One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 22 The Grand Finale

The fog was thick and the sea mist was thick. The oppressive atmosphere was swallowed up by the blue ocean through the white fog. The sleeping town was eerily quiet. Only the cold wind could be heard. Moko frowned with a bitter face, lowered her head and dared not look at Roger. Her hands were clenched tightly, and she tried to hold back the surging tears in her heart.

Roger held Rouge tightly, savoring the warmth of his lover's body. This was their last embrace, and both Roger and Rouge knew that they would truly part ways at this moment.

"Rouju, I'm afraid you'll have to work hard from now on."

"Go ahead and do what you want to do. The children and I will be fine."

Rouge released Roger's embrace, cupped his face in her hands, and gazed at him tenderly. Despite her reluctance, Rouge still smiled as she saw him off. When she fell in love with this man, she knew that her life would be filled with waiting, but so what? It was just waiting, and she was never afraid of waiting.

Roger lightly kissed Rouge's lips, then chuckled and patted Moko's head as he looked at Moko, who was turning into a gloomy little mushroom.

"I'm off."

It wasn't a long farewell; just four words of goodbye seemed to express all the love. The small boat carrying Roger gradually sailed away. Watching Roger about to disappear into the morning sun, Moko could no longer hold back her tears and shouted at Roger's back.

"Dad, be careful on the road..."

The words "I'm waiting for you to come back" stuck in my throat, and I couldn't say them. Roger didn't turn around, but just raised his hand and waved. His tall figure facing the rising sun seemed like the end of a story, or the beginning of a story, grand and resolute.

In the end, the pain of parting prevailed. Rouge covered her mouth and cried silently, her body trembling violently. Tears streamed down Rouge's cheeks like broken beads, falling onto the old wooden planks and into Moko's heart.

"I'll stay with Mommy forever, okay? Don't cry, Mommy?"

Moko stubbornly wiped away her tears, but no matter how hard she tried, they wouldn't stop. Her voice was also muffled. Rouge knelt down and gently wiped away Moko's tears. The sadness in her eyes was impossible to hide, like the last leaf falling gently in autumn.

"Mommy, don't cry. Smile, and Mommy won't cry anymore if she sees your smile."

Every word seemed to be soaked in tears; words of comfort were mixed with the sound of heartbreak. Moko forced a smile, but it must have looked terrible, otherwise why was her mother still crying?

After Roger left, things remained the same. Although Rouge pretended to be fine in front of Moko, how could Moko hide the sadness in Rouge's body? Moko didn't point it out, and every day she pretended to be happy to coax Rouge. Rouge also forced herself to respond to Moko, but in the end, it always ended in silence.

In the days that followed, Mihua kept circling around Moko and Rouge with worry. She didn't know how to comfort them. In Mihua's perception, Moko and Rouge were like withered fruits hit by rain, tasting bitter, and she didn't know how to save them.

A month after Roger left, Moko stood in the garden, pruning the jasmine's excess branches with flower shears. Suddenly, as if sensing something, she accidentally cut her finger with the shears. Moko stared blankly at her cut finger, bright red blood dripping from the wound onto the snow-white jasmine. The glaring red was like a knife piercing Moko's heart, as if it were an ominous omens.

Moko bit her lip hard, her throat tightening. She slowly squatted down and hugged herself tightly, suppressing her emotions that were about to spiral out of control. Her slender shoulders trembled. She couldn't cry, she couldn't cry. If she couldn't hold back her tears, then who would comfort her mother? She couldn't cry.

"Cry, Moko-chan, I'm here, I'll always be here..."

A murmur seemed to whisper in her ear, and Mihua fluttered her fluffy body to hug Moke. The warm touch made Moke unconsciously sink deeper into her embrace. Moke closed her eyes, and tears seemed to slide down her cheeks. It's okay, Daddy is so strong, everything will be alright, everything will be alright...

In the naval dungeon, Garp looked at Roger, whose hands were shackled, with a complex expression. He was looking at Roger, the enemy he had chased for most of his life.

"Can you believe it, Garp? My child is about to be born, but sadly, I won't be alive by then."

Roger spoke slowly, his words revealing an undisguised smile and reluctance.

"Why are you telling me this, Roger? That woman... any woman connected to you will be executed."

Garp angrily stated the reality, not understanding why Roger, who was about to die, could speak so calmly. Roger lowered his eyes to look at the flickering flame in the oil lamp, and when he looked up again, his eyes were full of determination.

That's why I'm telling you.

"?"

Upon hearing Roger's words, Garp looked incredulous. Roger slowly stood up and walked towards Garp step by step.

"The World Government will definitely find out my whereabouts over the past year. Whether it's my daughter or her, the World Government will definitely find them and kill them. But my daughter and the child in her womb are innocent. They have the right to live because they have never reached the end."

Roger suddenly moved closer to Garp, staring directly at him through the huge, heavy cell door with an unprecedentedly firm gaze, in which Garp could even see a plea.

"Garp, we've been through countless battles together, haven't we? You're like a partner to me, someone I can trust..."

Garp pursed his lips and turned his head away, ignoring him. The flame in the oil lamp went out, but it reignited within two seconds. The dim light illuminated Roger's face, revealing the same smile that infuriated Garp.

"...My two children are there, I'm entrusting them to your protection from now on."

"Stop acting on your own! I'm a Marine..." Garp roared, gripping the cell door.

"No, you will definitely help me. I entrust my children to you..."

This was Roger's last entrustment as a father. Roger entrusted his most important treasure to Garp without reservation. Garp watched Roger slowly walk towards the execution platform, clicked his tongue in annoyance, scratched his head, and finally simply left the place of the execution.

Roger stepped onto the execution platform without hesitation or fear, his expression calm and composed. The crowd below had various expressions. The red-haired boy wearing a straw hat had tears streaming down his face, and Griffin's grip on his sword tightened. The blue-haired, red-nosed boy next to him was in no better shape, his face covered in tears.

In the silent square, someone suddenly spoke up, "Hey, Pirate King, where did you hide the treasure you plundered? You got that legendary One Piece, didn't you? That, the One Piece that's all connected, the One Piece!"

"Hahahahaha..."

Upon hearing this question, Roger burst into laughter. "Want my treasure? You can have it all. Go find it; I've hidden all my treasure there..."

As the words fell, the Navy carried out the execution in a panic, and the square fell into a deathly silence. In the blink of an eye, the crowd suddenly erupted in cheers. Everyone was excited, and people kept rushing towards the sea. Everyone wanted to seize the treasure. The unstoppable Great Pirate Era had begun. The new era was completely opened at the moment Roger's life ended.

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a light rain began to fall. Everyone in the square went in different directions. Shanks clutched his heart, a burning pain coursing through his body before turning into numbness. At that moment, Shanks' heart screamed, searching for a release, a way to find relief. So this was what the captain meant? Was the captain already prepared to sacrifice himself? For that mission, that legacy…

"Shanks, let's go to Laugh Tale!"

Bucky's eyes were red, his face still wet with tears, and his eyes were filled with anger and resentment.

"not going."

"What!" Bucky stared at Shanks in disbelief, wondering if he had misheard. "Didn't you say that one day you would sail to Laugh Tale on your own ship, Shanks?!"

"Yes, I've changed my mind. I'm not planning to go for the time being."

"!!?"

"But I will continue to be a pirate."

Shanks' expression was blank, his dark eyes unreadable, and it was impossible to tell he was joking. Buggy bit his lip, a mix of emotions churning within him, with betrayal completely taking over his mind. He had really misjudged Shanks. Wasn't Shanks the next king? The captain had such high hopes for him, and what about Moko-chan? What would happen to her?

“Come with me, Bucky.”

Through the misty rain, Shanks reached out to Buggy, his rain-soaked hair obscuring his expression, raindrops constantly sliding down his face.

"Snapped!"

Bucky slapped Shanks' hand away hard. "I don't want to be your subordinate, you idiot, you coward! Isn't the captain's wish for you to inherit his mantle?"

"You haven't forgotten, have you! I haven't forgiven you for losing my treasure map. Next time we meet, we'll be enemies!"

Bucky ran off in an unknown direction, yelling, never looking back at Shanks. He had given up his own dream because Shanks was too outstanding, and he always believed that Shanks would inherit the captain's dream. He had always believed that.

The rain grew heavier and heavier. Shanks stood there watching the figure disappear into the rain, and gave a self-deprecating laugh. The ruby ​​cufflinks on his sleeves still bore traces of rainwater, as if they too were weeping.

"Pfft~" Sweetie shook off the water on her body and splashed over to Shanks' feet to rub against him.

Shanks's sadness was no less than Buggy's, but he had no time to waste now. The captain's wish, Moko crying somewhere—he was too weak now. He could do nothing, protect nothing. He had to become stronger, the strongest man on this sea, so he wouldn't lose anything more.

Growing up happens in the blink of an eye. Shanks picked up the soaking wet Sweetie, fiddled with the cufflinks on his sleeve, and turned to walk in the exact opposite direction from Bucky. His low murmurs dissipated in the cold wind mixed with the downpour.

"Wait for me, I will definitely find you..."