First Time

The sun was shining brightly, a gentle sea breeze blew, and the salty smell filled the air, but Robin's eyes were filled with doubt.

She didn't know why the Black Fish hadn't eaten her, and instead pushed her to the surface.

At that moment, Robin was sitting on Xia Qiu's head, coughing incessantly.

What exactly happened?

Why didn't he kill me? Was he planning to save me?

More importantly, this sea fish did not head towards Lodestar Island, but instead drifted away from the island.

What is he going to do?

Robin was puzzled. He adjusted his position, sat cross-legged behind Xia Qiu's ram, and placed his hands on the ram.

"Woke up?"

Xia Qiu sensed the movement in her head and grinned.

Unexpectedly, I ran into Robin.

Xia Qiu really likes Robin; she's Xia Qiu favorite female character. However, now that he's turned into a fish, his feelings for Robin have faded considerably, and he really wants to eat her.

Robin is quite capable. As Miss All Sunday, she certainly has the advantage of being associated with the Poneglyph, but her combat strength is at least at the level of Senior Agent.

The only problem is that most of her abilities are related to her Devil Fruit ability; her physical attributes are good, but not exceptionally strong.

Without Devil Fruit, her physical abilities would be limited; she'd probably be no stronger than a billionaire, as her Reinforcement Energy would be limited.

It's not very useful to eat, but it's good to raise.

I've raised Moo before, and having someone to keep me company is always better than being alone. I'll be staying in Alabasta for a long time, so it's better to have someone with me.

More importantly, perhaps she can communicate with herself.

Since she couldn't speak for the time being, finding someone to talk to was the best option, and she was the person most likely to talk to her among all the people.

She is not only an archaeologist but also a linguist with extraordinary linguistic talent; she mastered multiple languages by the age of eight.

She has strong communication, analytical, and work skills. As long as you respond and get her attention, you can definitely establish a communication system with her.

Communicating with other people is what Xia Qiu looks forward to most.

Therefore, Xia Qiu did not intend to let her leave and let her go.

But to raise her, we can't leave her in Alabasta; we need to find a deserted island.

Fortunately, Xia Qiu had captured the magnetic pull of many islands on her way here, and there must be quite a few islands along this route.

Xia Qiu carried Robin and continued onward. If the weather ahead was bad, Xia Qiu would take cover as soon as possible.

"This Black Fish is indeed very clever."

Robin sat on Xia Qiu's head, his eyes slightly narrowed.

He avoided dangerous waters, not even getting close, and moved away from the edge in advance.

Many sea areas are not a problem for him, so why is he hiding? Is it to protect himself?

It behaves completely unlike a wild beast, possesses a certain level of intelligence, and has strength far exceeding that of sea beasts.

This Black Fish is strange.

Robin thought about it and felt more at ease.

On the ocean, he was no match for him; if the other man wanted to kill or torture him, he would have no way to resist.

Let's see what he's going to do.

Robin sat on Xia Qiu's head and lazily yawned.

"This island is too close."

Xia Qiu sensed the magnetic force around her, shook her head, and continued forward.

"This island is a bit too close to the main shipping route, making it easy for people to get close," Xia Qiu said, rejecting another island.

"It's too big."

Xia Qiu shook her head, approached the island, and then slowly moved away.

Two hours passed just like that.

"There?"

An island appeared faintly in the distance, and Xia Qiu rushed towards one of them.

This island is on the way from Alabasta, and there are several other islands and dangerous waters between it and Alabasta.

We can't get too close to Alabasta, in case she escapes on a raft.

It cannot be near the main flight path; it must be some distance away, as remote as possible.

Moreover, this island is not planned to be large, about the same size as Nar Island.

This is the place.

With that thought in mind, Xia Qiu led Robin towards the island.

"They're getting closer to the island again? Will he leave this time?"

Robin straightened up and looked at the distant island.

We just encountered an island, but after the Black Fish approached, it moved away again and left the island.

"Getting closer and closer, what exactly is he going to do?"

As Robin watched the shore draw ever closer, he couldn't help but frown.

Xia Qiu carried Robin to the edge of the island, searching for a place with relatively deep water.

The water depth is limited on the front, while the back is a steep ocean cliff.

This is fine.

Xia Qiu arrived at a certain place on the back of the island, where the coastline was one meter above the sea. Xia Qiu stopped at the shore.

"Shall I go up?"

Robin shook his head, stood up, and jumped onto the shore.

Why are you asking me to come ashore? To save me?

But why didn't they send me to Lodestar Island? It's much closer there.

Moreover, there were other islands along the way, but he didn't go to any of them, instead choosing to go to this particular island.

What's so special about this island?

Robin, puzzled, went ashore and stood on the edge of the island, gazing into the distance.

The island is covered with trees, and in the distance to the left are towering hills covered with vegetation and overgrown with weeds.

The weeds were tall, above knee height, indicating that the area was rarely visited.

"There's nothing particularly special about it."

Robin turned around and looked behind him, only to find that the Black Fish was still there, with most of its head sticking out of the water, its mouth wide open, its menacing teeth sending chills down one's spine.

"The teeth are a bit strange. These two teeth look like the fangs of a poisonous snake." Robin stared at Xia Qiu's two fangs with a curious expression.

What kind of fish is this?

And why did you bring yourself to a deserted island?

Robin looked at the Black Fish, pointed to the island, and asked suspiciously, "Do you need me to help you find something on this island?"

"No, no, no." Xia Qiu shook her head violently.

"Isn't that so?"

Robin nodded, then realized what he meant, stared at Xia Qiu, and asked, "You can understand me?"

"Uh-huh."

Xia Qiu poked her head out and nodded vigorously.

"That's impossible."

Robin looked somewhat surprised at the other person's actions, and then, to confirm, said, "If you can understand me, shake your head."

Xia Qiu immediately shook her head from side to side.

"I can really understand it."

Robin looked incredulous; not only could it understand, it could also respond.

This means he fully understands what he said.

Robin stared blankly at the Black Fish and said, "If you can understand, then go around in the water."

Upon hearing this, Xia Qiu immediately turned around, spun around in the water, and then returned to Robin's side, raising her head.

"This..." Robin plopped down on the shore, finding it somewhat unbelievable.

A Black Fish that can understand human language.

Robin had lived for twenty-four years, and this was the first time he had ever encountered such a creature.

This is not a simple matter.

They can understand language, comprehend the meaning of multiple sentences, and sometimes even understand sentences with a few words changed.

This proves that it is not reacting to specific syllables, but rather has mastered the language.

This has three implications. First, it has a huge memory capacity; only by memorizing the word order and structure of a language can one master it.

One is comprehension ability; language requires basic comprehension skills.

The third is wisdom; the ability to master language indicates a high level of intelligence.

Fourth, it must have had contact with humans.

After learning that he wouldn't die anytime soon, Robin became curious about the fish.

"You can understand me, so can we talk?" Robin asked, standing by the water.

"Uh-huh."

Xia Qiu nodded vigorously, her heart filled with excitement.

Finally, I can communicate with people. This is the first time in the six years I've been in this world.