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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Four: Growth
The sunlight poured down, casting a serene glow on the tranquil seabed, making everything before me so clear.
Fish darted among the coral, shrimp hid beneath the sand, and jellyfish floated gracefully in groups, while schools of fish swam slowly into the distance.
The scene here was breathtakingly beautiful, vibrant and colorful.
In a patch of sand, a crab moved its limbs, slowly scuttling sideways toward a distant rock.
Suddenly, the crab sensed something and quickened its pace, scrambling toward a nearby stone.
In the distance, a shadow approached, and as it drew nearer, it revealed itself to be a massive fish.
This fish was about a meter long, robust in shape, with a large head and enormous pelvic fins, swimming rapidly toward this direction.
Feeling the fish's approach, the crab realized it had no time to slip into the crevice beneath the rock. It instinctively curled up into a ball and pressed itself against the sandy floor.
It remained completely still, hoping this would make it go unnoticed.
But in the next moment.
Snap.
The enormous fish lunged forward, opening its wide mouth to snap up the crab in one bite before swimming upward, closing its jaws.
The fish's sharp teeth bit down in unison, crushing the crab's shell before swallowing it whole.
After consuming the crab, the fish did not stop; instead, it swam further away, locking onto a Large Yellow Croaker.
The prey was fleeing into the distance.
However, with the fish's speed, there was nowhere for it to escape.
It drew closer.
The fish approached the body of the Yellow Croaker, and with another surge, it was instantly beside it.
With a snap.
The fish opened its massive jaws and bit into the midsection of the Yellow Croaker, shattering its body and swallowing it whole, leaving only the head and tail behind.
"Now I'm full."
The large fish exhaled a bubble and slowly swam toward the Harbor.
This fish was Xiaqiu.
After half a month of consuming and evolving, Xiaqiu had grown to over a meter long, weighing more than thirty pounds, with significant changes to its body.
Originally, Xiaqiu had only one dorsal fin, but now another dorsal fin had sprouted near its tail, connecting seamlessly with the caudal fin.
In addition, Xiaqiu's teeth had also changed twice. Each time new teeth grew in, they became longer, thicker, and sharper, and two rows of teeth had developed inside.
With a total of three rows of sharp teeth and immense biting power, even the shells of crabs could be crushed.
Indeed, Xiaqiu had become the undisputed ruler of the waters near the island.
Furthermore, Xiaqiu's appetite had significantly increased; now, he consumed at least a pound of food per meal, with his maximum intake reaching up to three pounds.
For a pound of food, Xiaqiu would take about an hour to eat.
When consuming three pounds at once, he would need at least three hours or even more to digest it.
Xiaqiu tried to eat more at once to gain additional time for movement.
He would use this extra time to explore information about this world.
His means of exploration were limited to watching and listening.
In the sea, the sights he could see were limited; most of the time, he listened to the conversations of the residents living on the island.
Conversations from fishing boats setting out to sea and children playing along the shore.
Most of it was meaningless chatter.
However, a small portion of the information confirmed to Xiaqiu that this world was indeed the One Piece world and that he was located in the East Blue.
The island had already been explored by Xiaqiu. To the south lay the waters where Xiaqiu had appeared, to the east was Harbor, while the north featured rugged rocks and the vast ocean. To the west, there was a shallow beach.
The island stretched about four kilometers from east to west and one kilometer from north to south, covering an area of four square kilometers, which was not particularly large.
On the island, there was a village named Narl Village, which had a small population.
The village chief was named Kaledo, a plump middle-aged man who had visited Harbor once and earned the respect of many fishermen.
The village relied on salt production for its livelihood, with numerous salt pans scattered throughout. Only a few fishermen ventured out to catch fish.
Both salt and seafood were regularly purchased by Cargo Ships that came to collect and transport supplies.
Aside from the occasional names mentioned by fishermen, little other information could be gathered.
Xiaqiu also confirmed that the current year was indeed 151 of the Sea Circle Calendar, and it was nearing the end of the year.
In this year, Luffy and Usopp were seven years old, Sabo and Ace were ten, Sanji and Zoro were nine, and Nami was eight.
This year marked the time when Luffy accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Fruit and when Shanks lost his arm saving Luffy from Sea Kings.
It was also the year when Luffy vowed to become a pirate, received a straw hat from Shanks, and after being discovered by Kong, he was taken from Windmill Village to Corvo Mountain. There, he met Dadan, the leader of a band of mountain thieves, as well as Ace and Sabo, forming lasting friendships.
Six months later, Sabo set sail and encountered Dragon People while visiting Goa Kingdom. After being attacked by cannon fire, Sabo was saved by Dragon and subsequently joined the Revolutionary Army.
That year, Red-Leg Zeff led the Cook Pirates to the Grand Line but returned to East Blue a year later.
In that year, it was also the beginning of Xiaqiu's journey into the world of One Piece, where she became a fish.
Xiaqiu knew this year was significant; Luffy vowed to become a pirate, indirectly influencing the tumultuous changes to come.
But that had nothing to do with her.
What Xiaqiu cared about now was simply filling her belly and living better.
...
Xiaqiu swam towards the direction of the Harbor, but stayed close to the seabed, moving away from it.
The water grew deeper, and Xiaqiu could feel the pressure increasing, but relative to her massive size, it was hardly noticeable.
As she swam forward, a sunken ship appeared before her.
It was a schooner, relatively large, about twelve meters long, with a huge hull.
At that moment, the fishing boat's mast was broken, and the keel was fractured, yet it had not completely split in two. The hull had cracked open, revealing a large hole.
Xiaqiu swam directly through the hole into the cabin. Her enormous form created significant pressure inside, startling the fish within, which darted out through the gaps in all directions.
Xiaqiu paid them no mind and slowly lowered herself down, settling on the seabed among the silt.
This was the refuge Xiaqiu had found. Given her size, there were no enemies in these waters near the island.
However, Xiaqiu still hoped to find a place to rest. When not foraging, this would be a safe haven.
Moreover, if a powerful enemy were to appear, this spot could serve as a hidden location and sanctuary.
Xiaqiu concealed itself in the shadows beneath the inner wall of the cabin, slowly waiting for its body to consume the food within.
Heat Flow coursed through its body. Compared to Xuexin's current size, the Heat Flow had made evolution so advanced that it no longer felt the pain of growth.
But soon, Xiaqiu began to feel an itch on its surface.
What was happening?
Xiaqiu was puzzled, but the tingling sensation became increasingly unbearable.
What was going on?
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