Sami and the others followed old Barry to a larger workshop behind the shack.
Barry stopped in front of the tall wooden doors and gently placed his hand on them, taking a deep breath.
"Everyone… take a look."
"Let me show you what a true Heaven Ascension Boat looks like."
Before the words fully left his mouth, he pushed the heavy doors open with both arms.
Dust swirled in the sunlight pouring through the entrance.
Everyone instinctively held their breath.
In the center of the workshop—
Sat a ship unlike anything they had ever seen.
"This… this is the Heaven Ascension Boat?!"
Aldo's eyes widened in amazement.
"That's so cool!!!"
"Hahaha!"
The vessel was more slender than a typical sailing ship.
Its entire body formed an incredibly smooth, streamlined silhouette.
There were no unnecessary edges or decorations—every curve flowed seamlessly from the bow to the stern.
The shape resembled the body of a falcon, radiating both power and speed.
Instead of a traditional figurehead, the bow merged into the shape of a bird's head.
The front tapered into a sharp beak-like structure with only a simple bird emblem etched into the tip.
Clearly, the design minimized air resistance as much as possible.
The hull measured roughly 18 meters long and 6 meters wide—larger than Luffy's Going Merry, yet with an extremely shallow draft of only about 60 centimeters.
The most striking feature lay on both sides of the ship:
Two enormous wing-like structures, supported by reinforced timber and a special alloy frame.
They were currently folded, but everyone could easily imagine how massive they would look when fully extended.
A tall mast rose from the center of the vessel.
At the moment it stood bare—the main sail had not yet been mounted.
At the stern stood a much smaller mast with a delicate triangular sail.
"Unbelievable…" Kahailo murmured.
"This design was born purely for flight."
"The entire concept of traditional ships has been overturned here."
"Let's take a closer look," Sami said.
He stepped onto the boarding ladder Barry had set up and climbed onto the deck.
The deck felt different from normal wooden decks.
It was smoother and denser, with barely visible seams.
Clearly, it had been specially treated to reduce friction and drag.
The deck itself was remarkably clean.
There were almost no extra facilities.
Only a few mooring posts and hatch covers with locking clasps.
Everything was purely functional.
They soon found the entrance to the cockpit and main cabin.
The cockpit was positioned above the front of the hull.
It featured a semi-circular transparent observation window.
Inside, the space was surprisingly open.
There was no large ship's wheel like on ordinary vessels.
Instead, several sets of control levers and winches were installed.
Each connected to different sail systems through ropes marked with colors and symbols.
On the wall hung a few simple instruments:
A compassA thermometerA barometer
And that was it.
"Old man," Isaac said after looking around,
"where's the rudder wheel?"
"The rudder wheel?" Barry chuckled knowingly.
"I knew you'd ask that."
He shook his head.
"There isn't one."
"A Heaven Ascension Boat doesn't need it."
"What?!" Aldo's eyes nearly popped out.
"No rudder? Then how do you steer this thing?"
"With your mind or something?"
"Haha, of course not."
Barry pointed toward the wings on both sides of the ship.
"See those wings?"
"Their opening angle and tilt can be adjusted—just like real bird wings."
"That controls lift and balance."
"The main mast in the center carries the primary sail, which can swing widely left or right."
"It works together with the wing angles to provide thrust and adjust direction."
"The small triangular sail at the stern handles fine adjustments and stability."
"These three sail systems work together."
"By controlling the ropes, the ship can perform any maneuver between sea and sky."
Barry gently stroked the smooth hull.
"All navigation—forward movement, turning, climbing, descending, reversing…"
"Everything is controlled through precise sail manipulation."
"The lever and winch systems inside this cockpit handle it."
"Usually at least two people operate it here—one main pilot and one assisting with observation and adjustments."
"What about downstairs?" Aldo asked, pointing toward the ladder to the main cabin.
"Surely there's a place to sleep and eat, right?"
"You'll see."
Barry smiled and led them down.
The moment they entered the main cabin—
Everyone froze again.
The space was enormous.
The cabin stretched from bow to stern.
Almost completely empty.
Aside from the essential keel supports, a few cargo racks along the walls, and a small storage compartment beneath the cockpit—
There was nothing else.
No rooms.
No beds.
No kitchen.
No living facilities whatsoever.
The only structure dominating the space was a massive central pillar rising from the keel.
It was the base of the main mast they had seen above.
"Is… is this really a ship?" Isaac muttered.
"There's nothing here."
"Where do you sleep?"
"Where do you eat?"
"Where do you store things?"
Sami, however, ran his fingers along the smooth cabin wall thoughtfully.
His gaze slowly swept across the extremely minimalist interior.
Barry's voice echoed in the hollow space.
"The primary purpose of a Heaven Ascension Boat has always been reaching Sky Island."
"The air currents up there are extremely complex."
"Lift and speed are critical."
"Every unnecessary pound reduces the chance of success."
"Also, these ships were historically used as trade vessels to Sky Island."
"To maximize cargo space, everything nonessential was removed."
"No cannons."
"No reinforced armor."
"No comfortable cabins."
"No kitchens."
"No permanent beds."
"Merchants and adventurers usually carried only about twenty days of food and water."
"The cargo would fill this entire empty cabin."
Barry walked to the central pillar and knocked on it firmly.
It produced a deep, solid sound.
"This is the trunk of Perchwind Wood."
"It's both the keel and the mast."
"It grows from the keel itself—twelve meters tall."
"It connects seamlessly without a single rivet."
"It's the strongest part of the entire ship."
"Even if the rest of the vessel is damaged, this part will never bend."
He spread his arms, gesturing to the empty space.
"Everything exists to minimize weight."
"All structural strength is reserved for fighting the upward air currents and maintaining flight stability."
"But the trade-off is obvious."
"The hull is relatively fragile."
"It cannot withstand impacts like ordinary ships."
"It has no weapons."
"If attacked in the sky, the only defense is maneuverability."
"And since it was never meant for long sea voyages…"
"Comfort is practically zero."
Isaac inspected every corner of the vessel carefully.
Finally he returned to the deck and reported to Sami.
"Boss, everything looks good."
"The ship is very well maintained."
"But the controls are different from our ship."
"We'll need some time to practice."
Sami looked once more at the bird-shaped emblem on the bow.
A smile appeared on his face.
"Old man… does this ship have a name?"
Barry followed his gaze.
His expression softened, as if looking at an old friend.
"Yes."
"She's called the Skylark."
"Skylark…"
Sami repeated the name softly.
His smile widened.
"A good name."
"Then Mr. Barry…"
"When can we start learning how to pilot the Skylark?"
"Right now!"
Barry answered instantly.
"She—and I—have waited far too long for this moment."
"Let's head to the dock."
"I'll demonstrate everything myself!"
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