One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 156 Intimidation

Compared to the banquet hall in the Flower Capital, the castle's banquet hall was far more luxurious. The hall was already packed with people, and the faces on the table were not unfamiliar; most of them were from the wanted posters. This was the first time Moko had seen all of Kaido's subordinates in their entirety. They all seemed to have their own unique characteristics, but the most eye-catching one was probably the casually seated, yellow-haired firebird Doflamingo, who wasn't one of Kaido's subordinates. His pink feather cloak was truly too conspicuous in the banquet hall where everyone was dressed in dark clothes.

"Lord Kaido, Miss Moko has arrived."

Maria bowed slightly, then walked directly to Kaido's side and sat down, pouring him a drink. Everyone was used to this scene, having seen it many times before. Now, everyone was more concerned about the granddaughter of the hero Garp, who had never appeared before. As if drawn by an invisible force, everyone looked at the open paper door and the darkness outside. Time seemed to freeze at this moment because of the figure at the door.

The sound of wooden clogs on the ground was exceptionally crisp, each sound causing everyone's hearts to tremble. The first thing to step into the light was the hem of a garment embroidered with floral and butterfly patterns. Everyone's gaze followed the swaying patterns upwards, and when they saw Moke's moon-like beautiful face, everyone's breath caught in their throats, as if afraid to disturb this illusory and beautiful scene.

Moko gracefully stepped into the banquet hall, each step exuding composure. The moment Moko appeared, it was as if a faint floral fragrance slowly filled the banquet hall, and the surrounding air seemed to be imbued with a noble and serene atmosphere, like sunlight piercing through all the gloom and radiating a breathtaking brilliance.

Kaido's eyes narrowed. She was simply too beautiful, exquisitely beautiful like a doll. He had initially thought she was more valuable for profit, but now Kaido had to admit he had spoken too soon. Such a beauty was not something one could encounter at any time, especially with her lively and gentle aura, which made one irresistibly want to get closer. It wouldn't be bad to have such a lovely person by one's side as an object of admiration. Strange thoughts took hold of his mind, and Kaido quickly snapped back to reality, becoming more vigilant. This was not simply the ability to change other people's emotions as described in the report. Kaido knew very well that this time he had miscalculated. It was truly a pity to hand over such a lovely person with such unique abilities to Doflamingo.

Moko had no intention of greeting Kaido. She ignored everyone and slowly walked towards the only empty seat. Just when everyone thought Moko would sit down, she picked up the wine glass on the table, then walked around the empty seat to the paper window. Under everyone's gaze, she raised her hand and pushed open the paper window. A cold wind instantly rushed into the room, dispersing the strong smell of alcohol in the banquet hall, and the people's alcohol-induced senses cleared up considerably.

However, before Kaido spoke, no one else dared to speak, and the air fell into a long silence. Fair fingers caressed the rim of the wine glass, and the huge full moon in the sky was obscured by drifting dark clouds. The entire courtyard slowly fell into darkness, with only the lights of the banquet hall illuminating the surroundings.

"Fufufu, she is indeed a rare beauty."

Doflamingo slowly withdrew his arm, propped himself up from the sofa, and the maid kneeling beside him immediately leaned forward and handed him a wine glass filled with wine.

Finally found the owner of those eyes! Who would have thought that the person on Red Hair's ship was actually a favorite of the Marine Admiral? So, which faction does this beauty belong to? This is getting more and more interesting! Fufufu!

Petals drifted gently into the room with the wind outside the window, landing in the wine glass. Mo Ke's eyes darkened slightly, and she casually tossed the wine glass behind her. The petals in the glass floated out, but the petals that were originally light and soft became incredibly hard, as if they had cut something. Everyone seemed to hear the sound of something breaking, but the next moment their attention was diverted by the sound of the wine glass shattering.

"That's really unreasonable, Doflamingo."

It was a very subtle skill, but it still couldn't escape the eyes of Kaido and the three calamities around him. However, Kaido didn't stop her. What he didn't expect was that Moko would use Armament Haki on the ordinary flower petals in an instant and cut the threads. Kaido narrowed his eyes dangerously and finally began to seriously examine Moko. From the beginning, everyone underestimated the girl in front of them. Her deceptive and weak appearance had fooled everyone.

"Fufufu, I'm so sorry, Kaido, it's just that seeing such a beautiful woman made me unable to resist."

Doflamingo's eyes gleamed with a cunning light, a half-smile playing on his lips. He swirled the wine glass in his right hand, the bright red liquid swirling and releasing a rich aroma.

"Speaking of which, the Navy has agreed to quite a few conditions for me. As expected of the granddaughter of a heroic Navy officer, your value as a bargaining chip is higher than that of the Navy in the past, Miss Moko."

Through the crimson liquid, Doflamingo stared intently at Moko, who sat on the windowsill. Her hair ornaments swayed gently in the breeze. The dark clouds that had obscured the moon gradually dissipated, and the cool moonlight once again illuminated the entire courtyard, bathing Moko in its glow. Her orange-pink eyes, tinged with moonlight, were enough to outshine everything else. As Doflamingo finished speaking, Moko tilted her head slightly, glancing sideways at him.

"It seems you have achieved your goal."

"Sigh, the Navy sacrificed quite a lot to get you back." Doflamingo shrugged nonchalantly.

“But you don’t intend to keep your promise, do you?” Moko turned her gaze back to the window.

"Fufufu, Miss Moko is really smart. After all, as long as you are in our hands, the Navy will not dare to make any rash moves. It seems like a great deal, don't you think, Kaido?"

Kaido poured all the sake from the jug into his mouth, lowered his eyes and stared at Moko, not refuting Doflamingo's words, clearly thinking the same thing. Moko did not panic at this, but instead opened her folding fan to half-cover her smiling lips.

"So do you really think you have the ability to keep me here?"

"Oh--"

If he wasn't angry after being provoked like this, he wouldn't be a true Emperor of the Sea. A terrifying, immense pressure suddenly erupted from Kaido's body, as if he wanted to chew up Moko and swallow her whole.

The onlookers were terrified, wiping away sweat as they looked at Moko with pity. Even Doflamingo was worried for Moko; if the relentless pressure continued, it was unimaginable what would happen to the petite figure on the windowsill.

Jin's hands, hanging under the table, clenched tightly, but his body betrayed no emotion. The excruciating pain in his heart was almost suffocating him.

“Three…” Mo Ke slowly waved her folding fan.

"??"

"two……"

Everyone was extremely puzzled, looking at Moke who suddenly started counting down with a puzzled expression. Moke moved her wrist slightly, and the ebony folding fan snapped shut with a loud "snap," the sound of which was particularly loud in the quiet courtyard.

"one."

"Brubrubru, brubrubru—"

"Brubrubru, brubrubru—"

Just then, several Den Den Mushi rang out, not just one. The group was a little confused, but at the signal of a servant standing to the side, they answered the Den Den Mushi.

"It's terrible, Lord Kaido! Enemy attack! Enemy! Ah!"

"--support--"

"Help!"

"boom!"

A huge explosion was mixed with screams. In another explosion, the Den Den Mushi was completely disconnected. The next moment, a pirate rushed into the banquet hall in a panic, his eyes filled with fear and disbelief.

"It's terrible, Lord Kaido! All three mining islands in Bouveles have been destroyed by unknown enemies! On the islands, on the islands..."

"Speak!" Kaido glared coldly at the pirate who had only spoken halfway through his sentence.

"All the achievements and personnel stationed on the island were destroyed, and no one survived." Haize finished speaking with trepidation, and the next moment he was blasted away by the sudden domineering aura.

"boom!"

The entire banquet hall was instantly engulfed by a terrifying pressure. Cracks of all sizes and depths appeared on all the walls. As for the lacquered table in front of Kaido, it had been completely reduced to dust. Maria had retreated to the side the moment Kaido went berserk and was unharmed.

"What exactly did you do?"

Kaido stared straight at Moko, his gaze completely different from his previous probing. Now, Kaido was filled with murderous intent. Even if he couldn't believe it, Kaido had a gut feeling that this matter was related to Moko, and that the destruction of the island might have been Moko's doing.

An immense and heavy pressure relentlessly assaulted Moko. Such pressure would cripple her even if she didn't die, unless Moko possessed strength comparable to Kaido. But how could that be possible, given Moko's young age? Just when everyone thought Moko was doomed, a pressure completely unlike Kaido's exploded outwards.

Following the scent, Moko was idly spinning her folding fan, causing the petals in the air to dance. Despite the oppressive force that everyone else had to withstand with all their might, Moko seemed to be exerting little effort and even appeared quite relaxed.

"Why do you think I would come to Wano Country alone without any preparation?"

"what?"

"Kaido, Doflamingo, I'm not interested in whether you want to conquer the world or whatever, but you've messed with the wrong people, and that makes me very angry."

The people around finally reacted and drew their weapons, pointing them at Moko. Moko looked at them with cold eyes, and time seemed to freeze for a moment. A blank, white light flashed through their minds. When everyone came to their senses again, a large number of people were lying on the ground. Kaido and Doflamingo could no longer sit still.

If not all the people at today's banquet are super elites, they are at least quite strong on the ship. Yet, they were all intimidated into losing consciousness by the Conqueror's Haki emanating from Moko. The level of Haki is even comparable to Kaido's. It's terrifying. This woman is no ordinary person. Who exactly is she?

Doflamingo, standing to the side, wore a half-smile, unsure how to describe his feelings. Fear, terror—no, none of those. He was excited, his heart pounding with excitement. This feeling, this feeling was simply amazing. Beauty, strength, status, power—she was in no way inferior to them. This woman was simply incredible. He wanted her; he had to have her.

Although those beautiful eyes, filled with coldness and impatience, were already so alluring, he still wanted to see what they looked like when they were filled with other emotions; he imagined they would be even more stunning when they were crying.

"Kaido, how about we make a deal?"

Ignoring what Doflamingo was thinking, Moko stared directly at Kaido, her aura no weaker than Kaido's. The surrounding pressure swirled rapidly, as if the air itself had thinned. What followed would no longer be a meeting that just anyone could participate in, but a duel between equally matched powerhouses from the sea.