One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 50 New Friends

Moko didn't know how late everyone drank that night. In the second half, Garp took everyone to his villa, and Moko went straight to rest. As for the tableware and other things used in the banquet, Smoker and Garp cleaned them up before everyone left, without adding any extra work for Moko.

For more than a month after the banquet, Moko's naval life was surprisingly peaceful. Apart from occasionally encountering two "idle" prospective admirals who would come over to freeload, nothing major happened.

Moko, wearing her newly arrived navy uniform, stood in the flowerbed pruning the messy flower branches. When she saw that she had finished pruning, she cut a large bunch of jasmine from the flowerbed and replaced the wilted bouquet in the vase. The freshly cut jasmine was tender and juicy, with its snow-white petals trembling slightly, and its delicate fragrance spread everywhere.

Before the three generals officially took office, Moko still didn't have any work. This was because it was a new position specially created by Sengoku. Sengoku's requirement for Moko was that she only needed to learn how to keep an eye on the three generals.

It sounds strange, but Moko can understand. Sengoku probably wanted her to keep an eye on Borsalino and Kuzan, since it's obvious at a glance that those two wouldn't stay in the office and do their work, and the other Marines couldn't possibly catch them. But why would Sengoku think she could keep an eye on them?!

She didn't understand before, but now she does. As for the difficulty, it wasn't actually that great for her, after all...

Moko finished inserting the jasmine, then turned around and looked speechlessly at the three old men sitting in the living room. Garp was one thing, but what were Borsalino and Kuzan planning to do so early in the morning? Shouldn't the two of them be hiding somewhere no one could find them? Or should they be packing up to complete some so-called secret mission assigned by the World Government?

Now, someone tell her why these two are still sitting so leisurely in her living room, eating the breakfast she made (﹁“﹁)! You know, Sakazuki has already set off to complete the mission assigned to him!

"Little Moko, do you want to go for a walk later? Grandpa will go with you!"

Garp's voice pulled Moko back to reality. Seeing Garp's somewhat clumsy attempt at taking care of a child made Moko laugh, and she stopped worrying about the two vice admirals' leisurely lifestyle.

After listening to Garp's words, Moko checked the time and realized it was almost time to go out. Tina and Smoker had been coming to visit her frequently lately, and Moko often went to the training ground to find them. However, Smoker's visits to the villa were probably a mix of voluntary and forced. After all, every time he came, Tina would drag him along, and the way she skillfully adjusted her clothes after being let go was both funny and a little heartbreaking.

Moko packed the baked pastries one by one, answering Kapu's question without stopping her hands.

"Okay, I want to go to the training ground to see Tina-chan later. Grandpa, do you want to come?"

Upon hearing that it was a training ground, Garp choked and hurriedly gulped down several mouthfuls of water to swallow the bun stuck in his throat. Moko smiled helplessly and handed Garp a water bottle from the side.

Garp wasn't afraid of the training ground. In the past, every time he went to the training ground, a bunch of people would stare at him with shining eyes, all wanting him to give them some pointers. Although he didn't mind teaching new Marines, being chased by a bunch of people every time was still a headache. But that was nothing compared to now. He was surrounded even more fiercely than before.

You know, every time he goes over there, those brats stare at Moko. Garp gets angry just looking at those Marines with their eyes on his precious granddaughter. A bunch of brats who can't even take one of his punches dare to chase after his lovely granddaughter? They're dreaming! Do they think just anyone can chase after his precious granddaughter? Hmph!

(All the Marines: Vice Admiral Garp, is that a fist? A fist with more power than a cannonball, we really can't take it (t▽t)!)

"Young Miss is going to the training ground? How about I accompany you?"

Borsalino suddenly spoke up, even lifting his half-closed eyelids slightly. Moko blinked in confusion. Was he really not in a hurry? Was he really not in a hurry to do the promotion mission? The mission only lasted three months!

"You should go do your own thing. I'll go with Miss Moko to the training ground."

Kuzan interrupted, his expression calm.

"I don't have anything urgent, but you, I heard this mission is quite challenging. If you don't set off now, you might run out of time."

"Hey, aren't you the same? Our missions are pretty much the same."

The two exchanged barbs, sparks flying, and it looked like they were about to fight. Mo Ke raised an eyebrow, not understanding what they were arguing about. Besides, the training ground wasn't far, and she could go alone without any problems. She didn't need to make up an excuse for not wanting to work.

Borsalino: Little Miss, this is no excuse for not working. I really want to accompany you to the training grounds!

Kuzan: Miss Moko, let me go with you. I feel much safer than these monkeys running around everywhere.

Borsalino: Tsk, ice-cold face, wanna fight?

Borsalino *'☆&c$︿★?)

"Two lieutenant generals."

Moko's voice immediately drew their attention, and they both looked at her. Moko pursed her lips and slowly spoke.

"My job is to assist the general. Marshal Sengoku said that whoever completes the mission first will be given priority in my work. Lieutenant General Sakazuki should have arrived at his destination by now."

After these words were spoken, the air fell silent for a minute. Moko calmly placed the pre-packed snack box in front of the two of them.

"In that case, I won't accompany you this time, young lady. I'll be back soon. Thank you for the snacks, young lady."

Borsalino picked up the snack box and vanished in the blink of an eye. Kuzan, seeing this, didn't linger and got up to say goodbye to Moko.

"Miss Moko, I'm leaving now. I'll be back soon."

The two came and went in a hurry. Mo Ke sighed helplessly. She seemed to have found a way to keep an eye on them. Snacks and wine, plus help with work. This job is not easy at all. Who said this job is easy?

Moko glanced at Garp beside her with a resentful look in her eyes. Garp knew he was in the wrong, so he turned his head away and looked around as if he was very busy, looking at the sky, the ground, and the air, determined not to meet Moko's gaze. His guilty look made Moko shake her head.

What can you do but spoil your own grandfather? It's just a matter of making more snacks and brewing more wine, nothing serious. The work is mostly just miscellaneous tasks. Although it's more than she originally thought she would be doing, at least she's not restricted during the holidays and can often go back to see Ace and Luffy. She can also visit Mochi on weekdays, and maybe if she has more time, she can go to the New World to find Shanks. It's not a too demanding job; she can just treat it as a part-time job.

After much deliberation, Garp decided to go to the training ground with Moko. If some brat were to kidnap his granddaughter, he would be devastated. He was only going to protect his precious granddaughter, and it was definitely not because he wanted to make amends for messing with Moko.

(Shanks: (ノ°▽°) Kidnapping, popping up~)

Moko stood in the shade outside the training ground, carrying a bamboo basket of snacks. The training ground was as lively as ever today, with the marines gathered around the large open space in the center, shouting. At this moment, two muscular marines were fighting each other on the open space, throwing punches at each other as if they were not afraid of pain. Every punch landed hard, and even though they had bruises on their bodies, they still smiled with a defiant look on their faces, giving off a strange feeling of a hot-blooded anime.

Spring and autumn in Marineford are short, while summer and winter come very early. Before the end of spring, the sweltering summer has arrived. Moko doesn't know how these navy men can stay under the sun and be so excited in such a hot summer. With high-intensity training and combat, don't they get heatstroke?

"Moko-chan!"

Tina's excited voice came from behind. Moko, who had just come to her senses, turned around and was hugged tightly by Tina. Smoker followed leisurely behind, with an unlit cigar in his mouth, looking quite mature for his age.

"Moko-chan, what's the dessert today? Tina can smell it, it smells delicious!"

Moko winked at Tina, chuckled softly, and didn't keep her in suspense, "Today I made osmanthus-flavored lotus root, chestnut pastry, and cream cheese pastry..."

"Tina wants to eat!"

Every time Moko mentioned something, Tina's eyes lit up a little more. Before Moko could finish speaking, Tina pulled her to a small pavilion nearby to rest. Tina took Moko's arm and walked directly to the pavilion to sit down, completely ignoring Smoker and Garp beside her. At this moment, Tina only had eyes for Moko and the delicious food.

Garp didn't care about those rules and didn't think Tina was being unreasonable. On the contrary, Garp was quite happy that Moko had a new friend. Seeing the two beautiful girls standing together made him very happy. His granddaughter should be like this, so vibrant and bright. This is the sunny look that Moko should have at her age.

Garp was feeling self-satisfied, while Smoker remained calm and walked over to sit down. After all, since Moko arrived, being ignored had become the norm for him, and even the number of times he was dragged around had decreased. It was good that his clothes wouldn't last more than three days.

"Hey, Zefa, stop dawdling and come here. Little Moko made a lot of desserts today."

As soon as Zephyr appeared, Garp waved and shouted. Moko and the other two looked over, their bright and expectant eyes making it impossible for Zephyr to refuse.

At Garp's shout, the Marines in the open space also looked over. It was obvious that the Marines below who were eager to ask for guidance were more troublesome. Zephyr thought for a moment and then turned around and walked towards Moko and the others.

Tina and Smoker are usually trained by Zephyr. When Moko comes to see Tina and Smoker, she will prepare a snack for Zephyr. At first, Zephyr was not used to it, but over time he gradually got used to waiting for Moko to come. Anyway, it's not the first time, so let's try it this time. It's a new snack.

Once Zefa sat down, Moko laid out the snacks one by one on the small table. In addition to the snacks Moko mentioned, there were also quite a few fried meatballs and chilled mung bean soup.

After training in the sweltering heat, a cup of refreshing mung bean soup is just what you need to cool down. The group sits around a stone table to rest, and can also watch the naval competition on the open ground, looking quite relaxed and content.

Moko and Tina had no interest in the battle between the navies. According to Tina, they were just a bunch of lousy men who only knew how to build muscles. They couldn't even beat her and were incredibly weak. Such childish battles were really boring.

It's no wonder Tina thinks that way. When Tina first joined the Navy, she became Zephyr's student because of her extremely high combat talent. Her training results were quite good, and she obtained her Navy rank early on. She also completed every mission quite well. In addition, she is a great beauty and has a lot of popularity within the Navy. Naturally, she has no interest in these Navy personnel who are weaker than her.

"Oh right, when Tina came over this morning, she saw Vice Admiral Borsalino and Vice Admiral Kuzan go out. Were they going to complete that mysterious Admiral mission?"

Speaking of this, Tina's eyes were full of curiosity and admiration. In the hearts of all the marines, the admiral has always been a symbol of strength and status. Every young marine has the dream and aspiration to become an admiral, and Tina is no exception.

"When the three lieutenant generals return, it will be time for their promotion to general. I can't wait! It will be very lively, and there might even be a grand banquet!"

Once the topic of banquets came up, Tina couldn't stop talking, while the others listened quietly. Garp wasn't interested in becoming an admiral, but he was happy to hear about topics that young people liked.

Zephyr, being a general himself, didn't seem to feel much, while Smoker focused on eating his meatballs, though his eyes were fixed on Tina, suggesting he was listening attentively to her.

Moko didn't admire the Admiral position as much as Tina did. After all, she was a pirate herself, so how could she possibly aspire to the position of Admiral? Besides, the three she was responsible for assisting...

Well, it's hard to explain in a few words. What general would fight over food and work? Of course, "work" refers to whose work Moko is in charge of. Apart from Sakazuki, who seems like a serious general, Borsalino and Kuzan are both a bit childish.

"Moko-chan, if there's a party, how about you go with Tina? Every year at the New Year's party it's just Tina and Smoker. Smoker is such a blockhead, he's not fun at all."

Tina showed no embarrassment at speaking ill of the person in front of her, and Smoker was used to it and didn't mind being called a blockhead. Come to think of it, he seemed to have been called a stone last time. A blockhead should be better than a stone, Smoker thought to himself, as he drank the mung bean soup in his cup in one gulp.

"Okay, I'll go with Tina next time."

Looking at Tina's big, bright eyes, full of expectation and pleading, Moko couldn't bear to refuse. How could she refuse a beautiful woman's coquettishness?

"Moko-chan is the best!"

Tina opened her arms and hugged Moko tightly, pressing her whole body against Moko's. The fragrant and soft Moko-chan was exactly Tina's favorite.