After repelling Sea Cow Moo Moo, Xia Qiu let out a breath. Every move he made had been perilous; a slight misstep would have been his end.
If he hadn't been afraid to leave, he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on.
Xia Qiu sighed, turned, and headed into the distance to hunt for sea fish and heal the wound on his head.
Xia Qiu entered the ocean and began to hunt. The blood from his body attracted sea fish, causing him a lot of trouble.
He ate the sea fish, and the bleeding from his wound stopped. He continued to feed, and the wound began to heal.
The next day, Xia Qiu's injuries had completely healed. He returned to Cocos Village, only to discover something.
The Arlong Pirates hadn't left. Not only that, they had sailed their ship into his dwelling place, the southern harbor.
What was going on?
On the third day, the fourth day, they still hadn't left.
Moreover, many people and Fish-Men appeared by the sea. They were felling trees, transporting supplies, and building something.
Were they planning to make this their base?
Xia Qiu suddenly realized that the island he was on was the same island where Cocos Village was located.
Could it be this coincidental?
After all, the Arlong Pirates would use this island as their base for the next eight years, starting from October of this year.
And Nami, according to the timeline, her mother Bellemere had already been killed by Arlong, and Nami herself was brought into the Arlong Pirates after Arlong discovered her navigational charts.
Next, she would join Arlong's Crew, becoming a member of the Arlong Pirates, enduring humiliation and suffering while trying to save the village, only to be met with despair.
It wasn't until she was saved by Luffy and his companions, and Arlong was defeated, that she escaped her painful fate.
Xia Qiu suddenly felt immense anger, wishing he could kill every Fish-Man in the Arlong Pirates.
Of course, it wasn't because of Nami.
It was because...
The place you're occupying is my territory.
How does that saying go? Those who trespass on my territory...
I'll kill them all!
Boundless killing intent surged within Xia Qiu.
Xia Qiu had decided to hunt the members of the Arlong Pirates, not only because his habitat had been occupied but also because of the energy contained within their bodies and the rage that erupted within him.
Of course, he wasn't a match for them. Rushing in blindly would only lead to his death.
He had to think carefully about how to deal with them and not just act on instinct.
After all, he wasn't just a fish, but a fish with a human soul. Fish and humans, could he be considered a Fish-Man?
No problem.
To deal with the Arlong Pirates, he was no match for them.
At least for Arlong and his four captains, he felt powerless right now.
If he encountered too many Fish-Men at once, it could also cause trouble.
Therefore, the first thing he needed to do now was to increase his strength.
Hard power was the way to go. With absolute strength, he wouldn't need to fear them at all.
Second, he needed to defeat the Arlong Pirates one by one.
He didn't need to face the entire Arlong Pirates. If he could split them up, attack lone Fish-Men, and teams led by individual captains, then he would have a fighting chance.
By eating Fish-Men, he would become stronger, fighting to sustain his fight.
Third, he needed to create enemies for the Arlong Pirates.
For example, other pirate crews, or the Marines.
Especially the latter, he knew that Captain Nezumi of Branch 16 was colluding with the Arlong Pirates.
If, when Captain Nezumi came to find Arlong and was leaving, he killed Captain Nezumi and slaughtered all the Marines on the warship.
Then, who would the Marines suspect as the killer?
At least in the action logs of the branch base and in the eyes of other sailors, Captain Nezumi died while searching for Arlong.
When Captain Nezumi died, the news would be passed up to the East Blue branch and Marine Headquarters.
They knew that Marines had disappeared during their contact with Arlong, and they would definitely consider Arlong as the primary suspect.
This would lead to two possibilities: the Marines would attack Arlong, or they would continue their investigation.
If it was the latter, someone would definitely take over the Branch 16 base. Then there would be two choices: continue to track Arlong, or collude with Arlong.
If they chose to collude, Xia Qiu planned to do it again.
With the continuous losses suffered by the Marines, Arlong would attract more and more attention from the Marines, his bounty would increase, and thus attract stronger Marine officers.
Even if an officer from Headquarters, like Smoker, came, the Arlong Pirates would only be able to flee in disarray.
Of course, Xia Qiu kept this as a backup, letting the Arlong Pirates' attention be diverted, while Xia Qiu would try to kill him before the powerful Marines arrived.
...
"From today onwards, you are a member of the Arlong Pirates, serving as our navigator."
Arlong looked at Nami standing before him and said with a smile, "From now on, you will live here. My Paradise is almost complete, and I will prepare a room for you. I can prepare anything you want."
Nami's gaze shifted from the Fish-Men and humans busy in the distance. She glanced at the tattoo on her left arm, her eyes filled with disgust, but also helplessness.
She looked at Arlong and asked with a trembling voice, "You said that if I could get 100 million Belly, I could buy back my village. Is that true?"
Arlong nodded and said, "That's right. As long as you bring 100 million Belly, I will return the village to you."
"I, I will do it." Nami took a deep breath, her expression becoming resolute.
As long as she could save her village, Nami was willing to do anything, whether it was stealing or deceiving.
"That would be for the best."
Arlong grinned upon hearing this.
How could I possibly let you go? A navigator with extraordinary talent, you will become a part of my empire.
Arlong shifted his gaze from Nami to Hachi and asked, "Where did Moo Moo go? Why hasn't he shown up these past few days?"
Hachi scratched his head and said, "I don't know either. I blew my conch shell, but he didn't come."
"It seems he ran off somewhere along the way," Arlong grunted. "But there's no need to worry about him. He came here from the Grand Line. In these waters, there are very few who can harm him."
...
Crunch, crunch.
Xia Qiu bit into a sea fish, his teeth closing and crushing the fish before swallowing it.
Feeling his stomach full, he turned and swam towards the island.
The Arlong Pirates had been here for a month now.
In the southern bay, after being jointly constructed by Fish-Men and humans, a five-story tower had risen, with a giant shark's mouth at the top and surrounded by walls.
The cove where Xia Qiu was located had been dug out and transformed into a large pool.
Two platforms were built outside the walls, and the pirate ship was docked to the right of the outer walls.
This was Arlong Park, the stronghold of the Arlong Pirates.
From now on, they would gather here, radiating outwards to the surrounding seas, eventually ruling twenty villages.
Xia Qiu slowly approached Arlong Park, lurking quietly at a depth of over forty meters, more than a hundred meters away from the pirate ship.
At this distance, they couldn't detect his presence, but he was at the limit of Xia Qiu's vibration sense.
And the Arlong Pirates' combatant, Sea Cow Moo Moo, had not returned since Xia Qiu had driven it away.
But Xia Qiu remained vigilant, hiding on the western side of the island, lying on the seabed, and simultaneously sensing vibrations. As long as a Fish-Man or Moo Moo approached, he could either hide or escape from the other side.
But at this moment, Xia Qiu felt vibrations.
The pirate ship raised its sails and slowly set off, heading into the distance.
"The pirate ship is leaving?"
Xia Qiu's eyes lit up. He opened his mouth and released sound waves, using the echoes to locate the ship as it slowly sailed out of the harbor.
"What are they doing? Attacking another village? Collecting protection money?"
Xia Qiu's eyes gleamed. If they left, wouldn't the remaining ones be mere fodder?
But he couldn't rule out the possibility that Arlong and his officers might stay behind. If even one of them remained, it would cause him trouble.
Xia Qiu didn't rush. He slowly approached, arriving within a distance of Arlong Park.
The outer wall had no gate, and the inner wall had a thick, circular door that was now closed.
The circular door was only for outsiders, but there was a waterway underneath for entry.
Xia Qiu didn't get closer. Instead, he looked into the distance and his heart leaped with joy.
On the wooden plank road where the pirate ship had been docked, stood two Fish-Men.
These two Fish-Men were about 1.8 meters tall. One had short black hair and was very plump with full lips. The other had a mohawk and a thin build.
They looked like they had little combat power. Moreover, since the pirate ship had just left, they were likely the ones who untied the ropes and were left behind.
Not officers, just ordinary Fish-Men.
And the position they were standing in was a wooden plank road, used to get ashore after disembarking.
He could completely smash this plank road, make them fall into the water, and then eat them.
With this thought, Xia Qiu slowly submerged, sticking close to the seabed, and charged towards the plank road.
"Boss Arlong is going to attack another village and left us here to guard. What bad luck." The tall, thin Fish-Man shook his head.
"I really wish I could go hunting humans with Lord Arlong," the plump Fish-Man said with some longing.
"The pirate ship is far away now. Let's go back too."
The tall, skinny Fish-Man waved his hand, intending to leave.
But just then, the obese Fish-Man frowned, looked underwater, and asked blankly, "What is that?"
"Huh?"
The tall, skinny Fish-Man turned and walked to the edge, looking down. Beneath the seawater, a black shadow was rapidly approaching.
"What is this?"
The tall, skinny Fish-Man was full of surprise. "What a big Sea Fish."
"Run!"
The obese Fish-Man shouted and turned to flee.
But the next moment, Xia Qiu crashed onto the plank road.
Boom.
The wood of the plank road was directly smashed, and the long plank road plunged downwards with a splash.
The two Fish-Men's feet lost their grip, and they fell into the sea.
The moment they hit the water, Xia Qiu opened his massive maw and bit down.
Crunch.
Xia Qiu directly bit the tall, skinny Fish-Man. His teeth closed, and his sharp fangs pierced straight through its body.
"Ah..."
The tall, skinny Fish-Man cried out in pain, but was directly crushed and swallowed into its belly.
"Damn it."
The obese Fish-Man fell into the water behind the tall, skinny one. After falling, it took advantage of the tall, skinny one being eaten, turned directly, kicked its legs, and swam towards the distant shore.
Trying to escape?
Xia Qiu saw this and chased rapidly, instantly closing the distance.
"Here it comes."
The obese Fish-Man's face changed drastically. The moment Xia Qiu bit down, it suddenly kicked its legs and swam to the left.
Splash.
Xia Qiu's body brushed past its body.
Saved?
The obese Fish-Man rejoiced inwardly. With the shore so close, that big fish would crash into the cliff.
But the next moment, its massive fish body slammed into its body, crushing it against the rock face.
Boom.
The rock face shattered, and the obese Fish-Man's bones were crushed layer by layer, turning it into a meat paste.
Xia Qiu's body was already parallel to the shore.
It hadn't intended to bite the other one to death. If it had continued accelerating, the moment it bit, the immense momentum would have caused its head to collide with the rock face.
Its head was very hard, with a massive ramming horn. Smashing through a wall was no problem, but hitting a rock face would definitely cause injury.
So, when it was about to catch up to the Fish-Man, Xia Qiu directly changed direction, swam to the right, and swung its body sideways, performing a drift.
The obese Fish-Man swam to the left, precisely avoiding Xia Qiu's head.
But it was immediately hit by Xia Qiu's turning, massive body against the wall, its bones shattering countless times.
Splat.
The obese Fish-Man's corpse slowly slid down and landed on the seabed.
Xia Qiu turned its body, bit the obese Fish-Man, swallowed it into its belly, and then quietly swam towards the distance.
Xia Qiu was very curious what kind of energy Fish-Men could provide.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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