The Void's Launching Ceremony

Water 7, Tom's Workshop. Autumn, 1473 in the Sea Circle Calendar.

Forty-seven days have passed since Lin Yuan and his group arrived in the Water 7.

Forty-seven days. Tom, with his Blue Nezumi, ate and slept in the workshop, only sleeping four hours a day. Lin Yuan sent five batches of Treasure Tree Adam's Wood from Hachinosu —yes, five batches, not one. The first batch wasn't enough to build the hull, Tom complained for three days. Lin Yuan opened the door three more times to finish moving it. Later, two more batches were added because Tom said, "Such a good ship deserves the best keel; we can't settle for less."

Ginny remotely supervised the shipbuilding on Hachinosu using her Glint-Glint Fruit powers, recording a daily progress note in her ledger. "Today's shipbuilding progress: XX%. Kaido stole five more boxes of rations; add that to his account. Also, Tom said the Treasure Tree Adam are still not enough; Lin Yuan, bring two more batches."

"Lin Yuan! Lin Yuan! Get up!" Ginny's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, carrying a hint of resentment that said, "I stayed up all night and you guys were sleeping."

Lin Yuan sat up in bed and glanced out the window. It was still dark, and the moon was still hanging in the sky.

"What time is it?"

"It's 4:50 AM. I have important business to discuss."

"Explain."

"That idiot Caesar made his move."

Lin Yuan's drowsiness vanished instantly. He picked up the water glass from the bedside table, took a sip, and waited for what was to come.

"I used the Glint-Glint Fruit on Hachinosu to see that 24 modified Sea Kings are gathering 300 kilometers northeast of Water 7. They're heading towards you. They're not moving fast; they'll arrive in about six hours."

"Twenty-four?" Lin Yuan frowned. "Has Caesar brought out his entire fortune?"

"You killed one of his giant ones last time, he's probably really angry now." Ginny's tone held a hint of anticipation, like "I'll see how he dies." "What are you planning to do? Stay in Water 7 and wait for them to come?"

Lin Yuan grinned.

"Just wait and wait? That's someone else's strategy."

He stood up, put on his coat, and walked to the window. The canals of the Water 7 shimmered silver in the moonlight. In the direction of the port, the massive hull of the Void was faintly visible in the dock—it was a true sea behemoth, built over forty-seven days and officially completed tomorrow.

"Ginny, send me the exact coordinates of the Sea Beast Army, along with their formation, speed, and the location of the leader."

"It's already being drawn. I've sent it to your Den Den Mushi."

Lin Yuan glanced down at the simplified nautical chart displayed on the Den Den Mushi screen. Twenty-four red dots were arranged in a fan shape, with the largest one at the front, marked as approximately 280 meters in length.

"Six hours..." he muttered to himself, "That's enough."

"Everyone, wake up!"

Lin Yuan's voice boomed throughout the workshop.

The first to rush out was Kaido, his Iron Club already in his hand, his hair still sticking up, and his eyes not even fully open.

"Oh ho ho... fighting?"

"Defeat 24 Sea Kings."

Kaido's eyes lit up instantly, like two searchlights. "Twenty-four? That's enough!"

"Of course it's enough."

Bullet emerged from the next room, flexing his wrists as he walked. He never took off his clothes to sleep, always ready for a fight.

"Perfect timing, my fists have been itching for three days."

Ashes drifted down from the rooftop, the flames behind them dancing in the morning breeze.

Where?

"On the way. Go call Tom first."

When Tom was dragged out of bed, his hair was a mess, like a bird's nest. Blue Nezumi followed behind him, half a biscuit dangling from its mouth. Tom rubbed his eyes and muttered, "Forty-seven days! Can't I even get a full night's sleep?"

"Sea Kings are coming. Twenty-four of them. They'll arrive in six hours."

Tom snapped back to reality, his eyes widening in shock.

"Twenty-four?! The Void only needs half a day of final adjustments! The Sea King Cannon's aiming system hasn't been calibrated yet!"

Lin Yuan looked at him. "I think it's very meaningful to use a real battle as the launch ceremony for the Void. We can do the calibration after the battle, right?"

Tom opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"... I'll go start the boat."

Port, Void.

Moonlight shone on the brand-new warship, its silvery-white hull gleaming coldly in the night. Everyone stood on the dock, craning their necks to look at this behemoth—they hadn't realized it last night, but now that it was about to set sail, they discovered how ridiculously large it was.

Kaido the first to speak, "This thing... can float?"

Tom rolled his eyes. "I've built over four hundred ships, and you're asking me if they can float?"

"I just wanted to confirm."

"It can float. Not only can it float, it can run. It's faster than your dragon."

Kaido retorted, "Dragons can fly."

"The ship can fire cannons." Tom patted the hull. "Get on board."

Everyone boarded the ship one by one. Lin Yuan was the last to board, standing at the bow with his hands in his pockets.

Tom didn't rush to set sail. He walked to the bow, stood in front of everyone, hands on his hips, and began to introduce himself.

"The Void is 260 meters long, 42 meters wide, and has a draft of 18 meters."

Kaido was stunned for a moment. "Two hundred and sixty meters? Twice the size of the Navy's Flagship?"

"The largest warship in the navy is only 150 meters long," Tom said, his tone laced with barely concealed pride. "This ship is the largest in the New World. Whitebeard's Moby Dick is 280 meters long, 20 meters longer than mine. But the Moby Dick was built 20 years ago, its technology is outdated. In terms of performance, mine is no worse than it."

Tom crouched down and knocked on the deck.

"The deck is made of Treasure Tree Adam, 60 centimeters thick. Ordinary cannonballs will only leave a dent, they can't penetrate it. The bottom has four layers: the outer layer Treasure Tree Adam, the second layer is Seastone Alloy, the third layer is Sky Island Ironwood, and the inner layer is composite armor developed by Vegapunk. It's resistant to cannon fire, collisions, Sea Kings bites, and bunker-buster bombs."

Kaido, but the deck didn't budge.

"Sturdy enough."

"Of course it's sturdy." Tom stood up and walked to the side of the ship. "The propulsion system uses a 72- Wind Dial array, distributed along the hull, sails, and sides. I used technology from ancient propulsion scrolls; the Wind Dial energy conversion efficiency is five times higher than ordinary ships. The maximum speed is 30 knots, and the cruising speed is 20 knots. At full sail, it can travel 700 nautical miles in a day and a night."

"What about battery life?" Ginny asked over the Den Den Mushi.

"A single charge of the Wind Dial can sustain the ship for ten days. Eighty spare shells are kept on board for rotation, enough to last two months without resupply."

Ginny whistled through the Den Den Mushi. "Two months? That's enough to get to the other side of the Calm Belt!"

"We can get there," Tom said. "Besides, the hull is coated with Seastone, so Sea Kings in the Calm Belt won't get close."

Tom walked to the bow of the ship and patted the giant cannon.

"Sea King Cannons, five in total. Two at the bow, one on each side, and one at the stern. The barrels are cast from Seastone Alloy, resistant to high temperatures and pressures. The ammunition is Flame Dial compressed energy bullets, each with a power equivalent to twenty times that of a naval capital ship's main gun."

Bullet raised an eyebrow. "Twenty times?"

"Twenty times," Tom said. "I saw the data for the Navy's new main gun when I was in Punk Hazard. Their guns can penetrate a meter-thick steel plate with a single shot. My Sea King Cannon can penetrate eight meters with a single shot. And that doesn't even include the secondary explosion effect from energy compression."

"What about the range?" Jin asked.

"The optimal range is eight kilometers, and the maximum range is twenty kilometers. Accuracy decreases beyond twenty kilometers, but hitting large targets is not a problem. For Sea Kings like today, it can be hit at fifteen kilometers."

Tom walked to the side of the ship and tapped the hull plating with his finger.

"The ship's defense system is complemented by a five-centimeter-thick layer of Seastone coating. Ordinary Sea Kings can't bite it. Devil Fruit User would be rendered powerless upon contact."

Moria shrank back. "I can't fall into the sea and hit the ship."

"You'd better not fall into the sea." Tom glanced at him. "Lookout system. The mast is fifty meters high, and the lookout tower can accommodate five people at a time. It's equipped with Visual Dial from the Sky Island at the top, which can project the surrounding scene onto screens inside the ship."

"Can Ginny access the site remotely from Hachinosu?" Kaido asked.

"Sure." Tom pointed to a device in the cabin. "I installed Visual Den Den Mushi transceiver on the ship, with a signal range of 500 kilometers. As long as you don't go too far, Ginny can see everything around you from Hachinosu."

Tom led everyone into the cabin.

"The freshwater tank can store 300 tons of fresh water, enough for the entire crew to drink for three months. The food storage room uses Freeze Dial for preservation, and meat and vegetables can be stored for six months without spoiling. The Ammunition Depot is located in the bottom layer reinforced with Seastone, and can store 500 energy bullets from the Sea King Cannon and 1,000 ordinary cannon shells."

Kaido's eyes lit up. "Freeze Dial? Can they store meat?"

"Yes, and these are extra-large Freeze Dial, capable of storing fifty tons of meat."

"Oh my god... this boat is amazing! I'll live on it from now on!"

"You were going to live on the boat anyway," Ginny complained over the Den Den Mushi.

Tom pushed open a heavy iron door.

"This is the conference room, which also serves as the command center. The table in the middle has an embedded super-large Visual Dial that can project the scenes Ginny saw on Hachinosu directly onto the screen. During combat, everyone sitting here can see a panoramic view of the battlefield spanning four thousand kilometers."

Kaido walked in and plopped down in a chair, which didn't budge.

"This chair is sturdy enough."

"The Treasure Tree Adam, you can't break it by sitting on it."

Tom walked to the stern and pushed open another door.

"Escape system. There are eight small lifeboats at the stern, each capable of holding fifteen people. Below, there are also four submarines—not for combat, but for emergency evacuation. In the event of a sinking, passengers can directly enter the submarines from the hull and escape underwater."

Zephyr rarely spoke, but he said, "You've really thought of everything."

"If you don't take things seriously at sea, you'll end up feeding the fish sooner or later." Tom clapped his hands. "Alright, that's the introduction. The Void has a capacity of two hundred people. Right now, you only have a dozen or so, so there's plenty of room. We can easily fit everyone in when we recruit more."

He walked to the bow of the ship and looked at the flag at the top of the mast—the pirate flag of Hachinosu, with a skull and crossbones against a backdrop of a half-open door.

"Forty-seven days. Worth it."

Ginny's voice on the Den Den Mushi interrupted everyone's reminiscences.

"Lin Yuan, the Sea Beast Army is still 250 kilometers away. Their speed and formation remain unchanged. On the leader's back, Caesar's imaging device is lit up—he's watching this direction."

"Let him see," Lin Yuan said. "Tom, set sail."

"Sea Wind Dial, full power!"

The sails billowed automatically—not from the wind, but from the simultaneous activation of seventy-two Wind Dial embedded in the hull and sails. The Void shuddered violently, as if pushed forward by an invisible hand, and accelerated instantly.

The sun rose above the sea. Golden sunlight streamed onto the deck of the Void, onto the barrels of the Sea King Cannon, and onto everyone's faces.

Ginny, how far?

"Two hundred kilometers. The Sea Beast Army suddenly slowed down, as if waiting for something."

"Wait for what?"

"I don't know. Maybe Caesar is hesitating about whether to run away."

"He won't run away," Lin Yuan said. "He's a proud man. If he ran away in front of so many Sea Kings, how would he ever face anyone in the New World again?"

Kaido, carrying his Iron Club, grinned.

"Then let him suffer for the sake of saving face."

One hundred and fifty kilometers.

One hundred kilometers.

Lin Yuan raised his hand. "Stop the ship. Charge the Sea King Cannon."

The Void came to a steady stop on the sea. Tom operated the fire control system in the cabin, and white light began to gather at the muzzles of the two Sea King Cannons at the bow.

"Recharging takes forty seconds. Optimal range is eight kilometers, which is too far now. Should we get a little closer?"

"No need. Let's fire one shot first to test it out." Lin Yuan's lips curled into a slight smile. "Let them know we're here."

In the Den Den Mushi, Ginny is counting down. "Thirty-five seconds... thirty seconds... twenty-five seconds..."

"Lin Yuan, the lead Sea Kings is accelerating. The Sea Kings behind it are also accelerating. They've spotted you."

"Twenty seconds... fifteen seconds..."

The sea began to tremble. In the distance, the outlines of the Sea Beast Army appeared on the horizon.

"Ten seconds... nine seconds... eight seconds..."

"Five seconds... four seconds... three seconds... two seconds... one second!"

"Sea King Cannon, fire!"

Two blinding white beams shot out from the bow of the Void, tearing through the air and slicing across the sea.

"Boom--! Boom--!"

Two beams of white light struck the head of the leading Sea Kings simultaneously. Its metal armor was torn apart like paper, and blood and flesh flew everywhere. The Sea Kings's massive body crashed to the ground, sending up waves tens of meters high.

The Void was pushed backward by the wall of water, sliding nearly two hundred meters. Kaido stepped onto the deck to steady himself. Moria tripped and fell, getting up with his mouth full of seawater.

"Two cannons firing simultaneously... the waves are incredible!"

Tom's voice came from inside the cabin, tinged with barely concealed smugness. "Two shots fired simultaneously, wasn't that great?"

With the leader of the Sea Kings dead, the remaining Sea Kings monsters scattered like headless flies.

Caesar's imaging device sank to the bottom of the sea along with the giant beast's corpse, without even having a chance to say a last word.

"Oh ho ho..." Kaido, "That's it? I haven't even made a move yet!"

"Now it's your turn to act," Lin Yuan said. "Kill them all. Leave no one alive."

The next twenty minutes were the Void's debut and a warm-up for the Hachinosu crew.

Kaido transforms into a blue dragon, and a single Dragon Breath sweeps away three Sea Kings.

Bullet jumped off the boat, punching each of them like he was smashing watermelons.

Ember hovered in the air, while the fire dragon behind him lunged in all directions.

Moria's shadow pinned down the nearby Sea Kings.

Inazuma flashed through the armor, Kuma unleashed Air Cannon with a single slap.

Tom wasn't idle either; he aimed at the fleeing Sea Kings in the distance, taking them down one by one with his Sea King Cannon.

"Port gun at the bow, hit! Starboard gun at the bow, hit! Port gun, fire—hit!"

In less than twenty minutes, all twenty-three modified Sea Kings were wiped out.

Minced meat, armor fragments, and black blood floated on the sea. The Void lay amidst the chaos, its hull unscathed.

Kaido back into human form, fell from the sky, and crashed onto the deck.

"Oh my god... that was awesome!"

Ginny's voice came through the Den Den Mushi: "Lin Yuan, although Caesar's image has sunk, I detected a strong communication signal from the direction of Punk Hazard on Hachinosu. He's definitely cursing."

"Let him curse." Lin Yuan stood at the bow of the ship. "The Void is returning. Tomorrow, it will be officially completed. The day after tomorrow, it will depart for Punk Hazard."

On the way back, Tom came out of the cabin with a rag in his hand and wiped the barrel of the Sea King Cannon.

"Forty-seven days," he muttered to himself. "From the first day you came to me until now, forty-seven days. You gave me the fragments of the design, and I gave you this ship. We owe each other nothing."

"I owe," Lin Yuan said.

Tom paused for a moment.

"I owe you a drink." Lin Yuan's lips curled into a slight smile. "After we defeat Caesar, I'll treat you to a drink. The best kind."

Tom stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled.

"Okay. I'll wait. But you have to bring me back some local specialties from Punk Hazard."

What local specialties?

"Caesar's research findings."

As the sun set, the Void slowly sailed into the harbor. Golden sunlight shone on the 260-meter-long hull, turning the cannon barrels of the Sea King Cannon orange-red.

A large crowd gathered at the dock—residents of the Water 7, merchants, and shipwrights—all came to watch the spectacle. Some whistled, some clapped, and some took photos.

"This ship is huge..."

"Bigger than a navy warship!"

"I heard they shot down over twenty Sea Kings today, one shot, one kill!"

Tom stood on the dock, Blue Nezumi stood beside him, holding a cup of tea.

Lin Yuan jumped off the boat.

"Final testing tomorrow. Departing for Punk Hazard the day after."

"So urgent?"

"Caesar won't wait."

Tom nodded and turned to inspect the hull.

Kaido jumped off the ship, carrying a piece of Sea Kings in his hand—it was unclear when he had cut it.

"Lin Yuan, shall we have barbecue tonight?"

"Bake."

"Okay, fine!"

Late at night. Water 7, Tom's Workshop.

A campfire was lit. Everyone sat around the fire, holding skewers of roasted meat.

The Den Den Mushi was placed on the wooden box next to it, and Ginny's voice came from inside.

"Lin Yuan, I've written down all the performance data for the Void."

"Um."

Where would this ship rank in the entire New World?

Lin Yuan thought for a moment.

"Twenty meters smaller than Whitebeard's Moby Dick, but faster and with more firepower. Overall ranking: top three."

Ginny was silent for a moment.

"Top three? You've only been around for a short time, and you already have a ship in the top three?"

"Because Tom is the best shipwright."

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Ginny wrote a line in the ledger: Void, top three in the New World. Tom, awesome.

In the distance, the Void was docked at the port of Water 7, the moonlight shining on its 260-meter hull, making it gleam with a silvery light.

Tomorrow, final adjustments.

The day after tomorrow, Punk Hazard.

Caesar, you wait.

(End of Chapter 69)