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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter One Hundred and Two: Cargo Ship
"Ship?"
Xiaqiu was slightly taken aback by this request, looking at Nico Robin, unsure why she wanted to do this.
"To be precise, I need some items, and since you can only operate in the ocean, I need you to bring me a Cargo Ship," Nico Robin explained. "The wooden planks of the ship can be used for construction, and there are many supplies on board. Generally, a ship will have beds, bedding, clothes, drinks, food, bowls and chopsticks, pots and basins, seasonings, and some tools."
"I need these things to survive. Take clothing for example; you can't expect me to wear just this outfit. Also, drinking only Fresh Water might make me sick; it's better to drink it after heating and disinfecting," Nico Robin said with a smile.
"I understand."
Xiaqiu nodded. To survive and ensure her basic needs were met, she indeed lacked many items.
Nico Robin asked, "So can you agree to my request?"
"Yes, yes," Xiaqiu nodded. In exchange, this condition was not unreasonable.
"That's good," Nico Robin smiled contentedly and then added, "You can sink the ship, so you won't have to worry about me leaving via the Vessel."
At this point, Nico Robin paused and said, "For the ship, you can head to Alabasta; there's a port city there with many Cargo Ships. You can bring one back."
"Alright."
Xiaqiu nodded in agreement.
However, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he waited until nightfall before setting off for Alabasta.
He planned to take advantage of the feeding frenzy of F-Crocodiles and then bring back a ship.
With this thought in mind, Xiaqiu made his way to Alabasta. After more than an hour, he arrived at Sainting Island, directly entering the river to hunt F-Crocodiles.
Although Xiaqiu had come two or three times before, which made some of the F-Crocodiles aware of his presence, there were still many F-Crocodiles in the river—about five or six hundred. He only ambushed those on the outskirts, and most of the F-Crocodiles remained unaware of him.
Moreover, even if they did know, there was no need to worry.
They spent most of their time in the water. The lakes in Alabasta were very few, especially in recent years; aside from Rainy District, there was little water elsewhere.
Their habitat was in this river, where they had to stay most of the time.
Xiaqiu had only come twice, each time lasting just a few minutes. He would eat a crocodile and then leave, spending most of his time safely away from them.
They had no idea when Xiaqiu would arrive and thus did not know when to come ashore to hide.
Furthermore, Xiaqiu's method of attack ensured that only his target would be affected; other crocodiles would not be attacked and therefore would not be forced to change their living environment.
Thus, Xiaqiu was not concerned about them leaving the river.
As he entered the waterway and bit into a crocodile, he slowly retreated after eating it and began searching for a vessel at the port.
He was at the Coast Port of the Canola Flower Market, located on the right side of the river, and it was the largest port in Alabasta.
Most of the vessels docked here.
Alabasta had vast deserts and a scarcity of resources, so many supplies needed to be transported from other places. Consequently, there were numerous vessels coming and going.
At that moment, dozens of ships were anchored at the port.
"It can't be too big."
Xiaqiu looked at the vessels. His own strength was immense, but sailing such a long distance over the sea required careful consideration.
Under forty meters; it couldn't be too large.
Xiaqiu eliminated several large ships from his options and began searching for vessels around thirty meters in length.
It had to be a cargo ship, preferably still carrying some goods.
As Xiaqiu scanned for cargo ships, he initially planned to differentiate them by the presence of cannons. However, all the ships had cannon ports. He realized that this was the Grand Line, where dangers lurked on the sea, so he let that go.
Instead, Xiaqiu actively searched for harpoons; the giant sea fish of the Grand Line posed a much greater threat than pirates.
Next was the draft line; for similarly sized ships, a deeper draft indicated a larger cargo capacity.
That one would do.
Xiaqiu spotted a cargo ship over thirty meters long, its waterline deep.
"Since there are still goods on board, there must be someone inside. I can't just take them back myself."
Furrowing her brows, Xiaqiu suddenly dashed over to the ship, pressing her head against the hull and slowly pushing upward.
"The ship is tilting. What’s going on?"
Sounds erupted from the ship as figures appeared at the railing.
Boom, boom.
The vessel shook violently, swaying back and forth.
"Get off the ship first."
The people on board immediately began to disembark—there were about five or six of them. Once they reached the shore, they looked at the water surface in confusion.
After Xiaqiu waited for them to come down, she intended to push the ship away but noticed the anchor.
The massive anchor lay submerged at the bottom of the harbor, one corner buried in the soil.
The anchor's purpose was to stabilize the ship and prevent it from being swept away by the waves.
Positioned at the bow of the ship, it would be easier to drag it using the anchor rather than pushing against it directly, allowing for better control of direction.
Xiaqiu swam over and dragged the Anchor out, holding it in his mouth.
The Anchor was a Navy anchor, shaped like a double hook, and it was the most commonly used type. Once it was caught, Xiaqiu secured it with his front teeth.
Then he charged toward the distance.
The sound of clanking echoed.
The iron chain straightened, but after it was taut, it suddenly stopped with a jolt, causing the ship to tremble but remain stationary.
"Is there a tether?"
Xiaqiu speculated that the ship was tied to the shore with a rope, so he backed up and charged forward again, using eight-tenths of his strength.
Boom.
The Anchor was pulled taut, and with a loud bang, the ship shook violently. The tether began to fray little by little but did not break completely.
"What on earth is happening?"
On the shore, the crew watched in confusion as this scene unfolded.
Meanwhile, underwater, Xiaqiu backed up once more and surged forward again, this time using all his strength.
Boom.
The cable snapped abruptly, and the ship was pulled away, slowly drifting towards the distance under Xiaqiu's command.
"Our ship!" a crew member shouted loudly.
"There's something underwater; let's check it out," one of the crew members jumped into the sea, trying to get closer.
However, the ship's speed increased, gradually moving away from the spot.
The weight of the vessel was immense, but on water, it only required relatively less force to be moved.
For instance, large cargo ships entering and leaving the dock are often towed by tugboats to avoid the turbulence caused by their propellers, which can destabilize the surrounding waters.
Xiaqiu possessed tremendous strength; even with a sail raised on a forty to fifty-meter-long ship, he could still push it forward slightly.
Not to mention that he was not just pulling it along.
Xiaqiu dragged the ship towards the island, exposed on the water's surface, maintaining a speed of around seven or eight knots.
When Xiaqiu had arrived, he had been traveling at about twenty knots and took an hour and a half to reach Alabasta.
Dragging the ship would take at least four hours.
Additionally, he had to navigate through winds and waves while feeding in the sea, which would take even more time.
Thus, it wasn't until the next morning that Xiaqiu finally returned to the island.
Boom.
The ship crashed against the shore with a loud bang.
"Hmm, what's going on?"
Nico Robin woke up in the house, sitting up and stretching lazily. She slowly straightened her body, stood up from the bed, and barefooted, pushed open the door to step outside.
With her long legs, she walked towards the coast. As she stepped out of the forest, she froze in place.
A massive ship was docked at the shore, and not far away, Black Fish's head popped out of the water surface, smiling at her.
"I can't believe it arrived so quickly, and such a large cargo ship too."
Nico Robin was a bit surprised and quickly walked over.
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