Little Daddy

The tattered cloth wrapped around the baby girl had the blurred name "Altair" written in blood along one edge. The blood had long since dried into a dark brown, flaking away in bits at the slightest shake...

The baby girl in the swaddling cloth had a wrinkled little face, her body and features all curled up. Her reddened skin was still stained with something that had not been cleaned off—blood, amniotic fluid, or a mixture of both. Her eyes were tightly shut, and quite a bit of sparse white fetal hair covered her head. No matter how one looked at her, she resembled a newborn rat: filthy and ugly.

"The little one's aura is already very weak, but she should still be salvageable." Bred carefully held Altair and instructed, "Mr. Kaiser, Joanna will fulfill our employment contract on my behalf. Don't worry, her abilities far surpass mine! Please excuse me."

With that said—

"Boom!"

"Crack!!!"

"Whoosh!!!"

Using Nen, Bred ground the tip of his foot against the ground, shattering the hard stone slabs. He shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow and vanished in an instant.

"Buu~" Mosquito Girl puffed out her cheeks and murmured plaintively, "Bred, don't leave me behind."

Bred did not go to a hospital. The best doctor was at the Hunter Association's West Blue branch.

Just a few minutes later—

"Bang!"

Bred forcibly burst into the Hunter Association's West Blue branch building, throwing everyone into a panic. In the end, he sent a door flying off its hinges and reached his destination.

"Sorry for the intrusion." Bred gently held up Altair, his expression exceptionally solemn and his words as brief as possible. "Please save her. Thank you."

The Disease Hunter, who had nearly mistaken him for an invading enemy and had even loaded her gun, stared at Bred. Her lips twitched before she slowly lowered her pistol and took Altair to examine her.

Lansiklin was the Disease Hunter's name. She was a large woman with a kind heart that stood in stark contrast to her rugged appearance. She had once taught Kurando Akabane some medical knowledge.

Not long after—

"Hey, hey! What kind of stunt are you pulling, Bred?" Shack Yak arrived with a group of Hunters and spread her hands. "Care to explain?"

Bred dipped slightly at the waist. "Sorry for disturbing everyone. I'll compensate for all the damage at full price." After a brief pause, he added, "Here's what happened: I found a newborn baby, and she was about to die, so I was in a hurry to ask Dr. Lansiklin to save her."

"Whoa?!"

"As expected of Bred! He's good-looking and incredibly kind-hearted too!"

"Break it up, break it up!"

"..."

Bred's sincere and obedient attitude soothed the crowd. They lowered their weapons and order gradually returned.

Shack Yak, however, scrutinized Bred suspiciously, as if she were getting to know him all over again. "Saving a life is worth more than building a seven-story pagoda. Good job. But... what are you planning to do with the child after she's saved?"

"Adopt her. Since I decided to save her and give her life, I must take responsibility for her," Bred said.

Leaning against the frame of the now-doorless infirmary, Shack Yak stubbed out her cigarette. After a long silence, she teased, "Congratulations on becoming a dad, Bred."

"..." Bred felt strangely awkward.

"Your friends applied to leave the branch and train on their own," Shack Yak said abruptly.

Bred put on just the right expression of surprise, then answered in a completely unexpected manner, "I have friends?!"

"I mean Esdeath, Mela, and Kurando Akabane. They applied to leave the branch and train independently at almost the exact same time." Shack Yak privately cursed Bred for being a fox, but continued the conversation without changing her expression. "What are your plans now? Unlike them, you 'have a child' now. You probably can't go out and train alone. A newborn can't endure the wind, the sun, and a life of drifting from place to place. She needs as much stability as possible."

Bred smiled pleasantly. "I'll put my dream of becoming a History Hunter on hold and become a private Hunter instead. I'll be living at the branch long-term, so please take good care of me, Aunt Shack."

"It's practically a miracle!" Lansiklin interrupted Shack Yak and Bred's mutual probing and verbal sparring. "She's fine. She's just hungry, so she needs to be fed immediately!"

Lansiklin hurried off with Altair, seeking out one of the Hunter Association West Blue branch's employees who was still nursing to ask for help.

"Could you hire me a wet nurse who can double as a nanny? Please, Aunt Shack," Bred said.

Shack Yak lit a cigarette. "K."

Back in the office—

"Your luck is pretty good, Swain! The crisis has passed." Shack Yak spoke to Nico and her husband, who were resting in her office. "Perhaps they were summoned by their superiors. Three of those four devils have withdrawn, and the one who stayed behind, Bred, probably has no time to pay attention to you."

Swain asked in confusion, "Hm?"

"He became a father," Shack Yak said with a perfectly serious expression, making an absurd joke.

Nico and her husband: "..." Huh?!

"A daughter fell from the heavens into his lap." Shack Yak broke into a smile. "All right, I'm teasing you! But he really did adopt an orphaned baby girl."

Olvia said emotionally, "Not everyone in the World Government is a bad person, then."

"Anyway! I still don't recommend making any rash moves, Swain!" Shack Yak's smile swiftly faded as she warned Swain sternly. "Those are only the World Government agents exposed within our line of sight. Who knows whether there are others hidden more deeply? Focus on spending some time with Olvia. You two are about to become parents yourselves, hm? I'll contact some people to deal with that Poneglyph."

"Could it be secretly transported to Ohara?" Swain asked hesitantly.

Shack Yak frowned. "Do you understand the consequences of doing that?"

"I understand very clearly!" Swain declared firmly. "Everyone whose dream is to study the Poneglyphs and uncover the Void Century understands very clearly!"

"Is it worth it? History is ultimately a dead thing, something in the past! People are alive—they are the future, full of infinite possibilities! Swain." Shack Yak had repeatedly tried to persuade him, but he remained stubbornly unyielding. It truly irritated her, and she could not help losing her composure.

Swain became even more agitated, stubbornly meeting her head-on. "I've heard plenty of words like that, Shack Yak! I don't want to give you some high-sounding answer about how 'history is humanity's precious shared heritage, and everyone has an obligation to protect it,' nor do I want to boast about how studying the Poneglyphs and uncovering the Void Century is some great undertaking with profound meaning."

"My answer has never changed—it's worth it!" Swain said with ringing conviction. "No one has the right to deprive people of their curiosity about history! The Poneglyphs and the Void Century are the ultimate quarry of mine, of all History Hunters, ancient-ruin Hunters, archaeologists, and everyone who seeks the truth of history—just as pirates long for the great treasure, One Piece! Even if we must pay the price in blood, we will not hesitate!"

"You're insane." Shack Yak shook her head in frustration. "Damn idealists."

PS: I'm posting one chapter first. There's a torrential rainstorm here at home, and the power has been cutting out on and off. Please send recommendation votes. Thanks to [Romantic Monk] and [Seven 9th Phase 7 Qilin] for their 100-point coin tips. Thank you.