Alex stood by the edge of the boat, gripping a fishing net in one hand. Off in the distance, a nearly 18-meter-long Mockfish kept leaping out of the water from time to time, letting out mocking, snickering laughs. As it swam, it even waved its bright blue tailfin at them with contempt. A smirk crept up on Alex's lips.
The tailfin of the Mockfish was especially memorable. When it flicked upward, it resembled a human flipping the middle finger—making whoever looked at it feel inexplicably insulted.
"Want me to row over to its side?"
Luffy grabbed a paddle and asked eagerly from beside Alex.
"Don't interfere. That thing's my prey. I can handle it myself."
Alex spoke with determination, his face full of confidence.
"Ohh!!"
Luffy exclaimed exaggeratedly. "You really look manly right now!"
Alex chuckled sheepishly. Even though his body was still fatigued, facing this sea creature—one several times larger than himself—he somehow felt he could manage.
It was the intuition of a seasoned fisherman—an instinct Alex had developed over more than six months of fishing. Though Alex had never been particularly strong, he'd always been an exceptional hunter of the sea. He could always tell at a glance which fish could be caught and which ones to avoid.
Thanks to this skill, Alex rarely wasted any effort during his fishing trips. He'd identify the right fishing zone, cast his net once, and come back fully loaded.
In simpler terms, the guy was a pro-level fisherman. Although there were some giant sea creatures he couldn't catch due to their sheer size, he still knew their weaknesses like the back of his hand.
In the East Blue, except for some deep-sea species he hadn't encountered, Alex had read about nearly 80% of the fish in various marine books.
In just about half a year, he had gone from a complete novice to a highly capable fisherman. The sweat and effort he had poured in were easily dozens of times greater than that of the average villager back in his old fishing village.
In fact, he had read more books about fishing than most fishermen in his hometown had in their entire lives.
Maybe that crazy stretch of nonstop training over the last ten days worked better than I expected, Alex thought to himself as he cast his net toward a few barrels nearby, dragging them into the sea.
"Hey! I moved those out on purpose! I was going to snack on them later!"
Luffy shouted in a panic as he saw Alex toss three meat-filled barrels overboard.
Are you serious?
Those barrels are big enough to fit a whole person, and you were going to eat all three just as a snack?
Even though Alex had spent some time with Luffy by now, he was still sometimes stunned stiff by Luffy's monstrous appetite.
"No bait, no catch. Right?"
Alex countered coolly as he locked his eyes on the sea ahead.
This Mockfish was a mischievous and aggressive sea creature—known for mocking fishermen, packing tremendous strength, and possessing razor-sharp teeth that could rip apart even metal-wired fishing nets. Let alone the ordinary kind of net Alex was using, made from rough cloth and a bit of flax.
Earlier, the net Luffy had used—which was bitten apart by the Mockfish—had been reinforced with steel wire. But they only had one of those.
After tossing the net and bait barrels into the sea, the Mockfish didn't react. The water remained eerily calm.
"It's not falling for it? You threw it way too close. Will this even work?"
Luffy scratched his head anxiously, looking like a distressed monkey.
"I think it's just about time."
Alex had deliberately tossed the net and barrels just over a meter from the boat.
He knew the Mockfish's habits: when bait was used to lure it, not only would it eat the bait—it would retaliate. And the closer the bait was to the fishing boat, the angrier the Mockfish would get.
That was exactly what Alex intended—to provoke it into a rage by placing the bait so near. That would give him the best chance to capture the nearly twenty-meter-long fish.
"Stand steady. Don't fall in."
Alex warned as he noticed ripples forming on the right side of the boat. The Mockfish was rapidly closing in underwater.
"Why wou—"
Before Luffy could finish, a thunderous bang echoed out. He stumbled at the edge of the boat and flew out into the air—hat and all.
But Luffy reacted fast. While midair, he grabbed his straw hat and stretched his arm out to catch the boat's mast, slinging himself right back onto the deck.
The boat rocked violently, clearly hit by something underneath—the Mockfish's doing.
Bang! Bang!
Two more brutal hits sent their fishing boat spinning wildly—720 degrees on the water surface.
"Awesome!"
Luffy clung to the mast with one hand, holding his straw hat with the other, spinning gleefully in the air like it was an amusement ride. Alex winced.
Damn... I said I'd handle it myself, but you didn't have to zone out and start enjoying the ride.
Still, Luffy's carefree attitude was also proof that he fully trusted Alex to deal with the Mockfish alone. Otherwise, he wouldn't be playing around with the boat spinning like that.
Feeling that deep, unwavering trust from Luffy filled Alex's chest with warmth. It felt good—really good.
In that moment, Alex finally understood clearly: I'm part of the future Straw Hat crew now.
Even if he wouldn't be the strongest in battle, he didn't need to be.
As long as he did his part, that would be enough.
I'm not sailing alone!
Alex's eyes grew brighter, his fatigue from earlier completely gone, and he stood tall and full of energy.
Splash!
With a loud leap, the Mockfish erupted from beneath the sea, gobbling up the bait-filled barrels and the net in one bite.
Alex had been waiting for this. He shouted and flung the net in his left hand—this time not aiming at the fish's head, but its tail.