The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

Enzo shifted his body slightly, causing the ship to sway from side to side.

"This boat is too small."

Enzo weighed about 200 pounds, and once he got on, it became difficult for Leo to row.

After listening to him complain about the "small boat" the whole way, Leo couldn't help but complain a couple of times himself:

"Then don't follow me. I'll come see you during my lunch break."

Enzo put his hands in the seawater and touched it around... His expression was much more relaxed than usual, and he didn't look as fierce anymore.

"Who taught you to swim?"

Leo paused, stopped rowing, and asked:

"So what if you learned on your own without anyone teaching you?"

Enzo waved his hand:

"Don't stop, keep paddling. Self-taught... that's really impressive."

Leo picked up the oar, looked around, and said with a pained expression:

"As soon as you got on, my rowing speed changed, and I don't know how far we are from the sea area we usually go."

The direction is definitely right, but the distance is a bit hard to calculate.

Enzo turned around and asked:

"What's the sea like in that area? I know this area very well; I can tell you where a rock is."

Leo described several features to him, such as a very distinct rocky outcrop.

Enzo pointed in a direction:

"there."

Leo looked back at Malzamemi, then at the direction Enzo was pointing, and said angrily:

"I may not know how to measure distances, but I can read road signs. It's definitely not in the direction you're pointing. Do you even know the area I'm talking about?"

Enzo's shoulders trembled, but he was smiling quite happily.

"It's alright, they're not that easy to fool, and they should be able to learn things pretty quickly."

The small boat swayed from side to side with his body, making it even more difficult for Leo to row.

He simply stopped paddling and threw the oars away.

"We'll dive right here today."

In fact, the nearshore waters are all about the same depth; the only difference is the underwater topography.

Leo only goes to that familiar area of ​​water every day for safety reasons.

Enzo is on the ship today, so he can keep an eye on things and take the opportunity to open up the underwater map of this area.

As soon as Leo said they were going to dive, Enzo jumped down with a "whoosh":

"Hurry up and put on your gear."

After saying that, he nimbly dove into the sea and, a few seconds later, threw a shirt back up.

Enzo's jump was so loud that the small boat almost capsized.

Leo cursed "crazy" in his mind and began to check his equipment, swaying unsteadily.

Enzo is acting very strangely today.

Leo deduced that a huge conspiracy awaited him!

"Splash—"

A shiny bald head and a huge belly appeared on the water at the same time.

Enzo swam around the small boat on his back, urging Leo on:

"Hurry up, why are you taking so long to get a few pieces of equipment?"

Leo's head followed his movements:

"Is your reason for contacting me related to fishing?"

As soon as he entered the water, Enzo's bald head and beard reminded Leo of the sea lions he had seen in the aquarium.

Once this association takes hold, it cannot be erased from the mind.

The more I look at it, the more it resembles it!

The sea lion dived into the sea, then reappeared, switching from backstroke to freestyle; its swimming style was incredibly graceful.

I guess so.

Leo leaned against the gunwale and looked down at the graceful sea lion, asking:

"You want to test if I really know how to fish? Or what? I don't think things are that simple—"

Leo plans to use torture to extract a confession!

Sicilians are sensitive and cautious, sometimes answering questions in a piecemeal fashion.

He didn't want to waste any more time with Enzo.

Whatever the reason, I'll find out for you!

Leo only knew Sicilians, but not Enzo.

Enzo is a straightforward person who hates indecisiveness. The hesitation of the first three days almost drove him crazy.

Before Leo could activate his skill, the "sea lion," who was leisurely playing in the water, suddenly stopped:

I need to apologize to you first.

"Apologize?" Leo's features contorted in confusion.

The sea lion brought its bald head closer:

"I recommended you without your permission; it was an opportunity, but also a challenge."

After saying that, the sea lion dived into the sea and disappeared.

Leo shouted into the water:

"What challenge? You'd better explain yourself clearly."

A sea lion appeared from the bow of the ship:

"Every summer, swordfish from the Mediterranean migrate to the Strait of Messina to mate, which is the best hunting window."

The sea lion reappeared at the stern:

"Messina has a group of 'sea nobles' who go out to sea in specially made wooden boats during the swordfish migration season. These boats have a 30-meter-long 'antenna' extending from the bow, where hunters stand to hunt swordfish and obtain the best attack position."

The sea lion's head flashed to the left side of the wooden boat:

"Marzamemi sends fishermen to help every year because it is a 'master course' that cannot be learned elsewhere. The ancient navigation and observation techniques, rope craftsmanship and wooden boat maintenance, extreme patience and observation skills, teamwork and silent communication, awe and respect for nature... are invaluable."

The sea lion returned to Leo's side:

"But it's also incredibly dangerous; injuries and deaths are common. I recommended you, saying you're capable of representing Marzamemi in Messina."

*Whoosh—*

Enzo leaned half his body out from the gunwale, shook his head, and water from his beard splashed all over Leo.

"Sandro asked me to ask for your opinion, to see if you are willing to accept this challenge. It doesn't matter if you don't go, at least everyone knows that you have the ability. Regardless of whether you ultimately go to Messina or not, I have done something wrong in this matter, so I will impart some sea experience to you as compensation. Solberto said... this is what you need most."

After saying that, the "sea lion" slipped away to play in the water, leaving Leo plenty of time to think.

But just a second later, Enzo, who was swimming in the sea, heard Leo's voice coming from the surface:

"What's there to consider? Of course we're going!"

What Leo lacks most right now is experience. If he could go to sea with such an ancient fleet to learn, he would be laughing in his sleep.

As for the danger...

Enzo's story was quite frightening, but Leo found it acceptable.

This fish is countered by [Start of Mastery] and [Weakness Strike].

A dozen seconds later, Enzo appeared with a seashell, which startled Leo once again.

Just now on the beach, Enzo displayed terrifying strength and explosive power.

Anyone who has played games knows that once a character's strength attribute is off the charts, their agility will naturally be lacking.

But Enzo was too agile underwater, otherwise he wouldn't have made the connection to a sea lion.

Leo hadn't gone into the sea yet and didn't know how deep the water was, but bringing back a seashell every ten seconds or so was no ordinary feat.

He suddenly became excited.

Enzo said he would impart some experience to him, which would surely be extremely useful!

'Sea Lion' patted the hull and urged Leo again:

"Hurry up and put on your gear, I'll be waiting for you underwater."