One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 130 Leviathan

On the eve of dinner, everyone gradually arrived at the villa. Moko was used to the villa often turning into a party. No one put on airs at Moko's place. Several grown men were already making a ruckus with their wine glasses in hand. It was mainly Kapu who started it. When Moko wasn't paying attention, he took out some fruit wine from the cabinet. Several usually quiet people were completely overwhelmed by Kapu's antics and couldn't be stopped at all.

Tina and Ian sat on the other side with He, drinking plum wine. Ella, as usual, enjoyed being fed by the beautiful older sister. The bear was overjoyed, its cheeks puffed up with happiness, which made Tina's eyes sparkle as she poked Ella's chubby bear face.

When it's cold and there are many people, hot pot is the best choice. The broth was prepared in advance. Moko, Smoker, and Corazon are now preparing some ingredients for the hot pot. The kitchen, which was originally quite large, now feels a little crowded because of Smoker and Corazon.

Smoker and Corazon were preparing side dishes near the door, while Moko was making other stir-fries on the other side. With so many big eaters, Moko didn't think they could get full just from the hot pot. Judging by the amount of alcohol left, they would probably be making a ruckus until very late.

The marble countertop is stocked with commonly used seasonings and ingredients, along with some novel condiments that Moko brought back from Moxiang.

Without much hesitation, Moko quickly selected the ingredients she needed. Since she had already gone through the recipes for each dish in her mind, the subsequent preparation was much simpler. Moko's movements were skilled and elegant, and the various ingredients seemed to come alive again in her hands, allowing her to weave them into all sorts of delicious dishes.

With a slight twist of her wrist, the blade traced a smooth arc in the air, her movements delicate and elegant. In Mo Ke's hands, various ingredients were transformed into the shapes she desired in her mind: beautiful decorative cuts, slices as thin as cicada wings, and evenly sized chunks—everything appeared so fluid and perfect.

Add the prepared ingredients to the pot one by one, and calmly adjust the heat. The ingredients in the pot move rapidly under the high temperature. Mo Ke lightly tosses the wok, and the ingredients draw beautiful arcs in the air before falling back into the pot with precision. Each stir-fry makes the ingredients more and more bright in color.

A pot simmered slowly over a low flame, the heat adjusted perfectly with each step, releasing an enticing aroma. The people in the living room fell silent and all turned to look at the kitchen. The fragrance wafted through the air, making their hearts itch with anticipation. With each swallow, the wine in their hands seemed less appealing.

The various seasonings are cleverly blended, highlighting the original flavor of the ingredients while adding more layers of flavor. Moke took a small bite with her chopsticks and added some more seasonings. The freshly cooked food is guaranteed to be an ultimate tantalizing experience for your taste buds with every bite.

The prepared dishes are quickly plated and garnished with some scallions or edible flowers and herbs, creating a smooth and exquisite presentation that whets the appetite.

Because there are always a lot of people coming to eat, Moko specially ordered a folding table. Even if twenty people sit at the unfolded folding table, it won't feel crowded.

As soon as the dishes were plated in the kitchen, without Mo Ke even having to call out, everyone spontaneously got up to serve them. As each dish was placed on the folding table, everyone was already itching to dig in, clearly eager to taste them.

There's still a long time until the Lunar New Year, but because the Navy has a lot of things to do and unexpected situations often occur, there aren't many times when everyone can get together like this. Even Tina and the others are usually out on field missions most of the time, and the New Year's banquet is either brought forward or postponed. In the past, no one would care so much about such banquets, but since Moko came, everyone has been looking forward to the banquets. They feel that as long as Moko is by their side, their hearts will be full.

The dinner was so enjoyable that Moke didn't restrict everyone from drinking. Moke knew very well that the amount of wine she brought back wasn't enough to get these heavy drinkers drunk. After all, after spending so much time together, Moke knew their alcohol tolerance quite well.

Moko didn't know exactly how late the party went, but when it was almost time, Karp and a group of men took the remaining wine back to his villa, while the drunk Tina and Ian stayed at Moko's villa.

Moko tucked Tina and Ain under the covers, her smile barely concealed. Qimingxing had a large stock of baijiu (Chinese liquor) that would be available for sale next year, so Moko brought some over in advance for everyone to try. However, the liquor was still too strong for Tina and Ain. It smelled very fragrant, but the aftereffects were too strong, and no one could drink it all in one gulp.

Goodnight, Tina-chan, Ain-chan.

The door was gently closed, and Moko returned to her room. On the soft bed, Mihua had returned to her usual size, taking up half of the bed. With the rise and fall of Mihua's breath, the cradle-like rocking motion carried Ella on her back into a dream.

Seeing this heartwarming scene, Moko's eyes softened completely and she lay down next to Mihua, reaching out to hug her tightly. Smelling the familiar scent, Mihua also moved her body, stretching out her chubby paws to hug Moko back, making cute sounds.

"Pfft~"

The moon finally broke free from the shackles of the dark clouds, and its cool moonlight spread across the entire island, gently outlining a simple yet elegant silhouette on the floor. On the snow-white velvet bed, the beautiful young girl curled up like a cat, tightly embracing a fluffy red pom-pom. A faint white halo emanated from Mika and gently merged into Moko's body. Amidst the starlight, it was as if she had been immersed in a gentle tranquility.

The first light of dawn had not yet lifted the veil of night, and the surroundings were still immersed in the deep and dark darkness. At the banquet, Mo Ke only drank some plum wine. Although she was not drunk, she woke up unexpectedly early in the morning.

As soon as Moko stirred, Mihua woke up too, snuggling against Moko before letting go. She then stood up and snuggled closer to Moko, chirping softly.

"Woo-mi~"

Perhaps because Mi Hua's movements were too large, Ella grumbled in dissatisfaction, rolled over on Mi Hua's back, and continued to sleep. Mo Ke was still half asleep and not fully conscious, but just as Ella was about to fall off Mi Hua's back, Mo Ke immediately reached out and caught her. After a while, Mo Ke finally came to her senses, tucked Ella into the blankets, and then got out of bed.

The morning breeze carried a chill, and the moment the glass door was opened, a gust of cold air rushed in, startling Moko awake instantly from her drowsiness.

"Pfft~"

Mihua followed behind, grabbing a shawl and draping it over Moke. Moke smiled and ruffled Mihua's hair. The soft shawl slid down Moke's smooth skin to her elbows. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, her fair and flawless skin glowed with a faint pink hue, smooth and lustrous like warm jade. Her lips were luscious and moist, and the strands of hair on her cheeks gently brushed her face in the wind, adding to her alluring charm.

Following the garden path, Moko walked to the pavilion on the sea cliff, holding the rice flower that had shrunk into a ball again in her arms. Moko leaned against the bench, her beauty breathtaking under the hazy mist.

"Since you're here, aren't you going to come out?"

Moko's smile didn't reach her eyes; her slender hand tucked a strand of hair that had fallen beside her ear, and the ring on her ring finger shimmered with a dazzling beauty.

The air remained silent for a while before the person in the shadows couldn't resist and stepped out. It was Aesop, who, unlike his usual timid self, exuded a gloomy aura.

"Miss Moko, are you planning to abandon me?" The voice was weak and melancholy.

Even though Aesop looked so pitiful, Moko's expression remained unchanged. Her fair hand gently stroked the fluffy hair of the rice flower, and her orange-pink eyes no longer held any warmth.

"You went through so much trouble to get here, yet you don't even dare to show your true face? Your aura is indeed very similar; you almost fooled me. But no matter how well you disguise yourself, you can't change that disgusting smell on you."

"Oh, hahahaha..." Aesop suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, unleashing a violent power completely out of character for his small frame.

"When did you find out? I thought I hid it quite well. Did I really not convincingly portray this good-for-nothing?"

"Does it matter?" Moko slowly stood up, her cold eyes fixed on the completely changed Aesop. "When did you replace that child?"

"Hahaha, when was it? Oh right, when was it? I don't even remember. I've eaten too many people. But this piece of trash is really hard to eat. If it weren't for you, why would I dress up in such a humiliating way?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a cloud of black mist rose up around Aesop, enveloping him. When the mist dissipated, a man who looked completely different from Aesop appeared.

The man's face was perfectly handsome, with an unpleasantly effeminate beauty. The white naval uniform he wore didn't fit him well; he was so thin that he looked like nothing but bones, and his exposed aura was nauseating. The man gave a perfunctory gentlemanly bow.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Moko. My name is Leviathan."

Moko's eyes were cold, and she had no good feelings towards the man named Leviathan in front of her. Leviathan was full of an aura that made Moko uncomfortable. This was the second time Moko had felt this disgusting aura. The first time was when she had a hallucination on Fishman Island when she was a child. Moko always thought it was a hallucination caused by too much pressure. But now, it seemed that it was not a coincidence.

"So, what is your purpose in going to such lengths to get close to me?"

"Ah, as expected of Miss Moko, even when she's angry she's so beautiful."

A blush crept onto Leviathan's handsome face as he gazed at Moko with almost obsessive fascination. "Hey, Miss Moko, let me devour you!"