One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 116 Important Treasure

At the dock, Tina and Ian hugged Moko tightly, reluctant to part. Moko usually took leave when they were on field missions, and they had never seen her leave directly before. They never expected that seeing off a friend they liked would be such a heartbreaking thing.

"Moko-chan, you must come back soon, Tina will miss you." Tina buried her head in Moko's neck and rubbed against her affectionately.

"Yes, I'll miss Moko-chan too. I hope Moko-chan comes back soon."

Ain held Moko's hand with expectant eyes. After so much time had passed, Ain had become much more adept at expressing her feelings. Although she was still shy, she would occasionally act coquettishly towards Moko.

Smoker stood to the side, squinted at the group, put his cigar back in his mouth, said nothing, and stepped forward to pick up Moko's suitcase and put it on the boat first.

"I'll definitely come back soon, and bring Tina and Ain the latest Jasmine desserts."

Moko opened her arms and hugged the two of them, patting their backs gently to comfort them. No matter how reluctant they were, Tina and Ian still let go of Moko's arms and reluctantly saw her off onto the ship. Only when the ship disappeared outside the stone gate did the two of them sullenly turn away and walk back. Smoker gently exhaled a smoke ring and silently followed behind the two of them as they left.

To avoid wasting too much time on the road, Moko and Mika headed straight for Mount Golpo after arriving in Chambord. The journey was smooth and they encountered no unnecessary obstacles. When they arrived back at Mount Golpo, it was afternoon. The villa was quiet, and it seemed that the three children had gone to the forest.

The room was always very tidy. Even when Moko wasn't home, the house never looked messy. In terms of self-care, Ace had never given Moko any trouble.

As the sun began to set, its orange-red afterglow bathed the entire garden. The overgrown jasmine and hibiscus had been pruned by Moko, instantly making the garden look much fresher.

Moko breathed a sigh of relief and put the cut bouquet into a vase. The room immediately had a more vibrant atmosphere. Moko stood at the door and looked at the path leading to the forest, her eyes showing some worry. The sun was about to set, and she wondered where the three children had gone to play. Why hadn't they come home so late?

"Pfft?"

Mihua huddled anxiously at Moke's feet. Moke looked away and gently patted Mihua's head.

"They should be back soon. Mihua doesn't need to go to the forest. Go prepare dinner first. Those three little ones must be hungry after playing all day."

"Pfft!"

Moko and Mihua returned to the villa. Soon, wisps of smoke rose from the chimney. As darkness fell, the sounds of three children playing could be heard from the yard. Seemingly drawn by the aroma of food inside, the three children pushed open the door and entered, their eyes filled with surprise.

"Sister!" x3

"You're back. Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner."

Moko spoke gently to the three children, her waving gestures practiced and natural, as if she had never left.

The three children felt a pang of envy and quickly washed their hands. Then they rushed to Moko's side and hugged her. On the way, they saw smoke rising from the house. As if remembering something, the three children hurried home. When they saw the carefully tended garden, they knew that their sister had returned.

Moko looked at her three children who were tightly hugging her, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips. Moko squatted down and hugged the three children tightly. She hadn't seen the three children for a long time. No matter how many times she said they were safe on the phone, it was never as reassuring as seeing them safe with her own eyes.

"I miss you all so much! Do you miss me too?"

"Of course, I miss my sister terribly. The food doesn't taste good anymore since she left, and I've even lost weight."

Luffy puffed out his cheeks and clung tightly to Moko with his rope-like hands, as if afraid she would run away.

"No, I miss my sister the most!"

Uta, not to be outdone, firmly occupied the middle position, nestled in Moko's arms and refusing to give way, determined to compete with Luffy.

"No, I miss my sister the most!"

"I'm the one who misses my sister the most!"

Seeing that Luffy and Uta were about to start arguing, Moko smiled and patted their heads, stopping the two children from talking. "Uta-chan and Luffy both miss their big sister very much. Big sister knows that. But Luffy and Uta-chan can't fight, or big sister will be sad."

Upon hearing that Moko would be sad, Uta and Luffy immediately covered their mouths. Their sister was very, very important to them, and they didn't want her to be sad.

Seeing the two little ones suddenly become well-behaved, Moko affectionately kissed Uta and Luffy on the head, and then looked at Ace, who hadn't said a word. Noticing Moko's gaze, Ace blushed slightly and snuggled closer to Moko.

"I miss my sister very much too."

How could he not miss her? For Ace, Moko was the most important and only family member. Ever since Moko went to sea, Ace had missed her every moment. But Ace knew that if he continued to rely on his sister, he would never become the strongest man in the world and become his sister's support.

The sea is vast. Whether it's his father, whom he has never met, or his sister, they have already left their footprints on the sea and experienced their own adventures. A person's life is full of partings and encounters. He will have his own adventures in the future. His sister cannot always be by his side. She has her own life and should not be confined to his small world.

Moko noticed the little guy's gloom and sadness in her arms. Her eyes were filled with helplessness and tenderness. She lowered her head slightly and kissed Ace's forehead, changing the subject in a light tone.

"Let's eat, I'll make lots of delicious food."

"Mmm! It's delicious!"

"I'm the first one!" Luffy said, already almost reaching the table, his hands seemingly unable to let go of Moko.

"Luffy is really scary."

Listening to Uta's speechless complaints, Moko chuckled and led the three children to the dining table to begin dinner.

Even though Moko hasn't been home very often these past two years, the three children are still incredibly attached to her. Since Moko came home, the three children have been following her around every day, wishing they could shrink down like Mihua and be put into Moko's pocket and taken away. Unfortunately, that's just wishful thinking.

The afternoon sun was bright and warm, carrying the fragrance of flowers that lulled people to sleep. Outside the window, Tuanzi was lying in the garden, and Ella was perched on Tuanzi's head. The two little ones were basking in the sun, their eyes closed comfortably. Inside the room, the three children were fast asleep in Mihua's arms. Looking at the three children who had grown into teenagers, Moko couldn't help but recall Ace and Luffy as babies. It was hard to believe how much time had passed.

It's truly a miracle, really. She thought she couldn't raise Ace. Those days were so painful. Whenever she saw little Ace, all she could think of was the image of her parents leaving. The old Moko really didn't know how to face this unfamiliar gift left by her parents.

But when Ace first grasped her with his soft little hands and first called her "sister" in his tender voice, she knew that she would never be able to abandon him, never abandon this child who carried the blessings of his family with their lives. Ace was her brother, her family, and a very, very important treasure in her heart, and she would definitely protect him well.

Moko's eyes were full of tenderness. Her gaze shifted from the three sleeping children to the window. A gentle breeze blew by, and the fragrance of flowers outside swayed in the breeze, like a beautiful dream that made one fall into its spell. The broken heart was gradually filled in over time, and now, that feeling of heartache was rarely felt anymore. It seemed that everything was developing in a positive direction, filling one with anticipation for the unknown future.

This holiday was not only to come back and see the three children, but more importantly, to celebrate Uta's birthday. In the past, Uta's birthday was spent on the ship with Shanks and the others. As for how they celebrated, Moko could probably guess.

Back when we were on the ship, we would almost always have a banquet for her birthday. The best way for everyone on the ship to celebrate was to have a banquet, so her birthday banquets were always very grand. Usually, everyone would start celebrating right after a certain time and continue until the end of the day and into the next day.

Each birthday party was not only very lively, but Moko also received a lot of gifts, almost all of them jewelry and gold. So Moko's room was mostly glittering with gold. After Aunt Shi boarded the ship, the gifts Moko received became even more adorable and diverse.

While Shanks' gifts might be more exquisite and beautiful, they're often just gold and treasures. It's likely that even the fashion-conscious Uta would find these kinds of straightforward, "straight man" gifts tiresome.

Moko smiled gently as she combed Uta's hair into two buns with a wooden comb. A red ribbon with gold trim and gold bells tied a large bow on each bun, making her incredibly cute.

For a birthday, one should dress up beautifully. Moko even prepared a red and white striped jacket and skirt for Uta. The hem of the jacket and skirt was sewn with a circle of devil bears in different poses and decorated with snow-white velvet. Uta fell in love with it at first sight.

Seeing Uta so happy, Moko finally understood why her mother always liked to dress her up. Just seeing such a pretty little girl would make her feel better. Uta stood up and twirled lightly in front of Moko, looking like a soft, cute, and festive little dumpling, incredibly adorable.

"Uta-chan is so cute."

Moko couldn't resist hugging Uta and kissing her cheek. Uta blushed shyly. Moko's eyes were full of smiles as she took out a silver bracelet and put it on Uta's wrist. The bracelet was inlaid with a red and a white star-shaped gemstone. Uta touched the exquisite bracelet with great affection.

"This is a birthday present for Uta-chan. Shanks and I carved it together for Uta."

"Shanks?" Uta looked at Moko in surprise.

"Yes, Uta-chan is a very important treasure. Shanks and I hope that Uta-chan can shine like these two carved stars and become a true guiding star. No matter what Uta-chan's dream is, Shanks and I will always be behind Uta-chan."

"Sister~"

Upon hearing Moko's words, Uta's eyes welled up with tears. Moko gently stroked the corner of Uta's eye with her fingertips and smiled softly.

"Little birthday girl, you mustn't cry today, Uta-chan! Happy birthday!"