socalfunplaces 10: Set sail! The Golden Dawn!
10: Set sail! The Golden Dawn!
"Hey, Gals~"
"What's wrong, Lingling?"
Gails turned around and looked at Lingling, who was dawdling behind her. What's wrong? She was so excited last night that she couldn't sleep.
"I'm a little nervous~"
"What's there to be nervous about?" Gale asked, somewhat amused.
"Don't worry too much about the outside world. Didn't Grandpa Shanlulu say that Lingling is already strong enough? She's even mastered the Overlord Kingdom."
"Really? Oro is training even faster than me..."
"Really, really, let's hurry up, everyone's getting impatient."
Gails smiled and reached out, gently taking Lingling's thick wrist. Her fingertips touched the fine calluses on her palm—the calluses that had been worn down by years of wielding the giant axe and training in the Hegemon Kingdom.
As soon as the two turned the corner, they saw Uncle Leif carrying a wooden box about half a person's height, which was steaming and had a faint aroma of meat.
"Hey! Lingling, it's Gals! Are you in a hurry to get to the port?"
Uncle Leif put the wooden box on the ground and reached out to take out two pieces of shiny, greasy smoked meat.
"I've just smoked mammoth hind leg meat for you to take on the road. The supplies from the ship have already been brought aboard, so I don't think you'll lack food. All of this is dried fruit and honey cake, which Lingling loves."
Lingling's eyes lit up instantly, and she reached out to catch it, but she was too impatient and lost her balance, her elbow brushing against a few Adam logs standing next to her.
Those were spare pieces of timber for repairs that had just been delivered to the village yesterday and were being prepared to be loaded onto the ship. Each piece was as thick as a water bucket, and when she brushed against it, one of them immediately began to wobble and almost fall over.
"Be careful!"
With lightning speed, Gails immediately raised her hand and pressed it against the log, a faint orange light emanating from her fingertips.
The next second, the log that was about to fall suddenly "softened" and slowly turned into a pile of fluffy bran cakes, with a warm aroma of freshly baked bread.
"Whoa!"
Lingling picked up a piece of bran cake and stuffed it into her mouth, praising it indistinctly, "Delicious! Gails, you're amazing! The things you conjure up are getting tastier and tastier!"
"You two certainly know how to have fun on the road."
A familiar voice came from behind, and Oro walked over carrying a leather shoulder bag, from which half of a brass box was visible.
He reached out to help Gale gather the scattered bran cakes together, then took two small gold whistles from his bag and handed them to Gale and Lingling:
"Take these. I've set up a lot of amazing little gadgets on the ship. If you need to do any dirty or tiring work, just blow this whistle, and the golden version of the magical gadgets will come to your aid."
Lingling took the whistle and held it in her hand like a treasure, her tension seemingly dissipating considerably.
The three walked side by side toward the port, encountering many giant neighbors along the way: an aunt carrying a woven basket of fruit, a young warrior carrying a brand-new giant axe, and children who had come with their parents to see them off. They all greeted them with smiles.
When they reached the village entrance, Elders Yaru and Yoru were waiting beside the statue of Old Taror.
Aruru handed Auro a heavy animal skin bag, saying, "This is from the dwarves of the underworld. And this..."
He then pulled out a bronze badge engraved with the sun totem of Elbaf.
"Take this with you. When you reach the Western Sea or the Northern Sea, if you encounter a caravan of giants, they will offer you assistance."
Yoru patted Lingling on the shoulder, his tone much gentler than usual:
"Girl, you've already mastered the art of conquering the country quite well, but don't just swing your axe at the drop of a hat once you're at sea. Remember, there are always people more skilled than you, and the sky's the limit. If you encounter any trouble, remember to discuss it with Oro; he's more quick-witted than you."
Lingling, unusually, didn't argue and nodded vigorously, "I understand, Grandpa Yoruru! I will protect Oro and Gails!"
Gails couldn't help but laugh, and took two small packages wrapped in leaves from her pocket, handing them to the two elders:
"This is a nutritional cake I made with Eating Fruit, and I added the Sun Grass, which is unique to Elbaf, to replenish physical strength. The elders can eat it when they are tired from training."
Auro felt a warm feeling in his heart as he looked at the scene before him.
But he still raised his hand to look at the sky. The rising sun had already climbed to the top of the Elbaf Pillar, and faint cheers came from the port: "It's about time, we should go."
Lingling wanted to say a few more words to the elders, but Gails tugged at her arm. Not far away, at the entrance of a pastry shop, the owner was waving at her while holding up her favorite strawberry tart.
Oro smiled helplessly: "Go ahead, take the tart and head to the port."
The three walked toward the port, chatting and laughing. The sunlight shone on them, casting long shadows.
Lingling held a strawberry tart in her hand, taking small bites as she walked;
Gails helped Oro adjust the strap of his shoulder bag;
Oro would occasionally glance back at the village behind him, trying to etch the image of Elbaf deep into his heart.
This is where he started after his time travel, where he had his companions, and where he will always return, no matter how far he goes in the future.
……
In the early summer of 1469 in the Haiyuan calendar, Elbaf was exceptionally lively on this day.
Following the Giant Warrior Pirates a century ago, another ship recognized by all the giants is finally about to set sail!
"Wow!!! What a huge ship!! So cool!"
Amid the bustling crowd at the port, Halding excitedly grabbed Rhodes's hand. Rhodes, however, paid no heed to Halding; looking at the massive ship before him, he too was struggling to control himself.
"Wow, that's amazing! How did Orogo convince his tribe to build him such a magnificent ship! Could that glittering stuff really be gold?!"
"It's true."
Standing to the side, Haildin's father stroked his child's head with deep emotion:
"That kid Oro is not only good at physical skills and Haki, but his Devil Fruit ability can also be said to have been developed to the extreme."
"Since he and the two elders obtained the king's consent to establish a public treasury six years ago, everyone's lives have been getting better and better. The village's public expenditures in recent years have really benefited from him."
"This ship is a way for everyone in Elbaf to repay him."
「总长316米、宽62米、主桅杆高150米，吃水深度16米标準排水量约3万吨。
"The standard three-layer structure, with the keel and hull made of Adam wood, painted with dark brown wood grain and inlaid with pure gold fixing strips."
"The red-headed seahorse rams the ship, and the figurehead of old Tarl is also carved on the bow."
"A double-layered giant sail! The main sail is a sun totem painted in pure gold, and the secondary sail is an Elbaf war pattern with gold trim!"
"This treasure, which took five years to build, is the latest masterpiece of our giant race!!!"
Haildin leaned to the side with a hint of disgust. The kids were already excited enough, but his dad, this uncle, was getting even more excited than them as he talked.
"Everyone!"
A loud shout came from the ship, and everyone looked in that direction—
Oro had specially changed into a slightly flashy red outfit and stood on the ship's railing, with Gals and Lingling standing on his left and right sides respectively.
At 4 meters tall, Oro is considered short in Elbaf, but standing above the crowd with his back to the sun, his figure appeared exceptionally imposing!
"Thank you everyone for coming to see me off! Thank you all for your continued support!"
Before he finished speaking, the giants responded loudly to Oro, and for a moment the shouts echoed throughout the entire Elbaf region.
"Today we set sail! I swear the name of Elbaf will once again resound throughout the world!"
"Ooh ooh ooh!!!"
"And the reputation that's spread shouldn't be as bad as it was last time."
Auro looked down at the excited crowd and silently added a sentence in his mind.
While the crowd below cheered, he checked the gold pieces that were positioned in various places on the ship.
This is actually a very sad thing. Now he is the only sailor on this big ship. Oro has a premonition that his ability to manipulate gold will become more and more proficient in the future.
After confirmation—
"Now!
"Golden Dawn!"
"Set sail!"