Dark Bird Warship Secures the Sea Routes; a Young Girl's Mischief on the Voyage to the Red Line!

Outside Dock One in Water 7, crowds surrounded the entire stretch of sea.

Tens of thousands of Water 7 residents, Galley-La Company shipwrights, and soldiers of Hua Country's Third Fleet stood together on the harbor breakwater, gazing intently at the enormous warship in the dock, its final coat of paint freshly completed.

Sunlight fell across the warship. Its hull, forged from Treasure Tree Adam Alloy, shone with a cold metallic luster. The two-hundred-meter vessel had sleek, sharp lines, a carving of a dark bird spreading its wings at the prow, and over a hundred concealed gunports lining its sides. The Wind Dial propulsion array beneath the hull glowed faint blue, while black Hua Country flags snapped in the sea breeze atop its three main masts.

This was Dark Bird One, the prototype of the first-generation mainstay warships jointly built by Hua Country and the Galley-La Company.

"Begin the countdown! Ten! Nine! Eight!"

As the messenger inside the dock shouted, the spectators held their breath. Iceburg stood at the dock's main control console, gripping the activation lever tightly. Beside him stood the Academy of Natural Philosophy's chief researcher, along with Paulie, Tilestone, and other core Galley-La shipwrights. Every face was filled with excitement and tension.

They had toiled for two full months over this warship, perfecting every stage, from drafting the plans to smelting materials, from tuning the propulsion system to installing the weapons arrays. This was more than a warship. It was the dream of Water 7's shipwrights, the first war machine they had built with a free hand after escaping the World Government's exploitation, one that truly represented the finest craftsmanship in the world.

"Three! Two! One! Open the gates! Flood the dock!"

Iceburg hauled down the activation lever. The enormous dock gates slowly rose, and seawater surged inside,