Chapter 193 — The Distillery of Dawn
S.C. 1512 — Mid Spring
Hidden Island — Industrial Zone (Sector C)
The smell hit first.
Warm, earthy, faintly sweet.
The scent of crushed grain.
Ren stood in the new Industrial Zone—an open clearing near the river, close enough for water supply but far enough that villagers wouldn't smell alcohol fumes drifting into the homes.
Today was the beginning of something important.
Something that would shape New Dawn's primary trade item.
Wine.
Not cheap village wine.
But a refined, properly distilled product that nobles would fight over.
Ren exhaled and looked at the workers waiting for instructions.
Kiro.
Mira.
Leo.
Bram.
And nearly thirty skilled workers from the first recruitment wave.
Zemo sat at Ren's feet like a silent general.
"Let's begin."
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1. The Foundation of a Proper Distillery
Ren walked them through the cleared ground.
"First, we build the fermentation chambers."
He pointed to the marked areas.
"We'll start with ten wooden vats made of Titan wood—reinforced with KEA-braces around the bands to keep them airtight, even with temperature changes."
Mira inspected the blueprint.
"These vats are huge. Each holds… four hundred liters?"
Ren nodded.
"Approximately."
Leo grinned.
"That's enough wine to get all of Goa drunk."
Kiro elbowed him.
"Not the goal."
Ren continued.
"These vats will ferment fruit mash for seven to ten days. Then we transfer it to the copper still."
Workers nodded, some pretending to understand everything, others listening sincerely.
Ren tapped the ground with his boot.
"Kiro, take ten men. Dig foundations for the vats."
Kiro saluted.
"On it."
The workers dispersed.
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2. Constructing the Copper Still
Ren entered the workshop tent where sheets of hammered copper waited.
Bram was already inside, arms crossed.
"This… is the still? Looks weird."
Ren flattened a sheet on the table.
"Wine distillation needs… precise evaporation. Copper is the best material for drawing out impurities."
Bram tilted his head.
"Isn't copper soft?"
Ren smirked.
"This still doesn't hold pressure. It only heats vapor. It won't explode."
Bram looked relieved.
Leo joined them, pointing at the curved designs.
"This swan-neck pipe… it bends?"
"It has to," Ren explained. "Steam rises, passes through the neck, cools in the condenser, and turns back into liquid alcohol."
Bram blinked.
"So… water goes in, drunk juice comes out?"
Ren sighed.
"…More or less."
Zemo barked in agreement.
With telekinesis, Ren held a copper piece steady while Bram hammered the seam.
Leo adjusted bolts.
A perfect rhythm.
Hammer.
Weld.
Stir.
Fit.
By noon, the still resembled a giant copper bulb with a long, elegant neck.
---
3. The Fermentation House
Outside, Kiro's group finished digging.
Mira supervised carpenters assembling Titan-wood vats.
Each vat was massive—big enough for a grown man to sit inside comfortably.
The Titan wood's natural grain shimmered under sunlight, strong yet flexible.
Mira tested one.
"It doesn't even creak."
Ren nodded approvingly.
"This wood alone will make nobles suspicious. No East Blue cooper can make barrels like this."
Mira smirked.
"Good. Let them be suspicious."
Ren walked along the vats, checking alignment and spacing.
"These must remain cool. We'll install ventilation shafts above each chamber."
Leo tilted his head.
"Why so much airflow?"
"To prevent heat buildup," Ren said, tapping a vat. "Heat ruins flavor. And flavor is the entire point."
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4. Preparing the Mash
Workers brought baskets of fruit—berries from the mutated bushes, high-nutrient apples, and a few experimental fruits Ren had modified.
Mash barrels were set aside.
Ren crushed the fruits using a mechanical press powered by a simple foot-crank.
Bright red and purple juice flowed through the filter cloth into the vat.
Luffy arrived out of nowhere, nose twitching.
"That smells GOOD!"
He reached into a mash bucket.
"Don't eat that—"
Too late.
Luffy's eyes bulged.
"IT'S SO SOUR!!!"
Ren sighed.
"That's because it hasn't been fermented yet."
Luffy gagged dramatically, staggering like a dying pirate.
Mira snorted loudly.
"Kiro, carry him outside."
"Nooooo I can walk—"
Kiro carried him outside anyway.
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5. First Heat Test
The copper still, fully assembled, was mounted on a stone base.
Ren connected the condenser coil—a long copper spiral running through a wooden barrel filled with cold water.
Bram pumped the bellows.
Leo lit the fire.
Slowly… the copper warmed.
Steam rose through the swan neck.
A droplet formed at the end of the coil.
Ren caught it in a glass vial.
Clear.
Bright.
A faint aroma.
Leo's eyes widened.
"That's… alcohol."
Bram leaned close.
"What does it taste like?"
Ren handed him the vial.
"Don't drink it."
Bram sniffed.
"…Smells like fire."
"Keeps nobles happy," Mira said.
Ren nodded.
"Tomorrow, we start the first full fermentation cycle. In a week, we'll produce the first batch of Meridian wine."
Kiro exhaled.
"And then?"
Ren looked toward the sea.
"Then New Dawn sails."
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6. Evening — The First Toast
As the workers cleaned up and dusk settled, Makino arrived with dinner baskets again.
She saw the copper still and gasped.
"Ren… it's beautiful."
Ren wiped his hands.
"It works."
Makino smiled gently.
"So… this is the first step to the world tasting your island's wine?"
"Not mine," Ren corrected softly.
"Ours."
Makino held his gaze for a quiet moment.
Luffy crashed back into the scene, face covered in berry mash.
"I WANT TO HELP FERMENT THE JUICE!"
Ren facepalmed.
"No."
Makino laughed.
The still glowed warm behind them.
And the Hidden Island—slowly, quietly—took one more step toward becoming the most advanced industrial hub in the East Blue.
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End of Chapter 193