One Piece: It's always been you

Chapter 35 The Wedding (2)

As soon as Yu stepped off the ship, she saw Brûlée and Pudding waiting for her. Ignoring Katakuri, Yu ran off with the two of them to find Lola.

"Little Pudding, find an excuse to get rid of Brûlée later, okay?" Yu whispered in Pudding's ear as she hugged her.

Pudding, quick-witted, knew immediately from these words that Sister Yu was going to help Sister Lola. "Sister Yu, are you going to help Sister Lola escape?"

“Yes, that’s why Brin needs to keep it a secret; the fewer people who know, the easier it will be.”

"I understand, I promise I won't let anyone else know," Pudding said, putting her index finger to her lips as she assured Yu.

A beautiful wedding dress hung in Lola's room, but Yu felt it was out of place. The most beautiful wedding dress should be worn for the person you love, not for something tied to personal gain.

"You, you're here." Qi Feng knew his sister's unspoken difficulties, and seeing You arrive was like a ray of hope. You hadn't spent much time with them, but those brief moments were filled with warmth, as if her presence could heal all ills.

"Sister Brulee, I'm a little hungry. I had some food on the way here, would you like to go get some for me?" Brulee left Yu's embrace, tugged at Brulee's skirt, and got down to business.

"I haven't had breakfast either, could you get me some?" Yu said. Brûlée had no choice but to complain a few times before taking Brûlée to find something to eat.

Pudding followed Brûlée away, not forgetting to turn around and give Yu a peace sign; she had completed the task assigned by Yu. Yu also winked at Pudding, saying, "Well done, Pudding!"

Qi Feng said, "You, what do you plan to do? To avoid any mistakes, Mom has had someone watching over Lola outside these past few days, so we can't go out."

"The only way to leave here is by boat. I'll help you find one and draw up a map. Since we can't get out through the door, we'll go through the window, and I'll meet you outside."

"When should we leave? At the speed the ship is moving, it's easy for us to be caught up."

"We can't let them find out he's missing. What time is the wedding?"

"Ten o'clock in the morning."

"If it's ten o'clock... then leave the night before. By the morning they'll find out and it will be too late to catch up. Besides, I won't let them catch you."

Aokiji just happened to be here too, so...

Yu was thinking about how to persuade and "use" Aokiji, a mischievous smile spreading across her face, making Lola and Chiffon exchange uneasy glances.

"Lola, don't worry, I will definitely let you leave. You don't need to worry about me either. If it's discovered, just say it was me. At worst, I'll just leave the Big Mom Pirates. You're different. She's your mother. If things really break down, you won't feel good either."

Yu's words struck a chord with both of them; they hadn't yet completely broken off their relationship with the older woman. Although this time, their mother hadn't considered Lola's wishes.

The three discussed the specific details again until Brûlée and Brin returned. The five of them chatted for a while and had some snacks. They didn't go back until almost evening.

On the way, Pudding was a little worried about whether Yu had discussed things with Lola, but seeing Brûlée there, she didn't dare to speak. The observant Yu noticed Pudding's little mood and playfully pinched Pudding's nose.

"Don't worry, I'm here, everything will be OK!"

"Mmm." Pudding nodded happily.

In the stillness of the night, it is the perfect time for leisurely activities.

To avoid getting lost before figuring out the route, Yu decided to rely on her abilities to walk directly to the shore and find a secluded corner where she could moor her boat.

After circling most of the island, Yu finally found a relatively secluded coastline and decided to make it his base. Now all he needed was a boat and an escape route from Lola's room.

The route can only be discovered step by step, one at a time.

However... not far from the shore, she already lost her bearings, except for knowing which side was the shore.

"Hmm, if this is the coast, we should go towards..." Yu pointed aimlessly. Although she knew where the building where Lola's room was located was, it was still quite difficult to get there.

Suddenly, I felt a chill, followed by Aokiji's eerie voice.

"What is the little witch doing here instead of sleeping at night?"

Before me stood Aokiji, dressed in a coat, his round glasses reflecting the moonlight, his face in stark contrast to the shadows beneath.

"You've come at the right time. There are two things I need your help with." Yu didn't stand on ceremony at all, putting his arm around Aokiji's shoulder without any hint of asking for a favor.

"Stop pretending? You kept calling me General Aokiji during the day, I thought you were a fake." Aokiji said lazily, "Tell me about your time with the Big Mom Pirates first, then I'll consider helping you."

"Agree to help first."

"You speak first, or you can expect the roar of the Sengoku Admiral and the iron fist of Vice Admiral Garp."

"Haven't seen you for half a year, and you want to negotiate with me? Did you call me the Little Witch for nothing? Just tell me if you'll help or not." Threats don't work on Yu except with Katakuri.

The little witch is tight-lipped; nothing you do will work unless you agree first. "Tell me, what do you need my help with?"

"It's simple. Help me find a boat, and then the night before the wedding, freeze the bottoms of all the boats in the harbor. Remember to stay hidden and don't expose yourself."

"You want to run away? You can't escape."

"It wasn't me, it was my friend. Why do you say there's no escaping it?"

“Look around you. These are all Homies of Big Mom that I've frozen. Also, the ones who escaped should be from the Charlotte family. Aren't you afraid I'll capture her once we're off this island?”

"Since she's my friend, give her some face and let her go. Don't worry about Homies, just do as I say."

"Give me some face? You're quite the imitator." Aokiji smirked. "Tell me about your dealings with the Big Mom Pirates."

Yu had no choice. He had already agreed to help her, and if she continued to haggle, even the best of friendship would be ruined. Yu avoided the main points and only mentioned that she was currently training with a pirate crew and would leave when the time was right.

There was no mention of avenging her brother. Aokiji asked these questions partly out of concern for Yu, and partly because he hadn't heard from her in a long time and needed to find out what was going on to inform Sengoku and Garp. From now on, the Navy should keep their distance from Charlotte's ship and avoid harming this little witch.

Under Aokiji's guidance, Yu figured out the route much more efficiently than he could on his own. Fortunately, everything was ready, except for that night.

As for the Homies, Yu knew that using Big Mom's Vivre Card would definitely scare them away.

On the night they were supposed to meet Lola, Yu was stopped. The person who stopped her was none other than the person Yu least wanted to see—Katakuri.

"Where are you going so late?"

Yu saw that it was almost time and everyone should be asleep, so she tiptoed out, only to find Katakuri waiting for her outside the door.

"I'm going to check on Lola. She must be really nervous about her wedding tomorrow. I'll go keep her company." As Yu spoke, a fine layer of cold sweat broke out on her back.

"Is it to help her escape?"

"how do you know."

Katakuri looked completely certain, so he must know something. Yu found it strange; she hadn't seen Katakuri at all the past two days, and it turned out he was lying in wait for her on this day.

"What have you been doing these past few days? Do you think nobody knows? And this map, do you know what will happen if Mom finds out?" Katakuri took out the route map Yu had drawn and tore it up with his own hands. "You can't leave here today."

"Why? Lola is your sister. She doesn't like Loki. As her brother, can't you even let her pursue her own marriage?" Yu recalled the old woman's words, and she felt the air in the room begin to thin, making it difficult to breathe.

"If Mom wants the wedding to go on, she has to stay."

"What if it were you? What if you were the protagonist of this wedding? What would you do?"