One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 39 Proposes Going to Sea

After spending several days together, the three little ones' hostility towards Shanks completely disappeared. There was no way around it; this brother-in-law was no match for them, and more importantly, he was deeply loved by their own sister. From the very beginning, the outcome was never in doubt.

"Shanks, let me aboard."

This is the umpteenth time Luffy has run up to Shanks and started causing trouble again, showing remarkable persistence.

"Luffy, pirates aren't the great heroes you imagine."

Shanks squatted by the fence, mending the damaged parts, and answered without turning his head.

"I don't care, Shanks, let me on board! Let me on board! Let me on board!"

Seeing that Shanks was ignoring him, Luffy lay down on the ground and started rolling around, stretching out his arms to grab Shanks, creating a rather bizarre scene.

There have been banquets every night for the past few days. Luffy, who has a sweet tooth, secretly drank a whole barrel of sake when no one was looking. When he was discovered, he was already passed out drunk.

Drunk, Luffy woke up thirsty again in the middle of the night and wandered into the kitchen. He happened to find a small box that Shanks had hidden in the cupboard. In his drunken stupor, Luffy discovered that there was fruit in the box and swallowed it. When he found out the next day, Luffy had turned into a rubber man.

Perhaps it was fate, Shanks had no choice but to accept the reality, and poor Luffy, who was already a terrible swimmer, became even worse.

Ace sighed and calmly walked up to Luffy, who was throwing a tantrum.

"boom!"

"Ouch, Ace!"

Luffy retracted his super-long arm, covered his forehead with both hands, and looked at Ace with teary eyes. Uta laughed so hard his shoulders shook. Moko put the pastries she was carrying on the table and patted Uta's head. Uta's eyes lit up when he saw the cream cake. He ate the cake while looking at the teary-eyed Luffy.

"Idiot, the most enjoyable thing about going out to sea is definitely traveling on your own boat."

Ace stood with one hand on his hip, his eyes filled with longing for the sea. Luffy looked at Ace with a mixture of understanding and confusion.

"Hahaha, Luffy, our ship will definitely be a hundred times bigger than Shanks' in the future!" Sabo chimed in at the opportune moment.

"real(???)!"

"Hmph, of course."

Ace proudly raised his head, not only wanting to be a hundred times bigger, but also wanting to take his sister away with him. He wouldn't easily hand her over to this stinky old man.

"Okay, then I won't go to Shanks' ship, hehehe."

"Alright, let's continue today's training. The last person to arrive at the treehouse will not receive any snacks."

Ace and Sabo ran and shouted, and by the time Luffy reacted, the two had already run quite a distance.

"Ah, Ace, Sabo, you're cheating!"

Luffy quickly chased after him, and as he passed Uta, he stretched out his arm to grab some snacks and ran alongside Uta.

"Hey, Luffy, I didn't say I was going!"

"Hahaha, let's go play together, Uta."

Watching the four little ones run into the forest, Moko chuckled helplessly, and Shanks walked up behind her at that moment.

"We've become really good friends."

"Yes." Moko wrung out a damp towel and wiped the sweat from Shanks' forehead. "When are you planning to leave?"

"I'll come back tomorrow, once things are settled on the Grand Line."

Shanks gazed tenderly at Moko, brushing a strand of hair that had fallen across her forehead behind her ear.

"I'll wait for you to come back."

"it is good."

Because of various problems on the affiliated islands, Shanks had to go back, which made Shanks, who wanted to spend more time with Moko, particularly angry. Why did he have to cause trouble at this time of year?

Seeing their captain's agitated expression, everyone on board kept their distance, silently mourning for the troublemaker. Don't let their captain's usual carefree and cheerful demeanor fool you; when he gets angry, no one can stop him. No, the only one who can probably stop an angry captain is probably his wife, but unfortunately, she's not on board. The troublemaker should just pray for himself.

After Shanks left, life returned to its usual tranquility. The difference was that Moko smiled more often, and Dadan and Makino noticed this as well, feeling happy for Moko.

Garp took some time to come back during that period, and the first thing he noticed about Moko was that she was different; she was much more vibrant than before. Although he didn't know what had happened when he left, it was still a good thing.

"Naval Headquarters?"

"Yes, little Moko, come with Grandpa to join the Navy. Can you bear to see Grandpa unable to eat or sleep well at the Navy Headquarters?"

Garp pretended to wipe away his tears, and no one knew who he learned it from. His acting was so fake that the three little ones looked at Garp speechlessly.

"Sister won't go with you, old man..."

"Ok?"

Seeing Garp raise his threatening fist, Ace abruptly changed his words, "Ahem, Grandpa."

"That's more like it, hahaha."

Garp laughed and patted Ace on the head. Moko placed the cut fruit on the table and sat down beside him.

"The chefs at the Navy Headquarters must be incredibly skilled, right? Grandpa doesn't like their cooking?"

In Moko's memory, Garp and Luffy are not picky eaters, so the excuse of sending her to Marine Headquarters because the food was not tasty is really far-fetched.

The three little ones took the fruit and ran to the yard. If they stayed any longer, they would definitely get scolded. Just thinking about Garp's devilish training made the three little ones shudder.

Watching the three little ones leave, Garp sighed deeply and tightened his grip on his hands.

“Little Moko, Ace and the others can take care of themselves now, you don’t need to spoil them.”

Moko poured the tea and placed it next to Garp, her voice soft and gentle, "That's not what Grandpa Garp wanted to say, is it?"

"...Sigh, Moko, your life shouldn't be limited to this. How about going out to sea to see more of the world? It's okay if you don't want to become a navy officer. You can just register as one and Grandpa can take you out to see more of the world... These three brats have already taken up enough of your time. Moko, you should go out into the world."

Garp tried his best to persuade Moko. You see, when the three kids were that age, he could already beat the King of the Mountain into a mount. He hadn't tried to persuade Moko like this before because he knew she couldn't live without Ace, but now Moko's eyes were different. She had expectations for the future. The three brats had grown up, and his precious granddaughter should enjoy her life.

"Grandpa Garp..."

"Little Moko, this is also your father's wish."

Before Moko could finish speaking, Kapu added a sentence and took out a small velvet box from his pocket. Hearing that it was her father's wish, Moko paused slightly.

At Garp's prompting, Moko opened the box. When she saw the emerald bow tie, her pupils constricted. It was the bow tie Roger had taken with him when he left, a gift from Moko to Roger. Moko never expected to see Roger's belongings again at this time.

Moko gently touched the bow tie. There was a barely noticeable crack on the emerald, just as Roger could never be resurrected. This bow tie could never be the same again. Moko was stunned for a long time before speaking softly. She wanted to know what her father had left behind.

“Dad, he…”

"Roger said before his execution that you should return to the sea when the wounds in your heart begin to heal, little Moko. You are free and don't need to compromise yourself for anyone. If you are worried about those three brats, just come back and visit often. Grandpa won't restrict your vacation time, hahaha."

"Grandpa Garp... let me think about it some more."

Moko pursed her lips, somewhat undecided. The three little ones were very self-reliant and usually never caused her any worry. Strictly speaking, it was her heart that was reluctant to leave. No matter how old the three little ones were, they were still children in her heart. Whether it was them leaving or her leaving, she would always feel a little apprehensive and reluctant to part with them.

Seeing Moko's conflicted expression, Garp didn't continue speaking. He gently patted Moko's head with his large hand, his eyes kind.

"Little Moke, children will eventually have to leave their families. Young birds can't live under the protection of their families forever. Let them fly on their own, okay?"

Garp came back during his free time and left after only a short while. Moko sat on the deck chair, pondering Garp's words. Could she really go back to the sea now?

Moko originally planned to go to Shanks' ship after Ace grew up, but Roger's words made her hesitate. Both Roger and Rouge had told her to return to the sea, as if they had foreseen the current situation and paved the way from the beginning, just waiting for her to choose.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see a garden full of jasmine and hibiscus. The fence, which was originally a bit damaged, has been repaired by Shanks. Just then, a butterfly flew by and landed on the fence. As if a gentle breeze was blowing, the butterfly fluttered its wings and flew away, disappearing into the red afterglow of the sunset.

"Sister, go to sea."

Ace's voice came, and Moko turned around and saw the three little ones standing by the door. The three little ones had their heads down, and Luffy's eyes were red, obviously he had just cried. It seemed that the three little ones had heard what she said in the morning.

Moko smiled gently and beckoned to the three little ones. Sabo and Luffy obediently walked to Moko's side, while Ace stood still. Moko reached out and stroked Luffy's face, and specks of white light lit up. The redness and swelling in his eyes quickly subsided, and Luffy felt his stinging eyes suddenly become cool and comfortable.

"Did you hear what I said this morning?"

"Sister, don't become a navy soldier, come be a pirate with us, okay?"

Luffy didn't think too much about it; he just felt that it would be better for Moko to become a free pirate with him than for the Marines with their terrifying grandfathers.

Moko patted Luffy's head with a slight smile, "Luffy, do you want your sister to go to sea?"

"Yes, my sister is so amazing, she can definitely become a super powerful pirate."

At this point, Luffy's eyes sparkled. In Luffy's memory, his sister has always been the most amazing person. She can do everything and her desserts are incredibly delicious.

"But if my sister goes to sea, then it will only be Luffy, Ace, and Sabo living at home. Luffy won't have any snacks to eat then. Is that okay?"

Moko spoke slowly, and as soon as she finished speaking, Luffy pressed his temples, caught in a difficult decision. Moko didn't urge him, and seeing that his head was almost steaming, Luffy decisively gave up thinking.

"Sister, go out to sea. I still prefer you to snacks. Your happiness is more important. You once said that the freest person on the sea is the strongest. You are so amazing, you should be the freest person on the sea."

“Luffy is right, sister. We can take care of ourselves now. You can do whatever you want to do, right, Ace?”

As Sabo spoke, he looked at Ace. Ace pursed his lips, as if he had made up his mind, and walked up to Moko, looking at her with firm eyes.

"Sister, we will grow up soon and be able to see you on the sea soon, so sister, go on the sea without worry."

Ace clenched his fists tightly. He could tell that his sister wanted to go to the sea and go with that annoying brother-in-law, but in the end she stayed behind because he had tied her down. His sister always put him first and ignored her own thoughts. His sister was not happy or free at all.

"Yes, yes, sister, we're going to become the most powerful and freest pirates. We'll sail the seas in our own pirate ship to see you then, so don't worry about us."

Sabo touched his nose, but every word he said indicated that Mo could rest assured.

"It's a ship a hundred times bigger than Shanks' ship, sister."

Luffy spread his arms wide, gesturing that it was super big. Moko was amused by Luffy's cute appearance. She patted the two of them on the head, then took Ace's tightly clenched hand. His fingertips were slightly white from the force. Moko gently pried open Ace's hand, ran her fingers over the nail marks on his palm, and the broken skin healed quickly.

"My sister will go to Grandpa's boat first."

"Huh? Isn't my sister going to Shanks' ship?"

"Shanks has something very important to do right now. If my sister leaves with Shanks, I won't see Luffy, Ace, and Sabo for a long time. If we go to Grandpa's ship, I can come back to see you often."

"Really?! That's wonderful!"

Luffy jumped for joy. He was reluctant to let Moko leave, but Ace and Sabo told him that morning that his sister was unhappy staying here. He didn't want his sister to be unhappy. As long as his sister was happy, he didn't care if he didn't get any snacks. But now his sister said she would come back often, so it was fine. After all, his sister would leave for a few days for work sometimes.

"Is this alright, Ace?"

Moko chuckled as she looked at Ace. Even Shanks couldn't hide his emotions in front of Moko, so how could the three little ones escape her notice? Moko knew that if she didn't agree to go to sea, Ace, with his sensitive nature, would probably be stuck in a dead end.

But if Moko leaves with Shanks now, she's worried about the three little ones. Shanks carries the mission given to him by Roger, and if Moko goes with Shanks, she won't have any free time for a long time. Moreover, Ace would easily be exposed to the public, and she would nip any thing that might threaten Ace in the bud.

Therefore, following Garp is the best option at present. Garp will not restrict her freedom. With Mikasa by her side, she can come back to see the three little ones at any time. She can also take this time to go to the Grand Line to develop the Jasmine market. Once Shanks is ready, the complete Jasmine industry chain can be initially established. When the three little ones set sail, it can also provide an extra layer of protection for them.

When Ace met Moko's gaze, he understood that his sister was comforting him. He knew he had to grow up quickly, become a reliable adult, someone his sister could rely on, and no longer just a burden, a child who would always cause his sister worry.

"Um!"