Gon wanted to ask the big brother many more things, but he didn't dare disobey Mito and was obediently pulled away.
'Huh?'
The big brother was blinking at him.
Gon tilted his head slightly, not understanding why the big brother was blinking, but he felt it was some kind of signal meant for him.
Mito, focused on dragging Gon back, didn't notice Law's blinking and pulled Gon straight into the kitchen, where her mother was busy at the stove.
"Aunt Mito, why did you pull me away?" Gon looked up and asked.
"Do you really believe someone who says you can catch fish without bait?" Mito placed her hands on her hips, leaning her face close to Gon's as she said sternly, "Stay away from people who spout nonsense like that, understand?"
Under Mito's intimidating aura, Gon shrank his neck and hesitated. "But the big brother didn't seem like he was lying."
"What do you know?"
Mito lightly punched Gon on the head and said, "Stay here and don't run off."
Without giving Gon a chance to argue, she walked out the door to continue her work.
In the main room, Law watched as Mito emerged from the kitchen. She noticed his gaze but ignored him completely.
'What's her problem?'
Law scratched his head in confusion, then turned his attention to the seafood fried rice in front of him.
He scooped a spoonful into his mouth, and as soon as the grains of rice and ingredients touched his tongue, a burst of umami exploded, filling his entire palate.
"This is amazing."
Law was surprised. He hadn't expected a small tavern on Whale Island to serve fried rice of this caliber.
The rice, coated in coconut milk, was perfectly separated… neither too soft nor too hard, with heat control worthy of a master chef.
The shrimp, squid, and clams were locally sourced, naturally sweet, but the soul of this dish wasn't these coastal ingredients. It was the… salt!
A pure crystallization of the sea, untainted by artificial processing… this was the foundation of the fried rice's flavor.
As Law devoured the rice, he was reminded of Linne's [Hundred Flavors Salt], which is infused with Nen.
While the sea salt used in this fried rice was far from Linne's Nen-crafted masterpiece, it carried the same fundamental essence.
In no time, Law finished the fried rice and took a swig of fruit wine. It wasn't bad, but nothing special.
"Mito, another plate of fried rice," Law called out to Mito as she was serving drinks.
Mito turned and saw that it was Law who had called her. Her eyes narrowed, not expecting this stranger to know her name.
"Coming right up."
She replied neutrally, betraying no emotion.
Law nodded at her, then propped his chin on his hand, listening to the fishermen at his table discuss their topic of choice: the 'Tide'.
After a while, Law asked curiously, "Hey, guys, what's this 'Tide' you're talking about? A tsunami?"
The table was packed with six burly, sun-tanned men, their breaths reeking of alcohol.
A bearded man turned to Law and replied, "It's worse than a tsunami. If I had to describe it…"
Halfway through his speech, the bearded man stroked his chin, digging through his limited vocabulary for the right word.
"Uh… 'covering the earth and sky!"
After a moment of thought, the bearded man said gravely.
"How can something on the sea covered the earth?" One of his companions retorted lightly.
"Then what word would you use?" The bearded man glared.
"I'd say it's as tall as the clouds."
"No, no, the waves are higher than the sky!"
"Nonsense! If the waves are higher than the sky, where would the clouds go?"
Law watched as they enthusiastically debated the topic, sweatdropping.
Still, from their descriptions, he managed to piece together what the Tide was… essentially, an extremely terrifying tsunami, one that could swallow any ship on the ocean's surface.
The Tide came in a ten-year cycle, with three waves. The first wave, the low tide, served as a warning. If you were lucky enough to escape it, before the second wave hit, you could take the chance to catch rare deep-sea delicacies and all sorts of strange creatures.
Since the exact timing of the Tide could only be roughly estimated to occur once every ten years, without a precise schedule, each decade would inevitably see a surge in missing persons at sea.
By the way, Ging's father was one of those who never returned after setting out to sea.
Among high-grade ingredients, those sourced from the ocean were the rarest. Many deep-sea creatures weren't something one could just catch at will… even skilled Sea Hunters might not recognize every species in the vast sea.
The ten-year Tide was an opportunity to obtain high-grade deep-sea ingredients, a chance for many fishermen to make a fortune. However, the risks were equally immense.
Law didn't interrupt further, quietly listening to the drunken boasts of the fishermen at his table, finding it all quite amusing.
These were ordinary people, yet their experiences sailing the seas made for extraordinary stories.
Thud.
The sound of a tray being unceremoniously placed on the table snapped Law out of his thoughts. Mito had delivered his second plate of seafood fried rice.
"Enjoy."
She tossed the word out before turning sharply and walking away.
Law scratched his cheek, feeling certain he hadn't done anything to offend her, and concluded that customer service simply wasn't a priority here.
He finished the second plate in two minutes and promptly ordered another.
An hour later, a tall stack of empty plates sat on Law's table. His abnormal appetite drew more than a few curious glances from the other patrons.
Now fully satiated, Law paid no mind to the attention. He picked up his fishing rod, stood up calmly, and headed to the counter to settle the bill.
As Mito took his money, she suddenly asked, "How did you know my name?"
"Ging told me."
Law smirked, then turned to leave before Mito could react.
Hearing Ging's name, Mito froze. By the time she snapped out of it, the black-haired young man was already gone. She stomped her foot in frustration.
"He knows Ging?"
Mito glared at the tavern door, gritting her teeth.
The moment Law stepped out of the tavern, he took a detour to the back, casually sitting down on the ground near the rear entrance.
Half an hour later, Gon emerged from the back door and immediately spotted Law sitting there. His mouth opened slightly-
Just as he was about to call out 'Big Brother', he saw Law press a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. Gon quickly covered his mouth with both hands, then cautiously glanced back inside.
"What's your name?" Law asked, already knowing the answer.
If he called Gon by name without asking first, it might raise suspicion… just like how directly addressing Mito had prompted her question earlier.
"I'm Gon! And you?"
Gon stared at Law… or more accurately, at the fishing rod in his hands.
"Law. You can call me… Brother Law."
Law stood up, then paused, 'Wait, if I let Gon call me 'brother', wouldn't that make me seem like I was lower in seniority than Ging?'
Thinking this, he immediately corrected himself: "Wait, no. Call me Boss Law."
"Boss Law!"
Gon obediently complied, his eyes sparkling as he blurted out, "Teach me how to fish!"
"Follow me."
Law grinned.