Dotto walked up to the numerous shipwrights.
He nodded to them, then walked through the path they cleared towards a large upright switch behind them.
"Together!"
Dotto bent down, picked up the rope on the ground, and turned to smile at the shipwrights.
One end of the rope was tied to a hole at the top of the switch, the other end lay on the ground.
Although machinery could be used, this old shipyard had an manual switch. Every time a new ship set sail, they wanted to personally see it off.
"Alright, boss!"
The shipwrights glanced at the New Freedom, a smile playing on their lips. They turned around, positioning themselves behind Dotto, all gripping the rope with their hands.
They were going to open the gate together, sending this, the pinnacle of their Carter Shipbuilding Company's craftsmanship, into the sea.
"Hey..."
Everyone pulled with their combined strength, and the slack rope immediately became taut.
*Clack, clack, clack, clack!!*
The switch slowly lowered under the force of their pull.
Finally, with a "click," it was fully opened.
At this moment, the entire dock seemed to come alive.
After a slight tremor in the ground, the sound of countless gears grinding echoed from beneath.
Then, numerous dark holes beneath the New Freedom erupted with a gush of water like a fountain.
*Clang, clang, clang...*
And at the front of the dock, in front of the pool where the New Freedom was docked, a massive gate, pulled by iron chains, gradually rose upwards.
Sunlight and wind poured in, instantly clearing the slightly dim and stuffy dock.
The bow of the New Freedom, which should now be called "Freedom."
Kong Tai squinted, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the sudden, blinding sunlight.
He then turned to look at Dotto and the many shipwrights below, a smile on his face.
He turned back, with the sun behind him, and waved his hand upwards towards Ah Hua and Ah Luo, who had already boarded the elevator to the top of the mast, shouting loudly, "Brothers, hoist the sails, we're setting off."
"Haha!! Alright, Captain!"
Ah Luo laughed heartily and let go of the rope in his hand.
"I can't wait to soar through the sky."
Ah Hua on the second mast also let go of his rope.
Instantly, two enormous sails slid down from the crossbeams at the top of the masts.
In the third-floor control room at the rear of the ship, Ah Tao sat in his chair, his expression serious as he looked at the console before him, though excitement was undeniable in his eyes.
Due to the massive generator, almost everything on the ship was controlled by electricity.
He reached out and pressed a button on the control panel in front of him.
The loose sails that had been lowered were immediately tightened with a whirring of gears.
The control panel in front of him could adjust the tension and angle of the sails, as well as control the ship's direction, eliminating the need to manually operate the rudder.
Ah Tao placed his hands on the circular steering wheel on the panel, his gaze passing through the glass in front of him, landing on Kong Tai standing at the bow, then looking beyond Kong Tai towards the boundless sea outside the massive dock gate.
He extended his right hand and pressed the large button in the center of the steering wheel.
*Boom—!*
The entire ship shuddered, and the massive propeller at the stern began to spin.
Churning the water in a spiral, it pushed the enormous hull forward, slowly, slowly.
Seeing the ship move.
Kong Tai jumped down from the bow of the windmill ship and landed on the deck at the front.
He walked to the side of the ship, leaned on the railing, and shouted to Dotto and the shipwrights who were still standing by the dock, "Goodbye, Mr. Dotto, goodbye, shipwright masters."
"Goodbye..."
Dotto and the shipwrights also raised their hands, shouting back to Kong Tai.
The ship sailed out of the massive gate, then its bow tilted down at a 45-degree angle, following the water, shooting out like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Outside the dock was an artificial waterway sloping down at 45 degrees, leading directly to the sea.
It was specially built by the Carter Shipbuilding Company for new ship launches.
"Whoa, oh!"
"This feels great!"
Ah Hua and Ah Luo descended from the masts and ran to the bow, shouting with excitement as they gazed at the boundless sea ahead. They spread their arms, their hair whipping in the sea breeze, as if embracing the adventure that was about to begin.
They were about to go to the legendary Sky Island.
For them, nothing was more anticipated than going to sea, going to the sky.
Kong Tai, at the last moment of the Freedom's departure from the dock, glanced one last time at the sheep's head at the bow of the original Merry, a hint of reluctance in his eyes. "Goodbye, 'Pseudo Merry'."
This was a name only he knew.
He hoped it would be well looked after at the Carter company!
In fact, for a ship, not being able to sail the seas was a cruel fate.
But the Pseudo Merry could no longer continue sailing with them. Its construction materials were the most ordinary wood. It could handle sailing the four seas, but as soon as it entered the Grand Line, Kong Tai had heard its pained cries.
Therefore, changing ships was inevitable.
He had originally intended to burn the Pseudo Merry and return it to the sea.
But in the end, Carter Dotto, the owner of the shipbuilding company, personally took it into his collection. It seemed that this might be its best resting place.
Perhaps they could even return to see it someday. It had witnessed and commemorated their voyage, which, though not long, was deeply etched in their memories!
Kong Tai withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the sea, pushing aside the hair that blew across his face, obscuring his vision.
Then he raised his wine gourd and took a deep swig.
Now came a new journey.
"Sky Island?"
He had been looking forward to it for a long time!
If there were a few places in the world of the Pirate King he most wanted to visit, Sky Island was definitely one of them.
There was a civilization completely different from the sea, a culture of strange shell artifacts, so-called "gods" who were actually no different from Crocodile, false gods with long ears who relied solely on their devil fruit powers, and countless amounts of gold, cuisine distinct from the sea, and...
Many, many things he wanted to see, to know.
"I'm truly looking forward to it!"
The Shipyard.
The Pseudo Merry, the sheep's head at its bow.
As Kong Tai turned his head and the Freedom disappeared from his line of sight, the sheep's head, perhaps by illusion, seemed to have its corners curl up slightly, as if smiling, as if bidding farewell and wishing its owner and companions well.
By the canal, after the Freedom had disappeared, the shipwrights retracted their gazes, opened their mouths wide, and let out huge yawns.
"Boss, if there's nothing else, we'll head back to rest!"
The shipwrights turned to look at Dotto.
Five days of continuous work, even an iron man couldn't handle it, let alone ordinary shipwrights like them.
If it weren't for their boss's persistence touching them.
And of course, the motivation of the money.
They might have already collapsed into a deep sleep.
"Yes! Go ahead!"
Dotto didn't look at the shipwrights. Instead, he turned and walked towards the massive gate.
He wanted to personally see the Freedom sail away from Carter Island.
"Then we're off, boss. You should also rest early. Don't overwork yourself; there are more orders coming! Although there's no rush, we can't accomplish anything without you!"
"I know, go on!"
Dotto reached the edge of the massive gate, looked out at the sea, and waved his hand at the shipwrights behind him.
Soon, the shipwrights began to leave Dry Dock No. 2 one by one.
The previously bustling shipyard instantly fell silent.
Now, only Dotto remained in the dock.
He leaned his left side against the doorframe of the massive gate, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a deep puff, dispelling the fatigue in his body.
Then he raised his head, looking at the Freedom gradually disappearing in the distance, heading towards the rising sun, and silently offered a wish.
"May you have a safe journey, my friends."
...