The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

"I've seen it. Each fish only has one hole in its head. The spear is steady, accurate, and ruthless, with no unnecessary movements. It can even catch such a small fish. Its talent in fishing is undeniable."

Enzo gestured a length of four or five centimeters, which looked even smaller next to the "bear paw".

The people in the room began to whisper among themselves, sharing other rumors they had heard about Leo over the past two days.

Sandro noticed that one person in the room had a particularly unpleasant expression.

He walked up to the man and asked:

"Aurelio, what's your opinion?"

Aurelio shook his head without even thinking:

"Leo has only been in Marzamemi for a short time. He may be good at fishing, but that doesn't mean he has the ability to go to Messina."

He looked around at the people and said in a highly inflammatory tone:

"And are there really that many fish? Which of our boats could land and sell for hundreds of thousands? It's just that not many people go fishing in the sea these days, so it looks impressive and causes quite a stir."

It's understandable that Enzo and Aurelio have different attitudes.

Sandro organized this meeting because he was unsure of what to do.

However, since this answer concerned the selection of the person to go to Messina, Sandro continued to ask the others present:

"Does anyone else have anything to say?"

The people in the room looked at each other, closely watching their companions' reactions.

Sandro walked up to an unusually quiet man and asked:

"Natale, what are your thoughts?"

There was something interesting about Marzamemi today. Natale, the "early bird," didn't go out to sea but stayed home to rest, so he also attended this morning's meeting.

Sandro heard that Natale seemed to have something on his mind these past few days and had been unusually silent, so he deliberately asked him to say a few more words.

Aurelio let out two joyful "hehe" sounds.

He found out that Malzamemi's "early bird" had been provoked by Leo, which was why he became depressed!

The fish that Leo caught by himself were worth more than the catch that Natale brought back with his entire boat... Who wouldn't be shocked by that?

Aurelius guessed that if Natale were to speak, he certainly wouldn't say anything pleasant.

Bianchi will definitely make it to Messina without any problems!

Natale replied to Sandro in a slow but clear voice:

"I think Leo is qualified to go to Messina."

Everyone in the room looked at the person who made the sound in surprise.

Natale is focused on going to sea and doesn't get involved in village affairs, big or small, much less express opinions or take sides.

What's wrong with him today?

Sandro asked Natale with great interest:

"What's the reason?"

Natale leaned lazily against the wall behind her:

"Leo may not be strong enough now, but he is hardworking and ambitious, and his future is limitless. We should give young people like him a chance."

Sandro smiled with satisfaction.

Just as he remembered, Natale was still the same person, with hard work and ambition ingrained in her bones, unchanged for over a decade.

Two people stepped forward to support Leo, but the situation remained unclear because the others did not want to get involved.

Without their statement, it's not so easy to draw a conclusion about this matter.

Over the past three years, similar small meetings have been frequently held during these months, but in the end, it's always Bianchi who shows up.

Since saying anything wouldn't change the outcome, everyone simply stopped talking about it.

Just as everyone was secretly wondering how Sandro would put an end to today's events, a third person supporting Leo appeared.

"I also think Leo could be a candidate," Bianchi suddenly stood up.

The entire room erupted in uproar, and everyone stared wide-eyed.

Even Sandro clearly showed surprise:

"You also think Leo deserves to go to Messina?"

Bianchi nodded:

"Yes, I've heard about the recent events and believe he has the ability."

Sandro asked his son seriously:

"You don't want to go this year?"

"Of course not," Bianchi replied decisively. "It would be an honor to represent Marzamemi in Messina, and I'm willing to go."

Bianchi continued:

"But Father, it's a good thing that Marzamemi has two candidates who can go to Messina. Competition leads to progress, and I'm willing to compete with Leo for this spot."

"How do we compete?" Sandro asked.

Bianchi replied with high spirits:

"I want to go diving and fishing with Leo!"

......

Sandro is a reasonable person.

Ask everyone if they agree with Bianchi's suggestion—to determine who goes to Messina based on their diving and fishing skills.

As a result, no one raised any objections, and things progressed incredibly smoothly.

Sandro instructed Enzo to inquire about Leo's stance. If Leo was willing to go to Messina and accept the challenge, then Bianchi would compete against him fairly.

The crowd dispersed, excitedly discussing the potential underwater diving spectacle that was about to unfold.

Aurelio immediately found Bianchi, pointed to his head, and asked:

"Do I look like a clown to you?"

Bianchi took off his clothes, revealing his well-defined pectoral muscles:

"Angie said you look like Donald Duck's uncle."

"Damn Angie, don't let me see him!" Aurelio yelled at Bianchi, spitting as he spoke. "Why did you side with Leo? And praise him? Am I the only one saying he's no good? Isn't that ridiculous enough?"

Bianchi replied while twisting his waist:

"It's just a discussion, and it's normal for everyone to express their opinions."

Aurelio crouched down and asked Bianchi, who had suddenly started doing push-ups:

"Why are you doing this? What benefit do you get from having an extra candidate?"

The shark tooth pendant around Bianchi's neck swayed with his movements.

"I don't care about any of the candidates, I just want another chance to show my father what I'm capable of."

Bianchi inherited Sandro's brave and competitive side.

If you're going to win, you have to win with enough glory.

He believed he was the "chosen one" when it came to going to Messina.

......

Enzo and Natale left Sandro's house one after the other, but they stopped at the door without leaving, just as if by unspoken agreement.

Natale lit a cigarette, staring straight ahead as if speaking to thin air:

"I thought you would refuse to let Leo and Bianchi compete."

Rumors circulated in the village that Enzo and Natale had a bad relationship, but that was only at the level of fish market activities.

In fact, the two of them highly respected each other's character and both felt that the other was a real man.

Enzo twisted his neck a few times:

Why would you think that way?

Natale turned her head to look at him:

"Because Leo is the person you want to protect."

At the last meeting, Enzo said that Leo "had no ability".

In just three days, he drastically changed his attitude, saying that Leo was "extremely talented" and even commented that "I have never seen a young man as talented as Leo."

Combined with his radical push for Aurelio to go to Messina...

It's not hard to deduce that the intentional concealment was to prevent Leo from taking any risks.

People's impression of Enzo was that he was quick to anger and would start a fight at the slightest disagreement.

But people overlooked the fact that he transformed himself into "Malzamemi's hardest fist" in order to protect "those behind him".

Enzo was not someone whose mind was only filled with fighting and killing.

Beneath his rugged exterior lies a tender heart that longs to protect... That's the real Enzo.

"Leo needs this opportunity to showcase his abilities." Enzo stretched his ankles again. "He can beat Bianchi."

A few seconds later, Enzo also spoke to the air:

"You don't know Leo's strength, so why don't you object to Sandre's proposal?"

Natale said with a smile:

"I thought you would ask me why I spoke up for Leo."

Enzo did several vigorous warm-up exercises, which made passing villagers think he was about to attack someone, so they ran away in fright.

"I knew you would stand by Leo's side."

Everyone thought that Leo had hurt Natale's pride, and he certainly wouldn't say anything good about Leo.

But they were very wrong.

People give Natale a thumbs up when they mention him—he is considered the most hardworking man in Marzamemi.

But Natale isn't the only person with the virtue of diligence and hard work; there are far too many people who are diligent and hardworking.

She is diligent and hardworking, yet she doesn't complain about the unfairness of fate, nor is she jealous of those who are more capable than herself... This is the true Natale.

The two of them laughed at the same time.

I never imagined that two 'rivals' could understand each other so well.

Natale's brow, which had been furrowed for three days, relaxed, as if he had figured something out:

"I want to show them just how terrifying someone can be—hardworking, powerful, and blessed by Lady Luck. I probably can't become that kind of person in my lifetime... but Leo might be."

"He can definitely do it."

This was the most heartfelt, resolute, and determined sentence Enzo had uttered in the past three days.