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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Fifty-Two: Anger
"Abandon the injured?"
Upon hearing this, Hachi halted and looked at Arlong.
The Arlong Pirate Crew consisted entirely of Fishmen, except for Nami and Moo Moo. Although the Fishmen Tribe was divided into various species, many Fishmen tended to gather according to their kind. They even resorted to cannibalism among different tribes, justifying it by claiming that consuming a Fishman of a different species did not count as killing one of their own.
However, the Fishmen of the Arlong Pirate Crew had long since become like family.
They had endured the pain inflicted by humans and had come to the East Blue together, united by their support for Arlong's beliefs.
Despite Arlong's cruelty towards humans, he held his fellow Fishmen in high regard, treating them as his own family.
His dream was to see Fishmen rule the world.
Yet now, he was willing to abandon other Fishmen.
Hachi and the Fish Soldier were both in disbelief as Arlong nodded and said, "If we take them with us, it will drain too much energy and slow us down."
Dragging along injured Fishmen would indeed slow their pace. The remaining distance was over ten kilometers, and if they quickened their speed, they could reach their destination in less than an hour.
"But..."
Hachi was unwilling to accept this outcome.
The Fishman who had suffered a broken bone from being struck by Xiaqiu during the Spaburi shipwreck spoke up, "Just leave me behind, Arlong."
Hearing this made Arlong's heart ache even more, but he replied nonetheless, "When we get closer to the seabed, we'll set you down. Although you're injured, you still have some mobility. Separating from us might give you a better chance of survival."
With those words, Arlong turned away and waved his hand. "Let's go."
The Fishmen moved forward together, leaving behind the two injured comrades before continuing on their way.
“Don’t, don’t.”
With the cries of the injured Fishman, Xiaqiu bit down and swallowed him whole, then quickly pursued again.
There were still seven left.
Arlong, along with eight and five Fish Soldiers.
Xiaqiu locked onto their positions, ready to charge once more, but then realized something.
The formation of the Fishmen had changed.
Eight was ten meters to the right of Arlong, with other Fishmen positioned between them.
If Xiaqiu attacked a Fishman, it wouldn’t reach Eight or Arlong; both could simply leap at Xiaqiu without dodging.
If Xiaqiu aimed for Eight, no matter from which direction, Arlong would be right in front.
Even if Xiaqiu attacked Eight and then turned to the right to evade Arlong, there would only be a second at most.
Eight was strong; it was impossible to kill him in just one second. He could at least buy some time.
That meant Arlong could also launch an attack.
If Xiaqiu targeted Arlong instead, the other Fishmen could assist him, allowing Arlong to hold out even longer.
Thus, Xiaqiu's ambush plan was rendered ineffective due to their mutual support.
It seemed Arlong had some brains after all.
Xiaqiu squinted, transforming into a shadow as he glided toward Arlong and his crew.
"Stop."
Arlong sensed the disturbance and shouted immediately.
Everyone halted, drawing their weapons, while Hachi clenched his fists. He wasn't carrying a sword because its weight was too much; a single sword weighed around three hundred kilograms, making it impossible to travel far with such a heavy weapon.
In the original story, although Hachi was a swordsman, he had never carried a sword when using one.
When they arrived at Cocoa West Village, he was empty-handed, even Crocboy had a sword.
He didn't carry anything while feeding Moo Moo.
During his fight with Zoro, he initially used his fists, only pulling out a sword after being knocked into the tower and coming back out.
He didn’t have a sword while walking underwater, nor did he have one when captured by the Flying Fish Knights or when trying to stop Hody.
So, are you really a swordsman?
As they remained on high alert, a massive shadow approached from the distance, speeding toward them.
"It's coming."
Arlong tensed his body, ready to attack at any moment.
However, with a swift motion, Xiaqiu zipped past them and continued on into the distance, disappearing from sight.
"What..." Hachi was taken aback by the scene.
"What is he doing?"
Arlong was already at a loss, unable to comprehend why he had come only to leave again.
Ba looked at him and asked, "Boss, what should we do?"
Arlong gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry about it. Let's move."
The group continued on their way, but they hadn't gone far when Xiaqiu came rumbling back.
"Stay alert."
Arlong shouted again, and all the Fishmen stopped once more.
However, Xiaqiu turned around and swam away, stopping about fifty or sixty meters from them.
Arlong's fists clenched tightly, making a creaking sound as he suppressed his anger. "Keep moving."
Then, Xiaqiu charged at them again. Seeing this, Arlong pushed off the ground and rushed toward Xiaqiu.
But Xiaqiu had already caught onto his movement and swiftly turned to swim away into the distance.
Damn it.
Arlong angrily halted and returned to the group.
This happened twice more, once with Xiaqiu even biting down on a fish.
Arlong felt like he was about to explode with rage. He kept telling himself to stay calm, to remain composed, but he couldn't suppress the fury boiling inside him.
On the fifth encounter, thankfully, Arlong stopped as Xiaqiu approached again. This time, Arlong's group stayed at a distance.
Hehehe.
Xiaqiu waved its tail and twisted in the water.
"Boss, is it trying to provoke us?" Ba asked blankly.
"I..."
Arlong was filled with rage, but there was nothing he could do. "Keep moving," he said.
In the distance, Xiaqiu watched them leave and followed closely behind, secretly pleased.
Are you angry now?
You used a coordinated strategy to prevent me from ambushing you, but I have other methods.
A librarian once said, "When the enemy advances, I retreat; when the enemy halts, I disrupt; when the enemy tires, I strike; when the enemy retreats, I pursue." (It might have been from a general.)
Xiaqiu followed this principle: you attack, I retreat; you stop, I harass; you leave, I chase.
It was quite mischievous and very enjoyable.
With Xiaqiu's interference, Arlong and his crew were increasingly frustrated, their nerves constantly on edge, consuming a lot of their stamina and energy.
More importantly, they had gradually veered off course from Zoumeida Island, deviating at least thirty degrees from their intended direction.
At this rate, they might not even make it back to the island.
Xiaqiu stayed close behind them, continuously harassing Arlong's group until they could hardly bear it.
After another hour had passed, they had only covered ten kilometers.
This pace was no different from when they had abandoned their injured comrades.
Just as Arlong's group began to exhaust themselves and grow weary of the chase, Xiaqiu decided to implement the four words of the sixteen-character strategy that he had yet to use.
When the enemy tires, I strike.
Since you've reached your limit, I won't hold back any longer.
Xiaqiu's body swayed as he charged once more towards Arlong and the others.
"Here he comes again," Eight shouted, watching the figure in the distance.
However, Arlong remained unconcerned and said, "Don't mind him; let's wait for him to pass."
Just as his words fell, Xiaqiu suddenly accelerated and crashed into them.
The final battle had begun.
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