The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

"That's great, Bianchi!" Aurelio encouraged Bianchi. "Leo went too far at the beginning, he might not be able to keep up now. Just play at your own pace, and you'll catch up with him soon!"

Bianchi, gripping the hull of the boat, gasped for breath. Turning back, he saw his father looking at him with concern. Suddenly, he felt a surge of strength and said to Aurelio:

"No need for 'soon,' I'll be able to overtake him on the next dive."

Aurelius's expression tightened, and he instructed him:

"There's still plenty of time. Keep this pace, and you can win. Don't push yourself too hard."

Bianchi flashed a set of pearly white teeth:

"If I don't fight, am I still Bianchi?"

......

The consumption of breath and physical strength does not decrease at a uniform rate; the longer it drags on, the lower the efficiency becomes.

To win, you must exert your strength in the first half of the race.

The first two dives did not achieve the goal of widening the gap as expected.

Then we have to fight tooth and nail for this third dive!

According to Sicilian legend, skilled fishermen along the coast can hold their breath underwater for 7-8 minutes to hunt fish continuously.

Bianchi witnessed his father collecting seashells underwater for three minutes without needing to breathe.

Bianchi's static breath-holding time can be more than 4 minutes, and he is fully capable of bringing up two fish in a single dive.

In fact, when in peak physical condition, most professional fishermen can catch multiple fish in one dive. However, this is very dangerous, not only due to the risks to breath and physical strength, but also because the fishy smell may attract large predatory fish.

Therefore, this competition only allowed equipment, not nets, to prevent the two young people from staging an underwater "breath-holding" drama, forcing them to dive and fish at the same time, thus improving safety.

But if he doesn't work hard, will he still be Bianchi?

Bianchi had attached a spool to his speargun, ready to catch multiple fish in one dive.

The fish underwater were very active, and Bianchi quickly locked onto two targets.

Get close, aim, fire, hit...

Bianchi removed the fish and then reloaded the speargun.

Then repeat the previous steps and successfully hunted down the second one.

When he surfaced with two fish, Bianchi estimated that the dive would not last more than 50 seconds, but he accomplished what would normally take two minutes.

Even though Leo has already brought up his third fish and started his fourth dive, he now has four fish in hand!

Suddenly, a kind face appeared in Bianchi's mind.

His mother repeatedly reminded him in the morning to be careful and not to risk his life, saying that she would be worried if she saw the two fish he had brought up.

Upon thinking of this, Bianchi immediately looked in his mother's direction when he emerged from the water.

I wanted to give her a bright smile and tell her, "Mom, I'm okay, everything is under control!"

But I never expected...

Mrs. Rosa didn't even look over.

Moreover, not only Madame Rosa, but also her father Sandro and his brothers did not look at Bianchi, but were closely watching his opponent!

"You're out." Aurelio belatedly noticed that Bianchi had surfaced. "Can you believe it? Leo used a harpoon like a barbecue skewer... and brought up three fish at once!"

He brandished the oars as if wielding a harpoon:

"Was that a sweeping strike? Or a flat shot? Or a thrust? That's fucking genius."

Until this point, Aurelio didn't even glance at Bianchi, who was holding two fish and looking expectant.

......

Antonino looked at his father:

"Enzo should ask Leo what he did in town before...was he some kind of professional athlete?"

Leo is incredibly skilled, not only in underwater maneuvering but also in his fish-hunting abilities.

Harpoons are more difficult to operate and aim at than spearguns.

He was able to launch another attack while still carrying a fish with his harpoon... That's unbelievable.

Comparing Bianchi to someone like that is a joke, isn't it?

Sandro couldn't hide his smile:

"Whatever he did before, now he is a fisherman in Marzamemi."

Sandro was delighted to see such a talented newcomer emerge from the fishing community of Marzamemi!

"Look, Bianchi brought up two fish too!" Angie took a few steps forward, looking around anxiously.

Sandro merely glanced at it sideways before turning his gaze back to Leo.

"It will be very difficult for Bianchi to win."

Behind him, Mrs. Rosa lowered her eyes in disappointment.

She quietly moved to Angie's side and, together with her youngest son, closely monitored the situation on Bianchi's side.

......

Bianchi did not give up.

Although Leo and his partner used the same 'strategy' and brought back more fish at once, Leo took an exceptionally long break this time.

Even as Bianchi dived again, Leo, who had already surfaced, was still resting while holding onto the boat, showing no intention of going back down.

Bianchi kept encouraging himself:

"I still have a chance, I can catch up, my body is still in top condition!"

.......

"Are you alright?" Enzo asked Leo.

Bianchi had already gone down, while Leo was still trying to catch his breath, and his expression was getting worse.

Leo glanced at his watch:

"I am fine."

"But you don't look well," Enzo whispered, leaning against the side of the boat. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Leo shook his head:

"If you stay underwater for a long time, you also need to take longer to breathe, otherwise it could be life-threatening."

The longer you stay underwater, the longer you need to rest on the surface.

The first two dives should last about twenty seconds before surfacing, followed by a rest of ten to fifteen seconds.

But this time, in order to complete the "Glamorous Performance" mission, Leo brought more than one fish up, which extended the time he had to hold his breath underwater. If he rested for another ten seconds or so, he would be in danger.

With some time left before the break ended, Leo quickly considered how to complete this 'spectacular performance'.

Looking around, the "audience" was already captivated by his "performance" and had forgotten the existence of another "actor".

But is that not enough?

He knew that getting those 30 [reputation] points wouldn't be easy.

However, all the figures have reached the maximum possible level.

They also used their prepared backup plan – diving into multiple fish.

However, I haven't received the notification that the "Gorgeous Performance" is complete yet.

Leo didn't want to give up the 30 reputation points reward, nor did he want to miss the "good opportunity to make a name for himself in Sicily".

The Godfather needs a stage for everyone to see him!

If you don't want to give up...

That might be the only way.

......

Leo's break this time was too long.

After a while, people around him began to speculate that he had overexerted himself and could no longer continue.

On a fishing boat.

Rosalia's expression was as calm as the sea.

When Leo pulled the three fish out of the water, the deck beneath her feet trembled.

It wasn't because the engine was running, but because people were so excited that they unconsciously cheered and stomped their feet.

Leo hadn't lied to her—he had always left himself some leeway, and quite a bit of it.

Everyone was shocked by Leo's terrifying performance, but Rosalia had expected it.

These people underestimate Leo.

He absolutely did not overwork himself, and he would never give up.

Because this is Leo's true strength.