Tokyo Detective

Chapter 456 Italian Gangs

On the sea where waves were splashing two meters high, a fishing boat less than 30 meters long was drifting with the current, looking as if it might capsize at any moment.

The middle-aged fisherman named Jasko glanced at Naoki Hanyu with disdain. Why was this Eurasian guy on the boat?

"These novice fishermen probably won't catch any bluefin tuna this time either."

Jasko wanted to curse as he watched Naoki Hanyu's clumsy net-catching skills. It would be a miracle if he and a half-baked fisherman, a novice, could catch a bluefin tuna.

Jasco stayed on the ship only out of respect for Malena's dead husband. Back then, Malena's Fisheries Company was the leading fishing company in the town of Marina de la Gusa. Yes, Malena's husband named it after his wife.

Unfortunately, the shipwreck a year ago ruined the entire company, not only causing bankruptcy but also leaving Malena with a lot of debt.

Jasco kept staying on the grounds that the company had a bluefin tuna catch quota, which was 10000 tons per year, a strict regulation by the EU.

If you are not qualified and catch fish but do not release them, it will be a crime if you are discovered to be involved.

Bluefin tuna begin returning to the Mediterranean to spawn in January, with the peak season in March. Fishing is prohibited until the end of April, and then until September, as this is the season when most fish in the Mediterranean spawn.

Marlena Fisheries is one of the 10 companies in Italy with a quota. If they catch a tuna worth close to 10 euros, the company might be able to survive and earn a good commission.

Pity.

Soon it was time to haul in the nets, and Malena, dressed in fisherman's clothes, came out to help, while Jasco shouted to Naoki Hanyu, who was watching the sea.

"Hey, Clark, come help me out."

"."

Seeing that Naoki Hanyu remained unmoved, the three of them became dissatisfied, and even Malena couldn't help but feel that helping that man was a mistake.

Just then, Naoki Hanyu looked at the group and smiled, then plunged into the sea. The three of them were so frightened that they ran over without even bothering with the net, but unfortunately, the wind and waves had long since obscured the person who had jumped into the sea.

Jasco yelled at the female boss.

"Where is he? Look at the kind of person you've found."

This time, Malena showed signs of panic and unease.

“I didn’t know he would jump into the sea. I only hired him to help him. Maybe I should go down and look for him.”

"You stupid woman, the sea is so cold, are you out of your mind?"

So the three of them stopped the boat and stood on it, looking out at the sea.

Five minutes later, Jasko had lost all hope of survival. He even suspected that Naoki Hanyu was a legendary ghost, a story he had heard from the older generation.

The spirits of those who drown at sea will disguise themselves as strangers and approach you, then lure fishing boats to the place where they died, so that the spirits can use curses to get on the people on the boats.

Justin never believed this garbage story, but this time he had no choice but to.

Just when Malena was losing hope, a figure suddenly emerged from the sea. It looked like a large fish, and Jasko recognized what it was.

"Bluefin tuna, it's huge, how is that possible?"

The three men watched as the bluefin tuna struggled at the surface of the sea, its movements gradually slowing until a man's head emerged.

"Clark."

Malena covered her red lips in disbelief. Could this person really jump into the sea and fight a bluefin tuna?
Impossible. Bluefin tuna are known as the kings of speed in the ocean. They don't even stop when they're "sleeping." How could anyone possibly catch one?

Seeing the bluefin tuna being pulled to the side of the boat by someone, Jasco couldn't help but speak up.

"Are you a human or a ghost? You're not some legendary drowned spirit, are you?"

Naoki Hanyu's expression instantly turned strange, because when he had just caught the bluefin tuna and swam for several kilometers, he did see a pale, ghostly figure floating on the seabed at a depth of about 50 meters. The creature even opened its pale eyes and glanced at him.

It's no surprise that Naoki Hanyu already knew there were dirty things in the ocean.

"Old Justin, stop talking nonsense and deal with the tuna first. I don't know how."

"."

Finally, Jasper pulled the tuna ashore and quickly processed it. To ensure the quality of the bluefin tuna, he couldn't be careless. First, he made two incisions at the gills to help it breathe. Tuna use a ramming breathing method and must keep swimming to maintain its breathing. Moreover, the blood generated during the movement gets very hot and must be expelled from the body quickly, otherwise it will damage the meat.

They would cut open the tuna's belly while it was still alive, remove its internal organs, hang it up to bleed it, and then stuff the fish's belly with crushed ice that had been prepared on the boat before putting it into a specially prepared freezer, and that was the end of it.

Don't be fooled by how simple it seems; Jasko and his two fishermen were working like dogs. In fact, only Jasko knew how to handle it; Hayden knew nothing at all.

Marlena stared blankly at the 3-meter-long object in front of her, which must weigh at least 500 kilograms.

Although the largest bluefin tuna on the market can reach 4.5 meters and weigh around 700 kilograms.

But that's the king of fish. In Italy, it would definitely be a contender for the title of the biggest fish of the year. It can sell for 700 euros per kilogram, which means 35 euros, 40 US dollars, or 6000 million Japanese yen.

"Malena said, her voice trembling."

“Mr. Clark, we can help you take this fish back for a 5% processing fee.”

Naoki Hanyu shook his head; he wasn't short of money.

“We’ll split it in half. I’ll take half, you’ll take 40%, and they’ll take 5%.”

Malena shook her head in refusal.

"I can't take it. Jasco and Hayden, you can decide for yourselves."

Although Malena was tempted, her father, a teacher, had taught her that she shouldn't covet what wasn't hers, as she herself had been a teacher.

Naoki Hanyu approached the woman after she rejected him, and the height difference made her nervously swallow.

"You can consider this my way of repaying the debt of saving your life." "That's too much to ask."

Naoki Hanyu was angered by this stubborn woman, so he spoke loudly.

"Consider it payment for me taking a liking to you."

Malena was in a great hurry.

"That won't do either, take it back."

"."

Ultimately, Naoki Hanyu didn't want to waste any more time and headed straight for the cabin.

"This is to repay a life-saving debt. Whether you believe it or not, you can throw it back into the sea if you don't believe it."

"."

Malena eventually accepted the offer from two employees who were interested in her, and Hayden even ran into the cabin to talk to Naoki Hanyu, his tone filled with admiration.

"Mr. Clark, you are amazing. You are just like Aquaman in the movies."

"."

Naoki Hanyu's eyes instantly turned strange. He suspected that his junior was implying something else. What playboy? He was very loyal.

"Not bad. I am a martial arts master. Do you know what a martial arts master is? Let me tell you."

After chatting for a while, Naoki Hanyu began to subtly probe Malena's story, and the 22-year-old fisherman actually told her everything.

Malena, 29 years old, used to be a school teacher.

Her husband built his fishing company from scratch and became a prominent figure in Sicily. However, two years ago, he encountered a shipwreck while sailing a 4000-ton ocean-going fishing vessel, and only two people returned as survivors.

They accused Malena's husband of being responsible for the shipwreck, which, despite having insurance, still destroyed the entire company, which had taken on a large debt for development.

In the end, dozens of fishing boats of varying sizes were taken away, and Malena, as one of the legal representatives, also owed 10 euros in debt. 10 euros is not a lot, but what can a woman who has been dismissed from school do? She can only continue fishing to pay off her debts.

"Today, the leading business in the Marina de la Gusa fishing industry is the Pacino family, which is the largest mafia family in Sicily. Previously, the Malena Company and the Pacino family had business conflicts."

I have a strange sense of déjà vu when I think of Naoki Hanyu.

"Gangsters? Could it be that the Pacino family killed that unfortunate guy?"

Hayden was immediately alarmed. He was just a fisherman and couldn't be talking about this topic; he wasn't joking.

"I don't know, I don't know."

Naoki Hanyu has absolutely no taboos when it comes to gangster topics. Gangsters? What the hell?

So what if Western gangs have more firepower? Would Naoki Hanyu care?
.
After most of the day had passed, the fishing boat named Malena returned to port. Malena, as the captain and company owner, was responsible for arranging the weighing, quality grading, quarantine, and labeling of the tuna.

The next step was to send it to various seafood auction houses for auction, but this time the seafood auction houses in Sicily refused.

"What, you won't accept it?"

"Yes, we are unable to process your tuna at the moment. Please handle it yourself."

"."

Marlena was a little confused. She knew that long-term preservation of tuna required a special freezer, which she didn't have because it had been taken to pay off a debt.

Marlena and Jasco contacted other seafood middlemen, but no one took a bite of the large shipment. The people around them began to look at them with amusement, realizing they were being targeted.

Sure enough, a convoy of luxury cars soon arrived, including Rolls-Royce Phantoms, Cadillac Escalades, and Chevrolets.

A white man in his thirties stepped out of the car. His handsome face and nonchalant demeanor were quite attractive to women. The man's name was Harry Pacino, the eldest son of the godfather of the Hallepa family.

The man's appearance caused the three people from Malena Company to change their expressions slightly; it was clear that they did not get along.

Harry Pacino walked over with a smile on his face.

"Marlena, I heard you needed help. Was it this tuna? You're really lucky to have caught such a big one!"

"Malena said in a deep voice."

"I will find a way to sell the tuna, so please leave."

"Don't say that. I remember your company doesn't have professional storage equipment, so any meat that deteriorates in quality will be scrapped."

Marlena hesitated, not wanting the tuna that Clark had worked so hard to catch to lose much of its value.

"How much are you willing to pay?"

"513 kilograms, can I use 40 euros?"

"Can"

Just then, Harry Pacino suddenly made a request.

"But you have to have dinner with me, is that too much to ask?"

Harry Pacino isn't the type to be unable to resist women; he does it to gain both money and women.

Marlena Company also possesses another valuable asset: fishing quotas for various rare fish species, which are held by only two companies in the entire Sicily.

His fishing company just happened to not have those spots.

(End of this chapter)