One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 66 The Passing of the Sea

"What news, Hongo?"

Shanks took the intelligence report from Hongo, his carefree smile vanishing instantly. Before he could stop him, Hongo blurted it out.

"The death knell tolls on Fishman Island, and Queen Otohime dies at sea."

"!!!"

Moko's eyes widened as she snatched the newsletter from Shanks' hand, looking at the sentence on the paper over and over again, unable to believe it. She was perfectly fine when she left, and Otohime's vitality was still very strong back then. How could she have suddenly passed away?

(Sea Burial: The term used to refer to the death of fishmen and mermaids on Fishman Island; the term used for burial is sea burial.)

Before Hongo could figure out why Moko was reacting so strongly, the pressure emanating from Moko was already uncontrollable, and the air in the room became stagnant. Beckman immediately protected Yubi and the others who did not have Haki, and Shanks anxiously grabbed Moko's shoulders, his voice urgent and tense.

"Moko-chan, can you hear me? You need to calm down. How about we go to Fishman Island and check the situation? Maybe the information is wrong. Calm down first."

The intelligence couldn't be wrong, Shanks knew it, and Moko knew it too, but Moko still looked at Shanks with hope in her eyes, the panic in her eyes completely unconcealed. Moko tried hard to suppress her out-of-control emotions, trembling as she grabbed Shanks' collar and spoke with difficulty.

"Shanks, I want to go to Fishman Island, Fishman Island..."

"Okay, let's go now. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here, I'm here, I'm here."

Shanks grabbed the black cloak from the back of the chair and wrapped it completely around Moko, then scooped her up in his arms and spoke coldly to the crowd.

"Set sail immediately for Fishman Island."

Seeing Moko's drastic change, no one dared to delay. They all became serious and acted swiftly. Yubi didn't dare to linger either, and hurried out of the room to give instructions to his people. Back on Fishman Island, Yubi knew that Moko and the Fishman Island Queen were especially close. Now that this had suddenly happened, Yubi gritted his teeth, feeling extremely resentful. He had failed to protect Moko's precious possession again. Damn it!

Uta didn't understand what had suddenly happened. Moko was completely covered by Shanks' cloak, and Uta could only watch anxiously from the side.

"Little Uta, go outside and keep watch. Let us know when the boat is ready."

Shanks rarely spoke to her with such a serious expression. Uta knew this wasn't the time to ask questions, so she nodded and left the room, leaving only Moko and Shanks inside.

Shanks' eyes were filled with rage. Although he didn't know exactly what had happened on Fishman Island, Shanks felt the trembling of the person in his arms and couldn't suppress his anger at all. He had finally managed to heal Moko's heart a little, but now this had happened.

Moko and Queen Otohime had a very good relationship, Shanks always knew that the loving queen loved everyone equally and dedicated her life to the future of Fishman Island, but now she had been tragically murdered. Shanks couldn't imagine what Moko would become if she lost control.

His little Jasmine has already lost enough. Why must he take away more family members from her again and again? She doesn't have much left to lose!

Time ticked by, and Shanks had never felt time pass so slowly. He held Moko tightly in his arms, who was completely absorbed in her own world, and tried to soothe her again and again. But Moko seemed to be completely engrossed in her own world, as if she were trapped in a nightmare, and did not respond.

"Dong dong dong."

"Shanks, the ship is ready."

Uta's voice came, and Shanks concealed the expression in his eyes, so no one could see anything amiss.

The Redfords set sail hastily, and the residents of Elspes had no idea what was going on. The mayor rushed to the port after receiving the news. Alita anxiously looked around for Moko's figure. When she saw the human-shaped figure wrapped in a black cloak in Shanks' arms, Alita was absolutely certain that it was Moko.

Moko was fine when she left, but now she doesn't know what happened to her. Alita is so anxious that she's pacing around in circles, unable to go up and ask.

Yubi decided to take Moka and some of the others with him on the ship to Fishman Island, while the rest of the people and Moka's merchant ship would remain in Elspes, and they would return later to deal with the remaining matters.

"Sareka, I'm leaving this to you."

"Don't worry, Yubi-nii, I'm leaving Moko-neechan to you. Please make sure everything goes well."

Salica looked worriedly at Moko, who was lying motionless in Shanks' arms, and clenched her teeth.

After setting sail, the Redfords headed towards Fishman Island at full speed, but even at its fastest speed, it would still take four consecutive days to reach Fishman Island.

Uta stood at a distance, carrying a bamboo basket, watching the two lonely figures at the bow of the boat with concern. The rice flowers and sweet fruit in the basket were still asleep, showing no signs of waking up.

For four days, the atmosphere on the ship was incredibly heavy. Shanks held Moko in his arms and sat at the bow of the ship, not closing his eyes for four days, just staying with Moko. Moko remained motionless, as if she were asleep, but Shanks knew that Moko was more awake than anyone else.

The oppressive aura emanating from her body had long overshadowed her original friendliness, but Moko kept suppressing it. There were ordinary people on the ship who could not withstand her pressure. Even though she was trapped in obsession and nightmares, Moko was still thinking of others.

"Moko-chan, we've arrived at Fishman Island."

When Shanks' voice came and he heard Fishman Island, Moko in his arms finally stirred. Shanks clearly felt Moko's body stiffen for a moment. As the Redford came to a stop, Moko slowly stood up from Shanks' arms, her hands tightly gripping her cloak, as if that could cover up the scene she didn't want to see.

However, her powerful senses still revealed the cruel truth at the door: Otohime was truly dead, with no chance of being saved.

Moko staggered, and before Shanks could reach out to steady her, she had already rushed out, heading straight for the Dragon Palace. Shanks reacted the fastest, quickly realizing what was happening the moment she rushed out the door and following her.

"Halt! Trespassing is prohibited in the Dragon Palace!"

Seeing Moko charging towards them while ignoring everyone else, the fishman soldier drew his weapon and aimed it at Moko.

"Go away!"

A wave of oppressive power swept through, and the soldiers blocking the way froze in place, as if their souls had been ripped out. By the time they came to their senses, Moko and Shanks had already entered the interior of the Dragon Palace.

Otohime's bedroom was filled with white crystal flowers unique to the seabed. Otohime was lying on the bed in the center, as if she were asleep. But in Moko's eyes, the rich blue halo had long since disappeared. The scene in front of her overlapped with that year once again. She had lost again, lost her second mother. Moko could hardly stand up, and Shanks quickly supported her.

Shirahoshi's eyes were already red and swollen from crying. Neptune and the three fish-man princes stood to the side. When they saw Moko and Shanks suddenly barging in, the three princes immediately became alert.

"Who are you? Outsiders are not allowed here!"

"Stop! Shark Star, Emperor Star, Car Crash Star!"

"Father?"

Neptune shook his head, stopping the three impulsive princes, and looked at Moko with loving yet sorrowful eyes, "You've come, little one."

Moko seemed not to hear anything. She let go of Shanks' hand, walked straight to Otohime's bedside, sat down, and took Otohime's hand with trembling hands. It was so cold. Just like before, the warmth gradually dissipated, leaving only a coldness, and she couldn't warm it up no matter what she did.

"Otohime-neechan, I'm back... Don't oversleep anymore..."

"Didn't you promise to take me to see your favorite scenery when I got back? If you keep sleeping in, you won't be able to see it."

"..."

There was no response, and nothing could be heard. Moko held Otohime's hand to her forehead, her voice trembling slightly, like a withered leaf being blown by a breeze and then slowly falling to the ground.

"Sister Otohime, you broke your promise..."

When Shanks saw Moko's vacant eyes, a dull pain shot through his heart. The scene of Roger solemnly entrusting Moko to him flashed through his mind again. Captain, how could he protect Moko-chan...?

"Who killed Princess Otohime?"

After a long silence, Moko asked in a low voice, her tone devoid of any emotion, which inexplicably instilled fear in people.

"Hody Jones said they were human pirates who killed Otohime while she was collecting autographs. Otohime had already obtained the peace treaty, and her dream was about to come true."

Neptune's voice was filled with grief. Seeing that his wife could no longer smile at him, Neptune suddenly felt like crying, but in front of his children, he had to act like a father, so he could only suppress his grief.

"Bai Xing, who killed your mother?"

Moko clearly didn't believe it and turned to look at Shirahoshi, suddenly asking a question. Shirahoshi was startled, looking incredibly fragile with tears welling up in her eyes. This broke the hearts of the three sister-obsessed girls, who were about to rush forward in a huff.

"Hey you……"

Before Huangxing and Fanchexing could finish speaking, Shaxing stopped his two younger brothers.

"Brother?"

It's normal that Huangxing and Fanchexing had never met Moke before and didn't recognize her. However, when Shark Star saw his father's reaction and saw Moke's appearance, he finally remembered the older sister he had loved so much when he was a child. Some time ago, his mother had told him that she would bring this older sister he loved to see him, but...

“Yes, it was Hody Jones. I saw it. He killed my mother and took the contract she brought back.”

Bai Xing spoke haltingly, her voice trembling with fear. She was terrified. Her mother had told her not to hold a grudge, but how could she not hate her mother? That man had taken her away from her for his own selfish desires. How could she forgive him?

Moko was someone Otohime trusted, and Shirahoshi also trusted Moko. She didn't want to talk about this, just like her mother said, to keep it in her heart and let time heal it. But Moko came. This older sister, who was as strong and gentle as her mother, came. She couldn't hold back the grievances in her heart.

Upon hearing this, Neptune and the three princes' faces lit up with anger at being deceived; their teeth clenched so tightly they trembled with rage.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Moko suddenly laughed, but tears streamed down her face as she laughed. Her smile was so bitter, her eyes dimmed, shrouded in gloom. The gentle curve of her lips turned into a cold straight line. The next second, a huge and terrifying pressure swept out from Moko, instantly enveloping the entire Fishman Island. Everyone still at the passageway was shocked and frowned as they looked towards the Dragon Palace.

Beckman's expression was serious. Miss Moko was angry. Others might not have noticed, but Beckman knew the terrifying power hidden within this seemingly fragile girl. A girl with the same strength as the captain was unstoppable when she was angry. If no one could quell her anger, then only killing could appease her.

"Hody Jones, you'd better stay where I can't find you forever, or I'll tear you to pieces."

Moko's eyes were filled with coldness, and her terrifying aura, like that of the Grim Reaper, made it almost impossible to breathe. The black and red domineering aura on her body was almost solidified, shattering all the crystal flowers in the room. Countless fragments were scattered in the air, shimmering with brilliant light, but they could never return to their original beauty, leaving only a desolate mess on the ground.

Seeing that Moko was showing signs of losing control of her power, Shanks, disregarding the cuts he had made from the sharp Haki, quickly stepped forward and cupped Moko's face in his hands, his eyes filled with heartache and his voice overflowing with gentle comfort.

"Moko-chan, I'm here. I'll always be here. Can you please stop? You'll hurt yourself like this. Moko-chan, I'll help you find someone, okay?"

Shanks' voice seemed to come from a distant horizon. Moko's coldness faded slightly, and she looked at Shanks with some confusion.

Shanks?

"Yes, it's me, Moko-chan."

Before Shanks could even catch his breath, Moko seemed to have lost all her strength and collapsed into his arms. A huge panic gripped Shanks' heart once again, pulling him back to the day when Moko was delirious from illness and about to leave. No, no, he would never lose his little Moko again.

"Moko-chan!!"