Boom.
A Marine warship was hit, creating a large hole, and seawater poured in. The people on board were in a panic. The Marine officer on the ship shouted, "Quick, seal the compartment and aim at the Giant Beast."
The surrounding Marine warships rushed to support in this direction, aiming at the sea, and fired their cannons in unison.
Iron spears shot out, entering the water and embedding themselves in the Giant Beast's back.
"This is a bit troublesome."
Xia Qiu, underwater, felt immense pain from the iron spears. Seeing the approaching Marine ships, he could only retreat.
This was difficult.
There were four fleets in total, each consisting of six ships: one large ship and five small ships.
The small ships were equipped with cannons that could fire iron spears. Xia Qiu was no stranger to iron spears. If nothing unexpected happened, these should be Hina's fleet.
She was in charge of this sea area and was nicknamed Black Cage Hina.
The Marine warships under her command had cannons that could fire iron spears with great power, capable of easily piercing through ships.
In the original work, her own fleet had eight ships, and with reinforcements, there were over thirty warships, enough to blockade a coast.
If he attacked one of their ships and couldn't sink it immediately, he would be surrounded. While these iron spears couldn't harm him, they were still a nuisance.
To sink one ship, he needed to ram it twice, then wait for it to sink into the water before consuming it.
This process took a long time, and with so many warships, they could transfer the people from the ship.
Unless he could destroy half a fleet, it would be difficult to consume the people. Moreover, the Marine officers on the smaller warships had limited strength.
More importantly, if he attacked too many Marine warships, the Marines would definitely send stronger individuals, possibly even Vice Admirals or Admirals.
There was no need to waste an opportunity on weaker individuals.
It seemed that his plan to blend in and consume people was not feasible.
However, misleading the enemy was still possible.
...
"A Marine warship was attacked by a Giant Beast?"
In the conference room of Canal City's city hall, Rear Admiral Sicily sat at the head of the table, frowning as he looked at the received message.
"Where was the attack?" Not far away, a tall, purple-haired woman sat, leaning back in her chair, idly fiddling with a pen on the table.
Rear Admiral Sicily said, "About forty nautical miles northwest of Alabasta. Colonel Vincent's fleet is heading that way to search. It seems Robin is in that direction."
"But if they detected the fleet approaching, shouldn't they have left quickly? At the speed of a Giant Beast, Marine warships couldn't possibly catch up. And an attack by a Giant Beast would just tell others where they are?" the purple-haired female officer said softly.
"You are correct, Commodore Disli."
Rear Admiral Sicily thought for a moment and then asked, "So, you're suggesting she's actually to the north, or northeast?"
"Not necessarily."
Commodore Disli frowned, "If I were Robin, I wouldn't send a Giant Beast to attack; I'd leave immediately, as far as possible. But she had the Giant Beast attack a warship, which proves she can't leave, or is unwilling to avoid it. Perhaps she has something else to do. If we can figure out what that is, we might find Robin. Didn't someone mention a woman appearing when Robin was receiving treatment in Rapeseed Flower City? And she didn't leave with Robin, so she should still be in Alabasta. We should investigate her. Besides that, let's not fixate on a location for now and proceed with the search systematically to avoid being misled."
"Alright, we'll do as you say."
Rear Admiral Sicily nodded, then looked into the distance and asked, "Deputy Officer Bell, we require Alabasta's support."
"Rear Admiral Sicily, please rest assured. King Cobra has instructed us to cooperate fully with the Marines' actions," said a white-skinned man standing nearby.
"That's good."
Rear Admiral Sicily said, "Then, Commodore Disli, please outline the specific plan."
"Why me? You're the one in charge of this operation, aren't you?" Disli said with dissatisfaction.
Rear Admiral Sicily coughed, "It's about brainstorming. I thought your earlier line of reasoning was excellent, so you should be the one to formulate the plan."
"Fine."
Commodore Disli said helplessly, "Then I'll do it. We'll start with land reconnaissance and sea searches as the primary focus."
...
Xia Qiu took a detour and returned to the island. It was already evening. As soon as he landed, a voice called out from a distance, "Little Qiu, you're back."
Robin walked over anxiously from afar. She looked at Xia Qiu and asked, "Little Qiu, are you injured?"
"Of course not."
Xia Qiu walked up to Robin and shook the water off his body, saying, "I was just scouting the situation."
"How is the situation now?" Robin quickly asked.
Xia Qiu hesitated for a moment before replying, "At least four fleets, twenty-four ships, are currently searching in this direction."
Robin frowned, "The search is intense. It seems they are taking this matter very seriously. If we continue to stay here, we'll be found sooner or later. It might be better to leave this sea area."
"What about Baroque Works?"
Xia Qiu quickly asked, "You've just re-established some connections. If we leave, it will be difficult to maintain control over Baroque Works."
They had already taken the first step in controlling Baroque Works. She had killed Mr. 1, and besides Mr. 1, she had met all the other Senior Agents. If she issued direct orders, they would follow them.
They also built a submarine, which would be used for underwater communication and establishing secret channels in the future.
Next were the intermediate agents, the millionaires, and the billionaires.
As long as they were made to obey, Baroque Works could be controlled.
But if she left now, all her preparations would be in vain.
Robin sighed and said, "Then let's just abandon Baroque Works. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I see the problems are huge. My strength is limited; I was quite injured just from attacking Mr. 1. Now I'm being hunted by the Marines, and their fleet is patrolling the surrounding waters. My appearance will only bring trouble to Baroque Works. And with this level of patrol, I'm afraid even the other members are scared now. Besides, I'm not a qualified leader; I can't be ruthless enough. Killing Mr. 1 alone has already tormented me."
"What about your dream? Without Baroque Works, how will you find the Poneglyphs?" Xia Qiu asked, looking at Robin.
"My dream?"
Robin's eyes flickered upon hearing this.
"Robin, you can't give up for now."
Xia Qiu interrupted her. "I'll create a diversion elsewhere to draw their attention. And there's the submarine; didn't Little Feng say it would be ready in fifteen days? Time is almost up. With the submarine, our movements will be much freer. I'll keep watch around here, and if any Marines show up, I can help you escape."
"Okay."
Robin was taken aback by Xia Qiu's words, then nodded. "Then I'll wait for a while."
Xia Qiu let out a breath. "Robin, I'll help you."
"Mhm, thank you, Little Qiu."
Robin smiled, then waved her hand. "Now that you're back, Little Qiu, I feel relieved. I'm a bit tired today, so I'm going back to sleep."
"Good night."
Xia Qiu nodded and watched Robin go into the house and close the door.
Looking at the door, Xia Qiu frowned.
She had developed thoughts of retreating and planned to leave, no longer wanting to control Baroque Works.
From the very beginning, what sustained her was the idea of using Baroque Works to better achieve her dream.
But too many things had happened today; she was injured, then surrounded by the Marines, and they were still hunting her.
She lacked strength, was wanted by the Government, and was now in a dangerous situation.
She believed she couldn't control Baroque Works and therefore intended to give up.
Xia Qiu naturally didn't want this. He needed Baroque Works for many things; how could he let Robin leave?
Perhaps Robin would change her mind tomorrow.
But in Xia Qiu's heart, he had to admit that Robin was indeed not a suitable candidate to lead Baroque Works.
She was currently wanted and being pursued, completely unable to control Baroque Works, and would also endanger others.
Now that the members of Baroque Works knew Miss All Sunday was Nico Robin, her identity was exposed. If there were no danger, it would be fine, but with danger present, it would inevitably cause widespread panic.
Moreover, she lacked leadership abilities, her strength was limited, and she wasn't ruthless enough.
More importantly, she was his friend.
If she wanted to leave, he couldn't forcefully stop her, just as when she asked about the number of his fleet, he could have lied but still told her the truth.
And the final thing he intended to do, she would definitely not approve of, and they might even fall out then.
Xia Qiu didn't want to see this happen. After all, she was his first contact and his only friend.
If she truly intended to leave, then he could only...
Xia Qiu shook his head and slowly paced into the depths of the island, lying down to rest.
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