One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 8 Crocus

"what?"

"Let's sit down and talk. There are too many reasons."

Rayleigh patted Crocus on the shoulder. Crocus, seeing Rayleigh's serious expression, realized that things were probably not simple.

The three sat down in the small living room next door. Seagulls cried out from time to time outside the window. A large group of seals surrounded the doorway and refused to move, as if they had laid out a white carpet at the door. A huge island whale occasionally surfaced to watch the people on the shore.

"Terminal illness!?"

Crocus couldn't control his voice for a moment and stared in shock at Roger, who looked completely indifferent. Roger waved his hand dismissively, telling Crocus to sit down. Crocus couldn't sit still any longer and pulled out a new syringe from the cabinet, spraying it at Roger.

Roger nonchalantly allowed Crocus to have his blood drawn for tests and be examined. Upon seeing the test results, Crocus's brow furrowed so deeply it looked like he could trap a mosquito between his teeth.

"Kurokas, don't look so gloomy, it's not a big deal."

Crocus was too lazy to even talk to Roger. His physical condition was so bad, yet he still said he was fine. Moreover, judging from the situation, without painkillers, Roger should be enduring severe pain right now. What was going on with this strange situation?

"Roger, given your current physical condition, you probably won't last a year."

"That's why I invited you, Crocus."

Roger's eyes gleamed, and he looked determined to succeed. "Crocas, come with me on this adventure. Your medical skills will surely keep me going until I complete my journey around the world."

Crocus looked at Roger, who was full of ambition, with conflicted eyes. It was undeniable that the often unreliable man in front of him did possess extremely strong strength. There were very few opponents at sea who could fight him. But did he really want to leave this place?

"Yo~"

The long, drawn-out call of a whale came from outside the tower, bringing Crocus back to his senses. Too much time had passed; he really should go find those people. He couldn't keep that guy waiting forever. Crocus looked out the window at the island whale calling to the sky, as if he had made a decision. He turned his head to look at Roger, who was grinning wildly, and sighed.

"No matter when, Roger, you always love to mess around like this."

"Hahaha, this is the real me! Welcome aboard, Crocus."

Crocus smiled helplessly, then his expression turned serious. "Alright, let's talk about something else, Roger. What's with that strange power in your body? Logically speaking, after contracting this disease, your body should have deteriorated rapidly, but the examination just now showed that there is clearly a force in your body preventing the spread of the virus."

"Well..."

Roger turned to look at Moko lying on the bed. Crocus's medicine was very effective. Moko's fever had started to subside, the redness on her face had faded considerably, and her breathing had begun to stabilize. Bucky stood by with a cup of warm water, his eyes filled with worry. Shanks gently wiped the sweat from Moko's face, his eyes fixed intently on her.

"Xiao Mo possesses the power to heal herself and others, but this time, for some reason, the power did not operate on its own."

Rayleigh explained calmly, as if he were talking about something very ordinary. Crocus was incredulous and his gaze immediately fell on the unconscious Moko.

"Do you mean everything when you say 'cure'?"

"So, if I'm not mistaken, Xiao Moke's power should be able to grow."

"Is it a Devil Fruit?"

Rayleigh shook his head and sighed deeply. "It would be fine if it were a Devil Fruit, but unfortunately, it's a power that the child was born with."

The atmosphere in the living room froze instantly. Crocus's voice was serious. "Roger, you understand the temptation this child can bring, don't you?"

"Crocas, don't worry, Mokoko is my daughter, no one can hurt her."

Crocus stared at Roger for a long time, his eyes filled with helplessness, then spread his hands, "You always seem to find some strange people and things."

"Oh, you don't need to praise me so much, hahaha."

I wasn't praising you!

Rayleigh chuckled and took a sip of tea, then, as if remembering something, looked at Crocus. "By the way, Crocus."

"Hmm?" Crocus turned his head in confusion.

"Xiao Mo has decided to study medicine. You should teach her more in the future. Xiao Mo is very smart, and you will definitely like her."

Seeing Rayleigh's riddle-like expression, Crocus became even more puzzled. Rayleigh didn't say anything more, just a faint smile on his lips.

After a busy day, everyone had fallen asleep. The dim moonlight poured onto the sea, but a single wave shattered the moonlight, and scattered spots of light appeared and disappeared in the night. A faint pinkish-white hue appeared at the horizon where the sky met the sea.

Mo Ke frowned, slowly opened her eyes, and stared at the unfamiliar surroundings for a long time without coming back to her senses. The roof was mottled, there were old medicine cabinets all around, the air was filled with the strong smell of medicine, and there seemed to be a distant whale call outside the window. This was not her room. Where was she?

Turning his head, he saw Shanks sleeping by the bed and Buggy sprawled out on the recliner. Even in his sleep, Shanks was still holding Moko's hand tightly, his brows furrowed, as if he were trapped in a nightmare.

As her memories slowly returned, Moko realized that she had unconsciously suppressed her healing power due to a dizzy head, which led to her illness. Otherwise, she shouldn't have gotten sick. It seems she had worried everyone. She should apologize properly later.

Moko reached out and gently smoothed Shanks' furrowed brows. The slight movement startled Shanks awake. Looking at the orange-pink eyes that were gazing at him tenderly, he didn't know what to say for a moment, his eyes filled with confusion and daze.

"Shanks, I'm sorry for making you worry."

His voice was still a little hoarse, but he had clearly regained some energy. Shanks pursed his lips into a straight line, took Moko's hand and placed it on his face. Only when he felt the soft touch did Shanks breathe a sigh of relief. As if all his strength had been drained, he lowered his head and lay close to Moko on the bed. Moko's eyes sparkled, and the corners of her mouth turned up as she stroked Shanks' hair.

"Moko-chan, you absolutely cannot leave my side, understand?"

Shanks' voice was muffled, and the tremor from his words made Moko's hands go numb. Moko continued what she was doing and responded softly.

"Okay, I will never leave Shanks."

"Moko-chan, you are the treasure I have found, so you cannot easily abandon me without my permission."

"What if I get lost?"

"I'm good at finding treasures. No matter where Moko is, I'll definitely find Moko-chan."

Shanks turned his head and met Moko's gaze. A gentle smile appeared on his lips. He then stood up and took out a bracelet from his pocket, putting it on Moko's wrist.

Happy birthday, Moko-chan.

The bracelet has an intoxicating moon white color, and when it shakes slightly, you can faintly see a stream of light passing by. A tiny jasmine flower is carved on the inner wall, lifelike.

Do you like it?

"Ah."

How could she not like it? Several months ago, Moko noticed that Shanks' room light was still on in the middle of the night. How could she not like a gift that she had prepared by hand for so long? Moko smiled gently, her eyes always filled with a tender smile, and ripples spread out in layers.

"like very much."

As dawn broke and the milky morning mist blurred the sea, Bucky slid off the deck chair, completely stunned. When he saw Moko sitting up on the bed, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Good morning, Bucky.

"Moko-chan!!"

The familiar, gentle voice brought tears to Buggy's eyes. He lunged at Moko, but Shanks restrained him with a single chokehold, his eyes filled with helplessness.

"Calm down, Bucky."

The noise from the room attracted the attention of the people outside. Everyone had slept outside for the night because they were worried about Moke. As soon as the noise came from the room, everyone grabbed the door frame and squeezed in.

"Don't push me, let me in first!"

"I should have gone in first, Xiao Moke, are you feeling better?"

"Little Moko, are you still feeling unwell? Hey, who's pushing me!"

"..."

"boom!"

Looking at the crowd that had crammed in, Moko blinked and couldn't help but laugh out loud, her eyes filled with a gentle smile.

"I'm fine now, I'm sorry to have worried everyone."

"It's good that you're alright. Are you hungry? Uncle Dong Jin will make whatever you want to eat!"

Dongjino quickly pulled away from the crowd and came to Moko, looking at her with concern.

"Hey, you bunch of bastards, don't you know patients need to rest?"

Crocus walked in through the door, his forehead twitching as he looked at the crowded room. With a wave of his hand, he shooed everyone out. He could ignore anyone else's words, but he couldn't ignore the doctor's. The group reluctantly left the room, only to find the door and window frames filled with piercing heads. Crocus broke out in a sweat, suddenly realizing the extent of Moko's favoritism. He pinched his brow in exasperation.

Finding a thermometer, Kurokas took Moko's temperature again. Seeing that her body temperature had returned to normal, Kurokas nodded.

"The recovery is quick; just be careful not to catch a cold in the future."

"Yoho!!"

Upon hearing that Moko was alright, the crowd outside cheered. Moko smiled and nodded to Crocus.

"Thanks……"

Moko paused for a moment, realizing she didn't even know the doctor's name. Crocus noticed Moko's confusion and began to introduce himself in a serious manner.

“My name is Crocus, I’m the lighthouse keeper at Twin Capes, and this year…”

It seems Roger interrupted her before she could finish speaking. Roger put his arm around Crocus's shoulder and looked at Moko happily.

"Little Moko, are you still feeling unwell? If you are, you must tell me. Crocus's medical skills are quite superb."

Rayleigh then walked to Moko's bedside and gently rubbed Moko's head. "From now on, Crocus will be the ship's doctor. Little Moko can learn medicine from Crocus."

Moko nodded, her smile sweeter than candy. "Yes, I feel much better now. Thank you, Uncle Crocus. Please take care of me from now on."

A little one with such an adorable smile must be a good child. Crocus felt instantly healed by Moko's sweet smile. He walked over to Moko's bedside, knelt down, took Moko's hand, and smiled kindly.

"Me too, please take care of me in the future, Xiao Moke."