Kaku's words left the old fishman stunned. What did he mean by causing serious consequences? Was this young human trying to scare him?
The fishman, clearly annoyed, snapped, "What serious consequences could there be? Stop talking nonsense and move the ship to the water!"
"You're the one who said it," Kaku responded indifferently, glancing at Enel. "Since he insists, let's move the ship to the water."
Enel grinned wickedly. "Such ignorant fishmen... Fine, I'll grant your wish."
Right after Enel spoke, Kaku turned off the ship's defense barrier. Enel didn't even bother boarding the ship; he covered himself in lightning and manipulated it to pour into the ship from a distance.
Moments later, the ship, under the astonished gaze of the old fishman, lifted off the ground and dropped into the nearby water.
Once the ship was settled, Kaku activated the defense barrier again. As soon as the barrier was restored, the entire surface of the water began crackling with electricity, due to the current from the protective shield.
Many of the other boats docked nearby suffered from the sudden surge. Some were burned, others cracked and splintered, while a few even caught on fire.
The old fishman turned pale with fear. "Oh no! What's happening? This is a disaster... Stop! Please, stop!"
Takumi walked past the fishman without even acknowledging him.
Kaku and Enel followed suit, ignoring the panicking fishman completely.
"Please, don't leave! I was wrong, you can park your ship on the shore. I beg you, please put it back on the shore!" The old fishman was practically in tears.
Enel chuckled. "Do you think we'll just listen to whatever you say? Foolish fishman. You're lucky that I'm in a good mood today. Otherwise, you wouldn't be alive right now."
"No need for all this talk of killing," Kaku said with a half-smile. "He's just an old man. Show some respect. Ignoring him is enough. In this, you still need to learn from our captain."
"Tch." Enel wasn't convinced. "Letting someone walk all over you without reacting? What sense does that make? It's not like we lack the power to respond."
"That's the difference between you and the captain," Kaku shrugged. "Sometimes, engaging only shows your foolishness. Ignoring someone doesn't mean you're scared—it just means you don't see the point. Isn't that right, Captain?"
Kaku glanced towards Takumi.
Takumi nodded calmly. "Yeah."
Enel wasn't interested in such reasoning. He kept to his own perspective. "I don't care what you think. No one can bully me without consequences. I think Takumi doesn't react not because he sees no need, but simply because he's too lazy to bother. Anyway, I'm done talking about this."
Kaku laughed heartily. "At least you're toning it down a bit when you talk now. But you still need more practice."
Enel scowled. "Are you purposely trying to get on my nerves every day? That old fishman was pestering us to move the ship, and you didn't even try to help him or play nice."
"I'm no good Samaritan," Kaku said casually. "I gave him an option, I even warned him nicely. He chose to be stubborn. So let him have his way. It's not our ships that got destroyed, so why should we care?"
Takumi didn't involve himself in the banter between Enel and Kaku. Instead, as they walked, he quietly asked the system, What are the conditions for hatching this pet egg?
[Ding! Place it under sunlight. The hatching period is between four to eight months.]
Takumi was silent for a moment before asking, What kind of pet will hatch from it?
[Ding! The species and form of the pet are not predetermined.]
Takumi frowned. Was that all the system would tell him? He knew that no matter how many questions he asked, the system wouldn't give a straight answer. So he gave up.
He then asked, How many tasks are there on Fish-Man Island?
[Ding! Aside from the landing progress, there are three tasks, each accounting for 30% progress.]
Three more tasks with equal progress, Takumi thought to himself. Alright, let's take it one step at a time.
After some consideration, Takumi willed it, and suddenly a pet egg appeared in his hand. It was about twenty centimeters in diameter, with an orange-yellow shell that looked like a turtle's.
Enel and Kaku, both still in the middle of their conversation, immediately noticed the mysterious egg in Takumi's hand. They were both curious and approached.
"Captain, what's that?" Kaku asked. "It looks like an egg, but it's bigger than normal... Kind of like a dinosaur egg, but the surface pattern seems different from what I've seen in books about pet eggs."
"Who cares what kind of egg it is," Enel said. "What I want to know is where our captain got it from."
Takumi said calmly, "I found it."
Kaku and Enel exchanged glances and spoke in unison. "Liar..."
If it had been somewhere along the way, why hadn't they seen it?
Takumi couldn't be bothered to explain further. He simply tossed the egg to Kaku.
Kaku quickly caught it.
"Make sure this egg gets sunlight every day. It should hatch in about six months," Takumi said.
"Uh, captain... What if I accidentally cook it?" Kaku joked, smiling.
Takumi's tone was flat. "You could try."
Kaku laughed awkwardly. "Just kidding, Captain. Since you gave me the task, I'll see it through. But, uh... What exactly will hatch from it after six months?"
"I don't know," Takumi said casually.
Kaku blinked. "..."
Enel smirked, his curiosity piqued. "He already said he found it, didn't he? Whether that's true or not, since it came from the seafloor, there's a good chance it'll hatch into a mermaid."
Seeing Enel so confident, Kaku chuckled. "What makes you so sure? Mermaids don't hatch from eggs."
Before Kaku could continue, the old fishman caught up with them again, crying out as he ran, "Please, wait! If you move the ship, I'll do anything you ask..."
Just as the old fishman finished speaking, a playful yet slightly surprised female voice came from a coral cluster not far away.
"Huh? Is that Takumi, my savior? Wonderful, you finally made it to Fish-Man Island!"
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