Nadia Vol 4,2:
Jean's Mistake
"The Secret of Blue Water" is the adventures of Nadia, a mysterious
circus girl, and Jean, an inventive boy, with jewel thieves, Captain
Nemo of the Nautilus, a world-domination-seeking secret society, and
more. I have a set of color manga that was made from the anime series
which I will be translating here bit-by-bit. This is part 2 of volume
4, in which Jean's latest invention causes some trouble on the
Nautilus.
You may prefer the
version with Japanese.
Jean's Mistake
Gargoyle watches the sunrise from the Garfish.
Gargoyle: ...Well then, begin.
Officer: I'll start with the commercial connections: due to the
destruction of commerce by the Garfish, we have succeeded in
gaining control of about 80% of wool import/export. The export
of military weapons is also turning in our favor. The millitary
authorities in every country are very pleased. The current Neo
Atlantis has obtained influence over 1/80th of the world's money.
Next I will cover millitary matters. Plans have been made for
completing the second airship. Construction has begun on the Tower
of Babel reactor number 2.
Gargoyle: And what about the Nautilus?
Officer: After battle plan A, its existence could not be
confirmed. Perhaps it was sunk, as we thought?
Gargoyle: You haven't confirmed the wreckage of the Nautilus...
This is Nemo we're talking about... no doubt he is hiding somewhere
and secretly searching out our movements.
On the Nautilus, the intercom phone rings in Electra's cabin,
waking her up. She answers it.
Electra: Hello, this is Electra. Good morning.
Crewman: Sorry to disturb your rest but please come to the bridge.
We have discovered something that looks like the Garfish.
Electra: Understood. I'll come right away.
She gets out of bed and starts getting dressed.
Electra: Wheew... I must have low blood pressure... I shut down in the
mornings.
Not long after, she reports to the bridge in uniform.
Electra: Good morning.
A crewman shows her radar traces.
Crewman: What do you think?
Electra: I don't know...
Crewnan: ...Huh?! It broke off. Could it be a malfunction?
Engineer: Umm, probably a whale.
Electra: No, probably a whale. Confirmed by its characteristic
electrical wave!
Crewman: Yes, sir!
Meanwhile, Marie is playing with King, making faces.
Marie: Let's play who laughs first. Aaawowow!
They make all sorts of faces. Marie loses the game by being the first to
laugh. Marie's laughter wakes up Nadia.
Nadia: Is Jean reading a book in Electra's place like he's been
doing lately? Or maybe fiddling with the Grantan in the Gang of
Three's place. He hasn't been around to visit in a long time...
Marie: Huh? Nadia, what's wrong? Hey, Nadia...
Then Nadia sits up.
Marie: Nadia, want to play with us, too?
Nadia just looks thoughtful.
Marie: Aaw... I get it! It's because Jean doesn't come to visit.
You're bored!
Nadia: That's not it at all!
Marie gasps and then starts to cry like a river.
Nadia: Marie, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Don't cry, OK? OK?
Lets go where Jean is and visit, all right?
In an instant, Marie's tears vanish and she smiles.
Marie: Uh-huh!
They walk down the corridor.
Nadia:... Honestly, where did you learn to fake crying like that?
Marie: Sanson taught me.
Nadia gives her a sharp look.
Marie: He said it's important to have street-smarts in order to survive...
Nadia: Nuts... those people won't teach anything decent...
On deck, the Grandis Gang is doing laundry and they all sneeze.
(As the supersition says, you sneeze if someone is talking about you.)
Grandis: Oh-oh. Could be a cold... But I'm such a fortunate
person, to be able to wash the clothing of my beloved darling Nemo.
Sanson and Hanson: Ha!
Sanson:Think about it from our point-of-view, please,
being made to do it, too. It's so sad a person such as me
has to do laundry...
Grandis: What are you talking about! These days, when a man
won't do household chores, he won't be popular with women.
Although... with a man of the sea like Captain Nemo it's a
different story...
The two others fall over in shock.
Meanwhile, Nadia and Marie visit Jean, who is working on a small
remote-controlled airplane.
Nadia: Hey Jean, how are you doing?...
Jean: Great! It's almost done. I'm just doing the finishing touches.
Nadia: What did you say this was? A flying machine?
Jean: That's right.
Nadia: But this doesn't even have a propeller...
Jean: This invention burns fuel with air and the reaction makes it fly.
It has an automatic opening and shutting feature. Although... a person
could not ride it yet because the output is weak...
Nadia is getting bored by the long technical explanation. She looks at
it a moment, then gives an angry opinion:
Nadia: This is another of your useless toy inventions!
Jean: Don't worry. In theory, this is perfect! Just wait and see,
Nadia. With this invention I'll take you to Africa...
Nadia rolls her eyes.
Jean: It's done! The preparations are complete!
Hanson and Sanson: Oh! It's done?
Jean: Yes! Now the testing will commence!
He manipulates the remote controls and fires off the rocket-plane.
Jean: All right!
The plane flies high into the air.
Jean: I did it! I did it!
Nadia: Wooow! It's really flying.
Jean: Naturally! Wonderful! My theory is perfect. What?
Suddenly the rocket sputters and smokes.
Jean: Ooooh!
Nadia: ... as I expected.
The rocket explodes with a loud bang. This startles the bridge.
Electra: What was that!?
Crewman: An attack?
Jean: Aaaaw...
Electra: What was that sound?
Engineer: Ha ha ha... It seems it's the failure of Jean's invention....
Crewman: ... He sure is a pest... Oh!?
He sees new blips on the radar screen.
Crewman: A response has shown up again.
Engineer: I thought so. Is it the Garfish?
Electra: I wonder if they heard that last explosion...
Engineer: Most likely.
Back on the upper deck, Jean, Hanson, and Sanson look over the wreckage.
Sanson: Well, don't take it too hard.
Hanson: Yes, a pile of mistakes makes a man strong...
Jean looks glum for a second, then he perks up.
Jean: It's fine. Don't worry!
Jean: I secretly built a second one just in case!
Hanson: Jean! You dope. Because you were thinking you had a
second shot you messed around and blew the first one!
Jean: Y-you really think so?
Nadia: Hopeless, isn't he...
Marie: Sure is.
Suddenly an alarm blasts out on deck.
Nemo: Rapid dive. Rapid dive. All persons on the upper deck take refuge
inside immediately!
The Nautilus begins an underwater pursuit of the Garfish.
Crewman: Depth 50 meters. Speed is one-third. Distance to
Garfish 12 thousand... They're steadily heading this way.
Electra: (Gasps) It's the sound of the shaped charge. I think they've
discovered us!
Nemo: All hands to battle stations!
Meanwhile, Gargoyle (on his balloon) receives a report from the Garfish.
Gargolye: What!? You say you've detected the Nautilus.
Soldier: Yes, sir!
Gargolye: ... I see. So Nemo is still alive...
There is a huge explosion, sinking the Garfish. Later, Gargoyle recieves
a report from a subordinate.
Soldier: I have a report.... As of now, the messages from Number 28
have ceased. I think perhaps they might have been sunk by the
Nautilus.
Gargoyle: Nemo's Nautilus... I'm through playing games with you...
Later, Jean faces an angry Nemo, Electra, and signal crewman.
Crewman: We're not playing games!! Do you understand that!?
Jean: Yeah.
Crewman: "Yeah" is not acceptable!
Jean: Yes, sir.
Crewman: Really --
Nemo: Enough. Jean, you know what you did, don't you...
Jean: Yes, sir...
Nemo: Sometimes a small mistake can cost many lives. Don't
forget that.
Jean: Yes, sir.
Nemo: All right, then.
Nadia glares.
Later, Jean is working on the spare rocket in his cabin and Nadia comes in.
Nadia: What's was that? You were just saying "Yes sir, yes sir,
yes sir, yes sir"... Since you didn't do it on purpose, how could you
not respond with a single word like that... You're a real coward!
All right, then! I'll go speak to the Captain for you myself!
Jean: Nadia....
Nemo is at a console viewing a hologram of a couple of people in native
costumes when he gets a call on the intercom.
Intercom: Captain Nemo, Nadia is asking to speak to you. What shall we
do?
Nemo: Understood. I'll go to her.
Nadia bursts in angry, yelling at Nemo.
Nadia: Why do you say Jean is wrong?
Nemo: You don't understand?...
Nadia: No, I don't! Why did Jean have to be scolded like that?
Nemo: There's no use speaking to you the way you're feeling now.
Nadia: Sly! You're running away from me!
Electra: You're wrong! Nadia, calm yourself.
Nadia: What? Even though you were spotted by the Garfish you
beat them all the same.
Electra: It's not for a child to speak of such things.
Nadia: That's what adults always say! When we inconvience you,
you just say "Children, Children!" You're unfair! I hate adults!
Nemo slaps her face hard.
Nemo: ... Nadia. Don't say such sorrowful things.
Nadia looks at him, holding her face.
Later, Nadia takes a bath with Electra. Marie is washing and laughing
outside the tub.
Nadia: How do you feel about Jean?
Electra: Well, he's like a little brother to me.
Nadia: A little brother. (She gives a relieved smile.)
Electra: And you, how do you feel about him?
Nadia: He's just a friend.
Electra: ... is he, now?
Nadia pause to think a moment, then goes on the attack.
Nadia: And you, how do you feel about Captain Nemo?
Electra: Well.... I love him.
Nadia: How can you find anything good about such a cold man?
Electra: A cold man... yes, that true... but he has suffered so much.
Nadia stares in surprise.
Electra: He has killed many people... but he is the one who bears the
responsibility. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be alive today.
He has saved people time after time for the last 13 years...
Nadia: Why do you keep fighting after all the danger you've been through?
Electra: Because they can only be stopped by the Nautius...
Nadia: It's a just cause, isn't it?
Marie: What's a "just cause"?
Electra: It's a reason that's required when people do something.
Marie: Whew.
Electra: But that's not the only reason...
Nadia looks at her seriously.
Electra: It's for revenge...
Nadia: Revenge?
Electra: .... Yes. Once I had a brother.
Nadia: Had? Well, where is he now?
Electra: The same place my parents have been for the last 13 years...
Nadia: Where?
Electra: ... At the bottom of a lake...
Nadia looks shocked.
Electra: Thirteen years ago my home town was wiped out by
one man... that was when it happened.
Nadia: It must have been Gargole who did that! Such a cruel...
Electra pauses for a moment, then answers.
Electra: Yes, he's certainly a cruel man.
Nadia: And that's when Nemo saved you, right?
Electra: Yes... along with several other survivors. We got together and
built this ship. It was to avenge ourselves on Gargolye and his Neo
Atlantis organization...
Later, Electra speaks to the Captain in a private room of the submarine.
Electra: Captain Nemo!
Nemo turns towards her but does not reply.
Electra: How long do you plan to keep those children aboard this ship?
Of course, Nadia is being targeted by Neo Atlantis. It might be safer
to keep her here... on the other hand, this ship may be meet its fate and
be sunk any time. I'm sure you don't mean for Nadia to die along with us?
Suddenly there is an annoucement on the loudspeaker.
Intercom: Captain, approaching vessels identified as Garfish! We urgently
request that you come to the bridge!
Electra: Captain Nemo!
Nemo: Go to battle stations... lieutenant.
Electra: ...Yes, sir....
On the bridge, the radar operator is watching the blips.
Crewman: Amazing... A sixth ship has appeared.
Helmsman: We're surrounded from all sides.
Crewman 2: In this part of the ocean the depth is only 300.
Crewman 3: The Kelmadik harbor is at 10 degrees.
Meanwhile Gargolye is monitoring from his airship.
Soldier 1: ... proceeding towards Kelmadik harbor from both sides at
full speed.
Soldier2: Roger.
Officer: Lord Gargolye, the Nautilus has headed into Kelmadik
harbor as you planned.
Gargoyle: Excellent! The mouse is going into the trap...
Soon I will bid you farewell... "friend" Nemo.
Back on the Nautilus...
Nemo: All hands to their battle stations!
Electra: Aye, aye sir!
Nemo: Gargoyle... have you at last gotten serious and decided to commit
your entire force...?
End of Volume 4, Part 2.
On to Volume 4 part 3, Goodbye Nautilus
|
Back to main Nadia page
