Nobita's Time Heist

"..."

Nobita fell silent. Although he hadn't been unaware of this outcome, his feelings were still quite complicated when the moment actually arrived.

Freedom, honor, hatred—at the end of this tragic era, it seems that everything can be condensed into these two words.

"Do you think you can save anyone?" Dutch squinted, leaning forward slightly, his right hand resting on the revolver in its holster. "This is still the West. Redemption has never existed... It's about robbing or being robbed, killing or being killed, plundering or being plundered. That's the unchanging theme of this land. The prince and princess live happily ever after, simply because they are a prince and princess!"

"Today, the only problem that you and I can solve is this—to live or to die!"

Amidst the roaring thunder and torrential rain, Dutch's dream churned once more. All the sights he had ever seen changed rapidly, yet he alone stood amidst them, maintaining the posture of a cowboy about to engage in a duel.

"Draw your gun, kid!"

He urged sternly, "If you want to reason with people on this land, this is the only way!!"

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!"

A duel between two sharpshooters is always a regrettable one. Regardless of victory or defeat, the world will lose a legendary figure who inspires awe.

……

This is the usual practice.

……

"when!"

There was a crisp sound.

Dutch's revolver was knocked into the mud, his right hand still in a firing position, his pupils slightly dilated, stunned for a few seconds. Meanwhile, Da Xiong opposite him had already raised his gun horizontally, a wisp of smoke rising from the muzzle.

The rain was still falling, drowning out all the inconspicuous sounds.

"what……"

"Hahahaha! Drawing and firing in less than a second!" Dutch laughed loudly, as if he had suddenly realized something. "Sharpshooter Tough Guy, I always thought you made this up to scare people. If it is you, then all of this seems to make sense."

"However, as a gunslinger in the West, you still missed the most important lesson..."

He instantly drew his second revolver from his waist and pressed it against his temple.

As the lightning struck, Dutch's smile became unrestrained and insane, as if he had transformed back into the arrogant madman who was about to overthrow the world.

"Don't, under any circumstances, fail!"

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!"

Gunshots rang out, and the dream shattered.

Nobita felt the surrounding scenery rushing backward, and in no time, he was forcibly "ejected" from Dutch's dream.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the giant dragon suddenly open its eyes, its gaze filled with a thousand kinds of longing and ten thousand kinds of reluctance. Its mountain-sized body turned into crimson light spots and disappeared into the cold and dark water.

Chapter 73: The Anchor of Time and Space

The moment Nobita climbed out of the lake, he felt a sense of relief, as if he had seen the light of day again. The weak sunlight and biting wind made him instinctively pull his clothes tighter around him, and despite the light-adjusting effect, he still shivered uncontrollably. This series of rapid-fire battles ended with his enemy taking his own life in a dream, a far cry from what he had imagined. Even though he had won, Nobita felt utterly exhausted, as if he hadn't won at all.

"call……"

He took a deep breath, then spread his arms and lay flat on the cold snow, letting the wind and snow lash his face.

Feeling of emptiness.

Indeed, in the end, all that remained of this adventure was an endless sense of emptiness.

……

The jeep pulled up beside him, and from the moment he saw Dutch, Arthur had already guessed the outcome of the battle. His eyes lowered slightly, revealing a hint of regret; after all, they had been together for decades, and no matter what, the feelings were still there. But, not long after, he recovered from his emotions, slowly walked over to Nobita, and as if he had just finished a long marathon, he released all his energy and sat down.

Lake Isabella quickly returned to calm, with broken ice floes bobbing on the surface like a jigsaw puzzle in disarray.

“It’s alright, Nobita. Whatever the outcome, he deserves it,” Arthur said slowly. “You’ve already done so much for us, there’s no reason to ask anything more of you.”

"..." Nobita did not respond, looking up at the dark and oppressive clouds, his expression slightly melancholy, "I didn't expect it to end like this."

"To be honest, I didn't expect it either." Arthur pulled a bottle of fine brandy from his satchel, which was no less than a four-dimensional pocket. With a can of beef, he tilted his head back and gulped down half of the good wine like water. "I originally thought we wouldn't survive this winter."

"Think about it, without you, what would have become of us?"

"Hosea will definitely die in Saint Denis, there's no doubt about that. Once he's dead, no one will be able to keep Dutch in check. And that scoundrel Micah will keep whispering what he wants to hear in Dutch's ear, helping him carry out one monstrous plan after another. Although I can't crack open his head to see what's going on, based on my nearly twenty years of understanding of him, the final result will be that we'll go down a dead end, finally be targeted by the big shots, and be annihilated and torn apart."

He shook his head dismissively, took another sip, and drained the bottle of wine, recounting this nightmarish future as if telling someone else's story.

“Micah will survive. In his own words, he’s a ruthless ‘survivor,’ capable of anything to survive. As for Dutch…”

“He won’t stop here. There must be an even more deadly plan, a bigger gang, and more victims waiting for us.”

“Leaving here is a good thing for him, for me, and for all of us.”

After saying these words, Arthur felt a sense of relief, as if he had completely let go of his burdens and said goodbye to Dutch. Even the cold snow-capped mountains and the gloomy sky seemed so lovely. Putting aside all other thoughts, the scenery of Lake Isabella alone was a truly breathtaking sight.

Arthur suddenly realized that a completely new life, unlike any other day, was about to begin. Without the gang, he could do whatever he wanted. Thinking this, he felt a sense of relief and instinctively reached for his cigarette case, picking up a premium cigarette between his fingers.

Nobita gently placed his hand on his wrist, his palm open, revealing a round pill lying quietly inside.

Despite knowing nothing about it, Arthur's keen instincts instantly told him that this pill was no ordinary object. It was like someone who already knew they'd won the lottery but didn't know what the prize was, waiting for the announcement, their breathing erratic with nervousness.

“Dutch always says I’m some kind of ‘messenger of God,’ but I really don’t deserve that title… It’s mostly thanks to these amazing gadgets, which were developed by scientists in the 22nd century. As for me, I’m just someone who’s been lucky and has a little bit of cleverness. It’s because the level of technology is so different that these gadgets seem like miracles to you.”

"But now, I truly possess a miracle. You saved us on this snow-capped mountain, so it was still on this snow-capped mountain..."

"I've decided to give it to you."

……

Without asking any further questions, Arthur took the pill and swallowed it. One has to admire these 19th-century people; they actually swallowed the pill whole without even drinking water.

A few seconds later, he felt sweat pouring down his forehead and his body getting incredibly hot, as if someone had stuffed a furnace inside him.

"Hiss..."

White steam rose from his forehead, his cloudy eyes cleared, his weak limbs regained their lightness, and the persistent feeling of heaviness in his lungs vanished without a trace. Strength returned to his body; he could easily run a lap around the frozen lake right now.

"I know you're not in good health, maybe it's tuberculosis, or something else... but it doesn't matter. From today onwards, don't worry about it anymore. And all your previous ailments have been cured." Seeing the incredulous, blissful expression on his face, Nobita unconsciously smiled as well. "That was a 'cure-all' medicine." (No matter how you rank it, this amazing gadget will never fall out of the top ten of the "Doraemon's Amazing Gadgets Ranking," and as its name suggests, it cures all ailments. Nobita once used it to cure Shizuka's dog, Shiro.)

“Cherish this second chance, Arthur. Go to Morocco, leave behind the past, and try to be a good person.”

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.

"..."

Asur stood beside the off-road vehicle, observing everything Nobita was doing from a distance. For some reason, she did not step forward to interrupt this happy moment. Instead, she lost all expression and watched quietly, as if she wanted to blend into the surrounding wind and snow.

Until the very moment Arthur swallowed the pill, the snow-capped mountain remained perfectly still, with the wind blowing across Lake Isabella, creating a few faint ripples.

“There’s no mistake.” Asur finally confirmed, “To so blatantly change someone’s ‘fate’ without any punishment or correction…”

"He is a time-space anchor."

The SUV's headlights flashed twice, emitting a series of glissando sounds that indicated a question.

"In 22nd-century time-warning textbooks, those who anchor in time and space are also called 'the chosen ones' or 'the choices of history.' Simply put, they have the privilege of 'doing whatever they want.' Whatever they do is the choice of history itself, a living, special individual created by the timeline to stabilize itself."

Asur's tone gradually became ethereal, like a cloud floating in the sky, somewhat different from her usual self. "For this reason, time anchors often have extremely special constitutions, making them difficult to interfere with by abilities such as mind control or memory manipulation. This is because when the timeline changes, he/she/it/He needs to take immediate action to restore everything."

"Your creator, Nobita Nobi, is such a special individual."

"..." Even the US dollar couldn't understand such complex knowledge, and could only express its pride with a slightly loud engine sound.

"Yes, it's truly remarkable, but... the last time anchor, Naniadis (from the 2007 theatrical film 'Doraemon: Nobita's New Great Adventure into the Demon World,' the hero who casts a spell on the moon), what became of her..."

"It's not very good."

Chapter 74: If you were a dragon, that would be fine too.

"Beep! Beep! Beep—!"

The piercing alarm shattered the rare tranquility. Nobita initially wanted to complain, but when he realized what was happening, he quickly rummaged through his pockets and soon found a small alarm with a bee perched on it, its wings constantly fluttering. Upon seeing it, Nobita's expression changed several times; this was the first time Arthur had seen him show such panic.

"What's wrong? It suddenly started ringing... Does it mean something?"

"This is a [buzzer alarm]. When it suddenly goes off, it means my friends are in danger..." Nobita's expression instantly hardened, his previously slow demeanor completely gone. "Shizuka!"

"So, when this thing rings, it means our companions are in danger, right?" Arthur had found the best way to understand future gadgets—just know what they're for, don't worry about why, otherwise ten brains wouldn't be enough to keep you busy. "Then, is there any way to get to them quickly?"

"A solution...a solution..."

Nobita stood up. In situations where Shizuka was in danger, his brain worked at several times the normal speed, as always.

"Theoretically, this pocket and the copied [spare pocket] should be connected. I can go into this pocket and come out on their side!"

"Wait a minute, Nobita, what are you talking about?" Arthur's limited imagination ran out, and his mind went blank. "You're going to come out of your pocket? Before that, you mean you're going to crawl into your pocket? Like an Australian kangaroo?"

"It's a bit complicated to explain, but I don't have time for that now. The effect of the [Adaptation Light] hasn't worn off yet, so right now, it's perfectly fine to..."

……

"I thought you were unaware of the interconnectivity between the four-dimensional pockets." As if timing it perfectly, Asur gently intervened in their conversation with a soft tone. "Since you know, you can use this to go directly to your companion, that Doraemon, what's his name again..."

"Doraemon."

"Yes, right, Doraemon, he must have a pocket like that too, right?"

Having spent years wandering the complexities of the West, Arthur inevitably had to deal with all sorts of people, which honed his remarkably keen intuition.

At that moment, he vaguely sensed something amiss from Asur's casual question. However, this single thought alone was not enough to prove anything.

"No, I tried it before. Doraemon's pocket has been blocked for a long time... I guess they installed some kind of blocking device after we returned to the 22nd century." In his opinion, this wasn't something that needed to be kept secret, so he just blurted it out. "But Shizuka's pocket was copied by me using the [Copy Mirror], so it shouldn't have that kind of restriction."

"Asur, come and help me open this bag. I'll be back after I've dealt with Shizuka's situation."

"..."

The boy's casual remark made Asur look at him with a strange expression.

"This pocket, to put it bluntly, is worth your life and fortune, isn't it?" She looked at Da Xiong from the side, trying to find a flaw in his expression. "Can I interpret this as you entrusting the key to your return to this era to a stranger for safekeeping?"

"What are you talking about?" Nobita found her question baffling. "What stranger...aren't we already companions?"

"……companion?"

“Yeah, we eat together, go on adventures together, and fight together, so we’re definitely comrades, what else could we be?” Nobita took off the four-dimensional pocket that was always stuck to his belly, and without any hesitation, stuffed it into her hand, saying with a smile, “Remember to make the opening big, I’ll have to climb out of this pocket when I come back.”

Asur's expression changed repeatedly, from surprise to disbelief, and then to a meaningful smile.

"Alright, since you trust me so much..."

"If I refuse again, it will make me seem petty."

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.

On the other side, above Osaka Castle amidst wind and rain, a colossal creature flapped its wings, overlooking its castle from the air.

Toyotomi Hideyori, or rather, the physical body that once belonged to Toyotomi Hideyori, had at this moment been completely destroyed as a vessel.

Through this medium, a colossal dragon descended into the world, its body a deep, earthy gold, with a wingspan of tens of meters. Compared to Dutch, it was slightly smaller and less visually frightening, but upon closer inspection, its body was covered in uneven dragon scales, shaped like sharp blades embedded in its flesh, shimmering with an ever-shifting golden light. Its pupils were a clear gold, as if lightning had been contained within them, compressed and purified to the extreme, leaving no trace of impurity.

Exclamations of surprise began to come from all directions. Everyone was not blind; the sudden appearance of such a monster could only be interpreted by modern people as the descent of gods and demons, and they fled in terror.

"Boom!"

The giant dragon exerted force with its claws and flapped its wings, creating a small but powerful hurricane on the road. Its lean yet ferocious body hovered in the air, its aggressive gaze passing over Osaka Castle, piercing through layers of mist, and landing on the distant Tokugawa army.

"Hey, hey, hey... I've never heard of anything like this before!" Fat Tiger had no choice but to look up at his suddenly enlarged opponent. When the size difference exceeds a certain level, any technique seems ridiculous. He gritted his teeth, "This guy is really ruthless. He can even commit seppuku."

With a loud bang, several miniature fighter jets swept past him, quickly climbed up, and flew straight towards the dragon.

"Xiao Husband?"

"There's no other way, we can't just watch him change history!" As it turns out, this squad is full of reckless guys, and once they're allowed to remotely control weapons while ensuring their own safety, Xiao Fu is all about recklessness, even his voice becomes tough. "There's still some gold dust in the ammo, let's see if we can make it turn back from dragon form!"

……

"call out----"

The fighter jets slicing through the rain, producing a sharp, cutting sound that, though faint, was still picked up by the dragon's ears. It slightly turned its body, spread its wings wide, shook off the rain, and let out a long, sharp whistle.

"boom--------!!!"

The next moment, centered on it, the dragon wings released several golden lightning bolts, as if a huge net had suddenly been spread in the air. The micro fighters that had not yet dropped their bombs were like dragonflies that had lost their way, instantly captured by this net of lightning. The lightning bolts pierced through them one by one in a leaping motion, exploding into several clouds of smoke in the air, and finally crashing to the ground miserably, none of them surviving.

"..."

The dragon let out a low, warning growl, glanced at Xiaofu in the distance, but did not continue its attack. Instead, it focused its attention back on the military formation outside the city.