"What a massive ship," Yukiko remarked as she followed Ren across the deck, unable to hold back her admiration.
Although she had seen the scale of the Dead Star from a distance before boarding, walking on its deck now gave her a much greater appreciation for its size.
In reality, the Dead Star's size wasn't all that remarkable in the New World. Leaving aside island-sized vessels like Thriller Bark or the Golden City, even most pirate ships were enormous.
The people of this world came in all shapes and sizes; even those who weren't giants often stood over ten meters tall. It was no wonder that ships were generally built on a grand scale.
The Dead Star was 260 meters long, 26 meters wide, and weighed 40,000 tons. It had originally been designed as a sailing vessel, but after research into Pluton, it underwent a massive overhaul. Though it still retained three masts, its primary power source had been replaced with electricity.
With his research into Pluton and the One-Eyed Xiao Bao, Ren's technology had far surpassed this era. It might be an exaggeration to say it was five hundred years ahead, but the Dead Star was certainly filled with a modern air.
A massive Electro Crystal was installed in the engine room—a gem, rich with the power of lightning yet inert, that had come to be known as an Electro Crystal. It could provide the ship with a constant source of power.
The ship's weaponry wasn't made of lead cannonballs, but energy blasts, the same kind released from the core of the One-Eyed Xiao Bao.
The hull's bottom incorporated Marine technology, mixed with Seastone powder to simulate the ocean's waves and reduce the chance of Sea King attacks. Like the Thousand Sunny, it was also equipped with a Soldier Dock system for living quarters, complete with submarines and small speedboats.
Beyond that, there was a dedicated floor for storing war machines. For this voyage, one hundred Ruin Guards were loaded onto the Dead Star. These were modified from the original "Cultivators."
While they still possessed little intelligence, they had established fixed attack patterns and could barely distinguish friend from foe.
The central processors of these Ruin Guards held a great deal of information. By comparing data, they could roughly identify and attack enemies. However, due to their limited intelligence, they couldn't perform independent analysis or follow flexible commands. They could only be deployed directly onto the battlefield in large-scale wars, which was why they were called war machines.
But Ren was not satisfied with just this. These machines were inferior even to the Pacifista, let alone the Seraphim.
Yukiko stood at the bow, letting the salty sea breeze tousle her soft hair. The sound of the waves rose and fell in a steady rhythm. The sea might seem monotonous at a glance, but even without seeing the landscapes Matsuri had described, Yukiko felt her spirits lift.
As Ren and Yukiko gazed at the sea, they suddenly heard Yayoi's angry shout.
"July?" Yukiko was taken aback. July was Yayoi's younger sister; it was because July had been controlled that Yayoi had been forced to obey those yakuza scum.
"Looks like a disobedient child stowed away," Ren said with a smile. He released his Observation Haki and sensed the presence of Yayoi and July in the Dead Star's warehouse.
With several hundred crew members aboard, someone with July's level of strength would be completely unnoticeable among them. Unless Ren was in a state of fully embracing the Soul of Lightning and actively activated his Mind Network, it would be impossible to accurately perceive every person's thoughts.
But he wasn't as bored as Enel.
"Why did she stow away? Didn't you already place the Snake Seal on her?" Yukiko asked in confusion.
"The Snake Seal only ensures her loyalty to me; it doesn't change a person's entire way of thinking," Ren explained. This ability didn't turn people into puppets. Everyone's thought processes are different, and they sometimes make their own judgments.
"Let's go see."
Ren led Yukiko over. From a distance, they saw Yayoi scolding a young girl who looked just like her.
July and Yayoi weren't twins; July was a few years younger, but they were practically cut from the same mold. Faced with Yayoi's lecture, July pouted stubbornly and kept her head down.
"July! Why did you sneak onto the ship? Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? The enemies out here are far stronger than those yakuza. What if you get hurt? Ren didn't set sail for a vacation this time!" Yayoi's face was stern. Her biggest worry was her sister's safety. If Ayame hadn't used a Transponder Snail to tell her that July was missing, she probably would have hidden in the ship god-knows-how-long.
But Yayoi's serious demeanor always made Ren feel like a mother hen.
Then again, it was understandable. Yayoi's family had once been a clan of samurai, but their fortunes had fallen, leaving only the two sisters to rely on each other. It was likely that July had long become the reason for Yayoi to go on living.
"But... but, if it's so dangerous, I was worried about you too..." July said in a small voice, her head still bowed.
This one sentence instantly doused Yayoi's anger. She bit her lip, looking as if she might cry. It was the feeling of a mother scolding her child for doing something dangerous, only to be emotionally blindsided by the child's innocent heart.
Yayoi's tone softened immediately.
"Never mind. It's not practical to turn back now. You have to behave yourself and not cause any trouble. Later, I'll take you to find Ren and tell him about this."
Hearing this, July's face instantly lit up with a wide grin. She nodded vigorously. "Okay!"
Seeing them so harmonious, Ren and Yukiko didn't interrupt them.
"Ren, is it really okay to let July stay?" Yukiko asked. Unlike Yayoi, July hadn't practiced swordsmanship since childhood; her strength wasn't even close to Saya's. Yukiko was worried that it would be too dangerous for her to stay.
Although she was controlled by the Snake Seal, Yukiko didn't see them as expendable.
"It's fine. Yayoi has pretty good talent, and July should have the same. I can train her a bit in my spare time," Ren thought, then added, "By the way, let's make her a Fatui."
"Make her a Fatui?" Yukiko's mouth fell open in surprise.
She knew many of Ren's plans, though most were still in their early stages. The Fatui were just one of them.
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