Hachi jumped into the water, and Nami knelt at the edge of the shore, her head poking out over the coast, staring intently at Hachi's figure.
Watching him dive deeper, his form becoming increasingly blurred in the water, Nami's heart grew more and more anxious.
She wondered if the Sea Fish was still around.
Nami prayed for the Sea Fish to appear and attack Hachi.
But after a while, nothing appeared, only Hachi's blurry silhouette.
Just as Nami was about to despair, thinking the Sea Fish had left, a dark shadow suddenly streaked across the distance, lunging towards Hachi.
Here it comes.
Nami's eyes lit up, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. What followed would be churning seawater and a furious battle between the two.
Defeat him, defeat him.
Nami prayed incessantly, her heart pounding, filled with tension.
Time ticked by, and before long, a figure emerged, a head appearing before Nami.
"Hachi."
Seeing him, Nami's heart was filled with disappointment, but a smile played on her lips.
Hachi ignored Nami, hooked his arm onto the shore, and climbed out of the water. He stood there, blood dripping from his arm.
"Hachi, you're bleeding."
Nami walked over, asking with concern, "Were you attacked by a shark?"
"That wasn't a shark at all."
Hachi looked at Nami, glaring at her, his face grim. "It was a giant Sea Fish, not the ten-meter shark you mentioned."
"But I saw the dorsal fin, a shark's dorsal fin," Nami said, shrinking back slightly, speaking cautiously.
"The dorsal fin?"
Hachi sighed. "Its first dorsal fin does look very much like a shark's."
The Sea Fish's first dorsal fin was sickle-shaped, very similar in appearance to a shark's dorsal fin.
"I'm sorry, Hachi."
Nami lowered her head. "I was mistaken. If I hadn't been, you wouldn't be hurt. I thought there were sharks here, and when I saw the dorsal fin, I assumed it was a shark attacking them."
"You..."
Hearing her words, Hachi couldn't bring himself to blame her. He waved his hand. "It can't be helped if you were mistaken."
There were indeed sharks here; he knew that from the villagers. Coupled with the appearance of the dorsal fin, it was understandable that she might have mistaken it.
Besides, could Nami control the Sea Fish?
Nami looked up, tears welling in her eyes, and said to Hachi, "Hachi, but you're hurt. I... I told you you shouldn't have gone down there."
"I didn't expect this fish to be so troublesome."
Hachi scratched his head, recalling how Nami had run over to tell him not to go into the water before he dove in. He had insisted on going, and that's when he encountered the Sea Fish.
He had even told her he could handle even a Sea Beast.
And yet, he had been injured by a mere Sea Fish.
"Don't worry."
Hachi placed his uninjured hand on Nami's head, then lifted his wounded arm and waved it. "It's just my hand, it'll heal quickly. And I landed so many punches on that Sea Fish, it's more injured than I am."
"It's injured?"
Nami asked nervously, quickly changing her tune. "You didn't kill it? Doesn't that mean it could attack others in the future?"
"No need to worry."
Hachi smiled. "I'll tell the other Fish-Men to stay out of the water for now. When Boss Arlong gets back, he and Kuroobi can go down and kill it. Alone, it might escape, but with another one, it won't even have a chance to run."
"That's for the best. It's too dangerous for you to go alone."
Nami nodded, agreeing with Hachi.
"Let's go."
Hachi waved his hand and started walking away. "The doctor left with Boss Arlong. We'll go to the village to find a doctor."
"Okay, I'll go with you."
Nami trotted to keep up, watching Hachi's retreating figure. She prayed that the Sea Fish would leave, that it wouldn't be here anymore.
If one Hachi could severely wound the Sea Fish, then with another like Kuroobi, killing it would be a simple matter.
Hurry up and leave.
...
"Damn it."
Xia Qiu swam away into the distance, the wound on his back throbbing with intense pain. Blood spread out, drifting further and further into the ocean.
He could endure the initial onslaught, but as he lost blood, Xia Qiu felt his body growing heavy.
The injuries were severe, like a gaping hole in his body that wouldn't stop bleeding.
Time to feed.
Xia Qiu swam rapidly into the distance, searching for food.
This time, he didn't swim too far, deliberately choosing sea fish of a specific length.
Seven meters.
Xia Qiu locked onto a bass, charging forward, biting down, and swallowing it whole.
Again.
Xia Qiu continuously attacked and devoured fish, converting them into heat flow.
His wounds began to itch, healing and growing new flesh.
If he hadn't been able to devour and repair his injuries, growing new body parts, he would have been left with a massive scar even after healing.
Xia Qiu continued to feed, his bleeding stopped, and his wounds slowly healed.
Huuuh.
After feeding twice, Xia Qiu slowly sank, waiting for the heat flow to repair him while contemplating the recent battle.
Hachi was strong. While his maximum power couldn't match Xia Qiu's, his movement speed was incredible.
This was thanks to his six arms and two legs. His movement was like an octopus's, with all eight limbs pushing in one direction, propelling him forward a considerable distance.
Moreover, because his arms and legs were all incredibly powerful, his burst speed was exceptionally fast.
Secondly, his strength was formidable. Hits from Hachi could damage Xia Qiu's scales and thick muscle.
Even Colonel Lido, stabbing him with the Shark Spear now, would be considered impressive if he could damage his scales.
Being heavily injured by the enemy after a surprise attack, the gap in power was not small.
And it only took four moves.
Teeth, body, tail, impact.
He was suppressed in just four moves and then struck by the opponent.
Even in those four moves, the latter three attacks were somewhat unexpected by the opponent, yet they still didn't cause him any damage.
If Hachi hadn't anticipated his ability to attack like that, and had only dodged the attacks after his teeth, he would have been killed.
Every time Xia Qiu attacked, the opponent would dodge and attempt to counter.
He was very formidable.
And this was Hachi without his swords. Hachi was a swordsman who could wield six blades.
If he had fought with his swords, Xia Qiu would likely be dead already.
Xia Qiu now had a benchmark for the strength of the executives; he was not yet their match.
Therefore, he needed to evade for now and continue to increase his strength.
Of course, increasing his strength this time wouldn't be just about mindless feeding to grow larger and heavier.
In this battle, Xia Qiu understood that his size and fish-like body were a hindrance.
His attack methods were limited to biting, ramming, and tail-slapping. As long as the opponent could dodge these, it was difficult for him to fight effectively.
He needed to equip his body with more options and more combat styles.
For example, making his dorsal fin larger and sturdier.
For instance, the spikes he inherited from tuna were too small and short; they needed to be longer and larger.
Ideally, he wouldn't have just one row of spikes, nor should they be limited to his back and abdomen.
Secondly, he needed some other abilities.
The electricity from Electric Eels, Electric Rays, and Electric Catfish; the venomous spines, thorns, and sharp teeth of Stinging Poison Fish and Glandular Poison Fish; the venomous filaments of Jellyfish; and the camouflage abilities of Squid and other fish.
These were rare opportunities, and he would need to search for them slowly.
Most importantly, like Hachi's tentacles, if he could grow tentacles, his combat power would double.
He would arm himself, evolve, and become stronger.
Then, he would return to kill them.
Xia Qiu grinned, revealing a chilling smile.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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