One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 129 Embarrassing

Because of physical exhaustion, Moko arrived at the office much later than usual the next day. According to normal working hours, it would be considered late, but no one here would say anything bad about Moko. Even if Moko didn't come today, no one would urge her. Apart from Moko's own personal charm, it was mostly due to the difference in their positions.

Moko has no official rank, but she is directly under the Marshal. Because of this, no one dares to question Moko's actions. In the Navy, rank is absolutely not allowed to be crossed. Ordinary naval personnel are not qualified to question the decisions of senior naval personnel, and any disrespectful behavior is not allowed.

Besides, the villas around Moko are occupied by Garp and a few generals. If anyone goes over and wakes Moko up, they can expect to be thrown off the cliff. Even if Moko is easygoing and won't blame them, they're not stupid. Who would want to jump off a cliff for no reason?

There were already two people in the office. Corazon was sitting at the newly moved desk and chair, going through and classifying the documents from the whole day. Aesop stood to the side, looking particularly reserved, with a complex expression on his face, like a wronged little wife.

Corazon's appointment came quickly. Aesop received the notification early in the morning. Although he was not sent back to the starting village, he, who was originally Moko's only assistant, suddenly had to share the position with someone else. Moreover, this person was a subordinate whom Fleet Admiral Sengoku trusted very much. Corazon was not only a naval captain, but also had excellent personal abilities. Before he even arrived in the morning, he had already sorted out and categorized more than half of the documents. Such an excellent man would surely take away Miss Moko's attention.

"I'm sorry I'm late."

A soft voice came from behind her. Moke placed Mika and Ella on the soft recliner before sitting back down at her desk.

"It's alright, Miss Moko, you can rest a bit more. It's fine to come over this afternoon. I've already compiled today's documents, and this is the part that Miss Moko needs to handle."

Corazon placed the files he had separated on his desk onto Moko's desk. Compared to the huge pile of files next to Corazon's desk, Moko's was less than a fifth of that.

"Xiao Miguo, why don't you share some more? It'll be too tiring for you to handle it all by yourself."

Moko looked at Corazon with concern. She had always handled these documents before, so she knew how complicated and messy they were. The documents themselves weren't difficult, but the sheer number of them was overwhelming. It would be incredibly exhausting for just one person to handle them.

"It's alright, Miss Moko. Leave these chores to me. After you finish these documents, go and get some rest. You don't need to waste your energy on these things."

Corazon's words seemed to have a hidden meaning. Aesop, who was standing behind him, lowered his head and clenched his fists behind his back, his nails digging deep into his flesh. The faint, almost undetectable smell of blood made Moko, who had been chatting and laughing with Corazon, frown slightly.

"Aesop?"

Moko's voice snapped Aesop back to reality. Seeing the looks Moko and Corazon were giving him, Aesop felt inexplicably embarrassed and quickly bowed to them. "Miss Moko, I'm not feeling well today, so I'll head back now."

Without waiting for Moko's permission, Aesop ran out of the office, showing no respect for his superior. A dark glint flashed in Corazon's eyes, and his expression turned stern. No matter how kind a superior may be, such behavior is absolutely unacceptable in the Navy. Soldiers should have the self-awareness of soldiers; otherwise, how can such a large navy be managed?

“Miss Moko is too gentle. You should know that there has never been such an unruly navy officer before. Leaving without waiting for his superior’s permission, such a navy officer would be normal to be kicked out.”

Corazon withdrew his gaze, carefully tidying up the documents on the table as if he were just casually talking, showing no concern whatsoever for Aesop who had rushed out. Moko sighed, a faint smile playing on her lips, and picked up a pen to begin processing the documents.

"He was clearly a good kid at the beginning, it's such a pity."

Moko's voice was tinged with regret. At first, Aesop had left a pretty good impression on Moko, at least his aura was clean. But in just two years, for some reason, that clean aura began to be tainted with all sorts of filth. This was one of the reasons why she agreed to let Xiaomiguo come and help yesterday.

She disliked foul smells. Whether it was the three admirals or Fleet Admiral Sengoku, although they held high positions and had their own thoughts, Moko could not sense any foul smells from them. At least when they were facing her, their auras were gentle and loving. Aesop's aura might have been like that at first, but later it was like a blank sheet of paper suddenly soaked in sewage, becoming filthy in the blink of an eye.

Moko didn't know why Aesop had become like this, nor was she interested in knowing. She could be kind to anyone, but aside from her family, Moko's patience was probably quite limited. Once someone crossed her bottom line, that person would forever remain a complete stranger. As for his past, why should Moko know, and what did it have to do with her? It was truly a pity, though.

With Corazon's help, the documents were indeed processed much faster than usual. Corazon, as expected of someone trained in the Warring States period, was not much slower than Moko in processing documents. Before noon, most of today's documents had already been processed.

"Little Miss, I'm here!"

Before he arrived, his voice preceded him. The door was pushed open, and Borsalino walked in with a tired look on his face. He didn't find it strange when he saw Corazon at another desk. During the time Moko was away, Corazon often appeared by Sengoku's side. The ability of someone trained by the marshal to handle work was naturally not bad, so it was not surprising that he would be assigned to Moko.

Borsalino would say that Moko is too easy to talk to. It's better to have a pet than a useless assistant. She's not helpful at work and just causes the young lady a lot of trouble.

After discovering that Moko's assistant was ineffective, Borsalino intercepted all of Moko's miscellaneous documents and transferred them to his own office. While he disliked work, he didn't completely dump all his tasks on Moko. Although his lieutenant ultimately handled them, Moko's workload was at least somewhat reduced. Now, with a capable assistant, he no longer needed to secretly sift through documents; after all, sifting through documents in the villa late at night every day was truly exhausting.

"General Borsalino".

Corazon stood up and bowed respectfully, while Borsalino waved casually and walked straight to the sofa to sit down. He was always tolerant of the people around Moko, and there was no great need for formalities.

"What would General Borsalino like for lunch? Miso ramen?"

Moko put down her pen and looked up at Borsalino. She had come over at this time of day just to freeload lunch. When she heard about his favorite food, Borsalino's eyes lit up. Sure enough, with a new assistant, the young lady had more time to prepare delicious food for him.

"Young lady, you really know me too well~ You can always guess what I'm thinking."

Borsalino seemed deeply moved and even wiped away his tears. His exaggerated performance was so dramatic that, according to Moko, Grandpa Garp should learn acting from Borsalino; he could easily win a gold medal.

Moko gave Borsalino a speechless glare, picked up the unfinished documents from Corazon's desk, and refused to play along with the old rascal. Don't think she didn't know that Borsalino and even Kuzana were completely different when she was around.

Of course, how could someone who becomes an admiral be a mere brawler who only knows how to fight? In the Navy, those who can become vice admirals are already skilled in both literature and martial arts, and there are many geniuses among them. Not to mention the admirals, who are almost at the pinnacle of the Navy. Just by looking at Sakazuki, one can guess the true strength of Borsalino and Kuzan. And how could Sengoku, who thinks three steps ahead for every step he takes, have such poor judgment? Mokoko wasn't foolish enough to believe that the sharp-eyed Sengoku would choose a few incompetent people to serve as admirals.

She would never underestimate the two just because they appeared harmless in front of her. As an organization that had spread all over the world a hundred years ago, how could the Navy receive fewer reports every year than Moko does now? Borsalino and Kuzan secretly took over her files, which could be discovered with a little attention. These two wanted to be unsung heroes, but Moko just pretended not to know. Playing dumb to fool others is as easy as anyone else doing it.

"Xiaomiguo, come along too. We've almost finished all the documents for today, so we can have a good rest this afternoon."

Moko closed the documents she had finished and stood up. As she spoke, she rescued Ella, who had accidentally fallen into the toy box. Ella, who had been flapping her limbs, finally breathed a sigh of relief when Moko lifted her up. Moko chuckled and flicked Ella's nose. "You have wings, why are you just flapping around like an idiot? You don't even know how to make a sound. What a silly Ella."

Upon hearing this, Corazon nodded, then noticed that Moko had turned her back, and quickly added, "Okay."

Corazon didn't refuse Moko's invitation. Big Senbei had told him that although Moko seemed gentle and easy to talk to, she was actually very perceptive and had a stubborn streak comparable to Garp. She never paid any attention to Marines of similar character. She only maintained basic politeness towards others, and only those invited to her villa for dinner were considered her friends. Whether being recognized as a friend by Moko was important to others, Corazon didn't know, but it was very important to him.

"Tina and the others are coming back today, so the New Year's Eve dinner tonight should be very lively. Let's prepare some more delicious food for dinner."

Moko placed Ella on her shoulder, picked up the limp Mika from the recliner, and affectionately squeezed her. A warm breeze carrying the scent of winter sunshine blew into the room, and the air was filled with the delicate fragrance of bougainvillea. The tranquil and reassuring atmosphere slowly spread, making people inexplicably envious of Mika being held in Moko's arms.

"What the young lady said really makes this old man look forward to it!"

Borsalino, with his long legs, was the first to reach the door and opened it to wait for Moko. Borsalino could have simply used his Devil Fruit ability to escape, but in Moko's office and villa, he always obediently used the door, showing great respect for Moko's wishes.

"General Borsalino, please don't fight with General Kuzan tonight. If we don't fight or argue today, I'll make you a nice drink."

Moko's cocktails are really delicious, but she's usually too busy, and Borsalino and Kuzan are always fighting, so she doesn't mix cocktails much as a form of punishment for them.

"How could someone as kind as me possibly fight with an ice-cold face?"

Look, look, he can even call Kuzan by his nickname when he talks. Moko glanced at Borsalino, her eyes clearly showing disbelief. "Then let's see how Admiral Borsalino performs. Little Miko, let's go."

Moko turned around, looked at Corazon, and smiled. Corazon's expression softened, and he nodded. "Okay."