This time, Buggy and his group weren't in a hurry to travel. As they made their way along the cloud path leading to the Dawn Village, they admired the scenery of the Sky Island. The colors here were mostly just the blue of the sky and the white of the sea of clouds. If this were to appear as a young girl's undergarment, it would probably excite a lot of gentlemen. However, as scenery, it was rather monotonous.
However, the lighthearted banter and laughter along the way largely masked the monotony. Mohji's mockery of Cabaji's inability to learn Mantra and Kabaji's resentful retort, though seen by others as playful bickering symbolizing close relationships, Mikuru and Shuma's enthusiastic descriptions of the Sky Island's delicacies and Sky Fish, Kaya's knowing smile with her crescent-shaped eyes, Lilina's arm around hers and occasional pranks, and Richie's leisurely pace behind, occasionally lost in thought as if contemplating food.
Looking at the scene before him, Buggy suddenly felt a strange sense of warmth; if he had to describe it, it was like taking care of a child.
The cloud path from Bailie Island to the Dawn Village is much shorter than the cloud path to Divine Forgiveness, and it only took less than two hours to reach the Village of Enlightenment... Finally, after a month, the entire Buggy Pirates returned to their starting point on Sky Island!
The outline of the Big Top could be seen from afar, but it was currently covered by a large black cloth, making it impossible to see what was inside.
Nilek, who was sitting on the shore idly swinging his legs, suddenly stood up when he saw Buggy and the others. "Hey, hey, hey, you guys are so slow!!"
"Doggy~~" The most excited one was Shuma. Ever since he saw this machine creature that was self-aware and moved freely a few days ago, he had been sticking to it without stopping. After all, he was the kind of guy who could generate an extremely strong curiosity about anything new. Even after a month, his enthusiasm had not diminished, but had instead grown stronger. He ran over with a beaming smile while calling out.
"Tch, it's you again, you savage!" Nilek feigned reluctance, but his tone revealed a strange sense of joy.
"Is this guy reliable?" Cabaji whispered. He hadn't had much contact with Nilek and didn't know how capable the other man was, but since Captain Buggy had authorized him, he naturally wouldn't say anything more.
Mohji didn't refute Cabaji. Although he had witnessed Nilek's advanced technology, he wasn't entirely confident in Nilek's ability to handle such a large-scale project as modifying the ship's hull. He simply replied, "Hmm... it should, probably, possibly be feasible."
Nilek shouted, "You bunch of guys... stop dawdling and come see my modified masterpiece!"
A group of people quickly arrived at the shore Big Top.
Looking at the huge black cloth covering the Big Top, Buggy felt a surge of anticipation. He looked at Nilek and asked, "Alright, can we take a look now?"
After scanning Buggy and his group, Nilek pressed a button on the remote control in his hand. "You'd better open your eyes and look carefully!"
Wow!!
The black cloth was pulled open by the force of the magnet, and in an instant, a dazzling light shone through. Buggy stretched out his sleeve to block his vision, and only looked at the ship in front of him after the light had faded.
The streamlined hull exudes a metallic sheen of blue and white. The sides of the hull protrude slightly like fish fins, and the bow is shaped like a sharp-nosed shark, with sharp teeth clearly visible in the shark's mouth. In the middle of the shark's mouth, a cannon barrel can be faintly seen hidden within. The secondary masts on the deck have been extended to three, and the white sails are decorated with meticulously arranged folds, highlighting a folded beauty like a folding fan.
Shuma's eyes lit up, and he shouted excitedly, "Wow~~~ That's amazing, Dog!!"
"The feeling of steel, this is the romance of men! This ship actually gets my blood pumping..." Mohji couldn't help but exclaim repeatedly.
"It does look pretty good." A look of surprise appeared on Cabaji's gloomy face.
"It's very different from before," Kaya said with a faint smile.
"Compared to the old ship, it's much more..." Lilina pondered for a moment, "Hmm...yes, more Haki, even though it's not pretty at all!"
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"It seems like a successful cosmetic surgery..." Judging from the ship's appearance, Buggy was quite satisfied.
Nilek said smugly, "This ship may not be in its perfect form, but it's absolutely a one-of-a-kind pirate ship in the entire world... Red Nose, you have a kind of red cannonball on your ship that seems to have quite a bit of power. I've loaded it into the Shark Cannon at the bow. Under the air pressure inside the barrel, the power of this cannonball can be doubled..."
"That's called Buggy Ball."
"Oh... I never expected you could actually develop a shell with such power!"
Interrupted by Buggy, Nilek continued, "Furthermore, this ship has magnetic devices on both sides of its hull. Once the magnetic shields are activated, it can easily intercept enemy shells. Even if more than ten shells are fired at once, they won't cause any damage to the ship. The lower half of the ship also has my latest ballast technology, allowing it to stay firmly on the sea surface without anchoring. The folding sails can also be manipulated at will. At the rudder, I've adopted a double-cross propeller technology, enabling short-term navigation even in the absence of sea wind and currents..."
But before it could finish its introduction, Shuma, who had already run up to the deck, excitedly shouted, " Buggy, everyone, come up and see!!"
Amidst Shuma's boundless excited shouts, everyone was drawn to the ship. Buggy, along with Nilek was continuing his explanation, arrived at the deck of the Big Top. Although the deck still felt like wood, it seemed much harder and looked like pale yellow ceramic, which was quite pleasing to the eye.
"This is the most advanced spray paint I've ever developed. Even if it's submerged in the sea and washed for a hundred years, it won't fade. Moreover, it can penetrate into the wood and strengthen its molecular structure."
"You're really something!!" Buggy grinned from ear to ear, reaching out to pat Nilek's head as a gesture of goodwill.
Nilek twisted his body, dodging Buggy's childish approach, and snorted arrogantly, "What's so special about this? I didn't just modify the exterior of this ship; I meticulously designed every room in the cabin. Although there are still a few empty rooms, I bet this is the best ship in the world. By the way, I'll teach you how to use this ship in a bit!"
Buggy stopped laughing and stared intently at Nilek: "I think there's a better way, one that allows us to easily pilot the ship without even learning how to use it."
What method is it?