One Piece: It's always been you

Chapter 175 will feel troubled and concerned

A child suddenly exclaimed that his clothes were exactly the same as the ones missing from his house, and then falsely accused Ace of stealing them. Several other children, following the child's words, rushed over to take off Ace's clothes. In reality, they had no idea whether the child's clothes were missing, or whether he even owned such a garment; they just wanted an excuse to attack Ace.

That kid's so arrogant, I really don't like him.

Ace didn't let them bully him. As they hit him, he defended himself while simultaneously retaliating. Just as the children were about to be beaten to the ground, their parents arrived. Ace was lifted up by two adults, only able to swing his fists in the air, but he was quickly held firmly, unable to move. He glared angrily at them, watching the children who had deliberately bullied him complain in their parents' arms.

Their words were completely contrary to the facts, but once they started, everyone else chimed in. Especially given the injuries, their claims seemed even more plausible. Ace didn't even have a chance to speak; even if he did, no one would believe him.

Fortunately, these parents didn't lay a hand on him, a mere child. Instead, they called the Navy, intending to hand him over to them for proper handling. Ace, hearing his impending fate, wasn't worried. He figured Garp would find out and come back to rescue him. His main concern was what would happen if Yu couldn't find him when she returned. Could her lost sister find her way back?

The navy arrived a little late, and Yu came with them. She stood next to the two navy men, who seemed to respect her greatly, unlike how the townspeople usually treated her.

Two marines arrived at his location, and the children's parents rushed forward, their voices loud enough for Ace to hear clearly. In the past, he might have argued back, but now he covered his face, not wanting Yu to see him. He only wanted to embarrass himself; he didn't want Yu to be involved. It wouldn't be a good thing for others to know that Yu was his sister.

Because he covered his face and eyes, Ace didn't see what was happening outside. He only heard two "slap" sounds and the exclamations of a man and a woman.

"Who are you! How dare you hit people like that!" The woman, her face stinging from the slap, directly questioned the perpetrator, "Isn't your navy going to do anything about this?"

The two navy men glanced at Yu, who had hit someone, then at the woman who was covering her face, seemingly determined not to give up, and remained silent. It wasn't that they were being corrupt, but this woman had started rambling on and on; they needed to hear several people's opinions before making a judgment. Besides, although Yu had the protection of the Sengoku Admiral, she wasn't someone who would cause trouble unnecessarily. Even if headquarters called her the "Little Witch," at least she didn't act on impulse.

"Before we intervene, we need to know exactly what happened." After saying this, the two naval officers went to the center of the crowd and saw the little boy being held down by two adults.

Yu followed behind, but this time, she bypassed the two marines and came directly to Ace. Ace kept his face covered, and even when he sensed someone approaching, he didn't move his hand away. Yu looked at Ace's clothes, which were covered in dust, and the faint red marks on his arms. He was furious and imposing, which frightened the two men who had captured Ace.

As a result, Yu hugged Ace and turned to face the crowd of onlookers, saying, "I am her older sister! Remember this, no one is leaving until we explain what happened today."

That was the first time Ace had someone to stand up for him, and it was also the first time he cried.

Afterwards, he asked Yu why he stepped in. Actually, being taken away by the Navy wouldn't have been a big deal; at most, he'd only be detained for a few days. But stepping in would involve him, and he'd have to stand up for him, which was a troublesome matter. Moreover, if he was the one who did something wrong, Yu would have to apologize and compensate others.

Ace still remembers what Yu said.

“You are my younger brother. Regardless of whether you are at fault or not, I am responsible for you. If you are not at fault, I will naturally not let you suffer; if you are at fault, it can only be said that we elders have not taught you well, and the punishment should be borne by me, not by others.”

"Don't you find it troublesome?" Ace asked.

You smiled and patted his head, saying, "The fact that you think it will bother me proves that you care about me. And the fact that something can bother you proves that you also have a hard time solving it, and that you need me. Just like when I get lost, I need you to lead the way."

Three-year-old Ace didn't really understand, but he knew one thing: his sister didn't dislike him, and she needed and cared about him.

That's enough.

The words You had said to him before were now being repeated to Luo. Luo snorted coldly, outwardly dismissive, but inwardly filled with mixed emotions.

So before, he, Nessan, and... Mr. Cora never thought he was a problem.

"Actually, Nei-san didn't like me before," Luo suddenly blurted out.

Ace seemed to have heard something unusual, because Yu wouldn't dislike someone for no reason. Just like the first time he met Yu, he heard Dadan talking about his mischievous antics outside the door, but Yu didn't show any disgust when she first saw him, only surprise.

This made Ace think that it might be a problem with Law's eyes. "Could it be that your sour face is just too much for Yu to bear?"

"No." Luo rolled his eyes. This guy's thought process was really strange. But he didn't really want to say the specific reason.

Ace pondered for a moment, only able to come up with one reason: "Did you hurt someone close to Yu?" But who could it be? It wasn't him and Luffy, Shanks, or Katakuri. They didn't seem like people Law could handle, and the Marines were even less likely to be involved. So who could it be?

"Hmm." He gave a deep sound, then continued, "I stabbed Mr. Cora in the back."

“Mr. Cora? Mr. Cora…” Ace thought the name sounded familiar, but couldn’t quite place it. However, the person who caught Yu’s attention seemed to be, “Could he be Rosinante?!”

Rosinante… such a familiar yet unfamiliar name. Law always called him Corazon or Mr. Corazon. He had only heard his full name once or twice, and that was from Doflamingo.

Nessan doesn't call Mr. Cora by his full name; he only calls him "brother."

"Back then, Mr. Cora joined the Donquixote Family to provide intelligence to the Navy and to stop the family from expanding further. At that time, he always interfered with children who wanted to join," Luo explained calmly. "It's really ridiculous. When Mr. Cora started doing missions, Nesan was only thirteen or fourteen years old. Everyone in the family knew that Mr. Cora hated children, but no one doubted this."

Anyone with a little common sense knows that Doflamingo had no doubts. He genuinely wanted to be good to his long-lost brother, didn't he?

The answer is something no one but Doflamingo himself will ever know.

"He must have thought Yu was cute and pretty, and also incredibly strong, so he wanted her to stay in the pirate crew." Ace didn't care about anything else; when it came to Yu, it must be because of Yu's overwhelming personal charm—she's his sister!

Faced with Ace's praise, Law expressed his helplessness but did not refute it. As he said, Nessan was a good person; at least he wouldn't say anything bad about him.

Yuko had no idea that she had such a good image in the eyes of her two younger brothers; she was already fast asleep and had lost track of time.

She had been busy since early the previous day, and was naturally excited to see Katakuri. She even used her abilities to save someone, and by evening... well, never mind, it's a little embarrassing to think about. Anyway! She desperately needs a good rest!

Katakuri was startled awake on the way back with her in his arms. He suddenly perked up and looked around, but when he couldn't find what he wanted, his eyelids immediately drooped.