After the battle of God Valley, the Oro Jackson slowly pulled away from the ruined shores.
On the deck, the Roger Pirates were gathered in a curious circle, all eyes locked on the ornate treasure chest Ritter had salvaged from the battlefield.
"Oi, Ritter, what treasure did you snag this time?" Jaba rubbed his hands together, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.
Ritter shrugged, the corners of his mouth curling into a mysterious smile. "Who knows? Might be treasure from the Celestial Dragons. No hoard can escape my eye, after all."
Rayleigh adjusted his glasses, his voice calm and dry. "Knowing your habits, it's probably something valuable."
Roger burst into booming laughter and flipped open the lid of the chest—
Inside, there was no gold, no jewels.
Instead... a red-haired baby lay sleeping soundly, clutching a pacifier in one tiny fist.
Silence fell instantly over the ship.
Ritter (whistling): "Well now, what an unexpected find."
The baby stirred at the noise, blinking open a pair of clear, bright eyes.
He giggled and reached out toward Roger, tiny fingers swiping at the brim of his straw hat.
Roger blinked in stunned silence for two seconds, then threw back his head and laughed even louder. "Kuhahaha! This little brat likes my hat!"
Rayleigh pinched the bridge of his nose. "Captain, that's not the point…"
Jaba crouched down and poked the baby's cheek. "Oi, little guy, what's your name?"
Naturally, the baby didn't respond. He just babbled incoherently and reached up to tug Jaba's untrimmed beard.
Ritter rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Found him in the Celestial Dragons' treasure vault."
Wow. Ritter had always known Shanks came out of a treasure chest, but he never imagined he'd be the one to fish him out and bring him aboard the Roger Pirates. Just thinking about the future his butterfly wings might stir up made his heart race.
Roger suddenly swept the baby into his arms and hoisted him high above his head. "From this day forward, you're a member of the Roger Pirates! Kuhahaha!" ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵
Rayleigh sighed. "Captain, have you ever raised a kid?"
Roger waved him off without a care. "What does it matter? It's not like we can't feed one more mouth! Little Ritter turned out fine, didn't he?"
Ritter: Great, Captain. Please remember you said that.
Later that day, Roger was hunched over a bubbling pot of milk, looking thoroughly out of his depth. The liquid had turned an ominous shade of pink and was releasing suspicious bubbles.
"Rayleigh!" he shouted over the steam. "You sure this is how the formula works?"
Rayleigh frowned as he flipped through a dog-eared pamphlet titled Spartan Childcare Manual. "The instructions say the ratio is right…" He trailed off as the mixture gave a loud pop and emitted a puff of black smoke.
From a hammock nearby, Ritter stuck his head out lazily. "Just a reminder you really think hot sauce is okay for babies?"
The kitchen devolved into chaos. Jaba scrambled to save the pot. Rayleigh flipped furiously through the manual. Roger, gods help him, had somehow found a bottle of rum and was about to pour it in.
"Stop right there!" Rayleigh lunged and knocked the bottle from Roger's hands. "Babies. Can't. Drink. Alcohol!"
Roger scratched his head, grinning. "What's the big deal? I drank as a kid—"
"You drank goat milk," Ritter said dryly, suddenly standing by the counter. He moved with practiced ease, grabbing a fresh bottle. "Forty-five degrees Celsius, water before powder, gentle shake." With a flick of his wrist, the formula blended into a smooth, creamy white.
The formula had been special-ordered by the crew from a nearby island. Still, Ritter couldn't help but roll his eyes at the contradiction of Pirate King-level magic tech alongside this creaky wooden ship.
Jaba gawked. "Kid, how are you so good at this?"
Ritter handed the bottle to Shanks, who immediately grabbed it and started chugging. He smiled faintly. "I might be a genius."
Just then, Roger smacked the table with excitement. "Wouldn't using my Haki to heat it be faster?" Before anyone could stop him, his fingertips flared with dark red aura.
The bottle exploded into a burst of milky fireworks. Shanks blinked, then clapped gleefully, his giggles cutting through the lingering fog of powdered milk.
Rayleigh stared at the shattered glass on the floor, trembling. "That was my last collector's edition rum glass…"
He took a deep breath. Held it.
The longer he held it, the angrier he became.
"Roger. Prepare to die."
"Try this instead!" Spencer suddenly appeared, holding a coconut. Ten minutes later, Shanks was happily sipping from the pierced coconut shell, a tiny straw poking from the top.
Jaba wiped his tears. "We did it… we really did it…"
Just yesterday, they'd been fighting tooth and nail against the Rocks Pirates. Now? A full crew of hardened pirates scrambling around a baby. The whiplash was unreal but hilarious.
That night, the cries of a baby echoed through every cabin aboard the Oro Jackson.
Shanks was sitting in Jaba's lap, drooling and tugging his hair, trying to stuff it in his mouth.
"Ugh… Ja… ba…" the baby babbled through a mouthful of spit, completely unaware of the destruction he was wreaking on a notorious pirate's dignity.
Leaning against the mast, Ritter laughed uncontrollably, a transponder snail in hand recording everything. "You always act tough, Jaba, but look at you now! What a man, brother!"
"Shut up, you bastard!" Jaba roared, utterly broken. "Why am I the one stuck on night duty?!"
Rayleigh didn't even look up from the duty chart. "Because you cheated last time we played dice."
Jaba fell silent. Shanks, meanwhile, had successfully soaked his hair and was now trying to chew through it.
"OW—Let go! Let go, you little gremlin!!"
Chaos reigned once more on the deck. Jaba flailed, trying to shake Shanks off. The baby thought it was a game, squealing with laughter and gripping tighter.
Other crew members looked at Rayleigh with pleading eyes. "First mate… can't we just put him in the captain's cabin for one night? Just one night?"
Rayleigh adjusted his glasses. "Sure."
"If you want to see a drunk toddler."
The spark died immediately.
The most unreliable member of the Roger Pirates was Roger himself. The last time he'd taken care of Shanks, he'd brought him along to a drinking party. It had taken half the crew to beat some sense into him.
"What now?!" Spencer was nearly hysterical. "If this keeps up, we're all gonna lose our minds!"
Ritter yawned and wandered over. Without a word, he plucked Shanks from Jaba's arms.
"I'll take the night shift."
Jaba looked like he'd been pardoned by a god. "Seriously?!"
"Mm." Ritter slung Shanks over his shoulder. "My Observation Haki's strong I'll calm him down before he even starts crying."
Tears welled up in the crew's eyes.
"Ritter!! You do have a heart!!"
A smirk tugged at Ritter's lips. "But—"
"From now on, all your booze? Mine."
The deck fell deathly silent.
"YOU DEMON, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OUR SUFFERING!!"
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