Sakigake!! Otoko Juku 14

The Otokojuku first-years are on a tour of three islands to enhance their manly studies...but after facing off against poisonous fugu and a robotic shark (and it's real buddies) on the first island, the next one may be a whale of a time!

Chp. 14: Ocean Island Tour (2): Captain Ahab

115.
Togashi: We’re still on Otokojuku’s famous Ocean Island Tour to our second island: Aooni Island…That Priest Onidako, didn’t he teach us nonsense?
Matsuo: Hehhehe, wasn’t that octopus chewed up by the shark?
(TN: Not one of my better translations in that line)
Student 1: Hey, what’s that?
Student 2: That’s an extremely harmless island.
Student: Wh..what, that island’s coming closer to here.
Togashi: You…dummies, that’s not an island.

116.-117.
First-Years: IT’S A WHALE--!!

118.
Student: Oh—I’m startled.
Tazawa: What was that?
Togashi: The monster whale, it was 100 meters from head to tail.
Hidemaro: And the whale’s entire body was white…………
Student: Jaws had appeared. The sea around here is really crazy.
Momotarou: But this is an unreasonably bad island. Is this our second stop of Aooni Island………!?
Student: Lo…look, on that cliff. Th…there’s a person on there.

119.
“Pirate”: Ooh, god, why do you only create demons like those……………though my body has rotted, I’ll send you to hell…emperor of the sea.
Momotarou; Fufufu, another terror has appeared.
Togashi: Ah, is that the guardian of this island?
Matsuo: I’ve got another bad premonition on him.

120.
(TN: Though it’s written in English, “shioufuki” is Japanese for “the spouting of a whale”)
Ahab: I am Captain Ahab, the ruler of Aooni Island.
(TN: Alright, now we’ve finally gotten to this point, I guess I can explain what’s going on. First of all, the name in Japanese is written as “Eihabu”, but considering whom he is, it just makes more sense to call him by his proper, obvious name: Ahab, like…well, isn’t it obvious? Second, the kanji in his name actually translates into “cloth-tearing ray” (the “ray” referring to the aquatic creature also known as a “skate”))

121.
Tazawa: Captain Ahab…I’ve heard that name somewhere. So…then, why are we in these outfits?
Matsuo: Aren’t we like a pirate crew?
Ahab: All of you saw it on your way to this island. That is the emperor of the sea: Moby Dick.
(TN: Strange but true: the kanji for “Moby Dick” is, unsurprisingly, the kanji for “white whale”)
Students: Moby Dick……!?
Ahab: He’s the White Devil King who wanders the seven seas that can destroy a tanker with its massive body and whose sly head has exceeded even the devils; he’s laughed at the challenges of the men of the sea who number like the stars in the sky from hundreds of years ago, making them disappear to a death at sea…

122.
Ahab: Further, one of my hands and one of my legs………………
Ahab: And my soul has been taken by him.
Matsuo: Ossu, island guardian!! How exactly is this “Moby” whale connected to us!!
Ahab: I’m not “island guardian”, call me Captain. Captain Ahab.
Matsuo: O…ossu, Captain Ahab.
Ahab: You’re killing it---!! Your trial will be to present him to heaven---!! You’re going to dye the ocean red with that White Devil’s blood--!!

123.
Momotarou: Fufufu, no matter what we thinks, that old man isn’t sane.
Ahab: Ri—ght, so from here, I think you will be grateful that I’m holding Combat Practice vs. Moby Dick for all of you.
Students: O…Ossu, thank you. (to themselves) Damn, what exactly are we grateful for?
Ahab: Men of the sea from ancient times set out to the sea with their harpoons to fight those massive whales. So first we’ll have Harpoon-Throwing Practice.
Ahab: Tiny there, step forward.
Hidemaro: O…Ossu…

124.
Hidemaro: What is this………!!
Ahab: First I’ll begin by showing the pattern.
Ahab: Killing a whale can only be done by accurately hitting their heart which is under their thick blubber. Fufufu, men who live earnestly hunting whales their long lives like me do this feat before breakfast.
Hidemaro: Huh~~!!

125.
Ahab: Well, watch this with your eyes.
Ahab: SORYAA--!!
Ahab: N~~!!
Hidemaro: Uwaa~~~wh…where are you throwing that---!!
Students: Hi…Hidemaro---!!

126.
Hidemaro: Hie--!!
Ahab: ………………
Togashi: What an outrageous guy.
Matsuo: Phew—
Ahab: Well, the whale heart is in this place.
Ahab: Ri—ght, with Harpoon-Throwing Practice over, next we’ll actually set boats out to sea---!!

127.
Matsuo: Ca…Captain, what are they…!?
Ahab: Fufufu, those are dolphins.
Ahab: Dolphins are the mascots of the sea, said to be really docile and hold human-like minds. Now those dolphins will be our training opponents in our combat practice.

128.
Ahab: Well, everyone dive in--!!
Hidemaro: Uwa!!
Orca: ………………
Hidemaro: Wahhahahaha, these are dolphins? If they are, they’re not scary at all.
Matsuo: Well, I really loved “Flipper” when it was on TV long ago.
(TN: Weirdly the title of the classic “dolphin” TV show in Japanese is “Wanpaku Flipper” or “Flipper the Naughty”)
Togashi: Kakka, you’re old Matsuo.
Togashi: Yay--!! I’m a boy riding a real dolphin---!!
Matsuo: Dummy—how is Togashi a boy with that mug--!!

129.
Togashi: Hey, show me some tricks!!
Togashi: N~~!? This sea-mascot dolphin is giving me a really evil expression……
Ahab: Wahhahahaha, those idiots seem like that, but they’re orca……………a group of orca is known as the “Sea Gang”, said to be whale-killers.

130.
Students: Aah--!!
Ahab: Wahhahaha, what’s wrong? These orca are nothing and can’t even match that Moby Dick.
Ahab: Mu~~the birds……!!
Student: Whwhwhat, the orca are confusingly running.
Ahab: It’s him………!! He’s here--!!

131.
Everyone: IT’S…MOBY DICK--!!

132.
Students: UWAAA---!!
Matsuo: He’s a monster.
Momotarou: Fufufu, what a big guy. He’s making fun of us.

133.
Ahab: It’s him?
Ahab: Kukuku, Moby Dick…you’ll live a little longer. Wherever you go, I will dye the sea red like the evening with your blood.
Ahab: My name will be known forever as Captain Ahab, the tenacious man.
Everyone: AAH---!!
Ahab: Hey, you, where you going? We have to resume our special training--!!

TN: I sort of have a bizarre confession to make: this and the next chapter were actually ones I really wanted to do before I went on vacation a couple weeks ago. A bit of an explanation: since I sort of knew that the Otokojuku idiots come across Captain Ahab and Moby Dick in this weird two-parter that is part of the summer-vacation arc, I sort of wanted to get through it before I myself went on vacation...to Nantucket, a site in the original Melville novel. Sure it was silly enough but it just felt timely that I would do the vacation arc and these chapters while actually going to a crucial part of the story (though strangely enough Melville never went to Nantucket until after he wrote the novel, mostly to meet the man who was the captain of the Essex, which actually was one of the inspirations of the novel...and who had enough bad luck due to his whaling trips that he spent his life as a night watchman on the island after giving up on sailing) I know it sounded silly but at the same time it just felt appropriate considering the situation.

As for the chapter itself...well, what can you say when you've probably got one of the craziest of scenarios that actually worked out rather well. (and will continue next time) It's rather obvious the Otokojuku students realize Ahab is nuts and that they are forced through all these nightmarish scenarios (particularly Hidemaro this time) while at the same time preparing for their own battle with this rendition of Moby Dick...which will actually occur next time!