In the early morning, sunlight filtered through the dense forest, casting bright spots on the ground.
Inside a cave at the foot of the mountain, Moo Moo yawned and slowly woke up.
The first thing he did upon waking was to turn and glance behind him, where a giant tiger lay resting with its eyes closed.
Moo Moo looked at the tiger, his gaze falling on her slightly bulging belly, and his eyes softened.
He immediately transformed into a lion, turned, and left the cave, running towards the distance.
Splash.
Moo Moo rushed to a huge pheasant, bit it to death in one go, and then dragged the pheasant back to the cave.
Moo Moo placed the pheasant in front of the tiger. The tiger opened its eyes, opened its large mouth, and began to eat the pheasant.
After eating half of it, Moo Moo, carrying the pheasant in his mouth, walked towards the cave entrance and headed for the coast.
"Moo moo."
Moo Moo let out a roar, his voice loud.
But there was no response. The sea was incredibly calm, and Xia Qiu did not emerge from the seabed.
Big Brother isn't here? Is he doing something else.
Moo Moo lay there and waited. Time ticked by, but Xia Qiu never appeared.
"Moo moo, moo moo."
Moo Moo began to get anxious. Big Brother always appeared every morning, but why was he taking so long today, completely gone.
Where did Big Brother go?
And last night, Big Brother was acting strange, constantly hitting himself with his tentacles. What exactly happened?
Moo Moo waited for a while. As it neared noon, he heard footsteps from behind him. Moo Moo turned his head and saw the tiger approaching not far away, walking up to him.
I was out for too long.
During this time, I've been accompanying her, but today I waited outside for a rather long time.
"Roar."
The tiger let out a roar.
"Moo moo, moo moo."
Moo Moo patted the pheasant.
Seeing the half-eaten pheasant, the tiger immediately understood what had happened.
Every morning, he would come to the seaside to feed a black fish, but the black fish was gone today.
It's just a pet. We can just get another one. Why be so sad.
The tiger stuck out its tongue and licked Moo Moo's head.
But Moo Moo gazed at the sea, his eyes filled with sadness.
...
In the sea, Xia Qiu swam towards the distance.
He had left the island.
Xia Qiu had stayed here for nearly six months. It was now summer, and after six months of changes, a part had grown on his neck.
Xia Qiu had grown about two meters, with one and a half meters being his neck. For Xia Qiu's massive body, this length was somewhat short.
But it was enough. He was a fish and didn't need his neck to rotate. And if it were too long, it would put a greater burden on his neck.
The proportion of his neck length was very similar to that of a Tiktaalik, around twenty-five to one. It could move left and right and up and down.
Xia Qiu's neck was located between his pectoral fins and gills, connecting his head to his body.
His neck was very thick, slightly thinner than the thickest part of his body above the pectoral fins, but much thicker than the tail section.
In six months, his body length had increased by two meters, which was faster than his speed in the East Blue.
It seemed that the creatures of the Grand Line contained more Evolution Energy.
Evolution Energy was the energy that allowed creatures to break through their physical limitations and reach larger sizes. The creatures of the Grand Line were generally larger than those in the East Blue. After breaking through their limits, every inch of growth required more Evolution Energy, hence so much more than in the East Blue.
Therefore, Xia Qiu's growth rate was twice as fast as his growth rate after eating Arlong in the East Blue.
Including Yuchimura, his growth rate was about three times faster than before.
After growing his neck, Xia Qiu decided to leave. He could no longer stay here, as he couldn't consume Reinforcement Energy here.
His objective had been achieved, and there was no reason to remain.
Moo Moo had also learned to survive on the island. As time went by, he spent more time in the forest rather than on the coast.
He also no longer went to the seaside frequently, spending most of his time in the ocean or the seabed near the island.
The two of them only met once every morning to exchange food, and occasionally met at night. They rarely saw each other at other times.
Each had their own life, and they could no longer intersect.
The most infuriating thing for Xia Qiu was that he had found a girlfriend. No, it should be wife now.
Four months ago, the two were very intimate, often clinging to each other. Not long ago, he saw that the tigress's belly was swollen.
They even had a child.
As a single fish, Xia Qiu couldn't stand it any longer.
We agreed to rely on our right hand together, but you secretly found someone else.
Xia Qiu was furious, so he resolutely decided to leave.
Yesterday evening, Xia Qiu said goodbye to Moo Moo, hitting him a dozen times with his tentacles. He didn't know if Moo Moo could understand.
Goodbye, friend.
Xia Qiu didn't know if he would ever see Moo Moo again, but during their year together, they hunted and fought side by side, exchanged food, and made many memories.
Moo Moo's status with Xia Qiu had grown from pet, to subordinate, and then to friend.
He had made Xia Qiu less lonely and relieved the long-standing oppression he felt.
But he had to leave.
Moo Moo had his own life, and Xia Qiu was going to embrace his own future.
From now on, he would live as a single fish again.
But this time, Xia Qiu had his own goal.
...
"I heard you can read Poneglyphs?"
In a spacious room, a man smoking a cigar sat behind a desk, looking at the tall woman in front of him.
"That's right," the black-haired woman nodded.
"Very good, I need to borrow your strength," the man said, looking at the woman with a smile. "Let's cooperate."
Nico Robin's cheeks broke out in a cold sweat. The person in front of her was an excellent potential partner, and he could help her read Poneglyphs.
But he was too dangerous.
Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai.
Although the residents of Alabasta believed his disguised identity, in secret, he commanded a powerful assassination force.
She had met members of Baroque Works at Whiskey Peak. They discovered her identity and tried to attack her. After defeating them, she secretly traveled to Drum Island, then to Alabasta, and attempted to infiltrate the palace to examine a Poneglyph, but without success. Somehow, Crocodile discovered her existence.
Then, a message was delivered, and she came here to meet him.
"Your bounty is high, but I don't care about the money, so I won't sell you out," Crocodile said with a smile. "Cooperating with me is your best choice."
Seeing Robin's silence, Crocodile added, "It will only take four years. Just help me for four years, and I'll let you go."
"Four years?" Nico Robin narrowed her eyes and slowly nodded. "I can agree."
Crocodile said, "Your abilities are very good. Starting today, you will serve as the Vice President of Baroque Works and my partner. Your identity is somewhat sensitive, so to avoid the attention of the Marines, and since everyone in Baroque Works has a codename, I am Mr.0, and you will be Miss All Sunday."
"Okay," Robin had no objections.
Crocodile continued, "Besides you, not even the senior executives of Baroque Works know my true identity. So starting today, you will be responsible for contacting the senior executives and conveying my opinions. At the same time, you will be the Supreme Commander of Baroque Works, in charge of all its affairs. This should be enough to prove my trust in you, right?"
"I will do my best to help you decipher the Poneglyphs."
Robin nodded, her inner resistance greatly reduced.
There were few people with great power who were not interested in her bounty. Crocodile was one of them.
He was an excellent partner who needed her help but also gave her sufficient authority.
Crocodile looked at Robin and said, "Also, do not reveal my relationship with Baroque Works to anyone. Before you, I am just one of the Shichibukai, Crocodile."
"I understand," Robin said earnestly.
Crocodile clapped his hands, and two young girls entered the room. Crocodile said, "Take this lady to rest."
"Yes, Lord Crocodile," the girls said quickly, their gazes towards Crocodile filled with fanaticism, a mix of gratitude and trust.
Seeing this, Robin suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
Crocodile was a terrifying man, not just because of his immense power, nor because he controlled the assassination group Baroque Works.
It was because, in the eyes of the people of Alabasta, he was a hero.
Two completely different identities converged within him.
Why did he need to disguise himself?
Robin was beginning to understand what he truly wanted.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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