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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Sixty-Five: Ready
"Colonel Smoker, it seems the ship has stopped," Dasky said, suddenly halting his steps behind Smoker and glancing back at the Surface of the Sea.
"Hmm?"
Smoker turned around, squinting as he looked into the distance.
On the Surface of the Sea, Major Yuchimura's Battleship was slowly coming to a halt.
"It looks like it's swaying," Dasky remarked.
"It seems that sea creature attacked the Battleship."
Smoker observed the distant Battleship and saw Yuchimura jump into the water, waving his hand. "It's just a sea creature; there's no need to worry. Colonel Yuchimura can handle it."
"Yeah."
Dasky nodded, and the two of them walked toward the distance, heading to the security office.
...
"Lord Yuchimura has gone down to hunt the sea creature."
"Haha, it's just a sea creature; even a Commodore can handle it with ease."
On the Naval Battleship, some Sailors were repairing the cabin while others controlled the vessel. The sergeant and lieutenant on board stood at the ship's edge, watching below.
To them, it was simple for Major Yuchimura to go down and kill that sea fish.
"Look, Lord Yuchimura is fighting that sea fish."
"That sea fish is no match at all."
"Lord Yuchimura has come up for air, the sea fish is coming, and Lord Yuchimura dodged! Look, ah, Lord Yuchimura has stabbed his sword into the fish's skin, the fish is tilting! Yuchimura is fighting the sea fish underwater, and the fish has surfaced at the Surface of the Sea. Lord Yuchimura must be attacking him from below..."
"Shut up..."
...
Boom.
Yuchimura exerted all his strength to drive his long knife into Xiaqiu's body, but was instead struck by Xiaqiu, causing his bones to fracture as he spat out blood continuously.
Crack.
Xiaqiu opened its mouth wide and bit down on him, swallowing him whole.
After Yuchimura was injured, Xiaqiu occupied the Surface of the Sea, pinning him down and preventing him from surfacing for air while waiting for an opportunity to attack.
With Xiaqiu's strategy focused on harassment, Yuchimura's stamina was rapidly depleting, and he struggled to breathe. In his desperation to catch a breath, he gave Xiaqiu the chance to strike him again.
Now injured, Yuchimura had even less strength to fight back.
Finally, Xiaqiu killed him and swallowed him whole.
Xiaqiu devoured Yuchimura and shook his body, feeling a slight sting.
He was injured, but the wounds were not too severe; most of them were sword cuts, which were relatively minor for his body.
After changing his combat strategy, Xiaqiu found fighting Yuchimura to be not too difficult.
In fact, the injuries he sustained were less serious than those he had received while battling Arlong.
His strength diminished significantly underwater, especially his mobility. For a swordsman, the collective decrease in power and the effectiveness of techniques led to a drastic change in his capabilities.
More importantly, while Arlong fought desperately against him, Yuchimura initially aimed to stop him from attacking the battleship, to drive him away, and to kill him. After some time in battle, it became more about survival for Yuchimura.
Air was the primary element for his survival, yet Xiaqiu had turned it into a trap that ensnared him.
Moreover, Yuchimura underestimated Xiaqiu; he first believed he could defeat him and then tried to escape, but it was already too late.
The more he tried to flee, the worse his injuries became; the harder it was to escape, the quicker he died.
After consuming Yuchimura, Xiaqiu glanced at the battleship on the sea with disinterest and slowly moved away.
Xiaqiu swam closer to the island where Loguetown was located and reached the seabed near the harbor.
As he approached, a figure rose from the darkness. Upon seeing Xiaqiu, it came over and tilted its head to nuzzle against Xiaqiu's fish body.
Not bad, not bad.
Xiaqiu was very satisfied with Moo Moo's performance.
After more than six months together, Moo Moo had become Xiaqiu's pet.
Xiaqiu patted its head with the Pectoral Fin and then crouched down to the side, waiting quietly.
Moo Moo moved closer to Xiaqiu, lying down beside him and pressing against his body. However, it clearly miscalculated the distance; as soon as it lay down, it pushed Xiaqiu a short distance away.
Xiaqiu didn't mind at all and simply leaned against Moo Moo, waiting quietly.
It was coming.
Before long, a powerful Heat Flow erupted from within Xiaqiu.
It was incredibly strong.
This Heat Flow was even greater than the one provided by Arlong, intensely hot and radiating outwards, reaching two to three times the usual range.
Underwater, his strength and attack power were slightly stronger than Arlong's, and his slashing strikes carried a different significance.
However, the strength had its limits; at least in terms of endurance while breathing, Arlong was more resilient.
If the two were to face off, with Yuchimura close to the Surface of the Sea and Arlong attacking, defeat would be inevitable.
But if Arlong did not take the initiative to attack, neither of them could do anything to the other.
Given the strength he displayed underwater, his power on the surface would be terrifying.
It wasn't just a reduction in strength; there was also a decrease in the power of his techniques, reaction time, and body coordination.
For instance, a regular stab from him could only penetrate an inch into the body, but if he were on solid ground, the remaining force would not need to break through scales and could at least go in a foot.
With his speed on solid ground translated to underwater movement, it would be impossible for him to track his form. His massive body would hinder any quick reactions.
This meant that what could have been a serious injury to Xiaqiu now only resulted in minor damage.
What could have been an advantage through speed now only allowed him to barely evade.
Moreover, with breathing being restricted and his overall strength diminished, it wasn't simply a matter of losing half his power; the total reduction meant he was operating at roughly one-third of his true capability.
If he could unleash all his strength underwater, then he would be in grave danger.
Crack crack crack.
Xiaqiu's body underwent subtle changes with the emergence of Enhanced Energy.
Boom.
As Heat Flow dissipated, Xiaqiu slowly floated up, suddenly twisting his body and charging forward.
The water was instantly pushed aside, and then the flow from other areas compensated, forming a swirling vortex.
Xiaqiu's speed increased even further; he could feel power surging through his body. With a single swing, he propelled himself forward a considerable distance.
The strength of his body and the power of his fins were both formidable.
Xiaqiu estimated that if he consumed Yuchimura, he would have a decent chance even when comparing their full strengths.
Underwater, he felt confident even against a Major General.
This was sufficient.
Xiaqiu believed that with his current abilities, he was ready to venture into the first half of the Grand Line.
His enemies were not the strong ones of the sea; any Devil Fruit user underwater was merely a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Moreover, those without Devil Fruits also saw their powers significantly diminished underwater.
His true enemies were the enormous marine creatures found in the Grand Line.
Creatures like the Island Whale and Island Eater, both exceeding a thousand meters in length.
Even ordinary creatures could grow to astonishing sizes.
When Luffy first entered the Grand Line, he encountered a dolphin that was over a hundred meters long.
Apart from the Sea Kings of the Grand Line, there are also enormous crabs, crocodiles, seabirds, and sumo-wrestling frogs.
For Xiaqiu, the marine life of the Grand Line poses a threat.
However, aside from these giant creatures, Xiaqiu no longer worries about ordinary large animals.
It was time to head to the Grand Line.
...
"There’s no sign of the Commodore."
"None here either."
"The Fourteenth Squad hasn’t found Major Yuchimura."
On the Naval Battleship, Smoker stood on deck, watching as several sailors dove into the water and resurfaced, yet there was still no trace of Major Yuchimura.
"It’s been two hours since Major Yuchimura disappeared; it seems grim," Smoker sighed.
"Colonel Smoker, please avenge Lord Yuchimura," Major Will said with reddened eyes.
He had followed Yuchimura since his days as a Lieutenant. They both received promotions together in Loguetown and were now leaving it behind.
Thus, Major Will held deep feelings for Yuchimura.
"You know I'm a Devil Fruit User and can't go into the water, so I can't help chase that sea fish," Smoker said. "But I will arrange bait, bombs, and poison to see if we can kill it."
"Thank you, Captain Smoker," Major Will said, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes.
"If that doesn't work," Smoker continued, "I will report up and request support from headquarters. However, even if reinforcements come, the search area will only be limited to Loguetown. The East Blue is so vast; if the sea fish leaves the vicinity of Loguetown, no one will be able to find it."
"I understand," Major Will nodded.
Smoker stood up and said, "I'll go make arrangements. Your battleship will stay in Loguetown for repairs while waiting for further orders from Naval Headquarters."
"Understood."
Major Will stood straight.
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