One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 61 An Impossible Romance

"Red-haired sir, um, welcome back."

A young girl, about the same age as Moko, stepped out from the group reporting on their work. Her chestnut-brown, slightly wavy long hair cascaded down her back, and she wore a floral knee-length dress. The girl was nervously twisting her fingers, and she looked very much like an adorable teddy bear.

The girl's admiration for Shanks was undisguised. Without anyone explaining, Moko understood perfectly. Had someone tried to steal her away? No, it was someone else trying to steal her away, but they couldn't. The reason... Moko turned her head to look at Shanks, who looked confused and was deep in thought, and shook her head helplessly.

Shanks frowned, seemingly lost in a mental whirlwind, having no recollection of the girl before him. Beckman, knowing his captain's nature all too well, sighed helplessly and whispered a reminder from behind Shanks.

"The mayor's daughter."

Upon hearing this, Shanks suddenly remembered—the chubby mayor! His instant realization made Moko chuckle.

I don't know if face blindness is contagious, but my dad, Shanks, Ace, Luffy, and Sabo all have some face blindness. At first, Luffy and Sabo didn't seem to have it, but later, I don't know if they were assimilated by Ace or what, but they just inexplicably developed it. They have no impression of some people at all and rely entirely on features to remember them. Moko has never forced them to remember anyone. As long as they can remember the important people, there won't be any major problems.

Hearing the laughter, the girl noticed Moko sitting next to Shanks. Today, Moko was wearing clothes chosen by Shanks. A long white silk dress gently wrapped around Moko's slender body. The dress was adorned with delicate pearl flowers, and the gold threads on the hem outlined intricate patterns that were the finishing touch. Her long pink hair fell to her waist, and a blooming jasmine flower was pinned in her hair. She was gentle and beautiful, as if she were glowing.

The girl believed she was the most beautiful woman on the island, but when she saw Moko, her years of confidence were shattered. Just getting a little closer made her feel ashamed of herself.

Moko is not only beautiful, but more importantly, she exudes an incomparably gentle aura, as warm as the sun. Just one glance at her makes people want to get close to her, and even the slightest bit of jealousy feels like a desecration.

"I'm sorry, Red-haired Lord, my child was rude."

A chubby, prosperous-looking man quickly stepped forward and pulled the girl behind him, his voice tinged with apology. Shanks waved his hand dismissively, his usual carefree demeanor unchanged.

"It's alright, let me report on the situation at the liquor store first."

"Ok."

The mayor took a stack of documents from the side and placed them on the table, then began to report on the winery's recent brewing and sales activities.

Elspers has a fruit harvesting season that lasts up to six months, and with the special preservation during the snow season, the fruit tastes exceptionally delicious. It is considered a top-quality raw material for winemaking, and the wines made from it are renowned worldwide. After starting a collaboration with Jasmine last year, the winery's development has been like a tiger with wings, showing a trend of becoming one of the top three wineries in the world. As a result, the lives of the town's residents have become increasingly prosperous.

"The fruit trees produce a very good yield during the flowering season, and when the snow season comes, they will definitely be able to make a lot of good wine, which will be more than enough to meet the orders for the second half of this year."

As he spoke, the mayor handed the report in his hand to Yubi. He had met Yubi before, and Yubi had been in charge of negotiating every cooperation deal in the early stages. Naturally, the mayor also regarded Yubi as the big boss of Moxiang.

Yubi took the document and nodded, then respectfully handed it to Moko without even glancing at it. This stunned the mayor. He had noticed Moko sitting next to Shanks when he came in, as she was so dazzling that it was hard not to notice her. However, he only regarded her as Shanks' lover. After all, he had never seen the red-haired man treat any woman with such affection before. Now, seeing the two of them so intimate, he could understand why the red-haired man kept his distance from other women.

That's fine, at least it puts an end to any lingering thoughts... The mayor glanced casually at his forlorn daughter behind him.

Ever since he learned that his daughter had such feelings for the red-haired man, he was furious and helpless. They were just ordinary people in the world, how could they be associated with pirates who roam the world? Although this man was very kind and did not oppress them like those hateful pirates before, and even provided them with shelter and work, the mayor still could not allow his daughter to be with a pirate. It was too dangerous. He only hoped that his daughter would marry an honest, ordinary person and live an ordinary life. With the family business he left behind, she could live a very good life in the future. Why should she have to wander with a pirate?

"Who is this gentleman?"

Despite already having a guess, the mayor still asked, deciding to completely extinguish his daughter's hopes. The girl behind him stiffened for a moment upon hearing her father's words, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her skirt, anxiously awaiting an answer with a hint of anticipation.

"She is my wife."

A simple sentence exploded in the girl's mind like a thunderbolt. The girl looked up at the two with difficulty. Shanks' gaze followed Moko the whole time, paying attention to Moko's every move. When he said that she was his wife, the pride and love in his eyes were not hidden at all. What else could she not understand? The adult she admired deeply loved this girl who was like a jasmine.

She had never understood why such a flamboyant and free-spirited adult would plant so many pure white jasmine flowers all over the mountain, when fiery red roses were more like him. But now she understood: it was because his wife liked them, and this jasmine-like girl was the most beloved person in the heart of the adult she admired.

"So it's the lady. The lady and the red-haired man are a perfect match."

"Ah."

Upon hearing the mayor's words, Shanks' eyes visibly lifted, and he looked particularly pleased. As he spoke, he also took the documents that Moko handed him and placed them in a stack that had been processed.

Moko didn't listen to their casual conversation much. When working, Moko was highly focused and rarely distracted by external factors. Shanks, knowing Moko's habits, sat to the side, watching her with a smile without disturbing her. For a moment, the room fell silent as everyone waited quietly for Moko to finish her work.

(Shanks: Oh my, my little Jasmine is beautiful no matter what, even when she's working hard, she's beautiful. She's mine, she's mine (o′w`o))

"No problem, but there should be more orders coming in next year, so remember to stock up. As for Qimingxing..."

Moko looked up at Beckman, who handed her the Morning Star project report. Moko quickly glanced at it; Beckman's arrangements were comprehensive and there was nothing that needed to be changed. Moko nodded.

"Let's proceed with Morning Star according to Beckman's plan."

"Ah."

"Next one."

The liquor store's report was now complete. Moko looked at Yubi, who nodded and took the new documents. The other businesses were no longer the mayor's concern. The mayor left the villa with the revised reports.

Walking towards the tree bridge, the girl kept her head down and didn't speak. The wind carrying the fragrance of flowers blew by, but the girl was no longer as cheerful as before. The mayor looked at his daughter so disappointed and couldn't help but sigh. He handed the documents to the servant beside him and patted the girl's shoulder gently.

"Dad, I..."

“Baby, I’ve said it before, we’re not on the same side as Shanks. No matter how kind Shanks is, he’s still a pirate. I will not agree to you becoming a pirate’s wife. Besides, Shanks has absolutely no feelings for you.”

“I know, Dad, but… but I just can’t control myself. If it weren’t for the red-haired man saving us, we wouldn’t have the life we ​​have today.”

A few years ago, Elspes was an island ravaged by pirates. Everyone on the island lived in constant fear, afraid that they or their family members would die at any moment, until that day came.

The day the red pirate ship arrived, Shanks, like a god, drove away the pirates who were rampaging on the island. From then on, Elspes had a protector like the sun and no longer had to worry about the pirates' rampage.

The girl was rescued by Shanks from the pirates. Shanks, like the rising red sun, dispelled all the darkness and pulled her into the light from that dark house. From that moment on, she fell in love with this pirate who was like the rising sun.

Shanks is strange; he's unlike any other pirate on the sea. He's very kind to everyone and never robs the island's inhabitants. Although he sometimes does some strange things, he doesn't think there's anything wrong with it. Besides, maybe no one will rob him like this.

Shanks has no woman by his side. She always felt that she still had a chance to become that special person by Shanks' side. But so much time has passed, and he still hasn't even remembered her name. She thought that Shanks was just like that... But now, it turns out that's not the case. Shanks doesn't remember the names and appearances of other women, and he doesn't even have a woman by his side, because the position by his side has already been filled. She could never be his choice.

The girl's tears kept falling, landing on the stone-paved path. The mayor patted the girl's back to comfort her, his heart aching.

"That's precisely why you shouldn't have those feelings for the Red-Haired Lord. He saved us, so we should help him run the wine shop properly. That kind of lord is not someone we can associate with."

Looking at the still stubborn girl, the mayor hardened his heart. He had to shatter his daughter's unrealistic ideas. That was a pirate, a pirate with a bounty of hundreds of millions. How could he be as harmless as he appeared on the surface? His daughter couldn't control a man like that.

"The only one worthy of Lord Red-Haired is the girl beside him. She is the same kind of person as Lord Red-Haired, equally powerful. The people in the town are living their lives today thanks to Jasmine's help, and Jasmine's mastermind is probably this red-haired lady."

"How could this be? Jasmine is clearly..."

As she spoke, her voice gradually faded. She often accompanied her father and frequently saw the person in charge of Jasmine, a very handsome young man. But today was indeed strange. The young man sat very respectfully in the seat below that person, and from beginning to end, it was that person who made the arrangements.

Jasmine, jasmine, the girl chewed on the name repeatedly, when suddenly something seemed to flash through her mind, and she seemed to understand. The mayor saw his daughter's enlightened expression and sighed deeply.

"go home."

"……Um."

Yes, only someone as strong and beautiful as her is worthy of an adult as passionate and radiant as the rising sun. They love each other deeply, standing at the same level, and their relationship, which no one can interfere with, is something she envies so much. She can't even be jealous. It's a love affair with no suspense. From the very beginning, she lost completely. This unrequited love, which was never spoken, finally came to an end on an extremely ordinary day...