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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Two: Speculation
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
After devouring three Shrimp, Xiaqiu felt a sense of fullness in her belly and quickly swam to the side. She dove into a pile of sand beneath a protruding rock, hiding in the shadows.
In the next moment, the familiar Heat Flow returned. Half an hour later, she began to excrete, and an hour later, hunger struck again.
Xiaqiu emerged from the mud and sand to observe the traces she had left behind—forty centimeters long.
It had been two hours since she crossed over to the Fish Body, and during that time, her body length had increased by ten centimeters.
Her weight had also increased by at least three hundred grams.
Such a rate of growth was truly astonishing.
The amount of food consumed, the degree of digestion, the rate of growth, and the food conversion rate all exceeded her understanding.
What on earth was happening?
The questions swirling in Xiaqiu's mind remained unanswered. She could only bury her doubts deep within and continue to feed.
As she swam further away, preparing to catch more Shrimp, a school of fish approached from a distance—about a dozen of them.
These fish had large heads with protruding jaws, their bodies flattened sideways. They were covered in scales along their backs, which were yellowish-brown near the dorsal fins and golden-yellow on their bellies.
They resembled Large Yellow Croakers.
Xiaqiu was no stranger to Large Yellow Croakers; they were one of China's three major seafood varieties alongside Yellow Croakers and Belt Fish.
In her hometown, Zhoushan City, Zhoushan Yellow Croaker was especially renowned throughout the country.
The Zhoushan Yellow Croaker has historically been a prized offering for fishermen during sea rituals and a delicacy served to esteemed guests.
The flesh of the Zhoushan Yellow Croaker is tender and rich in protein, with a high calcium content, containing various trace elements and vitamins, making it highly nutritious.
It is best suited for steaming; if frying is preferred, it is essential to use plenty of oil, or it will easily fall apart.
Xiaqiu was surprised to find Large Yellow Croakers here. These fish are distributed in the southern Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea. Could it be that he was still in the Huaxia Sea Area?
Could this mean he could pinpoint his location?
Xiaqiu felt a glimmer of hope. Even though knowing where he was wouldn't help him return to his original society, it provided him with some psychological comfort.
Watching the Large Yellow Croakers swimming before him, Xiaqiu decided to change his food choice and taste these fish.
He focused intently on their shapes, swaying his body before charging toward the school of fish.
Splash.
Sensing Xiaqiu approaching from behind, the Large Yellow Croakers quickened their pace and swam away into the distance.
However, Xiaqiu was too fast, steadily closing the gap between them.
Splash.
As Xiaqiu drew near, the Yellow Croakers scattered in all directions to escape.
He zeroed in on the one closest to him.
The Yellow Croaker measured about twenty centimeters in length and weighed around two hundred fifty grams, enough to satisfy its hunger.
Xiaqiu quickly caught up, its body swaying as it swam sideways.
But in the moment it passed by, Xiaqiu suddenly accelerated, biting into the side of its prey.
With a snap.
The side of the Yellow Croaker erupted in a spray of blood, and then a large mouthful of fish flesh was drawn into Xiaqiu's belly.
The Large Yellow Croaker was instantly killed, its body slowly sinking.
Xiaqiu followed closely behind, continuously gnawing at the side of the Large Yellow Croaker, consuming the flesh from both sides and tearing off the abdominal fat.
When Xiaqiu finished eating, only the fish bones with the head, tail, and some remaining flesh were left on the sandy ground.
Feeling full.
Xiaqiu sensed a feeling of fullness in its abdomen, slightly uncomfortable.
It had probably consumed around one hundred grams of fish flesh, which was a bit too much for itself.
However, with its powerful digestive ability, it wouldn't be long before it could convert this into nutrients for growth.
Xiaqiu swam to one side and buried itself in the mud, remaining still. This would slow down the efficiency of digestion and alleviate the discomfort caused by the Heat Flow that followed.
Crack crack crack.
This time, the Heat Flow was even more intense, spreading throughout its body in an instant, causing its bones to emit faint sounds.
The sound of cracking bones echoed, a sensation he had only experienced the first time he consumed Shrimp, and the evolution that followed was far more powerful than any subsequent ones.
Could it be due to changing his diet?
Every time he tried a new type of food for the first time, the extent of evolution seemed to far exceed that of later attempts.
Xiaqiu shook his head, enduring the pain as he waited for the Heat Flow to subside.
At that moment, he noticed a group of fish swimming near the corpse of the Large Yellow Croaker in the distance.
These fish were mostly around ten centimeters long, with some reaching about twenty centimeters. They had a cylindrical shape, a yellowish-brown back, a lighter-colored belly, and a slightly silvery-gray hue near their tails. Their pointed mouths and relatively large eyes made them distinctive.
They swam in groups and, upon seeing the corpse of the Large Yellow Croaker, some fish immediately approached it, sucking on the remnants of its flesh.
Sandfish.
Xiaqiu realized these fish resembled Sandfish closely—creatures that fed on plankton, small crustaceans, and marine worms, typically found at the ocean floor near coastal areas.
Sandfish could be found in various countries' waters, with most located along the southern coasts of China. Connecting this with the Large Yellow Croaker made him wonder if he was in the South China Sea.
Xiaqiu formed a hypothesis and decided to observe further.
He remained hidden in the sediment, ignoring the Sandfish as they swam past him and disappeared into the distance.
Once the Heat Flow weakened, Xiaqiu slowly rose from his position and swam toward the Surface of the Sea.
He continued to explore the nearby waters.
Splash.
Xiaqiu's head broke through the Surface of the Sea, gazing into the distance.
He realized that his vision was excellent, unlike most fish that could only see nearby scenes; he could clearly make out distant sights and freely adjust his focus.
Moreover, his perception of colors was not much different from before; the colors were vibrant and rich.
Most importantly, his field of vision was much wider, allowing him to take in the scenery on both sides at once.
The first two aspects were quite different from most fish, but Xiaqiu was no longer surprised by his differences compared to them.
As he looked into the distance, to his right lay an island. The side of the island facing the sea featured a sloping terrain covered with green plants. One type of plant dominated the landscape, growing about 4 to 8 meters tall, with lush leaves resembling canopies and shaped like inverted ovals.
Sea Mango.
It thrived in coastal wetlands, along riverbanks, and on sandy shores of islands.
It preferred warm and humid climates, flourishing mainly in tropical regions.
Large Yellow Croaker, Sandfish, along with Sea Mango.
Could it be that he was truly in the coastal waters of the South China Sea?
Just as Xiaqiu pondered this, a ship slowly emerged from the other side of the island.
The vessel was still a wooden Sailboat, massive in size with three Masts and eight sails, featuring two layers of cannon ports on its sides.
On the horizontal sail of the first Mast and on the top horizontal sail of the second Mast, a design was etched.
A seagull held a piece of wood in its beak.
On the sail above, there was an English word beneath the pattern: "arine," Navy.
Seeing this emblem, Xiaqiu stood frozen in place.
Isn't this the Navy insignia from One Piece?
This is a Navy ship.
How could it be here?
I've never heard of a one-to-one replica of a Navy ship.
Even if there were, how could it possibly be sailing on the sea, navigating between islands?
Where exactly am I?
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