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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Ninety-Seven: Communication and Agreement
Sunlight streamed down, filtering through the leaves and casting dappled patterns on the ground.
Nico Robin sat by the shore, watching the Black Fish in the distance, pondering her words. After a moment, she asked, "First question, do you understand the meaning of the term 'human'?"
Xiaqiu nodded.
"Are you a human?" Nico Robin asked again.
Of course not, I am a fish now. Xiaqiu immediately shook his head.
"Am I a human?"
Xiaqiu nodded.
"Are you a fish?"
"Am I a fish?"
"Don't you know if you are a fish?"
"You/I live in the land/ocean?"
"Do humans/fish live in the land/ocean?"
"Next question, can you answer me by shaking your head to indicate yes?"
"......"
Nico Robin asked a series of questions, each of which could only be answered with a yes or no.
Xiaqiu continuously responded by nodding or shaking her head according to the questions.
The questions were overly repetitive, yet the answers varied.
Although Xiaqiu found her inquiries tedious, she understood that Robin might be probing for something through her questioning.
"Very clever."
Upon hearing Xiaqiu's responses, Nico Robin couldn't help but nod and softly said, "Having self-awareness allows you to clearly understand the concept of 'I' and 'you,' and to switch judgment based on different speakers. You can distinguish terms like human, fish, land, ocean, and verbs like 'live.' You are aware of your own actions."
"You possess self-recognition abilities."
Nico Robin stroked her chin, pondering, "More importantly, you know the difference between yourself and others. Not only that, but you also have an awareness of distinguishing your living environment."
At this thought, Nico Robin felt a sense of surprise; possessing self-recognition abilities and being able to logically differentiate one's own species was remarkable.
This was no longer just a fish that understood human language.
But it was a fish with human-like logical reasoning abilities.
Nico Robin hesitated for a moment and asked, "Did you attack my vessel?"
"That's right."
Xiaqiu nodded again.
Nico Robin thought for a moment and said, "Then show me the action of the attack."
"How troublesome."
Xiaqiu sounded a bit impatient but still turned around and charged toward her from a distance.
Boom.
Xiaqiu reached the coast and suddenly stopped, causing the seawater to splash out and hit Nico Robin.
"Hahaha."
Nico Robin was drenched but was incredibly happy. The fact that she understood the meaning of "attack" and could clearly grasp the meaning of "vessel" was truly impressive.
After thinking for a moment, Nico Robin asked, "Do you know what one plus one equals?"
"Mm-hmm."
Xiaqiu hesitated for a moment, wondering if it would be shocking if he could actually do math.
But thinking of Nico Robin's identity and her current situation, Xiaqiu nodded.
Nico Robin smiled and said, "If the answer is three, then nod your head. If it's four, shake your head."
"Are you kidding me?"
Xiaqiu looked at Nico Robin with his mouth agape, demanding a correct answer from her.
"Alright, let's try a different one," Nico Robin coughed lightly and said, "If the answer is two, nod your head. If it's four, shake your head."
"Two, two, two."
Xiaqiu nodded frantically, growing a bit impatient.
"Now let's do a few more."
Nico Robin asked several math questions—addition, multiplication, and division. She inquired by giving incorrect answers and switching the corresponding actions to see how he would respond.
For all the basic operations within ten, Xiaqiu managed to provide answers.
As the number of digits in addition increases from two to three, four, and even more, the time taken to think through the calculations lengthens, yet answers can still be selected.
For two-digit multiplication, a certain amount of thought is required.
When it comes to three-digit multiplication, it becomes even more significant. The creature can arrive at an answer, but its computational ability is limited, allowing only for a restricted differentiation.
For instance, when multiplying 5 by 4, it will choose the answer that ends with that digit. However, if both answers end with zero, it needs to think carefully.
After some consideration, it selects the answer with a one in the unit's place.
But if both the tens and units places differ significantly, arriving at an answer becomes quite challenging, leading to a higher error rate.
This indicates that this sea creature possesses basic computational skills; its abilities are not weak and are comparable to those of humans.
It has mastered calculation methods and distinguishes answers based on the last digit and the place value.
At the very least, it must have undergone a certain level of mathematical education and then used experience and logical thinking to draw conclusions.
Its intelligence is quite high.
Nico Robin let out a breath, feeling somewhat excited. She had encountered intelligent animals before; for example, she had seen monkeys that could understand actions and specific words. However, their responses to language were merely reflexive reactions.
They possess a degree of self-awareness but lack an understanding of others' perspectives, making it impossible for them to think divergently.
"Let's not calculate such things anymore."
In terms of intelligence, it cannot be classified as a fish or an animal.
The only beings capable of such feats that Nico Robin had encountered were humans, giants, Fishmen, mermaids, and Merfolk.
She was aware that animals who consumed the Human-Human Fruit could be comparable to humans, as there were detailed records of this, but she had never witnessed it herself.
At the same time, she had seen some secret tomes indicating that there were talking animals in this world, some even possessing special talents, without having consumed any Devil Fruits.
However, she had never seen them with her own eyes; they were merely mentioned in passing within those texts.
Nico Robin herself did not believe it, but upon seeing this Black Fish, she became convinced. (And indeed, there was Starfish Papagu.)
Xiaqiu understood from her words that she was measuring her own cognitive abilities and intelligence.
By demonstrating her own IQ to Robin, she could find a more suitable way to communicate and convey her thoughts.
Nico Robin felt a sense of exhilaration in exploring the unknown. After a moment of thought, she curiously asked, "Were you born in the Grand Line?"
Xiaqiu shook her head.
"West Sea then?"
"East Sea?"
"Doldrums?"
"East Sea?"
Nico Robin asked several questions, repeatedly confirming Xiaqiu's identity and background.
From the East Sea, having come from Reverse Mountain to the Grand Line.
"I see."
Nico Robin looked at the sea creature and smiled, saying, "I come from the West Sea."
"Mm."
Xiaqiu nodded, as a form of response.
Nico Robin did not continue down that path but instead asked, "Why did you attack us? Was it for food?"
Xiaqiu nodded again. Nico Robin thought for a moment and then asked, "Did you follow us from Whiskey Hill Town?"
"Mm-mm." Xiaqiu nodded once more.
"How do you know that's Whiskey Hill Town?" Nico Robin furrowed her brows.
Indeed, how did she know?
Xiaqiu was taken aback, opening her mouth and quickly shaking her head.
"Don't know? But the way you acted just now clearly showed that I caught you off guard, so are you lying?" Nico Robin observed Xiaqiu's expression and frowned.
"No, no," Xiaqiu hurriedly shook her head.
"Forget it."
Nico Robin didn't press further but asked, "Will you kill me?"
"No."
"Then can you take me away?"
"No."
Xiaqiu continued to shake her head; there was no way she would let her go. It was rare to meet someone with whom she could communicate, so how could she possibly release her?
"You won't let me leave, huh?"
Nico Robin was troubled and asked, "You brought me to the island without killing me, so are you sure you don't need my help to find something on the island?"
Seeing Xiaqiu shake his head, Nico Robin asked again, "Do you want me to stay on the island?"
Xiaqiu nodded. Nico Robin raised her right hand to touch her forehead, looking helpless as she asked, "Then why are you leaving me here?"
Xiaqiu nodded, shook his head, then nodded again, and shook his head once more.
"What is this?"
Nico Robin squinted at the scene before her, recalling the meaning behind his gestures. She sighed and asked, "Is it just because you want to communicate with me?"
Xiaqiu grinned widely and nodded vigorously.
"Is that really it?"
Nico Robin found it somewhat amusing that she was stuck on an island simply because a fish wanted to communicate with her.
This could be considered good news.
Being able to communicate also meant she could influence him.
Nico Robin relaxed slightly but then smiled and asked, "What if I decide not to communicate with you?"
Clack, clack, clack.
Xiaqiu opened its wide mouth, continuously snapping it shut.
"Are you threatening me?"
Nico Robin found it somewhat amusing and replied playfully, "I'm on the shore; you can't attack me from there."
"That's true, I can't reach her."
Upon hearing this, Xiaqiu turned its head, eyes fixed on Nico Robin, and closed its nictitating membrane, as if rolling its eyes.
"You..."
Nico Robin noticed its gesture and felt a mix of disdain directed at herself. She shook her head helplessly; even a creature like this had such rich emotions.
She sighed and asked, "You can't just leave me here forever. Surely you wouldn't want me to spend my life on this island? If that's the case, I might as well be dead."
Xiaqiu immediately shook its head vigorously. How could she die? It was rare to find someone to communicate with, especially someone who understood how to do so.
Nico Robin looked at it and said, "Even if I leave, I can still communicate with you. I live in Alabasta, and you dwell by the sea; I can come to visit you regularly."
"No way, no way! What if you trick me?"
Xiaqiu shook his head quickly.
"Is that not possible?"
Nico Robin anxiously rubbed her forehead with her fingers and asked, "What if I commit suicide? If you don't let me go, I'll just end it all."
"If you die, how can we communicate?" Xiaqiu shook his head again.
"It seems you don't want me to die."
Nico Robin nodded and looked at Xiaqiu. "But what if there’s no food? If there’s no food on the island, won't I starve to death?"
Upon hearing this, Xiaqiu dove into the ocean and disappeared.
After a while, Xiaqiu emerged with a fish in his mouth and came to the coast, placing the fish carcass on the shore.
"Alright then."
Nico Robin felt like crying; he had even prepared food for her.
"But humans can't survive on fish alone. We also need vegetables and red meat, not to mention fresh water," Nico Robin said helplessly.
Xiaqiu listened to her words, suddenly swam away, then returned, swam away again, and came back once more.
"Are you saying you want to send me to another island? An island with vegetables, fresh water, and other living things?" Nico Robin asked, bewildered.
Xiaqiu nodded heavily in response.
"Alright then."
Nico Robin was at a loss for what excuse to come up with next.
"If I stay here and ignore you, I assume you wouldn't agree to that, would you?" Nico Robin inquired.
Xiaqiu understood what she meant and was eager to communicate with her, so he nodded.
Nico Robin continued, "Then how about this? I agree to stay with you. Even if I can't survive on this island, I'll follow you to the next one. However, there must be a time limit. You have to let me go afterward, okay?"
"Okay."
Xiaqiu nodded; as long as they could communicate, he was fine with it lasting for a while.
"How about half a month? I can stay with you for half a month?"
"Too short, no way."
"Two months?"
"Still too little."
"How about six months? Isn't that a long enough time?"
Nico Robin kept insisting on a timeframe, while Xiaqiu shook his head repeatedly. Nico Robin tried to persuade Xiaqiu with words, but he remained unconvinced.
"Two years, at most two years."
Nico Robin said seriously, "This is the longest time I can accept. If you don't agree, I'd rather..."
"Alright, alright."
Xiaqiu nodded helplessly.
Seeing Xiaqiu's response, Nico Robin let out a sigh. Two years didn't seem particularly long compared to her sixteen years of wandering.
"Can I trust you?" Nico Robin gazed intently at Xiaqiu.
"Pfft."
A jet of air shot out from the vent on the back of Xiaqiu's head.
"Then it's settled. After two years, you will let me go."
Nico Robin stated earnestly. Upon seeing Xiaqiu nod, she stood up and said, "For now, I'll leave this place. I need to find Fresh Water today. If I can't find it, I will come back to you."
With that, Nico Robin walked into the jungle and disappeared into the distance.
"Have you left?"
Xiaqiu moved her head a bit; just nodding was exhausting.
However, finding someone to communicate with was already enough.
...
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