Pirate: It’s not a phantom beast, it’s a phantom god!

Chapter 339 The Young Stepmother

"Huh? We need to find a nanny?"

The Den Den Mushi was connected, but after hearing Ra's request, Wright's tone on the other end suddenly became a little strange.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Forehead……"

"No...it's nothing."

"Miss La, if we need a nanny... would a mermaid be suitable?"

Wright asked tentatively.

"Mermaid?"

"why?"

La was a little curious; she didn't understand why Wright would suddenly mention mermaids.

If you're looking for a wet nurse, there's no need to go to the trouble of specifically looking for a mermaid, right?
It's important to know that female mermaids are far rarer than human women, let alone mermaids who are lactating.

Could it be that mermaid breast milk is special compared to that of ordinary humans?
"Ah, it's like this, Miss La. Actually, Miss Ossie also brought back a baby some time ago."

"The baby Ossie brought back?"

Upon hearing this, Kaido, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but glance over.

"Yes, he's a merman child. And he's quite... healthy."

As Wright spoke, he recalled the day Ossie came to him carrying that burly, gifted merman baby.

That child looks only a few months old, but his future extraordinary abilities are already beginning to show.
“Miss Ossie was worried that a regular human wet nurse might not be able to feed the child, so she hoped I could find a fish-man wet nurse who was a bit bigger.”

"So you found it."

"Ah."

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Lett nodded and continued, with a tone of sharing a story:

"I didn't have much hope to begin with, after all, female fishmen are already rare, and they're mostly on Fishman Island..."

"Fishman Island is Whitebeard's territory. Even if we find a suitable one, we can't force them if they don't agree."

From Wright's perspective, it was really unnecessary to start a war between two dominant pirate crews just for a fish-man healer.

Kaido, who had been listening intently, scoffed at Wright's weak statement.

However, he didn't say anything more.

Wright continued on the other end:

"But it's a bit of a coincidence. Jinbe is on Fishman Island right now, so I contacted him on a whim, and it turns out he actually has a suitable candidate on his end."

"A coincidence? Can this person be trusted?"

Lado asked a question, since it involved Kaido's child, so he had to be a little cautious.

"It should be fine. Miss Ossie has already interviewed them and said there were no problems."

That's definitely not a problem.

It's important to know that Osei still holds the position of inspector within the pirate crew, and any member at the executive level must pass through her bright golden eyes before being promoted.

"Not only that, the other party actually has some connection with us."

"Alright, stop being so mysterious, who exactly did you find?"

Kaido, who had been secretly eavesdropping, couldn't stand Light's slow, drawn-out explanation any longer and finally called out to the Den Den Mushi.

"Huh?! Governor Kaido, you're here too?"

"Great! We've finally managed to get in touch with you. There are so many things in the group that require your personal attention—"

"Alright, I'll be back soon! Now tell me what's going on with that merman."

Kaido interrupted Light's work report; he was now more concerned about the fish-man wet nurse... or rather, he wasn't as indifferent to his child as he appeared.

"Ah, oh!"

"I see."

“Governor Kaido, do you know Arlong? The fish-woman I found is actually Arlong’s stepmother…”

[Ah Long?]
Kaido and Ra exchanged a glance, and the latter spoke up to remind them:

"He's an orphan that Bulfat brought back from Fishman Town, the one who always followed Jinbe around."

"Oh, it's that brat~"

Kaido never really cared about the fish-man orphans he brought back from Fishman Island, treating them merely as Bulfat's personal amusement...

Over the years, only Jinbe has managed to pique his interest even slightly, but unfortunately, Jinbe couldn't wait to run off as soon as he grew up.
But now it seems like a real coincidence.

Back on Fish-Man Island, Jinbe learns from the old fish-men that Arlong's stepmother gave birth to a baby girl last year. However, because the girl's father refuses to be a fish, the mother and daughter are not doing well. The little mermaid, barely a year old, might be abandoned in Fish-Man Town in less than two years, just like her brother…

“We gave her family a sum of money through Jinbe’s connections and agreed to let her bring her daughter with her… The woman nodded in agreement after hearing that Arlong was also with us.”

……

"Ge, Gege~"

"Brother Long~"

The little mermaid, held in someone's arms, made a childish voice. She stretched out her little hand, seemingly trying to reach the face in front of her that was naturally fierce but was now somewhat distorted.

"Ah, Brother Long, is this really your sister?"

"No way~ You don't look like Brother Long at all~"

Was she just calling you 'brother'?

"Damn, I'm so envious!"

"So cute, muah~"

Ah Long's henchmen were all gathered around him, curiously examining the little mermaid in his arms.

The little mermaid was exceptionally cute, with fair skin, a round face, and a pair of sea-blue eyes like jewels, making it impossible to look away once you saw her.

"cut!"

"Get out of my way, all of you!"

Annoyed by the incessant chatter and questions, Ah Long chased away his henchmen who were watching the commotion, and then walked up to a female mermaid.

The female mermaid was very tall, about five meters, with short hair and a beautiful face... She looked quite young, but there was always a lingering weariness between her brows, as if due to the ravages of life.

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

Ah Long questioned her, his tone was impolite, even quite unreasonable... but the mermaid opposite him didn't care at all.

"Ah~ it's Ah Long~"

"Isn't your little sister cute?"

"I'm asking you why you're here!"

"Her name is 'Shirley,' I named her~ What do you think, is it nice?"

The other person did not answer Ah Long, but continued to talk to himself with a smile.

"Don't give me irrelevant answers!"

"Wow~Wow~"

Ah Long's voice was a bit too loud, startling the child in his arms. The little mermaid girl started to cry loudly... And hearing this innocent cry, Ah Long was surprisingly at a loss.

"This, this... don't cry."

"Don't cry anymore."

"Pfft~"

Seeing the other party's flustered state, the female mermaid, who was Ah Long's stepmother, covered her mouth and chuckled softly. Then she bent down and took the crying little mermaid in her arms.

After gently cradling the child in her arms and soothing him for a few moments, the child's crying gradually stopped, and he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep... Only then did the still-charming mermaid speak again:

"Long time no see, Ah Long."

"You've grown up."

"..."

"Cut~"

Ah Long turned his head away, unsure how to respond to the concern in the other person's words.

"About what happened back then, I..."

"It has nothing to do with you, it was Lao... I chose to leave on my own."

Ah Long said, sticking his neck out.

His mother died shortly after giving birth to him, and later Ah Long's father remarried, becoming the current mermaid.

The three lived together for a while, and the stepmother always treated her like her own daughter, but the precocious Ah Long could never let go of his birth mother.

Adding to the problem, his adoptive father was an alcoholic and gambler, and the family's savings gradually became insufficient to support them... So, at the tender age of four, Ah Long, who was scolded by his father as a burden, had a big fight with his father one day and left home alone for Fishman Street.

While studying at the 'university of life' in Fishman Street, Ah Long would occasionally reminisce about the care and love his stepmother had shown him... He didn't actually have any ill feelings towards this mermaid who had given him so much maternal love.

However, his innate personality and inexplicable pride prevented Ah Long from showing his vulnerable side to the other party.

"Alright, answer me now, why are you in the territory of the beasts?"

(End of this chapter)