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.]