"What good is having money? He messed up my fishing just now. Such a huge lump of meat fell in and scared all the fish away, so I didn't catch a single one... He should be thrown back in to feed the Horse-faced Fish!"
Nini curled her lip and made as if to toss him back into the sea, frightening Hunter into jumping to his feet.
"Don't! Don't! He—he's really good at making fried fish too!"
Nini froze, then her eyes gradually lit up.
"Really?"
"Of course it's true. Uncle is the Northern Territory's best fried fish expert..." Hunter bragged wildly.
As the two spoke, Alvarez's eyes gradually cleared. That dip in the seawater seemed to have helped him figure out many things.
"I... I want to stay here," he murmured softly.
Hunter and Nini both froze and turned to look at him.
"I want to stay here. I really, really do. I can donate all my money, and my land too. I'll do anything, even sell fried fish, as long as you let me stay..."
Feeling Hunter and Nini's astonished stares, a trace of sorrow appeared in his eyes. "In the Northern Territory, I couldn't even install a gas lamp in my own home. Every day, the moment I opened my eyes, there was famine, war, and lords scheming against one another. When all I was good at was surrendering."
Hunter leaned close to Nini and lowered his voice. "Did he see some unspeakable monster in the sea? Did it scare him out of his mind?"
Nini replied softly as well, "What monsters could there be in the sea? Isn't Blood Port much scarier?"
"Huh? What's scary about that?"
"Heh. You weren't like this when you first arrived. Besides, what's wrong with him thinking that way?"
Hunter's eyes immediately