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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 42: Late Arrival
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, six months had passed.
It was now June of the 151st year of the Sea Circle Calendar, and the heat was unbearable, with the sun blazing down fiercely.
On a Merchant Ship, Nami leaned against the side, gazing at the waters below. In her left hand, she held a stopwatch, while her right hand clutched a notebook with a pen tucked inside.
Beside her stood a tall figure, nearly two meters in height, with six tentacles. He held a knotted rope in his hands, continuously tossing it into the ocean.
Nami calculated the length of the rope based on its knots and then divided the length by time to determine the current's speed.
"This should be about right."
Nami quickly opened her notebook, jotting down notes and calculations for the current's speed and direction.
"Are you done?" Hachi asked from beside her, watching intently.
Nami nodded. "I've calculated the current and its direction for this area, but now I need to observe weather changes and will need to check periodically."
"Does that mean I won't be needed?" Hachi asked eagerly.
Nami glanced at him. "Yeah, for now, I can handle it on my own."
Hachi sighed in frustration. "I really don't understand why Arlong wanted me to come along with you!"
Nami shrugged and said, "Maybe it's because you are the strongest and most trusted Fishman under Arlong."
"Hahaha, you're not wrong."
The man laughed heartily, then wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "It's too hot. I'm going to cool off for a bit. Call me if you need anything."
With that, he jumped into the ocean with a splash, using his tentacles to cling to the bottom of the ship, following the Sea Vessel underwater.
After he left, the atmosphere on the Merchant Ship suddenly relaxed, and many people let out sighs of relief.
Many held a disdain for Fishmen, viewing them as monsters, but for ordinary people, their fear of Fishmen often outweighed their hostility.
At the same time, two years ago when Jinbei became one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the World Government began promoting racial equality. Newspapers and broadcasts frequently mentioned Fishmen, and under this promotion, relations in areas with fewer Fishmen became relatively more harmonious.
So they simply kept their distance from Fishmen but did not prevent them from boarding.
"What are you doing?"
After the man left, a figure approached Nami and curiously asked her.
"Who are you?"
Nami looked at the person, who turned out to be a tall and strong young man smiling at her.
"I am Marcel, the First Mate of this ship."
Marcel smiled, revealing his white teeth.
"My name is Nami."
Nami nodded and pointed to the Surface of the Sea, saying, "I am measuring the water currents."
"Are you the Navigator?"
Marcel looked at Nami with curiosity. "That's impressive. I've been sailing for two years, and I can only manage fixed sea routes."
Nami shrugged it off. "It's nothing special."
Marcel then glanced down. "That was a Fishman, right?"
"Yes, an Octopus Fishman," Nami replied.
Marcel chuckled. "Is he your bodyguard?"
"Sort of," Nami said, quickly jotting something down in her notebook.
"Marcel smiled and said, 'I saw him carrying Six Blades. Hahaha, it's my first time seeing an Octopus Fishman.'"
"Is that so?"
Nami replied without looking up, her pen still moving across the paper.
At that moment, Marcel realized she was too busy to pay him any mind, so he added, "I'm the First Mate on this ship. If you need anything, just come find me."
"First Mate?"
Nami raised an eyebrow upon hearing this; she hadn't expected someone so young to already hold the position of First Mate.
Marcel left his words hanging in the air and walked to the ship's designated area, picking up a pair of enormous Dumbbells, beginning his training.
He performed lateral raises, shoulder presses, front raises, and bicep curls.
Each of these Dumbbells weighed over a hundred pounds, yet he handled them with ease, showcasing strength that rivaled some Fishmen.
Of course, most Fish Soldiers possessed greater strength than he did.
However, when it came to Fishmen like the one wielding six three-hundred-kilogram swords and executing unbelievable techniques, Marcel felt he was still far behind.
Nami withdrew her gaze and continued to look into the distance, observing the changes in the weather.
In the depths of the ocean, Xiaqiu was engaged in a fierce battle with a group of sharks.
It clamped down on the largest shark, biting it fatally, then swung its tail, sending another shark flying away.
One shark lunged at its back, but Xiaqiu charged forward, its robust dorsal fin crashing into the shark and sending it sprawling.
Two sharks targeted Xiaqiu's side, but their teeth could not penetrate its defenses.
Meanwhile, two more sharks were ensnared by three of Xiaqiu's tentacles each, tightly wrapped around them. The tentacles constricted, preventing the sharks from swimming and depriving them of the free oxygen in the water, causing them to slowly suffocate.
Before long, seven or eight sharks had perished. The remaining sharks dared not continue their assault and turned to flee.
Xiaqiu then began to feast on the sharks at a leisurely pace.
It was quite effective.
Xiaqiu felt very satisfied with the function of its tentacles.
After six months of hunting, Xiaqiu's Tentacles had grown to a total of ten, arranged on either side of its abdomen in two rows, forming five pairs in total. Among them, the first, second, third, and fifth were Short Arms.
The fourth pair is Tentacles.
The Short Arms have two rows of Suction Cups, with each Suction Cup measuring about six centimeters in diameter, while the Short Arms themselves are approximately fifteen centimeters in diameter, extending from the base.
The length of the first Short Arm is only five meters, while the second and third are seven meters long, and the Tentacles reach a length of twelve meters.
Currently, its length is around thirty-five meters, with a height of about six meters and a width of four meters.
The Tentacles are located beneath the abdomen, now capable of protecting a twenty-meter-long area of the abdomen while also safeguarding all sides of the region where the Tentacles are situated.
The protected area is sufficient.
In terms of hunting ability, the Tentacles possess immense strength and gripping power, easily able to ensnare sharks measuring seven or eight meters in length.
Among the Octopoda, the number of sharks killed by Octopuses is relatively higher, but most of these are attributed to Giant Octopuses and Mako Sharks.
They ambush to entangle the sharks.
However, as both parties grow larger, hunting becomes increasingly difficult. One reason is that Squids are large and mostly inhabit deep waters, while sharks rarely venture into these depths, making ambush conditions hard to create.
Without an ambush, a Squid's strength cannot restrain larger sharks; sharks have the ability to sense vibrations and typically strike first, leading to the Squid's demise.
This disparity in power is significant; a Giant Squid measuring between ten to thirteen meters weighs only about three hundred kilograms.
The twenty-meter Giant Squid weighed just over a ton.
In contrast, a shark measuring seven or eight meters weighed over four tons.
The large squid had no chance of mounting a strong counterattack against the Mako Shark and would be dragged along by it.
However, Xiaqiu was different; his immense weight meant that as long as the Tentacles had enough grip, the target could not escape his grasp.
Thus, the Tentacles were even more effective on Xiaqiu than they were on an Octopus.
With the Tentacles, Xiaqiu was confident he could take on an Officer in a one-on-one fight.
After finishing off the shark, Xiaqiu retracted the Tentacles; part of them could be drawn into the sac at their base while the rest coiled up.
This made it difficult to see the Tentacles from the front of Xiaqiu.
He swayed his body and swam back in the direction he came from, arriving at the western side of the island's harbor, which was not far from Arlong Park to the south.
Just then, Xiaqiu suddenly sensed a massive tremor coming from the surface of the sea.
He opened his mouth to release sound waves, and the feedback indicated that a gigantic ship was approaching.
Xiaqiu quickly surfaced and looked toward the ship.
The pattern etched on the white sail made Xiaqiu's eyes narrow.
Naval Battleship.
The Navy has arrived.
The Pirate Crew had been here for over six months, and this was the Navy's first appearance.
Were they here to attack Arlong, or were they here to cooperate?
Regardless of which it was, action was needed.
Xiaqiu swam toward the direction of the Naval Battleship.
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