Nobita's Time Heist

Faced with such exaggerated winds and waves, and such dense dark clouds, a smaller boat might have capsized on the spot, but it was still able to sail steadily.

The interior and exterior colors are completely different. The solid exterior walls completely insulate the cool tones from the outside, while the cabin is a warm, bright orange, giving people a sense of comfort, like having a drink by the fireplace at home when a storm is about to break.

On the third day of our trip, the novelty had worn off, and we were starting to get tired of the sea, which we rarely saw.

After dinner, with nothing much to do for the time being, everyone returned to their rooms. Fortunately, the ship was still built on 22nd-century technology; even in an era without satellites, it was equipped with a number of games, preventing the journey from being too boring.

The restaurant suddenly became empty. Da Xiong did not rush to leave. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, propped his chin on his hand, rested his head on the glass, and gazed at the turbulent sea outside the window.

The waves rise and fall, and as far as the eye can see, the horizon where the sky meets the sea is shrouded in a hazy gray, making the whole world look like an old photograph.

"Don't worry, Nobi-kun, we're on the right track." Dekisugi wasn't in a hurry to leave. He took a few sheets of paper and was doing some calculations under the warm light. He said, "We're traveling along Columbus's route. This place is undoubtedly ours; we just haven't encountered it yet."

"Thank you, Xiaoshan..." Da Xiong forced a smile, but his tightly furrowed brows did not relax at all.

On his very first day on the voyage, he used the Copy Mirror to mass-produce and distribute the spy satellites. Now, with this ship at the center, the entire sea area within a thousand miles is under Da Xiong's close surveillance. An alarm will sound immediately upon the detection of any other ships. At this time, the only ships sailing in the Atlantic are Columbus's three vessels; as long as the direction is correct, finding them is only a matter of time.

But at this moment, what's causing Nobita so much anxiety has little to do with this.

"Nobi-kun, have you thought about this?"

"What have you thought about?"

The lamplight flickered slightly in the wind and waves, casting swaying shadows of the two figures on the wall. A moment of silence fell over the cabin, broken only by the crackling of the fireplace.

"If—and I mean if—there's even a one in ten thousand chance that what we end up seeing is indeed Doraemon himself..."

Dekisugi's tone remained calm, but in Nobita's eyes, he was like a ruthless god who exposed the problem that Nobita had been unwilling to face but had repeatedly struggled with.

"What should we do then?"

……

A thunderclap streaked across the sky, shattering the tranquility inside the cabin in an instant.

Da Xiong lowered his head, his round glasses reflecting white light, making it impossible to see his eyes. All that could be seen was him biting his lip hard, as if he was pondering a paradox that was destined to be unsolvable.

There are countless cat-shaped robots.

However, there aren't many cat-shaped robots that have just had their gold paint removed, revealing a blue base color, and that happen to lack ears.

He couldn't bear to think about what he would do if he really did reunite with Doraemon in this way. Was he mentally prepared to turn against his former closest companion?

"I……"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

“Drip! Drip! Drip!”

At the critical moment, the piercing alarm actually brought him a sense of relief. Da Xiong immediately stood up and looked at the spy satellite's monitoring screen—in the airspace about a hundred meters away from the ship, amidst the sparse rain, there were several small, moving gray dots. They were approaching the ship at an abnormal speed. When Da Xiong zoomed out and saw their full appearance, he immediately gasped.

"What's wrong, Nobita? What's going on?!"

Upon hearing the alarm, the remaining three immediately ran out of the room. Fat Tiger even leaped over the dining table and rushed to the screen. The moment he saw the intruder, his mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg.

Dragon.

It wasn't particularly large, about ten meters long, entirely black, with wings on its back and scales covering its body. Only its head was strange; it had no facial features, resembling an alien, with only a gaping maw. Raindrops lashed against its rows of sharp teeth, gleaming with a chilling light. It was unclear how they observed the world, but suddenly they changed direction, bursting through the rain curtain and lunging at the ship!

"Just to confirm... we really are in 1492, right?" Seeing this thing suddenly appear on the screen, Suneo couldn't help but exclaim, "What is this? It looks like something out of a Miyazaki Hidetaka game!"

"This dragon is really ugly," Fat Tiger said with a hint of disdain. "It makes you not want to ride it at all."

"If it were even a little better looking, you'd probably get one to ride, right..." Shizuka thought to herself.

"They're very fast, and they're heading straight for us, maybe..."

Halfway through his sentence, Nobita suddenly heard a hissing sound, like a snake flicking its tongue, coming from the cold seabed. A chill ran down his spine, and almost instinctively, Nobita exerted his strength and tackled Shizuka to the ground.

"boom----!!"

The next moment, the floor was smashed through by tremendous force, and sharp wood chips scattered everywhere like exploding Claymore landmines. Unfortunately, one of the splinters pierced through Dekisugi's calf, and the sound of the deck being torn apart even drowned out his screams.

The dragon head, which had just been seen on the monitor screen like an alien, was suddenly right in front of them—it burst through the floor and emerged from under the hull. Its gaping maw instantly opened, revealing two rows of sharp, serrated teeth that gleamed, and along with the icy seawater, it spewed out a terrifying roar.

"Roar----!!!"

The enormous head turned around, hesitated slightly, and then turned its smooth, teardrop-shaped head toward Xiao Fu, whose face had turned pale.

"Wait, wait... wait a minute... I don't taste good at all. I don't have an ounce of meat on me, and if you eat me, I'll just get stuck in your teeth..."

Unfortunately, it was no use; it just wanted some firewood today.

"Damn it, Suneo... don't just stand there like an idiot!" Fat Tiger, who was practically pressed to the ground by a stool, waved his hand violently at him and shouted, "Run!"

"Mother----!!"

These two words seemed like a panacea; the moment they were uttered, his stiff body could move again. However, the black dragon showed no sign of giving up, spreading its wings and tearing the ship's hull further with its sharp claws. Accompanied by the creaking and groaning of breaking pieces, Xiaofu's escape route was quickly and completely cut off. After running only a few steps, he collapsed to the ground once more, flailing his arms wildly.

Within its gaping maw, countless serrated teeth rubbed against each other, producing a sound that made one's teeth ache. The black dragon lay prostrate on the ground, growling softly, and slowly approached, as if observing where to begin its attack.

"Ding--"

There was a crisp sound.

A gilded doorknob fell onto the broken wooden floor, and the black dragon's attention immediately shifted to it. It lowered its head and sniffed the gilded handle carefully, completely forgetting the prey right in front of it.

"...?"

In the midst of the chaos, Xiaofu witnessed the entire scene. Despite being so frightened that his legs went weak, he still remembered it vividly.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Thump—!!"

To the person involved, it sounded like the salute of a savior.

A compressed air projectile pierced through the smoke and struck the black dragon's head precisely, knocking its slender neck to one side. The dragon drooled and desperately sniffed the air for the source of the attack.

The smoke cleared.

Nobita stood sideways, letting the sea breeze constantly ruffle his bangs, the air cannon strapped to his left wrist, his left arm raised high in a menacing pose towards the black dragon. His right hand was inside his pocket, continuing to rummage for the gadgets.

"Gian—!"

With a shout, Nobita pulled a pair of green gloves from his pocket and threw them at Gian.

Chapter 8: Are you really a childcare robot?

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Three consecutive shots struck the same spot on its head. The compressed air projectiles blasted the dragon, leaving it somewhat disoriented, and clearly further fueled its ferocity. The black dragon bared its sharp teeth, its forelegs dug deep into the floor, and its wings spread, resembling a bull charging up its strength.

"Wait a minute, Nobita!" Shizuka, who had been blocked behind him, changed her expression slightly. "It's planning to..."

"Roar----!!!"

A sharp roar formed an incredibly thick wall of sound, even shaking away the falling raindrops. The black dragon's body tensed, its front claws exerting force, like a shot-out arrow, pressing down on Da Xiong with overwhelming mass.

Faced with the enormous object, Nobita remained unusually calm—perhaps everything had happened so fast that he hadn't even had time to be afraid. His right hand, reaching into his pocket, pulled out a reassuring bright red.

"【Self-defense cloak】—!!"

Nobita remained standing in the same spot, but turned slightly to the side, his red cape held high in his right hand.

Despite the rain, his gaze remained fixed on the black dragon's head, while the air cannon in his left hand lurked, ready to fire at any moment.

Lightning surged in the distance, its cold light striking him like a seasoned bullfighter. The black dragon, which had been so aggressive, intending to crush him in one blow, instead slammed headfirst into the ship's hull like a wild boar unable to turn sharply. With a resounding crash, most of its body passed through the hull, hanging there like a strange, hunted specimen.

"Damn it, how dare they damage our ship like this..."

After putting on the [Super Glove], Fat Tiger casually lifted the chair that was pressing down on him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other black dragons circling in the sky like vultures, waiting for their prey to die. He couldn't help but feel angry.

He strode forward a few steps, bent down, grabbed the black dragon's scale-covered tail, and with a shout, yanked it out of the wall! What was supposed to be a tool for moving heavy objects was now being used by him as a simple power amplifier.

Rain lashed against his arm, and Fat Tiger, enraged, strained, his arm muscles bulging like obsidian. He grabbed the black dragon's tail like a sack of garbage and hurled it into the sky! Its ten-meter-long body pierced through the heavy rain, colliding violently with its unsuspecting companions in the air.

"Boom————!!!"

Amidst the deafening roar, several dragons were left dazed and disoriented. Seemingly realizing that this was no easy prey, they circled the ship a few times before flapping their wings and flying away.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Hiss...ah..."

Dekisugi tried his best to suppress the sound, leaned against the wall, and sat up, but his injured right leg was still dripping blood. A splinter the size of a spoon was embedded in his leg; the pain was beyond what could be endured by simply gritting his teeth.

"Kogane... Oh my god!" Shizuka's voice trembled slightly. Although she had anticipated this, seeing her companion injured was still overwhelming. She took out a first-aid kit from her pocket and frantically prepared the first-aid supplies, unsure which one to choose.

"We were so careless! We were so focused on monitoring the sea and the sky that we didn't realize the enemy would attack from underwater..."

Dekisugi's lips had turned slightly purple, clearly from biting them hard to resist the pain. Large beads of sweat began to roll down his pale face. "However, Nobi-kun... this is... not bad news."

"Oh, yes."

Nobita had no intention of treating him. Instead, he took out a time-bound cloth and wrapped it around the injured area on Nobita's calf. "The fact that monsters are appearing so frequently means, in a sense, that we are very close to the enemy."

Tick, tick, tick.

The sound of the clock hands turning backward.

Within seconds, when the wrapping was lifted again, the calf that had been wrapped had healed on its own. Apart from a faint phantom pain, he was no different from an ordinary person. This unconventional method stunned Shizuka. She hadn't even put down the medical kit in her hand when she couldn't help but sigh, "It's always been like this. Nobita's use of gadgets always manages to surprise people."

Of course, in her memory, there were actually more instances of everything going black, but we'll leave that aside for now...

"Boom—!!"

Amidst deafening thunder, the sky seemed to collapse, unleashing a torrential downpour upon the wrecked ship, its sails billowing wildly in the wind.

At the horizon, a large ship silently emerges, like a somber tombstone. It stands quietly, waiting to be discovered.

Several black dragons, fleeing in panic, landed on the deck of the large ship and disappeared.

"Damn it, how dare they damage our ship like this!" Fat Tiger gritted his teeth, showing no fear, his eyes practically spitting fire. "Nobita! Do you have any cannons or anything? Quickly, think of a way to blast him with one shot!"

"No!" Dekisugi had just recovered and was rushing to stand up when his right leg suddenly went weak. Fortunately, he managed to grab Nobita's shoulder in time. "Gouda-kun, don't be impulsive... At this point in time, the only ships still able to sail in the Atlantic are probably Columbus's fleet! If we attack them, history will be rewritten, and we'll have come all this way for nothing."

"..." Fat Tiger seemed to have been choked, his tone filled with resentment, "Dragons have flown out of it, do you still expect history to be the same as before?"

“This is exactly what we need to strive for.” Gazing at the large ship that lay steadfastly in the wind and rain, Nobita took a deep breath. “Gian and Sugi, come with me, Suneo…”

He fumbled in his pocket for a while and pulled out a very exquisite submarine model that was entirely black.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(【Atomic-Powered Submarine Equipped with Missiles】: It's hard to imagine this is a toy for 22nd-century children. Despite being a miniature model, it possesses a sturdiness comparable to real military products. As the name suggests, it is equipped with missiles and can dive to a depth of 2000 meters. From the original comic book "Remote Control Boat Battle")

On a sunny afternoon, Nobita finally bought a remote-controlled boat with his month's savings, only to have it sunk by Suneo's Yamato during its first test run. From the moment Nobita burst into his house crying, a battle began! The ensuing series of counterattacks turned into a battle of wits between Suneo and Doraemon. It's obvious that even the most skilled model enthusiast couldn't possibly defeat a 22nd-century super robot.

As the firepower between the two sides escalated, Suneo's cousin piloted a Zero fighter model actually loaded with gunpowder and sank the Yamato, which had already been captured by Nobita. Doraemon, for once, truly entered a state of uncontrollable rage. The super cheat he pulled out was this thing.

If I had known he was this good, I wouldn't have needed to save up to buy a remote-controlled boat.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"I'll magnify the submarine with the magnifying flashlight. Shizuka, you and Suneo will ride in the submarine and stand by at sea. In case of a situation like what happened earlier, we can provide fire support." Nobita handed the submarine ladder to Shizuka, instructing her, "Since it's for a future child, the operation should be very simple. I remember it being..."

"No need, I'll take a look once I'm inside." Suneo wiped his face, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to calm down. "Also, Nobita... these guys seem to be particularly sensitive to gold."

"Does Doraemon have any gadgets in his pocket that can turn stones into gold?"

Chapter Nine: The Cursed Mother

On the unpredictable and eerie ocean currents, the large ship remained perfectly still, like a sinister little island.

The ship's size was almost at the limit of what could be manufactured in that era. The blood-red cross on its sails fluttered in the wind, appearing and disappearing in the mist, making it all the more terrifying. It's hard to imagine that this is the same miraculous ship in human history that once discovered a new continent and whose name will be remembered for eternity.

However, a line of Spanish text carved on the outside of the ship's hull perfectly encapsulates this fact.

“Santa Maria…the Santa Maria.” Dekisugi, wearing a bamboo dragonfly on his head, hovered beside the line of Spanish, his brow furrowing slightly. “Strange, there should be two more ships. Where are the Pinta and the Niña?”

"There's no one on deck." Fat Tiger flew a little higher, surveying the entire sailboat from above. The rising chill was even more biting. "That doesn't make sense. I saw those bastards landing on the ship with my own eyes. Could they all be hiding in the sea?"

"If that's the case, Suneo and the others must have already exchanged fire..."

Nobita glanced down; the sea was unusually calm, not a sound could be heard. Just to be safe, he first took out the [Translator Konjac Slices], which were almost always essential for his adventures, tore them into three pieces, and then pulled out a shock gun for Kisugi. As for himself, he continued to hold the air cannon in his left hand, so that he could pull out other gadgets from his pocket at any time to save the day.

The deck was quiet, the cabins were quiet; the large ship seemed to be painted with cool-toned paint, about to dissolve into the gloomy sky.

If the Santa Maria wasn't still relatively well-damaged, Nobita would have wondered if it was a lost ghost ship adrift at sea. How could there not be a single person in sight?

"According to historical records, Columbus had 39 crew members on board the Santa Maria, including a full-time Arabic translator, secretary, auditor, and many experienced seamen. Of course, there were also some nobles who smelled the scent of wealth and went along with him."

After stepping onto the ship, Izumi even stomped on the wooden deck twice with the soles of his feet. With his explanation, the originally eerie creaking sound even carried a sense of holiness.