One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 133 The Real Purpose

"Little Moko, Grandpa's here!"

Just as Moko finished making the arrangements, Garp's cheerful voice came from outside the door. Garp pushed open the door without a care, holding a basket of senbei in his hand. It was obvious that he had taken it from Sengoku. Moko could roughly imagine Sengoku's angry expression when he couldn't find any senbei again.

She usually makes snacks for everyone, and she even made two portions for Grandpa Garp. Why does Grandpa Garp always steal the ones for Fleet Admiral Sengoku? And she didn't seem to adjust the sweetness of the snacks for Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

"Little Moko, all the luggage has been moved to the ship. Is there anything else you need?"

"Crunch crunch (chewing)~"

Moko was brought back to her senses by Garp's question. She shook her head. She had packed all the luggage she was going to take with her in the morning and had one of her assistants move it over. All that was left was the New Year's gifts that Yubi and the others had prepared in advance at Sabaody. Besides, she had everything she needed at home, so she didn't need anything.

"That's all, Admiral Borsalino, Admiral Kuzan, and Miko, see you next year!" Moko said to Garp, then turned back to the three people in the office and smiled.

"See you next year, young lady." Borsalino waved, a hint of a smile in his nonchalant eyes.

"See you next year, Miss Moko, and Vice Admiral Garp as well." Kuzan pulled his blindfold up to his head, looking at Garp with eyes full of respect. Garp nodded in response while eating a senbei.

"Have a safe journey, Miss Moko, Lieutenant General Garp."

Corazon bent down slightly and caught Ella, who had fallen from the cat tree, and handed her to Moko. Ella seemed a little unsatisfied, but once she was in Moko's arms, she obediently stopped asking to continue playing.

Moko hugged the other rice flower to her chest as well, and then followed Garp out the door. After the footsteps faded away, Borsalino, who had been leisurely and idle, immediately stood up, and the smile in his eyes disappeared.

"The young lady is on vacation, so it's time for this old man to stretch his muscles a bit too~"

Before he could finish speaking, he had already turned into a golden light and disappeared from the office. Kuzan, who was standing next to him, slowly stood up, yawned, and walked towards the door. Only after the two left did Korazon straighten up, his expression respectful.

The way the group interacted was completely different from when Moko was around. When Moko was around, almost everyone would ignore etiquette and rules, but when Moko was not around, the way they interacted was the norm within the Navy. There was a strict hierarchy, with subordinates showing absolute respect to their superiors, and no overstepping of boundaries was allowed.

With Moko and the two generals gone, the office instantly felt empty. The usually noisy office was now so quiet that it was hard to get used to. Even though Moko was usually very quiet when she was working, Corazon just felt something was different.

Corazon stared at the newspaper on the table, his eyes deep and thoughtful. After a long pause, he finally sighed deeply and began to organize the documents to be handed over to the various departments.

Actually, quite a few big things have happened at sea recently. For some reason, pirates in various places have shown signs of rioting. Although they are just minor skirmishes, there are also various powerful pirates posing a covert threat. The higher-ups suspect that someone is deliberately stirring things up behind the scenes. As a result, the Navy is extremely busy. Even Borsalino and Kuzan have received missions and have been assigned to quell the riots on several of the most troublesome islands. Since these are just minor incidents that can be resolved quickly, the two admirals, Corazon, and Garp have all tacitly kept these arrangements from Moko.

Corazon walked down the quiet corridor carrying the documents. His footsteps were particularly noticeable in the empty space. Lazy sunlight filtered through the gaps in the staircase, casting shadows that were cut into countless irregular fragments that flashed across Corazon again and again.

He actually wanted to go to sea to help Daisenbei, as he was not afraid of those small-time pirates with his strength. However, his body was not fully recovered, and Daisenbei was still worried about him going on missions, so he asked Moko to keep him there.

Daisenbei was worried about him. He knew that he had indeed died that time. Although he didn't know what kind of medicine the World Government gave Daisenbei, it did pull him back from the brink of death. After that, Moko completely brought him back to life. That incident really scared Daisenbei.

Furthermore, because he died once, his Devil Fruit powers naturally disappeared. However, the disappearance of his Devil Fruit powers did not eliminate other side effects. He is still unable to come into contact with seawater, just like before. This is one of the main reasons why Big Rice Cracker is worried about him going out to sea. Because he is afraid of seawater, the things he can do are really limited.

"If only we could find another Devil Fruit..."

The soft murmur was drowned out by the footsteps that pounded on his heart, and the tall figure silently disappeared into the shadowy corner of the staircase, leaving only silence in the corridor.

Because Moko didn't really like traveling by warship to places like her home or her private island, Garp sent the warship back after arriving at Sabaody Archipelago. He and Moko boarded the Moko merchant ship, which was already waiting at another port.

Yubi was waiting on the merchant ship early. When he saw Moko arrive, he and the others respectfully bowed to her. This habit was something he could never break. Moko let everyone do as they pleased and nodded.

"Were all the New Year's gifts distributed to everyone?"

"Yes, they have already been distributed, and the holidays during the Spring Festival have been arranged."

Because Jasmine Wine Shop is closed during the Lunar New Year, anyone who wants to drink Jasmine Wine Shop's wine has to buy it in advance. This applies to both Navy and Pirate. Jasmine Wine Shop's rules do not change based on the customer's status. In the hearts of everyone at Jasmine Wine Shop, Jasmine comes first, rules come second, and no one else deserves their attention.

This rule has been known to customers who have been to the store for a long time, and most customers will abide by it. However, people drink alcohol very quickly, and if they want to drink more, they will have to wait until after the New Year. Some people who can't wait will pay extra to buy more. As the saying goes, it's foolish not to make money when there are beli. Yubi has already made up his mind and is just waiting for these people to send beli. As long as the price is high enough, it is not difficult to transfer goods from the headquarters.

To avoid being discovered as a connection with Jasmine, other hidden businesses of Jasmine operate on a shift system. Those who work overtime are given double the vacation time and five times the salary, so there is no worry about a lack of staff.

Moko was always worried that her staff didn't have enough holidays, so she specially asked Yubi to find many employees to fill in. However, Moko didn't know that her staff didn't want to take holidays at all. They wished they could stay on the job all year round. The management had to enforce the holidays. There was no way around it. Moko's employee benefits were too good. Even some undercover agents abandoned their evil ways and pledged their loyalty. They didn't want holidays at all.

"After we get back to Santa Fe Island, Yubi and the others should take a good vacation and have a good New Year with Marcia. Everyone has worked hard this year."

"It's no trouble at all, Sister Moko, it's all we should do."

"Hahaha. Yubi, you're still as rigid as ever."

As they were talking, Garp appeared behind Yubi without anyone noticing, patting Yubi's back with his large hand. The crisp sound reached Yubi's ears, and it was clear from the sound that the force was not light. If someone didn't have some skill, they would probably be in trouble after a few pats.

Yubi paused for a moment, then turned around and bowed respectfully, "Mr. Garp."

"These rules are unnecessary."

Garp casually waved his hand. He was not one to care much about rules, and besides, these were all his little Moko's subordinates, so he couldn't possibly put on airs like a Marine.

"Mr. Garp, the snacks are here."

Salica placed the snacks on the small table on the deck. The velvety, country-style cotton dress suited Salica perfectly.

"Oh, snacks!"

Seeing the various snacks, Garp didn't disturb Moko and Yubi's conversation. He immediately walked towards Salika. Garp was fast, but Ella was even faster. She flapped her wings and flew into Salika's arms, clinging to Salika's hand and acting cute, as if asking if there were any snacks for her.

Salica affectionately ruffled Ella's hair, picked up the candy from the plate, and put it into Ella's chubby paws. The jewel-like candy was actually quite soft; it was a fruit-flavored gummy candy recently released by Jasmine, which was very popular with girls and sold even better than hard candy.

Ella popped the candy into her mouth, and the sweet and soft texture made her extremely happy. She squinted her big, grape-like eyes in bliss. Next to her, Karp, sitting on a recliner, was eating small cookies one after another from a basket of snacks, and he was also full of joy. Moko stood in the distance watching this scene with a gentle smile.

"Sister Moko."

Yubi called out quietly, and as if knowing what Yubi wanted to say, Moko raised her hand to stop Yubi from continuing, "Let's set sail first."

"Yes." Yubi nodded, turned around and gestured to the people on the second floor. The crew members on the second floor nodded and turned to leave.

Inside the captain's cabin, Moko flipped through a stack of documents, raising an eyebrow slightly. "The riots... has Moko's business been threatened?"

"No, all the threatening forces that were nearby have been eliminated. It's just that this riot was rather strange. It went too smoothly, as if it had been planned."

"Strange? It's just that someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes." Moko picked up her teacup, took a sip, and a dark glint flashed in her slightly lowered eyes. "Have you investigated the World Government's recent actions?"

“Yes.” Yubi took out the documents from the cabinet next to him and handed them to Moko. “According to the information gathered by Shadow, the World Government seems to be plotting something recently. They have been in contact with several pirates in private. These pirates have had a huge influence in various places in recent years. It is preliminarily speculated that the World Government wants to use these influential pirates to control other pirates.”

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Moko rested her chin on one hand, her fingers lightly tapping the table. On the table were files on various pirates that the World Government had contacted, including those from the Four Seas and the Grand Line. Yubi's speculation was correct, but too one-sided. Pirates wouldn't obey the World Government just because of these people; there must be other reasons.

As if remembering something, Moko paused slightly and looked up at Yubi.

"I remember the World Government had a public organization called the Seven Warlords of the Sea a long time ago?"

"Yes, but it was abolished eighty years ago due to some factors. Does Sister Moko think the World Government wants to rebuild the Seven Warlords of the Sea? Should I send someone to investigate?"

"No need. I have a rough idea of ​​the World Government's purpose... Inform Laruley to strengthen security in the areas where these pirates are located. Avoid unnecessary conflicts. The World Government's target is most likely those three people at sea."

Using the power of pirates to restrain pirates? What a clever scheme! Using the Seven Warlords of the Sea to restrain the three Emperors of the Sea, although the effect is not great, it is not without effect. And the recent chaos is probably caused by some pirates.

Currently, the World Government has contacted five pirates: Dracule Mihawk, Boa Hancock, Jinbe, Gecko Moria, and Crocodile. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, these five have most likely agreed. There are seven, so there are two more. Is it to compete for these two spots?

Although it has caused considerable trouble, it might be an opportunity to make contact with the people in the World Government. However, simply making contact with the World Government is not enough. The people who are truly in control behind the scenes are not just the puppets of the World Government; we need to go higher up.

Moko looked up at the window. Large, fluffy clouds drifted by, just like when she first met Shanks. No matter the World Government or those so-called world nobles, she would never allow anyone to forcibly alter or deprive Shanks of his background and destiny. Her Shanks would always be the freest being.