One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 96 General Certification

"Young lady, you look so beautiful today! No wonder you wouldn't let me see you last time!"

Borsalino's voice was teasing, but what he said was not a joke; he was serious. Moko raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, accepting Borsalino's somewhat teasing compliment.

"General Borsalino looks very handsome today. It is indeed an honor for General Borsalino to wear this uniform."

Borsalino wore a silver-white striped suit with a black shirt and a white striped tie. An oval yellow gemstone brooch with a beautiful pendant adorned his chest. He wasn't wearing his usual yellow sunglasses today, and he looked much more energetic.

"Oh my, young lady, your praise is truly flattering! I wonder if I might have the honor of inviting you to dance?"

Borsalino usually seems lazy and unreliable, but he has the manners and manners of a gentleman. Instead of directly pulling Moko into the dance floor, Moko looked up at Borsalino helplessly as he looked at the hand extended in front of her.

When Moko dances, Garp is almost always standing by as a backup dancer. After all, Garp is nearly 2.8 meters tall, so even if Moko wanted to dance like usual, she couldn't. Now, there's someone even taller. What do people in this world eat to grow up like this? Why are they all so tall? She's eaten almost the same amount. Moko stood up and stuffed the rice cake in her arms into Garp's arms.

"Is General Borsalino really dancing?"

Tina had already turned her back and was laughing so hard her shoulders were shaking. Smoker shook his head helplessly and stood a little to the side, blocking Tina's figure. Ain also turned her head and hid behind Zephyr. The smile on Ain's lips completely revealed that Ain had the same idea as Tina.

Borsalino then realized that he was a bit too tall. Moko looked like a cat next to him, but he couldn't be blamed for being so tall. Borsalino still stubbornly stretched out his hand, his actions saying everything.

Garp stood aside, completely enjoying the show, and didn't stop Borsalino's actions. Moko sighed and placed her hand in Borsalino's palm. Borsalino's hand was very large, and compared to it, Moko's hand was like a doll's hand, small and delicate.

A naval admiral is already a highly noticeable figure, and with Moko added to the mix, the two are receiving even more attention this time. It's important to understand that the Navy will be under the command of admirals for over a decade, and Borsalino's actions are undoubtedly a declaration to everyone that Moko, who works as an admiral's assistant at Naval Headquarters, is someone he, Borsalino, is protecting. Even if her position isn't a formal rank within the Navy, she is someone he will not tolerate disrespecting.

What seemed like a simple banquet was actually a way for the world's navy to learn about the new admiral. It was this understanding that led Garp to not stop Borsalino. The more people who protected Moko, the safer Moko would be.

Just as Moko had imagined, dancing with Borsalino was impossible in a proper way. Moko lifted her skirt slightly and bowed slightly. As the sound of the cello flowed out, the two began a solo dance that resembled a duet. Soft lights shone on them, and the two, who looked extremely uncoordinated at first, did not look so stiff and strange now. With her feather skirt fluttering lightly and her graceful dance steps, Moko twirled leisurely in the center of the dance floor, her eyes shining brightly, like an angel descending from the moon spreading her wings. Every smile and frown captivated everyone present.

Borsalino, standing to the side, moved forward and backward in sync with Moko's dance steps. His seemingly chaotic and erratic movements appeared as if he wasn't dancing seriously, but a closer look revealed that every step Borsalino took was protective of Moko. The Marines who noticed this were shocked, their eyes widening in disbelief. Was this the same lazy, indifferent Admiral Borsalino they knew? Too gentle, perhaps his soul had been replaced? Σ(°Д°)

Before the dance was over, Moko felt her hand being pulled by a hand that appeared from the side. The person in front of her changed instantly. Borsalino in front of her had become Kuzan. Moko did not stop walking. Kuzan took her hand and spun her around. Her simple and exquisite feather skirt fluttered lightly, like a dream woven from brocade, dancing in a circle of gorgeous flowers in the swaying lights.

Kuzan's tuxedo was an understated navy blue, with a neat collar that accentuated his muscular physique. The slightly rolled-up cuffs gave him a touch of casualness, and his usually messy hair was neatly combed today, adding a unique kind of handsomeness.

"General Kuzan must not fight with General Borsalino later. If the banquet is ruined, I will not do your work for the next month, and the desserts will be canceled."

Moko smiled and glanced at Borsalino, who was being pushed aside by Kuzan and looking resentful, as she spoke. Moko didn't lower her voice, and Borsalino, who wasn't far away, naturally heard what she said.

"Don't worry, Miss Moko, I won't fight with him."

Kuzan's eyes darted around as he said this. Moko certainly didn't believe the two wouldn't fight, but they definitely wouldn't fight in the banquet hall for the sake of snacks. As for where they would fight, Moko didn't care; that was something for the Warring States Marshal to deal with.

"Ah Qiu!"

"Big Rice Cracker, you have a cold?"

Corazon lay weakly on the bed. Because he had been asleep for too long, his speech was not very coherent and his voice was very hoarse. He was looking at Sengoku with concern in his eyes. Sengoku rubbed his nose and waved his hand dismissively.

"It's nothing, it must be those two guys causing trouble again. Xiao Miguo, you should focus on recovering and don't worry about me."

"Yeah, but the person who saved me, Daisenbei..."

"I know, I'll take you to see her when you're better. She'll be angry if she sees you like this. She's a very kind person to everyone, and she won't want to see you dragging your unwell body to thank her."

When Sengoku spoke of Moko, his eyes were filled with smiles and affection. Seeing Sengoku like this, Corazon knew what was going on. The person who saved him must be a very good person. It seemed he had to get better quickly to thank that person. And that kid, Law, must have already escaped. He wondered when he would see him again.

In the banquet hall, after the dance, Moko returned to Tina and Ain's side. Borsalino and Kuzan stood on either side of Moko, seemingly smiling happily, though their auras were far from harmonious, their eyes sparkling with tension, and their pressure was terrifying. Except for Garp and the others, the other marines all retreated in fear. However, their gazes towards Moko were completely different. The marines at the banquet came from various naval branches around the world, mostly sent by their superiors to gather information about the new admirals. But Moko was being treated so highly by the two admirals, and everyone had new considerations in their hearts.

As for Moko, she was standing between the two of them, and she really wanted to punch them both. They were really squeezing her. Ugh, she was tired and wanted to go back to sleep.

Moko suddenly took a step back and calmly accepted the rice cake with a big bow from Garp's hand, under the gazes of the two.

"Ella".

Upon hearing Moko's voice, Ella, who had been sitting obediently in Tina's lap eating cake, shoved a piece of cake from the plate into her mouth without considering whether she would choke. This action was undoubtedly something she learned from Luffy, and she did it almost exactly like him.

Ella, with her chubby cheeks puffed out, flew to sit on Moko's shoulder, her plump paws even knowing to hold onto Moko's ears to keep herself from falling off.

"Tina-chan, Ain-chan, I'm going back now. You guys keep playing."

Moko was planning to run away. Tina and Ain noticed the tension between Borsalino and Kuzan and nodded at lightning speed.

"Then Moko-chan should go back and rest early, don't overwork yourself."

"Okay, Moko-chan, get some rest. See you tomorrow."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

After saying goodbye to Tina and Ain, Moko looked at the others and nodded slightly as a farewell. Everyone nodded in return. Garp didn't care about the conflict between Borsalino and Kuzan; he only knew that his beloved granddaughter was tired, so he went straight to Moko's side.

"Little Moke, Grandpa will go back with you. I'm too old to stay up with you young people any longer."

"Mm." Moko nodded, not rejecting Garp's offer.

Almost the instant Moko and Garp left, Borsalino and Kuzan's smiles vanished in the blink of an eye. The two now truly loathed each other and walked out the door in unison. As for where they were going, they were probably looking for a place to fight. After all, Moko had said that if they fought in the banquet hall, they would lose all their snacks and work assistance for the next month.

Tina and Ian exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.

"Moko-chan, you've had a tough time. Admirals Kizaru and Aokiji were incredibly difficult to deal with even when they were vice admirals."

Tina couldn't help but sigh, and Ian nodded in agreement, completely unaware that the two people they were talking badly about were now their bosses.

(Tina & Ian: It's okay, Moko-chan is here to protect us!)

Speaking of which, Admiral Kizaru and Admiral Aokiji are considered Tina, Ain, and Smoker's senior brothers. However, looking at it now, Tina can't help but sigh that it's fortunate these two senior brothers graduated early, otherwise they would have really messed with their junior brothers and sisters.

You know, these two are the kind of people who give both the Warring States Marshal and Zephyr a headache. One of them is enough to make people suffer, and Moko-chan has to take care of two of them. Just thinking about it makes my head buzz.

Regardless of Tina's wild thoughts, Borsalino and Kuzan had already started fighting in the training room. With a huge explosion, the super-reinforced training room that Sengoku had just had repaired was reduced to a pile of ruins once again.

The naval soldiers on duty who rushed over breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Borsalino and Kuzan standing in the ruins. They thought it was a pirate attack, but it turned out to be just two admirals sparring. Borsalino and Kuzan fight almost every day, so everyone is used to it. They just thought the two admirals wouldn't fight because there was a banquet today.

The duty officer gasped, looking at the ruins all around. His mind raced. How was he supposed to report to Marshal Zhan Guo that the super-thickened and reinforced training room had been destroyed by the two generals fighting?

(Warring States Period: Heh, I'm used to it, really ╮(￣⊿￣)╭~%?…; *'☆&c$︿★！！！！)