"A ship?"
Xia Qiu was slightly taken aback by the request. He looked at Robin, unsure why she wanted this.
"To be precise, I need some supplies, and you can only operate in the ocean, so I need you to bring me a freighter," Robin explained. "The ship's wooden planks can be used for building, and there are many supplies inside. Ships usually have beds, bedding, clothes, alcohol, food, bowls and chopsticks, pots and pans, seasonings, and some tools."
"I need these things to survive. Take clothes, for example. You can't expect me to wear just this outfit. And drinking only freshwater might make me sick; it's better to drink it after heating and disinfecting it," Robin said with a smile.
"I understand."
Xia Qiu nodded. If she wanted to survive, she definitely lacked many things for basic living needs.
Robin asked, "So, can you promise me?"
"Yes, yes."
Xia Qiu nodded. As an exchange, the condition wasn't excessive.
"That's good." Robin smiled with satisfaction and then said, "You can sink the ship, and then you naturally won't have to worry about me leaving by boat."
Robin paused and continued, "As for the ship, you can go to Alabasta. There are many freighters in its port cities; you can bring one back."
"Okay."
Xia Qiu nodded and agreed.
However, he didn't leave immediately. He waited until nightfall, and only after darkness descended did he set off for Alabasta.
He figured he could take the opportunity to feed on an f-Crocodile and then bring back a ship.
With this thought, Xia Qiu headed to Alabasta. It took him a little over an hour to reach Lodestar Island, where he directly entered the river to hunt an f-Crocodile.
Although Xia Qiu's previous visits had made some f-Crocodiles aware of his presence, there were still many in the river—five to six hundred. He only ambushed the ones on the outermost perimeter; most of them were still unaware of him.
Furthermore, even if they knew, there was no need to worry.
They spent most of their time in the water daily. Alabasta had very few lakes, especially in recent years. Apart from the rainy areas, water was scarce elsewhere.
Their habitat was this river, and they had to stay in it most of the time.
Xia Qiu only came once every two days, staying for a few minutes to catch a crocodile and leave. They were safe most of the time.
They didn't know when Xia Qiu would come, so they naturally didn't know when to go ashore to hide.
Moreover, Xia Qiu's attack method ensured that only the target was attacked, not the other crocodiles. This meant they wouldn't be forced to change their living environment.
Therefore, Xia Qiu wasn't worried about them leaving the river.
Xia Qiu entered the river channel, bit down on a crocodile, and slowly moved away. After eating it, he began searching for a ship in the port.
He was currently at the coastal port of Rapeseed Flower City, located to the right of the river, and it was Alabasta's largest port.
Most ships docked here.
Alabasta had vast deserts and was lacking in resources, so many goods had to be transported from elsewhere. A large number of ships traveled to and from this port daily.
Currently, dozens of ships were docked at the port.
"It can't be too big."
Xia Qiu looked at the ships. His strength was immense, but navigating such a long distance at sea required careful consideration.
Under forty meters; it couldn't be too big.
Xia Qiu excluded several large ships and looked for ones around thirty meters long.
It had to be a freighter, preferably one that still had some cargo.
Xia Qiu's gaze scanned the freighters. He initially looked for the presence of cannons but found that all the ships had cannon ports. Xia Qiu remembered this was the Grand Line, a very dangerous sea, and dismissed the idea.
So, Xia Qiu actively searched for a Harpoon Crossbow. The giant sea fish of the Grand Line were a far greater threat than pirates.
Secondly, he considered the waterline. For ships of the same size, a deeper waterline meant more cargo was likely loaded.
That one was it.
Xia Qiu spotted a freighter over thirty meters long with a deep waterline.
"If there's still cargo on board, then there must be people on it. I can't just take people back."
Xia Qiu frowned. He suddenly charged forward, reaching the bottom of the ship and bracing his head against the hull. Then, he slowly began to push.
"The ship is tilting, what's happening?"
Sounds came from the ship, and figures appeared along the railing.
Boom, boom.
The ship's hull shook violently, rocking back and forth.
"Get off first."
The people on the ship immediately began to disembark. There were about five or six of them. Once on shore, they looked at the water in confusion.
After they got off, Xia Qiu intended to push the ship out but noticed the anchor.
The massive anchor was sunk at the bottom of the port, with one corner embedded in the soil.
The anchor's purpose is to stabilize the ship and prevent it from being swept away by the waves.
The anchor was at the bow of the ship. It was easier to drag the ship with the anchor than to push it, and he could better control the direction.
So Xia Qiu swam over, pulled out the anchor, and bit down on it.
The anchor was a Navy anchor, a double-hook type, and the most commonly used. Once it was in his mouth, Xia Qiu used his front teeth to grip it.
Then he charged towards the distance.
Splash!
The chain straightened, but then stopped with a clack. The ship shuddered but didn't move.
"Is it tied with a rope?"
Xia Qiu guessed that the ship was tied to the shore with a rope. He swam back and charged again, using eight-tenths of his strength.
Boom.
The anchor chain straightened, and with a bang, the ship shook violently. The rope began to break, but it didn't snap completely.
"What in the world is going on?"
On the shore, the crew watched this scene with confusion.
Underwater, Xia Qiu swam back again and continued to charge, this time using all his might.
Boom.
This time, the rope snapped completely. The bow of the ship was pulled, and under Xia Qiu's efforts, it slowly began to move into the distance.
"Our ship!" the crew shouted.
"There's something underwater. Let's go take a look," one of the crew members jumped into the sea, trying to get closer.
But the ship's speed increased, and it slowly moved away.
The ship was massive, but in the water, it only took a relatively small force to pull it.
For example, when huge freighters enter or leave a port, they are afraid that the propeller's power will disturb the surrounding water and make the water flow unstable, so they are towed by tugboats.
Xia Qiu, however, possessed immense strength. He could even push a forty or fifty-meter ship with sails to move forward slightly.
Let alone just pulling it.
Xia Qiu towed the ship towards the island. He was exposed above the water, pulling it forward at a speed of seven to eight knots.
When Xia Qiu arrived, he had traveled at about twenty knots for an hour and a half to Alabasta.
Towing the ship would take at least four hours.
Besides that, he had to avoid wind and waves, and eat in the sea, which would take even more time.
Therefore, it wasn't until the next morning that Xia Qiu returned to the island.
Boom.
The ship crashed into the shore with a loud noise.
"Hmm, what was that?"
Robin, awakened in her room, sat up, stretched, and slowly stood up. Barefoot, she pushed open the door and walked out of the room.
She strode towards the coast with her long legs. As soon as she emerged from the woods, she froze.
A huge ship was docked by the shore, and not far away, the head of a black fish emerged from the water, smiling at her.
"It arrived so quickly, and such a large freighter too."
Robin was somewhat surprised and walked over quickly.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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