One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 70 Don't be afraid, here I come!

As if sensing something, Shanks suddenly stood up and stared straight at the lush Sea Forest in the distance. It must be there, Moko-chan must be there. Shanks pushed open the window and jumped out. In the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared.

"Snapped."

The lighter made a crisp sound, and Beckman turned his head to light a cigarette. His half-closed eyes were blurred in the rising smoke from his fingertips, and his previously tense profile had relaxed. It seemed that the captain already knew where his treasure was.

Shanks ran towards the Sea Forest without stopping, for no reason at all. It was just an intuition. He sensed that Moko-chan was crying, and his little Moko was about to wither away.

Passing through the dense coral reefs, one is greeted by a starry river paved with starlight, with schools of luminous fish swimming among them. After leaving the bubble barrier, the fish become even brighter, and the blue starlight blends into the sea along with the starlight. The night is no longer dark because of this vast starry river.

There was no time to admire the scenery now. Shanks glanced at it and then looked away, starting to search for Moko's whereabouts. The open space was filled with coral reefs, except for the Poneglyphs. But Shanks had a feeling that Moko must be here. This was the place where Moko and Otohime met, and she would definitely return here.

At that moment, a glowing little fish slowly swam up to Shanks, circled him several times, and finally stopped in front of the ring on Shanks' ring finger and kissed it. Then it swam towards the back of the Poneglyph. Shanks only paused for a second, and then immediately followed. Although he couldn't understand the fish's language, he could sense that the fish was telling him where Moko was.

The glowing fish squeezed into the overlapping coral reefs, swam through the swaying coral flowers, and plucked a tiny starlight that had been left under the flowers. It swam towards Moko, who was curled up in a small ball in the Milky Way. As it approached Moko, the fish gently placed the starlight beside her.

Countless glowing little fish surrounded Moko, each one pecking at starlight and gently placing it beside her. It might be hard to believe, but these fish were like they were comforting a child, giving Moko their most precious treasures in the hope that she would stop crying.

This was the third time Shanks slowly walked towards Moko in the starlight pile. This was the third time he had seen Moko cry. All his little Moko wanted was a little bit of happiness, but the world still cruelly took that happiness away.

Shanks walked up to Moko, knelt down, and hugged her tightly. Moko slowly raised her head, tears welling up in her eyes like countless hot pearls, falling onto her pale face. Her voice was filled with deep pain and despair, helplessness and confusion.

"Shanks, I've lost it again. I didn't protect it properly."

The almost collapsing sobs of Moko in his arms were like a knife, stabbing Shanks' heart again and again. The bitterness surged in like a tide, all his emotions were churning in his heart but he had to forcefully suppress them. The pain was unbearable, yet he had nowhere to vent it.

"Yeah, don't be afraid, I'm here. I'll always be by Moko-chan's side. Moko-chan won't be alone."

Having cried alone for so long, she had grown accustomed to bearing loneliness and pain alone. But at this moment, Moke could no longer bear the pain. Her heart felt as if it had been ripped out once again, the pain so intense that she could not breathe. Moke cried like a child, as if she wanted to release all the grievances she had been unable to cry for years. It had been so long that Moke had almost forgotten that she was once a child who could freely act spoiled and cry.

Starlight fell like snowflakes, landing on his shoulders and into his eyes. The scene seemed to overlap again. Shanks vaguely remembered that day was just like today, with snowflakes falling like countless stars, each carrying a point of light. He and Moko were like helpless cubs licking each other's wounds. At that moment, he made up his mind. He wanted to become stronger than anyone else in the world. He wanted to be strong enough not to die easily, to protect Moko for a lifetime, to roam freely in the world, and to make sure Moko never cried again.

My little Jasmine, don't be afraid, don't cry, I will always be by your side. If the world wants to take away your happiness, then I will turn the world upside down. A world that cannot make Jasmine happy does not need to exist!

Near the dome, a figure in blue gazed at the two people embracing amidst the starlight, a hint of sadness flashing in its lowered eyes.

Upon hearing that Moko was missing, Marco quickly joined the others in searching Fishman Island. Thanks to his ability to fly, Marco's search speed was much faster than the others. When he saw the starlight drifting from the Sea Forest, Marco guessed that Moko might be there. When he arrived, Marco did see Moko, but at the same time, he also saw Shanks who had just arrived. In the moment Marco hesitated, Shanks was already beside Moko.

He was just an older brother figure to her, someone she'd only met a few times. Was he really going to comfort Moko in that capacity? Besides, Moko probably needed Shanks more than him.

From Yubi's respect for Shanks, and with Moko also present, Marco had already guessed that Moko must have met Shanks long ago. They grew up together and had a bond that Marco couldn't match. Moko probably came to the New World to see Shanks as well.

Thinking of this, Marco's lips pressed into a straight line. He didn't understand why he felt so depressed. He had never felt this way before. Was he sick?

When Shirahoshi woke up, Moko was already fast asleep in Shanks' arms, her slightly red eyes still glistening with tears. The tears shone faintly on her cheeks and slowly slid down, as if telling a silent story. Shanks looked at Moko in his arms with loving eyes, without saying a word. Countless glowing little fish around them lit up the forest at night like fireflies, creating a scene from a fairy tale, extremely dreamlike.

In the royal palace, Neptune excitedly hugged his daughter as the three returned, babbling incoherently. He didn't know how he would explain to Otohime if Shirahoshi had disappeared. The commotion that had arisen in the brightly lit palace during the quiet night silently subsided.

The night was dark, the stars had faded, casting a cold light on the desolate island. Shanks held Moko tightly in his arms, gently brushing the stray hairs from her forehead behind her ear. He held her close, his warm breath and steady heartbeat offering her silent comfort. Just as Shanks had said, he would always be here, always protecting his little Moko.

As dawn broke, the soft light, carrying the shimmering glow of the waves, gradually flowed into the bedroom. The dome slowly turned a bluish-green hue. The silent Fishman Island was still immersed in tranquility, with only a few scattered whale calls and the rustling of corals rubbing against each other. The air, smelling of sea salt, carried a hint of sweet fragrance.

Moko slowly opened her eyes, listlessly looking through the glass window half-covered by velvet curtains at the distant bubble dome. Faint, colorful light diffused into her eyes, but her gaze was clearly unfocused, and it was obvious that she was not awake.

The moment Moko opened her eyes, Shanks woke up, staring intently into them. He was terrified that Moko would suddenly disappear again, so he dared not sleep soundly. He was on edge the whole time, and he would wake up at the slightest movement from Moko. He couldn't imagine what he would do if he woke up again and couldn't see Moko. He might even go crazy.

Moko's eyes were glazed as she reached out and touched Shanks' face. Because he had been worried about Moko for the past few days, Shanks hadn't had a good night's sleep. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had a lot of stubble on his chin that was a bit prickly. He looked quite dejected.

Shanks didn't speak, letting Moko's hand glide across his face. The faint white halo gradually brightened, and the white halo mixed with specks of gold light slowly merged into Shanks' body as Moko traced his facial features. The fatigue of the past few days gradually dissipated until all the weariness in Shanks' eyes disappeared. Only then did Moko stop, her fingertips resting on the corner of Shanks' lips.

"Moko-chan, shall I take you to have breakfast?"

Shanks gently took Moko's hand in his, his eyes soft and his voice barely audible, as if afraid of startling her.

"Ah."

As she spoke, a slight vibration came from her fingertips. Mo Ke was stunned for a long time before responding softly. Her voice was hoarse, probably because she had cried too much yesterday.

Shanks affectionately carried Moko to the dressing table and helped her wash up. As he turned to pour water, Moko suddenly reached out and grabbed Shanks's clothes, her eyes filled with panic and helplessness. Shanks concealed the heartache in his eyes, squatted down and gently pinched Moko's face.

"I'm not leaving, I'm staying here."

After receiving Shanks' affirmative answer, Moko slowly let go. Shanks quickly finished washing up and returned to Moko's side. During this time, Moko's eyes followed Shanks the whole time, and she only calmed down after Shanks returned to her side.

Shanks picked up a hairpin and tied up Moko's hair. He then found clean clothes for Moko to change into. As if afraid that Moko would be uneasy, Shanks also found a thick cloak to cover Moko. After everything was done, Shanks took Moko to the main hall.

"elder sister!"

"Sister Moko!"

"Miss Moko!"

The moment the door opened, everyone stood up nervously and looked at Moke, their eyes filled with undisguised worry. Moke tried to force a smile, but she was too weak and her current mood made it impossible for her to pretend to be okay. After trying for a long time, she still couldn't manage to smile.

Seeing Moko so listless, everyone felt a pang of sadness. Neptune sighed. He knew that Otohime's feelings for Moko were as deep as those for Otohime and Shirahoshi. If Otohime saw Moko like this now, she would probably cry again.

Shanks tightened his grip on Moko's hand and led her to the reserved seat. Breakfast was unusually quiet, except for the sounds of cutlery and Shanks's voice, which sounded like he was coaxing a child. Shanks gently urged Moko to eat more. Uta and Shirahoshi sat worriedly beside Moko, pushing what they thought was delicious food towards her. Seeing everyone's concern for her, Moko smiled somewhat awkwardly and patted the two children's heads.

"I'm fine, Uta-chan, little star, don't worry about me."

As she spoke, Moko even fed the two children. It was clear that the two children hadn't been eating properly. Although Moko hadn't calmed herself down yet, she never let her emotions affect the children when it came to their issues.

Seeing that Moko had regained some of her energy, Uta and Shirahoshi smiled and happily ate the food Moko fed them. Shanks also breathed a sigh of relief and occasionally fed Moko a little something.

The tense atmosphere in the room finally eased. Marco sat opposite her, his wavering heart finally settling down. He had never seen Moko so vulnerable before. Had Moko endured all those years alone? If only he could have found Moko sooner… Sigh, what good would that have done? He was just an older brother he had only met a few times. What right did he have to comfort Moko…