Twelve pirates rowed two small boats toward the pirate ship, with some items placed on both boats.
"Boss Moor, the haul this time is a bit small, much less than we expected," the First Mate said with a frown.
"It's enough. This village has too many strong young men, they prepared weapons, and there's also Marine protection."
The pirate leader, Moor, shook his head and added, "More importantly, none of us got hurt. There's no need to fight them to the death."
Moor was burly and muscular, but not a brute. On the contrary, as the leader of the pirate crew, he had gathered so many people and possessed sufficient rationality.
The two small boats rowed towards the pirate ship, slowly approaching.
But when they were still more than ten meters away from the pirate ship, someone on the boat suddenly shouted, "There's a fish, a very big fish."
"A fish?"
Moor was slightly stunned. He looked into the distance and saw a huge black shadow rapidly approaching.
"Not good."
Seeing this, Moor grabbed his spiked club and shouted, "Everyone be careful, grab your weapons. Also, prepare the cannons on the ship and aim in this direction."
Hearing Moor's words, the people on the small boats and the pirate ship moved in unison.
But it was too late.
Boom.
Xia Qiu had already locked onto them. He charged from afar, turning into an afterimage, and instantly collided with Moor's small boat.
Crack.
The massive ramming horn on his head, combined with immense force, directly shattered the small boat, turning it into scattered debris.
Six pirates fell directly into the sea, trying to steady themselves in the water.
"Damn it."
Moor quickly steadied himself, reached out, and held onto a piece of the sail, brandishing his spiked club and warily watching for the shadow's attack.
But the next moment, Xia Qiu didn't continue attacking them. Instead, he changed direction.
Boom.
The other small boat was also smashed to pieces, and the pirates on it fell into the water.
Crack, crack.
Xia Qiu opened his gaping maw and bit directly into a pirate. This was a young man, who looked extremely robust.
But before Xia Qiu's giant mouth, he had no ability to react. His entire lower body up to his chest entered Xia Qiu's mouth.
Crack.
The huge mouth closed, and the sound of bones breaking rang out. Blood spread out, and flesh was swallowed into Xia Qiu's belly.
With just one bite, the pirate was left with only his collarbone, neck, and head.
Splash.
Xia Qiu bit again, swallowing the pirate's head into his belly as well.
"What a big fish." Leader Moor's expression turned grim upon seeing the enormous size.
This sea fish was at least fifteen meters long, exceeding the length of a small boat. Furthermore, its massive head and sharp teeth were terrifying.
The other pirates saw Xia Qiu's form and dared not attack. They scattered and fled towards the pirate ship.
Crack.
Xia Qiu bit another pirate and swallowed him whole.
"Don't run, let's kill it together."
Seeing this, Leader Moor grabbed his spiked club and smashed it fiercely at Xia Qiu, shouting, "Pirate ship, fire the cannons! We can kill it."
Bang.
The spiked club hit Xia Qiu. With a dull thud, Xia Qiu's scales directly dented.
Hmm?
Feeling the attack from behind, Xia Qiu's body stiffened. He turned around and immediately locked onto Moor.
Giving orders, this was the pirate crew's leader.
His strength was great, not inferior to that Marine he had killed before.
It seems he is the leader of this pirate crew.
I must kill him.
Xia Qiu's gaze made Moor involuntarily shiver. The fish's eyes actually made him feel its thoughts.
Slaughter, devour.
Its killing intent was transmitted to him.
Don't panic, there's a chance to win.
Moor gritted his teeth, pulled out his mace again, and attacked Xia Qiu.
Not only that, but several pirates, persuaded by Moor, picked up swords and firearms and aimed them at Xia Qiu.
Bang, bang.
Bullets and swords struck Xia Qiu.
It hurt a little.
The parts hit by bullets stung, but the area was small.
The places hit by other swords didn't hurt at all, not even breaking through his scales, with one exception.
At his left tail, a man with a bandana wrapped around his head had his longsword cut through his scales, causing him damage.
This person was also strong.
Xia Qiu remembered him. After devouring two pirates, he suddenly dove down, swam towards the seabed, and then, with a sharp turn, swam towards the pirate ship.
Boom, boom, boom.
The pirate ship's cannons roared, firing shells that struck the water's surface.
Bang.
A cannonball hit Xia Qiu's body. The water dissipated most of its force, leaving it with less power than the mace that had hit him earlier.
Xia Qiu approached the pirate ship. Due to the ship's hull, the cannons couldn't hit him. As he got closer, he swallowed two pirates who were trying to escape.
Then, Xia Qiu leaned against the pirate ship and waited quietly.
You'll have to return to the ship eventually. If you come over, I'll kill you.
"We can't hit him."
The pirate ship sailed further away, but Xia Qiu stayed tightly pressed against its side, making it impossible for the cannons to target him.
As for thrown weapons, they couldn't harm him at all.
"Damn it."
Seeing Xia Qiu's actions, the leader, Moor, realized he was deliberately staying in a position where the pirate ship's cannons couldn't reach him.
And he was guarding that spot, ensuring that anyone who tried to pass would be attacked.
"Boss, what do we do?"
The First Mate approached Moor, looking at the black fish in the distance with concern.
"This fish is smart."
Moor snorted coldly, then said, "Let's move away from the pirate ship and swim towards the island. The water there is shallower, so he can't follow. And if he dares to chase us, the pirate ship can provide cannon support."
"Understood."
The First Mate waved his hand, and the remaining pirates, along with Moor, swam towards the island.
"Oh?"
Xia Qiu saw this and was a little surprised but didn't pursue.
He knew what they were planning.
He didn't move, remaining hidden and observing carefully.
A warm current slowly appeared within him, spreading throughout his body.
It's weak.
This warm current was very weak. The combined warm current from the four of them was less than what he got from killing that Marine.
Their warm current was less than what he got from eating sea fish.
It seemed people were different. That Marine was strong, so he provided more warm current, while these pirates were weak and provided less.
It seemed the warm current provided by humans was related to their strength.
Ordinary humans offered little benefit to him.
If he were to eat, he should eat the strong among humans.
Of course, the energy provided by humans and sea fish was different.
The energy from sea fish could cause his body to evolve and grow. By eating sea fish, his body would become larger and he would evolve special organs.
The energy from humans, on the other hand, was about physical strength, allowing him to possess greater power.
The two were different.
Xia Qiu guessed this was related to the different forms of power between humans and fish.
Most fish and marine creatures identified strength based on size and body parts.
A larger body meant greater strength, naturally making them powerful.
Some fish were strong due to sharp teeth, horns, or speed.
But all of this was related to their physical structure, meaning evolution.
In humans, strength and size are not directly proportional; individuals can possess immense power within a certain range of height and weight.
Even a physically weak person can be stronger than someone who appears more robust.
Some ordinary people can even wield strength surpassing that of Giants.
In the world of One Piece, human strength can continuously increase within the same race, even when physical size remains constant.
It's not that changes in body size lead to changes in strength.
Even among Giants, who are naturally large and strong, there can be significant differences in power even when they are of the same size.
The two types of Evolution Energy are like different dimensions, one vertical and one horizontal.
Therefore, Xia Qiu made a distinction between the two energies. The energy from sea fish can provide growth and evolution, which Xia Qiu termed Evolution Energy.
The energy provided by humans, Xia Qiu called Reinforcement Energy.
Evolution Energy, Reinforcement Energy.
Perhaps these two energies are what allow the people and animals in the world of One Piece to surpass the limits of humans and animals on Earth.
Humans possess greater strength, while beasts have larger physiques.
And Xia Qiu needs both types of power.
So, how could Xia Qiu possibly let his locked-on enemies escape?
With this thought, Xia Qiu flicked his fish tail, transforming into a black shadow, and charged towards the enemies attempting to flee.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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