Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad

[Pujimaki]

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 150


"The meal's ready, let's eat," Karlos announced, and the three looked at him. Maya understood what Karlos said, while the twins were simply waiting for movement from the kitchen as their cue.

Karlos brought the dishes to the table while Maya carried the children to their respective baby chairs. The chairs were highly elevated and had straps to make sure they wouldn't fall.

In between bites, the parents had to feed their respective children.

"Arabella, stop drooling. Here, let me wipe your mouth," Maya said to her clearly hungry daughter, gently dabbing her lips with a small towel.

This was their usual dinner routine. If the food was hot, the parents had to blow on it first to cool it down for the twins.

With the tv signal getting worse because of the weather, the family decided to watch a movie after dinner since the television channels were full of static and interruptions. Around this time, Karlos received a text message from Brandon saying, "Okay, it seems like I can wake up late tomorrow."

They agreed that there wouldn't be any work tomorrow.

"You want to watch this again? But you already watched it like 20 times." The twins were pointing at the cartoon movie titled Toys Story.

As their mother, Maya had also watched the movie countless times with them. She might have memorized every line at this point.

"Do you even understand what the toys are saying?"

Arabella nodded, while Iñigo frowned and shook his head, clearly more honest about his confusion.

It seemed like someone was lying. Toys Story was in English, and the kids surely didn't understand it. They could barely form full sentences themselves.

Iñigo looked at Arabella with mild disgust. He believed his sister was lying. How could she understand the toys?

Arabella pointed at her Barbie doll and said, "Toys want to pway with kwids."

"Well, how about this movie? You guys still haven't watched this one. It seems interesting." Maya pointed at a romance movie, trying to convince her children.

The twins curiously looked at the cover picture of the videotape, which showed a couple smiling at each other.

The children shook their heads. They saw these kinds of moments from their parents every day. What they wanted to watch were cartoons, the colorful ones.

"What about you, babe?" Maya asked her husband.

Karlos was sitting on the sofa, relaxing. He was sipping hot chocolate that Maya had made for him. The earlier cup had been taken by Iñigo. Maya wanted him to at least taste the hot chocolate once as a small gesture of appreciation.

"Me? I want to watch action movies like Rambo or Terminator."

"... Never mind, I shouldn't have asked you." She already knew their tastes rarely aligned when it came to movies.

In the end, to keep peace in the family, the children won. However, the movie they picked was not Toys Story but Bug's Life. Maya wanted something different, and they hadn't watched Bug's Life yet.

Their living room had a complete VHS setup, television, and sound system for a better viewing experience, a small luxury Karlos had proudly invested in.

Even though the movie was meant for children, Karlos and Maya admitted it wasn't bad. They even laughed at the jokes, unlike the twins, who didn't understand English. The children simply enjoyed the colorful visuals and lively characters.

Because of the movie, the twins concluded that grasshoppers were bad while ants were good. However, they didn't like ants in real life because ants bit them, so it was slightly confusing.

.........
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...

The next day, the rain was still present, but it wasn't as strong anymore. The family stayed inside the house the whole time. They had everything they needed, food, electricity, water, and entertainment to pass the time.

The rain outside couldn't bother them.

By afternoon, the rain had completely stopped. Karlos texted Brandon that tomorrow's work might resume, but they still needed to assess the weather. Brandon replied and agreed.

.........
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...

The next day, very early in the morning, before the sun had risen, many men began preparing for work.

Fishermen first looked at the sky and grinned when they saw the stars, indicating that there were no clouds.

Then they went to the shore to observe the waves. As expected, the waves were normal.

Karlos and Brandon headed to their boat, greeting other fishermen along the way.

They started the boat and journeyed toward the small island. They confirmed that the waves were not dangerous and that they were free to work. Brandon was happy, and so was Karlos.

However, when they reached the island, they realized that their traps had been washed away by the waves. The floaters were no longer in their usual positions.

Most of the time, traps only drifted a few meters from their original spots, but it was different after a storm or strong waves.

"Looks like we have to search around."

They both turned on their flashlights to look for anything floating on the water, especially styrofoam with paint, the floaters of their traps.

One by one, they found every trap, which was fortunate.

"This one is stuck." Brandon tried to pull the trap, but it seemed to have gotten caught on reefs or rocks.

"I'll dive later to see if I can pull it out. This spot isn't that deep," Brandon said confidently. He trusted his diving skills.

"For now, let's focus on harvesting abalones. Some buyers even texted me to buy abalone from us," Karlos recalled.

A few minutes later, the sun rose. As the surroundings became clearer, they guided the boat closer to the island, waiting for the sea snakes to leave.

With that, the two began harvesting as many abalones as possible. As they frequented the island, they realized it was unique, the island attracting abalones for some reason. They had agreed not to share this information with others, wanting to take advantage of the island's abundance.

Once they were done, the two left the island and returned to the spot where the last trap was stuck in the reef. The water was now brighter under the rising sun.

Brandon took off his t-shirt to swim more easily. He confirmed that the water wasn't too deep, and he could see the reefs clearly, which supported his assumption that the trap was stuck there.

He slipped into the water, leaving Karlos waiting in the boat.

Karlos waited for a few minutes.

He then stared at the surface where Brandon had dived in.

However, instead of seeing Brandon in the water, what Karlos saw was a dorsal fin slicing through the water.

It was a shark.

And judging by its massive size, it was a great white shark.

[Thank you guys for reading this novel.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 151


A great white shark can reach 6 meters in length, making it one of the largest predators in the world, a terrifying apex predator that dominates the ocean food chain.

Karlos's boat was only 5 meters long... As he looked at the water, he could see the silhouette of the apex predator lurking beneath the surface. Its massive body swam under the water, its shadow almost engulfing his boat in size.

Karlos felt chills run down his spine... He swallowed hard. His throat suddenly felt dry.

"Brandon--! Brandon!"

He shouted at the water. However, no sound could penetrate it. He clenched the steering handle tightly.

He thought of running away and leaving Brandon. However, he was not that kind of guy. He had to stay until Brandon resurfaced... if he could resurface before the shark attacked him.

Cold sweat covered his body as the dorsal fin lingered around his boat, circling slowly as if studying its prey. He was scared shitless.

'Brandon, please, show up.' Karlos silently prayed.

He thought of diving into the water to warn Brandon, but that would be suicidal.

"Leave! Get away from my boat! Shaaa!! Graaa!! Roar!!" Karlos made desperate noises in hopes of scaring the shark. He grabbed a paddle and slapped the water with it, creating loud smacking sounds.

'Please don't topple my boat, just leave peacefully.' He didn't care about the trap anymore.

With a huge shark like the great white, it could capsize his boat with just a few attacks.

Despite his fear, Karlos continued slapping the water with the paddle to scare the great white shark.

Suddenly, something resurfaced in the water, and it was colored red...

Brandon's shorts were red. Brandon gasped for air after freeing the trap from the reef.

"Brandon! Swim to the boat fast! There's a shark!" Karlos was so relieved to see that Brandon was alright. However, it was time to leave the island! There was no room for hesitation.

Brandon was only a few meters away from the boat when he heard Karlos's yell.

"A fucking what?"

"A great white shark!" Karlos started the boat quickly.

"!!!" Brandon's face turned pale instantly.

Just like Karlos, Brandon moved immediately and swam hard toward the boat. The two met midway, and Brandon pulled himself over the outrigger and climbed in.

"Let's leave this place."

"Alright!"

The two agreed. No one even talked about hauling the last trap. They could retrieve it tomorrow, if they were still alive.

Karlos looked behind them and could still see the dorsal fin following. He felt chills again and decided to speed up, pushing the engine to its limit.

"There's a shark?"

"Yeah, you didn't see it in the water? It's huge, a great white shark."

"No, I haven't seen anything at all." Brandon was just as scared as Karlos. "Besides, I have never seen a great white shark before. It's extremely rare to find one in our country."

Their waters were far too warm in Adobo country, and the seal population was low. Seals were one of the favorite foods of great white sharks, which meant great whites rarely visited their waters.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. But look behind us, a great white shark is following." Karlos said while steering the boat, keeping his eyes ahead, afraid they might go off course if he didn't focus on navigating.

Brandon looked behind them and saw nothing... except for another boat on the horizon, slowly approaching. Brandon felt relieved when he saw a boat instead of a dorsal fin, thinking it was just another fisherman.

He narrowed his gaze and saw the boat approaching them quickly. Something felt strange about it. It was moving too fast, as if it were chasing them.

"Karlos! Drive faster! There's a boat approaching us!" His relief vanished instantly.

"Huh?"

Karlos turned his head. Indeed, a boat in the distance was heading toward them at full speed. As for the great white shark, it might have already disappeared.

Karlos listened to Brandon and pushed the boat to full speed.

However, the other boat was faster. As it got closer, Brandon confirmed his suspicion.

"Pirates!"

The boat had no fishing equipment. It was too light, which made it faster. On top of that, the engine they used was probably 30 horsepower, more than twice as powerful as Karlos's small bangka.

It was obvious that the boat was meant for pursuing other boats to steal from. A different kind of predator.

"Shit!"

Even Karlos didn't expect that they would encounter pirates at sea. These people were very rare, and their sphere of influence didn't usually reach Timog-Kanluran province. Their area was considered relatively safe.

Karlos gritted his teeth. The engine heated up as it ran at full power. However, the other boat slowly got closer. Both boats were the same size but had different engines. It didn't help that their bangka was heavier because of the lobsters and abalones they had onboard.

Brandon had no choice but to throw away a container of abalones to lighten the load.

The other boat had four people, holding clubs and knives. They were only a few meters away.

Both Karlos and Brandon were losing hope. Once the other boat caught up, it might be their end.

Suddenly, in the corner of his right eye, Karlos saw a dorsal fin cutting through the water.

Instinctively, he turned left to avoid the great white shark.

"What are you doing!?" Brandon yelled. Turning left reduced the distance between them and the pirates, bringing them closer.

"The shark showed up on the right!"

"Shark?" Brandon was stupefied and looked at the water... Again, he saw nothing. He frowned and was about to say something, but the pursuing boat failed to maneuver in time. It continued going straight, giving Karlos and Brandon another chance to escape.

"Go, go!"

Karlos sped up again while the other boat took a few seconds to change direction and follow them.

However, because Karlos had changed their course, they were now heading farther from land... They were moving toward the open sea, where the other boat could easily follow once it caught up.

Brandon could even hear the pirates' laughter and whistles. He clenched his fists and began looking for a weapon to defend himself. Even Karlos was losing hope. They might have to make a final stand to protect their lives.

But just as the pirates got closer, a loud horn echoed across the sea. The pirates' faces turned pale as they recognized the sound.

It was the coast guard.

No one expected that Karlos's bangka was heading straight toward the spot where a coast guard vessel was anchored.

"This is the coast guard! Drop your weapons!" a voice boomed through a megaphone.

 

[Pujimaki]

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 152


The vessel moved closer to the pirates. If the pirates' boat was fast, then the coast guard's vessel was even faster. The pirates tried to escape, but a gunshot reverberated, a sharp bang that made their nerves freeze. The bullet hit the water near the pirates' boat, sealing their fate and sending up a spray of water that made them flinch. It was a clear warning that the next shot would not miss.

"Drop your weapons!" The command boomed from the megaphone.

The pirates were stunned when they saw the bullets pierce the water at such speed. One wrong move and it would be them instead.

Just for a reminder, these pirates had killed people. Yet when guns were pointed at them, they cowered in fear.

In the end, the pirates surrendered, raising their hands stiffly, their faces pale and drained of color.

The coast guards successfully captured the pirates and their boat. They tied them up and made sure they had no hidden weapons, patting them down thoroughly. They also seized the boat as evidence of their crimes. One of the coast guards took over driving it.

As for Karlos and Brandon, they remained where they were. Their boat bobbed on the water as they tried to calm their nerves, taking deep breaths to steady themselves.

Karlos occasionally looked around, trying to see if the great white shark was still nearby. Fortunately, it seemed to be gone. The water finally looked calm.

Then, the coast guard's vessel approached Karlos and Brandon. The two understood the situation they were in. Running away would be a mistake and would only make them look suspicious. Upon closer inspection, the coast guard vessel was large,.almost the size of the commercial trawler that Antonio owned.

The coast guards looked at the two men, some still holding their guns just in case Karlos and Brandon were dangerous. Their eyes assessed their every move.

"Stand down, I know this guy. Karlos, long time no see!"

Someone ordered the coast guards to lower their weapons.

"Marcos!?" Karlos was surprised.

Marcos Araneto. He was Larry's older brother and a Rear Admiral in the Coast Guard.

"Help them get onto our boat. I want to talk to them," Marcos ordered his men.

"Yes, sir!" The men moved immediately.

A foldable ladder was lowered, and the two climbed aboard. Karlos and Brandon were still shaken by what had happened.

First the shark, then the pirates, and now the coast guards. It felt like a chain of unbelievable events.

"Thanks for saving us." Karlos bowed his head slightly.

Marcos smiled and patted Karlos on the shoulder in reassurance.

"You also saved my family. We are even now." His men were listening, so Marcos didn't elaborate further, but his eyes held gratitude.

"Let's go inside. We need to hear your story before we interrogate the pirates. Don't worry, your boat will be fine." He spoke calmly, guiding them toward the cabin.

"Alright." Karlos nodded and followed him inside.

Karlos and Brandon explained everything that had happened. They didn't hide anything, not even the part about the great white shark. Marcos was surprised. He didn't expect a great white shark to migrate to Timog-Kanluran province at the peak of summer. These sharks preferred colder waters.

After hearing their account, Marcos let them go, trusting their story.

"If we have free time, my brother and I will visit you." He had a high opinion of Karlos after he saved Larry. Now, Marcos was even more pleased because Karlos had inadvertently helped them catch pirates. Piracy had been rising again in their region, and Marcos believed the Patong family was connected to it. He hated that family to the core.

"Thank you. Also, please don't tell Maya about what happened here. Is this going to be in the news?" Karlos asked, not wanting his wife to worry.

"This will remain confidential. We are still on a mission, and we can't disclose it to the media," Marcos assured him.

"That would be great." Karlos felt relieved.

Once Karlos and Brandon returned to their bangka, they stayed silent for a while. When the coast guard vessel was finally gone, Brandon spoke first.

"Holy shit. Did we just survive that?" He let out a shaky laugh.

"Yeah, I guess so." Karlos sighed in relief.

The pirates who had tried to attack them would rot in jail. They were responsible for killing a dozen fishermen and stealing their boats. It was fortunate that Karlos and Brandon had survived the ordeal without any injuries.

"Brandon, let's keep what happened today a secret. No one should know. Marcos and the coast guards are on a mission."

"I won't say a word," Brandon promised seriously.

Karlos nodded. He didn't want his wife to know that he had almost been attacked by pirates. If Maya found out, she would panic and might forbid him from going fishing again.

"... Let's take a rest tomorrow. Good thing it's Saturday. We can take a long break." Karlos finally managed a smile.

"That would be great. I'm thinking of taking my parents to the clinic to get eyeglass prescriptions." Brandon wanted to do something meaningful with his earnings.

Now that the danger had passed, the two felt more at ease. They chatted normally as they traveled to the fish port, as if nothing extraordinary had happened.

"About the shark you mentioned, are you sure it was a great white?" Brandon asked curiously, still puzzled by the incident.

"Yeah, it was huge. Its silhouette under the water almost covered the entire bangka." The image was still vivid in Karlos's mind.

"Hm..." Brandon nodded but said nothing more. The entire time, he had never seen a great white shark. Even when he dived underwater, everything had been calm. He hadn't seen anything large, not even a shadow.

Brandon had a conjecture. Unlike Karlos, who didn't know much about the doctrine of the Ocean Church, Brandon was more familiar with the religion.

The two reached the fish port and sold their catch for 47,000 pesos, a decent reward after all the chaos.

After that, they returned to the beach, where teenagers were swimming in the water or gambling their money on betting games.

For obvious reasons, Karlos and Brandon walked quickly. They wanted to get home as soon as possible. They suddenly missed their families.

"Babe, you're back." Maya smiled gently at her husband.

"Hm," Karlos nodded and entered the house, his heart feeling heavy and light at the same time.

"Papa!"

The twins greeted him with hugs, latching onto his legs. Karlos felt his eyes sting slightly...

He was scared.

Afraid that he might never see his family again. He knelt down and faced his two children, staring into their crimson eyes and memorizing their innocent expressions. He took a deep breath, holding back his tears. He kissed their foreheads and hugged them tightly.

"Papa missed you." His voice was slightly hoarse.

The twins giggled and hugged him back, completely unaware of how close they had been to losing him.


[Author's Note: Since it's the second day of the month, I want to promote my Patreon.

Currently, Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad has 67 chapters on Patreon.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 153


Then, Karlos turned to Maya and smiled with trembling lips.

"... Are you okay?" Maya felt like Karlos was getting emotional as she noticed the way his eyes lingered on her face for too long.

"I'm just happy to see you." His voice trembled slightly.

"But we always see each other." She blinked, tilting her head.

"I know." He shrugged and hugged Maya tightly, wrapping his arms around her and feeling her warmth. He was afraid that he might never see his wife again.

"I love you, Maya." His words came out almost like a confession, carrying a deeper meaning.

"I love you too." She answered immediately, hugging him back.

They shared a light, comforting kiss before Karlos went to the bedroom to take a bath and change his clothes. Karlos looked at the mirror and saw his reflection... He was pale.

He realized how dangerous the sea could be.

The great white shark, a predator hiding in the depths.

The pirates, ruthless men committing crimes.

There had been no one to call for help.

Karlos splashed cold water over his face.

When he went outside, he saw his twins playing while Maya prepared lunch.

"Let's eat," she announced with a warm smile, which made the twins stop playing.

While eating, Karlos thought of something. He looked at his family.

"How about we visit the town plaza tomorrow and have some fun? I heard there's a new restaurant with a small playground. Let's take the kids there and let them enjoy it. After that, we can take pictures together. Or maybe we can take pictures first before going to the restaurant," Karlos said to Maya.

"You don't have a job tomorrow?" She was surprised because Karlos had only sailed three times this week because of the rain, yet he was asking for another day off, which was unusual for someone like him.

"We want to take a rest tomorrow. Brandon said he will take his parents to the clinic to get eyeglass prescriptions." He answered casually but avoided her gaze.

"I see." Maya nodded, but she felt that something was strange. Still, she didn't push her husband to speak... She could wait. She loved her husband so much that she knew when he was acting normal or not. Karlos was not good at lying anyway.

"Then let's do that." Maya also wanted to explore the town more now, especially since they had their own tricycle. They didn't have to hire transportation anymore.

The family spent the day together, with the twins being active and happy as always. The kids were easy to satisfy. Just give them toys and food, and they would be happy. Simple things brought them joy. Furthermore, since they were twins, they could play together. They never felt lonely, always having one another. Of course, they still asked their father to carry them, shouting, "Papa, up, up!"

.........
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...

The next day, Karlos kept his promise, and the family went to the town plaza to see the brand-new restaurant... Only to realize that it was actually a fast food restaurant, Jollybee.

"This is the shop we were talking about last time. It was just under renovation when we first saw it," Maya recalled.

The family had already taken family pictures at a photography shop, nothing fancy, just the four of them smiling at the camera. The photos were quickly developed, and Maya looked at them carefully. They looked happy together. Her husband looked handsome, while the twins looked absolutely adorable. She was glad they had more pictures together.

Anyway, Arabella and Iñigo were starstruck by Jollybee! There was a Jollybee mascot waving his hands at the customers, enthusiastically greeting each family. Sometimes he even danced.

The twins were thrilled to see the mascot they had only seen on television now standing right in front of them.

They were seeing a celebrity today! At least, that was what the twins believed.

"Jowwybee!" Arabella squealed, and even Iñigo was eager to get close to the mascot.

Maya and Karlos carried the twins toward the mascot. Jollybee greeted them warmly and even shook their hands, making the twins giggle with delight.

Of course, the main purpose of going to the restaurant was to eat. Just like other fast food restaurants, Jollybee served greasy meals like fried chicken and burgers, but they were undeniably delicious.

Arabella was having the best time of her life. She once thought swimming in a pool while eating food was already a luxury, but eating fried chicken while Jollybee danced in the background was on another level.

Iñigo looked around and noticed a small playground in the corner of the restaurant. There were swings, slides, and see-saws. It immediately caught his interest, and he pointed eagerly, asking his father to take them to the playground.

Naturally, Karlos brought the twins to the playground and watched over them, making sure they were safe while having fun. As for Maya, she stayed at their table and enjoyed a sundae ice cream, savoring the quiet moment while her husband handled the children.

There were other children in the playground, and the twins quickly made friends with them.

"Your kids?" a father asked Karlos, making casual conversation.

"Yeah, they are my twins," Karlos replied happily.

"They look alike. The boy they are playing with is actually my son. He kept crying and throwing tantrums because he wanted to play at Jollybee." The man chuckled helplessly.

"..." Karlos was speechless. His twins might start behaving the same way now that there was a Jollybee in their town... And he was right. From now on, whenever the kids threw tantrums, one of the easiest ways to pacify them would be taking them to Jollybee.

That day, the twins truly enjoyed their time at Jollybee. They had delicious food and a place to play, everything a child could ask for. Even Arabella and Iñigo were reluctant to leave.

They only agreed to go home because their parents promised to take them to Jollybee again next week.

Of course, the parents didn't forget to buy kiddie meals for them. The kiddie meal was a combo meal that included toys, one of the marketing strategies used to attract children to the restaurant.

The theme that month was Fokemon and Hello Kitty-Kitty Cat, which Iñigo and Arabella received. So even though they had to leave Jollybee, they still had toys with them, which made the departure a little easier to accept.

[Thank you guys for your support.]