One Piece: It's always been you

Chapter 172 What do you need ice for?

Yu said last night that he could have a different identity. Katakuri didn't understand whether Yu was referring to her husband or something else, but whatever it was, as long as it was related to Yu, he would accept it. He didn't ask clearly, but simply nodded and replied, "Okay."

"Anything is fine, as long as it's from you, as long as it's related to you, I'll accept it." Katakuri gazed at the sleeping face nestled in his arms and spoke softly. "I will also unconditionally grant your requests."

"Um...can you pick me up now?" Yu didn't open her eyes, moved her still sore hands, and gave up. "I don't want to move."

"Tell me if you're not feeling well." Katakuri sat up, pulled Yu into his arms, and carried her off the bed, only to find the floor a mess. "Don't..." he said, a little embarrassed, and tried to stop Yu from looking. He then noticed that Yu was leaning against his shoulder, her eyes tightly closed, swollen shut.

"Can you brush your own teeth?"

"Um…"

She said that, but her eyes were closed, her head was leaning weakly against him, and her hands were bent and resting on her abdomen, not to mention, she didn't look like she could lift anything at all.

It seems best if he does it...

Holding his toothbrush, Katakuri saw the two people in the mirror. He looked away guiltily, but then silently looked back.

So he had so many marks on his body, five of each, and it was obvious that they were from Yu's scratches; not only that, there were also teeth marks, which made sense, Yu used to like biting him, especially when he deliberately provoked her.

He couldn't even brush his teeth. Katakuri didn't ask any more questions, just washed his face and carried him out. There were several other sets of clothes he'd bought yesterday in the room. Katakuri picked out a more casual and comfortable set, and took a matching set for himself.

Everything was over, and Yu's face was flushed crimson. She kept telling herself what was there to be ashamed of. She had seen and done everything she was supposed to do last night. It was just changing clothes; there was no need to be shy.

But the more I thought about it, the more the scene from last night appeared in my mind, which made me even hotter.

Katakuri spoke up at this moment, "I just had the waiter bring lunch and ice, it should be here soon."

"Ice? What do you need ice for?" Ice? Thinking of her flushed face, Yu naturally assumed it was for cooling down her face. "I don't need ice. I'm just a little hot, I don't have a fever, and I'm not shy!"

"You're hiding something here," Katakuri said with a smile, not exposing the truth. "Your eyes are swollen, let me put some ointment on them for you."

“…Oh.” He'd been too hasty. Yu was filled with regret; how could she have been so impulsive?

Perhaps she gradually got used to it, Yu stopped blushing so easily. Besides, she wasn't the type to blush easily. So much so that during lunch, Yu naturally nestled in Katakuri's arms, enjoying his service.

She held ice packs to her eyes with both hands, occasionally looking away to peek at Katakuri. When she was caught, she would pretend nothing had happened and cover her eyes with the ice packs.

Katakuri wasn't unaware of Yu's little expressions, and he quite enjoyed them. "Sit still and eat properly." But he would still remind him to eat properly, after all, last night had been very tiring!

"No, I think you look more delicious than the food." Yu stretched out her arms and hugged Katakuri, pressing her face against his shoulders. There was no soft scarf, but it was the real Katakuri—broad, strong, and reassuring. "Katakuri, I really, really like you!"

Katakuri remained silent, only feeding Yu to hide his blush and the turmoil in his heart.

"Oh right, I haven't gone to see Ace yet. I also need to tell him to be careful of Kong Mingwei." After all, Ace also has a crystal, and Kong Mingwei might not know that even if Sha Youlan only exists as a consciousness, she will still have a crystal to connect with.

Katakuri nodded, but judging from Yu's expression, she didn't seem willing to walk on her own. "Walk or carry me?"

"hug!"

"Let's go out." There was no need to change the position when he was being carried. Since she woke up, You hadn't left his arms, and she could get up and walk.

Yu and Katakuri enjoyed the process, and neither of them felt there was anything wrong with it. Yu followed Ace's Vivre Card directly; he knew the room number, but wasn't sure if Ace was there.

As it turned out, Yu's guess was correct; Ace wasn't in his room. He was in the restaurant with Law, accompanied by Bepo and Sweet.

"Awooo!" Sweet smelled the scent from afar, and when he saw that Yu was alright, he excitedly rushed over and circled around Katakuri. He didn't look like a wolf at all, but more like a dog.

"Baby~" Yu's eyes lit up as she watched the fluffy tail bob up and down, and she made an unreasonable and unrealistic request to Katakuri, "I want to hold the baby."

Katakuri wanted to refuse, and did so without hesitation.

"You just said you wouldn't refuse my request..." You pouted, looking at him expectantly.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Katakuri didn't argue, but he also wouldn't accept her unrealistic request. He walked to the sofa, put Yu down, and said to Sweet, "Come here."

Sweet is big, so even when You is sitting on the sofa, You can still hug Sweet with outstretched arms. The key is that Sweet doesn't have to step on You's legs.

Katakuri knew how heavy Sweet was, and Cracker often couldn't handle it.

Yu didn't care about the process, as long as she touched Sweet. But she couldn't forget the important matter, "Ace, Luo Bao, did anything unexpected happen to you during that time?"

Luo glanced at the listless man, not expecting him to speak or remember anything. "Aside from his accidental drinking last night, nothing else happened. Does Nei-san think that person will target us?"

"Just in case, she won't give up if she doesn't achieve her goal." You didn't mention the crystal. Firstly, there were many people here, and Kong Mingwei might be inside. If she knew that there was more than one crystal, it would only increase the danger.

Most importantly, Ace doesn't look well right now. Could it be that the drug's effects haven't worn off yet? "What's wrong with Ace?"

"It's nothing, just a side effect of sleeping too long," Luo lied with a normal expression.

It's nothing really, it's just that yesterday we were still two people who couldn't stand each other. One of us was drugged, and the other not only handed us a pillow but also stayed up all night. The drugged one felt a little embarrassed when he woke up.

Ace always felt obligated to repay favors received. But he always felt a little awkward about someone trying to take his sister away from him. So, afraid of getting emotional, he chose to keep quiet.

Law wouldn't tell Yu these things, and Ace certainly wouldn't. This caused Yu to feel sorry for Ace, who was implicated; his once vibrant and energetic younger brother was now so weak.

"There are so many people here." A voice suddenly came from behind You.

Apart from Yu and Katakuri, everyone on this side turned their heads, and even Sweet leaned half his body out from Yu's arms.

The owner of the voice was dressed in luxury, wearing sunglasses, a suit, and a dazzling array of accessories. His leather shoes clicked on the ground, and he walked towards You with an arrogant smile and open arms.

The two women following behind him were Bakala, whom they had already seen before, with long, slender legs and a slow gait. The other was a blonde woman, dressed in a less extravagant but still quite expensive outfit than she had described.

Unlike Baccarat, the woman was nonchalant, with a faint smile on her face, and her eyes held a helpless affection despite the flamboyance of the person in front.

"I'm so sorry it took you so long to meet me." The leading man showed no embarrassment and introduced himself directly to the person next to him, "My name is Tesoro, also known as the Golden Emperor. You've all met this person before, so I won't introduce him." Tesoro then took Stella's hand, "This is Stella, my wife."

"Hello." Stella's faint smile remained unchanged as she waved and greeted Tesoro simply.

"Since you are all Yu's friends, I naturally want to meet you in person. Since you're here in Grantesoro, I'll make sure you have a good time. What happened last night is already under investigation."