area51novel Chapter 103 The War for Survival
Chapter 103 The War for Survival
When Moko woke up in Shanks' arms, Shanks' fingers were gently twirling her hair. The warm afternoon light shone on the two of them, and a ray of sunlight leaked in through the round window, landing right in Shanks' gentle and doting eyes. His eyes seemed like shooting stars streaking across the night sky, and it was these very eyes that amazed Moko throughout her entire life.
Good morning, Moko-chan~
A deep, magnetic voice rang out. Moko blinked dazedly, and it took her a while to pull herself out of those alluring eyes. Moko reached out and cupped Shanks' face in her hands, slowly moving her body until her forehead touched Shanks' forehead. At such close range, Shanks could clearly feel his breath brushing against Moko's temples, like a warm breeze, causing Moko's stray hairs to flutter and fall slightly, the strands lightly brushing against her face, the ticklish sensation hitting Shanks' heart directly.
Feeling the temperature had dropped, Moko breathed a sigh of relief and lay back in Shanks' strong arms, intending to take a nap.
These past few days, Moko has been on the move, and because she's worried about Shanks, she hasn't been sleeping well. Shanks has never been sick before, and he only uses his healing powers to treat injuries he sustained in battle. This sudden illness really frightened Moko. She was terrified that Shanks might also suffer from an incurable disease like Roger. If that happened, Moko might not be able to survive. Fortunately, thankfully, she was just overthinking it, and thankfully, Shanks can still be with her for a very long time.
Sensing Moko's fear and unease, Shanks gently patted her back, just like he used to lull her to sleep when she was a child. Moko, who was still a little drowsy, couldn't help but find Shanks' actions amusing, and her last bit of sleepiness disappeared because of his touch.
"Shanks, I'm not a child anymore."
Moko gently pulled Shanks' face to both sides, her voice soft from just waking up. Shanks thought Moko was just being affectionate and gave her a tender peck on the forehead.
"Yes, Moko-chan isn't a child, I'm the child."
With that, Shanks held Moko even tighter, as if trying to meld her into his very being. Moko pressed herself against Shanks' chest without struggling. The heavy heartbeat reached her ears, and her unease gradually subsided. The fear born of her worry slowly dissipated. Indeed, whether in childhood or now, she only truly felt at ease when Shanks was by her side.
"Shanks, stay by my side forever and ever..."
A whisper as soft as a breath drifted into Shanks' heart. Shanks responded with his deep gaze, then took Moko's left hand and gently kissed her ring finger, adorned with a ring, with solemnity and tenderness.
"I will always be with my little Jasmine, forever and ever..."
The two lingered for a long time before getting up to wash up. The Redfords had already docked. Beckman was on the island directing the crew to organize supplies. Moko went up to the deck, completely unfamiliar with the island in front of her.
Because Wano Country is closed off from the outside world, very little information is released about it. Also, because of Sweet Fruit when she was a child, Moko never saw the whole picture of Wano Country. Strictly speaking, this is Moko's first time in Wano Country.
"Shall we go and visit Mr. Oden's grave?"
Shanks embraced Moko from behind, wrapping his arms around her completely. Moko looked at the huge chimney that was faintly visible in the distance and finally shook her head slowly.
After Moka entered the Grand Line, she learned the whereabouts of most of her family members. Most of her family members had passed away, and only a few remained in the world. However, Moka did not take the initiative to meet them. She had not officially set sail yet and had not boarded her own pirate ship. She was still confused. How could she let her family members who cared about her see her like this and make them worry for nothing?
Seeing the concern in Moko's eyes, Shanks easily enveloped Moko's hand with his large hand, lowered his head and gently touched the top of Moko's head, as if to tell Moko that he had always been there for her.
"let's go."
"Ah."
After replenishing their supplies, the group set off again. This time, their destination was Onigashima, the island opposite Wano Country, where Kaido, one of the Emperors of the Sea, resided. Whether they would chat or fight was unknown, but whatever the case, Shanks and his crew would not be landing on the island.
This meeting was really annoying because Kaido was chasing after him. Shanks found it troublesome and just came directly. Either they could clear things up and not interfere with each other and be happy, or they could have a real fight and let the stronger one win. However, Moko guessed that it would most likely end in a draw. Shanks wouldn't reveal too much of his power at the moment, so he even chose the Wano Country waters, which are undetectable by any of the forces, including the Navy, to be the meeting place.
Beckman agreed with this. Often, simply backing down is not a good choice. It is necessary to make the other party understand that they are not to be trifled with, especially those who casually cross their bottom line.
Moko wasn't worried about meeting Kaido or even getting into a fight. What bothered her was the pile of unfinished business on the ship. She rubbed her temples with a headache just looking at it. Shanks looked guilty and didn't dare to look at Moko. His hand, hanging by his side, hooked Moko's finger in a fawning way. His way of asking for forgiveness after causing trouble was exactly like Roger's.
Moko sighed deeply and glared at Shanks. Shanks accepted the task with a grin, not angry at all. Helpless, Moko sat down in the captain's seat and began to deal with the unfinished documents. Beckman looked at the documents that had been divided up in an instant, and at that eager look in her eyes, he seemed to want to bring Moko on board even more than Shanks did.
(Beckman: Captain, keep it up and get Miss Moko on board!)
Shanks: You think I don't want to?! _(:3」∠)_
Beckman: If you can't get on board, the captain has to handle the job himself. (?°?д°?)
Shanks: I'll do my best!! Σ(￣ロ￣lll)）
Shanks sat boneless in the chair next to Moko, casually flipping through today's newspaper, looking incredibly comfortable and relaxed. Beckman could hardly bear to look at him; the idiot captain was indeed spoiled rotten by Miss Moko.
"The affiliated islands were attacked?"
Moko picked up a report of the attack and looked at Shanks with a puzzled expression, but then said with certainty, "Kaido had someone do it?"
Mo knew Shanks' temper well. Just because he had been chased too many times, Shanks wouldn't care at all, and he would never risk ruining his plans to fight back. But now that Shanks had actually come, it could only be that Kaido had crossed Shanks' bottom line.
"Yeah, we found some small buildings, pirates. A town on the island was destroyed."
As Shanks spoke, his eyes turned cold. Moko glanced at the casualty report and saw that almost half of the residents were injured. No wonder Shanks was so angry.
"A Devil Fruit ability to spread disease?" Upon seeing this, Moko finally understood where Shanks' illness came from and looked at Shanks abruptly.
Shanks grasped Moko's hand, reassuring her, "Don't worry, I've already dealt with that person. As for the Devil Fruit, it shouldn't appear for the time being."
A Devil Fruit that controls diseases—this ability is truly dangerous. However, based on the virus remaining in Shanks' body, the user of this Devil Fruit isn't particularly strong. The limitations of this Devil Fruit must also be significant; otherwise, the casualties on the affiliated island wouldn't have been so small. Nevertheless, Yubi should still be asked to keep a close eye on this fruit, as this ability is far too dangerous.
"Hmm, did Yubi send a medical team to the affiliated island?"
Long ago, Moko had Moxiang secretly train a large number of doctors and nurses. Some of them would stay with Moxiang, while the rest would be sent to various war-torn regions around the world. This was both Moko's compassion for those suffering from war and an important channel for Moko to grasp the world situation. War zones can provide a lot of intelligence and combat power. Many of the employees in Moxiang's affiliated stores were brought over from war zones.
"As I said, the people from Mo Xiang's side arrived very promptly, and the casualties and losses were minimized."
This time it was Beckman who spoke. Moko nodded and continued reading the remaining documents. Moko knew a little about Kaido's ruthlessness, but she couldn't accuse Kaido of doing anything wrong.
This is the ironclad rule of this world: the strong prey on the weak. Only those with ability have the right to demand equality and respect, and only they have the value to be valued. If Mo Xiang didn't have the strength to suppress others, she would probably be devoured by other wolves as soon as she set sail.
This is reality, the wars that can be seen everywhere in the world, wars caused by those at the top of power due to power struggles and tests. Those who are too kind and weak cannot survive in this world. If you want to live well, you must become strong, strong enough that no one dares to underestimate you.
Moko used to always retain a sliver of compassion for others, but in order to survive in this world and protect her family, she had to learn to be ruthless. When facing enemies again, she would never be merciful again. Call her heartless or cold-blooded, she only wanted to protect her family. As for the lives of others, what did they have to do with her?
Without realizing it, Moko suddenly found herself becoming more and more like someone from this world. Her memories of the world she once knew were gradually becoming blurred, and many times Moko almost forgot about that world. So much time had passed that she had forgotten her innocent self, and she had finally become the demon in other people's eyes.
"The World Government has been making some big moves lately, and it seems to be planning something big."
Moko kept drawing on the document, marking the parts that needed to be changed. As she closed the document, she looked at Shanks again, her eyes asking if he wanted her to pay attention. Shanks picked a round grape and put it in Moko's mouth, smiling nonchalantly.
"Don't worry, I'm just a weak pirate. Those guys can't cause me any trouble."
Beckman stared speechlessly at Shanks, who was spouting nonsense. He just couldn't connect the word "weak" with the stupid captain. Had he gotten addicted to playing the fool? A few days ago, someone received an invitation from the World Government, not only did they not read the letter, but they also tore it up and beat up the messenger. There was no one else like them.
"Really? So you, this weak pirate, are going to fight the Emperor of the Sea?"
Moko teased him, her eyes curving into a beautiful arc. Shanks' lips curled slightly as he accepted the documents Moko handed him.
"Just going to chat."
Chatting? Mokoko remembers that the last pirate crew her father talked about was the Golden Lion Pirates. That time, he even managed to chat with the entire Navy force. What kind of chat is he planning to have this time?
"Dong dong dong."
"Boss, we've arrived."
A voice came from outside the door. Shanks raised an eyebrow at Moko, "Moko-chan, want to go have some fun? It'll be a lot of fun."
Moko's strength is no less than Shanks', and she is not the parasitic plant she appears to be. Shanks will not stop Moko from going, but he will not let her fight if he is there. He will end the battle quickly and will never keep Moko waiting.
Although he said it was lively, Shanks' smile didn't reach his eyes, and it had a hint of being fake.
Shanks doesn't fight much, but when he does, his frenzy rivals Roger's. Moko sighed softly and flicked Shanks' forehead with her finger.
"Don't play too wildly."
It meant she wasn't going. Moko never bothered to listen to these pointless conversations. Since they were going to fight anyway, she figured it was better to say less nonsense. Moko carefully instructed Shanks and tied the cloak on the back of the chair for him.
Shanks placed a kiss on Moko's forehead, and the smile on Moko's face was genuinely gentle.
"I'll be back soon."
"Ah."