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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Eighty-Seven: Support and Experiment
In Whiskey Hill Town, R8 sat in the bar, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as his feet fidgeted restlessly, revealing his anxiety.
"Calm down, R8," Issnday, dressed in tight-fitting attire, frowned beside him, clearly displeased.
"I really don't know how R8 became our leader," Muscular Nun sighed, shaking his head.
"Because he is incredibly strong; he can be considered the best under Senior Agent. Even Senior Agent can't match his strength. If it weren't for his personality, he'd already be R6 by now," the wide-brimmed hat swordsman observed from a distance.
"I don't think I'm afraid of him when it comes to strength," Muscular Nun scoffed.
At the bar, R8 voiced his concern, "It's been six days; why hasn't R11 returned? Our food supplies are running low."
"They were supposed to return within two to three days after setting out to sea, but this time..." Monday also furrowed his brow.
R8 anxiously asked, "What should we do?"
After pondering for a moment, Monday replied, "There are still boats in town; we can only send someone out to hunt again."
R8 immediately inquired, "Who should we send?"
"I'll go."
Monday stood up and glanced into the distance. Before he could speak further, a woman clad in Nun attire and the wide-brimmed hat swordsman also stood up and said, "Take us with you."
"Alright."
Monday nodded. Just as he was about to leave, the door suddenly burst open, and a figure rushed into the room, shouting loudly, "The pirates are here!"
"Pirates?"
Upon hearing this, Monday's eyes lit up. "Quick, let's go welcome them!"
All the Bounty Hunters in the bar sprang to their feet and ran toward the door.
Boom.
With a loud crash, the massive Pirate Ship slowly sank. The people on board jumped into the water, only to be swallowed whole by a gigantic Black Fish.
After finishing its meal, the Black Fish dove beneath the waves, disappearing without a trace.
On the shore, the crowd stood frozen, their expressions grim.
"The Pirate Ship was actually attacked," said the Wide-Brimmed Hat Swordsman in disbelief.
R8 bit his finger nervously, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead as he exclaimed in a panicked voice, "It took nearly ten days for a single Pirate Ship to arrive, and it was attacked by a sea creature. Damn it."
"But worrying now won't help," Monday scoffed. "Let's head back and continue waiting. We set sail for hunting tomorrow."
On the second day, Whiskey Town dispatched another hunting party, consisting of at least fifteen members.
They were all wiped out.
Monday, the Wide-Brimmed Hat Swordsman, and the Muscular Nun—some of the strongest Bounty Hunters from Whiskey Peak—never returned from the Surface of the Sea.
And so they waited for five more days as food supplies in Whiskey Peak dwindled.
Originally, Whiskey Peak had limited food reserves, enough to sustain ten to twenty people.
They would go fishing every five days, and there were fish in nearby waters. Additionally, supplies were brought in from other islands, which helped maintain the town's food supply.
However, with two fishing boats now missing at sea and having taken many livestock as bait with them, Whiskey Hill Town's food reserves were nearly depleted.
Thus, three days prior, R8 reported the situation to headquarters.
Recently, three ships were slowly approaching Whiskey Town from the ocean.
The two ships trailing behind bore the letter "B," representing Baroque Works.
The vessel had no markings of the letter "b," and its design featured a massive sharp point.
"We're almost there."
On the deck of the ship stood a striking woman, dressed in traditional desert attire, her head wrapped in a scarf and sunglasses shielding her eyes, with light green hair cascading down.
A burly man clad in armor stood on the same deck, gripping a broad-bladed sword in his right hand. "What a bunch of useless fools, unable to secure even the supplies from a forward base."
"That's why R is so angry. We're here to deal with R8," the woman replied with a light smile, then shot a sidelong glance at the man. "R8's power ranks among the top in all of Baroque Works. If it weren't for their incompetence, they wouldn't be sitting at eighth place."
"But he's just an Intermediate Agent," the man scoffed. "I'll take care of him."
"Well, I'm looking forward to it, R5."
She spoke lightly, a hint of mockery on her face, clearly showing her lack of trust in her partner.
Three ships sailed toward Whiskey Hill Town, the distant cactus-shaped peaks appearing and disappearing in the haze.
At that moment, a loud commotion erupted from a ship far off.
"What happened?" R5 frowned as he looked into the distance.
Boom!
The distant Sea Vessel trembled again, a massive crack splitting its hull as it slowly began to sink.
"Quick, move closer! Rescue them!"
R5 shouted loudly. Not only was his ship heading toward the distressed vessel, but another ship also approached to attempt a rescue for those who had fallen into the water.
Boom!
The ship beneath R5 shook violently.
"What on earth is going on?"
The Green Woman extended her right hand upward.
Whoosh.
A vine shot out from her palm, wrapping tightly around the Mast above. She stepped onto the Mast and looked down at the Surface of the Sea.
"What do you see?" r5 shouted, lifting his head.
"Sea fish, there's a Black Fish underwater."
Valentine's Day stood on the Mast, watching as the Black Fish surged toward the Surface of the Sea. He shouted, "It's coming, Heart!"
With Valentine's Day's words, the Black Fish crashed directly into the Pirate Ship.
Crack.
A large hole opened in the hull of the Pirate Ship, and immediately a Boatman rushed over, shouting, "Lord r5, if it hits again, the ship will sink!"
"Only two hits and the ship can't hold up?" r5's expression darkened. This ship was made from extremely hard wood, yet it was already severely damaged after just two impacts.
"This Black Fish is formidable; we need to get to that intact ship."
r5 thought to himself as he glanced at another vessel, about to shout for them to come closer.
Whoosh.
Valentine's Day swung down from the Mast using the vine and leaped toward the distant ship. Midway through, the vine disappeared, and Valentine’s Day extended his hand again, shooting out several vines that wrapped around the Mast of the other ship before landing on it.
"Valentine's Day, take me over!" r5 called out loudly upon witnessing this scene.
However, Valentine’s Day turned a deaf ear and said to the nearby Bounty Hunter, "Set sail, head straight for Whiskey Peak."
"But Lord r5..." a Billionaire nearby hesitated to say.
"If he can't even handle a sea fish, he doesn't deserve to be r5. I am a Devil Fruit user; I can't go into the water, so of course I have to leave." Valentine’s Day glanced around at the others and added, "If he gets killed, won't you all have a chance to fill that vacancy?"
"This..."
The Billionaire's expression showed a hint of emotion.
"Set sail quickly."
Valentine's Day said coldly, "Don't worry about her."
"Understood."
The ship immediately started moving, heading into the distance.
"Damn it."
Seeing this scene, R5's face turned exceptionally angry; he never expected she would abandon him.
But soon his expression hardened as he gripped his Broad Sword and said, "We can only kill this fish. Everyone, get ready."
...
Fifteen minutes later, only one figure remained on the vast Surface of the Sea.
"No, please don't."
Valentine's Day lay on the Sea Vessel formed by the vines emanating from her body, floating on the ocean.
Her face was filled with terror as she stared blankly ahead, where a gigantic Black Fish loomed before the Sea Vessel. Its massive horns broke through the Water Surface, pushing against the Sea Vessel as it charged toward the deep sea.
Smack.
Valentine's Day's right hand extended a vine and struck the Black Fish on its head, but it left no mark whatsoever.
It was useless.
Valentine's Day was filled with fear, unsure of what to do.
He had managed to build a ship through sheer determination and skill, but his attacks were utterly ineffective against the Black Fish.
What exactly was this Black Fish? Its massive form was matched only by its incredible strength, capable of sinking a Sea Vessel. Even an R5 couldn't inflict any damage on it.
Moreover, it targeted humans. Despite the three ships being stocked with plenty of food, it chose to attack the Bounty Hunters instead.
What surprised Valentine's Day the most was that it did not kill him.
It had refrained from attacking him, focusing solely on the other Bounty Hunters who had fallen into the water, limiting its own movements.
Only after eliminating all the other Bounty Hunters did it approach him, using the vines it had created to push his Pirate Ship down into the depths of the sea.
What was it trying to do?
Valentine's Day felt a surge of panic as he watched the sea creature, feeling helpless and unsure of what to do.
Xiaqiu also felt a bit lost.
What was she supposed to do with him?
She was a Devil Fruit User; although she had never seen one in the manga, she should be a Senior Agent of Baroque Works.
Even now, she was uncertain about how Moo Moo had become a Devil Fruit User.
He had eaten a corpse and transformed into a Devil Fruit User.
But after such a long time, the Devil Fruit should have transferred by now.
So Xiaqiu looked at the woman before her, unsure of how to proceed.
"What do you want to do?"
Valentine's Day asked gently as he gazed at Xiaqiu.
"Puff Puff Puff."
The pores on the top of Xiaqiu's head rhythmically sprayed three streams of water.
"You've killed so many people, yet you haven't killed me. Do you not want to kill me?" Valentine's Day asked, her voice trembling.
"Puff Puff Puff."
Xiaqiu sprayed out another three streams of water.
"Please let me go."
Valentine's Day pleaded, looking at the increasingly distant sea around her, filled with immense panic.
But Xiaqiu remained unmoved, continuing to push her deeper into the ocean.
"What do you want to do?"
Valentine's Day was confused; this sea creature was strange, not killing her but only pushing her further into the depths.
At that moment, however, Xiaqiu sensed a massive presence approaching from afar. Judging by its size, it must be a Sea Beast.
"That's enough."
Xiaqiu noticed that the Sea Beast was still five hundred meters away and suddenly dove deeper into the ocean.
"Is it leaving?"
Seeing this scene, Valentine’s Day let out a sigh. Although she had been pushed into the sea, as long as she wasn't killed, she could still return.
But just then, she felt a tremor coming from beneath the Surface of the Sea.
Boom.
Five gigantic tentacles emerged from the seabed, crashing through the Sea Vessel and sweeping toward Valentine’s Day.
"Huh?"
Seeing this scene, Valentine’s Day raised both hands, and countless vines spread out from her palms, wrapping around her.
The sound of rustling filled the air.
Xiaqiu's tentacles wrapped around Valentine’s Day, but the vines resisted his constriction.
"This ability is really troublesome," Xiaqiu thought as he flipped over, his tentacles ensnaring her and pulling her into the sea.
The vines could not stop the water from seeping in. As Valentine’s Day came into contact with the seawater, her body immediately weakened, but the vines remained intact.
Seawater could sap the strength of a Devil Fruit user, but it would not erase their abilities.
Luffy remained a rubber man even underwater.
Aokiji had once used his powers to plunge his hand into the sea and freeze it.
Then there was the future user of the Melting Fruit, who could create candles on the water to form a vessel.
Although the vines did not disappear, the seawater suffocated her, and combined with the tightening tentacles, her lungs were running out of oxygen.
"Ugh."
Valentine’s Day struggled violently, but it was futile. She opened her mouth, only to have seawater rush in.
Xiaqiu tightened his grip on the tentacles, moving away from the Sea Beast while maintaining a distance, waiting for Valentine’s Day to perish.
"Guh."
As oxygen depleted, Valentine’s Day's eyes bulged, and her body grew weaker.
"Is she dead?"
Xiaqiu sensed that she had stopped responding. After waiting a moment longer, he suddenly turned back and swam toward the Sea Beast. Upon getting closer, he realized it was a massive Sea Cat.
"Um?"
The Sea Cat paused slightly upon seeing Xiaqiu, a hint of suspicion in its gaze. The two were of similar size, and the Sea Cat hesitated, unsure whether to attack.
But in the next moment, Xiaqiu released the Tentacles and dropped the woman.
The body of Valentine's Day sank into the sea, while Xiaqiu distanced itself from the scene.
"What is that?"
The Sea Cat approached slowly, biting down on the corpse.
Crunch, crunch.
In just two bites, Valentine's Day was swallowed whole. Xiaqiu sensed this and felt relieved, continuing to move away.
After consuming the body, the Sea Cat did not pursue Xiaqiu but instead swayed its massive Pectoral Fin and swam off in another direction.
Once it had traveled some distance, Xiaqiu followed again, maintaining a safe distance.
The situation with Moo Moo had been more complicated, so further experimentation was necessary.
This was a Sea Cat, also a Sea Beast, making it a perfect subject for testing.
Five minutes passed, then ten.
Fifteen minutes went by without any change in the distant Sea Cat.
"It seems eating the corpse of a Devil Fruit User is safe; at least within one minute after death, consuming the body won't trigger a transformation."
Xiaqiu had killed Valentine's Day and allowed less than a minute to pass before letting the Sea Cat eat the body.
Even after fifteen minutes had elapsed since consumption, there was no sign of the Sea Cat becoming a Devil Fruit User.
This confirmed that within one minute of a Devil Fruit User's death, their abilities would transfer.
Xiaqiu felt there was no need to try again in a shorter time.
It seemed that Moo Moo's previous success was a coincidence, and the reason behind it was unknown.
Xiaqiu relaxed, thinking that in the future, after killing a Devil Fruit User and leaving a minute for the ability to transfer, they could consume the fruit.
This way, the upcoming plans could be carried out boldly and confidently, and the implementation would be smoother.
With that thought in mind, Xiaqiu rushed towards the Sea Cat.
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