One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 102 Attachment

"Mihua, there's a thunderstorm ahead, go around it!"

"Pfft!"

Moko withdrew her senses and patted the rice flower beneath her. The rice flower responded with a flap of its wings and flew above the thunderstorm cloud. The rice flower and the sweet fruit had a special connection; once they were close enough, they could sense each other's location. Moko wasn't worried about the rice flower getting lost, so she sat comfortably on its back, her fingers stroking the increasingly trembling life card in her hand, her smile unable to be concealed.

"Mr. Beckman, we'll be arriving in the Wano Country region soon."

"Hmm, how's the captain?"

"What the boss said..."

The crew member who was reporting looked at Shanks with difficulty, who had finally managed to get out of the wheelhouse. Shanks was squatting in the corner of the deck, clutching the floorboards tightly, refusing to go back to his room no matter what anyone said. Beckman's forehead veins bulged, he closed the file, glared at Shanks, and threw a cup directly at Shanks' head.

"Idiot, get back to your room! And are you trying to destroy the ship?!"

Shanks ignored the bump on his head, pouting pitifully as if he was about to cry, "Beck, does Moko-chan not like me anymore? She never used to hang up on me so decisively, waaaaaah (???^???)."

Beckman sighed helplessly, pinching his brow. Oh no, had his captain gone mad from the fever? He was just a little difficult to manage before, but now he was just being unreasonable.

"Hongo?"

“Mr. Beckman, don’t look at me like that. The boss absolutely refuses to take his medicine. I can’t do anything about it. You know, no one can persuade the boss if he doesn’t want to do something. Besides, I can’t beat the boss in a fight.”

That's true. Shanks' stubbornness is nothing new, and Beckman knows that, but can he really just tough it out without medication? Should he call Miss Moko and ask her to persuade him?

"Cheep! Cheep!"

As if sensing something, Sweetie suddenly broke free from Shanks's embrace, flew to the deck, and fluttered her wings joyfully, heading towards the sky. Everyone couldn't help but look up at the sky. Shanks, who had been crouching in the corner, also looked up. Lightning churned in the thick, dark clouds, making it impossible to see anything with the naked eye. However, the people around Shanks noticed a visibly smiling smile on his lips. They exchanged horrified glances. It was over; their boss had gone mad from the fever.

Before anyone could discern anything from the dark clouds, a commotion arose from the sea. A massive white figure leaped onto the deck. The nearly six-meter-tall sea king startled everyone on board, who quickly drew their swords and pointed them at the white figure.

"Ooh?"

The dumpling raised an eyebrow at the crowd, completely ignoring their swords and blades. With a flick of its tail, it bypassed them and charged straight at Shanks, who had walked to the bow of the ship, slashing at him with a claw without any hesitation.

"Boss, watch out!"

"Clang!"

Before everyone could finish their warnings, Shanks had already drawn his Griffin and caught the ball's claws. Shanks was sick, but his physical reflexes hadn't diminished; his sense of danger was ingrained in his bones. He sensed the ball's attack the moment it came at him. The two stared at each other, and a fierce battle raged between them. Just when everyone thought a fierce fight was about to break out, Shanks swiftly grabbed the ball, pulled it onto the deck, and punched it.

"Bang bang bang!"

Everyone turned their heads away, unable to bear to look. The past scene seemed to be repeating itself once again. Tuanzi was beaten and lying on the ground with several bumps on her head, making tearful accusations. Shanks looked arrogant and retorted to Tuanzi's accusations one by one.

"Hmph, Moko-chan is mine!"

"Woo-yo woo-yo!"

"Who cares about you!"

"Woo-yo woo-yo!"

"Don't think I won't beat you up just because you're all grown up!" Shanks said, waving his fist.

"Ooh!"

The little dumpling was practically driven mad by Shanks, its tail flailing wildly in frustration. This guy had always been unreasonable since childhood; how could my precious little one like him?! (＞皿＜)

"..."

“Mr. Beckman, what’s wrong with the boss…”

Before the crew member could finish speaking, he pointed to his head. Beckman felt as if a crow had flown overhead. He took the cigarette out of his mouth, flicked off the ash, and spoke in a flat, speechless voice.

"Don't worry, the captain isn't crazy, but an idiot isn't."

However, the only person in the entire world who could argue with a sea king with such enthusiasm is probably my own captain. He truly is a foolish captain.

"Shanks and Yui shouldn't fight."

A gentle voice came, and Moko appeared behind Shanks without anyone noticing. With her usual gentle smile, she held a small sweet fruit in her arms. Moko got up and jumped from Mika's back to the bow of the ship. Mika returned to her normal size and slowly landed next to Moko. As soon as Shanks saw Moko, he hugged her like a wronged child, burying his head in Moko's neck and nuzzling her.

"Moko-chan, Dango is bullying me~"

This is a classic case of the villain accusing the victim first! The little dumpling was furious upon hearing this, waving its paws in protest. This guy is just taking advantage of its inability to speak, isn't he?! (╬￣皿￣)

Shanks grumbled and ignored the grumbling dumplings behind him. Moko sighed and gently patted Shanks' head.

"Shanks, be good, stop making a fuss, okay?"

Moko coaxed Shanks like a child, and Shanks obediently nodded, but still clung to Moko. Moko took Shanks' hand, and Shanks naturally straightened up and followed behind her obediently. Compared to his stubborn appearance when everyone else tried to drag him away, he was now much more docile.

(Everyone: ?(?`^′?)? Disdain for the boss, so none of us are Miss Moko, huh?)

Shanks: Tch, none of you can compare to my Moco sauce, so fragrant and soft.

Everyone: ┴┴︵╰（‵□′）╯︵┴┴)

“Mr. Beckman, Shanks has caused you trouble.”

Beckman shook his head. "Miss Moko, you don't need to feel sorry. We're used to the captain being like this."

"Yes, yes, Miss Moko, you don't need to feel sorry."

Everyone laughed in a friendly manner. This wasn't the first or second time their boss had acted this way, and they were used to it. However, while their boss was drinking, he could at least reason with them, but when he was sick, he was completely unreasonable. It seemed that apart from Miss Moko, no one could persuade him. It was fortunate that Miss Moko had come, otherwise they really wouldn't know what to do.

"I'll take Shanks back first. Please look after Tuanzi, Mr. Beckman. Tuanzi is very well-behaved and won't cause any trouble."

"Do not worry."

Beckman wanted to ask some more questions, but now was not the time. Anyway, there was no rush. The main thing was to get Miss Moko to take the unreasonable captain back to his room first.

The others, upon hearing Moko's words, all looked at the dumpling with its paws folded, and their minds came to a realization: so this sea king was raised by Miss Moko. As expected of Miss Moko, her pets are always so unique.

"Tuanzi, you and Mihua and Tianguo stay on the deck and behave yourselves."

"Ooh!"

"Pfft!" x2

The little ones obediently agreed. Moko smiled and squeezed Shanks's hand. Shanks followed closely behind Moko and walked towards the cabin. The strange farce stopped because of Moko's arrival.

In the captain's cabin, Shanks sat on the bed, holding Moko tightly in his arms, unwilling to let go no matter what. Moko held Shanks' hand, her fingers tracing the calluses on Shanks' hand, a faint healing power slowly flowing in.

Moko had sensed that Shanks' health was not right these past few days, so she quickly finished dealing with the matters with the Navy. When she called Shanks that night, he refused to speak, so Moko guessed that Shanks was probably sick.

Moko's healing perception can only detect the strength of the other person's life force. Although Shanks' life force was strong, Moko just felt something was wrong. This was Moko's unique intuition. Moko could keenly perceive everything about Shanks. Even if Shanks was hiding something from her, Moko didn't ask and just pretended that she knew nothing.

In this world, only Shanks would not treat her as a pawn. If one day she had to choose between the safety of the world and her life, Shanks would only choose her. This is not because Moko is narcissistic, but because she knows that Shanks would never hurt her.

Her Shanks is such a fool. He knows he can't fool her, yet he chooses to play dumb. But since Shanks is unwilling to tell her, she'll just wait. One day, she'll know everything, she'll know the truth.

"Why didn't you say you were sick?" Moko's voice broke the silence of the captain's cabin.

"...I don't want Moko-chan to worry."

After a long silence, Shanks' muffled voice finally came through. As he spoke, the vibration of Shanks' chest could be clearly felt on her back. Moko chuckled helplessly, her voice tinged with amusement.

"Then why don't you take your medicine obediently?"

"Because I want to see Moko-chan."

Shanks knew that Moko would come over if she knew he was sick, but he was afraid that Moko would be angry. So when he answered Moko's call, he didn't dare to say the coquettish joke he had planned. But he still underestimated Moko's keen senses. Even though he only said one word, Moko still noticed and rushed over without stopping.

He thought he might really be crazy. The road was so dangerous, and Moko had to navigate through countless dangerous areas, but he couldn't suppress his happiness. Just thinking that Moko came only for him made happiness gush out like a fountain, and he couldn't stop it.

Perhaps because Shanks had a fever, Moko felt that Shanks' body, which was pressed tightly against her, was frighteningly hot, and even his words were so scorching that it made her heart burn.

"Shanks, you really are an idiot..."

"Yeah, it's Moko-chan's idiot."

At this moment, Shanks desperately wanted to tell Moko to stay, but he knew he couldn't. Whether it was Moko's own wish or the plan he and the captain devised, Moko couldn't know about any of this for the time being. This path, paved with the captain's last remaining life, was one he would walk no matter what price he had to pay, and Moko didn't need to be caught in this danger.

The wind chimes by the window jingled crisply, and a gentle breeze carrying a fresh scent blew into the room. The ship had already left the storm zone and had probably entered the Wano Country area. The dappled sunlight outside the window gradually streamed into the room, its healing power like threads, carrying a golden halo that permeated every corner of the room.

The two people sleeping in each other's arms on the bed were so attached to each other. There were many things they could rely on in this world, but their only place was by each other's side. No matter where they went, they would eventually return to each other. Power, wealth, the world, none of these mattered. The most important thing was to be with the person in front of them. That was all they wanted.