One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 23 Love and Waiting

Lu Jiu stood on the sea cliff, staring blankly at the shimmering sea, letting the newspaper in her hand be blown away by the wind. Mo Ke held Lu Jiu's hand tightly beside her. Neither of them spoke, afraid that if they opened their mouths, they would not be able to stop their sobs. The bright red sunset covered the sky, like a raging fire, as if it would engulf the two of them at any moment.

The fiery red hibiscus flowers bloomed all over the mountain, like the sunset over the sky. At this moment, Roger's era truly came to an end. The cruel and resolute farewell pierced the broken heart. Those left behind could only lick their wounds and accept this imperfect ending.

A few days after Roger's execution, a large number of marines arrived on the island, solely because of Roger's strange behavior on the island. In order to eliminate the possibility of Roger's bloodline remaining, the marines would stay on the island for nearly a year.

Moko had considered escaping with Rouge. With Mikako around, they could easily escape, but Rouge gently but firmly refused.

“Xiao Moke, if we suddenly disappear, they will have a clear target to capture us. We must stay here now. As long as no child is born this year, they will naturally leave.”

"How could this be, Mom..."

Lu Jiu shook her head, interrupting Mo Ke's next words, and gently touched Mo Ke's face. "Yes, this child can definitely hold on until then."

Seeing Rouge's determined expression, Moko seemed to understand something. Her body stiffened, and she lowered her head, sobbing against Rouge's lap. Her soft whimpers were filled with pain. Rouge looked at Moko with gentle eyes and stroked Moko's long hair tenderly. "It will be alright, it will definitely be alright. She promised Roger that she would protect the two children. Everything will be alright."

In the days that followed, Rouge wore a corset and reduced her daily diet by more than half. The food she ate was only enough to keep her body functioning normally. Just as Rouge had thought, without sufficient nutrition, the baby in her belly developed almost to the point of stopping. Her slender figure made it impossible to tell that she was pregnant.

Moko could do nothing. She couldn't force Rouge to leave, nor could she protect Rouge when the world wanted to kill them. She could only watch helplessly as Rouge used the most self-destructive method to protect her and the baby in her womb.

They've already taken her father away, how many more family members will they take from her? Why is this world so cruel? They just wanted to live ordinary lives.

The island's navy searched house to house for all pregnant women. Any pregnant woman or child they deemed suspicious was likely to be killed on the spot. The rest were all imprisoned in the large church that had been temporarily requisitioned. Moko looked at the church, a symbol of redemption, filled with navy personnel, and a barely perceptible hint of irony flashed in her eyes.

Every day, the sound of the Navy breaking down doors could be heard in the town, and Moko and Rouge's place was no exception. Watching the Navy ransacking the place, Moko and Rouge stood quietly to the side. Moko had already sorted out all the things related to Roger in the house and had Mika dig a hole on a nearby deserted island to store them. It was impossible for the Navy to find them from Roger's belongings.

After the navy finished their search, they left in a hurry without any apology. Looking at the messy house, Moko settled Rouge on a recliner and then started cleaning up. Rouge's body was very weak. Due to the corset and lack of nutrition, she suffered from severe pain every day. Moko could only use her healing power to help Rouge suppress this pain.

Besides growing stronger with age, Moko's healing power also increases when she heals others. However, it's impossible for someone to be injured all the time. Moko once tried to heal herself to increase her healing power because she couldn't heal Roger. But she gave up on that approach after finding that it still didn't work.

Things are different now. Her healing power is effective against Rouge. Extending the time the fetus grows in the womb can indeed help deal with this crisis. However, this approach is also extremely harmful to the mother. But it's okay. As long as she can protect her mother, she will do anything. As long as she works hard to improve her healing power, she will definitely be able to protect her mother.

Moko carefully put everything back in its place. Rouge looked at Moko tenderly, gently stroking her flat, pregnant belly. The rocking chair creaked rhythmically. "Not yet, not yet, not yet. I can't bring you into this world. I'm sorry..."

"Pfft~"

Mika nestled beside Luju, radiating worry, unlike her usual boisterous self. Moko, having tidied the room, also sat on the floor next to Luju, gently resting her head on Luju's lap, as her white, transparent healing power slowly flowed into Luju's body.

As night fell, Moko released her hand that was channeling healing energy only after Rouge had fallen into a deep sleep. She patted Mika beside her to signal her to watch over Rouge, and then quietly left the room and closed the door.

Back in her room, Moko took out a dagger and slashed her arm hard. A shocking wound instantly appeared on her fair and smooth arm, blood gushing out. Fine beads of sweat slid down her face. Moko seemed oblivious to the pain, and the moment the wound healed, she slashed it again. Now, nothing was more important than protecting her mother and father's child. What did this little bit of pain matter?

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Moko washed away the smell of blood and returned to Rouge's room. Rouge was still asleep, but the furrowed brows from the pain deeply stung Moko's eyes. Moko gently held Rouge's hand and channeled her healing power again. With the relief of the healing power, Rouge's brows gradually relaxed.

Moko lay down next to Rouge's bed and slept for two or three hours, continuously channeling healing energy until dawn. Moko looked at the approaching light, got up, and went to the kitchen.

Rouge couldn't eat too much, so Moko always prepared food that covered the most basic nutrients. During this time, Moko ate whatever Rouge ate. Not only did Rouge lose a lot of weight, but Moko did too. But looking at Moko's stubborn appearance, Rouge knew she couldn't persuade her. Her little Moko kept blaming herself. She knew it, she knew it.

The weather was getting colder and colder, and everyone on the island was wearing thick cotton-padded coats. Rouge was also relieved. The number of times the Navy would conduct inspections would decrease when it snowed, so Rouge didn't have to be on edge all the time. Rouge still didn't dare to loosen the corset around her waist. If her belly got bigger in winter, it would be harder to cover it up in spring. Whenever this happened, Moko would look at Rouge with great heartache, and Rouge would gently pull Moko into her arms and coax her.

On a cold winter day, the sun seems to have lost its warmth. Sunlight shines through thick clouds onto the earth, but it can never warm the cold air. Snowflakes fall in the wind, and the biting cold penetrates to the bone.

The warm fire in the fireplace traced various shapes. Rouge stroked Moko's long hair and hummed a melodious lullaby. Moko leaned over Rouge's lap, watching the leaping fire. Her beautiful eyes seemed to be veiled in mist, devoid of light, as if she were trapped in a terrible dream from which she could not escape.

The gray-white snow was swirled into shapes by the wind, gathering into mounds of snow. Mihua, who loved playing in the snow, was now quietly keeping the two of them company. Three figures were vaguely imprinted on the wall in the firelight. The vase on the fireplace held jasmine that was almost withered, and the yellowed petals fell off the branches and drifted into the fire and disappeared without a trace.

After winter comes spring, and the jasmine fairy in the garden blooms again. Compared to its small size in the first year, this year's jasmine is in excellent bloom, with fist-sized jasmine filling every crevice of the garden. Moko and Rouge's long-standing distress is also relieved because of this patch of jasmine.

The subsequent searches were not as rigorous as in the early days. After all, almost all the pregnant women on the island had been taken to the church. In the days that followed, the navy only needed to keep an eye on whether the remaining women were pregnant, and life became a little easier.

Autumn came early this year. The warm yellow sunlight shone on the gently swaying curtains, casting a lively play of light and shadow, and occasionally a sweet fragrance of flowers drifted by.

In August, as autumn approached, the Navy finally withdrew from Baterila Island, and Rouge was finally free from all constraints. This should have been a happy occasion, but Moko grew more and more worried each day. The harm caused by the long-term restriction of the fetus's growth quickly became apparent in Rouge's body. The fetus frantically absorbed nutrients from the mother's body, and ordinary food intake could not keep up with the rate at which the fetus absorbed them. Moko had to prepare medicine every day to put the fetus into a short sleep. Medicines that were too strong were completely too much for Rouge's current physical condition to withstand, but medicines that were too weak could not restrain the fetus at all. Moko could only watch helplessly as Rouge was tormented and became thinner and thinner.

The drifting maple leaves are like symbols of farewell, and the sound of them falling is like the ever-changing voice of fate. The jasmine that was just blooming in the garden has already withered, leaving only the bright red hibiscus covering the mountains.

Moko nestled on Rouge's lap, quietly watching the withered yellow petals fluttering outside the window, the creaking of the rocking chair filling the air. Rouge gently stroked Moko's head, her voice soft and ethereal.

"Little Moko, you have a very long future ahead of you, even after I'm gone..."

"Mom!" Moko interrupted Lu Jiu before she could finish speaking, her hands gripping Lu Jiu's skirt tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably. "No, Mom will be alright... I promised Dad..."

Rouge's smile was as gentle as ever. She reached out and cupped Moko's face, gently wiping away her tears. "Little Moko, don't cry. Little Moko looks most beautiful when she smiles. Don't be sad for me. My little Moko is the freest child in the world. The bonds that belong to little Moko are waiting for you somewhere, so little Moko must return to the sea..."

Moko didn't hear what came next, or perhaps she didn't want to hear it. Tears blurred her vision, and Luju's voice grew fainter and fainter. A dense, needle-like pain spread through Moko's heart, almost suffocating her. Moko blinked hard, trying to wipe away the tears and see what Luju was saying, but the fog wouldn't clear. Instead, it grew thicker and thicker, blurring the scene before her into a dream.

Moko hadn't told Rouge about her physical condition, but Rouge had already sensed her body's decline. She couldn't hold on much longer. Witnessing Roger and her departure one after another was incredibly cruel for little Moko, but her little Moko would definitely persevere. Her little Moko was the strongest.

Long, long ago, she made up her mind. Accustomed to waiting, she no longer wanted to wait. This time, let her follow in Roger's footsteps. The Roger she loved wasn't so powerful, not the Pirate King the world called him, not the villain the world hated. He was simply her lover, the father of her children, and that coward who remained unchanged... Just wait a little longer, just a little longer. Her coward shouldn't go too fast, or she wouldn't be able to catch up...