The reason Reno stopped at this specific spot was that his Observation Haki had picked up Streusen's aura.
Reno was naturally no stranger to him.
In the original story, Linlin was led down the path of a pirate under Streusen's influence.
He assisted Linlin step-by-step until she became one of the Emperors of the Sea dominating the New World.
However, it was also because of him that Linlin wasted her top-tier talent, spending her days giving birth and ultimately establishing a pirate crew bound solely by blood ties.
Streusen's appearance wasn't part of Reno's plan, but Reno didn't have the intention to kill him.
Reno had already made up his mind that after leaving the Giants, he would establish his own pirate crew.
A complete pirate crew needed a captain, a cook, a doctor, a navigator, a shipwright, and combatants.
As for the rest, they were optional.
Currently, Reno only had two people by his side: Linlin and Roge.
Although Roge's talent wasn't top-tier, Reno kept him around because he had some knowledge of meteorology and navigation.
While he wasn't an expert, it was more than enough to serve as a navigator.
And the man before him, Streusen, was the user of the Cook-Cook Fruit (Kuku Kuku no Mi). His ability was extremely practical, making him a born chef.
With his assistance, they would never go hungry no matter what situation they encountered in the future.
Streusen walked out from behind the big tree with stiff steps.
"Hehehehehe... Little friend, calm down. I mean no harm."
"If you meant harm, you wouldn't be standing here talking to me right now."
Reno snorted coldly, his gaze making Streusen's hair stand on end.
"Why are you here??"
"I was here by coincidence..." Streusen briefly explained his situation to Reno.
After listening, Reno nodded, but his killing intent still locked onto Streusen.
"Um... Don't worry, I will absolutely not tell anyone about today's events. No, no..."
Seeming to realize he misspoke, Streusen waved his hands frantically and quickly added, "I didn't see anything today."
Reno waved his hand, and the understanding Roge lowered his sword from Streusen's neck.
Only then did Streusen breathe a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Remember what you just said. If word of this leaks out, I guarantee your fate will be worse than hers."
Reno casually glanced at the calm river water.
Streusen naturally knew who he was referring to and nodded sheepishly.
Next, Reno told Streusen the truth about Mother Carmel's identity and what she had been doing all these years.
Upon learning the truth, Streusen exclaimed in shock, "That person just now was Mother Carmel?!!"
Carmel had lived among the giants for decades; not few people in these waters knew her.
But everyone knew her as a kind nun. He never expected her true identity to be a human trafficker.
Streusen nodded, half-believing and half-doubting. Although he still had suspicions, intimidated by Reno's powerful strength, he dared not show any sign of it.
"From now on, you will follow me. My pirate crew happens to be missing a cook."
Reno said in a tone that brooked no refusal.
"Uh..."
Streusen, who thought he had escaped disaster, felt his face fall upon hearing this.
"Actually... Actually, I have my own..."
"Hmm?!"
Before Streusen could finish, Reno glared at him with eyes full of killing intent, scaring Streusen into covering his mouth immediately.
"Alright, I am willing to follow you."
At this point, Streusen knew he had no choice but to nod helplessly.
[Ding! Congratulations Host! You have successfully recruited an A-Rank aptitude crew member: Streusen!]
[Reward: 50,000 Voyage Points!]
As the system notification rang out, 50,000 Voyage Points were quickly credited to his account.
Just then, Streusen, feeling strange, gave Reno a deep look.
For some reason, he felt as if he had established some kind of connection with Reno.
Looking at the child in front of him again, the previous feeling of fear seemed to have lessened.
Accustomed to this, Reno didn't intend to explain.
"Roge, after cleaning up all traces here, leave this place first. I will meet up with you in a few days."
"Streusen, go with Roge!"
"Yes, Young Master!"
"Understood, Captain!"
Both nodded in agreement.
With the System's binding, Reno wasn't worried about Streusen betraying him, so he left with peace of mind.
Reno was very happy today. It was Linlin's birthday, he had eliminated Carmel, obtained the Soul-Soul Fruit, and unexpectedly recruited Streusen as well.
Four fortunes at once!
When he returned to the House of Lambs, the children had almost finished setting up the venue.
When they saw Reno return carrying a super-giant cake, the children surrounded him in surprise.
"Wow! What a huge cake!!"
"I've never seen such a big cake before!!"
"We're in for a treat today!!"
Jace glanced at the big cake, then looked behind Reno and asked puzzledly:
"Reno, didn't Mother come back with you?? I remember Mother went out with you."
"Huh??" Reno feigned surprise, looking equally puzzled. "I don't know."
"I went out to get the cake prepared for Linlin. I don't know what the Mother went out to do."
With a temperament unlike ordinary people, Reno spoke these words without blushing or skipping a beat. The other children didn't notice anything amiss.
"Is that so? That's really strange."
"Linlin is about to wake up. Where did Mother go??"
The children looked at each other, their immature faces full of confusion.