Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad

[Pujimaki]

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Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 90


"Of course you have a child, we know your son. He's a great kid."

"No, I'm talking about my girlfriend. She's pregnant."

"Wow. And now you're talking? You're going to have a child and you thought of stealing from others? What kind of person are you? You're going to feed your child with food that came from stealing? Are you not afraid of Karma?" Jun-Jun was livid.

Miguel's child had not been born yet, which made his actions feel even more irresponsible. His girlfriend was six months pregnant and counting on him to provide.

Anyway, the fishermen were determined to settle this at the police station. Letting him go would only encourage more trouble.

"Please! I'm begging you, let me go! I'll pay you instead!" Miguel cried.

"Miguel, you've stolen from many fishermen. We are not the only ones affected. If you want to pay us, we must take you to the police first," Karlos said.

"No! No!" Miguel shouted.

"Hah! You're probably thinking of running away if we let you go, but that's not going to happen." Chiz raised his foot and kicked Miguel again.

Out of all five of them, everyone was determined to take Miguel to the police because his crime had hurt too many people already. Even Brandon agreed.

With that, they headed to the town's police station. Brandon drove Miguel's boat.

As for Karlos, he texted Mrs. Wanda that he might be late today… He was definitely going to be late. On top of that, he hadn't earned any money at all.

But his testimony was needed, so he had to go to the police station.

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Miguel didn't have a choice but to sell his boat.

He had been determined to leave Gloria, his old saggy wife, and had slowly withdrawn money from their bank account without her knowledge, thinking he could rebuild his life quietly. However, Gloria discovered Miguel's infidelity, which made things worse.

He couldn't touch the bank account anymore because Gloria blocked every possible route. When he went back to their house to talk to her a second time, his son kicked him out, refusing to hear a single excuse.

They were not officially divorced, it was a common situation in the country, especially for families without the resources to process legal papers.

Now that Miguel was going to have another child, his girlfriend convinced him to sell the boat to save money for her pregnancy, saying they needed to think long-term. Miguel couldn't refuse. He loved her too much. After selling the mid-size boat, he bought a second-hand small boat. His conversation with Karlos had made him confident that trapping crabs was profitable.

But he was wrong. He realized that trapping crabs was tiring but not profitable. Only a few people could earn a good income from it. He even thought of sailing farther to fish for salmon, but it was too dangerous for a small boat to travel far from shore, and he didn't want to risk capsizing. He wasn't like Karlos, who knew good fishing spots close to shore.

Because he was desperate to earn money, he resorted to stealing catch from other fishermen's traps. He sold the stolen crabs in his village instead of the fish port, so no one would recognize them.

Miguel was confident in his instinct to sense danger, so he survived weeks without getting caught, moving silently and striking quickly. But last night, he drank with his new "brother-in-law" and got drunk to the point that his instinct failed him completely.

When he pulled up someone's trap and grabbed the catch, a boat suddenly appeared from behind a mangrove tree before he could escape. Miguel immediately started his engine, panicking when he heard people yelling. Because it was dark and he was wearing a cap, he was confident no one would recognize him. As for his second-hand boat, he could repaint it or sell it later, as long as he stayed unidentified.

Unfortunately for him, that plan never happened. The other boat closed the distance quickly, and someone jumped into his boat, catching him off guard and ruining his escape.

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Jun-Jun, Chiz, and Erap had been waiting for the thief for days, but he was hard to catch. Instead of targeting their traps, he would steal from others, leaving them frustrated.

The thief seemed skilled. The mangrove area was long and wide, and three men couldn't monitor everything, no matter how determined they were. Other fishermen also tried laying ambushes, but they always failed, as if the thief could smell danger.

With hundreds of boats traveling through the mangroves daily, it was impossible to pinpoint the culprit. They needed to catch him in the act.

Jun-Jun and Erap had been monitoring their section for days and still couldn't find him. It was like the thief had a sixth sense.

But that night, while Jun-Jun was sleepy and tired, Erap patted his shoulder, signaling that someone was approaching. Jun-Jun's alertness immediately returned.

Because it was dark, they couldn't recognize the fisherman. With so many boats passing every day, it was impossible to know all of them. Also, the man wore a cap, making it even harder to identify him.

Miguel looked around, making sure no one was nearby, trusting his drunken instinct. Still groggy from the hangover, he failed to sense danger.

He grabbed the first trap and pulled it up. Jun-Jun was livid, Miguel had stolen from him, and he had waited days for this moment.

Without hesitation, Erap started his engine and sped toward the thief's boat.

"Thief!" Jun-Jun yelled to alert Chiz, who was monitoring another part of the mangroves so they could corner the culprit from different directions.

When Miguel realized he had been discovered, he immediately started his engine to escape. His boat had a 15-horsepower engine, normally used for mid-size bangkas, giving him a slight advantage. His boat was fast.

But because Erap reacted earlier, he quickly closed the distance.

Jun-Jun, determined to punish the thief, made the dangerous decision to jump into Miguel's boat. He steeled himself and successfully leaped aboard.

The rest was history.

Bruised and battered, Miguel was brought to the police station along with the fishermen who were raising their voices, releasing the frustration they had bottled up for days. Jun-Jun and the others made sure the other crab trappers knew about Miguel's crime. Some fishermen even ended their work early just to go to the station. Karlos was there as well because he was one of the witnesses and one of the victims.

 

[Pujimaki]

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 91


"I will pay you guys, I swear! I will pay you! I only resorted to stealing because I can't withdraw my money." Miguel, with a swollen face, looked desperate and weak as his voice trembled.

Now that many fishermen who were affected by his crime had shown up, he realized he was in a much worse situation, far worse than he ever imagined when he first stole a trap.

"Pay us? Hah!" Jun-Jun scoffed. He was the second person who suffered injuries today, and his bruises throbbed painfully. He had fought Miguel and taken several hits.

"You've been stealing from us for more than a month! Since early November, my traps have had a hard time generating income because of you! It's already the third week of December, and I've lost 25,000 pesos. Can you pay me?" Jun-Jun's frustration echoed through the room.

"I-I can!" Miguel replied, though his confidence wavered.

"Then what about me? I've lost 30,000 pesos!" another fisherman shouted.

"Mine is 16,000 pesos," someone added.

"27,000 pesos!"

"29,000 pesos!"

"83,000 pesos!'

More fishermen raised their voices and yelled about how much money they had lost over the past few weeks. As for Karlos, he stayed quiet. He had changed his fishing location early, so he didn't lose much. He had only left three traps behind, which had been sitting untouched for weeks before he decided to take everything.

At this point, Karlos felt like it was time to completely leave the mangroves since the area no longer benefited him. He decided to trap lobsters near the small island instead, believing it would secure his income. The best he could earn from trapping crabs and prawns was 7,000 pesos, while trapping spiny lobsters earned him around 25,000 pesos on average. A massive difference that made the choice obvious.

When Miguel heard the rising complaints, his confidence slowly crumbled. His savings amounted to just 1.2 million pesos.

Fishing was never simple. Back when Miguel owned a mid-size bangka, he and his team traveled far from the shore to meet their daily quota. Their expenses were huge, especially fuel, ice, drinking water, and canned goods, all of which drained money quickly.

On top of that, they had to stay out at sea for four to five days to catch enough fish. Traveling far from shore gave them a better chance to catch prized fish like tuna and groupers. They didn't have a choice, returning early meant losing profit. Each trip cost about 40,000 pesos, and Miguel also had to pay his workers. His profit per trip capped at around 50,000 pesos.

Fortunately, their region was blessed with abundant salmon and tuna every November and December. This was the prosperity season when boat owners could earn millions if they were skilled and lucky. Unfortunately for Miguel, he failed to capitalize on this blessing because he had already sold his mid-size bangka before the season even began.

Miguel thought he could pay the fishermen, but as he listened to their losses, he realized he might lose all of his savings and still fail to satisfy everyone.

Amid Miguel's racing thoughts, the truth was that many fishermen were lying. Some doubled the amount they had lost, shameless ones even tripled it, taking advantage of the chaos and hoping Miguel would pay regardless.

He tightly shut his mouth, fearing anything he said would only make things worse.

Karlos felt it was time to return to the beach now that the situation was resolved. He and Brandon had already testified and were no longer needed. Miguel had confessed, and he would face the consequences.

They returned to the beach at 8 a.m., far later than usual. By the time they finished fishing, it was already 4 p.m. They were extremely late today.

While they were gone, Miguel's wife, Gloria, and their son arrived at the police station, both furious. A heated argument erupted, and Miguel failed to get any of his money because Gloria refused. She left the station seething and vowed that Miguel would rot in jail.

Then Miguel's pregnant girlfriend appeared. He thought she came to help him, but she only brought devastation. She revealed that Miguel was not the father of her child and that she had only used him for money. She even thanked him for selling his mid-size boat, saying she could now travel to the capital to meet the real father because of the money. Then she left, abandoning Miguel completely.

Miguel was dumbfounded, unable to process the layered betrayal. In a single day, he lost everything, his wealth, his family, and his dignity. His expression was so empty and broken that he looked like he had aged into his 60s. It was the worst day of his life.

Since Miguel couldn't pay the fishermen, he had no choice but to accept his punishment. Guilty of his crime, he was sentenced to three years in prison.

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"You're very late."

Maya pouted at Karlos with a mix of worry and annoyance. If not for the text message Mrs. Wanda received, Maya would have been extremely anxious.

The couple was eating dinner. The twins were asleep, giving them some rare peace. As much as they loved the twins, both parents admitted they were naughty and exhausting to look after, endlessly energetic.

"We discovered the thief and went to the police station."

"You didn't explain anything in your text. So what exactly happened?"

Maya was curious. Like many fishermen, she despised the thief. Their income had suffered because of him.

"It was Miguel."

"What!?" Maya was shocked. "You mean Gloria's husband? But I thought he was a boat owner? Why would he resort to stealing? He can just fish for salmon and earn millions."

"I don't know much. I heard he sold his boat."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Karlos, you're terrible at telling gossip. I'm disappointed in you." Maya clicked her tongue. She wanted details, but her husband only kept saying he didn't know.

"Once we get back to the beachside, I'll ask Reina." Gossip was one of Maya's favorite pastimes, and Reina was the best source of neighborhood stories.

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Days passed, and December 25, 2000, arrived. It was Children's Blessed Day. The history of this holiday was well known worldwide.

Thousands of years ago, a massive pandemic struck, affecting only children. A group of mages discovered that a High Lich, a powerful undead, had been siphoning children's mana to destroy the world, using their energy as fuel.

The mages stopped the catastrophe and defeated the High Lich. From then on, the day children were liberated became known as Children's Blessed Day.

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[This novel has 50 chapters on Patreon.]