One Piece: Adopting Akainu at the beginning, adopted son Barrett

Chapter 88 A Smile of Righteousness

"Could you please wait a moment, Mr. Ross? I saw something not so good and want to help smooth it out, please."

In mid-air, Yixiao suddenly called a halt. Under their feet was a small island at the edge of the radiation of the Cloud Island.

Some things on the island caused Yixiao's observation Haki to fluctuate, and he became unusually angry.

"Things like this happen from time to time. Don't get angry. If you want to go, go ahead. I'll wait for you upstairs. There's no rush anyway."

"Thank you."

He said thank you and smiled as his angry mood slowly descended.

There were few things that could make him angry at this moment. Even after all his previous efforts had gone to waste, he only felt disappointed and felt that the material world had no meaning anymore.

Anger is an emotion that is frequently expressed when one is young.

…………

Beiluo Island, Halik Kingdom.

Like many ordinary kingdom islands, this island is composed of a small kingdom and some villages.

The villages surrounded the kingdom, forming a natural barrier, allowing passing pirates to plunder and leave when they were satisfied.

At least, that was the case until the Nasdaq family reached out.

Bal Village is a village on the edge of the island country. There is a Nasdaq Orphanage built here to take in homeless orphans.

In the orphanage, there will be elderly people or kind women taking care of the children, and the Nasdaq family will give them a considerable commission.

You may ask, why the elderly and women?
It's very simple, because this is the only way to ensure that the orphans receive the treatment they deserve.

At sea, men between the ages of 16 and 32 are always the most unreliable. It is common for them to abandon everything for a dream.

This kind of thing seems to be rooted in their hearts and DNA.

But it is different for women and the elderly. They may not take care of these children wholeheartedly, but at least they are willing to stay.

Out of overflowing maternal love and expectations for their grandchildren's future, they may also teach these children to do good, be grateful, and so on.

Recently, Mrs. Miko from the orphanage in Barr Village has encountered some troubles.

To be precise, they are a few troublesome "orphans".

Inside the orphanage's church, this is where the children learn to read and eat. At this moment, the necessary literacy class after the daily afternoon nap is being conducted.

Mrs. Mickel is the director of the orphanage and also works part-time as a simple literacy teacher.

Standing above the church, looking at the few familiar seats below that were missing, she muttered to herself in distress:

"Oh, it's them again. If it happens again next time, I will definitely teach them a lesson!"

She couldn't understand why there were just a few children who were unwilling to face it and unwilling to let go, even though most of the children who were abandoned had adapted to the environment here?

In the orphanage, they can get two meals a day, make friends, get an education, and even go to the navy or Yun Island for further studies in the future.

What's wrong with this place? Compared to the living environment before, it's not an exaggeration to say that it's a paradise, right?

Why bother facing the scenario that is bound to happen again and again?
"bang bang"

There was a knock on the door. Outside the church door, two figures, one tall and one short, stood quietly.

"coming!"

Miko responded loudly, and then said to the children in the church:
"Children, you can move freely, but don't make too much noise! ​​I will teach you how to read when I come back."

The church was very quiet, and only a few children responded to Miko.

She didn't care. In fact, this church was newly built not long ago, and most of the children here were abandoned within the past month or this month.

Unlike real street children, they can adapt quickly if they have food and shelter.

Whether it is the kind words or bad words before parents leave, whether it is the silent expulsion or violent beating before parents abandon their children.

For various reasons, they all suffered from a certain degree of depression after being abandoned.

The past was hard but happy, the past was poor but warm.

Everything seemed to have begun to change quietly after this orphanage was built.

It takes them quite a long time to try to communicate again, and then truly integrate into this little nest like those "predecessors" who have been wandering for more than several months.

Soon, Miko opened the church door and saw who was coming.

A blind man with bandages around his eyes and wearing a purple scarf, his height of over 2.8 meters was extremely oppressive to Mi Ke. Standing at his feet was a familiar boy.

Dirty shoe prints, red and swollen cheeks, old and tattered clothes, and frightened and numb eyes, this is all the boy has.

"Being beaten again? I've told you so many times that you don't have to listen to her anymore. You are absolutely safe here!"

Miko originally wanted to scold the boy harshly, but when the words came to her lips, only gentle advice and heartbroken warnings came out.

After pulling the boy to her side, she looked up and smiled to thank him:
"Thank you for bringing him back. Otherwise, I will have to wait until the children are relaxed before I can look for them. Could you please wait for a moment? I will take care of this child first and then come to entertain you."

"It doesn't matter. I just can't bear to see a mother treat her child like this. She won't threaten him anymore."

He said with a gentle smile.

If the boy's inner fear had not shone like a light under his own observation Haki, how long would such behavior have continued?
How much of a shadow will that woman, whose name is pronounced "mother" but is actually as ugly as a pirate, leave in the child's heart?
Yixiao didn't know what kind of story this was. When he slowly fell from the sky, all he saw was the mother biting a piece of bread and punching and kicking the boy.

Her words were full of threats and insults, her heart was shrouded in hatred and pain, and the child in front of her was just her punching bag.

Yixiao did not intervene too much. He simply shocked the woman, gave her some warnings, and took the child away who caught his attention.

Then, from some simple information, he learned that he could take the boy to an orphanage.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting! Please follow me."

Mi Ke came out and left with a smile on his face as he spoke.

Through the crack in the door, one could see a girl who looked 70% like Miko, holding clothes and a towel, leading the boy out through another small door and walking towards a small house by the beach.

The orphanage is not very large. It is located by the sea and has a church, a huge dormitory, a warehouse, and a private cottage.

In the private cabin, Mi Ke slowly handed a cup of hot tea to Yixiao and pressed his left hand on the cup.

"Thank you."

"It should."

He slowly picked up the teacup, blew a breath with a smile, and then drank the hot tea calmly.

For a strong man like him, even 100 degrees Celsius of boiling water is just like that. With a little bit of luck, he won't feel the heat at all. He put down the empty teacup and smiled:

"Thank you for the hospitality. Can you tell me about the child? I want to solve the problem completely before leaving."

Mi Ke took the teacup and looked at Yixiao in surprise when she heard his words.

She just thought it was a joke, after all, what could a blind man do? Besides, he seemed to be just a traveler passing through here.

But after thinking about it, she sighed and said:

"It's not something that can't be discussed. The mother of the child is actually quite pitiful. I did some research and found out that someone forced her to give birth to the child. I don't know any more details."

"Afterwards, although she still hated the child, she didn't go too far and raised him diligently and responsibly.

But soon after the orphanage was built, the woman seemed to have gone crazy. Not only did she start beating and scolding her son, she also forced him to steal food from here to feed her since she no longer worked.

"I don't know why that kid is willing to help that hateful woman again and again. Every time I would advise him that it's safe here and he doesn't need to care about that guy."

"Similarly, I have warned them more than once, but what I got in return was always disdainful ridicule and words that seemed to be the way it should be.

She said: This was what his father owed her. Since he was able to support himself, he had to bear the debt.

I was a little helpless, but I didn't know what to do. The Nasdaq family only came once every six months, and I was just a woman who could take advantage of the power of the tiger."

"The only thing I could do was to take him to an orphanage to heal his wounds every time he fell in the same place before someone else picked him up.

I asked him why, but all I got was a shake of the head and silence. He is also the child who gives me the most headaches in this orphanage."

After saying that, Mi Ke fell silent, with sadness and sorrow unconcealable on his face.

The man opposite picked up his cane again, and the "da da da" rhythmic sound rang out in the small room.

He understood the cause of all this from those simple words, but he didn't know how to blame.

I can only speak gently:

"Then leave it to me. If you don't mind, I can bring back some other lost children."

"Is it okay? Wouldn't that be too much trouble? And...you..."

"It's okay. Although I can't see, I can still identify directions and people."

He said this nonchalantly with a smile, then looked up at the ceiling and said to the air:
"Thank you."

.........

The slums outside the Kingdom of Halik are where the lazy poor in the entire kingdom, the poor who have been robbed, the poor who have been forced to give up due to medical treatment, and so on.

In a dilapidated little house.

The woman who had just finished a day's work pushed open the door and saw her daughter who had run back from the orphanage. The daughter was only four years old and was holding a half-eaten piece of white bread in her hand, staring at her quietly.

"You should stay there. There, you can get food, playmates, education, and a better future, instead of running back again and again to... tire me out."

"But mom...I don't want to be an orphan..."

"You don't understand, child, you don't understand, mom can't give you a future, and may not even see you grow up, but the kind people of the Nasdaq family can.

I am so sorry to them and to you, my daughter."

Outside the house, Yixiao stood against the wall with a cane, listening with his keen ears.

The sorrow of a mother and the grief of a child.

Yixiao had seen many similar examples before, and such scenes were common in the four seas and the Grand Route.

He would try his best to help every time, and this time was no exception, especially since he was entrusted by someone.

"Qiang Qiang!"

He felt his way with his cane, knocked on the dilapidated door with a smile, and said:

"Hello, there is a child missing from the orphanage nearby. Have you seen a strange girl passing by here?"

After saying that, Yixiao added a few more words about the girl's appearance.

Inside the house, the woman hugged the girl without her knowing when, but when she heard the sound outside the door, she quickly got up, wiped her tears, and then hurried to the door.

When he opened the door, he saw a blind young man wearing a purple scarf and with bandages around his eyes, looking at him kindly.

The dilapidated door opened and closed loudly, which attracted Yixiao's attention. He said:
"Hello, I am the person who was asked by Mrs. Miko of the orphanage to look for lost orphans. Have you seen a little girl who suddenly appeared nearby?"

He stretched out his other hand and handed over a note with a smile.

On it was a simple portrait of the girl, and the emblem of the Nasdaq family.

"Squeak-"

"Of course, she is here with me now, please take her away, thank you."

After saying these plain words, the door opened, the woman turned around, covered her mouth, and slowly walked towards her daughter.

She didn't cry or make a fuss, but just looked quietly at her mother who had abandoned her once again.

Every afternoon when they escaped, her mother would talk to her a lot, and her tears had already dried up in every bumpy midnight.

The next morning, she would always appear at the familiar door, and the gentle Mrs. Micko would not blame herself, but would take out breakfast and hand it to her.

Time and time again, and this time was no exception, perhaps until she could no longer see her mother, until she was completely abandoned.

"Why don't you try to get a job in an orphanage? Mrs. Mickel has a daughter just like you, but she lives happily in the orphanage. You can do the same.

I can see that you love children and that you will take good care of them, just like Mrs. Mickel."

The little girl was held in Yixiao's arms with one hand and was about to leave when he couldn't help but ask.

The woman shook her head, and the sound of the wind whistling in Yixiao's ears, she said:
"I can't let more children be deprived of help because of my willfulness and selfishness. More food means more future. I just can't let my daughter grow up healthily, not that I can't support myself.

It is enough for the orphanage to have a Mrs. Micko. Besides, I have already owed too much. "

"You have a beautiful soul, ma'am. I will take my leave now."

"Thank you."

No waving goodbye, just simple words.

He smiled and turned around, gently feeling his way on the ground with his cane, avoiding the crowd with his observation Haki and leaving quietly.

(End of this chapter)