One Piece: It's always been you

Chapter 168 Bring the Crystal Over

That's why Yu defended him when Law mocked Katakuri in front of her. Otherwise, given Yu's personality, she would have truly severed ties. As for why she didn't explain it to Law in this way, it was also to avoid revealing Sayuran's existence.

Unbeknownst to Yu, Katakuri was already on the verge of rushing over and hugging her because of Law's words. But she really needed Katakuri to hold her right now, because she was so tired.

Sariden's abilities can be neutralized by her, but it will consume a lot of her energy. Although she won't be able to sleep for ten days or half a month like before, she will still feel dizzy and almost unable to stand.

Those who had been turned into statues by Sariden's power would not wake up for a while. Yu barely managed to steady himself and prepared to go out when a sudden heaviness hit his head, and before he could react, he collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness.

In her hazy state, she seemed to hear a woman's voice, "While he's unconscious, go and get the crystal."

"But that's Yu..."

"No buts!"

Outside Yu's room, Ace and Sweet were evenly matched and had to separate. Sweet drank the water that Bakala had prepared on the plate, while Ace grabbed the glass of water closest to him and drank it down.

Bakura watched Ace take the water she had prepared for Katakuri and clicked her tongue in amazement, but since she had already drunk it, she was curious about what Ace would do next.

Just then, Yu opened the door and came out. Bakara went to greet her, "Miss Yu, are you alright?" She knew that Yu's ability would consume her energy, so when she saw Yu come out, she didn't care whether the statues inside had been removed, but asked about Yu's condition.

What puzzled her was that Miss You seemed startled and dodged her hand that she wanted to help, as if she were a stranger or a bad person.

Before she could think further, Katakuri walked to her side and helped her up. "What's wrong?" he asked Yu, but Yu didn't speak while leaning against him, so Katakuri asked Bakura instead.

Bakura's gaze was on Yu. Facing Katakuri, Yu didn't treat her the same way she had treated her. "Miss Yu used her ability to undo the power that had turned those people inside into statues by Sariden."

Katakuri understood, and immediately picked Yu up and carried her to the sofa, sitting down and holding her in his arms so she could lie down more comfortably.

No wonder she ate so much earlier; it turns out she had to expend her energy to save people. Katakuri can't do anything else right now except let her rest more comfortably.

Strangely, Yu's face turned bright red, as did her ears, and she didn't say a word the whole time.

Katakuri touched Yu's forehead with his hand. The temperature wasn't high, but the blush on his face was unusual. "Come and take a look," Katakuri called to Law. A professional doctor was always more reliable than him.

Yu dodged Luo's outstretched hand. "No, no, don't touch me." Realizing belatedly that her reaction had caused an unusual silence, Yu tried to save face. "I'm fine, Luo doesn't need to look at me."

"Yu, there must be a reason why your face is so red all of a sudden. Let him take a look." Ace squatted down next to Yu and advised her, afraid that there might be any surprises.

Sweet was right next to Ace, very close to Yu. He kept making "Awooo~" noises, echoing Ace's words.

Yu ignored the two of them and simply hid in Katakuri's arms, clutching his shirt with one hand and touching his neck with the other.

Her hand was grabbed halfway through its reach. Before she could even speak, she felt a powerful pressure, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Luo was confused, but clearly angry. "Why did you suddenly unleash Conqueror's Haki, Nakamaru…"

At this point, Law himself froze. Nathan had actually fainted from Conqueror's Haki! Law stared in disbelief at Yu in Katakuri's arms, then at Katakuri himself.

Katakuri didn't react. He released Yu's hand, which he had been holding, and then lifted the crystal around Yu's neck. The crystal's color didn't change, and its frequency was faster than he remembered, but it gradually slowed down, proving that Yu was now safe.

Bakara leaned against the wall, looking somewhat strained. That domineering display earlier wasn't fun at all; she figured she'd see plenty of people sprawled on the floor when she went outside. What a terrifying guy! The other two were terrifying too, completely unharmed.

"That wasn't Yu." Although he didn't know what had happened, some signs indicated that it wasn't Yu. Why was she so afraid and wary of her younger brother and Sweet? The strangest thing was that although Yu leaned into his arms, her movements were somewhat stiff.

The crystal's display confirmed his suspicions: Yu wasn't safe just now, but at least she was safe now.

"Sweet, go inside and take a look." Katakuri, holding Yu, told Sweet to check the rooms inside. If anyone else had been there, they would have left a scent. But even he himself thought this was a dubious idea.

Luo also disagreed, saying, "If someone came, there's no way Naisan wouldn't have noticed." Even if Naisan was a little weak after using his ability, he would have struggled and called for help; it's impossible for him to have made no sound at all.

Luo immediately wanted to go check on the room where Yu had been, but suddenly a heavy weight came down on him and Ace fell straight onto him. "Hey, Fire Fist Master? What's wrong with you?" Ace seemed to have no feeling and no matter how Luo called out to him, it was no use. Helpless, Luo could only help him up and throw him onto the sofa.

I checked briefly; he was just fast asleep, nothing serious. He probably ingested a sleeping pill. But how could he have ingested one? I glanced at the cup Ace had just drunk from; there was still a lingering smell of the drug, clearly from that cup.

Law looked at Baccarat with suspicion. "Why did you do this?" Law was confused. The cup he drank himself seemed fine, but then he remembered that this cup was originally meant for Katakuri, but Ace had taken it and drunk it. "You wanted to drug him?"

Katakuri realized that the water was originally for him, but he didn't have the habit of drinking water or eating when he was out, so he had left it untouched. He didn't think there was anything wrong with Ace taking it and drinking it.

Bakara showed no remorse despite being suspected. She had indeed drugged him, but not with a sleeping potion. "I didn't drug him. What good would it do me to have you sleeping here, Miss Yu? Besides, Miss Yu already told me that after rescuing the people inside, she'd take you somewhere else." She wouldn't delay Yu's work, but she might give him a push. That's why she drugged him, but as for why it turned into a sleeping potion, even she didn't know.

Luo remained skeptical of Bakara; he didn't believe everything she said, and since she was one of Nesan's people, Luo wouldn't act rashly.

Sweet sniffed around the room but found nothing. This was what Katakuri had expected, so he wasn't too disappointed. "Go check this area too," Katakuri said, referring to the living room area where he was, including the spot where Bakura had poured the water. It was impossible for there to be no trace left.

This time, Sweet moved even faster than before because there was a different smell. It was from where Bakala poured water; it was very faint, but still there. "Awooo! Awooo!"

The group watched as Sweet seemed to have discovered something, but they weren't fully versed in understanding animal language. Even Katakuri, who had spent so many years with Sweet, didn't quite grasp it.

"I'm going to find PayPal," Luo said casually, turning and leaving. "Please keep an eye on Fire Fist's leader." He was referring to Katakuri, but he was wary of Bakura.

When Law found Bepo, he was peeking at the booth next to Bepo from his own booth at the bar, simply because there was another bear in the next booth, which looked like a female bear. Law was somewhat speechless, picked up his ghostly wail, and said, "Something happened, I'll come back another time."