One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 79 The Devil Bear

"Ummy?"

The little devil bear twitched its nose, opened its big, dark eyes, and looked around in confusion. Before it could continue to be afraid, it was immediately captivated by the sweet and fragrant pastries surrounding it. As if remembering that there were other people around, the little devil bear secretly reached out its chubby paw and grabbed a cookie with dried red plums inside. While grabbing the cookie, it looked around again, and only when it saw that no one was paying attention to it did it turn its back, curl up into a small ball, and secretly eat the pastry.

The other unconscious demon bears gradually woke up, their eyes lighting up at the sight of the snacks. When eating, they even looked around before turning their backs, their movements perfectly synchronized, like a copy-paste job. So all that could be seen on the soft blanket were a group of adorable bear heads swaying with their backs turned, and the snacks in the basket were visibly decreasing, making everyone feel both amused and touched.

"Is it tasty?"

"Woo-mi!"

The little devil bear was startled and stiffened, turning its chubby body around. Its cheeks were bulging with unfinished snacks, and it still held half a snack in its little paws. Its eyes were teary as it stared at the suddenly appearing Moko. Behind Moko were several newborn seal pups, who looked at the little devil bear with curiosity. The two sides just stared at each other, and the air remained silent for a while.

Finally, the first awakened devil bear shakily stretched out its little paw and offered the half-eaten cookie to Moko.

Moko blinked, a smile playing on her lips, a gentle chuckle spreading across her eyes. She reached out and gently patted the devil bear's head. "There's still plenty left, eat slowly."

After saying that, Moko got up and walked towards the temporary encampment. The little devil bear stared blankly at Moko as she walked away, holding half a cookie in his hand, seemingly unaware that the few newborn seal pups had surrounded him.

"Sister Moko, the situation on this island is even better than we imagined. Whether it's the environment or the resources, plus the island's geographical location on the Grand Line, I think it's very suitable as Moko's headquarters."

Yubi held the investigation report collected by the newly returned personnel, his eyes brimming with excitement. Jasmine's businesses now spanned many places. Although the ownership of some islands had been fully transferred to Jasmine, their geographical locations were too obvious, making it impossible for Jasmine's important departments to be placed there. The underground forces on most of the better-positioned islands were also complex and intertwined, making it impossible for Jasmine's intelligence organization to safely infiltrate its own territory. But now, this island was just the right place to solve their immediate problem.

Moka quickly finished reading the island's report and agreed with Yubi's statement. Moka really needed an island that was completely her own, with advantages in both geographical location and resources. With her own base, there would be no need to deal with those complicated old powers. And most importantly, it was where Dango's habitat was. Unless Dango led the way or grew wings, no one could enter the ocean currents near the island at will. This island would become her last resort.

"Little one, may I stay here?"

Instead of answering Yubi's question immediately, Moko figured out the pros and cons and turned to look at the group of devil bears and seals that had quietly followed them. When Moko suddenly turned around, the devil bears quickly shrank back and hid behind the seals.

Moko gazed at the demon bears with gentle eyes. The true owners of this island were actually these demon bears. When she flew over, Moko noticed that the island's shape was peculiar, resembling a bear's head. At first, she thought it was somewhat cute, but now it seemed to make sense. These demon bears may have originally lived on this island, but for some reason, they went outside and appeared in people's sight. Later, they returned here because of people's hunting.

Because of their adorable appearance, the Devil Bear was beloved by nobles. So, the merchants who made a living by selling Devil Bears would never indiscriminately hunt them down. In fact, they should have bred more Devil Bears regardless of the cost. But in reality, the number of Devil Bears has decreased dramatically, to the point that they were nowhere to be found when Moko was a child.

One explanation for this situation is that the Devil Bear was nearly extinct due to hunting. However, another theory circulating in the shadows is that the Devil Bear harmed the Celestial Dragons, leading to their order for a frenzied hunt. But the Devil Bear appears to be completely harmless, so no one believed the claim that it could hurt people, and this theory was eventually dropped.

Looking at it now, this hidden claim is not entirely unfounded. Ursula has no trace of human habitation, and with its unique geographical advantages and excellent climate, there should be quite a few large wild animals. Even if Tuanzi lives here, it is really not too strange that there are no large wild animals in the jungle.

It's important to understand that Tuanzi's non-killing nature prevents it from staying in the forest for long, so the real reason there are no wild animals in the jungle probably lies with these little devil bears.

They may not be offensive. Although they are timid and seem harmless, some of the demon bear cubs have a strong aura, which most likely indicates they possess a kind of domineering aura. However, it is unknown what kind of domineering aura they possess.

"Woo-mi".

After a long while, the little devil bear finally peeked out from behind the little seal, showing only half its head to look at Moko, and nodded rather shyly.

"So that's an agreement," Moko smiled gently, her eyes shining like stars. "It seems the young master here has agreed."

Moko turned back to Yubi and said, "When developing the island, choose the eastern area. Don't disturb the little ones deep in the jungle, understand?"

"Yes."

Moko's tone was serious, and Yubi's reply was respectful. Yubi understood the other meaning behind Moko's words. In addition to Moko's guidance, Yubi's own strong and keen business sense was also indispensable in developing Moko's fragrance to such a scale.

Yubi knows about all the rare and exotic beasts in the world, and he certainly knows the value of the Demon Bear. However, since this is the little guy that Sister Moko is going to protect, then no one can touch them under Moko's nose.

Now that the decision had been made, it was time to start preparing. After Yubi bowed and left, the Devil Bear emerged from behind the little seal and shyly flew to Moko. Moko chuckled as she caught the Devil Bear and stroked its fur.

Moko's smooth hair technique has been certified by Mihua and is absolutely authentic. The little devil bear comfortably squints its eyes and lies on Moko's hand, looking exactly like a doll. It's so cute that people can't help but love it.

Having found Tuanzi and planning to establish a headquarters base in Ursula, Moko decided to stay on the island for a while longer. At least she had to get the most basic things arranged. As an important base, the people who would come to the island also had to be carefully selected. Those spies who were loitering around Moko also had to be dealt with in due course. She couldn't let anyone leak the news before the construction was completed.

Yubi has informed all of Moka's senior management about Ursula's situation. Apart from the Shadows managed by Carlos and the intelligence organization managed by Das who will arrive in batches, the other senior management will remain in their original positions to prevent other forces from noticing.

After all, building a house on an empty island is no easy task. Yubi sent Carlos and Das with people to build the house. Although it was a bit of a waste of their talents, the fewer people who knew about building the island, the better. Yubi led a group of people to the eastern forest after Carlos and Das had almost arrived.

When they arrived at the designated location, they saw a group of people carrying stones and trees, which were piled up together. The timber was also trimmed and arranged neatly, showing that they had done a lot of work!

The giant dumpling was one thing, but even the tiny devil bear was carrying stones several times its own size and flying around. Can you imagine that such a soft and cute little bear, only the size of a toy, could effortlessly split such a large, irregular stone into square bricks with its soft little paws?

Tsk, who said this little thing couldn't attack?! Σ(￣ロ￣lll) Just one swipe of its claw could turn them into bricks!!

On the open ground, the dumplings and the devil bears were busy at work. The dumplings quickly used their homemade tools to grind a freshly uprooted tree into square pieces of wood, which were then carried away and used by other dumplings or devil bears to build the structure. Their movements were so smooth and seamless.

Yubi and the others stood there dumbfounded, countless thoughts flashing through their minds, but in the end, they couldn't say anything. It didn't seem like they were really needed to build houses, and nobody had told them that Sea Kings could build houses (???^???)！

Moko stood calmly to the side, holding a devil bear, watching the children build a house with the devil bear. When she saw Yubi bringing people over, Moko waved to everyone while still holding the devil bear's paw. The group looked at Moko with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. She hadn't said anything, but it seemed like she had said everything. The scene was strangely funny.

"Didn't I say that Tuanzi and the others could build houses?"

Back when they were on the ship, Tuanzi did odd jobs with Shanks and the others. Repairing houses and making furniture were commonplace for them. After all, they often broke things on the ship when they fought, and they got beaten up by Uncle Rayleigh just as many times as Roger.

Moko blinked, looking at the resentful little expressions on Yubi and the others' faces, and couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. Well, it seems she really forgot to mention it.

"You can leave the building to Tuanzi and the little guys; the rest is up to you."

Having received Moko's request, the group regained some of their shattered confidence and immediately gave their assurances with full confidence.

"Don't worry, Sister Moko, you can go back to the East Sea without worry. We will protect Ursula well."

"Then I'll leave it to you. Tuanzi, I'm leaving now."

"Ooh!"

Upon hearing Moko's voice, Tuanzi, who was still repairing wood, immediately shoved the tools into the arms of the big Tuanzi next to her, patted its tail, and slid smoothly to Moko's side.

Yubi needed to stay in Ursula to oversee things, so Moko didn't take the merchant ship back to the East Blue. Moko, carrying the devil bear, climbed onto Mika's body, while Tuanzi slipped into the sea. Moko originally planned to leave Tuanzi to watch over the island and pick it up when she returned, but Tuanzi insisted on following Moko. Even the devil bear, which Mika had initially grabbed, clung to Moko and wouldn't let go. Helpless, Moko took both of them with her.

The holiday was long, so Moko didn't rush. After crossing the Red Earth Continent and arriving at the Four Seas region, Moko would occasionally stop and rest with the little ones.

Night quietly descends, and the glittering stars cast a soft and dreamlike glow, creating tiny, dancing points of light that gently caress the calm, still sea, leaving behind a silver veil woven from starlight.

The dumpling floated on the sea, serving as a temporary island for rice flowers. Silver frost sprinkled on the sea surface. Moko lay on top of the dumpling, her long pink hair flowing freely to her waist like seaweed. A light and smooth white dress wrapped around Moko's slender body, and her bare, snow-white feet gleamed with a lustrous sheen. The moonlight gently bathed her all over.

Moko rested her head on her arm, her posture languid, like an incomparably beautiful flower blooming under the moon, making one want to fall in love at first sight.

A huge silver moon was reflected in the shimmering water. Mo Ke couldn't resist reaching out and gently brushing away the moon's reflection that was so close to her. Before long, the moon's reflection in the water gathered again at her fingertips, leaving behind faint ripples.