One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 57 Marco Falls from the Sky

Jasmine is built at the highest point of Ophelia. Standing on the balcony, you can easily take in the entire street scene of Ophelia. As the sun slowly sinks and meets the sea, the entire island is draped in a golden veil. When the wind blows, ripples spread out, rolling with dazzling scales that merge into the sky, leaving behind a sky full of rosy glow.

In June, the hillsides of Ophelia are covered with blooming lisianthus. The colorful lisianthus stretches the afterglow of the setting sun, adorning the flowers with a circle of silky satin. The warm fragrance of the flowers spreads with the waves of the satin, weaving a soft dream into the heart in the hazy evening mist.

Occasionally, the playful sea breeze would try to carry the fragrance of flowers, scattering countless petals to dance in the air. Mo Ke stood on the balcony gazing at this peaceful and serene scene, then turned around and saw Mi Hua, who had already slept like a cat pancake. Her heart softened instantly.

"Little Moke?!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind her. The moment Moko turned around, a playful sea breeze quickly swept by, carrying petals the color of the setting sun. Moko couldn't help but tilt her head slightly and close her eyes uncomfortably.

Waiting for the wind to subside, Moke slowly opened her eyes and saw the owner of the voice. Before her eyes were two wings of bright blue flames, and the man was floating in the air against the light, surrounded by a golden glow. For a moment, Moke thought of an angel descending, but the angel's clothes looked too casual and not solemn.

"Is that Xiao Moke?"

The man's voice carried a hint of anticipation, his eyes gleaming with excitement and restraint.

Seeing that the man seemed to recognize her, Moko began to search her memory carefully. The figure of a blond boy gradually overlapped with the person in front of her. Moko tilted her head and spoke somewhat uncertainly.

"Brother Marco?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Marco felt a sense of relief and smiled easily. It was wonderful that the lovely girl from the cherry blossom forest etched in his memory was still alive. Not only that, she had grown up well and become as radiant and beautiful as a cherry blossom.

Less than a year after Roger and Whitebeard's conversation, news came that Roger was to be executed. This shocked Marco greatly, and he couldn't help but worry about the little girl with the bright smile. During this time, his father asked him to secretly search for Moko's whereabouts, but all his efforts were in vain. Marco had already prepared for the worst, but he never expected to meet the girl he could never forget on an ordinary island at an ordinary time.

Roger was very cautious. To protect Moko, he never told anyone where she was before he passed away. But Roger was also very smart. He foresaw everything and knew that he was about to die, so he paved the way for Moko's future early on. This path was filled with gifts, love, family, and all the love a father has for his daughter. All of these accompanied Moko as she grew up.

"Sister Moko!"

Before Marco could speak again, Yubi led a group of people onto the balcony and quickly protected Moko. Their eyes were fixed on Marco outside the balcony. Marco hadn't made any effort to conceal himself when he came over, so it wasn't surprising that he was discovered. If he had gone somewhere else, it would have been one thing, but now he was blatantly running in front of Moko. It was incredibly impolite, and Yubi absolutely could not tolerate it.

"Yubi is fine. He's someone I know, not an enemy."

Mo Ke spoke softly, afraid that if she didn't stop them, a fight might break out in the next second.

"Yes, Sister Moko."

Upon hearing Moko's words, Yubi and the others quickly and obediently put away their weapons, as if they hadn't been looking wary just moments before. Marco couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at how fast they changed their expressions.

Although it wasn't an enemy attack, it still served as a wake-up call for Yubi. Jasmine's aerial defenses were weak, and they needed to develop methods to defend against aerial enemies. This situation would definitely not happen again next time.

"You all go about your business."

"Yes."

A bunch of people came in with a clatter, and then they left with a clatter. Moko felt a little helpless about Yubi's protection. She wasn't a parasitic plant; there were very few people who could hurt her. Unless the other side had gathered an army to fight a war of attrition against her, she might not be able to win even with fewer people. After all, her current healing power could easily last for half a month if she only protected herself.

"Brother Marco, I'm sorry."

"I should be the one apologizing. I climbed onto your balcony without invitation. I'm sorry, I scared you."

Marco landed on the balcony, his azure flame wings gradually dissipating and transforming back into his hands. He then politely apologized to Moko.

Moko smiled and shook her head, inviting Marco to sit down. She then took some fresh tea leaves from the food cart next to her and began to brew tea.

Marco sat across from Moko, looking at her radiant smile. He wanted to say something, but didn't know how to begin. Where had she been since Roger's death? Was she doing well? Why hadn't she asked him for help? These questions circled on his lips before he swallowed them back down.

What right did he have to ask such questions? He and Moko had only met twice. These questions were far too presumptuous. Besides, an important family member must be suffering greatly from such a tragic death. Why should he reopen Moko's wounds?

"Brother Marco, are you here to buy wine?" Sensing Marco's hesitation and difficulty, Moko asked softly.

Aside from flower sales, other businesses in Ophelia were not thriving until Jasmine established her business, which brought prosperity to Ophelia's liquor industry. Many people who came to Ophelia came to buy liquor. As for tourism, pirates wouldn't be interested in traveling to ordinary islands, especially someone like Jasmine, the captain of the first division under Whitebeard, one of the Emperors of the Sea, who has the authority of a vice-captain. Therefore, Jasmine's question didn't seem too deliberate.

"Well, there's a banquet on the ship tonight, and since we're near Ophelia, I was thinking of buying some jasmine-flavored wine."

Marco quickly snapped out of his reverie and, seeing that Moko seemed not to have noticed anything, breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

"Uncle with the white beard still really enjoys throwing parties."

Moko smiled and placed the brewed tea next to Marco. The aroma of the tea was mixed with a faint medicinal scent. Marco's nose twitched slightly, and he raised an eyebrow at Moko.

"Is the tea made with herbs?"

"Yes, I added some calming and fatigue-relieving herbs because Marco seems to be very tired. It seems there's a lot going on on the ship."

Marco was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled softly, completely relaxing as he picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Little Moko's keen sense is truly amazing... Why don't you come to our banquet? Dad will be very happy to see you, YO."

"Maybe next time. Mo Xiang has some things to take care of and doesn't have time right now."

Moko shook her head, her smile still as bright as the morning sun. The setting sun had completely sunk below the sea, and the streetlights lit up one by one, like thousands of stars falling, paving a dazzling galaxy. The tall star-shaped flower trees in the garden also shimmered with starlight, and the star-shaped flowers on the vines cascaded down like a waterfall of light, their pale blue glow pouring down. Sleeping star butterflies fluttered their wings and flew out from the flower trees, gently landing on the table. Their shimmering light fell on the two of them, evoking a romantic atmosphere.

(Star Flower Tree: A tree species that grows on warm islands. It has a glassy color and can grow up to 30 meters tall. It has extremely long vines that can grow indefinitely if not pruned. Its leaves are shaped like white feathers and its flowers are shaped like stars. It has a light fragrance and emits a pale blue starlight at night. Its flowers and leaves can be used as medicine. They taste bitter and have the effect of detoxifying and clearing heart fire.)

Starlight Butterfly: A companion creature of the Starflower Tree, whose only edible food is the Starflower. Its body is glassy and it hides among the Starflower Tree during the day. Like the Starflower, it glows at night. It can be used medicinally, but releases a potent poison when startled. Do not touch it carelessly; the Starflower can be used as an antidote.

"It's alright, Dad will definitely throw a banquet next time Xiaomo goes, YO~"

"Haha, well, since I can't go this time, I'll treat you to the drinks. That way, it'll count as me attending the banquet."

Moko winked playfully, her eyes sparkling with liveliness.

"Xiao Mo, is this just a case of drinking instead of being there?"

"Yes, that way Uncle Whitebeard won't feel it's a pity."

Seeing how adorable Moko was, Marco's lips curled up, and he wanted to reach out and pat Moko's head, but then he felt it wasn't appropriate and forcibly suppressed the urge.

"Salyca".

"Yes, Sister Moko."

Salica gently pushed the door open a crack in response to Moko, but remained standing outside, not coming in.

"Tell Yubi that if any members of the Whitebeard Pirates come to pick up drinks later, just give them a free meal. It's okay to give them extra."

"Ok."

The door was gently closed again, and Moko turned around.

"Brother Marco will bring a box of my room's bar later; it's a non-sale item from Jasmine."

After listening for so long, Marco still understood everything: the owner of Jasmine was Moko.

Jasmine's appearance was too sudden, and many people were trying to find out her background, including Marco. Jasmine's rise was too fast, as if someone was pushing her up. Marco had to find out if she was an enemy force, since the safety of the entire Whitebeard Pirates was on his side, and the intelligence could not be wrong.

There is very little information about Jasmine. All that is known is that Jasmine suddenly appeared in the East Blue, and then a few years later she suddenly appeared in the Grand Line. Her development speed was very rapid, and she quickly occupied nearly 10% of the market.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it's not even half. You have to understand that half of the market along the Grand Line is controlled by the World Government, while the other half is divided among other forces. And Jasmine has taken up nearly one-fifth of it, which is almost the same as the assets owned by her Whitebeard Pirates. She could easily support a new Emperor of the Sea. Such a force is one that cannot be ignored at any time.

However, he really didn't expect that the person behind Mo Xiang was Mo Ke. That little girl from back then had somehow acquired wealth comparable to a sea emperor without anyone knowing. He should say that Mo Ke truly deserves to be the daughter of the Pirate King Roger. Fortunately, they are not enemies; such enemies are truly terrifying.

"Brother Marco, why are you looking at me like that?"

Moko looked at Marco with a puzzled expression, and Marco smiled and shook his head.

"I just realized that the little guy who seemed to need protection has suddenly become more capable than me, and that's all. YO."

"I can protect Marco too."

"Boom!"

Like a boulder falling into water, creating ripples, Marco's heart began to race. He stared blankly at Moko. Moko didn't find his words strange. After all, she was protecting many people, and the Whitebeard Pirates were all doing well. Anyway, she was good at making money and could support them. Moko's current financial resources were more than enough to support two great pirate crews.

Moko's words were so natural that they made Marco's current appearance seem a bit strange. Marco finally came to his senses and, looking at Moko's earnest and innocent expression, gently patted her head. It was just a thoughtless remark with no other meaning; he had been overthinking it.

"Xiao Mo is really reliable, then I'll leave things to Xiao Mo from now on YO~"

"Ok!"