One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 17 Falling into a Deep Sleep

Back in Mermaid City, Roger crouched down and looked at Shirley with a friendly smile.

"Shirley, when will the Little Mermaid be born?"

The blue-haired mermaid brought her hands close to the crystal ball, which became increasingly transparent, shimmering with a misty haze. Shirley blinked at the glowing crystal ball, then held out all ten fingers.

Ten!

"Ugh?"

"Looks like it'll be ten years from now. But Roger, I really misjudged you to be interested in something like this."

Neptune looked at Roger with disdain. Just moments ago, someone had mocked him for believing in these strange prophecies, but now he was doing the same thing.

“Neptune, what we want is the enormous treasure left behind by the guys who named the weapons.”

Ridley looked at Neptune and explained, his voice tinged with amusement.

"Hahaha, don't worry, Neptune. We won't try to take your daughter with that afro that was born sometime ago. Besides, I already have such a cute daughter as Moko."

"Tch, it's definitely not an afro!"

Neptune was both angry and embarrassed. He wasn't even married yet, so where would he get a daughter? Besides, his daughter would definitely be the cutest, and certainly not have an afro!

"Ha ha ha ha……"

After spending a short night on Fishman Island and recording the road signs for the Poneglyphs, the group left Fishman Island and set off again. As Moko watched Fishman Island gradually disappear into the sea, she felt a heavy weight in her heart, a kind of restlessness as if she had only seen half of a story but had no ending.

Several days passed, but the irritability did not disappear; on the contrary, it became more severe. Moko sat on the deck chair, staring blankly at the scenery outside the window, while the voice from the sea kept lingering in her ears, as if someone was whispering in her ear. Who was speaking? Looking for seeds? What seeds? Why look for seeds? She didn't understand, she didn't understand at all.

When Shanks entered the room, Moko was already fast asleep. Shanks' eyes were filled with a doting affection that he himself did not realize, and he reached out and picked Moko up from the recliner.

The little girl nestled obediently in Shanks' arms, strands of hair falling down her forehead and brushing against her face. The fine tickling made Moko hum softly twice. Shanks gently placed Moko on the bed, reached out and brushed away the playful strands of hair, lowered his head and kissed Moko's forehead, his voice gentle, with the unique huskiness of a young boy.

Goodnight, Moko-chan.

The moment the door closed, the pinkish-white egg in the rice cake nest seemed to move slightly, but when looked at, it became still. By noon the next day, Moko still hadn't woken up. At the same time, Kozuki Toki suddenly fell ill, and the ship fell into a silence that had never been there before.

"Crocas, how is Moko doing now?"

Crocus shook his head. "That's strange."

What do you mean by "it's strange"?

Roger was getting anxious, looking at the unconscious Moko with a sense of helplessness.

"Xiao Mo isn't sick; if I had to say, she's just in a deep sleep."

"what?"

"Sleeping? When will you wake up?"

Rayleigh got straight to the point, but Crocus still shook his head.

"I don't know. This is the first time I've seen this situation. Now we can only see if Moko can wake up from her dream. For now, the best thing to do is for Miss Shi to disembark in Wano Country, while Moko can stay on the ship for the time being. I need to check on Moko's condition again."

Crocus offered a solution, and Roger and Oden both frowned. An eerie silence fell over the air. Both of them understood that this was the best solution at the moment. Kozuki Toki's physical condition was no longer suitable for continuing the journey, and Roger would not feel at ease leaving Moko in Wano Country. Moko was currently only in a deep sleep and there were no other bad signs, so going with the ship was undoubtedly the best choice.

Ultimately, the decision rested with Roger and Oden. Shanks was in Moko's room, sitting quietly by her bedside. He gently brushed aside the stray hairs on Moko's forehead and lightly stroked her nose, his voice hoarse and tender.

"Moko-chan, don't sleep too long... You promised you wouldn't leave me..."

Shanks lowered his eyes, his fingers curled slightly, his throat churning, the words he wanted to say lingering on his tongue, but the moment he opened his mouth, they went blank. Shanks gave a self-deprecating laugh. Since when did Moko's every smile and frown affect his emotions so much? Is it really so painful not to hear Moko's voice? His heart felt like it was filled with cotton wool, a tight, painful ache.

"...Without Moko-chan, adventures aren't fun at all... Let's go on adventures somewhere else after Moko-chan wakes up. I'll take your silence as a yes... Wake up soon, Moko-chan..."

Shanks kept rambling on and on, not caring whether Moko could hear him or not, as if only in this way could he calm his restless heart. The wind chimes by the window rang crisply in the sea breeze, and for the first time, Shanks felt that the world was unbearably quiet.

After a period of internal struggle, Oden finally disembarked in Wano Country with Momonosuke and Hiyori. After quickly making copies of the road signs in Wano Country, Roger took the Vivre Card given to him by Nekomamushi and went to Zou Island, where he obtained the last road sign.

The four landmarks leading to the final island were finally gathered, and the group began to study the coordinates on the deck. Roger struggled to get up from the bed. After Moko fell into a deep sleep and there was no healing power to suppress it, Roger clearly felt an uncontrollable pain in his body. Even with the large amount of painkillers given by Crocus, the pain could not be relieved much.

"Cough cough cough..."

Roger coughed violently, his eyes dimming as he looked at the blood on his hands. He couldn't give up yet; he had to keep going until the end. With that thought, Roger forced his weakened body to his feet, but after only a few steps, he fell forward uncontrollably, knocking over the tableware on the table.

Shanks heard the noise and rushed to the captain's cabin door, but it was locked from the inside and he couldn't open it. Shanks pounded on the door, his voice anxious and flustered.

"Captain, are you alright?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the door was slowly opened. Roger adjusted his hat and walked out as if nothing had happened, his smile still as flamboyant and unrestrained as ever.

"Now you know the location of the final island, right?"

"understood."

Everyone looked at Roger, and Jabba nodded in response. The coordinates written on the white paper eventually pointed to the bottom coordinate.

"When do we set sail?" Rayleigh asked.

"Now!"

"Oh!"

"Alright, charge!"

Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but the moment Bucky finished speaking, he suddenly fainted. Crocus rushed over to check on him and shrugged helplessly.

"She has a fever."

There was nothing that could be done about this situation so close to departure. After Crocus injected the drug, Buggy regained some consciousness. Shanks sat to the side, watching Buggy with amusement.

"You caught a cold and had a fever before embarking on your grand adventure? Are you a child?"

"It's so noisy! Didn't I say I was already fine?"

Bucky struggled to his feet, as if trying to prove he was really alright. The final island, the One Piece, was right in front of him; how could he possibly collapse here?

"His face is flushed, he must still have a fever. He'd better behave himself."

Shanks looked helplessly at the stubborn Buggy. Even in this state, he was still thinking about the treasure. There was no need for him to be so persistent.

"Whose nose are you saying is red and big?"

Bucky, whose language organization system was already in disarray, completely misinterpreted Shanks' words, grabbing Shanks' collar with both hands and roaring angrily.

"I didn't say that!"

Shanks, furious, grabbed Bucky by the collar. Bucky was so feverish he was talking nonsense, what was he doing making such a fuss?

"That's really nice."

"Let's fight! Let's fight!"

Roger and Oden, always eager for a good show, were even cheering them on. Crocus, feeling utterly exhausted, glared at the two of them fiercely.

"Stop fanning the flames, Roger, Oden."

"Ah! An incredible treasure awaits me!"

Bucky reached out to stand up, but Shanks had no choice but to forcefully push him back onto the bed. He's usually weak, but when he's sick, he's full of energy, right?

"Don't do anything reckless, you idiot!"

"I also need to go!"

Bucky was no longer listening to anything. He roared and tore his body apart, bouncing around the room. His upper body bounced right in front of Roger, where he clung tightly to Roger's knees, his voice full of pleading.

"Captain, take me there."

"..."

Roger looked at Bucky with a troubled expression. Momoko was still unconscious, and forcibly taking Bucky out to sea in his current condition could easily lead to accidents.

Are you a monster?

Shanks sat on the bed, propping his chin up with one hand and looking at Buggy with utter exasperation in his eyes. He was already annoyed that Moko was still asleep, and now Buggy was making such a fuss. Shanks stood up and pulled Buggy back.

Buggy kept waving his hands, trying to break free from Shanks' control, but Buggy, who was not as strong as Shanks, was no match for him. In the end, Shanks wrapped him up in a blanket and tied him up.

Bucky was so angry that he kept throwing himself on the bed, his already red nose getting even redder. Shanks sat by his side, completely unfazed. The commotion continued until nightfall, when Bucky finally fell asleep under the influence of the drug. Even in his sleep, Bucky kept clamoring to go with them.

"They're still talking." Roger found it somewhat amusing, but his voice also carried a hint of helplessness.

"That Buggy Jiro is quite a character. Buggy Jiro is making such a fuss, is it okay if you don't go, Red Wolf?"

Upon hearing Oden's question, Shanks' lips curled up slightly. He had already made up his mind about whether to go or not, hadn't he?

“Mr. Oden, Captain, if we’re going, we’ll go on our own ship in the future. Besides, I’d rather go to the final island with Moko-chan and Buggy.”

Roger paused for a moment, then stood up and patted Shanks on the head, his eyes brimming with undisguised pride. The child he raised had never disappointed him.

Finally, Roger led the rest of the group to the final island. Moko and Mika stayed on the island at Shanks' request to wait for Roger and the others to return. As for Yui, Roger took her away. This epic journey was finally coming to an end.

The day after Roger and the others set off, Bucky recovered from his illness. He grumbled for a while after waking up, but quickly let it go. Anyway, they could go again later. He wasn't the first to arrive, but he would definitely be the second.