Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 151
A great white shark can reach 6 meters in length, making it one of the largest predators in the world, a terrifying apex predator that dominates the ocean food chain.
Karlos's boat was only 5 meters long... As he looked at the water, he could see the silhouette of the apex predator lurking beneath the surface. Its massive body swam under the water, its shadow almost engulfing his boat in size.
Karlos felt chills run down his spine... He swallowed hard. His throat suddenly felt dry.
"Brandon--! Brandon!"
He shouted at the water. However, no sound could penetrate it. He clenched the steering handle tightly.
He thought of running away and leaving Brandon. However, he was not that kind of guy. He had to stay until Brandon resurfaced... if he could resurface before the shark attacked him.
Cold sweat covered his body as the dorsal fin lingered around his boat, circling slowly as if studying its prey. He was scared shitless.
'Brandon, please, show up.' Karlos silently prayed.
He thought of diving into the water to warn Brandon, but that would be suicidal.
"Leave! Get away from my boat! Shaaa!! Graaa!! Roar!!" Karlos made desperate noises in hopes of scaring the shark. He grabbed a paddle and slapped the water with it, creating loud smacking sounds.
'Please don't topple my boat, just leave peacefully.' He didn't care about the trap anymore.
With a huge shark like the great white, it could capsize his boat with just a few attacks.
Despite his fear, Karlos continued slapping the water with the paddle to scare the great white shark.
Suddenly, something resurfaced in the water, and it was colored red...
Brandon's shorts were red. Brandon gasped for air after freeing the trap from the reef.
"Brandon! Swim to the boat fast! There's a shark!" Karlos was so relieved to see that Brandon was alright. However, it was time to leave the island! There was no room for hesitation.
Brandon was only a few meters away from the boat when he heard Karlos's yell.
"A fucking what?"
"A great white shark!" Karlos started the boat quickly.
"!!!" Brandon's face turned pale instantly.
Just like Karlos, Brandon moved immediately and swam hard toward the boat. The two met midway, and Brandon pulled himself over the outrigger and climbed in.
"Let's leave this place."
"Alright!"
The two agreed. No one even talked about hauling the last trap. They could retrieve it tomorrow, if they were still alive.
Karlos looked behind them and could still see the dorsal fin following. He felt chills again and decided to speed up, pushing the engine to its limit.
"There's a shark?"
"Yeah, you didn't see it in the water? It's huge, a great white shark."
"No, I haven't seen anything at all." Brandon was just as scared as Karlos. "Besides, I have never seen a great white shark before. It's extremely rare to find one in our country."
Their waters were far too warm in Adobo country, and the seal population was low. Seals were one of the favorite foods of great white sharks, which meant great whites rarely visited their waters.
"Yeah, that's what I thought too. But look behind us, a great white shark is following." Karlos said while steering the boat, keeping his eyes ahead, afraid they might go off course if he didn't focus on navigating.
Brandon looked behind them and saw nothing... except for another boat on the horizon, slowly approaching. Brandon felt relieved when he saw a boat instead of a dorsal fin, thinking it was just another fisherman.
He narrowed his gaze and saw the boat approaching them quickly. Something felt strange about it. It was moving too fast, as if it were chasing them.
"Karlos! Drive faster! There's a boat approaching us!" His relief vanished instantly.
"Huh?"
Karlos turned his head. Indeed, a boat in the distance was heading toward them at full speed. As for the great white shark, it might have already disappeared.
Karlos listened to Brandon and pushed the boat to full speed.
However, the other boat was faster. As it got closer, Brandon confirmed his suspicion.
"Pirates!"
The boat had no fishing equipment. It was too light, which made it faster. On top of that, the engine they used was probably 30 horsepower, more than twice as powerful as Karlos's small bangka.
It was obvious that the boat was meant for pursuing other boats to steal from. A different kind of predator.
"Shit!"
Even Karlos didn't expect that they would encounter pirates at sea. These people were very rare, and their sphere of influence didn't usually reach Timog-Kanluran province. Their area was considered relatively safe.
Karlos gritted his teeth. The engine heated up as it ran at full power. However, the other boat slowly got closer. Both boats were the same size but had different engines. It didn't help that their bangka was heavier because of the lobsters and abalones they had onboard.
Brandon had no choice but to throw away a container of abalones to lighten the load.
The other boat had four people, holding clubs and knives. They were only a few meters away.
Both Karlos and Brandon were losing hope. Once the other boat caught up, it might be their end.
Suddenly, in the corner of his right eye, Karlos saw a dorsal fin cutting through the water.
Instinctively, he turned left to avoid the great white shark.
"What are you doing!?" Brandon yelled. Turning left reduced the distance between them and the pirates, bringing them closer.
"The shark showed up on the right!"
"Shark?" Brandon was stupefied and looked at the water... Again, he saw nothing. He frowned and was about to say something, but the pursuing boat failed to maneuver in time. It continued going straight, giving Karlos and Brandon another chance to escape.
"Go, go!"
Karlos sped up again while the other boat took a few seconds to change direction and follow them.
However, because Karlos had changed their course, they were now heading farther from land... They were moving toward the open sea, where the other boat could easily follow once it caught up.
Brandon could even hear the pirates' laughter and whistles. He clenched his fists and began looking for a weapon to defend himself. Even Karlos was losing hope. They might have to make a final stand to protect their lives.
But just as the pirates got closer, a loud horn echoed across the sea. The pirates' faces turned pale as they recognized the sound.
It was the coast guard.
No one expected that Karlos's bangka was heading straight toward the spot where a coast guard vessel was anchored.
"This is the coast guard! Drop your weapons!" a voice boomed through a megaphone.