One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 65 Orange Tart

"Don't worry, Alita's mother will be fine."

As soon as Moko finished speaking, she sat down on the edge of the bed and gently took the hand that had become thin and withered due to illness. A faint white halo emanated from Moko's hand and slowly enveloped Moko and the woman.

Alita's eyes widened, unsure how to react to this strange sight. She knew there were many people in the world with strange powers, like the Red-Haired Man, who possessed an invisible power. But Moko's power was clearly visible. No matter what happened in the future, Alita could never forget today's scene, because on this day she saw a god descend to earth.

A pure, unblemished white light enveloped the two of them, and Alita seemed to see huge white wings slowly unfolding behind Moko. It was a serene and peaceful white, and even though she was so awake at this moment, she still couldn't tell whether it was reality or a dream.

The sunlight outside the window gradually seeped into the room, driving away the darkness. The light shimmered and intertwined, and countless feather-like white halos floated in the air. Knowing she couldn't touch them, Alita couldn't help but reach out and catch a feather. The moment she touched it, the feather turned into countless points of light and disappeared into Alita's palm. Her heart, which had been cold with fear, gradually warmed up, as if she had fallen into an extremely gentle embrace, feeling so safe and secure.

Uta learned about Moko's special healing power when they were at Mount Gorbo. Although Moko didn't hide it from him, Uta still found it amazing no matter how many times he saw it. He reached out to grab the fluttering feathers. Mihua and Tianguo were very excited, flapping their wings and flying back and forth in the white halo. Every time they touched a feather, the two little ones' fur became more and more beautiful, as if they were also shining.

Mo Ke gently raised her beautiful eyes, her orange-pink eyes shrouded in wisps of golden mist. Her long pink hair seemed to ripple in the wind, spreading out in circles of lively waves. The light from their clasped hands grew even brighter. After closing her eyes to avoid a burst of blinding light, the room returned to calm. Mo Ke remained sitting quietly on the edge of the bed, as if everything that had just happened was merely a dream.

"mom!"

Alita rushed to the bedside, anxiously watching the woman who was still unconscious. Compared to her pale face after vomiting blood, the woman's complexion was now rosy and she showed no signs of illness, although she was still somewhat thin.

"It's all over now, and there won't be any more problems."

"Thank you, sir, thank you so much."

Alita kept thanking them with her head down, her voice trembling with sobs. She had never imagined such a day would come, never thought that her mother would actually experience a miracle.

"The little chestnut bear who loves to cry can't cry anymore after eating orange tart. The cute little chestnut bear is only cute when he's always smiling."

Moko cupped Alita's face in her hands and gently pinched it. Her smile was so beautiful that Alita blushed slightly. No wonder the red-haired lady liked the person in front of her; this was a god.

Uta brought over the orange tart from the kitchen at some point, tilted her head, and revealed a bright smile, her eyes making no attempt to hide her admiration and pride for Moko.

When the mayor rushed back, Moko and Uta had already left. The moment the mayor pushed open the bedroom door, tears streamed down his face.

"Honestly, you're a dad now, and you still cry so much, Triton."

"Hehe, Dad is a crybaby, Mom, you know that."

Alita and the woman each held half an orange tart. They laughed especially happily when they saw Terrydon crying his eyes out. Terrydon staggered to the bedside and hugged his wife and daughter tightly.

"Really? Is this true? Did the gods hear my plea, Oriora?"

"It's not a god, it's Sister Moko. Sister Moko is much more powerful than a god. I wish I were a boy."

Alita's voice was full of admiration, and her eyes turned into stars, just like how she looked at Shanks back then.

(Shanks: Achoo, I feel like someone's eyeing my wife (ノ￣▽￣))

"Madam? You mean the Red-Haired Lord's wife?"

"Yes, Sister Moko is incredibly powerful, she's practically like a real god, no, no, Sister Moko is even more powerful than a real god."

Alita bit her fork, struggling to find the right words to describe Moko's prowess. Triton didn't understand why his wife's illness had healed so quickly, nor did he know what Moko had done, but none of that mattered anymore. He only knew that Moko had saved his wife, and from that moment on, his life belonged to Moko.

"It doesn't matter anymore, as long as you're awake, Aureola, our family will never be separated again."

"Okay, you really are. You've been a crybaby since you were little. How could I dare to leave you? I have to protect you for the rest of my life, you coward."

The warm sunlight illuminated the entire room, and the sweet scent of oranges, along with the sunlight, diffused a soft glow throughout the room, creating a cozy atmosphere.

Would Shanks like it?

"Of course, this was made by Uta-chan herself, Shanks will definitely love it."

Uta held Moko's hand and swayed along the road. In her other hand, she carried a beautifully made orange tart. Moko's basket contained sleeping Mihua and Sweet Fruit. Perhaps they had eaten too many feathers, because the two little ones had curled up into a tiny ball and were sleeping in the basket ever since they finished their healing, and they couldn't be woken up no matter what.

Shanks' office was a two-story villa built along the coast. When Moko and Uta arrived, there were still quite a few people in the office. Beckman hadn't gone to rest yet, and Yubi was also there. Shanks looked at Moko with teary eyes, as if he had seen a savior.

Moko blinked. Could it be? She remembered that Shanks was much better at ship management than she was when he was on the ship. These small tasks shouldn't be a problem for this academic genius.

"Have some snacks and rest for a bit. We can deal with the work later."

Mo Ke placed the orange tarts she had made on the table. She couldn't help it; her red golden retriever looked so pitiful, and she had to protect it.

"And there's the orange tart I made, which I made myself."

Uta placed the box containing the orange tarts on the table. As soon as it was opened, the rich aroma of oranges filled the air. While Moko said she was taking a break, Shanks had already very consciously moved from his desk to the reception table where the snacks were placed.

"Since Little Uta is so amazing, I'll have to savor it properly."

Shanks was very supportive, and his emotional value was fully on point. Of course, while showing his support, he also accepted the first orange tart that Moko handed him.

Beckman looked at Shanks so self-aware with a helpless expression, feeling like he had vented all his anger on Shanks.

"Try it, I've added some herbs to relieve fatigue."

Moke pushed the sliced ​​orange tart in front of Beckman, who smiled and nodded.

Beckman rarely eats sweet snacks; usually, only Shanks and Uta eat them on the ship. But looking at the orange tart that gleamed so temptingly, Beckman suddenly felt a strong urge to try it.

The orange tart was sweet, but still within Beckman's comfort level. Perhaps because he was too tired, Beckman found the sweetness just right. The slight sourness brought out by the sweetness gave Beckman a refreshing feeling, completely masking the bitterness of the herbs and instead leaving a sweet aftertaste. The fatigue of the past few days vanished.

Seeing that Beckman's fatigue had eased, Moko smiled slightly. Yubi helped distribute the remaining orange tarts to everyone. Moko watched as everyone ate happily and naturally sat down at her desk.

The documents were only relatively complicated, and Beckman and Yubi had already handled a lot of them. The rest wasn't difficult. Shanks was just trying to slack off. Moko slightly curled her lips. She was used to it. After all, Shanks was raised by his father.

As expected of someone who has been handling various tasks since childhood, the mountain of documents rapidly decreased at a visible speed, leaving Beckman stunned. The look of relief in his eyes, as if he had seen a savior, was truly remarkable.

A large portion of the industry reports had been processed long ago, so there wasn't much left. Moko handled it very smoothly and finished it in no time.

The more troublesome part is the affairs on Shanks' ship, which involve too many islands and disputes with other pirate crews. Although Moka's intelligence organization cannot be said to cover the whole world, she can know most of the news at sea. The affairs on the ship will only take a little time at most.

"Shanks, you and Kaido have a lot of conflicts?"

Moko frowned. Several documents in a row were about fighting Kaido. Although there was no response most of the time, it was strange that a sea emperor would pay so much attention to a pirate.

Shanks is currently only the captain of a great pirate crew. Although he has the qualifications to become the Emperor of the Sea, the timing is not right, and Shanks has no intention of becoming emperor. Moreover, Shanks is quite indifferent to fame and fortune.

Moko rested her chin on her hand, clearly not understanding Kaido's intentions. Shanks was hiding his strength well, and the strength he had revealed was not enough to threaten the current status of the three Emperors of the Sea. Why keep chasing after Shanks to fight?

(Moko: If Lingling kicks you out, go coax her yourself. Why are you bullying my man?! (*｀w′*)v)

"Kaido said he's interested in my tavern and wants to cooperate, but I ignored him."

Shanks forked a piece of orange tart and brought it to Moko's lips, saying nonchalantly that he would never give up Moko's business to anyone else. As long as he didn't use force, he could negotiate a few more times without any problems. But if the other party dared to make a move, then they shouldn't blame him for being ruthless.

"How stingy."

Moko swallowed the orange tart in her mouth and calmly complained. With Shanks by her side, Moko was always relaxed and often showed some childish temper. Everyone was surprised at first, but they got used to it over time. They were just too full of dog food during their time in Golpo Mountain.

"Hmm, so stingy. Double the price of the wine you brew next time."

Shanks nodded in agreement, playing along with Moko's antics like a child. Beckman rubbed his temples; if he didn't know that Moko and Shanks were just joking, Beckman felt he could already imagine the news in the newspapers a few days later about the two pirate crews fighting over rising liquor prices.

(Rayleigh: You better watch out. Shanks might actually do what Moko says in his jokes. He did quite a few things like that when he was a kid.)

Beckman: ...

Shanks: (( °u° ) withdrew his restless hand)

Beckman: What am I expecting? A monkey that's planning to kidnap people at Marine Headquarters and behave itself?

Shanks: (′?w?｀) Hehe!

"Boss, breaking news!"