One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 139 Amulet

The roar of cannons was incessant. Even on the warship, Moko could feel the violent shaking beneath her feet. Shouts of battle rose up everywhere, and the entire wilderness was filled with the ear-piercing sounds of swords clashing. The deafening roar was mixed with shrill screams and laughter. A heavy stench of blood permeated the air. Moko frowned uncomfortably, but her eyes remained fixed on the battlefield.

No matter how casual and lazy he usually appears, once on the battlefield, Borsalino gives the impression of being a completely different person. His aura is sharp, and he shows no mercy. A single area-of-effect attack can wipe out a large area of ​​the battlefield.

Kuzan, standing nearby, was no less impressive. His icy spikes, radiating a chilling aura, froze the surrounding pirates into ice sculptures, which then turned into dust on the battlefield.

With the help of the two, the situation was much better. For some reason, Moko always felt that the two were competing. Watching the two fight and then watching the others fight, there was a clear sense of division in combat power. The gap was too big. No wonder they were the Navy Admirals selected by the Navy Headquarters.

The navy personnel on the deck and at the base were busy in an orderly manner, with various combat supplies and security measures in place perfectly. Moko stood quietly on the deck watching the war, ignoring the busy crowd behind her.

"Miss Moko, the shortage of supplies at the base has been tallied, and all the doctors on the ship have been assigned there."

A navy officer approached Moko from behind, saluted respectfully, and then handed the documents in his hand to Corazon, who was standing two steps behind Moko.

Upon hearing the Navy's report, Moko put down her binoculars and looked at Corazon. Corazon nodded, indicating that there were no problems with the documents.

"Arrange for the immediate delivery of any scarce supplies by the logistics department. Notify the doctors that there is no need to worry about shortages of medicines and the like. Do everything you can to treat everyone and ensure that everyone survives."

"Yes!"

The naval officer giving the report felt his eyes well up with tears. On the battlefield, what was most scarce was medicine. Sometimes, for the sake of victory, many seriously wounded comrades had to wait in agony for death due to the shortage of medicine. Just one day, everyone was laughing and talking, and the next second, they were separated forever. But there was nothing that could be done. For the sake of world justice, all sacrifices were worthwhile. But if one could live, who would rush to their death?

After the naval officer who had given the report walked away quickly, Corazon's gaze returned to Moko. "Miss Moko is so gentle."

“It’s not about being gentle.” Moko’s slender white fingers gently stroked Mika’s fluffy skin, her gaze drifting towards the distant smoke of battle. “I just hope more people can go home… They have families waiting for them at home, don’t they?”

A simple sentence, yet Corazon was at a loss for words. Family? Yes, family. Because there are still family members waiting, so he can't die. Miss Moko is clearly so gentle.

The battle lasted for three days and three nights before it finally subsided. With the addition of admirals and powerful pirates, no one could defeat the other. No one could fight without stopping, and all sides needed a truce to regroup.

Borsalino and Kuzan were probably exhausted. They went straight back to their room and collapsed, their eyes reflecting the fatigue of their intense work. But they hadn't been lying there for long when a call from headquarters forced them to get up for a meeting. The palpable impatience and low pressure from headquarters scared the rest of the Marines away.

Moko had just gone to rest before the two returned. Corazon was on duty now. Guessing that this was going to be a long battle, Moko discussed with Corazon about switching shifts. Moko had been working for three days and three nights in a row, so at least no one would come looking for her for the next day.

Moko, who should have been sleeping, stood silently by the window, gazing at the deep darkness in the distance, like a monster opening its blood-red maw, swallowing all light and sound. The faint smell of blood carried by the cold wind made people feel depressed and uneasy.

Moko sighed softly, put on her black cloak, and leaped into the darkness. While everyone was discussing how to seize the island, a figure as light as a feather silently crossed the battlefield, from the Navy's base to the other side of the pirate territory.

Dozens of pirate ships were moored at the port, their pirate flags fluttering in the wind. The largest of them, a pink pirate ship, was particularly eye-catching. The pink pom-pom skull on the pirate flag was surrounded by desserts. Although it looked cute, this adorable flag symbolized Big Mom, one of the emperors of the sea.

As they approached the pirate ship, a tall figure rushed towards them at incredible speed. His amaranth-red hair was slightly disheveled by the wind due to his eagerness, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Little Moko!"

Katakuri's voice was filled with excitement. He hadn't seen Moko in a long time since she went to work for the Navy. Every year, the handover was done with Yubi instead, which had made him depressed and distressed for a while. You know, not being able to see his beloved little sister is like a donut without sugar, utterly tasteless.

Moonlight slowly peeked out from behind the dark clouds. Moko reached out and took off her hood, her long pink hair instantly spreading out. Her orange-pink eyes reflected the shimmering moonlight, clearly illuminating Katakuri's figure.

"Little Chestnut, how did you know I was here? I should have concealed my presence well, right?"

Katakuri turned his head and touched his nose, a little embarrassed. "The smell."

"Hmm? The taste?"

Moko sniffed herself and found only the smell of blood and gunpowder she had picked up on her way there.

"It doesn't smell bad, it smells good."

Katakuri, seeing Moko's actions, realized he hadn't explained clearly and quickly offered an explanation.

"Xiao Mo has a sweet smell."

Moko paused for a moment. It seemed that Linling had said something similar before, but she herself couldn't smell any sweetness. After thinking about it, Moko stopped worrying about it. Maybe people who have eaten Devil Fruits have a more sensitive sense of smell. After all, Luffy sometimes liked to stick to her, saying that there was a sweet smell.

"Is Little Chestnut alright?"

Moko's voice was filled with worry. Compared to the Navy, she had known Katakuri for much longer, so she was naturally worried about him. Although she didn't know what Linling was up to, Moko wouldn't distance herself from her good friends and family because of it.

Speaking of which, her relationship with Katakuri can be described as one of unexpected encounters. When Lingling first arrived in Santa Fe, Katakuri was also there. Perhaps it was her domineering presence that aroused Katakuri's fighting spirit, because in a later transaction, she fought Katakuri. As a result, a deserted island near Santa Fe was half sunk.

Well, although he did go a bit too far, Katakuri's attitude towards her improved a lot after that incident. As for why their relationship turned out the way it is now, it really is all thanks to the sweetened donut.

Moko was surprised to learn that Katakuri had such a sweet tooth. To prevent Katakuri from getting cavities, the sugar Moko used was extracted from candy flowers, which was sweeter than regular sugar and had a much lower burden on the body, making it perfect for Katakuri who loved sweets.

Hearing Moko's concern, Katakuri felt a warmth in his heart. He shook his head and patted Moko's head comfortingly.

"I'm fine, and everyone else is fine too." Katakuri's voice was mature and steady, giving people a great sense of security. He truly deserves to be called a trusted older brother.

"That's good. Oh, right, this is for Xiao Lizi..."

Moko took a reddish-brown velvet box from her pocket and placed it in Katakuri's hand. Under Moko's approving gaze, Katakuri opened the box.

Inside the velvet box was a bracelet with a very simple design: a thick amaranth rope tied to a donut carved from Seraphim ore. The donut was so lifelike that the shimmering icing and jam made you want to eat a whole donut right away. The exquisite carving showed that Mo had put in a lot of effort.

"It's a talisman."

Seeing that Katakuri hadn't made a statement yet, Moko hesitated a bit. Come to think of it, she hadn't really seen Katakuri wear any accessories. The most common accessory he wore was the Log Pose. Well, the Log Pose shouldn't count as an accessory, right? No, now is not the time to think about that. If he doesn't wear a bracelet, then what about his belt?

The pendant on the bracelet is specially infused with healing power. In the past two years, the actions of various forces have become increasingly aggressive. Katakuri is a family-loving person, and he will definitely be the first to be in the most dangerous places. I just hope that this pendant can protect him a little. But if Katakuri doesn't like it, should we change it later?

Instead of overthinking, it's better to just ask Katakuri's opinion. Moko looked up at Katakuri with a serious expression, "Little Kuri, don't you like it?"

Fortunately, the night was dark, and fortunately, the scarf covered his face. Katakuri felt his face burning. How could he not like it? It was a gift from his cute little sister. He was just momentarily stunned. Just as he was about to reply, he saw Moko's serious face. This little sister was just too cute.

(Katakuri: Ahhh, my little sister is so cute, so cute! I don't have a little sister like this at home, I'm going to take her home! (☆V☆)!)

"I love it! I really like it!"

Seeing Moko's increasingly disappointed expression, Katakuri finally snapped out of it and answered her. As a steady older brother, how could he let his important younger sister be sad? Katakuri's eager answer made Moko smile again. The corners of Katakuri's mouth under his scarf curled up slightly, and he extended his left hand.

"Xiao Mo, could you help me put it on?"

"Hmm, that's fine, but Little Chestnut usually uses her right hand to carry the record pointer, right? You might not be used to using your left hand, would you?"

"I've been practicing with my left hand lately..."

It was clearly an excuse he didn't even believe himself, and he spoke without any confidence. Katakuri probably didn't know that every time he lied, he would avert his eyes and avoid eye contact. His guilty conscience was written all over his face, and it was incredibly easy to guess what he was thinking.

Moko lowered her head to hide the smile on her lips, took out a bracelet from the box and tied it on Katakuri. The red bracelet, which was quite thick for Moko's wrist, was just right on Katakuri's wrist. The color was not too flamboyant and matched Katakuri's calm temperament very well.

"Perfect for little chestnuts."

"Thank you, Xiao Moke."

Is there a reward?

Moko raised her hand with a smile. Katakuri sighed helplessly, but his eyes were full of affection. He took a half step back, squatted down in front of Moko, and lowered his head. Moko finally got to touch Katakuri's soft, dough-like hair, and her smile deepened.

"I should go back now. I've been out for a long time. See you next time, Little Chestnut."

"Okay, see you next time."

Katakuri knew that Moko worked in the Navy, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with it or that it was a betrayal. Everyone has their own things to do, and Moko must have her own reasons for going to the Navy. He wouldn't get angry at Moko over such a small matter. He only ever got angry when his family was in danger.

Watching Moko's figure gradually disappear into the night, Katakuri looked down at the bracelet on his wrist, his whole body radiating joy. He just wanted to finish what his mother had asked him to do so he could go home and eat donuts sooner.

Under the bright moonlight, the gentle melody curves into the shape of a donut, covered with star-shaped frosting, sweet to the core.