Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 42
He couldn't see any fin or large shadow lurking in the water. Karlos felt confused and uneasy, scanning the rolling surface again and again as he cut the gills of the Bluefin Tuna.
"You're sure you've seen nothing?" he asked the other fishermen, narrowing his eyes.
"If there's a shark, we would have warned you from afar."
"Fair enough." Karlos nodded with a sigh of relief. Perhaps he was hallucinating? He should have eaten the biscuit he kept in his bag, his hunger clouding his focus.
"Anyway, don't avoid the question. How did you catch a Bluefin Tuna? You need a strong fishing rod to get that."
One of the fishermen asked curiously. Some of them were jealous, their eyes following every movement Karlos made, lingering on the shimmering body of the massive tuna.
Karlos recalled how the tuna had jumped into his boat with a thunderous splash that nearly overturned it. The absurdity of it was still fresh in his mind, and he smirked.
"The tuna jumped into my boat." He chuckled as if retelling a joke.
"Bullshit!"
"Get the fuck out of here."
"If you don't want to tell us, just say it straight."
"Haha, I'm not joking. The tuna really jumped into my boat." Karlos excused himself before the conversation turned sour.
"I'm going to leave now. I have to sell my catch as soon as possible."
"Take care then."
Karlos recognized most of the fishermen as townsfolk. However, some were obviously eyeing his tuna, their stares heavy with envy and greed. He felt he had to leave. It might be a small chance, but if given the opportunity, they could steal his catch and throw him into the water.
After bidding farewell, he sped up, pushing the little engine harder than usual to put distance between himself and the other boat. Thankfully, he didn't see the great white shark anymore, and the silence of the ocean brought him some peace of mind.
Once he reached the fish port, other fishermen saw his catch and were shocked, their voices rising in disbelief as they pointed toward his boat.
"Bruh."
"Dear Goddess."
"Hey, make way! Make way!"
Andres and Joseph rushed over when they spotted Karlos' boat, which carried a huge Bluefin Tuna so heavy that it sank nearly two-thirds of the bangka. They never expected Karlos to catch something like this with such a small boat.
Bluefin Tuna wasn't rare in their region, but they were usually far from shore, thriving in the colder, deeper parts of the ocean.
Around November and December, the fish port would be packed with Bluefin Tuna and King Salmon that migrated during those months, turning the docks into a bustling marketplace filled with shouts of buyers.
Occasionally, a boat might encounter Bluefin Tuna in August since temperatures dropped slightly during this time. Still, it was shocking for a small bangka that only explored near the shore to catch a fish of this size, it defied logic. Such an event was extremely rare. By regulation, if a Bluefin Tuna was smaller than 27 inches, it was illegal to catch it.
But the one Karlos caught was obviously much bigger. At least 70 inches long, around 2 meters if converted, it was a towering presence that dwarfed everything else on the dock.
"What in the Goddess happened for you to catch a huge fish like this?" Both Joseph and Andres were so shocked their jaws nearly dropped as Karlos tied his boat to a pole.
Karlos grinned. He realized he'd hit the jackpot today, and his heart raced at the fortune this one catch could bring.
"The tuna jumped into my boat because a great white shark was going after it."
"Karlos, you need a better excuse than that." Joseph looked skeptical but intrigued.
"As if people will believe you. It's alright, you don't have to tell us if you're not comfortable."
"Haha." Karlos chuckled and shook his head, knowing the truth sounded ridiculous. Even he still had trouble believing what had happened.
"I'll call more people to carry this fish."
"Yeah, we need at least four people."
Other fishermen and buyers also gathered, staring at the giant Bluefin Tuna. They couldn't believe Karlos had caught such a monster without losing his boat or breaking his gear. Like Andres and Joseph, they bombarded him with questions, but Karlos gave the same answer as before. Most didn't believe him.
Together, Karlos, Andres, and a few others carried the massive fish into the fish port.
"How about your other catch? What are you going to do about it?" one of the buyers asked with interest, eyeing the containers on Karlos' boat. Karlos had a good reputation for selling plump, fresh crabs and prawns.
"How about you give it to us free? You're going to earn a big profit from the tuna anyway."
Karlos frowned. It sounded more like a demand than a request.
"I'm going to sell it to my brother-in-law."
Joseph nodded at that and gave Karlos a small smile.
"Let's settle that later. I'll have someone watch over your catch."
"Thanks, Joseph."
They reached the fish port, and people parted for them like a parade. Curious onlookers cleared the path with murmurs as they made their way to the open space where big tunas were inspected by professional buyers.
"You're lucky. Some foreigners from Sushi country are here today," Andres teased with a grin, nudging Karlos as they laid the tuna on a free spot to await inspection.
"That's great."
Bluefin Tuna was the best for sushi, and people from Sushi country would likely pay a high price for it, given the endless demand for premium sashimi.
The tuna was weighed and measured 327 kilograms and 2.2 meters long. Karlos was tall, but this tuna was even taller than he was, and its sheer weight made the wooden platform creak beneath it. A clerk quickly wrote down the details and attached the tag to its tail.
Over 30 huge tunas were being inspected, most were Yellowfin, some Bigeye, and a few Bluefin. The Bluefin was undoubtedly the most valuable, often selling for sums ordinary fishermen could only dream of. Their fish port had long turned such inspections into a free spectacle.
Some wealthy-looking buyers stabbed the tunas with thin metal probes, checking the color and fat content of the meat. Karlos wasn't an expert, but he knew the best quality tuna had higher marbling, a firm yet tender texture, and vibrant red flesh.
One of the buyers approached Karlos' Bluefin and stabbed it with the thin probe. Slowly, he pulled it out and examined the sample. He gave a slight nod, though of course he didn't taste it on the spot. The tuna had to be processed first, which required flash freezing.
Karlos couldn't confirm what the nod meant, so he wasn't sure if the buyer was satisfied. The man looked at him sharply and spoke.
"Are you the one who caught this Bluefin?"
"That's right."
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