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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Departure
"Goodbye, Mr. Sea Fish."
On the ship, Marcel stood there, watching the Black Fish gradually fade into the distance, waving his hand in farewell.
Beside him stood Captain Cozecarver and others, gazing at the disappearing Black Fish with a look of sadness.
But soon, Jozef patted Marcel on the shoulder and said, "The ship has docked; we need to unload the cargo now."
"Yes."
Marcel nodded heavily and walked to the unloading area to begin his work.
With his father's revenge fulfilled, he felt a surge of strength coursing through him. Yet, there was also a hint of regret in his heart as he wondered when he would see the Black Fish again.
But he believed they would meet again someday.
...
In the depths of the sea far from the island, Xiaqiu watched the distant Merchant Ship, snorted softly, circled around, and headed away from the back of the island.
After a night of sailing, the next morning, the Merchant Ship arrived at this island and began unloading its cargo at the harbor.
Xiaqiu planned to use this island as a resting place for the time being, so it kept its distance from the Merchant Ship and circled around to avoid it.
Xiaqiu first made a complete circuit around the island to explore the depth of the waters nearby and assess the island's perimeter and area.
This island was large, much larger than Narl Village.
The island stretched about six kilometers long and approximately two kilometers wide. Roughly calculated, its area was around twelve square kilometers, nearly three times that of Narl Village.
There were two settlements to the east and west of the village, separated by mountains and jungles. The height of the mountains could not compare to the island where Narl Village was located.
The water was quite deep, with both the eastern and western settlements having deep-water ports, with depths exceeding ten meters, sufficient to accommodate ships over a hundred meters long from this era.
As for the south, one could clearly see the mountains, but at the edge of the mountains near the Coast, the terrain was relatively flat and uninhabited.
Here, the water was even deeper, around fifty meters, resembling a sheer cliff that extended all the way to the seabed.
Moreover, five hundred meters out, the depth reached a hundred meters.
As Xiaqiu entered this area, it was surrounded by a group of Great White Sharks. The largest among them measured nine meters, while the smallest was about five meters long.
Such lengths exceeded both the average and maximum sizes of Great White Sharks found on Earth.
No wonder there were no inhabitants here; with such a fierce group of sharks, few would dare to approach.
These sharks were not intimidated by Xiaqiu's massive size. They had hunted thirty-meter-long Blue Whales before, and upon encountering Xiaqiu, their first instinct was to charge in for an attack.
With sharp teeth and powerful bite force, these sharks had few rivals in these waters.
However, they posed no threat to Xiaqiu at all.
The bite force of these sharks could reach up to sixteen hundred pounds at most, while some were only around eight or nine hundred pounds.
Such strength was insufficient to breach Xiaqiu's defenses, leaving only dented impressions behind.
More importantly, their mouths were limited in size and could not fully encompass Xiaqiu's body; they could not bite down vertically, thus failing to exert their maximum bite force.
Additionally, Xiaqiu's scales were smooth; when bitten at an angle, the teeth merely slipped off, dispersing their power.
In this situation, a biting force of forty percent was already considerable.
Thus, their attacks could only leave white marks on Xiaqiu's body.
What was concerning, however, was the sharks' assault on Xiaqiu's fins.
The fins had hard spines and were large and sturdy, yet they were still vulnerable to the sharks' bites, which could leave deep tooth impressions. A few bites could easily tear the fins apart.
Therefore, they remained a threat.
As the opponents attacked, Xiaqiu launched a counterattack.
Bang.
Xiaqiu swung its body, sweeping its tail and sending one shark flying.
Then it opened its massive jaws and clamped down on another shark, biting into its midsection and swallowing it whole.
As for the head and tail, Xiaqiu had no intention of consuming them.
Crunch, crunch.
Xiaqiu took one bite after another, killing the sharks one by one.
There were more than ten sharks in total, but after Xiaqiu devoured six of them, the remaining sharks scattered in fear.
Xiaqiu chased down one more and killed it, but the others had vanished without a trace.
They were too fast.
Xiaqiu stopped the chase, slowly retracting its body as a strong smell of blood filled the air.
After consuming a shark, Xiaqiu developed broad olfactory membranes, gaining a powerful sense of smell akin to that of a shark, allowing it to detect the scent of blood from great distances.
However, like sharks, Xiaqiu did not feel frenzy at the scent of blood.
The powerful sense of smell was merely a means to perceive prey.
Even when the olfactory membranes detected blood and amino acids, it could still distinguish prey based on the type of scent.
Sharks do not go into a frenzy upon encountering blood; rather, the information relayed by the blood simply indicates food, prompting them to hunt.
Among these scents, human blood is not what sharks seek. They prefer the blood of marine animals, rich in nutrients and amino acids.
Thus, sharks typically do not actively hunt humans. Their nature is not inherently aggressive; they rarely attack unless provoked or threatened.
Most instances of attacks occur when someone or something intrudes into their territory.
In the documentary Shark Ocean, Xiaqiu learned that on average, sharks kill about five people each year, with some years seeing that number rise to ten.
However, it is certain that the number of people who die from shark attacks is far fewer than those who die while taking selfies, and most victims had previously exhibited aggressive behavior toward sharks.
Sharks are quite timid by nature; when encountering unfamiliar creatures or objects, they tend to feel fear and become defensive.
At such moments, any action you take may be perceived as a threat.
Therefore, the best course of action upon encountering a shark is to remain still, avoid engaging with it, refrain from any aggressive thoughts or actions, and not obstruct its path.
If it does not sense you as a threat, it will naturally swim past you without incident.
Aside from the Great White Shark, other sharks, especially the Mako Shark, rarely attack humans unless provoked, mistaken for a seal or sea turtle due to poor visibility, or obstructing their path.
Many diving enthusiasts hope to encounter sharks; they not only do not shy away but also attempt to take photos with them.
In fact, there are many dive spots that promote shark encounters as a selling point, and shark diving has become a pursuit for many diving aficionados.
Xiaqiu had once tried shark diving, but arrived too late. The noise created by humans entering the area caused the sharks to swim away, which was quite a disappointment.
Thus, to encounter sharks, one must arrive early.
Xiaqiu leisurely returned to the Coast, where the water was deep enough for her to come and go freely.
She decided to make this place her habitat, regularly clearing out the surrounding Large Sea Fish to maintain a sense of tranquility in her territory.
Even when hunting, she would venture into deeper waters or other areas of the sea.
This way, she could establish a portion of territory and manage it while minimizing encounters with humans.
Next, she could enter a lengthy growth period.
Her four enhancements were already sufficient for her to surpass other marine creatures of similar size.
As long as she remained cautious and avoided provoking stronger beings, she wouldn't face significant danger.
The rest was simply a matter of steady growth.
Xiaqiu planned to stay here for as long as possible, living a peaceful life without threats.
The gates of Impel Down slowly opened, and a prisoner was sent out of the prison by the Naval Battleship.
Outside the prison, a Pirate Ship was waiting.
The prisoner looked at the ship that had come to pick him up and the figure standing on it, his expression dark and grim.
He thought to himself, unlike you all, I must make a change.
With that thought, he slightly bent his legs and launched himself forward like a cannonball, landing on the deck of the Pirate Ship with a wide grin that revealed his fierce smile.
Xiaqiu would never have imagined that in the distant Impel Down, this newly released prisoner would shatter his peaceful life and turn his world upside down.
For a long time, he would be Xiaqiu's greatest enemy.
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