The morning sunlight glittered across the ocean. The sea was calm.
A seagull had just settled on the bow when a thin whip suddenly sliced through the air and slammed into the planks beside it with a loud crack, sending it flapping away in fright.
Kaya sat on a high mast with a mischievous grin, his profile sharply outlined in the faint light, blending into the sea and sky.
"We've been sailing for almost twenty days. How come we still haven't reached this Whale Island Kite mentioned?"
Kaya stood up and looked toward the crewman in the crow's nest.
"Hey, mister! Can you see Whale Island yet?"
The crewman lowered his binoculars and looked down at Kaya, who stood on the mast with both hands clasped behind his head.
"Not yet, but judging by my experience, we should get there by evening."
He wasn't the least bit worried that the boy might fall.
Whenever the boy got bored, he leaped back and forth between the masts, completely ignoring the sailors' warnings.
"Tch. I'll take a nap, then. Wake me when we get there." With that, Kaya lay down on the mast and fell fast asleep.
Kite came out of the cabin just in time to see this. He picked up a small piece of wood and tossed it at Kaya.
Without opening his eyes, Kaya followed the sound of it flying through the air and caught it firmly between his fingers.
"Aren't you too old for these silly little tricks? Don't interrupt my beauty sleep."
With a casual toss, he sent the piece of wood back into Kite's hand.
"You little brat. You've improved." Kite nodded in satisfaction.
Some time later, while Kaya was still half asleep, he heard someone calling him.
"Hey, kid, wake up! Look! Whale Island."
His drowsiness vanished in an instant.
Kaya lightly leaped off the mast and landed in the crow's nest.
"Where? Where?"
"There. Look." The crewman pointed ahead and to the left.
A towering island stood on the distant horizon.
Its shape was strikingly unusual. Two winding, connected mountains formed the entire island, covered in dense forest, like a massive green whale surfacing for air.
Vast and magnificent.
Kaya exclaimed in genuine wonder, "Wow! It really does look like a whale. No wonder it's called Whale Island."
The crewman nodded. "Yeah. I say the same thing every time I pass Whale Island."
"Uh, hey, mister."
The crewman took a swig of liquor and asked in confusion, "What is it, kid? Pretty breathtaking, isn't it?"
"Could you go down? You're too fat. It's cramped up here."
"..."
This little brat! The crewman clenched his fists, but in the end, he obediently turned to climb down.
"Mister?" Kaya turned and called after him.
???
Kaya pointed at the binoculars hanging against the man's chest, his eyes shining with a look that was impossible to refuse. "Can I borrow those?"
In the sunset, Whale Island's harbor was bathed in golden light, the whole scene looking as though it had been set into a warm oil painting.
The sails had been lowered and hung quietly from the masts before the ship docked steadily at the pier.
Kite emerged from the cabin, gave Kaya a look, then briskly disembarked.
The air carried the faint scent of seawater and the warmth of the sunset. Kaya took a deep breath and jumped down from the crow's nest.
He pushed the binoculars into the lookout's hands.
"Thanks, mister. I'm off. Have a safe trip!"
Kaya ran down off the ship and waved to him, then turned to follow Kite.
Inside a restaurant near the harbor, Kaya had stuffed his mouth so full that he could barely speak clearly.
"Food... food at a restaurant really is better. That lousy cook's meals on the ship were about to make me puke."
After finally swallowing a large mouthful, he eagerly asked, "Master, what did we come to Whale Island for, anyway?"
Kite's expression was complicated. He stayed silent for a moment before saying, "You'll find out tomorrow. Get some rest today."
A dragonfly rested on Kaya's hand, wiping its compound eyes with its slender forelegs.
Kaya carefully leaned closer and blew gently, sending the dragonfly fluttering away.
He looked around. The small wooden boat Kite had bought had already followed the river into the dense forest.
Kaya sat at the front, watching every movement in the jungle.
Knowing Kite, he guessed that, just like before, his master would announce the objective of this training session at some particular moment or after they entered a dangerous area, then promptly vanish.
At that thought, Kaya dared not let his guard down. He turned around nervously, pressed his lips together, and stared hard at Kite.
Kite was rowing. He picked up the liquor bottle by his feet, took a swig, and said, "Don't look at me like that. This really isn't training."
That assurance still failed to win Kaya's trust. He had been fooled far too many times.
The boat left the relatively broad river and entered an exceptionally narrow stream branching off to one side.
The stream was barely two meters wide. Kaya could touch the opposite bank just by reaching out.
Beneath the dense forest canopy, the water looked lifeless, only occasionally catching a faint glimmer of light.
Kite stopped near a small wooden bridge and said, "I'm taking you to meet someone."
Kaya couldn't help feeling excited. Kite had been so mysterious throughout the journey that his curiosity had long since become unbearable. He nodded and quickly followed.
After making their way through the forest for a while, they reached a mist-shrouded marshy lake.
Following Kite's gaze, Kaya looked across the lake.
A boy in green sat on a branch of an enormous tree beside the water. His features were well defined, and he brimmed with vitality. His spiky black-and-green hair stirred gently in the breeze, while his large brown eyes quietly watched the fishing rod in his hands.
Although Kaya had never read this manga, the boy's appearance was far too iconic. He often appeared on the covers of his older brother's manga volumes.
If he was on the covers, he was probably the protagonist.
But what intrigued Kaya more at that moment was why Kite had brought him here to meet this boy. How did they know each other?
Is Master taking on a new apprentice? Does he want me to test whether this kid is good enough?
But ever since we set foot on Whale Island, Master's been acting strange. He's been unusually quiet. Why?
Could it be???? Is this guy Master's-illegitimate son?!
No, that doesn't add up. I might call him an old geezer, but he's only twenty-five. That spiky-haired kid looks about my age. Surely not.
Or is he his little brother?
Kaya's thoughts jumped wildly. In just a few dozen seconds, he had dreamed up countless outlandish possibilities.
Just then, the tip of the green-clad boy's fishing rod suddenly dipped. The line pulled taut and abruptly changed direction in the water, sending splashes across the previously calm lake.
The commotion interrupted Kaya's thoughts, and he looked toward Gon.
Gon gripped his fishing rod tightly, the muscles in his arms tensing. He grinned, making no effort to hide his delight, then jumped down from the tree to the lakeshore. With a powerful pull, he sent a large trout flying out of the lake.
Crack!
The flimsy fishing rod snapped under Gon's brute strength.
The remaining momentum kept carrying the trout higher into the air.
"Grab that fish," Kite suddenly said.
Hearing his master's order, Kaya didn't hesitate.
With a whoosh, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, lunging toward the trout soaring over the middle of the lake.
Gon suddenly saw a figure burst out from the opposite shore and leap high into the air.
A closer look revealed a cute-faced boy with brown hair.
The newcomer was incredibly fast, his gaze resolute and his sights fixed squarely on the trout in midair.
That had been Gon's catch. Naturally, he refused to back down. He pushed off hard with both feet and launched himself into the air as well.
The trout was closer to Gon, so he was full of confidence, certain he would reach it first.
But Kaya was faster. He had already drawn level with Gon in distance from the fish and showed no sign of slowing down.
The two boys' lightning-fast figures left trails across the lake's surface, sending ripples spreading outward.
Their movements, their determination, and their target were remarkably alike.
The distant mountains and sky became the backdrop to their contest.
Seeing that neither boy yielded to the other's momentum, Kite nodded in satisfaction.
The distance between them gradually narrowed, and they exchanged a glance in midair.
Kaya raised his eyebrows provocatively, looking utterly certain of victory.
Gon frowned and swallowed. He knew the other boy was a little faster, and he had already fallen a body length behind.
The trout thrashed its tail in the air, its body gleaming in the warm sunlight.
By then, Kaya's hand was almost touching its scales.
Before you continue