Gon also turned around and shouted with a smile, “That’s right, Kael!
You’re cheating!
That doesn’t count!”
Kael remained perfectly calm.
With a practiced motion, he cast his fishing line.
The hook traced a beautiful arc through the air and accurately caught the sea fish floating on the surface.
“You two simply don’t understand.”
Kael responded smugly as he reeled it in.
“I’m preparing the ‘ultimate bait’!
Ordinary bait isn’t enough to attract the truly enormous creatures lurking beneath the sea.”
“The best bait is often another fish.
This is an advanced fishing technique, so pay attention and learn!”
With a pull of his arm, he effortlessly lifted the fish, which weighed over ten pounds, onto the deck.
Just as Kael proudly displayed his “prize” and prepared to cut it into smaller pieces of bait, a violent splash suddenly erupted nearby.
Gon released a suppressed cry of surprise.
The fishing rod in his hands instantly bent into a terrifying arc, looking as though it might snap at any moment.
The fishing line stretched completely taut, slicing through the air with a sharp whistling sound.
A tremendous force suddenly dragged Gon forward.
He planted both feet firmly against the railing and barely avoided being pulled directly into the sea.
Gon gripped the fishing rod tightly with both hands.
The muscles in his arms bulged, but his face was filled with extreme excitement.
Something enormous had taken the bait.
“Whoa!
Only something huge could make that much noise!”
Killua cried out in surprise.
He immediately put down his own fishing rod and ran over with Kael to watch.
Beneath the surface, an enormous shadow struggled violently, causing the surrounding seawater to churn.
Judging from its momentum, the fish probably weighed well over a hundred pounds.
Gon became completely immersed in his contest of strength against the creature below.
Using the power of his waist and arms, he alternated between loosening and tightening the line, attempting to exhaust his prey.
The ordinary fishing rod creaked under the immense strain, as though it would become completely useless in the next second.
Kael rubbed his chin with interest as he watched Gon struggle against the huge fish.
“Hehe.
It looks like Gon is in trouble.”
“That fishing rod doesn’t seem very sturdy.
I’m afraid it might not hold much longer.”
His tone contained a hint of schadenfreude.
He was clearly looking forward to seeing the rod snap.
Killua crossed his arms and nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, it looks like a troublesome fish.”
“Keep it up, Gon.
Don’t let it escape, or you’ll be responsible for dinner tonight!”
Gon concentrated completely on the struggle, and tiny beads of sweat appeared across his forehead.
He could feel the ferocious strength beneath the water and understood that the fishing rod was already approaching its limit.
He did not dare to use too much force.
Just as the rod bent to its absolute limit and seemed ready to break, a sharp light flashed through Gon’s eyes.
He appeared to make a decision.
With a low shout, he caused his aura to surge.
This time, however, it was not being used to attack.
His aura flowed outward like gentle water, spreading from his hands to cover the fishing rod and line before extending all the way down to the submerged hook.
“That’s Shu!”
Killua recognized the Nen technique immediately.
Seeing this, Kael revealed an expression that said he had expected it all along.
He sighed regretfully.
“Oh, what a shame.
He finally remembered he could use that technique.”
“There goes the entertainment.”
Shu was the technique of covering an object with one’s aura, greatly increasing its strength and performance.
The rod and line reinforced by Gon’s pure aura had now become far more durable than ordinary fishing equipment.
The fishing rod, which had previously been on the verge of breaking, immediately stabilized as though it had transformed into an indestructible weapon.
Feeling the newfound stability in his hands, Gon revealed a wild and joyous grin.
He exerted power through his waist and abdomen and roared:
“Come up here!”
His arms suddenly pulled backward.
Boom!
With a tremendous explosion of water, an enormous silver-gray figure was forcibly torn from the sea and sent flying through the air in a powerful arc.
Bang!
It crashed heavily onto the deck.
The creature was a strangely shaped sea fish with thick scales.
Its body was nearly as long as Gon was tall, and its powerful tail continued slapping against the deck.
Gon stared at his catch with uncontrollable excitement and a tremendous sense of accomplishment.
“Look!
It’s huge!”
“Hahaha!
This fish is enough to feed us for several meals!”
“Killua, Kael, you’d better work hard!
Otherwise, I’ll leave dinner to you!”
Sunlight fell across the boy’s brilliant smile and the enormous fish still flailing on the deck, filling the scene with vitality and the joy of conquest.
Kael and Killua looked at Gon’s smug expression, then at the massive fish he had caught.
Competitive excitement appeared on both their faces.
They immediately returned to their original positions, attached their bait, and cast their lines again.
Kael’s expression became deeply focused as his aura activated once more.
Killua sensed that Kael was using Nen again.
Believing that Kael was about to cheat for a second time, he turned to look.
Killua had yet to master En.
His heart immediately sank.
How was this any different from cheating?
Kael completely ignored Killua’s resentful stare and focused on the fish beneath the water.
When a small fish approached his bait, Kael immediately changed its direction and moved it away, guiding the bait toward a much larger fish.
The bait released an enticing scent.
The instant the large fish noticed it, the creature rushed toward Kael’s line like a starving dog attacking food.
Sensing its approach, Kael revealed an excited smile.
The moment the fish bit down, Kael raised the rod.
Because the equipment had been reinforced with Shu, the large fish was pulled from the water without being given any opportunity to resist.
When it landed on the deck, it was only around half the size of Gon’s catch, but it still weighed roughly fifty pounds.
Kael looked toward Gon, who had already resumed fishing.
He immediately changed his objective.
Perhaps first place was not completely beyond his reach.
Killua watched Gon and Kael catch their fish and refused to fall behind.
Almost immediately after Kael’s catch, Killua also managed to reel one in.
His was the smallest, weighing only around twenty pounds.
Gon looked at Kael and Killua.
“We already have more than enough to eat.”
“If we keep catching fish, we won’t be able to finish them all.
That would be wasteful.”
“It’s fine,” Kael replied without concern.
“We can release the extras afterward.”
By then, Kael had become completely absorbed in fishing and his battle for first place.
There was no possibility of him giving up so easily.
Killua was even less willing to agree with Gon.
He was currently in last place and had no intention of admitting defeat.
“Kael’s right.
Our competition has only just begun!”
Seeing how determined they were, Gon did not want to ruin their enthusiasm.
The three boys began catching fish at an almost unbelievable rate.
After roughly estimating the weight of every new catch, they immediately released it back into the sea.
When the three-hour competition finally ended, the results were calculated.
Kael’s total catch reached 5,100 pounds.
Gon’s reached 5,000 pounds.
Killua came last with only 3,000 pounds.
Seeing that he had finished in last place, Killua could only walk dejectedly into the kitchen and begin preparing dinner.
Although cooking was not a specialty of his assassin training, he was still reasonably competent.
Less than an hour later, the fragrance of cooked fish spread throughout the entire pirate ship.
Killua watched Kael and Gon praise his cooking while repeatedly encouraging him to try harder next time.
The schadenfreude written across their faces awakened his competitive spirit.
He silently made a promise to himself.
Next time, I’ll definitely win.
(End of Chapter)