One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 13 Fluffy Rice Cakes

Shanks stood outside Moko's room, his hand raised, not daring to knock. Moko had gone straight to her room after boarding the ship without saying a word to him. Was she angry with him? What if she really was? Would Moko never speak to him again? No! After hesitating and dawdling for a long time, Shanks finally mustered up the courage to knock on the door.

"The door is unlocked."

"Moko-chan~"

Shanks pushed open the door and peeked in through the crack. Moko was sitting on a recliner reading a book and didn't seem to care. Shanks got really anxious and hurried over to Moko's side, looking at her pitifully.

"Moko-chan, I was wrong, please don't be angry anymore. If you're really angry, just hit me, don't ignore me."

Shanks would rather Moko beat him up than ignore him; his silence was really making him anxious.

Moko put down her book and turned to look at Shanks. Shanks blinked like a golden retriever who had done something wrong, his brows furrowed with unease. How could anyone be angry with Shanks looking like this? Moko reached out and gently flicked Shanks' forehead.

"You'll catch a cold if you don't dry your hair."

Hearing that Moko was concerned about him, Shanks knew that Moko wasn't angry anymore, and he looked at Moko with a grin.

"With Moko-chan here, I'm not afraid."

Moko pinched Shanks' face and pulled it to both sides, her tone somewhat helpless, "That won't do either. He's been out in the rain all night, he'll catch a cold if he doesn't keep warm."

"Moko-chan~"

Shanks grasped Moko's hand and grinned. Moko smiled wryly, got up, and took a dry towel from the cabinet. Shanks sat obediently on the cushion beside him, completely unlike the crazy boy who fought on the battlefield.

Moko carefully wiped Shanks' hair, and the white, transparent healing power slowly flowed into Shanks' body. Shanks felt his fatigue slowly disappear, and he smiled with great joy. Neither of them spoke, and the room was quiet, but it was filled with warmth and peace.

By noon, the deck became lively again as the crew carried a lot of treasure and food toward the forest. The forest was bustling with activity as the two pirate crews exchanged their items for each other's, much like a gift exchange party.

Shanks stood beside Buggy, watching the group exchanging items with a bored expression. Buggy's eyes trembled violently, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes.

"Hey, Shanks."

"What's wrong?" Shanks turned his head to look at Bucky.

"You see that guy in the hat in front of you?"

"Ah."

Shanks looked in the direction Bucky pointed, and there was a black, frizzy-haired boy wearing a hat staring at them.

"That guy didn't seem to sleep at all yesterday, or before, including during the ceasefire last night."

"Hmm? Why? Are you showing off that you don't sleep?"

Shanks asked the question in a serious tone, and Buggy looked at Shanks speechlessly, his voice tinged with resentment.

"No, that's not true. I heard he's never slept since he was born!"

"Sigh, are there really people like that? That's great, their lives must be so much more fun!" Shanks said, feeling a little envious.

"Idiot, it's not that simple. He's a monster."

"Really? How did Bucky know that?"

"Hmph, of course I kept an eye on him for three days..."

Buggy's voice trailed off as he slowly turned his head and saw Moko's smiling face. Shanks had already taken two steps back and gave Buggy a "good luck" look.

"Moko-chan~"

"Bucky, you haven't slept for three days, so what are you doing now?"

A huge figure appeared behind Buggy. Dumpling's eyes shone, and Moko, with her hands on her hips and puffed out like a little pufferfish, grabbed Buggy's wrist with her back to the others. A barely perceptible healing power quickly flowed into Buggy's body, and his wounds healed in no time.

"Tuanzi, take Bucky back to the ship."

"Ooh~"

"Moko-chan, no, I don't want to go back!"

With resistance futile, Dumpling dragged Buggy toward the ship. Shanks watched Buggy with a smug look on his face, showing no intention of helping. Just then, a commotion broke out nearby, and everyone turned to look.

"Hey, don't do that, Captain Roger, they're the enemy."

Jabba shouted at a giant mushroom. Moko looked up and saw Roger kneeling before Whitebeard. She frowned slightly and pulled Shanks back, who was about to step forward. Moko pursed her lips and said nothing. Her father seemed unreliable, but when it came to important matters, every action he took must have its own reason. At this moment, it was enough to just trust her father. Besides, the three people on the mushroom did not have any murderous aura.

"Stop joking!"

It's unclear what he said, but Whitebeard seemed extremely angry and punched the air beside him, instantly creating a gust of air.

"Pfft!"

"boom!"

Moko blinked, looking in confusion at the huge, fluffy creature that had fallen from the tree and landed beside her. It seemed to have fainted from being frightened by Whitebeard's power.

The fluffy creature was covered in reddish-brown fur, with four huge black wings tucked together, forming a round, enormous ball of fur. Moko seemed to have thought of something, and her eyes lit up.

"Shanks, this looks just like the pom-pom you made."

Moko's attention was immediately drawn to the fluffy thing, while the three people on the mushroom, who didn't seem to have any murderous aura, were as if Moko had forgotten about them. Shanks, hearing what Moko said, raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat helpless and amused at how quickly Moko's attention had shifted.

Seeing the fluffy thing, he touched his nose a little embarrassedly. Of all the dolls he made for Moko, that fluffy ball was the prettiest, so he chose it for her. He even made the red fluffy ball out of red velvet. But come to think of it, fluffy balls really do exist. He had originally made them all from his imagination.

"Pfft!"

A cute voice came from the fluffy creature, which seemed to have woken up. Moko withdrew her healing power but hadn't made a next move yet when the fluffy creature suddenly stood up and began to run around frantically. Its six legs moved quickly and it crashed into the crowd, instantly creating a noisy scene.

"Hey, what's that?"

"What is that thing? Where did it come from?"

"Who cares, just arrest them first."

Seeing that someone seemed to be about to draw their sword and slash at the fluffy creature, Moko quickly stepped in front of them. Shanks' heart jumped the moment he saw Moko rush out, and he rushed over to protect her in his arms.

"No, you mustn't hurt it!"

The Whitebeard Pirates then realized that there was a little girl in the Roger Pirates. They hadn't sensed her presence at all for so long. Was she a Devil Fruit user?

"Little Moko!"

The Roger Pirates members quickly gathered around when they saw this, looking at Moko with anxious expressions. Moko shook her head to indicate that she was alright. Looking at the fluffy boy who had crashed into the tree and was curled up in a ball, trembling, Moko's eyes flashed with inexplicable heartache, and she reached out and gently patted Shanks.

"Shanks, the boy is scared, I have to go over there."

Faced with Moko's determined gaze, Shanks sighed softly and released her. Moko smiled and squeezed Shanks's hand reassuringly before slowly approaching the fluffy creature.

The fluffy creature seemed invisible, circling around in place. To avoid frightening it again, Moko stopped five steps away from the fluffy creature and remained still, a faint aura emanating from her body reaching out to it.

A warm aura gradually enveloped the fluffy creature, which slowly calmed down and began to explore its surroundings. It had been sleeping deep inside the island, but there had been a lot of noise overhead these past few days. When it woke up, it smelled a sweet scent and followed it here, but it was immediately shaken down by a strange force, and the sweet scent disappeared.

Moko looked at the fluffy creature with some concern. She couldn't tell why, but she could sense that the fluffy creature was sad and confused. Moko pursed her lips and continued walking forward.

Shanks gripped his sword tightly at his waist, his eyes fixed on the furry creature. If it dared to make a move, he would chop off its claws immediately.

Sensing something approaching, the fluffy creature became a little flustered. Moko tentatively reached out and touched it. So soft, really fluffy! Moko's eyes lit up, and fireworks exploded in her heart. Why are there such cute creatures? They are incredibly adorable. Just thinking about sleeping with a fluffy creature makes me feel so happy.

"It's okay now, you don't need to be scared anymore, okay?"

Moko's voice was soft and gentle, just like a soft, fluffy creature. The fluffy creature was stunned for a moment, then hugged Moko and rubbed against her. So cute, so cute, so small, and it tasted sweet too, just the taste it had been looking for. Moko didn't know what the fluffy creature was thinking, but it felt so happy to be hugged by the fluffy creature.

Seeing the completely harmless, fluffy creature, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and lowered their guard. Shanks looked at Moko with a helpless yet affectionate expression; it seemed the ship would soon have another little pet.

"You like it that much?"

Shanks walked over to Moko and pinched her cheek. Moko nodded excitedly.

"Yeah, because Mika and Shanks look a lot alike."

He liked her because she resembled him, so in other words, Moko liked him. After realizing this, Shanks' face seemed to burn up.

"Rice Flower, is that its name?"

"Ah."

As the two were talking, the fluffy creature suddenly turned to face Shanks. It smelled of apples, which was very pleasant. Mika pulled Shanks into her arms as well. Before Shanks could react, he was enveloped in softness. He had to admit that this fluffy creature was really soft to the touch. No wonder Moko liked it so much.

Rayleigh looked at Mika and scratched his chin in confusion. What kind of species was this? He had never heard of a creature with only a body and no head. Since it had wings, could it fly? Rayleigh pinched Mika's paws; they were soft and had no sharp claws. It seemed to have zero attack power.

The Whitebeard Pirates watched with complicated expressions as Moko tamed an unknown creature, while the rest of the Roger Pirates stood by, studying it. Truly, they were all so eccentric, befitting of the Roger Pirates.

On the mushroom platform, the three who had reached an agreement looked at the simmering commotion below with amusement. Whitebeard put down his empty beer bottle and looked at Roger.

"Roger, who is that kid? He wasn't there when the fight happened."

"That's my precious daughter, isn't she adorable?"

When talking about Moko, Roger looked proud, his smugness barely concealed. Whitebeard looked incredulous; he simply couldn't believe that this unkempt man could have such a lovely daughter.

"Newgate, what kind of disbelief is that in your eyes?"

"Tch, what do you think?"

"You're just jealous that I have such a lovely daughter."

"Ha, are you kidding me? I have so many sons, why would I be jealous of you!"

The matter came to an end amidst the bickering of the two children. The strange samurai Kozuki Oden, along with his wife and children, would be traveling with Roger's pirate crew for the foreseeable future. Roger had specially left behind a considerable amount of treasure, food, and wine as a token of his gratitude.

After listening to his men's headcount, the white-bearded man, looking irritated, suddenly turned around and roared, shaking the ship.

"What?! A bunch of idiots! Give the food back to me! If the Kozuki Oden family goes hungry, I won't let you get away with it! Give it back right now!!"

"Yes! Do it right away!"