One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 167 Reunion

“Miss Moko, there’s some news from Morning Star.” Candice’s attendant approached Moko and bowed as he spoke.

Moko's smile remained unchanged as she slowly lowered her raised hand. "What's going on?"

The voice was flat. Morning Star is an enterprise managed by Shanks, and in order to protect Moko and deal with emergencies, the forces secretly stationed there are not much weaker than Moko's shadow. If you want to cause trouble, you'd better see if you're that tough.

However, ordinary trouble would never reach Moko's attention. Since this person is now reporting it to her, they are most likely not an ordinary person.

"Yes, that person has been hungover at Qimingxing for over ten days. We've tried to persuade them, but it's no use. Should we forcibly send them back?"

The servants were in a dilemma. If it were just an ordinary person, they wouldn't care even if he got drunk to death. But this person was someone Moko had specifically instructed them to take care of, so they dared not treat him casually. However, even if they wanted to dissuade him, they couldn't. This person was just too strong. Even the Shadow Masters stationed there couldn't sway him.

Sensing the servant's predicament, Moko sighed. They really were family; once they got stubborn, not even ten dumplings could pull them back. However, it was indeed time to go and see him; it wasn't good to keep that person worrying like this.

"No need, I'll go there now. I'll go to Ophelian tonight and tell Larule to wait at the dock."

"Yes." The attendant nodded and respectfully withdrew.

Moko sighed, turned around and walked away. The bubbles in the sky were colorful, like pearls dropped from the heavens. They rose slowly and drifted away, intertwining and gathering into a colorful sea of ​​clouds. Under this dreamlike sky decorated with bubbles, time became slow and gentle.

In front of the large floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor of Qimingxing, only one man sat at the table, drinking alone. His aura was filled with extreme loneliness and desolation. The man's hair had turned completely white, and his once youthful face was now etched with wrinkles, but his eyes were still wise and gentle. Time had passed so much. Mo Ke's eyes welled up with tears.

"Didn't we agree that you'd take care of yourself even if you were alone?"

Mo Ke slowly walked to the man's side, took the wine glass from his hand, replaced it with a cup of tea, and handed it to him. The aroma of tea mixed with the scent of medicine wafted up, creating a reassuring atmosphere. The man took a sip of the tea, let out a long sigh, and his tired brows and eyes, which had been weary from the hangover, gradually relaxed.

"Phew, as expected, Xiao Mo's tea is still the best." The man looked up and saw that it was none other than Rayleigh, whom he hadn't seen for many years.

Have you been happy these past years?

Rayleigh's eyes sparkled as he gently patted Moko's head, his gaze filled with tenderness. Seeing Moko again filled Rayleigh with emotion; it had been over a decade since they last met. Roger had truly protected little Moko well; not only could no one in the world find her, but even he couldn't find her. It was only when Shanks came last time that he learned of Moko's current situation.

He originally intended to go directly to see Moko. If he wanted to, the navy that was monitoring him would be nothing but decorations, and they wouldn't even be able to find his whereabouts. In the end, Shanks stopped him and told him that Moko was not ready to see them, which made him suppress his restless heart.

Their beloved little princess, whom they had pampered and protected with all their might, still suffered the most unhealable pain in the end. Ultimately, it was because they had failed to protect her.

Hearing Rayleigh's question, Moko's hand, which was tidying up the wine bottles, stiffened for a moment, but she quickly recovered and said in a deliberately relaxed voice, "Yeah, I'm happy."

"Really?"

Rayleigh's eyes were full of helplessness. He pinched Moko's cheek and asked the same question he had asked Moko when she was a child many years ago, "Little Moko, who am I?"

Moko lowered her head, a hint of bitterness in her eyes. In front of her closest elders, no matter how cleverly she tried to hide it, it was useless. They were her closest family members, and she had been raised by Uncle Rayleigh. How could a child hide anything from his parents? Just as she could not hide anything from Rayleigh, who was like a father to her.

"Uncle Rayleigh, I..." His voice was muffled and nasal.

“Little Moke, you are a child I watched grow up. If anyone makes you suffer, not only will I not stand for it, but those other old guys will not stand for it either.”

Rayleigh smiled indulgently, "Don't let my age fool you. If anyone dares to lay a hand on you, I wouldn't mind being reborn to wake the world up."

As Rayleigh spoke, his voice was filled with endless chill and determination, instantly permeating the entire space. The light gauze curtains that had been hanging quietly swayed gently under the impact of the killing intent. Rayleigh looked at the girl who had grown up and become more and more beautiful, and the determination in his eyes became more and more profound. He had failed to dissuade the captain back then, leaving behind a regret that he could never let go of for the rest of his life. But one such regret was enough. He would not let Moko fall into the same crisis as the captain, even if it cost him his life.

"Uncle Rayleigh, I'm very strong now, so no one will dare to bully me."

Moko stopped crying and smiled, took Rayleigh's hand and shook it gently, sitting obediently beside him. Her childlike coquettishness dispelled all her murderous intent, and Rayleigh immediately softened his expression.

"Yes, yes, of course I know our little Mo is the best, but little Mo, you have to remember that you have us old guys behind you, and if all else fails, there's Shanks. Don't carry everything on your own. You've been afraid to come see us all these years because you're afraid of disturbing our lives now, right?"

"I……"

Rayleigh's guess was absolutely right. Moko lowered her head guiltily, not daring to look directly into Rayleigh's loving eyes. Rayleigh patted Moko's head affectionately and helplessly.

"The most precious treasure on the ship is not wealth, nor power, but you, Momoko. You are the most precious treasure to each and every one of us. The pirate crew has indeed disbanded, but we are still family. How can we, as the elders, not stand up and demand justice when our own child is bullied?"

"I'm sorry, Uncle Rayleigh. Everyone has their own peaceful lives now, I know that, and I don't want you to worry about me, but... but I still can't help wanting to see you all. I forced myself not to think about these things, but I didn't know that this would still make you worry. I just..."

Moko clung tightly to Rayleigh's sleeve, tears streaming down her face. Rayleigh was heartbroken and quickly reached out to embrace her, gently patting her back. No matter how much time has passed, in a parent's eyes, a child is still a child, more important than any treasure, especially since she was the most precious child in their pirate crew. They couldn't tolerate anyone bullying her.

After a while, Moko finally calmed down and sat down on the sofa with Rayleigh to talk about what had happened over the years.

“Really? The captain has a child.” Rayleigh raised an eyebrow. The captain’s child… wow—

Roger: (╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴Rayle, what do you mean? What do you mean?!

Rayleigh: (owo?) Guess!

"Yes, his name is Ace. He's very cute. Uncle Rayleigh will definitely recognize him at a glance. Ace's temperament is exactly the same as his father's."

When Ace was mentioned, Moko's eyes lit up with a hint of pride, just like Roger's expression when he looked at Shanks and Moko back then. Rayleigh's lips curled up in a helpless smile.

"Like the captain, Xiao Mo must have had to put in a lot of effort to take care of him."

Moko pursed her lips and shook her head. "Ace is very obedient, taking care of him is not hard work. By the way, Uncle Rayleigh, would you like to go see Ace?"

Rayleigh sipped his tea, a dark glint in his eyes. It was good that he listened; if he didn't, he wouldn't even have to wait for the kid to set sail. He would go over there and teach him a lesson right now. Xiao Mo hadn't suffered any grievances while on the ship; it would be terrible if this kid bullied her.

(Shanks: He bullied my wife, I'll hang him up and beat him to a pulp!)

"I'm not going. I'll stay here. Didn't that kid say he wanted to go to sea and become the Pirate King? I'm waiting for him. Want to be the Pirate King? Let me see his abilities first, hahahahaha."

Seeing Rayleigh's wicked sense of humor getting the better of him, Moko sighed helplessly, "Uncle Rayleigh, don't bully Ace too much later."

"Hahaha, don't worry, Xiao Moke, I'm just taking a look."

Moko couldn't quite believe it. Her father had been bullied terribly by Uncle Rayleigh back then. But Uncle Rayleigh probably wouldn't bully children too much. Let's just let things take their course.

The idea was indeed wonderful, but the only child Rayleigh could dote on was Moko. So when Ace arrived at Sabaody Archipelago in the future, he was inexplicably given a rather "gentle" instruction by Rayleigh. Compared to when he was on the ship, Rayleigh felt that he was quite gentle. After all, even little Moko could easily handle this kind of training. It was simply absurd for a grown man to be more gentle than a girl.

(Ace: Sister, did you go through this kind of training before? (?w?))

Moko: Hmm...it's not that bad, it seems. (O?O)

Rayleigh: Little Moko is the ship's darling, how could I bear to be so strict with her? o(o?3?′o)

Roger: Hahaha, Xiao Mo doesn't need to know anything, just be a little princess. ヽ(°▽°)ノ

Shanks: Yeah, I agree. I'll spoil Moko-chan and she can do whatever she wants. I'll back her up. 〃?〃

Ace: I get it! My sister is my treasure, and I'm just grass. Oh well, I'll work hard to become the strongest grass and protect my sister! (? ??_??)

Moko and Rayleigh chatted until very late. Moko wanted to take Rayleigh home, but Rayleigh refused, worried that he might be seen by someone watching him. Then, as if remembering something, Rayleigh suddenly spoke.

"By the way, Xiao Mo is planning to go to the New World to find that Shanks kid."

It wasn't a question, it was a certainty. Moko and Shanks grew up together and it was only natural for them to get together. There was nothing wrong with it, but when asked by her elders, Moko blushed instantly.

"Yes, I plan to go there after I finish dealing with Mo Xiang's matter."

"Heh, I knew that brat was up to no good when he brought so much good wine last time. This wine alone isn't enough to marry our darling. Xiao Mo, you go and talk to him. Make him come over here and tell me clearly. He didn't even give me a proper greeting, and he still wants to run away with you."

Rayleigh wasn't angry; instead, his voice carried a hint of amusement and teasing, though the amusement didn't reach his eyes.

Moko smiled and nodded, guessing that Shanks was probably going to get a beating. "Okay, I'll definitely tell him."

Meanwhile, Shanks, who was heading towards Ophelia in a certain sea area of ​​the New World, suddenly sneezed loudly.

"Boss, you've caught a cold again? Oh dear, I wonder if Miss Moko will be able to come this time." Yasopp said with a teasing look and a cheeky grin, while dodging the wine jug that Shanks threw at him.

"Tch, it's definitely because my Moko-chan misses me, you don't know anything."

Shanks was so smug, his lips practically curled into a smile. Beckman glanced at Shanks for a moment, then looked away, shaking his head speechlessly.

"Tsk tsk tsk, a man in love is definitely not to be trifled with!"

Jesus spoke the absolute truth, and everyone on the ship burst into laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha………"

Shanks didn't stop him, and with a smile, he touched the sweet fruit in his arms. Soon, he would see his darling soon. Just thinking about it made him happy (???).