One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 38 Cooperation

Shanks placed Uta on the bed in the guest room, pulled the blanket over her, and placed the hairband on the bedside table. He and Shanks then left the room.

Shanks didn't plan to go back down the mountain today, so he naturally followed Moko to her room. Moko stood by the window and sighed softly. Shanks stood behind Moko and hugged her.

"Are you worried about what's written in the official history?"

"Yes, this child doesn't have control over that power yet, so it's dangerous for him to run around outside."

Moko always worries a bit about the kids. Perhaps the three little ones are too good at causing trouble. Moko has no doubt that Uta will be led astray by the three little ones in a few days, and then the three little ones who cause trouble will become the four little ones who cause trouble.

"Don't worry, I'm here. I won't let anything happen to Little Uta."

"Ah."

Moko leaned against Shanks. The full moon outside the window was clear and bright, no longer as gloomy as before. The courtyard was still lively. The drunken crowd danced a strange dance, with Luffy at the forefront. Everyone laughed heartily.

"Shanks, where's Bucky? Aren't you two together?"

Seeing that Shanks hadn't answered for a long time, Moko tilted her head and looked at Shanks in confusion. Shanks tightened his grip on Moko and spoke casually, pretending to be unintentional.

"They separated on the day the captain was executed. Buggy said he wanted to start his own pirate crew, and I've heard it's going quite well."

Noticing Shanks' unusual behavior, Moko turned around to face him directly, meeting his eyes, which were now inches away. Looking into Moko's pure eyes, Shanks knew he couldn't fool her, and his voice involuntarily carried a hint of grievance.

"We had a fight over something trivial, and it feels like I'm being disliked by the other person."

Remembering how Shanks and Buggy used to argue every three days and have a big fight every five days when they were kids, Moko smiled and smiled, her eyes crinkling slightly as she wrapped her arms around Shanks' waist.

"He's always been a spoiled little kid, no matter what."

"Yeah, we're such awkward kids, what are we going to do, Moko-chan?"

Shanks nuzzled against Moko's neck affectionately, and although the scene seemed completely out of place with this nearly two-meter-tall man, it looked surprisingly harmonious at the moment.

"Let's go see Bucky next time."

Moko gently stroked Shanks' hair. Perhaps because he hadn't taken care of it much, or perhaps because he had grown up, Shanks' hair wasn't as soft as it had been when he was a child, but it wasn't prickly either.

"it is good."

Shanks didn't go back to the room Moko had prepared. Instead, he held Moko in his arms and slept through the night, just like when they were children. This was the best and longest sleep Moko had had in a long time. The familiar and reassuring scent drove away the nightmares. Just like countless times when she was a child, as long as Shanks was by her side, Moko had nothing to fear and no need to be afraid.

Shanks woke up the moment the sky turned white. Seeing the girl still fast asleep in his arms, he unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Shanks looked at Moko with doting and focused eyes, tracing the image of the person he had been thinking about day and night. He felt that he could never get enough of looking at her. This was his little Moko, who belonged only to him. No one could take her away, and he would never lose her again.

As dawn broke, Moko slowly opened her eyes, still half asleep and half awake. She reached out from under the covers and patted Shanks' face, as if worried it wasn't real. She even pinched Shanks' cheek, and the warmth from her fingertips reassured her. Seeing Moko's adorable appearance, Shanks chuckled softly, reached out and took Moko's mischievous hand, kissing it.

Good morning, Moko-chan.

Moko gradually regained consciousness and snuggled in Shanks' arms like a kitten for a while before finally waking up. Her eyebrows twitched, and she gazed at Shanks with a smile, her voice soft and husky with the unique characteristics of early morning.

Good morning, Shanks.

The two acted as if they had never been apart, everything was so natural and tacit. Years of separation had not erased the habits they had developed. After waiting for Moko to finish washing up, Shanks picked up a purplish-red wooden comb and carefully combed Moko's hair. Moko's hair was much longer than before, like the imprint of waiting, counting the longing of waiting. The smooth hair slipped through his fingers, gently touching Shanks' heartstrings.

As dawn broke, sunlight streamed through the window, casting bright dappled patterns in the room. Despite the passage of time, Shanks's hairstyling skills remained impeccable. He took a jasmine blossom picked that morning from the bottle and tucked it into his hair. Moko looked at herself in the mirror, then at Shanks through the mirror. Shanks smiled and leaned down to kiss Moko's forehead. A warm atmosphere filled the air between them, a scene as beautiful as a painting.

Last night, the banquet went on until quite late, and no one was awake yet. Moko and Shanks woke up relatively late. People on Shanks' ship are used to being casual and can sleep anywhere. Looking at the group of people sleeping in the living room, it's clear that the captain taught them this habit.

Moko raised an eyebrow at Shanks, who looked innocent, as if it had nothing to do with him. Moko covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes sparkling, as beautiful as spring flowers and the moon at dawn. Even the jasmine blooming in her hair couldn't compare to Moko's charm. Shanks was stunned, his heart skipping a beat.

Considering that everyone had been drinking last night, Moko prepared a relatively light breakfast and also prepared a lot of honey water to help with hangovers. Most people went down the mountain to find their own places to stay last night, so there weren't many people left on the mountain. Moko made a rough estimate based on the number of people.

Breakfast was prepared quickly, and the aroma woke everyone up from their sleep.

Beckman stepped out of his room and saw Moko busy in the kitchen, and of course Shanks, who was always glued to Moko. The breakfast on the table was mostly light, probably because of last night's hangover. Beckman suddenly chuckled. He had always had someone who was very caring around him since he was a child. No matter what he did, there was always someone behind him. No wonder the captain was so carefree. It seems that he was spoiled.

Moko still didn't eat much for breakfast. Looking at Moko's current appetite, Shanks frowned deeply. She was eating less than when she was a child. Although he guessed that Moko hadn't taken good care of herself for a long time, he was afraid that the situation was more serious than he had imagined.

Everyone saw that their captain, who was eating, suddenly started feeding Moko again. Moko didn't have a very good appetite, but Shanks coaxed her to eat like a baby. Under Shanks' feeding, Moko ate another half bowl. Shanks only stopped when she really couldn't eat anymore.

The three little ones were completely stunned. They had tried to persuade Mo Ke to eat very little, but it didn't work. They never expected that their suddenly appearing brother-in-law would be so capable. He was definitely their sister's personal housekeeper, and the key was that their sister really wouldn't refuse.

Not only were the three little ones shocked, seeing Moko like this for the first time, but even Uta was seeing Shanks coax someone to eat for the first time. It turns out that Shanks is so good at taking care of children because he took care of his older sister growing up. No wonder he is such a carefree person, but he is very good at taking care of children.

Noticing everyone's gaze, Moko felt her face burning. She was used to it when she was a child and for a moment forgot that she wasn't a child anymore. Moko glared angrily at Shanks and pinched Shanks' waist under the table. The light pinch had no effect on Shanks. Shanks grinned and finished off his and Moko's breakfast in front of him, completely ignoring the teasing looks from everyone.

(Shanks: What's wrong with me feeding my wife? You're all just jealous! o(o?`3?′o))

After breakfast, Shanks took the four little ones to train in the yard. It was called training, but it was actually Shanks unilaterally and completely crushing the three little ones.

Uta stood aside watching the show. The three little ones had been wanting to beat Shanks up for a long time. They rushed at Shanks with water pipes, but Shanks calmly dodged every attack. He even managed to outmaneuver the three little ones from time to time. Despite being an adult, he was as mischievous as a child.

Moko withdrew her gaze and began to focus on discussing the cooperation with Beckman. Moko needed a powerful backer if she wanted to develop towards the Grand Line, and now this problem could be solved. Moko never doubted Shanks' strength, and besides, Shanks was her backer to begin with, wasn't he?

"I want to entrust the entire development of Jasmine Winery to you. You will be responsible for providing Jasmine with wine regularly, while Jasmine will be responsible for sales. You can also use Jasmine's funds as you see fit..."

"Wait, Miss Moko."

Upon hearing this, Beckman interrupted Moko, who looked up at Beckman and gestured for him to continue.

"Miss Moko said that Jasmine's funds are at our disposal?"

"Yes, the original purpose of Jasmine was to protect my brother and to find Shanks, so Shanks can freely allocate all of Jasmine's resources if needed."

As she spoke, Moko pushed the document containing the fragrance of jasmine to Beckman. At Moko's prompting, Beckman opened it and became increasingly shocked as he read it. He looked at Moko with a look of astonishment and admiration.

"Although Jasmine is currently only developing in the Four Seas, its intelligence organization and various industries that have not yet been exposed are continuing to develop. I originally planned to wait two years before expanding into the Grand Line, but now we can advance into the Grand Line ahead of schedule. The document you see is my revised plan for Jasmine over the next two years. With you all here, I don't need to worry too much about Jasmine's development and security."

Beckman flipped through the documents, marveling at Moko's business acumen and organizational skills. Moko's behind-the-scenes development had far surpassed what was on the surface; all she lacked was an opportunity to expand into the Grand Line. Beckman even felt that even without them, Moko would only need to put in a little more effort and time to establish herself on the Grand Line. He feared that Moko's future business empire would be unique in the world.

"Terrifying," was Beckman's honest assessment of Moko at that moment. Only now did Beckman realize the true strength of the girl before him. She appeared harmless on the surface, but underestimating her would have dire consequences. This was exactly the same as his captain's. No wonder she was the daughter of the Pirate King.

"Almost all the documents are here. For the follow-up coordination, I will have the current person in charge of Jasmine go there. Someone will also take you to the specific industries. Feel free to make any other requests."

How could anyone not like a girl who is gentle, understanding, powerful, and unconditionally supports your decisions? Beckman looked helplessly at Shanks, who was running the three little ones around. No wonder his captain kept saying he was looking for his treasure. A girl like this is indeed a treasure.

"Shanks must be really frustrating sometimes."

Beckman turned around and saw Moko gazing tenderly at Shanks. Moko's smile was radiant, her eyes seemed to hold a thousand stars, and her love was undisguised.

"Mr. Beckman, I'll need you to take good care of Shanks later."

"Miss Moko, aren't you planning to leave with us?"

Given Shanks's personality of wanting to keep Moko tied to him, Beckman originally thought that Moko would probably go on the trip with them.

Upon hearing Beckman's question, Moko remained silent for a moment, but eventually shook her head slowly, shifting her gaze to the three little ones beside Shanks.

"It's not time yet, the little ones haven't grown up yet."

"Really? Then it seems it will take a long time."

The sunlight, filtered through layers of leaves, fell on the group as a soft, round, gently swaying halo. The fluttering petals blurred their vision, leaving only the joy filling the courtyard.