Chapter 29
Leo had brought quite a few fishing rods and iron hooks, but if they thought they could catch fish in the Calm Belt with just those things, they were greatly underestimating the intelligence of its fish.
The Calm Belt was not as resource-starved as people imagined.
In fact, aside from the lack of wind, the islands within the Calm Belt might possess even more resources than those outside it, since they had not suffered plundering and exploitation by outsiders.
The fish resources here were stronger than outside because only a more robust ecosystem could sustain the appetites of gigantic Sea Kings.
Of course, small fish, large fish, large carnivorous fish, sea beasts, Sea Kings, and gigantic Sea Kings formed an extremely distinct food chain.
And aside from marine microorganisms and algae, ordinary fish were probably the most numerous.
These fish could be lured onto hooks by curiosity alone. When polished, gleaming hooks reflected the sunlight, they were easily mistaken for small fish.
Even without bait, nearsighted and greedy fish would take the hook.
So Leo had not prepared any bait for them this time. Instead, he let them demonstrate their fishing skills.
In the real world, there was a group of people who loved a fishing method called lure fishing. "Lure" was a phonetic translation of the English term for "fake bait," so they used special materials to make fish-shaped lures, casting and retrieving the line to imitate living small fish and catch large carnivorous fish.
The technique was the same as what they were doing now.
This was also their only chance of surviving after a shipwreck.
Because fish resources were so abundant, people soon began making catches after receiving their rods. The pirates cheered and jumped with excitement. Such entertainment had nothing to do with them in the past, because they were the lowest-ranking people on the entire ship. There was no way the ship would set aside a room specifically to store fishing rods for them.
So only a small number of people were qualified to use and enjoy even fishing rods.
Unless your fishing skills were exceptionally good or you were an officer, you could forget about even touching one. They were strategic supplies aboard the ship.
That was also why so many crew members became gambling addicts—the ship fundamentally lacked entertainment facilities.
As people began getting bites, more and more fish came looking for them. It was as if a school of fish had found a new food source. When faced with something unfamiliar, fish—especially carnivorous fish—had an almost instinctive urge to bite.
There were especially many large carnivorous fish throughout the Calm Belt. In this ecosystem, if they did not hurry to eat, they might be dead before the next moment came.
They were greedy and blind, so naturally, the odds of them taking the hook were high.
Moreover, these carnivorous fish still had a certain degree of killing power after being hauled aboard, making them extremely dangerous. They were somewhat like swordfish: driven by their powerful tails, their long pointed snouts would often shoot at anglers like cannonballs. Fishing for swordfish was far more dangerous than fishing for sharks.
And in the world of One Piece, fish larger than swordfish were everywhere. Whether in stamina, teeth, or appearance, they were far more dangerous than swordfish.
But these were pirates capable of reaching the Grand Line. Dealing with fish of this level took hardly any effort. The moment a fish was reeled in, someone nearby would raise a wooden club and smash it into the fish's head. The blow was powerful enough to knock the fish unconscious instantly. Pirates who had long been salivating over it would then use hooks to hang it from the mast, slowly cut open its belly with fishhooks, remove its innards, and distribute them to the pirates who had not caught anything.
Now they had bait as well.
The entire ship was orderly, and even the previous conflicts had vanished. This was what a pirate crew was supposed to look like.
Perhaps this was what the Cutlass Pirates had originally been like?
"Why give them fishing gear?" Rindou stood beside Leo. What she asked was not the reason, but the fundamental question.
Why give them fishing gear, give them entertainment, let them relax, let them celebrate as if it were a festival, and ultimately turn it into a fishing competition?
Why?
"I've been on this ship for so many years, but I've never seen them like this." Great Bay Blade William stood beside Leo. Compared to William's five-meter height, Leo was like a blade of grass beside a mountain. Great Bay Blade William also had an enormous voice; even his ordinary speech sounded like a normal person shouting.
His words made Rindou glance at him strangely. Rindou was not even as tall as Leo. Leo stood nearly 1.9 meters tall, half a head shorter than the Empress, while Rindou was only 1.7 meters, reaching around Leo's chest and standing even shorter beside Great Bay Blade William.
Yet their combat strength was completely reversed.
She fell into thought. Could it be that these fishing rods had instilled something different in them?
"Rindou, do you know what can make people happy?"
Leo asked with a smile.
"Wealth? Women? Gambling? Or something else?"
"All of those things have a collective term: stimulation."
"They lack stimulation at sea. After spending so long in the Calm Belt, they were bored nearly to madness. Even though we've captured them now, their environment hasn't fundamentally changed. They lack stimulation. Whether it's fighting or fishing, both can bring them happiness."
"That's what I just observed."
Leo raised two fingers as he spoke. He was slowly guiding Rindou into his logical way of thinking.
"And what are the benefits of doing this?"
"First, they'll subconsciously form a conditioned response. When they think of me, they'll think of this stimulation, which will reduce their hostility toward me. Second, it eases the atmosphere between us and keeps them from being so tightly wound. Otherwise, something truly terrifying might happen aboard the ship."
Leo had heard a little about the things humans could do when psychological pressure built up in confined spaces back in modern society. In this savage world ruled only by force, such atrocities would likely become even more violent and cruel, not less.
Leo had to help them.
They had not noticed it themselves, but now everyone aboard the ship felt refreshed and clear-headed.
Including Great Bay Blade William, who had seen through everything.
Filled with gratitude, he asked, "My lord, is there anything else I can do?"
He had been coldly observing Leo's every move, but only now did he truly acknowledge Leo's actions and want to do something for him.
People were all made of flesh and blood. As the captain who had failed this ship, William could easily have crushed Leo to death, yet he had been deeply won over by Leo's command.
PS: My head felt a little dizzy today. Good thing the ibuprofen worked. There'll be a second update, but I hurriedly got one chapter out first.
Before you continue