One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 146 Chunhe's Cowardice

"Lord Jin, Lady Maria, we have arrived at the Flower Capital."

"Miss Moko, then I'll take my leave. Lord Jin, will you be coming with me, or..."

Maria stood up gracefully, gave Moko a flirtatious wink, and then looked at Jin. Without answering Maria's question, Jin took a small package from the side, the contents of which were unknown, and placed it in front of Moko. He still did not intend to explain. Moko blinked, somewhat confused. Jin sighed softly as if in great helplessness, and finally explained in a low voice.

"platinum."

Moko suddenly realized that this meant swiping her card. Seeing Moko put the platinum into her handbag, Jin stood up, walked past Moko, and left. It was the first time in his life that he had seen such a thoughtful scene. Maria covered her mouth and smiled, nodded slightly to Moko, and then walked down and quickly followed Jin.

Seeing that the two had left, Moko quickly stuffed the remaining sakura mochi on the table into Chunhe's mouth when no one was paying attention. Chunhe blinked in confusion. Moko smiled, put her index finger to her lips, and winked at Chunhe. Chunhe covered her mouth, nodded, and quickly swallowed the sakura mochi. The sweet taste spread in her mouth, and Chunhe's eyes lit up. So sweet! She had never eaten such a delicious sweet before.

The food and clean water of Wano Country are entirely controlled by Kaido's pirate crew and the nobles. To obtain food and clean water, one must put in labor that is severely disproportionate to its value. Among them, those who work on Onigashima are the most envied, since they earn the most gold and also receive clean food and water.

Countless people envy those who work on Onigashima, but who knows that working on Onigashima is not easy? All the beautiful girls are taken away or mysteriously disappear, while those of average appearance serve as maids to the masters. If you encounter a good-tempered master, it's fine, but if you encounter a bad-tempered master, you are always on the verge of life and death.

Chunhe considered herself lucky; Lady Maria was relatively gentle towards women, and as long as one knew the rules, at least one could survive.

After her parents died, she lived with her younger sister. In order to survive, they left the village and came to the Flower Capital. At first, they both worked in a small restaurant. Everything was fine until her younger sister, who was very beautiful, caught the eye of an adult who wanted to take her away by force. It was Maria who saved them and took them to Oni Island.

They thought they had found salvation, but in the end, they were just going from one abyss to an even more terrifying one.

The younger sister became a first-class maid, but her appearance was not outstanding on the beautiful island of Oni, so she only became a third-class maid. During their time on Oni Island, they were careful. Although they could not see each other often, at least the two of them were together.

But now, she's all alone...

The night before that day, her sister came to her and said that this time she would be serving a very noble person. Lady Maria promised her that if the person was satisfied, she would give them a sum of money so that the sisters could go home and no longer have to live in fear.

But her younger sister never returned after going to serve at the highest level. She asked countless people, but no one could answer her. She probably guessed that her sister was probably dead. She knew that the maids who went to serve at that level never appeared again. She should have stopped her sister. She should have stopped her. It was all her fault for being too cowardly. It was all her fault.

Chunhe blamed herself and even thought about dying. After all, there was no place for her in this world anymore. If she died, could she go to her family and apologize to her younger sister? She was a cowardly older sister and had failed to protect her. Living under her sister's wing all her life, she had done nothing.

On the night she was about to die, Lady Maria summoned her, saying that she had been chosen to serve an upcoming distinguished guest. Was it her turn? Would she finally be able to see her sister? But why her? She was only a third-rank maid. Well, it didn't matter. As long as she could die, what difference did it make who she served? This was their destiny.

Chunhe went there with the determination to die, but when she saw Moko, she was stunned. This was the first time she had ever seen such a beautiful person, a girl as beautiful as a cherry blossom, even more beautiful than Lady Maria. Was this the lady she was to serve?

How strange, this lord is so strange, unlike any other lord before. Chosen as the personal maid to serve this guest valued by Lord Kaido, Haru was flustered yet relieved. Anyway, he was probably just like all the lords before. In the eyes of these lords, they were nothing but lowly ants. Before that, Haru had always thought so.

After serving this person for several days, Chunhe found that he was not only not harsh, but also extremely kind. Although he was very picky in every aspect, Chunhe felt that he was just joking and not serious. Every time he saw the people who were watching him busy, he would smile very happily without any malice. His smile was even more beautiful than the cherry blossoms outside the window.

"Chunhe, come here."

Moko, dressed in an elegant and beautiful blue kimono, leaned gently against the window. The breeze drifted in through the open paper window, ruffling the hair that fell beside her face. The delicate forget-me-not patterns on her kimono danced lightly in the wind, lifelike, like a carefully sculpted work of art. She raised her hand slightly and beckoned to Chunhe, as if she possessed a great allure. Before Chunhe could react, she was already in front of Moko.

"These red bean pastries were just delivered. They're all out busy, so you can enjoy them slowly."

The steaming, untouched red bean pastry on the table was pushed in front of Chunhe. The rich, sweet aroma lingered in her nose, and Chunhe's heartstrings trembled. She almost burst into tears, and Chunhe just kept her head down without making a move.

She would die. This adult who was so kind to her would die. She wanted to save her, she wanted to save her, but she couldn't do that. Chunhe's hands, which were hanging on her knees, gradually clenched into fists. Her eyes, which were covered by her bangs, lost their luster and gradually became veiled with a thin layer of mist.

In the dimly lit, hazy Japanese-style room, smoke curled like silk threads, and Maria reclined on a luxurious chaise lounge, her posture alluring. A delicate pipe was held between her fingers as she parted her red lips, took a deep drag, and then slowly exhaled a string of smoke rings. The smoke seemed to possess a magical power, gently swirling around Chunhe's delicate face, adding a touch of temptation and reverie. The room was filled with an irresistible, seductive charm.

"Seeing you reminds me of Haru-zakura-chan. I'm sure Haru-zakura-chan would be very happy to see you doing so well."

With a captivating allure at the corner of her eyes, her fingers, adorned with bright red nail polish, deftly and precisely lifted Chunhe's delicate chin. Her charming gaze and movements intertwined to form an invisible net, every subtle detail exuding an irresistible temptation, drawing people in and making them unable to extricate themselves from the enchanting and mysterious web of emotions woven by Maria.

"Mama, Lady Maria, what did you say? Chunying is still alive, right? Chunying, she..."

Upon hearing her sister's name, Chunhe hurriedly knelt and crawled closer to Maria, her eyes filled with hope. Her sister was alive, alive! That's wonderful, that's really wonderful.

"Of course, why would I lie to Haruka-chan? Haruka-chan is alive and well. If you behave well, Haruka-chan, I'll ask Lord Kaido to go and get that child back, how about that?"

Maria suddenly leaned closer to Chunhe, her whispers, like those of a demon, gradually echoing in her ears. Chunhe's body trembled involuntarily, but after only a moment's hesitation, her eyes hardened.

She would do anything to save her sister. What did the adults' grudges have to do with her? She only wanted to save her sister, no matter who had to be sacrificed.

"Your Majesty, what do I need to do?"

Sensing the determination in Chunhe's eyes, Maria slowly curled a deep and playful smile onto her lips, her eyes flashing with calculation, and an aura of conspiracy quietly permeated the air.

"What a good boy. Don't worry, it's just a very simple thing..."

Gain the trust of that naval officer, and meticulously record all her actions and report them to me, and also...

"Miss Moko, I, I..."

Chunhe gripped her kimono tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning white from the force. Her lips were bitten hard, as if trying to suppress the sobs that were about to spill out. Complex emotions surged deep in her eyes, a jumble of emotions intertwined and swirling together.

"If you don't eat them soon, the red bean pastries will get cold."

Moko slowly raised her hand and gently patted Chunhe's head. She felt the warmth from her palm, as if a warm current flowed into her heart. Chunhe struggled to lift her head. Her eyes were filled with tears, but she held them back. Her eyes were full of vulnerability and helplessness.

"Chunhe has done a great job. No matter what, protecting yourself is the most important thing. Chunhe did nothing wrong."

A gentle smile spread from her eyes, like the warm sunshine of spring, warm but not dazzling. Chunhe's tears, which she had been trying so hard to hold back, finally slipped down her cheeks. Moke raised her hand and gently wiped away Chunhe's tears with her soft fingertips, her actions full of love and care.

So Miss Moko knew everything, yet she was still so kind to her, wanting to protect her. She wanted to protect this incredibly gentle adult, even if it meant dying. But she had to rescue her sister; she already owed her sister so much. Gods, if you truly exist, please tell her what to do.

"Chunhe, it's time to go."

Moko stood at the disembarkation point, her eyes sparkling, truly like a carefree young lady who knew nothing of the world. Her clear and melodious voice brought Chunhe back from her reverie. Chunhe pursed her lips, revealing a shy smile again, and quickly stood up to catch up with Moko.

"Yes, Miss Moko."