I’ve heard Yu talk about the past, so at first, I also thought you really had the ability to manipulate things at will, but now it seems that’s not the case. You can only intervene in my world briefly or to a small extent, but you can’t do anything else.”

Katakuri wasn't swayed by Sharant's few words; instead, he turned the tables and said, "The world you imagine in the book might be something someone recorded and wrote down as a story. At least I'm living right here in front of you now."

Sarant hadn't expected Katakuri to be even more difficult to deal with than he anticipated; it seemed he'd have to try a different approach.

“What you said isn’t wrong, but shouldn’t you think about Yu-Yu?” Yu-Yu is Katakuri’s weakness, Sharant is sure of it.

Salant stood up and gestured for Katakuri to follow him.

The two walked up the stairs to the second floor. Sharant led Katakuri into a room, a clean and tidy pink room.

"Is this Sha Youlan's room?" The room clearly belongs to a girl. There are photos by the bed, but the girl in the photos looks exactly like Youlan, except for her black hair.

Katakuri knew that this person was Yu, or more accurately, the former Yuran before she came to his side.

The doubt in his tone wasn't due to the difference in hair color, but rather because of the room.

Sharant sensed the doubt in Katakuri's tone and said, "Yuyu has been with me since she was one year old. I raised her myself. I've always given Yuyu the best, and only with me can Yuyu be carefree."

Katakuri ignored him and walked to the desk.

The items on the desk were arranged neatly. The pens were all in the pen holder, and there were no extra notebooks spread out on the desk. The only other items were a desk lamp and a photograph.

Katakuri picked up the photos; one of them was Sayuran, and the other was Sarant.

"Isn't Yu-Yu beautiful, especially when she smiles? Yu-Yu is always smiling when she's with me; I'll never let her be sad. Under my protection, she just needs to be happy and doesn't need to worry about anything." Sharant stood behind Katakuri, her gaze fixed on the photograph in his hand. "Can you do that?"

The answer is no.

From the first time she met Yu, she was disheveled and covered in wounds, her eyes filled with tears as she begged him for help because of her brother, Rosinante. Later, when Yu was by his side, she was happy, but she also felt sad and upset, sometimes disliking him, throwing tantrums, and even standing up for him.

Katakuri didn't believe Sarant's claim that he laughed every day. Could there be a Devil Fruit in this world called the Laugh-Laugh Fruit?

Moreover, if that smile is like the one in the photo, it would be better to cry.

“I really can’t do that. I’ve only seen that kind of smile on Yu’s face once. That day she was holding back her anger and she gave everyone that fake smile. In the end, she had a showdown with Cracker.”

Fueled by his emotions, Cracker didn't sleep well all night after being hit, and he was even woken up by nightmares.

This was mentioned by Cracker the next day when he was complaining to him.

“…” Sharant fell silent.

"Did Yu really live here before?" Katakuri couldn't help but doubt. The room was cleaned regularly and was spotless. Yet, Katakuri didn't think this was a place where Yu had lived.

Yu doesn't like wearing skirts.

She would buy cute dresses for Pudding, but she herself resolutely refused to wear them. Pudding once complained after going out with Yu that she saw a dress that would have been perfect for Yu, but Yu refused it. Her reason was simply that she didn't like it, without giving a reason. The only dress she would accept was a nightgown.

Yu enjoys researching desserts and food.

Whether it's the room on the ship or the room at the accommodation on Wheat Island, Yu always has a lot of recipes, and she never feels like she has enough.

Yu also likes to draw.

He had countless art books and liked to leave them scattered around, so he collected many of them. Each art book contained newly researched desserts or some interesting things, with Yu's own imagination added.

……

In short, Katakuri could not sense any trace of Yu's presence in this room; everything about him was the opposite of Yu's presence, and they were completely unrelated.

“Yoyo has lived over there for more than ten years, it’s normal for her to change.” Katakuri’s question reminded Sharant of what Lulu had told him: Yoyo’s personality was completely different now. “Pirates are rampant, maybe it doesn’t matter to you, but Yoyo is different. She’s not from that world. She can be fine now, but what about later?”

"Yoyo's abilities haven't been fully revealed yet, and Kaido has already made his move against her. If the whole world knew, could you protect her all by yourself?"

"You will be defeated in the future, just like your mother. Your pirate crew may be strong for a while, but it won't last forever."

"You know about the future?" Could it be that the billion-dollar bounty belongs to your future self? And what about that Observation Haki that allows you to see the future?

If that's true, and he can predict the future, then many things will become easier, which would be helpful for the pirate crew, his younger siblings, and Yu.

Katakuri had never considered training his Observation Haki to the point of seeing the future, but it might be a good direction.

“The future Big Mom Pirates will be defeated by the Supernovas,” Sharant said. “Yoyo is my only sister, and I won’t allow her to be hurt in any way. You feel the same way, don’t you, Katakuri?”

“You’re wrong about one thing. Yu doesn’t need my protection.” Katakuri put down the photo and faced Sharant. “Yu isn’t as fragile as you think. She’s perfectly capable of protecting herself when she’s with me.”

Yu isn't a delicate flower that needs to be pampered; she only knows how to roam the seas. Yu has the potential to become a world-renowned figure, and whether she's a pirate or a marine, she will never be ordinary.

"Also, you may not know this, but Yu and I have always been in a cooperative relationship. She joined the pirate crew for her own reasons, while I joined because of my mother's mission."

Katakuri's expression was icy. "It's impossible for me to help you bring Yu back to this world. The cooperation isn't over yet, and I can't let her leave the pirate crew."

Sharant's knuckles cracked. This man, who clearly cared deeply for Youyou, was lying to him and pretending nothing was wrong.

"Just because you're unwilling now doesn't mean you won't be willing later. There will always be a time when you can't protect Youyou, and you'll regret it."

Katakuri's face darkened further; Sarant was warning him!

There's no point in staying here any longer; we have to get back to the ship. I don't know what will happen to Yu.

As I thought this, everything before me began to become ethereal. Salant's figure gradually blurred and eventually disappeared, and a mist that seemed to come from nowhere covered everything around him.

"Woo-woo~ Awoo~"

The innocent howl of the wolf pulled Katakuri back to reality. He had gotten up and was standing on the deck at some point, with the wolf cubs circling around his feet.

Katakuri picked up the wolf cub and carried it on his arm, gently stroking it and saying softly, "You've indirectly helped me in a way."

If it weren't for those sounds, Katakuri might still be wandering in the fog, unable to find his way.

"Lord Katakuri! Lord Perospero on the phone!" A chess soldier rushed up, handing over a Den Den Mushi (snail phone). "We... Lord Perospero said we haven't heard from him for over two months..."

???

He completed the mission in just one month. There was no contact during that month, and it took him four or five days to return to the world. All in all, it was just over a month. How could more than two months have passed?

In the world of Salant, he only stayed for a short while, no more than an hour.

Could it be that time is different in the two worlds?!