One Piece: Shanks' Little Jasmine

Chapter 164 Little Bear

The sky was tightly covered by thick, leaden clouds, carrying surging lightning that seemed about to press down on the ground. The wind seemed to have stopped whispering at this moment, replaced by a heart-palpitating stillness.

The deck creaked under the heavy footsteps. The thick fog gradually dissipated, and visibility improved. But when Zefa saw what was before him, his pupils contracted sharply. The air was filled with the pungent smell of blood. On the deck, blood flowed like an out-of-control river, its vivid and shocking red contrasting sharply with the surrounding grayness.

Not far away, mangled bodies lay silently in pools of blood, some curled up, some stretched out. The life force had completely dissipated, leaving only cold shells. No sound could be heard; the silence was terrifying. Zefa staggered, almost falling. He remembered—everyone was dead, gone. Zefa gripped the ship's edge tightly with one hand, his fingertips turning white from the excessive force, like bloodless icicles in winter, the veins faintly visible, as if he wanted to crush the iron edge of the ship.

His snow-white naval uniform was stained crimson. The bright and clean smile that had graced him not long ago was gone. His body was covered with deep, bone-revealing wounds. The stench of blood in the air grew stronger and stronger. A near-desperate sorrow weighed heavily on his heart, as if to drown Zefa in this ocean of blood. Zefa instinctively wanted to escape this place filled with the aura of death, but the hatred rising in his heart made it impossible for him to escape, nor did he want to escape.

Suddenly, a dazzling flash of light split open in the distant sky, and a deep, long rumble of thunder slowly echoed between heaven and earth, like the low roar of an ancient beast, shaking every inch of air and the hearts of people.

The moment after the thunderclap, the rain began to fall sparsely, but soon became dense and fierce, relentlessly pelting Zefa. Zefa neither closed his eyes nor dodged; his hair was completely soaked by the rain, strands hanging down his forehead like heavy curtains, obscuring his eyes and all of Zefa's emotions and expressions at that moment.

In the rain, time seemed to stretch out infinitely, and each falling raindrop was accompanied by an indescribable heaviness. Zefa's body trembled slightly, whether from the cold or from the turmoil deep within his heart, it was hard to tell.

Rainwater slid slowly down his resolute jawline, forming glistening trails before disappearing into his wet collar. Perhaps even Zefa himself couldn't tell whether the water flowing down his cheeks was rain from the sky or tears he couldn't hold back.

Zephyr stood motionless, seemingly oblivious, letting the rising darkness behind him slowly engulf him. "I'm sorry, Angelica," he thought, "this time I failed to protect the children again. I'm so sorry..."

In the endless darkness, Zephyr was slowly swallowed up by an invisible force. Everything around him was so oppressive and heavy. His heartbeat became slow and heavy, each beat seeming to tell of endless despair. Perhaps, sleeping forever like this was not a bad choice.

Just as Zefa had this thought, a warm and bright ray of light, like a sharp sword, suddenly tore through the darkness and landed precisely on Zefa, bringing indescribable warmth and hope, instantly dispelling the surrounding cold and gloom.

From afar, a familiar and melodious song drifted over, its tune so intimate and moving, as if a call from the depths of a distant memory. Zefa strained to open his eyes, trying to understand the sudden light and warmth. And within that beam of light, a graceful figure seemed to be slowly emerging. The figure was both blurry and familiar, like the deepest longing and yearning in his heart.

Zefa's lips trembled slightly. He wanted to call out that name, to say the thousand words in his heart, but his voice seemed to be stuck in his throat, and he couldn't make a sound. Tears uncontrollably slid down from the corners of his eyes, flowing down his cheeks and into the bottomless darkness.

Zefa struggled to raise his hand, trying to grab the hand that the phantom in the light was reaching out to him. He wanted to ask her if she was angry with him because he hadn't protected her and the child. For so many years, she hadn't come to his dreams even once. It was his fault; he had broken his promise. Maybe she shouldn't be angry with him anymore. He really missed her. Just once, even if it was only once, let him hug her one more time.

The phantom in the light seemed to smile helplessly, like a splendid flower in spring, instantly dispelling all the surrounding darkness. In the blink of an eye, the whole world was filled with sunlight and flowers. The phantom slowly opened its arms and gently embraced Zefa, just as it had always done, giving him the warmest haven without caring about anything else.

As the phantom sensed the familiar warmth, it seemed to be relieved and gradually became blurry. Zefa was visibly panicked, reaching out to try to hug the phantom tightly and prevent it from disappearing, but his hand passed right through it, and he couldn't grasp anything at all.

Tears could no longer be held back, gushing from his eyes like a spring. He couldn't be mistaken; this was Angelica, his Angelica, the lover who would rush to him without hesitation and accept everything about him.

“Darling, let’s go back…”

A soft voice echoed in his ears, and then a white vortex gradually appeared behind Zefa, pulling him backward. Zefa snapped back to reality in a panic and struggled to break free from the enormous suction force behind him.

No, he doesn't want to go back, Angelica, let him stay, let him stay to atone for his sins, Angelica, please, don't abandon him, Zephyr shook his head, his eyes filled with longing, his heart and soul only wanting to leave with Angelica.

Angelica raised her hand to touch Zefa's face, her eyes also filled with helplessness and reluctance. Her fingertips gently slid across Zefa's brows, dispelling the sorrow between them, and then slid down to his slightly pale lips.

Angelica's almost transparent fingers lingered for a moment before she finally lowered her head and placed a kiss on Zephyr's lips. This kiss, gentle and affectionate, contained a thousand words and endless longing; it was a love that could be expressed in a lifetime without words.

A fleeting kiss, something Zefa longed for but could never have, even at the cost of everything. Zefa sobbed, desperately trying to say something, but no sound came out. Angelica shook her head, the tears in her eyes turning into starlight and disappearing just before they fell. Angelica cupped Zefa's face in her hands and touched it, her eyes filled with tenderness and mist.

“My dear, I love you, I love you so much, but now is not the time for us to reunite. That world still needs you. Go back, I will always wait for you, no matter how long it takes. So, go back.”

Angelica's eyes were gentle as water. She gently pushed Zefa backward with both hands. Zefa could no longer escape the suction behind him and fell backward rapidly. At this moment, Zefa finally broke free from the restraint that prevented him from speaking and shouted at Angelica.

"Wait for me, Angelica, you must wait for me!"

The vortex vanished, the sound ceased abruptly, and only Angelica's ethereal image remained in the space filled with warm light. Angelica tilted her head slightly, looking up at the empty sky. "I will, I will wait forever, until you return to my side, my dear..."

As the soft murmurs faded away, Angelica's figure became increasingly blurry, eventually dissipating into a dazzling light.

The melodious birdsong and soft singing intertwined, gently brushing through every corner of the ward, waking Zefa from his slumber. Lying on the hospital bed, Zefa slowly opened his eyes, but his gaze seemed somewhat vacant, as if he had not yet fully awakened from his slumber. At this moment, a tear uncontrollably slid down from the corner of his eye, slowly disappearing into the pillow along his cheek.

The sun shone brightly outside the window, the shadows of the trees swayed in the wind, everything seemed so vibrant and beautiful. However, Zefa's eyes did not show the light that should have appeared. His gaze was even somewhat dull, and he was indifferent and uninterested in everything in front of him.

"Woo-mi, woo-mi!"

As if sensing Zefa's subtle movements, Ella flapped her wings and flew to Zefa's side, and the singing in the air stopped because of Ella's movement.

"You're awake. Is anything bothering you?"

A familiar female voice rang in his ears. Zefa turned his head and saw Moko getting up and walking over. Moko helped Zefa sit up and was about to press the call bell by the bed when Zefa waved his hand and stopped him. However, his voice was a little dry because he hadn't spoken for a long time.

What were you just singing?

Moko blinked, withdrew her hand, and sat down on the chair by the bed. "It's just an ordinary lullaby."

"...Really? A lullaby..."

Zefa turned his head away, his eyes still devoid of emotion, unfocused, as if lost in memories again. Moko sighed inwardly. She couldn't help Zefa with his inner wounds; he could only heal himself. But Tina and Ian would probably be heartbroken to see Zefa like this. Although she didn't know if she could untie Zefa's knot in his heart, she hoped that at least he could do what he could.

"Woo-mi~"

Ella gently patted Zefa's hand with her chubby paws, her big, dark eyes filled with worry. Zefa felt a soft touch on the back of her hand, and his eyes refocused as he looked at the fluffy ball of fur. His tightly pursed lips curved upwards a few times, and he rubbed Ella's head with the hand that had been pricked with needles.

"It's done. I hope General Zephyr will accept it."

Moko's voice came, and a small bear that looked exactly like Ella suddenly appeared in his field of vision. Zefa suddenly stopped, his hands trembling as he reached out to the bear. After taking the bear closer, the familiar medicinal scent entered his nostrils, Zefa's pupils shrank, and his eyes instantly reddened.

"It's made from Ella's down and contains some calming herbs. I usually keep it by my bedside; it should help me sleep better."

Seeing Zefa's loss of composure, Moko gently explained, using the same familiar words. Zefa looked up in disbelief. Moko's eyes were clear and bright, filled with a warm smile. Her lips were only slightly upturned, yet they were even brighter than the sunlight outside the window. Through Moko, Zefa seemed to see the most important person in his heart, someone who also loved to laugh and often waved various cute dolls in front of him.

"General Zephyr?"

Seeing that Zefa did not respond for a long time, Moko waved her hand in front of Zefa's eyes to bring him back to his senses. Zefa held back his tears, gently rubbed Moko's head with his large hand, and the longing in his eyes was so touching.

"Thank you, I will cherish it."

Seeing the light and vitality return to Zefa's eyes, Moko blinked, a smile spreading from the corners of her eyes to the corners of her mouth.

"Um!"

After chatting for a while, Moko said goodbye to Ella, since the patient had just woken up and needed to rest more. It would be a good opportunity to tell the others that Zefa had woken up.

As the footsteps outside faded into the distance, Zefa looked away, gazing at the little bear in his hand with a gentle expression, and murmured to himself.

"...Seeing that child's smile is like seeing you still by my side. If there is still a wish for you in this world, then I will hold on a little longer...Angelica, my Angelica, please wait for this unworthy husband."

The breeze outside the window gently brushed Zefa's face, the faint medicinal scent of the teddy bear lingered in his nose, and the golden sunlight enveloped Zefa, coating him with a hazy halo.

In a daze, two phantom figures, one large and one small, appeared in the halo. The two phantom figures gently surrounded Zefa. Zefa had his head down, so his expression was not visible, but a crystal tear seemed to quietly slide down his face.

"Angelica, do you know?"

"What do you know?"

“From the very first glance, I knew you were my angel, the only harbor I could ever find in my life. Although I may not be a great hero of the world yet, Angelica, I will love you and protect you for the rest of my life. So, will you marry me?” Zephyr knelt down on one knee in front of Angelica in a panic, holding a silver gemstone ring in his hand, his expression solemn and nervous.

Angelica blinked and couldn't help but laugh. "Pfft, you idiot! I promised you twenty years ago, I do! Angelica is willing to be Zeffa's wife, and willing to stay by Zeffa's side and love him for the rest of my life!"

“You said yes!! Angelica, Angelica, you are finally mine, my Angelica, I love you, I will love you forever, you belong to me alone, my Angelica.”

Upon hearing Angelica's agreement, Zephyr excitedly put the ring on her finger, then grabbed her and spun her around several times.

"Okay, you idiot, put me down, I'm dizzy!"

"I won't let go. In this life and the next, I will never let go. Angelica is my wife!"

Zefa was as excited as a child, eager to announce the good news to the whole world. Angelica looked at Zefa with helpless affection, though she was the one who fell in love first.

Darling, I didn't tell you that we met a long time ago. Back then, you protected me from thugs. Since then, you've become a great hero in my little world. You've always been the one protecting me, so this time, it's my turn to protect you, my great hero.