Chapter 11
Chapter 11: The Naughty Kid
In the end, Adrian didn't do anything to Tom. After all, he wasn't a psychopath and couldn't bring himself to do anything crazy to the adorable cat who relied on him for survival.
Strolling leisurely back, Adrian contributed a bit more energy to the magic array. With temporary lodgings and means of self-defense, his day had been quite productive and he was in good spirits.
Back at Goodman's house, Adrian encountered a child with a round head, bowl-cut hair, and a peculiar body-to-head ratio that resembled Big Head Son from cartoons.
"Oh dear, Adrian is back. This is my son, Bayer. Say hello to Adrian, Bayer," Mrs. Molly introduced.
"Hello, Adrian." Four-year-old Bayer greeted Adrian in a clear voice.
"Hello to you too." Adrian wasn't sure how to respond, he didn't think it needed to be too formal.
Wasn't this the bear kid who wanted to be the Pirate King? He looked pretty well-behaved.
"Adrian, why don't you sit with Bayer for a while? I'll go prepare dinner. It should be ready by the time Goodman comes back," Mrs. Molly suggested.
"Sure." Adrian glanced at Mrs. Molly, who was wearing an apron, and then at big-headed Bayer. Big Head Son and Apron Mom, huh? Too bad Mr. Goodman wasn't wearing glasses like Mr. Satan.
Sitting face to face with Bayer, Adrian noticed his short legs dangling and his big eyes staring curiously at Tom on Adrian's shoulder.
Tom yawned, uninterested in Bayer. Kids were troublesome. He had once taken care of a baby with Jerry, and they had ended up getting mistaken for baby kidnappers by the police. It had been quite a mess.
"Adrian, are you from another island?" Bayer, who had grown up on Sabaody Islands, was full of curiosity about the outside world.
"It's not really appropriate to call it an island where I come from, because the land area is huge."
"Bigger than Island 59? Bigger than the Sabaody Islands?"
Adrian mentally estimated the area of Island 59. Even without running far today, he could already see the edge of the island. It was probably the size of a town.
Then adding up the 79 islands of the Sabaody Islands...
Adrian nodded, "It's hundreds of times bigger than the Sabaody Islands."
To be honest, he hadn't actually done the math, he just threw out a number casually.
"Hundreds... hundreds of times!" Little Bayer tried to count with his fingers for a long time but couldn't come up with a result. He ended up saying, "Wow, amazing!"
"Then, have you seen pirates, Adrian? Do you know about the Pirate King?" Bayer's eyes sparkled when he mentioned pirates.
"I haven't really seen actual pirates." Adrian thought to himself, if he had, he might be in trouble now. "The Pirate King... are you talking about Roger?"
"Yes, yes!" Bayer nodded eagerly, then imitated in a deep voice, "My treasure? If you want it, go find it. I left everything there!"
"Does it sound like that?" Bayer slapped the table excitedly. "I want to be a great person like that in the future! So cool!"
Then he became downcast, muttering, "But my dad won't let me, and he even scolds me."
Was it only because he thought Roger was cool that he liked him? This kid might still have hope. Adrian asked softly, "Do you really like Roger, Bayer? Where did you hear all these things?"
Bayer waved his little hand, "From Grandpa Bob's tavern. People often read newspapers and tell stories there, lots of interesting stories."
"A tavern, no wonder Mr. Goodman can never find anyone to vent his anger on." Adrian suddenly realized, taverns were indeed places where various kinds of information could be obtained.
As for whether kids could enter taverns, Luffy often visited the tavern in Makino's village, and that's how he met Red-Haired Shanks.
Hearing Adrian mention his dad, Bayer shrank his neck, "Adrian, do you also dislike Pirate King Roger?"
Adrian thought for a moment and said, "It's not easy for me to judge that. I still don't know much about this world, and I'm not sure what Roger really wanted. Whether people like him or not, whether someone like him is good or bad, I'm afraid it will take many years to truly determine, right?"
"But based on the current situation, the wave of the Great Pirate Era he triggered made those in power unhappy, and many innocent civilians suffered. That's probably why many people dislike him. I used to want to know the ending, but unfortunately, I missed it..."
Bayer supported his chin with both hands, "I completely don't understand, but Adrian is indeed amazing!"
He accidentally said too much. Adrian chuckled, "How am I amazing?"
"Because Adrian can say a lot of amazing things. My dad only says 'Don't talk about pirates' and stuff like that, then starts scolding me."
This bear kid seemed to get scolded a lot. Adrian thought he should talk to Mr. Goodman about this. The "Garp System" of education was no good.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you how to read, so you can understand newspapers and learn more knowledge. Then you'll be able to say a lot of impressive things too."
Bayer jumped up, hands on hips, "Alright! I want to say impressive things too, to surprise my dad!"
The door creaked open, and Mr. Goodman entered with a hearty laugh, "Who wants to surprise me?"
Bayer quickly plopped back down, looking obedient.
Mrs. Molly emerged from the kitchen, complaining, "I've told you so many times to open the door more gently. It will break."
"My own hand-made door won't break so easily! Worst case, I'll make a new one." Mr. Goodman didn't mind.
"Really, go wash your hands. Dinner will be ready soon." Mrs. Molly said before returning to the kitchen.
"Got it." Mr. Goodman responded, then waved to Tom before heading towards the bathroom.
With a quick movement, Tom hid behind Adrian. It was clear he hadn't forgotten the incident of being eaten by that man.
Bayer's favorability towards Tom increased by 100 points. So, you're afraid of my dad too!
The naughty kid had found a kindred spirit.
...
The Goodman family, along with Adrian, sat around the dining table. Mrs. Molly had even prepared a food bowl for Tom, with a little bit of each dish—enough to fill an average adult.
Perhaps to welcome Adrian, the dinner was particularly sumptuous.
Mrs. Molly was a skilled cook, and Adrian's appetite grew as he enjoyed the meal. By the end, he was feeling a bit embarrassed.
Mr. Goodman patted Adrian's shoulder with a grin, "You should eat more, that's how a real man should eat. You need to grow into someone like me!"
Adrian chuckled awkwardly, looking at Mr. Goodman's height and build that were even larger and more solid than Yao Ming's, and thought he might pass on that.
However, in this world, having a big appetite seemed to be a good thing, right?
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone