vncnus Chapter 60 Elspes
Chapter 60 Elspes
Because there is someone you want to see, the waiting becomes meaningful. This agonizing wait is also a kind of happiness. Shanks leaned against the wooden wall next to the door frame, quietly listening to Moko's melodious and slow humming, a slight smile playing on his lips.
With the help of the Redford, they arrived at Shanks's outlying island, Elspeth, before the sun had completely set.
Elspes is not a single, complete island; it consists of a main island and a secondary island shaped like a crescent moon, which faces the main island across the distance and is connected by a giant tree.
Shanks's residence is on the main island, where he often rests when he is not at sea. The secondary island is inhabited by the natives and is rich in fruit. Shanks' liquor store was built on this island.
The seasons in Elspers are also determined differently from the world's four seasons. Elspers has two seasons: the flower season and the snow season.
During the flowering season, the island is enveloped in countless flowers, forming a stunning sea of blossoms. Perhaps due to the island's unique characteristics, even flowers that bloom in different seasons can be seen in Elspes during its flowering season.
When the snow season arrives, the island will be covered by a vast expanse of snow, leaving only pure white, concealing all colors and traces, making everything pure and flawless.
Because all the scenery on Elspes was exactly what Moko loved, Shanks decisively took the island under his own name once he had accumulated enough power. This was his first affiliated island and the fifth birthday gift he had prepared for Moko.
Every year after Moko left, he would prepare a birthday gift for her. By the time he found her, there were exactly ten gifts. He would give these belated gifts to Moko one by one to make up for the regret of not being able to see her during those years. He didn't know if Moko would like them.
"Sister, look, look! That highest mountaintop is where we live. It's still the flower season, and it's super beautiful up there."
Uta excitedly pointed to the highest point of the main island, which was covered with flowers of all colors. Sunlight filtered through the clouds, dappling the petals and shimmering with soft, delicate light. A gentle breeze blew, and people strolled leisurely through the magnificent sea of flowers, the petals rubbing together to make a soft, pleasant sound.
Many vines cascade down the steep mountainside to the sea. The delicate petals, carried by the gentle breeze, drift slowly onto the clear water. Time seems to stand still at this moment, leaving behind a tender intertwining of petals and water ripples.
"Let's go to the island first. It's very late today. Even if we want to go out, we can do it tomorrow."
As Shanks walked past Uta, he ruffled Uta's hair. Uta quickly reached out to protect the hairstyle that Moko had just braided for her, looking at Shanks with a resentful gaze. Shanks smiled as if he had successfully played a prank, then walked around Uta to adjust Moko's cloak. His fingers naturally slipped through Moko's hair, from her temples to behind her ears. Only where his fingertips touched did he feel a slight itch, and Moko involuntarily shrank her neck.
Seeing that Moko was still ticklish, Shanks chuckled and gently flicked the tip of Moko's nose. "The snow season will be here in two days. I'll take you to see the snow then."
"it is good."
Uta rolled her eyes, covered her head, looked at Moko, then at Shanks, nodded with great satisfaction, covered her smirking mouth, and quietly grabbed Mika and Sweet Fruit and went to Beckman's side, leaving the two of them alone.
Mihua and Tianguo huddled behind Uta, watching Moko and Shanks together. Although the two little ones didn't understand why Uta was hiding, Beckman looked at Uta and the two fluffy balls who were frantically eating candy, and helplessly curled his lips before turning his gaze back to today's newspaper.
The ship slowly docked, and Shanks restyled Moko's hair. Moko could see the gilded wooden hairpin in her hair through the mirror. The hairpin was not complicated in design, with the head carved into a simplified jasmine flower shape. Upon closer inspection, one could see the faint flow of gold dust. A round pink pearl was inlaid in the center of the flower, and several strands of fine gemstones were woven into the hairpin ornaments.
Do you like it?
Shanks leaned closer to Moko's face. He hadn't missed the regret in Moko's eyes that morning. Fortunately, he would carve a new hairpin for Moko every year.
Shanks didn't actually have the concept of hairpins; he just felt that the hair ornaments worn on Moko's head had to be beautiful, so he roughly carved out a lot of pretty hairpins to braid Moko's hair, almost one different every day.
"I like it. How long did it take to carve it?"
After the initial joy came the heartache. Gilded wood is quite hard, and it must have taken a lot of effort and time to polish such a thick branch into a small hairpin.
"It won't be long. As long as Moko-chan is happy, it doesn't matter how long it is."
Shanks laughed nonchalantly, while Moko pursed her lips, reached out and pinched Shanks's cheek, her eyes serious.
"Shanks is very important."
Because it's so important, she feels heartache. Even if it's just a little injury, Shanks doesn't care about himself, but she does. She is Shanks' life, and Shanks is her life too.
Shanks understood the unspoken words in Moko's eyes. He thought of that flower-scented night when Moko had said the same thing to him. No matter how much time had passed, his little Moko was still the same gentle and considerate Moko-chan. Shanks couldn't help but take Moko's hand and kiss it, his eyes filled with tenderness.
"Yes, Moko-chan too, she's very important."
After the ship came to a stop, the crowd waiting on the shore gathered around as usual to wait for Shanks and his crew to disembark. In the past, Shanks was always seen as a man of great energy and decisiveness, but this time, with Moko by his side, he showed a composure that was rarely seen in him.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, Shanks gently put his arm around Moko's shoulder, his eyes filled with tenderness and doting. Every movement he made was an unconscious act of protecting Moko beside him. At this moment, the two standing side by side were so well-matched that all the surrounding light paled in comparison to them. Everyone held their breath, afraid of shattering this beautiful moment.
Shanks usually only takes Beckman and a few others with him when he goes to sea. He rarely brings his other pirates with him. As a result, the other pirates under Shanks' command on the island had never seen Moko before. When they saw Moko wearing their boss's cloak and being treated so well by their boss, it would be a lie to say that they weren't shocked. They were all so shocked that their jaws dropped open.
Pirates, after all, do whatever they want. As long as they have the strength, treasure and status are easily within their grasp. And outstanding men are naturally more attractive to women, even fleeting affairs don't matter. But the strange thing is that their leader loves fine wine more than beautiful women.
Countless beauties have offered themselves up, hoping for a romantic encounter with the boss, but unfortunately, none of them have succeeded. Either the boss got them drunk and sent them home, or the boss simply hid away and couldn't be found at all. Don't be fooled by the fact that the boss can make a few jokes and tease the beauties in front of a group of people one second, he can completely forget who they are the next second. It can be said that none of these beauties have attracted the boss's attention as much as Little Uta.
They'd even wondered if their boss was impotent, but this time he actually brought a woman back, treating her with such affection and doting. Could this really be the legendary captain's wife? They'd all thought it was just someone teasing them after the last trip! Turns out it's for real!! Σ（OдO‖) Σ(☆д◎川）ノ！
Shanks didn't care what the strange-looking people were thinking. Right now, all he wanted to do was take Moko back to the mountain. The temperature dropped quickly after nightfall in Elspes, and Shanks didn't want Moko to catch a cold.
"Sister, sister, I'll take you home."
"Poo-hoo, hoo-hoo!" x2
Uta happily took Moko's hand and led her up the mountain, making a funny face at Shanks along the way. Mika also wiggled its short legs to quickly follow. Sweetie cleverly shrunk into a tiny figure and stood on Mika's head, making cute noises from time to time, seemingly cheering Mika on. The two of them and the two fluffy balls ran far away. Shanks stood there blinking, stunned, and finally shook his head helplessly, smiling as he chased after them.
(Shanks: My daughter steals my wife, no problem, you can't take her away (〒﹏〒 ))
Uta: (′?w?｀) My sister is mine, Shanks can't have her all to himself!)
Elspes Forest is lush and dense. From a distance, it may not seem like much, but once you get to the island, you can truly appreciate the height and abundance of the trees. The afterglow of the setting sun filters through the gaps in the canopy, casting dappled light. The path, which you thought would become dim, gradually becomes dotted with fireflies. Their faint light gathers and weaves a flowing galaxy to guide you home.
As Uta said, Elspes is beautiful this time of year. Along the way, there are vast fields of flowers and meadows. The fragrance of the flowers is not very strong; on the contrary, you can only smell a faint fragrance when you get close. The higher you go, the sparser the trees become, and the afterglow of the sunset takes over again. At this point, you can see many wooden houses built against the trees.
Once they reached the mountaintop, there were two or three villas built amidst the sea of flowers. It was clear that these were where Shanks and his companions usually lived. The villas were not far apart, except for a small house built in the white flower field near a lake.
Every detail of the little house was meticulously designed and blended perfectly with its surroundings. The star-shaped flower tree next to it was planted some time ago and was much taller than Ophelia's tree, but what attracted Moko's attention even more were the jasmine plants around the villa.
An island where all kinds of flowers can grow, a sea of flowers blooming in a mixed and vibrant display, yet it boasts a whole expanse of pure white jasmine, like snow covering the entire mountain, ethereal and peaceful.
The moon hangs in the night sky, casting a soft and mysterious glow. Countless petals float in the air, weaving the moonlight into a light, silvery veil that falls all over them. The starlight butterflies also awaken and dance gracefully in the sea of flowers, plucking sparkling starlight to adorn the flower hearts.
Moko reached out to grab a starlight, but missed. Before Moko could regret it, a starlight butterfly gently landed on Moko's fingertip, and flew back into the air after only a moment, leaving the remaining starlight on her fingertip.
"You once said you wanted a small house built near a sea of flowers and a lake, so I took over this island, but that's still not good enough, so every time I miss you, I plant a jasmine flower... Now, is it what you imagined?"
Under the moonlight, Shanks slowly approached, gently putting an arm around Moko's waist and pulling her closer. Their shadows intertwined in the sea of flowers, creating a warm and peaceful scene.
Moko suddenly turned her head and bumped into a pair of misty, tender eyes. In the lingering night, those deep, dark eyes seemed to be soaked in ink, completely capturing Moko's gaze.
"Then you should pick all the original flowers and plant jasmine instead?"
With her eyes slightly upturned, as if starlight were twinkling in them, Moko's eyes revealed a bright and dazzling smile.
Sensing the teasing in Moko's words, Shanks raised an eyebrow, buried his head in Moko's neck and rubbed against her, his voice muffled, "Yeah, the other flowers aren't pretty, I only want jasmine."
Uta and the two fluffy balls had been driven away at some point, and now, under the clear moonlight, only the two of them remained, embracing each other. Moko chuckled softly, holding Shanks' hand, and gently resting her head against Shanks' head to admire the moonlight covering the mountains. Her soft murmurs were like fine brocade, drifting gently in the air, delicate and gentle.
"Okay, just jasmine."