One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 35 Your Captain's Wife

"Sister!" x3

The three little ones burst out of the forest, their faces filled with panic. They gripped the water pipe tightly and looked at Shanks, who was holding Moko, with wary eyes. Seeing Shanks running up the mountain, Luffy chased after him. Realizing that he couldn't win alone, he went to the forest to call Ace and Sabo back.

"Who are you? Let my sister go!"

Ace, like an enraged little lion, glared angrily at Shanks. When he saw Moko's swollen eyes and tear stains on her face, his mind went blank. Reason and calmness were long forgotten. All Ace could think of now was rescuing his sister from Shanks.

"Ace, wait..."

"Clang!"

Before Moko could finish speaking, Ace charged straight at Shanks with the hose. At that moment, Uta suddenly appeared out of nowhere and caught Ace's hose with a small dagger. Due to Ace's strength, Uta was forced back quite a distance.

"Who are you? Let go of my sister!"

Ace completely ignored Uta, glaring fiercely at Shanks. Ace was only thinking about rescuing Moko and didn't realize that Moko wasn't being coerced.

"Ah! Ace, she's a pirate too, she's on the same ship as that man!"

Luffy suddenly pointed at Uta and shouted, and Ace's eyes became even more piercing. It looked like they were about to fight again, so Moko quickly called for a stop.

"Ace, calm down!"

"elder sister!"

Ace didn't understand why Moko was stopping him. He looked at Moko pitifully. Moko sighed and patted Shanks. Shanks, who had been watching the show, was especially reluctant to let go of Moko, but he still held her hand tightly. The two stood up together, their movements as practiced as if they had done it countless times, without the slightest sense of awkwardness. Seeing this scene, the four little ones were stunned.

"Shanks, who is she?"

Uta pouted, rubbing her numb arm with her left hand, while also looking Moko up and down. Moko, who had just cried, was full of brokenness, but also surrounded by happiness. Her glass-like eyes blinked gently, and her smile attracted everyone's attention.

"Boss!"

Before Shanks could answer, another group of people rushed out of the forest, and the once quiet forest suddenly became lively. The three little ones immediately grabbed water pipes and pointed them at the crowd that rushed out, their eyes even more wary.

Moko sighed helplessly, looking up at Shanks. Shanks' lips curled slightly as he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Moko's ear. The pink bubbles surrounding the two of them were almost blinding to everyone. Someone tell them who this gentle-looking man in front of them is! They haven't seen him for long, and their captain has already been replaced?!

“Ace, they are people my sister knows, not enemies.”

Moko leaned down and patted Ace's head. Ace pouted, staring intently at the hands Moko and Shanks were holding. Tsk, he couldn't stand it no matter how he looked at it. Who was this old man? Why was he holding his sister's hand? His sister was his (???'!)!

"Boss, what's this?"

"Shanks, you still haven't told me, who is she?"

Uta pouted, somewhat annoyed. She had never seen Shanks smile like that before, nor had she ever seen him look at something so precious. It was a terrible feeling, as if she were about to lose Shanks.

[Note: Uta is only nine years old now. She has been pampered by the Red Crew since she was little, and Shanks plays the role of a father to her. So she will definitely be uncomfortable with Moko's sudden appearance. But don't worry, Uta is a very cute little girl.]

Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, Shanks looked at Moko with tenderness and affection in his eyes, his smile was hard to hide, and his voice was firm, without any of the usual joking tone.

"Your captain's wife."

"..."

"what!!!"

Everyone was stunned and speechless. The three little ones were furious upon hearing this, their fur standing on end. When did their sister become this man's?! They didn't agree!!

"What nonsense are you talking about? This is my sister!"

The three little ones bared their teeth, and if Moko hadn't stopped them, they probably would have rushed up and bitten Shanks at any moment. Looking at the stunned crowd and the three little ones who were about to go crazy, Moko's lips curled into a slightly helpless smile, and she gently squeezed Shanks's palm with the hand she was holding.

"Let's sit down and talk."

Her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze; just her voice alone conveyed how gentle the girl before them was. Moko led Shanks into the house. With the two main characters gone, it wouldn't do to stay there any longer. The others exchanged glances and then followed. After all, they had only been gone a short while and now they had a captain's wife, and such a beautiful one at that. They definitely needed to hear the details of such a big event. They had to ask their captain where he was going.

A group of people sat on the sofa, looking at each other in bewilderment. The three little ones leaned against the cabinet with their arms crossed, staring at the two people in the kitchen. The living room was eerily quiet, as if the air had frozen. However, there were still happy people, besides Moko and Shanks, there were also Mika and Sweet Fruit, who were having a great time playing.

Shanks is inseparable from Moko every minute of every day, clinging to her so affectionately that the people sitting on the sofa can hardly bear to look at him. They didn't know their captain could be like this, but this also shows the girl's status in the captain's heart.

The three little ones were practically grinding their teeth to powder. They had only been out for a short while when a big bad wolf came and snatched their older sister away. They were truly furious (▼⊿▼).

The opinions of others did not affect the two in the kitchen at all. Moko took out the baked pastries, and Shanks took them and put them on a plate. Their movements were skilled and tacit. The atmosphere between the two was not at all awkward. On the contrary, it gave people the feeling that the two should be like this.

Shanks placed the snacks on the table and sat down with Moko, finally giving everyone a chance to voice their pent-up questions.

"Captain, this... um, Captain's wife, so what exactly is going on?"

Yasopp was the first to ask a question; he was genuinely curious. The others nodded vigorously, for heaven knows how agonizing it is to have such a juicy story but not know what's going on.

Moko was the first to speak and answer everyone's questions. Shanks sat quietly to the side, playing with Moko's fingers. When he touched those slender fingers, Shanks frowned slightly.

"Hello, I'm Moko. Due to some special reasons, I've been separated from Shanks for a long time."

"Ugh!!"

"So that means, Captain's wife, no, I mean Miss Moko, no, Captain's wife..."

Yasopp was a little confused and didn't know how to address Moko anymore. Moko smiled gently, her voice soft and soothing, instantly calming everyone down.

"Just call me Moko."

"Oh, cough cough, well, according to what you're saying, Miss Moko, does that mean I can understand that you and the boss have known each other for a long time, right?"

"Yes, Shanks and I grew up together."

"!!"

Everyone looked at Shanks with a mixture of sudden realization and disdain. Well, so their captain had already taken care of a wife all along, right? They were wondering why such a beautiful young girl would be interested in their unkempt captain.

"What kind of eyesight do you guys have?"

Shanks was indignant at the way everyone looked at him as if he had kidnapped a little girl. How could this be considered kidnapping a little girl? He raised Moko-chan, and the only person he had ever loved was Moko-chan.

"Sister, I disagree!"

The three little ones were still unhappy, their puffed-out cheeks resembling three little pufferfish. Moko blinked and smiled, amused.

"Disagree with what?"

“This old man is not good enough for you, sister. You can’t go with him.”

"Uh-huh!"

Luffy belatedly nodded along, clearly not listening at all and just echoing Ace and the others. What was funny was that in addition to the three little ones nodding, Yasopp and the others also nodded affirmatively. Shanks' forehead twitched. So, which side are you guys on? How can you deny your own captain like that?

"You're not allowed to talk about Shanks like that!"

Uta then jumped out, and Shanks looked touched, as if his daughter was indeed a sweet little cotton-padded jacket, expecting Uta to say something in rebuttal. Uta's gaze jumped back and forth between Shanks and Moko, and finally turned back to look at the three little ones.

"Anyway, you can't say that about Shanks." Uta nodded, as if to affirm himself.

"puff……"

"Hahahaha, boss, even little Uta can't think of a rebuttal."

"Hahahahaha..."

Shanks was not happy at all. He looked at Moko pitifully, completely disregarding his captain image. His voice was full of grievance, which did not match his resolute appearance at all.

"Moko-chan~"

It's not surprising that people think that way. Shanks himself doesn't care much about his appearance, and with all the wind and sun at sea these past few years and his mind always preoccupied, he has even less time to pay attention to his appearance. On the contrary, Moko was cute as a child, and as she grew up, her features fully developed, making her more and more beautiful. Although she is too thin, it does not affect the fact that Moko is beautiful.

A faint smile appeared in Moko's eyes as she reached out and pinched Shanks' cheek. "No matter what Shanks looks like, he's still Shanks, and the Shanks I love is Shanks."

Upon hearing Moko's answer, Shanks beamed, glancing sideways at everyone with a hint of unintentional smugness, looking quite irritating.

Beckman sat calmly to the side, sipping his tea and enjoying the snacks on the table. The moment he tasted a snack, Beckman's eyes lit up. Unlike the others who looked like they wanted to punch Shanks, Beckman looked up and focused his gaze on Moko.

He knew about Shanks' search for Moko over the past ten years. Whenever there was only some vague information, Shanks would go without hesitation. He had seen Shanks in a state of despair countless times, numbing his loneliness with alcohol each time his hopes were dashed. Although he appeared cheerful on the surface, only this time did his captain show a truly cheerful smile.

From the moment they left until now, their captain's eyes have been glued to the girl beside him, and his hand has never let go. The girl has also held his hand tightly in return, her eyes overflowing with dependence. It's an atmosphere that no one can intrude upon. The two of them cherish each other immensely, and perhaps that's why they've persisted for ten years without giving up.

Ace's lips pressed into a straight line, but his gaze never left Moko. His sister rarely showed a vulnerable expression; he had only seen it once, that afternoon. But undeniably, the aura emanating from his sister now was completely different from before. There was no weariness or repression; her eyes were even filled with affection and relaxation. His sister, who had never shown affection in front of anyone, was like a child in front of this man. Ace had to admit that his sister might really be taken away from him.

Once the thought took hold, it was impossible to stop. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Ace's resentment was almost tangible. Shanks's eyes met Ace's out of the corner of his eye, and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and smile freely. From the first moment he saw Ace, Shanks had almost guessed Ace's identity. His brother-in-law was still too green and couldn't hide his emotions well.

While Ace and Shanks locked eyes, Moko and Uta exchanged glances. There was no spark between them. Uta bit her lip and stared at Moko with wide eyes. Uta was actually a little resentful that Moko's sudden appearance had diverted Shanks' attention. Moko looked at Uta and smiled gently. The same smile instantly warmed Uta's heart, and Uta's ears quickly turned a light red.

"Little one, what's your name?"

"I am Uta, I am the musician of the Red-Haired Pirates, and Shanks' daughter."

As soon as Uta spoke, the air seemed to fall silent. Moko didn't react much, but she took Uta's hand and shook it gently.

"Yes, Uta-chan, please take care of me from now on."

"Ah."

Moko's aura was so gentle that it was impossible for anyone to feel any dislike or even jealousy. Uta blushed as she answered, looking completely won over. Moko touched Uta's face and looked at the three little ones.

"Ace, Sabo, Luffy, it's rare to have new friends. You guys take Uta out to play."

"Sister, we're not friends, and she looks so weak," Luffy pouted.

Moko raised an eyebrow and spoke before Uta could retort, "Really? But I think Uta-chan is amazing."

"Sigh! I don't believe it, let's have a contest."

"Hmph, let's compete then, no problem!"

Uta made a face at Luffy and ran off with him, heading straight into the forest. Moko sighed helplessly.

"Ace, Sabo, please keep an eye on Luffy and Uta-chan. It would be troublesome if they got hurt."

Moko looked troubled, but Ace, naturally unwilling to let her worry, scratched his head in annoyance, glared at Shanks, and then, along with Sabo, chased after Luffy and Uta with a hose, completely unaware that the troubled look on Moko's face had vanished.

"Well, boss, I have something to take care of on the ship, so I'll go down the mountain to deal with it first."

"Yes, yes, I remember now."

Seemingly sensing that the atmosphere was a bit off, everyone made excuses to leave, leaving only Moko and Shanks in the living room. Even Mika and Sweet Fruit were nowhere to be found, and it was unclear whether they had left with the little ones.

"Is there a lot going on on the ship?"

Moko looked at Shanks with a puzzled expression. Shanks, recalling the way everyone else had acted, knew they were probably overthinking things. But it was good that they had left, as he could now enjoy some time alone with Moko. Shanks pulled Moko into his arms and naturally kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry, they can handle it."

Since Shanks had said that, Moko stopped thinking about it and found a comfortable position to snuggle in Shanks' arms. They didn't need many words; just this quiet embrace was enough to make them both feel incredibly content, and their long-empty hearts were filled once again.

Sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, dappling the ground with shimmering patterns. Dewdrops on the grass tips reflected a soft glow, and a warm atmosphere enveloped the entire garden. Tiny flower buds slowly bloomed, dazzling the eye.