"Then... who exactly is my mother?"
Compared to the minor issue of how to address someone, this question is indeed harder to answer. After all, Kaidou keeps this matter tightly sealed, and even when he's drunk, he never mentioned who Yamato's biological mother is.
Calling him "mom" was just a slip of the tongue, but asking him to answer who her real mother is truly puts Arceus in a difficult position.
"Maria has Aunt Riko with her... do I not have a mother?"
"How could that be? Your mother is just unable to be with you due to certain circumstances. Once you grow up, you can ask Kaidou for the specifics."
This is a question that only the biological father can answer, and there's nothing he can do.
"Besides, even if your mother isn't by your side, we are still here with you. Look at Jack, he doesn't even know who his parents are, yet he's doing just fine."
Although Jack hasn't inherited Kaidou's bloodline like Yamato, the blood of the Fish-Men within him has made him grow stronger and stronger, and he has now started swimming.
For Fish-Men, swimming is easier than walking, and this has turned Jack into a little sidekick for Mandfeish. Although he can't be much help, it's nice to have someone to talk to in the dark depths of the sea.
Otherwise, exploring such a place every day would be quite boring.
Children are often interested in things for just a short time. Under Arceus's words, she no longer dwelled on this issue.
Then she was taken back to play by four Chanseys. If the Chansey language is considered a foreign language, then Yamato has roughly mastered a foreign language today.
The language of Pokemon is universal, but that's only for Pokemon. Like the Radio Snails, they can understand the special wavelengths inside them, and only those few Chanseys can understand Yamato's Chansey language.
However, there's no real need since Pokemon can understand human speech.
The benefit of this peculiar language is that it allows her to better understand what the Chanseys are saying.
And to communicate securely and openly.
Recently, she's been growing fast and is over a meter tall. In another one or two years, the Chanseys won't be able to hold her, much like Jack. The size of the Fish-Men has already made him as tall as the Chanseys.
He can no longer be lifted, and whether it's due to good nutrition or because groupers are naturally like that, his figure is quite round. Before he developed muscles, he looked... well, adorably ugly, in some odd state.
After a bout of wild play, Yamato was brought back to the bedroom by the Chanseys. Two of the Chanseys were exhausted from the effort, and it's quite a feat for a human child to completely drain a Pokemon's energy, which shows her exceptional talent.
Afterward, Arceus arrived on the rooftop of Ghost Island, from where most of Wano Kuni could be seen. Under the night sky, Wano Kuni appeared very desolate, with only a few scattered places showing any light.
This included the Flower Capital, which under the reflection of candle and lantern light appeared as though it was a city that never slept—ironically, the only prosperous area under Orochi's reign.
Under his reckless development, some businessmen in the Flower Capital have indeed amassed great wealth, but the price was more families going bankrupt, essentially sucking the lifeblood of Wano Kuni's civilians for their own benefit.
This has led to a stark class divide within and outside the Flower Capital—the poor grow poorer, and the rich grow richer.
Besides the Flower Capital, you can also see some lights in the Udon area and parts of Hakumai. These areas are where the Hundred Beasts Pirates have developed the most.
His gaze then turned to the far-off Kibi. Thanks to Kurozumi Orochi, the number of displaced civilians within Wano Kuni keeps increasing, and these people have been gathered by the Hundred Beasts Pirates with the help of Kojiro's merchant company.
With enough manpower, the vast wastelands of Kibi are also about to be utilized.
...
A dark shadow flew across the night sky, and who knows where Kaidou had come from to get here.
"You're still watching this boring night scene."
"What else can I do? By the way, Yamato asked about who her biological mother is again today. I managed to evade the question temporarily, but who knows when that kid will think of it again. Do you still want to keep it a secret?"
"Ugh, haha. So she's reached that age, huh? A child sheltered by their mother can never grow up. If she asks you again, just tell her that when she can beat me, I'll tell her the answer.
But, aren't you spoiling her too much?"
"Am I? I don't think so."
"Of course, training for her begins in a year, so don't go soft on her then."
In a sense, from physical fitness to martial arts, from techniques to Haki, Kaidou already has a complete training curriculum prepared.
Arceus had seen it, and for ordinary people, it would be lethal, but Kaidou believed Yamato could endure it.
"I know, after all, in this world one can't survive without strength... How's the World Government doing?"
Spoiling isn't the same as coddling; this isn't some ordinary world, and a vase-like girl can't survive out there.
"They still want Seastone, and it's basically confirmed that they have what you want, but they're still negotiating something and those details weren't overheard."
Besides raising a child, finding the Plates remains a top priority. He truly despises the current World Government, but if they indeed hold something crucial, getting it first isn't out of the question.
Anyway, they'll come to understand the consequences of aiding an enemy.
"There's nothing else apart from that, but Roger has been very active lately, making headlines for a while now. He seems to have discovered something new."
The Roger Pirates have not been sailing the Grand Line for the first time; they've long reached the nominal endpoint of the Grand Line—Waterfront Star Island.
However, that island isn't particularly difficult to reach; by following the signal of the Log Pose, it's not hard to find. The real focus is on Laugh Tale.
"They say the red Poneglyphs hide the true secret, and BIG MOM has one, but it's unknown where the other pieces are."
"There's one under Wano Kuni, as Setsuna said there's one on Zou, but the location of the last one is unknown."
Originally, Kaidou mentioned it casually, not expecting Arceus to know such information since he hadn't even found all his own Plates. Yet Arceus directly provided him with two of the answers, in a very strange tone.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"Say? The information is clearly written in the reports compiled by King and the others. Tell me, how long has it been since you've reviewed those documents? You're really carefree as the boss."