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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 111: Defect
The oppressive presence of the giant beast and the woman caused the surrounding Bounty Hunters to freeze in place, silenced as if a chill had swept over them, not daring to breathe loudly.
"Where is R8?"
Stepping forward, Nico Robin halted and asked curiously.
"Issa11sunday, R8 has been injured," one of the Bounty Hunters quickly replied.
Nico Robin immediately furrowed her brow and asked, "Injured? Who injured him?"
All the Bounty Hunters turned to look at a burly man, who quickly said, "My lady, it was R8 and Monday who challenged me. I defeated them while holding back, but they still sustained injuries. I am willing to accept punishment."
"Holding back? You defeated them even while holding back; your strength seems quite impressive."
Nico Robin looked at him with curiosity and smiled as she asked, "Are you the newcomer wanting to join Baroque Works?"
The burly man quickly replied, "Indeed, I am. I am a Bounty Hunter from the West Sea, Heckler."
"No need to give your real name; Baroque Works only uses codenames."
Nico Robin waved her hand and continued, "Since you intend to join us, if you truly possess the strength of a Senior Agent, I will arrange for you to have a codename and partner after the assessment."
"Understood."
Heckler respectfully said, "Then let Lord Trouble conduct my assessment."
A bit of respect would ensure a lighter touch in this matter, and if I let the lady handle the assessment, that giant beast wouldn't have to intervene.
But in the next moment, Xiaqiu charged forward, thundering towards Heckler.
"Autumn."
Nico Robin saw this scene and tried to call out to him. After coming ashore, Xiaqiu could write, changing it to his own name. In the world of One Piece, there are only English and Japanese names. The character 'Xia' was removed, allowing him to be called Samo in English and Naz in Japanese. The character 'qiu' was removed, and in Japanese, he would be called Aki. In reality, people do have these names. Any of them could work, but in Chinese, it would still be written as qiu.
"Come on."
However, Xiaqiu did not stop and charged forward.
He not only wanted to test the opponent but also wanted to test himself and see how strong he was on the sixth level.
Once on the sixth level, his movements became slow, and his attacking methods were further reduced.
The opponent had the strength of a Senior Agent; he wanted to see how he measured up.
If he couldn't even withstand the sixth level of himself, then he was weak and of little value.
If he couldn't withstand it and got seriously injured, then he would kill him and eat him.
Xiaqiu charged directly forward, his six massive legs moving towards Heckler.
"Not good."
Seeing this scene, Heckler moved his legs and began to run away into the distance.
The other Bounty Hunters scattered and ran away as well.
"Trying to escape?"
Xiaqiu locked onto Heckler's figure. At the moment he sidestepped to dodge, Xiaqiu suddenly halted his front limbs, spun around sharply, and lunged at him with a bite.
"There's no escaping."
Heckler felt a chill run down his spine as he witnessed the scene unfold. With the teeth drawing closer, he suddenly clenched his jaw and turned, launching a powerful punch.
"Steel Fist."
As Heckler spoke, his biceps bulged, and his arms shot forward.
Bang.
Heckler's fist collided with Xiaqiu's massive teeth, producing a thunderous sound.
Crash.
In the next moment, Heckler was sent flying, crashing into the wall and shattering it as he tumbled inside.
Meanwhile, Xiaqiu twisted its body but did not lessen its force, barreling into the row of buildings.
Boom!
All the walls crumbled, the load-bearing walls collapsed, and even the second-floor ceiling was smashed apart.
Without support from below, the upper floors began to cave in one after another, crashing down with a deafening roar.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The building turned to ruins, burying Xiaqiu beneath the debris.
"Autumn."
Nico Robin hurriedly ran towards Xiaqiu, her expression filled with concern as she reached out to use her Devil Fruit ability.
Boom!
The ruins began to tremble, and Xiaqiu stood up, slowly backing away. Shaking his head and twisting his body, debris flew in all directions, and smoke filled the air.
He was completely unharmed; there wasn't even a mark on his scales.
Despite the heavy upper floors, the gaps between them allowed some boards to fall, crashing down onto him. Yet, they couldn't penetrate Xiaqiu's scales and were absorbed by his muscles.
As for the weight of the building itself, it meant nothing to Xiaqiu.
"Unbelievable that I'm fine."
The surrounding Bounty Hunters were astonished at the sight. So many floorboards had fallen on him, yet he bore not a single scratch.
Moreover, the force was immense, enough to collapse the building.
"I'm too sluggish on land."
Xiaqiu felt a bit disappointed; if he were in water, he could control his body better and wouldn't have been thrown so far away.
Attacking his opponent was also somewhat laborious; he had almost let them escape his attack range.
"Qiu, are you okay?" Nico Robin asked with concern.
"I'm fine, I'm fine."
Xiaqiu quickly shook his head and wobbled his body, curiously looking into the distance. "Did we manage to kill him?"
"Cough, cough."
At that moment, a coughing sound echoed from a distance as a figure emerged from the large hole created by the impact, stepping out into the open.
He hung his arms limply at his sides, his clothing torn and blood streaked across his skin.
"Surprisingly, he didn't die."
Xiaqiu felt a twinge of disappointment that a single strike hadn't been enough to finish him off.
Here we go again.
Xiaqiu locked onto Heckler in the crowd, ready to charge forward, but in the next instant, his body froze.
"Sixty-Four-Petal Flower, Giant Tree."
Three massive arms appeared around Xiaqiu, two of them gripping his forelimbs while the remaining one pressed against his forehead.
"Is this Nico Robin's ability?"
Xiaqiu felt his movement abruptly halt; with both legs and his front limbs restrained, he couldn't advance an inch.
Those enormous arms belonged to Nico Robin's power.
And there were three of them, which meant it was indeed the Sixty-Four-Petal Flower technique.
Nico Robin had never used Sixty-Four-Petal Flower in the manga; she couldn't even do it two years ago.
But now, two years later, she could directly utilize Eighty Flower, summoning four arms.
"Without charging up, the power is still this great, but for now, I can hold it off."
Nico Robin felt the force transmitted back from the enormous arm in the distance and believed she could still manage to stop it.
Having spent a year and a half on the island, she dedicated half of her time to training her Devil Fruit abilities, resulting in remarkable growth.
After her training, she could now grow up to three massive arms at once, just enough to withstand Xiaqiu.
This was still without Xiaqiu charging up.
Of course, when Xiaqiu did charge, she would find it easier to handle. By controlling the joints and attacking from the side, she could even make Xiaqiu injure itself due to its own momentum.
"Qiu, that's enough. Don't test it any further; otherwise, he will die," Nico Robin said helplessly from the side. "Besides, your destruction is too great."
"Then forget it."
Xiaqiu glanced at her. Being stopped by someone made it too obvious that he was intent on killing his target.
If he wanted to eat, he could sneak over and launch a surprise attack.
However, there was no need for that at the moment. The fact that he could take a hit without dying was already impressive. Although it wasn't a direct confrontation with Front and only involved head-on force—his full strength not being unleashed—surviving a blow with just an injured arm was quite good.
Becoming a Senior Agent was not an issue.
Baroque Works needed subordinates like this, especially those who were brought into Baroque Works by Nico Robin as Senior Agents; they would be an important part of the future Baroque Works he envisioned.
He had to repay Nico Robin's kindness.
Xiaqiu retracted his body and lay there, no longer attacking.
"Sorry, issa11sunday, I'm no match for it," Heckler said with a grim expression.
Nico Robin replied, "It's alright. You've done enough; being able to withstand one of its strikes without dying is already commendable."
Heckler asked expectantly, "Did I pass the assessment?"
"Of course."
Nico Robin looked at Heckler and said, "Your strength is decent. For now, you will be classified as R5, the last among the Senior Agents. Do you have any objections?"
"I have no objections."
Heckler nodded and then said, "Thank you, issa11sunday. If it weren't for you..."
"No need to thank me."
Nico Robin took a Transponder Snail from her waist and tossed it to him. "This is for you. Only I and the president can contact you proactively. I will arrange a new partner for you and assign tasks."
"Understood."
Heckler received the Transponder Snail and respectfully stepped back.
There was no doubt about issa11sunday's strength; he was powerless against even a single strike from that giant beast, while she was able to subdue it.
Not just him, but even the surrounding Bounty Hunters had gained a new understanding of issa11sunday's abilities.
Very strong; no wonder she was R's partner.
However, R had never appeared in front of the world, while Nico Robin was the only one who had seen him. She also held the position of Vice President and served as the highest commander.
In a certain sense, Nico Robin represented the highest authority of Baroque Works.
As long as Crocodile was dead.
Baroque Works could only be controlled by Nico Robin alone.
"The rest is up to you. I will have someone bring the necessary building materials, and you all should restore this place as soon as possible," Nico Robin said, looking at everyone.
"Understood."
The bounty hunters quickly replied, not daring to complain about Xiaqiu destroying their residence and killing many of their comrades.
Nico Robin nodded and said, "Xiaqiu, let's go."
Xiaqiu glanced at the immobile bounty hunters and slowly followed, pondering the battle they had just experienced and the differences from the ocean.
Her speed was fast, but her agility was lacking, far inferior to her movements in the sea.
Her attack methods were limited; she could only use her head, teeth, or tail, at most employing one claw for an attack.
Other body parts, like her tentacles beneath her, needed to be coiled on her back; otherwise, walking would become a hindrance.
The dorsal fin and the spikes on her back were out of reach for opponents, rendering them largely useless.
As for the movements she could perform in the water, they were impossible to execute on land.
The weakening of her abilities upon coming ashore was greater than she had imagined, while her enemies faced no such restrictions, resulting in an overall decrease in her strength.
Thus, she still needed to continue enhancing her power for the time being.
Strengthening is the primary focus; the stronger the body, the faster the speed, and the greater the combat power.
Next, the body's structure also needs to change. At least currently, its structure is less flexible and capable than many animals.
Finally, there are offensive methods. Xiaqiu needs a new means of attack, preferably not a physical one but rather a special ability.
Should it be an expanded sound wave attack, to complement the future Conqueror's Haki?
Or perhaps the ability to shoot flames?
Maybe electricity.
Or water jets, or even poison?
All these abilities can be found in the world of One Piece, but which ability to choose and the dangers of the creatures' habitats must be carefully considered.
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