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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Sixty-One: Discontent
The ten-meter-high water column slowly dissipated, and immediately after, Xiaqiu continued to draw in air, storing it in his lungs.
The shadow that spouted the water column was Xiaqiu.
Strictly speaking, he was not expelling a water column but rather the waste gas from his breath. This stream of air shot out from the nostrils located at the back of his head, carrying with it the surrounding seawater, forming the water column.
The reason he could breathe was due to the structural changes in Xiaqiu's body.
He had developed lungs and two nostrils at the back of his head where the horn protruded.
Growing lungs was not something that happened overnight.
This evolution could be traced back to about four years ago when he began hunting dolphins. Since then, he had hunted many dolphins, as well as his own kind, the Blue Whale, and Fishmen.
Ordinary Fishmen had more Enhanced Energy but less Evolutionary Energy; however, they still possessed some. Especially considering that he had consumed strong individuals like Arlong and Crocboy, along with a significant number of Fishmen.
The Evolutionary Energy he absorbed contributed to the evolutionary information for developing lungs.
Furthermore, his prior hunting of marine mammals led to the growth of his lungs.
Xiaqiu could now breathe on the water's surface, absorbing oxygen and storing it in his lungs before diving into the depths of the sea.
During a single dive, he could stay submerged for up to twenty minutes.
Being able to breathe through lungs meant that Xiaqiu was evolving towards becoming a marine mammal.
Viviparous, mammalian, lung-breathing, and warm-blooded.
Xiaqiu couldn't determine if it was viviparous or oviparous, as the distinction lies in the fact that viviparous creatures develop their fertilized eggs within a womb, while oviparous ones nurture their eggs outside the mother's body.
Xiaqiu could feel that it had male genitalia, but it couldn't confirm its mode of reproduction.
However, Xiaqiu was capable of lung respiration and maintaining a constant body temperature.
Yet, Xiaqiu could not be classified as a mammal since it had not lost its gills.
It could breathe through its nostrils and also suck in water through its mouth, filtering it with its gills to absorb dissolved oxygen.
This granted Xiaqiu two methods of respiration.
Unlike traditional amphibians, which typically use gills in their juvenile stage underwater and switch to lungs and skin as adults, Xiaqiu could breathe using both gills and lungs simultaneously.
Xiaqiu speculated that this unique trait was related to Fishman, who possessed both gills and lungs, allowing for seamless transitions between underwater and above-water environments.
This meant that Xiaqiu could leave the water.
If it only had gills, it would be unable to remain exposed to air for long periods. The structure of fish gills caused them to stick together when out of water, significantly reducing the respiratory surface area and making it impossible to obtain sufficient oxygen.
However, gills could still function in air; they just struggled due to the low oxygen levels. Over time, exposure to air would dry out the gill filaments and lamellae, damaging their structure and ultimately leading to a complete loss of respiratory ability and death.
But Xiaqiu was different. When exposed above water, it could switch its breathing method without needing to open its gill covers and risking damage that would render them unusable in water.
Just like the Fishman, I can switch forms too.
So if I grow limbs, maybe I can come ashore.
Perhaps I should give it a try.
Xiaqiu thought as he slowly submerged into the water, discerning the direction before swimming off into the distance, with Moo Moo closely following behind.
Over the past three months, Moo Moo had become Xiaqiu's sidekick.
As long as he stayed close to Xiaqiu, he didn't have to worry about stronger sea creatures appearing, and there was always food to eat. Why not enjoy it?
On the contrary, if he tried to escape, he would only end up getting beaten up.
So Moo Moo accepted this reality, acknowledging Xiaqiu as his leader and following him through these waters while sailing.
Xiaqiu led him further away, constantly searching for something.
After swimming for a while, Xiaqiu's sonar detected a massive object appearing on the water's surface.
It was a ship.
Located in the northwest direction, three thousand meters away.
Hopefully, it's a Pirate Ship.
Xiaqiu dashed toward the target, with Moo Moo trailing closely behind.
Xiaqiu approached the Sea Vessel from a hundred meters away, slowly rising to the surface and gazing at the ship.
Before him was a vessel approximately forty meters long, adorned with a toothy Pirate Flag.
Is it a Pirate Ship?
Xiaqiu's eyes lit up as he charged toward the Warship.
With its massive form and immense power, it collided directly with the Pirate Ship.
Crack!
The keel of the ship shattered, and a gap appeared in its hull as it began to sink slowly.
Splash! Splash!
One pirate after another jumped into the sea.
Xiaqiu did not attack but waited quietly.
As the pirates on board began to gather in the water, Xiaqiu ensured that there were no more pirates left on the ship.
Then, Xiaqiu launched his assault.
"Please, no! No!"
A pirate looked at Xiaqiu's enormous mouth, panic-stricken, shouting for help, but it was all in vain.
Crack.
Xiaqiu bit down and swallowed it whole.
Then he continued to chase down and kill one pirate after another, devouring them.
Moo Moo waited nearby, knowing that the boss wouldn't allow him to eat humans; going over would only result in a beating.
Before long, all twelve pirates had become meals for Xiaqiu.
However, disappointment filled Xiaqiu's eyes.
It was too little; the Enhanced Energy provided by these pirates was insufficient.
All the pirates combined barely equaled the Enhanced Energy from a single Colonel Lido.
Given Xiaqiu's massive size and strength now, such Heat Flow was too scarce to even notice a qualitative change.
Moreover, it was too troublesome. He had attacked four Pirate Ships this month and consumed all their crew.
But these were the ones he had carefully selected from hundreds of ships, surfacing time and again only to leave him disappointed.
The energy wasted in effort was greater than the energy gained from eating the pirates.
The East Sea wasn't devoid of powerful pirates—Black Cat Pirates, Kree Pirates—though they couldn't compare to the fearsome Dragon Pirate Crew, they could still provide some Enhanced Energy.
But with such a vast East Sea, where could he find them?
Other pirates were as good as not having eaten at all.
Even the Black Cat Pirates and Kree Pirates, consuming their Enhanced Energy was only a mediocre gain.
Attack the Navy?
The Navy of the Eastern Sea Division, even the strongest Commodore or Colonel, could be dealt with easily when they were just fifteen meters long.
They held no value.
This left Xiaqiu quite dissatisfied, and at the same time, a certain thought in his mind grew stronger.
Should he head to the Grand Line?
In Xiaqiu's heart, the desire for exploration and the thought of becoming stronger for the first time surpassed his fear of the Grand Line.
...
"Is this the Grand Line?"
At Reverse Mountain, a pirate ship from the West Sea had just crossed over, rushing down along the waterway.
Bang.
The pirate ship landed heavily on the surface of the sea, slowly stabilizing, but fine cracks began to appear on its hull.
"Finally arrived at the Grand Line! Hahaha, let’s conquer it!" On the deck, a pirate wearing a captain's hat stood up and shouted loudly, "We will start from here and make the Black Horn Pirates famous!"
"Roar, roar, roar." The other pirates shouted loudly.
At the Stern position, a figure wearing a Hood observed this scene, shaking their head lightly and saying, "You cannot survive on this route just by relying on yourselves."
"I will help you reach the next town, and then I will leave you."
"It is time to search for the next Partner."
The owner of the figure slowly walked back to the cabin and closed the door.
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