Under the moonlight, the wind howled, rustling the branches, making them sway like ferocious demons with bared teeth and claws in the pitch-black darkness.
Not far away, a woman and a beast were staring at each other. The woman was tall and slender, and the beast was enormous.
This giant beast was nearly fifty meters long and stood close to eight meters tall at its highest point, with a dorsal fin reaching six meters. It was massive, possessing a huge ramming horn and a protruding mouth lined with terrifying, layered teeth.
Most people would have been trembling in fear before this beast.
Yet, the woman wore an appraising expression, while a flicker of avoidance appeared in the beast's eyes.
Thump, thump.
After a moment, the giant beast couldn't help it. It slowly turned its head, shifted its body, and began to walk away on its six legs.
"Little Black, I know it's you."
Robin called out loudly.
"Gah?"
The giant beast stopped in its tracks, turned its head again, and looked at her with an awkward expression.
Robin said, exasperated, "Little Black, what are you sneaking around for at night?"
Robin wasn't worried about Little Black attacking her. If he had wanted to harm her, he could have done so in the sea after their two years were up. Moreover, if he had intended to attack her, he would have charged straight at her; even with her growth, she might not have been able to defeat him.
Seeing his furtive behavior, Robin knew he was up to something.
The giant beast lowered its body and lay there, looking somewhat wronged.
This giant beast was Xia Qiu.
After a year and a half of growth, he had not only increased in size but also developed six legs, allowing him to come ashore.
He had wanted to surprise Robin, to see her astonishment and joy upon seeing him, so he hadn't revealed himself. He had spent the past few days training on land elsewhere. Tonight, he had quietly crawled ashore, intending to hide in the woods and wait. When she woke up in the morning and stepped out of her room, he would suddenly appear and roar, certain her reaction would be priceless.
But who knew that after coming ashore, he would be discovered after only a few steps.
"You grew legs?"
Robin walked around Xia Qiu, her eyes widening as she saw his thick legs. "I noticed you lost your pectoral fin six months ago, so it's not a Devil Fruit ability, right?"
"No, no."
Xia Qiu shook his head.
"They used to be fish fins, and now they've turned into legs."
Robin had never seen such a creature before, one that had transformed from a fish into an amphibian, bridging millions of years of evolution for marine life.
She circled Xia Qiu once, her eyes filled with curiosity.
Pat, pat.
Robin patted Xia Qiu's leg, the sound crisp and clear, indicating its toughness.
"Your bones can support such a massive body on land," Robin said, a hint of surprise in her voice. "And your legs can bear the body's weight."
Whales could breathe with their lungs but couldn't survive on land because their immense body weight would crush their bones and rupture their internal organs.
Xia Qiu's current weight was over three hundred tons, so his legs being able to support him on land was almost unbelievable.
However, Xia Qiu couldn't be measured by ordinary standards.
His bones, muscles, and internal organs had been reinforced multiple times, making them tens or even hundreds of times stronger than a whale's. Even if he continued to grow, the resilience of his skeletal structure would be sufficient to support his body.
As for his legs, Xia Qiu's legs were inherited from the f-Crocodile. The f-Crocodile was a massive creature, much larger than ordinary crocodiles, with a short but extremely thick tail. Despite this, the f-Crocodile was still the second fastest animal in Alabasta, second only to the Quick Duck, and could even propel itself forward by lifting its legs. This proved that the f-Crocodile's legs were exceptionally strong and structurally sound.
Furthermore, he hadn't grown four legs, but six, which distributed the pressure on each leg.
But the most crucial factor was that his leg growth only inherited the f-Crocodile's growth genes. The resulting muscles and bones were no different from the rest of his body.
With resilient bones and powerful muscles, Xia Qiu could not only come ashore but also run at a speed comparable to, or even faster than, the f-Crocodile.
"No wonder you've been avoiding me lately. But what were you planning to do, coming so late tonight?"
Robin looked at Xia Qiu, her expression softening as she gently stroked his nose.
"Grrr... grrr... grrr..."
Xia Qiu made a series of sounds from his mouth, then lifted a leg and wrote a few words on the ground: "Surprise."
"Surprise?"
Robin smiled faintly, then her eyes widened as she realized something. "You can write?"
Robin then laughed, "Well, you know how to read, so it makes sense you can write."
Seeing that Xia Qiu could write, Robin was overjoyed. This meant they could communicate more than just simple yes or no answers and express actual content.
"It's great, we can meet on land from now on," Robin said with a smile.
"Yes."
Xia Qiu nodded frantically. Before, they had to communicate from a distance, but now it wouldn't be so troublesome.
"But according to our agreement, we have to part ways in half a year," Robin suddenly said.
Part ways?
Xia Qiu's mouth fell open, a hint of sadness in his expression.
She was the only one he could communicate with, and she had been with him for a year and a half. But they would have to separate eventually.
"You'll keep your promise, right?" Robin looked intently at Xia Qiu.
"Mhm."
Xia Qiu nodded, took a slight step back, and wrote a few words in a clear patch of ground: "I will."
Upon hearing this, Robin let out a sigh and suddenly asked, "And after we part? What do you plan to do?"
"Find a sea area and live," Xia Qiu slowly wrote.
"Then won't you be all alone?" Robin asked, looking at Xia Qiu.
Xia Qiu nodded.
Robin laughed and asked, "So, Little Black, why don't you come with me?"
"Together?"
Xia Qiu looked at Robin.
Robin looked at Xia Qiu and said earnestly, "Little Black, come with me. I'm the only one who knows you can talk. You can follow me to land."
"Follow Robin?"
Xia Qiu fell into thought. She was the only person in this world he could communicate with, and the only one who knew he possessed intelligence.
Moreover, her identity ensured she wouldn't betray him.
They had spent a year and a half together, and feelings had developed. Being with her, having her companionship, was indeed very appealing.
However, Xia Qiu's goal wasn't merely companionship.
He hadn't eaten anyone in a year and a half, and his body hadn't been further strengthened, remaining at the level it was back then.
Although his strength in the water had increased significantly after growing larger and developing legs, his physical toughness had not, and it was ultimately limited.
He had stayed here for such a long time specifically for communication while waiting to grow legs. Now that his legs had grown and they had communicated extensively, he couldn't delay any longer.
Xia Qiu planned to part ways with Robin before the agreed-upon time, return to Whiskey Peak Town, go ashore to attack Bounty Hunters, and then secure Whiskey Peak, and even Twin Cape.
Therefore, Xia Qiu shook his head, indicating his refusal.
"Is that so? Then I won't force you."
Robin looked a bit disappointed but didn't say anything more.
Xia Qiu moved his body, erasing the previous writing, and curiously wrote, "Where are you going?"
Robin looked at the writing and replied, "I need to read the Poneglyph in Alabasta, and I need protection, so I'll be returning to Baroque Works for now."
Returning to Baroque Works?
That was a good place to go.
Crocodile was probably the only person who could protect her right now.
Xia Qiu nodded, but the next moment, he suddenly froze.
Crocodile?
An idea suddenly struck Xia Qiu's mind. If Robin was returning, she would definitely go to see Crocodile.
If he could follow Robin to the vicinity of the Raindinners Casino, there was a way to easily kill Crocodile, a method so simple it was beyond imagination.
As a Shichibukai, Crocodile's physical condition was extremely robust, even without his Devil Fruit abilities.
By devouring him, he could obtain a large amount of Reinforcement Energy.
Furthermore, if Crocodile died, wouldn't Baroque Works be leaderless?
With Robin returning to Baroque Works, given her strength and the importance of her ability to read Poneglyphs, becoming the Vice President would be no problem.
With Crocodile gone, only Robin would remain.
Besides Robin, no one else had seen Crocodile.
Could he then cooperate with Robin to take over Baroque Works?
With his help, as long as Robin was willing, there would be significant room for maneuver.
Not to mention the Reinforcement Energy he would gain from devouring all the strong members of Baroque Works.
And through a powerful organization like Baroque Works, and Crocodile's wealth, what else could he accomplish?
He could collect or purchase creatures he desired, allowing him to devour them and evolve the necessary body parts.
It could gather strong individuals, and after consuming them, one's body would be strengthened, becoming even more resilient.
This was an opportunity, a chance to rapidly grow stronger, a path to complete transformation.
Xia Qiu harbored a dream, one he had suppressed deep within his heart but had continuously strived towards.
That was to become involved in the history of this world, to become a part of it.
Rather than living an ordinary life and dying an ordinary death.
Now, an opportunity had presented itself.
He couldn't let it go.
Xia Qiu thought, looking at Robin.
To kill Crocodile, to take control of Baroque Works, and to utilize Baroque Works, all required Robin's help.
Killing Crocodile didn't require her consent.
But for the latter two, Robin was essential.
And if Robin knew what he planned to do, there was a high chance she would disagree, so he could only mislead her.
He couldn't tell her for now.
With that in mind, Xia Qiu wrote a few words on the ground: "It's very dangerous."
"My life itself is dangerous. Aside from this past year and a half, ever since I was eight until now, only Baroque Works has been able to protect me," Robin said with a wry smile.
If it weren't for her dream, Robin would have truly wanted to stay on this island forever.
Hearing Robin's words, Xia Qiu paused, then wrote several lines on the ground: "Then, please let me protect you."
"Hm?"
Robin's eyes lit up, and she asked, "Little Black, do you mean you're willing to go with me?"
"Mm."
Xia Qiu nodded, then wrote a line: "Protect you."
"Little Black."
Seeing this, Robin was deeply moved. She hugged one of Xia Qiu's legs and said, "Thank you."
Seeing Robin's action, Xia Qiu felt a pang of guilt for using her, but...
This was the only opportunity he could access right now; he couldn't let it slip away.
Sorry, I can only use you.
But I will protect you well.
Xia Qiu grinned, his large, sharp teeth glinting ominously in the moonlight.
Third watch, 10,000+ words, requesting votes.
-----------
Translation by: randomtranslator.com
Read 2500+ original & fanfic translations and Translate for Free at: randomtranslator.com