Chapter 109: 109. Hot-Air Balloon
The Clowns designed the Hot-Air Balloon together. Buggy uses everything he knows about the Hot-Air Balloon. There's not much that he knows, but at least he knows the shape and the basic concept.
They can't think of many things as they're not that good with technology. Luckily, Ruff wakes up 3 hours after he fainted and can work immediately. He is full of bandages, but he still works because he is interested in the balloon.
With Ruff's help, the Balloon's design and concept can be done faster. Ruff improves many things from the Clowns' crude design. He can even think of the weight, size, required heat, fuel, the control, and other details.
It's really amazing how Ruff can think all of that even though he never even hear about this thing. He is really a genius who doesn't have the access to turn all his ideas into reality.
'Ruff won't lose to Franky in technology and science. Even with the limited knowledge that he got on the first island, he can get this far. I'm very lucky to find him and can't wait to see what he'll do in the future,' thinks Buggy excitedly.
Buggy knows there are many smart people in the world. But only a few can shine and shows their capability. Most of them don't have access to turn their ideas into reality. If Ruff didn't meet Buggy, then maybe he will be like that too.
After finishing the design, Ruff asks Palu's help to make the prototype. They work for hours while the others are just enjoying their time. The others can't do anything, so they just enjoy their free time.
It takes some trials and errors before one of the prototypes worked. Everyone is very excited and they immediately spread to find the needed materials. Their time is limited, so they can't waste it.
It's not so easy to find the materials that they need in the town. The problem isn't the materials' rareness, but the quantity. The balloon is very big and needs a lot of materials.
"Captain, we've bought every cloth in this town, but they're not enough," says Jude.
"Damn, how much more?" asks Buggy.
"We lack around a quarter of the required materials," says Jude after calculating it.
"Hmm, where can we find the rest?" ponders Buggy while looking at the sea.
Buggy looks at their ship that has been relocated near Nina's house. He looks at the ship's sails and gets a brilliant idea.
"Hehe, I have an idea. Get ready guys! We won't sleep tonight," says Buggy while laughing mischievously.
The others are confused, so Buggy explains his plan to them. They all widen their eyes before laughing mischievously too. Nina and her grandfather can only scratch their heads seeing this.
While waiting for the night when people sleep, The Clowns do what they can for now. They reduce the ship's weight by removing some items that aren't too important for now.
Among those unimportant items are Buggy's collections. It's a hard decision for him to leave them here. But he will return in the future after he has a bigger ship to take his collections back and pick up the ones who train here.
"Ruff, calculate the weight that we can add after removing all this stuff," orders Buggy.
"You want to take something with us?" asks Ruff.
"Yeah, we will bring soil with us," says Buggy.
"Soil?" asks everyone in confusion.
"Why would we bring soil? There's no use to have it you know," says Mantis.
"No, it is very useful, especially on Sky Island," says Buggy.
"Why?" asks Deon curiously.
"Let me ask you then. What do you think is the Sky Island made of?" asks Buggy.
"What it's being made of? Of course, soil-" says Mantis before Manba cut her off.
"Clouds!? It is made of clouds," says Manba with a surprised tone.
"Bingo," says Buggy while grinning.
"WHAT?!" shouts everyone in surprise.
"Of course, it is. The only thing in the sky that has some solidity is Cloud. Soil can't be there naturally, so the Sky Islands should be made of 'Special' Clouds. That's why the soil will be a very wanted item, right, Captain?" asks Ruff.
"You're right," says Buggy while smiling.
"But why?" asks Mantis confusedly.
"For farming. The Sky People also need food that came from plants. The special clouds can be the medium, but they will still be inferior to the soil. But they can only get soil from the people who come there. So the soil will have a very high price," says Ruff.
Buggy smiles because Ruff never disappoints him. Ruff can conclude all of that easily even though he has never gone to Sky Island. He can think about all of that just with some clues.
After that, Ruff calculates the weight again to know how much soil that they can carry. The others are still working on reducing the weight. With all the new members' help, the work can be done faster.
The night is still young now, so they decide to start making the balloon. They'll make what they can for now and finish the rest after they get the remaining materials.
Midnight finally come without their realization. They are too absorbed in their work and almost forget about their plan. After a short briefing, the Clowns except Ruff and Manba go to the port.
They arrived at the port shortly after that, and execute their plan. Almost everyone on the port is sleeping. There are only some guards on the port and every ship.
Buggy orders Deon to take them out and he does it easily using his Chameleon's camouflaging. Deon also throws sleeping gas that Manba & Ruff made on each ship to ensure that no one will wake up.
After the guards get defeated completely, The Clowns move fast and spread to every ship. They all climb the masts and cut off the ship's sails.
Yes, they plan to steal the ships' sails which are very wide and strong. With these sails, they will be able to complete the balloon. They can even make it bigger than their plan.
It doesn't take long for them to finish their jobs. They leave the port immediately before someone sees them. Now, they just need to finish the hot-air balloon and go to Sky Island.
The Clowns work all night to finish the balloon. They finally finish it right when the sun rises. But they can't celebrate it because they need to leave now. The owner of those stolen sails will find them if they stay here for too long.
After some short preparations, the Clowns leave the island. Only the 8 main members leave, while the new members stay. Buggy has given them money, training plans, and everything that they'll need.
He also gives them a task to protect Nina & her grandfather which they accept gladly. The old man has helped them a lot and he'll also let them stay & train around his house which is very helpful.
They bid their farewell and the main members leave the island. They follow the Log Pose until it points vertically. Then they set up the Hot-Air Balloon with Ruff's instructions.
It takes 15 minutes for them to finish every preparation. Then they burn their fuel which is oil to make the hot air. 30 minutes later, the balloon bloated and they increase the heat.
"Come on, fly!" says Jude nervously.
The Clowns wait patiently for an hour, but the balloon doesn't fly. Just as Cricket wants to shout in anger, the balloon moves up and pulls the ship. They fly slowly and it makes them very excited.
"HAHA, WE DID IT!" shout The Clown happily as their ship finally leaves the water.
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