Kaidou disappearing from the Hundred Beasts Pirate Crew isn't something unusual. Sometimes he's searching for the Plate, sometimes he's off drinking, and occasionally you see bizarre news in the paper like Kaidou being defeated and captured by some pirate, yet he's still fine.
Because their Captain regularly puts himself in danger, the crew has gotten used to days without Kaidou.
Recently, when Kaidou went missing again, no one was particularly worried, thinking he'd come back in a few days. However, during a meeting with Arceus, there was a commotion outside.
The buildings here were constructed taller to accommodate their stature, with door frames roughly 10 meters high.
Everyone's been growing these years, except for Zeraora, whose height hasn't changed due to special reasons. King and Shaina are now 19 years old, entering adulthood.
King's height has grown quite rapidly over these three years, now reaching six meters, fully catching up to Queen.
Due to gender differences, Shaina hasn't turned into such a giant, but her height is still up to three meters, and her presence is quite imposing.
After a few shakes, the door was pushed open, and Kaidou braved the wind and snow to push the door of the house open.
"Ohoho, you're all here, just in time to show you something."
Kaidou shook the snow off his shoulders, while everyone's gaze fell on what he was holding.
He was cradling two bundles; one appeared to be meticulously organized, while the other was casually wrapped in unknown leather.
One of the Hundred Beasts' important traditions: finding children while going out.
Although Olga came willingly, she could barely be considered as picked up.
Setsuna was also picked up during a mission, adding to the thirteen kids Olga bought from slave traders during a mission. This forms the primary source of minors within the Hundred Beasts Pirate Crew.
Besides, the age of the picked-up kids is decreasing steadily.
Starting with the absurdly old Olga, moving to the group of teenagers she brought, to Setsuna who returned with Shaina at seven years old.
But now Kaidou has directly reduced the age group to infants.
"Kaidou Big Brother, did you go to an orphanage?"
Usually, he picks up people who show signs of battle talent, but what could you possibly discern from an infant? It's not like Kaidou went to be a midwife, how could he see anything in infants?
"What are you talking about? I went out for the kids this time. I picked this one up by the seaside; this little one has a strong will to survive, so I brought them back. As for the other one, that's my own child."
Silence fell in the room. For a moment, no one spoke, Kaidou's words momentarily engulfed everyone in silence.
"Your child?"
"Yes, my own."
"Eh! xN"
Kaidou responded calmly, but his words completely shattered the peace here. This was no longer just silence, Galen's piercing shot broke the silence and defenses alike, no one expected Kaidou to cause such a stir on this outing.
But their shocked voices completely woke the two children up. Brought back by Kaidou through the cold wind, they were sleepy under the warm room temperature, but now they were woken by the commotion.
Two cries suddenly resounded.
"Why are they crying again... Hey, you woke them up, you calm them down!" Seeing the crying children, Kaidou suddenly felt a headache coming on and directly handed the kids over to the nearest Queen.
Kaidou's request was indeed a difficult one; they excel in fighting, but coaxing kids is another matter entirely—none of them could do it. Finally, two cradles made of vines appeared out of thin air, accompanied by healing chimes, as Arceus solved this puzzle himself.
With the children quieted down, the others gathered around.
"Let me see Kaidou's child."
"Don't squeeze, Queen, you bastard, what are you doing here!"
"Setsuna wants to see too."
After a bit of shoving, the scene calmed down. Everyone was focused around one cradle; the child Kaidou picked up was temporarily of little interest—they were far more intrigued by Kaidou's biological child.
Meanwhile, they continued to make their evaluations, which made Kaidou feel a bit off.
"As expected of Kaidou's child, looks really sturdy."
"Yeah, this one's a meter tall already, look at those thick arms, even got teeth coming in."
"It's a boy, Kaidou Big Brother's legacy is secure."
Sturdy? A meter high? A boy? Kaidou felt more and more off, so he also walked over.
"What nonsense are you talking about? This one was picked up by me from the seaside; I saw him soaking in the water without dying, so I brought him back. Judging by his appearance, he should be a fish-man.
This is my child, a girl. Don't you think she resembles me?"
Kaidou brought back two children; one is a bundled infant, looking adorable—not entirely disconnected from Kaidou, but certainly not like something he'd produce.
The other was much sturdier; though still an infant, stood about a meter tall, with robust muscles and visible sharp teeth in the mouth.
Compared to the delicate ceramic baby, the one roughly wrapped in leather was mistakenly identified as Kaidou's child.
They'd received enough shocks for the day; now they barely managed to stay calm, but after careful comparison of the two children, Arceus finally spoke the truth.
"Excuse me, but apart from those two small horns on her head, I really don't see how she resembles you. How old is the child, have you named her? Who's the child's mother?"
Some questions aren't easy for others to ask, but Arceus has no qualms—so he represented the public opinion, launching a three-in-a-row inquiry at Kaidou.
Even in infants, certain traits are discernible, especially as Kaidou brought back a child not entirely newborn—some features were apparent; but as Arceus mentioned, their only resemblance was in the horns.
Many were waiting for Kaidou's answer, curious about who Kaidou's wife might be. The child likely inherited the mother's looks, significantly differing from the burly Kaidou. However, they did not get the answer they sought.
"43 days old, the name is Yamato, and as for her mother, that's a secret."
Kaidou refused to mention anything regarding the child's mother but remembered the birth date clearly, indicating he brought her back around a full month.
Once Kaidou clarified that the girl was indeed his biological child, the crew's interest shifted, significantly dwindling their concern for the other child.