Nobita's Time Heist

"Are you ready?"

"Don't worry, Nobita... I'm the ace pitcher of the Gian team." Gian laughed heartily, seemingly enjoying the thrill of the swords darting around him. "I could hit such a big target with my eyes closed."

"Alright... Let's move out!"

The three separated instantly; Nobita and Dekisugi rose into the sky, while Gian plunged into the sea.

Fortunately, the bamboo dragonfly flies by altering gravity, so it can still move freely even underwater. The amplification from the adaptive lamp allowed it to move freely in the seawater. With a push of its feet, it swam directly to the bottom of the Santa Maria, spread its palms, and braced itself against the bottom of the ship, using all its strength.

top!

"Thump—!!"

Like a miracle, the huge sailboat slowly rose from the sea.

Despite wearing the Super Gloves, Gian's expression was still not relaxed. Fortunately, the effects of the Steel Ball had not yet worn off, and his physical strength was still able to support such a heavy burden.

Hydra noticed the commotion on the battlefield. Its nine heads tilted to the side in unison, revealing a chilling, almost human-like smirk, as if mocking the crowd's stupidity. After all that thinking, they'd come up with such a foolish plan? Even missiles hadn't managed to leave a mark on it; did they really think throwing a wooden boat at it would change the outcome?

Rather, destroying their foothold at sea will only make their upcoming battles more difficult. These foolish little humans, finally driven to desperation, have lost their minds.

"Ha...haha...Nobita, Kosuke, I'm ready! Today I'll show you the super changeup from the legendary pitcher Gian!"

Gian took a deep breath, and in that instant, all the muscles in his body tensed up. With the help of the Super Glove, his veins bulged, his teeth clenched, and he unleashed 120% of his power.

"Damn Hydra, give me back my baseball!!!"

Use your waist to generate power.

Throw him down with both arms.

"Thump—!!!!"

Like a god descending to earth, he lifted the Santa Maria in his hands and hurled it overboard. Its 120-ton weight was almost the limit of what the gadget could enhance. But Fat Tiger tossed it high into the air, and the sailboat struggled towards the Hydra, determined to perish together with it.

At the same time, Dekisugi and Nobita raised their lamps almost simultaneously.

"【Material Transformation Lamp】—!"

With a "ding," as if some kind of cheat code had been activated, Izuki directed the beam of light from the lamp toward the Santa Maria. As the light swept across, the original material instantly changed, being replaced by sodium in a proportional manner.

This magic, comparable to turning stone into gold, left him utterly astonished when it was truly displayed. He was deeply impressed by the terrifying technology of the 22nd century, which could actually achieve elemental transformation without any damage.

Several terrifying ideas flashed through his brilliant mind, but of course, it wasn't the time to put them into practice yet.

As expected of their years of shared adventures, Nobita's beam of light arrived just a fraction of a second after Dekisugi's. After he had turned the entire ship into metallic sodium, the second beam swept across its entire hull.

"【Magnifying Lamp】————!!"

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.

Every time a theatrical adventure is released, there are always a few powerful but rarely seen items that make an appearance. For example, the [Mirror World Oil], the [OX Fortune Teller], the [Cloud Solidified Gas], and the [Hamburger Director]. It can be said that this theatrical version almost revolves around them.

However, there are also some classic Doraemon gadgets that are always a must-pick or must-ban. No matter when or what problem you encounter, taking them out will always be effective and can turn the tide.

What Nobita is holding is among them.

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.

As the light swept across, the 120-ton sodium metal was upgraded once again, instantly increasing in size to a level comparable to the Hydra.

Da Xiong clearly saw that, in that instant, Hydra's nine heads and eighteen eyes did indeed shrink back. It may not yet know what the large ship that was attacking it meant, but instinct had already made it wary, and its body reacted by shrinking back.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Nobita and his group demonstrated exceptional improvisation skills, perfectly executing Dekisugi's plan. The large ship pierced through the damp, cold air and crashed directly into the mythical monster.

Chapter Sixteen: It really takes a prop genius!

Intense light, explosions, and shockwaves—all the hallmarks of a grand spectacle were on full display. For the first time, the Hydra's massive body was engulfed, and its nine heads could be vaguely seen pointing skyward, letting out a mournful howl, as if the attack had truly dealt it a severe blow.

In an instant, a cavity was blasted open on the surface of the water, and the seawater surged back, forming a high-speed rotating whirlpool that seemed to lead straight to the abyss, threatening to engulf everything in it.

The splashing seawater turned into a torrential downpour, hitting Nobita's face.

"Ha ha……"

Fat Tiger was panting heavily. Despite the boost from the gadgets, the weight he had thrown was almost at the limit his body could handle. But he still managed to lift his head and ask, "How was it? Our exhilarating combination attack? Did it work?"

Before the rising steam completely dissipated, Da Xiong dared not draw any conclusions. He simply stared at the whirlpool on the sea surface, watching it being filled by the surrounding seawater and then quickly filled in again. The ocean was truly vast; such a lethal amount of metallic sodium, thrown in all at once, returned to calm in just a few dozen seconds, as if nothing had happened.

Can chemical reactions kill elemental organisms?

At the very least... he provided a very interesting idea.

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.

"boom----!!"

The seawater seemed to boil, constantly bubbling, with undercurrents surging at the center of the whirlpool. Moments later, Hydra's head reappeared. It seemed to have been affected as well, with remnants of sodium metal from the explosion remaining within its body, causing a secondary explosion and greatly slowing its regeneration. Despite this, its enormous body continued to regenerate bit by bit, using the inexhaustible seawater as its primary source.

Dekisugi looked at the unkillable monster, a hint of despair in his voice, and murmured, "Cut off one head, and two more will grow back..."

"Brute force is definitely useless against this kind of opponent." Fat Tiger was also scratching his head in frustration, but couldn't think of any good ideas. "We can't exactly drain the ocean, can we?"

Nobita didn't respond, but silently watched the rapidly regenerating Hydra, a strange smile playing on his lips.

As a long-time comrade-in-arms with at least 47 theatrical releases, when he saw him smile, Dekisugi was still confused, but Gian had a "this is it" look on his face.

"Fat Tiger, do you still remember the 'water castle' we built on the beach?"

……

It was a scorching summer day, with temperatures soaring to 40 degrees Celsius. Walking on the street could have been scalding. Just walking home nearly drained Nobita of his energy. Finally, after a grueling climb up the stairs, he opened his room door to find Doraemon lying on a wondrously large bed. The soft, cool mattress had an excellent springiness and feel; lying on it on such a hot day was an absolute bliss.

Later, they learned that this wasn't an ordinary soft bed, but rather "water" whose properties had been altered. Doraemon took out a whole set of "Water Processing Powder," a series of magical gadgets that could transform water into different properties. Sprinkling on this bottle made the water as hard as steel; sprinkling on that bottle made it as soft as clay; trying another bottle made it as malleable as plastic...

The gadget genius Nobita suddenly had a brilliant idea: he had Doraemon open the Anywhere Door and teleport to the beach. He planned to use a constant supply of seawater as raw material, combined with water-processing powder, to build a castle entirely of water.

In the end, the castle was indeed built, and the friends came as invited. However, Nobita discovered a fatal problem—water is transparent, and even as a building material, it couldn't block the scorching sun. The ceiling was transparent, and the direct sunlight made it no different from being outdoors. Fortunately, Doraemon had come prepared; his entire set of processing powder included special coloring powder. But he shouldn't have, by any chance, entrusted the coloring task to Nobita.

He's the kind of person who can spray the wrong perfume even when he's holding two bottles, one Quick and one Slow. Asking him to pick the correct one from a dozen bottles of processed powder is practically a death sentence.

In the end, the bottle of processed powder he mistakenly took brought his friends a rather unforgettable summer memory.

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—!!"

With a powerful push of its feet, the bamboo dragonfly propelled itself into a rapid ascent comparable to a fighter jet. Da Xiong deliberately brushed past Hydra's head to attract its attention.

The Hydra roared, seemingly well aware that the one who could truly inflict harm on it was this human who had provoked it first. In its fury, it continued to frantically absorb seawater to form a body, its nine heads stretching infinitely towards the sky, intertwining and spiraling, their mouths wide open, ready to swallow this tiny prey whole.

Within the clouds, the Hydra's nine heads continued to extend, appearing from the sea as nine surging waterspouts connecting the sea and sky. But for some reason, it was always just a hair's breadth away from Da Xiong. Every time it thought it could swallow it whole and lunged for a bite, Da Xiong would just be a fraction faster, causing it to miss its target. Unbeknownst to him, the Hydra had been carried into the clouds.

"boom!"

Nine enormous heads pierced through the dark clouds, and it began to sense that something was amiss.

A thin film of ice begins to condense on its surface.

High in the sky, where no one else was around, Da Xiong lowered his head slightly, staring expressionlessly at Hydra, who had followed him all the way up. He said coldly, "You probably don't know, but this is the first secret gadget I've ever used, and the one I'm most proficient with. Given enough space, I can even perform aerial acrobatics..."

The thought of performing flying acrobatics in the underground world, only to crash headfirst into a rock wall, made his lips curl into a slight smile, which he quickly suppressed. He pulled a pepper spray bottle-like prop from his pocket, held it out with one hand, and in that instant, against the backdrop of daylight, the confrontation between mortal and nine-headed monster was filled with a long-lost sense of epic grandeur.

"Roar----!!!"

Perhaps sensing something was wrong, Hydra roared fiercely but inwardly, and its nine heads even seemed to want to shrink back.

"If we were at sea, if you sensed something was wrong, you might immediately retreat back into the water. It would be very difficult to find you then."

A sly smile appeared on Da Xiong's face. "But, at this height..."

"You'll have nowhere to run, won't you?"

It was the source of all evil that once made my friends take a cold shower in the middle of summer, and made all our efforts to build water castles all go to waste!

"【Water Reduction Element】—!!"

Like a top chef sprinkling seasoning, Da Xiong held the bottle in one hand and gently tapped it twice with his index finger. The colorless and odorless reducing agent fell like snowflakes onto the nearest Hydra head.

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.

very light.

Compared to that sailboat made of metallic sodium, it was like a speck of dust.

but……

The body, which had been rendered ineffective by the relentless bombardment of firearms, now began to show a ripple of unease.

"Roar------!"

The nine heads let out a scream in unison. They probably never understood that with just such a tiny speck of dust, the seawater that once made them invincible would betray them so easily.

This time, it failed to regenerate any extra heads. Its enormous body rapidly collapsed, turning back into ordinary seawater, and vanished completely from mid-air.

Chapter Seventeen: A Sudden Appearance! The Philosopher's Stone!

"Water's reducing agent?"

On the squid-shaped lifeboat, the group was enthusiastically reviewing the battle they had just fought. Xiao Fu was particularly surprised, and then, remembering the time he was hit in the face by a water castle, he couldn't help but laugh, "You're something else... How do you even think like that? How come you always come up with such strange ideas at times like this?"

“Yes,” Shizuka sighed softly. “If I could use even a tenth of my intelligence on studying, I wouldn’t always be at the bottom of the class in every exam.”

"That's not how it works..." Da Xiong scratched his head sheepishly and laughed, "It's tiring to keep thinking all the time. In order to be able to perform at a higher level when necessary, you need to rest more and save up energy."

Shizuka could only roll her eyes at his twisted logic, which he'd held since childhood. Even after all these years, and with Doraemon returning to the future, his lazy, leisurely pace hadn't changed. Actually, she was just saying it; if she ever saw a constantly tense Nobita, she'd feel quite uncomfortable.

This was Nobita and his friends' first "grand adventure" since Doraemon left, and as they grew up, the level of their adventures gradually surpassed that of Shogakukan's. Doraemon had left, but they urgently added Dekisugi, who had never participated in a grand adventure before, to balance out the overly reckless nature of the original team.

The bizarre situation aboard the Santa Maria, and the sudden appearance of the Hydra, caused them considerable trouble. It was precisely because of this that they reaped a genuine sense of satisfaction after overcoming their opponents in a thrilling struggle.

With Hydra's death, the dark clouds that had shrouded the sky dispersed, and the sunlight that fell on the sea, though weak, brought at least a glimmer of life.

The nuclear-powered submarine activated its automatic follow mode, staying close beneath the life raft to ensure their safety and eliminate any worries. Da Xiong and his friends then embarked on an essential part of every adventure – a picnic. They pulled a barbecue grill from their pockets and cooked on the life raft, the smoke and aroma wafting through the air. Amidst the sizzling of hot oil, Da Xiong completely relaxed, admiring the shimmering waves of the boundless sea.

The sea in the 15th century was no different from what I remembered.

"In the end... what exactly is Hydra?" Fat Tiger had been waiting for this part for a long time, and now he was eating with great relish, holding a handful of skewers in each hand and stuffing them directly into his mouth, his pronunciation almost indistinct. "Is it just a mud monster?"

"Is it possible that it's a jellyfish with a unique shape?" Dekisugi suddenly came up with a hypothesis, "Jellyfish are 97% water, which seems to fit the description?"

"Do jellyfish even have intelligence?" Nobita asked doubtfully. "If what Xiaoshan said is true, and its physical body only accounts for three percent, does that mean it doesn't even have a brain?"

“Well, broadly speaking, jellyfish are a very simple creature. They only have nerve reflexes. They don’t even have a heart, let alone a brain…” Dekisugi shrugged. “I’m just guessing. After all, it’s a new species that no one has ever seen before.”

"After Da Xiong restored the Hydra, the deep-sea probe I sent out detected a high-energy reactant, and we recovered it."

Suneo gave her a meaningful look, and Shizuka immediately understood. She took a seashell from her spare pocket and gently placed it on the makeshift dining table.

With a thud, Nobita's heart tightened; he recognized the prop.

[Clam Shell: A collectible item. Normally, it's just a regular small seashell. Pressing the button on the back of the shell enlarges it. The user then places items inside, closes the shell, and it automatically shrinks back down and disappears into the ground.]

Because it was at sea with nowhere to go, the clamshell became a simple containment tool.

Of course, this little gadget isn't that simple. Its real magic lies in the fact that whatever you put in, it comes out exactly the same way, without any worries about spoilage or decay. In other words, time stands still inside the clam shell.

This means that it can isolate the potential dangers posed by many items.

such as……

"Does that thing emit radiation?" Nobita's tone became tense, and his eyes immediately darted to Shizuka as he asked, "Are you guys alright?"

"Hey, hey, you're going a bit too far. If you only care about Shizuka, then don't ask about 'you guys'." Suneo teased him half-jokingly, trying to lighten the mood, then shook his head with a smile, "Don't worry, I had the ship's AI detect it before it was packed. There's no radiation, no toxicity, and theoretically, it's completely harmless to humans."

“However, just to be on the safe side…” Shizuka continued, “it’s safer to keep it in the clam box.”

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.

For a moment, no one ate their food; everyone's attention was drawn to the small seashell. Da Xiong calmed himself down and gently pressed the button on the surface of the seashell. As the device slowly unfolded, a bright red light that caught everyone's eye flashed out.

Inside the shell lay no pearl, but a red stone, perfectly shaped like a cross, somewhat like a miniature version of the stars in the sky. Despite being trapped in a frozen moment, for some reason, Nobita felt it possessed a magical power; his gaze seemed to be drawn to it, unable to look away. With it, everything around him ceased to matter.

A moment of silence fell over the life raft, where the dark red light flickered slightly, as if enticing everyone's minds.

……

"Dong dong!"

His heart skipped a beat, and Nobita suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, as if something had stabbed him, forcibly pulling him from his stare. He quickly reached out and closed the clamshell lid again.

"This little thing is quite charming..." Fat Tiger rubbed his eyes and exclaimed sincerely, "A ruby?"

“Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.” Xiaofu shook his head. “I conducted simple material tests and composition analysis on it, but… I came up empty-handed. It seems to be a completely new substance that cannot be matched with any element on the periodic table.”

"Really?!" Dekisugi immediately became excited. As a pure researcher, he was actually pleasantly surprised by the appearance of this new substance. "This is a discovery of the century! Honekawa, have you done any other tests? Does it react to external interference, or rather, will it undergo a transformation in form under high temperature? What is the speed of sound wave propagation inside it...?"