One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 63 Cute Strawberry Daifuku

"Hehe, sister, look at the snowman I built!"

Uta stood proudly in front of the enormous rice and sweet fruit snowman, hands on her hips. She had not only created a plush texture but also the texture of the wings. Moko clapped in admiration, not holding back her praise.

"Uta-chan is amazing! Hers looks even more like rice cakes and sweet fruits than what Ace and Luffy made last time. She's incredible..."

Listening to Moko's endless praise, Uta held his head as high as he could, his lips curling up almost to the sky. Especially with Shanks clapping and echoing behind Moko, it was hard for Uta not to be proud.

"He really is a kid, just like Luffy, that mischievous monkey."

Shanks whispered in Moko's ear, knowing that Uta couldn't hear him, or she'd throw another tantrum. Girls' thoughts were too hard to guess. Moko was super well-behaved when she was little, and even when she was angry, she was incredibly cute. He could tell the reason for her anger at a glance. He thought all children were like that, but it turned out that, apart from his Moko, other children were really noisy.

Upon hearing this, Moko smiled and gave Shanks a reproachful look. Really, who would describe a girl as a mischievous monkey? No wonder he always makes Uta-chan angry.

"Sister, what are you and Shanks talking about?"

Uta suddenly leaned in, but Shanks, who had spoken ill of her, remained remarkably calm and unashamed. He picked Uta up and placed her on his arm.

"Moko said she's making a mille-crepe cake for Little Uta for lunch today."

Uta stared at Shanks with suspicion. Why was she so skeptical? "Really?"

"Of course, Little Uta, would you like to go to the secondary island to pick some fruit? Don't you love strawberries the most?"

Shanks' expression looked as sincere as could be, but Uta felt something was off. However, Shanks looked quite serious, so it seemed he wasn't lying to her. Seeing that Uta had been successfully fooled, Moko slightly tilted her head to hide the smile she couldn't suppress. Shanks must have learned his skill in fooling people from his father.

If she couldn't figure it out, she stopped thinking about it. Her sister hadn't refuted her, so Shanks must not have lied to her. As if she agreed with this statement, Uta nodded to herself in affirmation.

"I'm going to change my clothes, wait for me, sister!"

"it is good."

Uta jumped down from Shanks's arms and ran towards her villa. As Uta turned around, Shanks secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Moko tilted her head and raised her eyebrows as she looked at Shanks, who had escaped a disaster.

"How come I didn't know I said I was going to make a mille-crepe cake for lunch?"

"Moko-chan~"

Shanks stared at Moko with pitiful eyes, then hugged her and acted coquettishly, his hair brushing against Moko's neck, causing a ticklish sensation.

"Haha, Shanks, it's itchy. Okay, okay, I'm making a mille-feuille cake at noon, stop bothering me."

Moko's eyes were tinged with a faint red from the antics, giving her a touch of allure. Moko reached out and pressed down on the troublesome head, her face showing a hint of anger, but there was no trace of annoyance in her eyes. Shanks looked at Moko with a grin, completely shameless and playing the rogue to the end.

"Shanks, how come you're just like Luffy, huh?"

Moko pinched and kneaded Shanks' face. Luffy was just like Shanks when he acted cute, a very standard way of being a rascal. However, Ace usually kept him in check, and Luffy was also very well-behaved, so she couldn't bear to make him angry.

"I don't care, I don't care! Moko-chan, you promised! It's scary when Uta gets angry. Moko-chan has to protect me."

Shanks grabbed Moko's little hand that was messing around on her face, staring at her intently. Shanks' current appearance suddenly reminded Moko of the wet look in the eyes of a golden retriever when it begged for treats, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, I'll protect you."

Moko smiled and gently pinched Shanks's reddened cheek.

"Sister, Shanks!"

Uta's voice came from afar. She had changed her original woolen padded jacket into a thinner sweater, and she was carrying a small bamboo basket made of green bamboo. If you looked closely, you could see rice flowers and sweet fruit-like pom-pom dolls tied to the basket.

Standing there, Uta looks like a strawberry-topped daifuku wrapped in bamboo strips at the end of the road, waving its hand. Who could resist such a petite and adorable strawberry daifuku? This sight melted Moko's heart.

"Let's go, Moko-chan."

Upon seeing Moko's adorable expression, Shanks couldn't help but smile faintly, reaching out his hand to her in a gentle and affectionate voice.

Moko pursed her lips, her hands hanging by her sides slightly curled up, until she saw her own reflection in the depths of Shanks' pupils, so clear and profound. Yes, she no longer needed to be afraid. Moko placed her hand in Shanks' palm, and Shanks raised a bright and cheerful smile, just like when they were children, and held Moko's hand tightly.

The two walked hand in hand to the end of the road, their fingers intertwined, two rings shimmering with light, the red gemstones subtly connecting into a red line, tightly binding them together. This time, they would hold each other's hands firmly, never losing each other again.

Elspes' main island and its smaller islands are connected by a giant tree. From a distance, the tree is far less impressive than it appears up close. Its extensive root system extends deep into the sea and the edges of the two islands, and its lush canopy blocks out the snow and sunlight. No snow falls under the tree's shade. Thick, long vines have been woven into a tree bridge, becoming the second route between the two islands besides the sea.

This giant tree is truly magnificent, even surpassing the Treasure Tree Adam. However, its texture and aura are slightly different, so they are probably similar varieties. Moko turned her gaze back to the tree bridge in front of her.

Uta sat on Mihua's back, holding Tianguo in her arms. Mihua flapped her wings and carried her through the branches of the giant tree. Uta wasn't afraid of heights at all; on the contrary, she was extremely happy. Her clear laughter came and went. Perhaps she was playing too much and forgot herself. Before long, she disappeared from sight.

Shanks held Moko's hand in one hand and carried Uta in the other, running off to play with the bamboo basket he had given her earlier. The two strolled leisurely on the tree bridge woven from vines. The bridge was sturdy and didn't sway at all. Occasionally, they could hear birds chirping from the tree canopy. Halfway there, Moko saw a little squirrel running across the tree bridge carrying a large pile of pine cones. Even when it saw someone coming, it didn't forget about the pine cones while running away. It was quite the little glutton.

The journey from the main island to the secondary island wasn't short, but the long distance wasn't so boring and tedious because of these adorable little creatures. With the company of their companions, the two quickly reached the end of the tree bridge.

The scenery on the secondary island is quite different from that on the main island. The main island seems to welcome the snow season much earlier, while the secondary island is still lush and green, with countless plump fruits hanging from the fruit trees all over the mountains. Smelling the rich fruit aroma in the air, Moko's mind immediately conjured up a lot of delicious food.

"Sister, over here!"

"Chirp chirp!"

Uta emerged from an orchard, a small sweet fruit on her head and two round oranges in her hands. Behind her followed Mihua, who had just disappeared into some bush, covered in leaves and twigs. She looked exactly the same as when the three little ones took her out and brought her back from Mount Gorbo, with a kind of messy, comical beauty.

Moko chuckled as she approached Uta, crouched down, and used a handkerchief to wipe the dirt off Uta's face. Uta was initially delighted that her sister was helping her wipe her face, but when she looked up, she saw Shanks's mocking gaze, as if to say, "Even the exquisite songstress of the Red-Haired Pirates has begun to fall into depravity."

So what if she's fallen from grace?! She's spoiled by her older sister. Uta angrily threw the oranges into the bamboo basket, grabbed Moko, and headed into the orchard. Shanks' eyes widened. His little songstress was getting temperamental! Was she this arrogant now, trying to steal his wife?

(Shanks: That looks like my wife, doesn't it? (?w?u))

Uta: That's my sister, my dear sister! ヾ(＞Д＜)ノ

Shanks: (?w? ) crouching in the corner~)

On the orchard path not far away, a chestnut-haired girl clutched her apron tightly, biting her lower lip as she watched the three happy people in the orchard. Shanks lifted Uta onto his shoulders so that Uta could pick the fruit she wanted, while Moko stood to the side, covering her mouth and chuckling. Two fluffy little balls at her feet fluttered their chubby little legs and circled around the three of them. They were so happy, so enviable, that Moko didn't even have the courage to express her feelings.

Uta grabbed Shanks' hair to steady himself, causing Shanks to gasp in pain. Moko watched the two fooling around with doting eyes and smiled helplessly. Suddenly, she felt a faint gaze. When Moko looked over, she saw Chestnut Bear running away in tears.

"Sister, look! Hmm? Sister, what are you looking at?"

Uta, holding an orange, looked in the direction of Moko's gaze with a puzzled expression, but saw nothing. Moko chuckled and took the orange, her voice tinged with amusement.

"Yes, a cute little chestnut bear."

"Chestnut Bear?"

Uta tilted her head, her eyes full of confusion. Shanks' attention hadn't left Moko, so he naturally noticed the chestnut bear as well. He didn't know why the bear was crying, though. Had they picked someone else's favorite orange? (￣▽￣)?

(Shank, who has selective face blindness, is passing by~)

"Red-haired sir, madam! Just tell me what kind of fruit you need, and I'll have someone deliver it to you. I'm sorry to trouble you to come in person."

The mayor's voice, tinged with a mixture of flattery and fear, came through as he smoothly ran up to us.

Although Shanks always appears carefree and nonchalant in front of ordinary people, his fear of pirates is not so easily eliminated, especially since Shanks himself possesses an inherent aura of power. This aura is different from Haki and cannot be completely concealed. People with a large difference in strength will perceive it particularly clearly, thus instilling fear in them.

Moko naturally possesses an aura of power, but her affability outweighs that aura. Therefore, unless Moko actively releases her aura, very few ordinary people would feel fear in her presence.

"Haha, no need for that. I'm just accompanying my wife for a stroll."

"Hey, so Captain, are you not going to take over your job?"

The sudden, mournful voice startled Shanks, sending a chill down his spine. His gaze stiffened as he looked at Beckman, who had appeared behind the mayor at some unknown time. Before he could run away, Beckman grabbed his collar.

"Miss Moko, I'll borrow the captain now."

Beckman calmly lifted Uta off Shanks' shoulder and placed her on the ground, nodding to Moko as a greeting. Moko pretended not to see Shanks' pleading look and nodded generously.

If Shanks really wanted to run away, no one could catch him. Besides, with Shanks' perception being on par with hers, Moko didn't believe that Shanks hadn't noticed Beckman nearby. After all, Shanks was the captain of a great pirate crew, and he had a lot of things to deal with every day. He couldn't just take advantage of Beckman just because he was powerful.

"Mr. Beckman, go and rest. Shanks will take care of the rest of the work."

Beckman has been working incredibly hard lately, dealing with maritime matters and overseeing the industries on various affiliated islands. He's so busy he's got dark circles under his eyes, no wonder Shanks looks so guilty.

"Oh, Moko-chan~"

"I'll bring some snacks over later to help out."

Moko firmly rejected Shanks's prank request and offered him some snacks as a lure. Upon hearing that Moko would be coming over, Shanks stopped fussing and obediently followed Beckman.

Beckman raised an eyebrow slightly, never having looked forward to Moko boarding the ship so much. The captain who used to shirk his duties and refuse to work was finally someone who could control him. Poor him, he used to search for the captain like a monkey all day long, like an old woman. Now that Miss Moko was here, he wouldn't have to worry about finding this monkey anymore. The monkey would come to him on its own, okay?

(Beckman: It's all a story full of bitter tears _(:3」∠)_)

Rayleigh (pats shoulder and hands over wine): I understand you (゜w゜)ノ

Roger & Shanks: Rule number one on the ship, call the first mate if anything happens! (°?°;)へ=3=3=3 I'm off!