Sister Carmelo and the Home of Lambs

Sister Carmelo is a good person.

Even calling her a "good person" is blasphemy.

She is a Holy Mother!

A great woman dedicated to saving homeless children, regardless of their identity or race, devoting her life to this cause.

However, that's just on the surface.

Mongge still remembers the first time he met this old woman.

Fifty years ago.

He was twenty years old, only two years into his pirating career.

He had saved up a small fortune working as a pirate hunter, full of anticipation and dreams for the future.

Then, he was scammed.

A female swindler, posing as a ship dealer, tricked him out of a million Belly.

And that was a million Belly fifty years ago!

The swindler was undoubtedly the old nun, Carmelo, who stood before him now.

Who would have thought.

Over a decade later, the swindler from back then had transformed into the "Holy Mother" spoken of by the masses, even becoming a bridge of communication between ordinary people and Giants.

Upon receiving the news, Mongge was so enraged he almost ran straight to Elbaf to expose her.

As for Sister Carmelo, Mongge was like a stubborn stain she couldn't get rid of.

She just scammed him out of a million Belly when she was young?

She hadn't forgotten how he chased her for three years, forcing her to return the money.

Everyone said she had turned over a new leaf.

Yet, Mongge refused to believe it and warned her not to collude with the World Government.

Damn it.

If she didn't send those homeless children to the World Government, was she supposed to raise them all her life? Even doing dirty and tiring work was better than becoming a pirate, right?

Not to mention, the World Government would provide compensation.

So, upon hearing Mongge's words, Carmelo replied with a smile.

"How could I? How dare I disappoint the Great Pirate Mongge, whose name echoes throughout the world? Besides, even if I and the children starved to death due to lack of funds, Lord Mongge wouldn't care, would he?"

Hearing Carmelo's sarcastic words, Mongge's lips twitched.

"I remember leaving quite a bit of money."

"That little bit of money isn't enough. Don't you think I'm only raising these children?"

Carmelo's Home of Lambs wasn't just located in the Giant country; there were many other branches elsewhere. The Home of Lambs was merely to make it easier to care for the most troublesome children.

"That doesn't mean you should become a dog for the Celestial Dragons!"

"The Celestial Dragons pay the most!"

"You old hag!"

"You old fool!"

They glared at each other, and the air crackled like lightning.

"Geruz, is Mother arguing with that old grandpa?"

A chubby little girl asked innocently, standing to the side.

"I don't think so?"

A Giant Tribe girl wearing a headscarf tilted her head.

"My mom and dad argue like this sometimes, so it must be proof they're close?"

"Really?"

Hearing the Giant Tribe girl say that, the chubby little girl's eyes lit up.

"It's Mom and Dad..."

"No!" x2

Mongge and Carmelo turned their heads simultaneously, speaking in unison.

"Huh?"

Both little girls were startled.

It was then that Mongge noticed the chubby girl, who was significantly taller than him, almost as tall as a normal Giant Tribe pirate.

Charlotte Linlin!

Though just an ordinary person, he possesses a physique like a giant's.

This is true innate talent.

Unlike Rocks, whose talent requires effort to realize.

Charlotte Linlin.

As long as she grows steadily, she is destined to become a future Emperor!

"Tch, you noticed?"

Noticing Mongge's gaze, Sister Carmelo lit a cigarette with an annoyed expression and gestured for Mongge to step aside.

"What, you've taken a liking to this child?"

Sister Carmelo looked at Mongge and sneered, "This is a true genius, unlike you 'ordinary people' who clawed your way to this position through sheer effort. Linlin, if she joins the Marines, she'll be a future Admiral in the making."

Sister Carmelo and Mongge had known each other for so many years, she had practically watched Mongge transform from a weak pirate hunter into the Great Pirate he was today.

So Sister Carmelo knew very well that Mongge had a little talent, but at best, it was only at the level of an ordinary person.

"Mongge, you've been wandering the seas for so many years, you should know, there are geniuses in this world."

"Neither you nor I."

"You're this old now, are you still planning to pursue your pirate dream?"

If it were two months ago, Sister Carmelo's words would have made Mongge fall silent.

But now.

"Why not?"

Mongge snorted coldly, looking towards the sea, chest puffed out.

"Since the World Government couldn't make me yield, the Marines couldn't make me fall, and the sea couldn't swallow me, then why should time be able to?"

"Then you can just die out there."

Sister Carmelo said with a cold laugh. She had no intention of persuading Mongge. Old men his age were as stubborn as mules; if he died, he died. Their relationship wasn't good enough for her to do something so thankless and laborious.

Mongge knew this too, so he spoke his mind directly.

"Give the child to me. You can't take care of her."

"Impossible!"

Sister Carmelo refused without a second thought. She looked at Mongge with a mocking expression, "I can't take care of Linlin, and you think you can? Don't forget you're a pirate. Do you want Linlin to follow you as a pirate and live a life of constant uncertainty?"

"Ten million Belly!"

"Twenty million!"

"Deal!"

Only after Mongge finished speaking did Sister Carmelo snap back to reality, realizing she had habitually bid and sold Linlin for twenty million Belly?

"Mongge!!!"

"Shut up. At most, I'll give you thirty million Belly in sponsorship fees, and an additional ten million Belly every year after that. That's all."

The thought of a fifth of his bounty for Farrell, which hadn't even been cashed out yet, being spent made Mongge ache. His gaze towards Sister Carmelo turned hostile.

"You'd better not let me find out you're actually involved with the Celestial Dragons. Do you know how much effort I put in to replace your direct superior back then?"

"Tsk, I should have reported you to Kong. He's about to become a Marine Admiral, and you're still a useless pirate."

Sister Carmelo exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"Don't worry, I keep records of all the children sent to the Marines. For ordinary children, I try my best to find suitable parents for them, but it's impossible to achieve perfection."

Sister Carmelo fumed at the thought. She had originally planned to rely on a powerful backer for protection, which was why she cooperated with the World Government. But the World Government turned out to be no good either, forcing her to contact Mongge, bowing to him for the first time in her life.

However, it also caused Mongge to transform from a legitimate adventurer into the captain of a notorious pirate crew, branded by the World Government as the most heinous villain.

The name White Wolf was earned during that time.

Sister Carmelo didn't know that if it weren't for Mongge, she would have completely transformed from a con artist into a scumbag who trafficked children for a living.

Now, Sister Carmelo was still dealing with the World Government, but her counterpart was the Marines, and one of the Marine Admirals of this generation.

There was one thing Sister Carmelo said that wasn't wrong: being a Marine was better than being a pirate, right?

"Linlin is yours now."

The Home of Lambs had been facing funding shortages recently. Mongge was a pirate, but when it came to character, Sister Carmelo felt her own character wasn't as good as Mongge's.

He was a pirate, yet he spent money to supply talent to the Marines.

"As long as you don't become a dog for the Celestial Dragons."

This was Mongge's bottom line, simple and clear. After getting used to it, it wasn't much of a problem.

Freak.

That was Sister Carmelo's assessment of Mongge.

"Although I've agreed to let you take Linlin, whether she's willing to go with you will depend on your abilities."

Garumoro's aged face broke into a sinister smile.

"If you don't take her, I'll sell her to the Marines. I'm sure that kid Kong would be more than happy to have a disciple who's a potential Marine Admiral."

"Hmph, don't you underestimate me!"

Mongge sneered, "Don't you forget who cooked for you on that deserted island when our ship capsized back then."

"Who do you think wrecked my ship?"

The mention of this made Garumoro angry. It was only a million Belly, was it worth it?

Mongge couldn't be bothered with Garumoro. They were the type to argue the moment they met; it was better to never see each other again if it wasn't necessary.

Charlotte Linlin.

Just as Mongge was walking towards Charlotte Linlin, intending to slowly build a good relationship with her and then lure her onto his ship.

The system appeared as expected.

[Marine Era 1480, June 3rd. This is your 65th day as a pirate. Unfortunately, not long after becoming a pirate, you've encountered the future Four Emperor, Charlotte Linlin.]

[At twenty-five years old, she possesses beauty that surpasses the seas, a Pirate Empress praised by all.]

[Winning is impossible. Perhaps you can develop a magnificent romance with her?]

Beauty? Pirate Empress?

Mongge looked at what the system said: a twenty-five-year-old Pirate Empress, whose beauty was unparalleled across the seas, Charlotte Linlin. Then he looked at the five-year-old, snot-nosed, blank-faced little fatty staring at him before him.

System.

You really deserve to die!