"No mistake. The first mate said it too. Only a Fin Whale could be that big in these waters."
"Counting this one, we've spotted three whales in half a day at sea. Today's our lucky day!"
"And our new backers have money to burn. This whaling ship is almost the size of a giant ferry.
They've fitted it with thirty refrigerated containers, plus a dedicated room and technicians for rendering whale oil. Once we catch a whale, we won't even have to handle the processing."
"Of course. Look who paid to refit this ship: the Yashida Family, Tokyo's richest conglomerate. They say the legendary man who built their empire survived a nuclear blast."
"He survived a nuclear blast? No wonder he got rich."
"But I heard this isn't even our best ship. Another giant whaling vessel called the Whale Maru is launching soon. They've spent nearly eight billion on it. Now that's a top-of-the-line whaling ship."
"I saw a video of that enormous hull. In my experience, there won't be a more specialized whaling ship anywhere in the world."
"You're jealous, aren't you? If you want to work aboard that ship, you'd need skills like his."
The man speaking glanced toward Takagi Kenta, who stood out among the crowd.
"Forget it! Him? You know he was born for the sea. He was aboard this ship long before the Yashida Family bought it. He even fought a shark alone once. I know my limits."
"Besides, this ship's already great. The pay's good, the benefits are good, and the captain treats us well.
After one whale hunt, we get more than two weeks off. I'm happy just to work here."
"Absolutely... Captain! Good to see you."
The burly man spotted a familiar figure approaching. His animated tone vanished, and as Koyama Hideaki