One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 52 Red Coral

Five-year-old Moko accompanied Roger to Fishman Island for the first time. After translating the Poneglyph of the Sea Forest, Neptune warmly invited Roger and his companions to stay and rest.

“I’ve never seen you in such a hurry before. Even if you’re busy, you should at least have time to rest for a night. It’s nighttime when we surface now, Roger.”

Neptune raised an eyebrow at Roger, clearly not understanding why Roger was in such a hurry. Roger couldn't refuse, so he went along with Neptune's wishes. However, according to Moko, Roger wasn't unable to refuse, but rather he had been kept under control for too long without alcohol and was now craving it. And now there was a ready-made reason presented to him.

Looking at Crocus's face, which was as black as coal, Moko silently prayed for Roger. Judging from the situation, her silly father would probably not be able to make juice with the smell of alcohol for a long time to come.

With Roger's approval, preparations for the banquet were quickly made. Everyone was busy moving wine and food, and the once empty and quiet banquet hall was soon bustling with people, making it clear that a grand banquet was about to begin.

Moko didn't need to be busy with the banquet preparations. Bored, she leaned against the window, looking at the bustling Fishman Street with a mixture of curiosity and excitement in her eyes. This was Moko's first time visiting Fishman Island. She had only ever seen the architectural style and local customs of Fishman Island in books. Now that she was here in person, she naturally wanted to go out and see for herself. Even Tuanzi and the others had gone out to play.

After much deliberation, she finally made up her mind to go out for a short while. It was a banquet, so it shouldn't be a problem. With that in mind, Moko's eyes began to search for Shanks in the crowd. Shanks's red hair was striking and eye-catching. Moko found Shanks without much effort. Before Moko could even speak, Shanks made eye contact with her for a moment and then immediately walked over and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Moko's ear.

"What's wrong, Moko-chan? Are you bored?"

Moko nodded gently, tugged at Shanks's finger with her little hand, and blinked her watery eyes at Shanks. Shanks looked down at Moko, who was not even as tall as his waist, and there was no impatience in his eyes, only doting affection.

Ever since Moko fell ill, Shanks has been watching over her very closely, but he never restricts her. Whatever Moko wants, whether it's food, play, or anything else, Shanks will satisfy her. His only request is that Shanks be with her.

Moko wasn't bothered by Shanks' actions. She was extremely attached to Shanks, and having Shanks around made her feel more at ease.

Moko's beautiful eyes blinked, her voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of coquetry, and she gently shook Shanks' hand.

"Shanks, can I go out and play with Mika for a while?"

Although Moko usually acts mature like a little adult, she always shows her childlike side in front of Shanks. She gets happy when she buys something she likes, throws a tantrum when she gets angry, and even acts spoiled when taking her medicine. She also occasionally plays little pranks. Every side of her is so vivid that Shanks is both helpless and doting on her.

Moko has been listless ever since she returned from the Sea Forest. Shanks didn't know what was wrong, so he could only keep an eye on her. When he saw Moko looking around for him, he immediately came over. Now that he heard Moko wanted to go out for a walk, Shanks was happy. His little Moko should be happy every day. He would take care of all her troubles.

(Bucky: You just keep spoiling her, so you're not the one being pranked, are you!)

Shanks: It's just that you're too stupid; you can never dodge it.

Buggy: Tsk, as expected, Moko-chan copied you!

Shanks: Thank you for the compliment (*???)

Bucky: ~%?…; *'☆&c$︿★? ）

"Okay, I'll go for a walk with Moko-chan."

"Ok!"

Moko nodded happily, habitually opening her arms to wait for Shanks to hug her.

Shanks picked up a coat from the side and skillfully put it on Moko. Then, he naturally picked Moko up and walked out. Roger and the others only glanced at her before looking away and continuing to play. Anyway, with Shanks with her, they didn't need to worry about little Moko's safety.

"Hey, Bucky, wanna go out?"

As Shanks reached the door, he turned back and called out to Buggy, who was lounging on the sofa. Buggy was startled by Shanks' sudden shout and immediately sat up. Seeing the two of them preparing to go out, and remembering Moko's terrifying shopping ability, he couldn't help but shrink his neck and shake his head so hard it could turn in a circle.

"I'm not going. You and Moko-chan go and have fun. I...I...I have to stay and help out."

As if to prove his point, Bucky took a broom from somewhere and started sweeping the ground haphazardly.

Moko blinked, watching Jabba, who was just passing by but had his face covered in dust, and silently turned her head away. Shanks naturally saw this too, but didn't intend to remind Buggy. He suppressed his laughter and took Moko out the door.

"boom!"

"Ah! It hurts!"

Hearing the cry of pain coming from inside the house, Moko covered her mouth and chuckled softly. Shanks looked at Moko with gentle eyes, a slight smile on his lips, and affectionately patted Moko's head.

The two soon arrived at Merman Street. There weren't many shops on the street, but each one had its own unique characteristics. Most of the shops sold pearls and corals.

Humans on land and the fish-men and mermaids of Fish-Man Island are hostile to each other. Only a few land-dwellers like Roger are on good terms with the fish-men. If you want to go to the New World, you either have to pay a huge toll to get there through the Red Line Passage under the jurisdiction of the Celestial Dragons, or you have to sink to the bottom of the sea and get there through Fish-Man Island.

Most people prefer to go to Fishman Island, not only because there are no high tolls, but also because they can see beautiful mermaids. Therefore, even though the two sides don't get along well, they still put on a good show. Fishman Island has also taken this opportunity to open up commercial trade and has a relatively stable source of Berries.

Moko was standing in front of a stall selecting coral. The bright red coral was polished into perfectly round beads, smooth and delicate. They would look beautiful strung into bracelets to wear on the wrist. Moreover, the red coral beads symbolized peace and blessings, which made Moko even happier. She thought that she could give them to everyone later, whether as bracelets or ornaments, they would also look great on the ship.

As Neptune's guests, the fishmen all remembered Moko and her companion, and greeted them with great kindness. Moreover, Moko was so cute that she was no less beautiful than the mermaids, and her aura made people want to get close to her. The smiles of the stall owners became even more sincere.

Moko held a string of red coral beads in her hand, and the more she looked at it, the more she liked it. She thought Shanks would look great wearing it. With that thought, Moko couldn't help but steal a glance at Shanks, who was buying snacks for her at another stall, and her gaze involuntarily fell on Shanks's hands.

Shanks' hands are large, with slightly protruding veins extending from his forearms to the back of his hands. His fingertips are a faint pink, and his long knuckles have some thin calluses from years of sword practice. They don't feel smooth to the touch, but they are very warm. Moko loves holding these hands. Whenever she holds Shanks' hands, Moko always feels inexplicably at ease, as if she has nothing to fear as long as Shanks is there.

After thinking it over, Moko finally put the coral bead string back. Shanks happened to come over and saw this, and spoke softly.

"Buy it if you like it, there are plenty of Pele."

Moko shook her head, raised her hand and shook the crystal bracelet on her wrist. The shimmering light slid across the bracelet, like moonlight or ocean waves, and you could tell at a glance that the person who polished it had put a lot of effort into it.

"This is enough; nothing else is needed."

Shanks paused for a moment, then chuckled and playfully flicked Moko's nose. Moko smiled sweetly and took Shanks' hand to continue browsing the other stalls.

After strolling around with Shanks for a while, the two returned to the banquet hall. Roger had indeed agreed to rest for the sake of drinking, and by this time, there were already quite a few bottles of wine around him. Crocus was so angry that he was blowing his beard and glaring, but to no avail, and it looked like a fight was about to break out.

Bucky had drunk an unknown amount, flying around with a bottle in his arms, his body parts flying everywhere. The whole banquet had an abnormally comical feel to it, and Moko didn't know whether to laugh or be angry.

Shanks sighed helplessly, put the things away, and went to help catch Buggy's flying body. Moko was about to help, but suddenly realized that no one seemed to be paying attention to her. Her eyes rolled around, and it was clear that she had a little idea. Moko sneaked closer to Mika and whispered.

"Mihua, I'm going out for a bit. If Shanks asks, just say I'm going to rest."

"Pfft?"

Rice Flower tilted her head, not understanding why Little Cake was keeping it from Sweet Apple, but Little Cake must have her reasons for saying that, and she should listen to Little Cake.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Moko slowly walked a few steps toward the door. Finding that everyone was still making a fuss, Moko quickly darted out as she approached the door. Shanks, who was still grabbing Buggy's body, instantly turned around and looked at the door with a helpless smile on his lips.

The corals in the Sea Forest are colorful, with all sorts of colors, including quite a few red ones, but they never quite suited Moko's taste. Moko followed the corals' growth trails and walked forward, unknowingly arriving at the place where the Poneglyphs were stored.

Two enormous historical texts, bearing witness to ancient times, are still clearly visible even hundreds of years old. Standing before the texts is a blonde mermaid with long, wavy hair flowing naturally down her back. Most captivating are her sea-blue eyes, shimmering like jewels.

"Little one, are you lost?"

The mermaid turned to look at Moko with a smile in her eyes. Moko felt that the woman's aura was somewhat similar to her own. No, it should be said that it resonated with her. It was an intertwining of domineering auras. The person in front of her, like herself, possessed top-level Observation Haki.

"My name is Otohime. What's yours?"

Otohime asked gently, and the two looked at each other. Although it was their first meeting, they smiled at each other as if they had a tacit understanding. Moko answered softly with a little shyness.

"Moko".

"So, Xiao Moke, what are you doing here?"

Otohime swam to Moko's side, half-squatting down and softly asking Moko. Otohime was very beautiful, even more beautiful than she appeared from afar, especially her pair of clear blue eyes, so pure and untouched by any dust, as if two seas of stars were condensed beneath her long eyelashes. Moko was so captivated by this gentle sea of ​​stars that she couldn't help but reveal her purpose.

"I'm looking for red coral."

"Red coral?"

Otohime was only puzzled for a moment before she understood what Moko wanted to do. On Fishman Island, red coral represents blessings and peace. If the coral bracelet was personally picked and polished before being given to someone, it means that the person who gave the gift is someone extremely important to the giver.

"Is Xiaomo something you want to give to your family?"

"Yes, they are very important family members."

As she spoke, Moko's eyes shone with happiness, a happiness that made everyone who saw her feel happy as well. Otohime's gaze towards Moko softened even more.

"These don't suit my taste?"

Otohime pointed to a large clump of coral, but Moko shook her head. Otohime then understood that the coral used to make the bracelet was not chosen randomly. One had to have a feeling in one's heart and be sure that the coral was the one that one wanted. It was a very magical feeling, and only those who were truly searching could have it.

"Then I'll go with you to look for it. There are plenty of corals here, we're sure to find the ones you need."

"Thank you, Otohime-neechan."

Moko gave a soft, sweet smile, and with that "older sister" greeting, it almost melted Otohime's heart. Otohime couldn't help but reach out and hug Moko, nuzzling her.

"Let's go, little Moko."

"Um!"

The two searched for a long time in the Sea Forest, but still couldn't find anything that suited Moko's taste. Logically, it should be harder to find something as you go further in, but Moko keenly noticed that there were more and more red corals. Otohime also noticed this, but when Moko looked over, she just smiled slightly and pretended not to notice anything and said nothing.

Moko tilted her head in confusion, feeling that Otohime should know more and more about why Sango was becoming more and more familiar.

"Little Moko, let's go take a look over there."

Otohime smiled and changed the subject, drawing Moko's attention away. Although Moko found it strange, Otohime's aura remained gentle, so Moko didn't think much of it and nodded.

"it is good."

As Moko turned around, Otohime glanced at the distance behind her out of the corner of her eye. After just one glance, Otohime looked away and paid no more attention.

Not far away, there was only a lush forest and strangely shaped reefs. The giant tree of Eve reflected a soft light that illuminated the seabed. A pale blue halo shimmered on the reefs, flickering and changing, creating a dazzling interplay of light and shadow on the water, making it difficult to distinguish the boundary between water and light.