One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 33 Brotherhood

Perhaps it's due to their different physical abilities, or perhaps it's thanks to Moko's training from a young age, but the three little ones are much stronger than other children their age. They can easily carry prey that is many times their size home. Every time Moko sees this, she can't help but marvel at the wonders of children in this world.

As Luffy grew older, Ace and Sabo would often take him to run through the forest. The three of them developed a better understanding of each other and could bring back a lot of prey from the forest every day. However, they were also quite good at causing trouble. To prevent the three of them from being bullied, Moko had to teach them more fighting skills.

However, compared to Moko's gentle teaching, Garp's training was much more severe. During the few days Garp was at home, the three little ones were either thrown into the forest or tied to balloons and flown into the sky. Sometimes they were even thrown to fight with a group of monkeys. Every time Moko saw these scenes, she was scared half to death. Even if the people in this world have strong vitality, they are not this reckless!

"Grandpa Garp, do you know how dangerous this is? It's so high! What if they accidentally fall and get hurt!"

Moko was giving Garp a stern lecture. The thought of the three little ones being thrown to fight with monkeys not long ago gave her a headache. Garp knelt on the ground looking aggrieved. Luffy covered the bump on his head and laughed and cried at the same time. He cried because of the pain and laughed because he saw Garp being scolded again.

Garp is fearless, except when Moko gets angry. Not only Garp is afraid, but the three little ones are too. However, Moko rarely gets angry. She is usually gentle and soft, like a ball of fluffy cotton.

"Little Moko, I'm doing this so they can become stronger marines in the future."

"That won't work either. They're still so young, just kids. What if something happens if they're trained like this?"

Two days ago, Moko wasn't paying attention and Garp threw the three little ones off a cliff to train. When Moko returned, she saw the three little ones with tattered clothes and covered in injuries. Moko was so frightened that she thought it was a bandit attack from the Goa Kingdom.

"Hehehe, Grandpa got my sister scolded again."

The three little ones hid behind Moko, covering their mouths and giggling. They were as unrestrained as could be. Garp's forehead was covered in spittle marks as he waved his fist and roared. The three little ones quickly slipped into the yard. Garp's punches hurt a lot, and they couldn't bear to be beaten again.

"You three brats!"

"Grandpa Garp!"

Moko glared angrily at Garp, who obediently lowered his head to accept the scolding. Seeing this, Moko didn't know what to say.

She knew that Garp was very strong and would definitely not let the three little ones be in mortal danger. Moreover, the three little ones' injuries could heal quickly. This was not only due to the three little ones' super recovery ability, but also because Moko would often inject healing power into the bodies of two or three little ones. Ordinary injuries would not cause any problems at all.

Garp's training methods may have been a bit extreme, but they were indeed very effective. The three little ones' awareness of danger improved significantly. In fact, if you really want to compare, Moko's training when she was a child was much more dangerous than the three little ones'. All of their training involved real battles where they risked their lives.

But Moko still feels sorry for the three little ones. On one hand, she hopes to protect them forever, but on the other hand, she knows that the three little ones must learn these things to protect themselves. Moko is conflicted. She doesn't know if she can protect them alone. She can only keep training and becoming stronger so that she can protect them for a longer time.

Garp naturally saw Moko's predicament. How could he not understand that Ace didn't remember anything when he lost his parents, but Moko was different. She started learning to protect her mother at such a young age, and then had to take on the responsibility of raising her younger brother. She was still just a child herself, and instead of being able to be spoiled in her parents' arms, she had to learn to be mature and steady.

She suppresses all her emotions, never even showing a little temper, never telling anyone about her grievances, and he has never even seen her cry. Every time Garp sees Moko like this, he hopes that Moko can vent her emotions, but Moko still maintains a faint smile, wrapping all her bad emotions and grievances up and hiding them deep in her heart. Even now, no matter how happy Moko is when she smiles, no one can truly enter Moko's heart and heal that wound.

Karp patted Moko's head and sighed deeply. "Little Moko, life isn't as fragile as you think. They're not delicate either. They'll grow up eventually. You can't protect them forever."

Moko looked up at the three little ones gesturing with a water pipe in the yard, a barely perceptible dimness flashing in her eyes. How could she not know? She understood the resilience of life better than anyone else.

As the sun set, the room was filled with a warm and peaceful atmosphere. Sunlight, like soft cotton yarn, swept across every corner of the room, and a few scattered rays of light playfully fell on Moke's fair face. Moke sat on the recliner, silently looking at the garden outside the window, while the three little ones lay on the sofa, fast asleep. Everything was so peaceful and serene.

Many of the furnishings inside the house are similar to those in the houses on Baterila Island. During the time when she was pregnant with Ace and unable to move around easily, Rouge loved to sit on the chaise lounge by the window, watching the sunrise and sunset and the garden outside the window filled with memories. Now, however, it is Moko who sits there.

Her gaze fell on the three little ones sleeping soundly on the sofa, seemingly having a sweet dream and smiling. A faint smile appeared on Mo Ke's lips. Long-forgotten memories flashed through her mind. A warm breeze carried a faint fragrance, and the haze in her eyes dissipated, leaving behind a firm resolve, as if she had made up her mind.

Moko didn't participate much in or hinder Garp's training afterwards, but she would heal the three boys' wounds at the end of the training. Ace and Luffy's backgrounds destined them to not live ordinary lives like ordinary people, and Sabo naturally wouldn't abandon them. The three boys never intended to give up their dreams, but if they wanted to adventure at sea, they couldn't live under the protection of others forever. Accidents at sea always come suddenly, and the three boys had to have the strength to protect themselves, not only themselves, but also their families and partners.

Seeing the three little ones persisting in their training, Moko also decided to accelerate the expansion of Moxiang's training. While the three little ones became stronger, she wanted to create a relatively smooth path for them, a path that would at least not be so dangerous, so that she could protect her brothers as much as possible in the future.

With Moko's tacit approval, Garp would return every few months to train the three little ones. As for Moko, Garp never required her to train, because Moko was so thin that she seemed fragile and Garp couldn't bear to see his precious granddaughter suffer. As for the three brats, they were very tough and could be trained however they wanted.

Garp firmly believes that his body is the most powerful weapon, and his customized training is mainly related to physical skills. Physical training is really difficult for the three little ones, but fortunately, they all persevered.

At the beginning, Ace often led Sabo and Luffy to fight against Garp, and they would run whenever they could during training. Then one day, Ace suddenly stopped resisting Garp's training. Sabo and Luffy saw that Ace was training seriously. Although they didn't understand what was going on, they didn't ask any questions and started training with him.

Ace's change was simply because that afternoon he saw a scene he would never forget. He saw Moko sitting in the afterglow of the setting sun, and saw the sadness and repression in Moko's eyes. The intense grief and confusion emanating from Moko made Ace realize for the first time that his sister was not as strong as he had imagined.

Moko, dressed in a white dress, sat on a recliner, bathed in the warm yellow afterglow. It should have been a heartwarming scene, but Ace felt as if his sister might leave him at any moment, as ethereal and unreal as a dream. Ace didn't even dare to make a sound to disturb her.

His sister should have been the most carefree and free person in the world, and should have grown up surrounded by countless people's love. However, she chose a path that went against the sea, staying in this border forest surrounded by the sea, staying by his side. He was the one who trapped his sister.

He didn't want to see his sister sad anymore. He wanted to become stronger to protect her. He wanted his sister to be the freest and happiest girl. He wanted to protect his most important sister, no matter what price he had to pay.

No matter how tough or outrageous the training was, the three kids persevered, but afterwards, all three kids and Garp couldn't escape a scolding from Moko.

She agreed to let them train, but she didn't say they should train like their lives depend on it. Looking at the three little ones' tattered clothes and the scratches on their bodies, Mo Ke suppressed her heartache and forced herself to send the four of them to take a shower.

The training of the three little ones was quite effective. In addition, with the various strange and wonderful moves they created, the roars of the wild beasts in the forest were becoming more and more impotent and furious. If they could speak, Moko had no doubt that they would definitely come to complain.

(Beast: (?w? ) I was beaten up by you a few years ago, and now I'm being beaten up by your little brother. I get beaten up and then eaten. You guys are bullying beasts like this. I, the punching bag, strongly demand beast rights.)

In a forest, Ace took out a bottle of jasmine wine, placed three small bowls on a wooden stake, bit off the bottle cap, and filled the bowls with the wine.

"After drinking this cup of wine, we are brothers. We may not be on the same ship in the future, but the bond between us will never be broken."

After saying that, they raised their glasses, smiled at each other, clinked glasses, and their faces were full of longing for the future.

"One day I will go out to sea and live as I please, more freely than anyone else!" To ensure his sister would never show a sad expression again, Ace put one hand on his hip, gripped a steel pipe with the other, and looked at the sea in the distance, his eyes full of determination.

"Then I will become the freest man on the sea!" Luffy shouted, raising his fist towards the ocean.

"Hahaha, Luffy, if you want to be free at sea, you'd better train harder. You haven't won a single fight against me." Sabo put his hands on his hips and laughed heartily.

"Hmph, I'll definitely become amazing!"

Under a clear blue sky, the sea shimmered and the waves crashed against the cliffs. The roar of the massive waves seemed to echo the three of them. The vast ocean, which encompassed the world, once again recorded a new promise. The shimmering waves under the sunlight outlined the threads that strung together this small, expectant wish.

The three little ones returned home near dusk. Moko carefully wiped the dust off their faces and hands. Seeing their happy faces, Moko smiled as well.

"Sister, sister, I have something to tell you! Ace and Sabo have become sworn brothers! We're brothers now!"

Luffy laughed happily, revealing his white teeth, and gestured wildly as he spoke.

"Really? To become brothers who can rely on each other is such a wonderful thing. How about we cook lots of delicious food tonight to celebrate?"

"Mmm, delicious!"

Luffy's mouth watered at the mention of delicious food, his eyes brimming with undisguised joy. Ace and Sabo watched Luffy with a mixture of helplessness and indulgence, their own eyes also brimming with barely suppressed excitement.

Seeing the three little ones like this, Moko smiled slightly. Brothers, Ace has also found new bonds and family. That's great. Suddenly, I'm really looking forward to their future.

In the courtyard, the three little ones were roasting meat over a campfire, while Moko sat to the side flipping through old notes, looking quite relaxed and content.

"Was it a coincidence?" Sabo seemed to have thought of something, looking at Ace and Luffy with a puzzled expression as he touched his chin.

"What coincidence?"

Ace handed the grilled meat to Moko, who shook her head with a light laugh, and only then did Ace withdraw his hand.

"You all..."

"It's done! It's done!"

Before Sabo could finish speaking, Luffy, holding up a piece of grilled meat in each hand, exclaimed with shining eyes, "It looks delicious!"

"Hey, Luffy, how could you eat two?" Ace's voice was filled with helplessness.

"I'm hungry."

"How could you do this..."

Before Sabo could finish speaking, Luffy stuffed two pieces of grilled meat into his mouth. Moko watched this scene, shaking her head with a helpless smile.

"good to eat!"

"What's going on? Seriously." Ignoring Luffy, Ace took a bite of the grilled meat in his hand. "Mmm, delicious. Sister, can we have this again tomorrow?"

"Won't you get tired of eating so much?"

"No, sister, let's eat this tomorrow too!"

Luffy blinked at Moko like a puppy begging for a present. Moko smiled slightly and nodded. She never refused any reasonable request from her three younger brothers. Luffy's eyes lit up even more. Ace remembered something and looked at Sabo with a puzzled look in his eyes.

"Sabo, what were you trying to say just now?"

Luffy kept eating, stuffing the grilled meat into his mouth, and Sabo also started eating grilled meat. Only when he heard Ace's words did he remember what he hadn't finished saying.

"Yes, I was wondering if it's a coincidence that all of your names have the letter 'D' in them."

"D?" Luffy said, stuffing two more pieces of grilled meat into his mouth, not at all worried about choking.

"Monkey D. Luffy, Portgas D. Ace, and to be precise, Ace and his sister's real names also have 'D' in them."

"Ah, that's true."

Luffy seemed to realize something just as he heard Sabo's words. Moko paused in her reading, her father often emphasizing the word "D." Before leaving, he had told her to remember her name and the "D" in it. Although she didn't understand the meaning of "D," since her father was willing to risk his life to prove the existence of the One Piece, the thing contained in "D" must be extremely important.

"Really? Do you want it, D. Sabo?"

Ace casually changed Sabo's name, and Sabo raised an eyebrow, looking quite speechless.

"what?"

"Sabo." Luffy pointed at Sabo and gave him another name without any hesitation.

"Where did you add this?"

"It can be added anywhere, Sa D Bo, Sa D Bo, hahahaha."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

The three children burst into laughter. Moko snapped out of her reverie and continued reading her notes. She wasn't interested in the One Piece. As for the meaning of "D," she'd leave that to the next Pirate King. All she needed to do was protect her family.