In the Year 1508 of the Sea Calendar, March 16th.
For the past several days, Noah had been focused on producing a variety of magic cards, outfitting nearly all of the Noah Family's elite members with a complete set. Even the cadre had selected specific cards suited to their unique abilities and needs.
Today, Noah made his way to Sky Island.
Some time ago, after completing the transformation of Turtle Island Fortress, Law returned to Sky Island to work on finalizing the Eden-Class spaceship. After more than a month of fine-tuning, the vessel had finally met the expectations Noah had envisioned.
Noah surveyed Law's work with satisfaction. "Excellent. This is the perfect union of Devil Fruits and science."
"If there's no need to mass-produce Eden-Class ships, I'd like to take some time to research Baron of the Stomach, as preparation for future plant-based islands," Law responded.
Noah nodded. "Go ahead. The Eden-Class production schedule is flexible. Just one or two ships a year should be sufficient for now."
The Eden-Class's main advantage was its self-sufficiency, which didn't make it essential for every mission at the moment. The Noah Family's primary fleet still relied on the mass-produced Ark-Class ships, which were designed for large-scale industrial production.
Law's "plant island" concept was actually a contingency plan Noah had envisioned to deal with potential future threats. Unlike the single-minded Vegapunk, Noah had multiple solutions prepared to handle any looming doomsday crises that might arise.
Noah's plans included large-scale cloud creation, using the Empire's manufactured clouds to place islands in the sky. Meanwhile, the plant island project involved cultivating massive plants like the Baron of the Stomach, the Archiman Mangrove, giant Sky Island vines, and Adam trees. These plants would be engineered to grow underwater and expand onto the sea's surface, forming floating plant-based islands.
Additionally, Noah had plans to use the abilities of Shiki and Vic to strip away parts of the ocean's rocky layers, deepening sea basins and allowing them to absorb more water. The displaced rocks could then be used to create new land masses. Even if the sea level were to rise by two hundred meters, Noah had prepared solutions to address the crisis.
Today, though, Noah's focus was on the Eden-Class spaceship itself.
Bringing Robin and others on board, he activated the spaceship's blood-recognition control system. At its core, the vessel was powered by a specially modified Den Den Mushi.
"Goodbye, Law."
"Take care, Patriarch Noah!" Law waved as they departed.
The Eden-Class spaceship quickly lifted off, entering a stealth mode that blended it into the surrounding environment.
Noah had chosen today specifically because of the moon visible in the sky.
The Eden-Class spaceship accelerated toward the moon.
Although its speed was impressive—around 200 kilometers per hour—it was still insufficient to reach the moon in a short time. With the moon's distance from the Blue Planet at about 380,000 kilometers, a one-way trip would take roughly 80 days, or 160 days for a round trip.
Fortunately, with Ari on board, they could use wormhole jumps to return at any time.
On the 13th day of the journey, Robin entered the captain's office holding a document.
"Noah, we just received a report from the Rum Squad. Red-Haired Shanks docked at Port Eit in the East Blue this morning."
Noah thought for a moment. "Port Eit? So he avoided Loguetown. Keep monitoring him, but don't get too close."
"Yes." Robin noted his instructions before continuing her report. "Additionally, a CP agent named Fozzie has defected in the North Blue…"
"Fozzie?" Upon hearing the name, Noah immediately knew that Shanks had acquired the Nika Fruit.
Shanks' entry into the East Blue also clarified his intentions—to deliver the fruit to Ace.
That's right, the fruit wasn't meant for Luffy; Shanks intended to pass it to Ace, knowing Ace was Roger's son. But through a twist of fate, Luffy ended up consuming the Nika Fruit, prompting Shanks to adapt his plan, pushing Luffy to pursue the path of the Pirate King.
Noah listened quietly as Robin finished her report, not revealing any further reaction.
The Eden-Class spaceship continued its journey toward the moon.
Sixty days passed in what felt like no time, and soon they could observe the moon's cratered surface through the ship's windows.
"So, this is the moon?" Enel, who had accompanied them, gazed in awe at the desolate lunar landscape, his eyes reflecting fascination.
A few hours later, the spaceship landed in a meteor crater.
"Eden, is there air outside?"
The ship's core, the modified Den Den Mushi, absorbed light to test for breathable conditions. After a moment, it reported, "There is indeed air outside, with a composition similar to the atmosphere of the Blue Planet, though the humidity is extremely low."
Noah pondered this and ordered, "Then, everyone should suit up in case of any unforeseen conditions."
"Understood!"
"I wonder if the lunar sand is any different from what we have on the Blue Planet…"
Once suited up, the crew stepped out onto the moon's surface one by one.
Enel knelt down, scooping up a handful of sand as he murmured to himself, "So this is the legendary Endless Continent…"
Noah entered magnet mode, sending electromagnetic waves in all directions, quickly scanning an area with a radius of over 2,000 kilometers. However, electromagnetic waves had limitations, especially for detecting underground relics—Noah could only penetrate a few dozen meters below the surface.
After a short while, Noah detected what seemed to be a subterranean ruin.
"Let's move. Head 238 kilometers west."
The crew boarded the spaceship again, setting a course for their destination.
More than an hour later, the ship came to a stop.
"This is it." As they drew closer, Noah's electromagnetic readings became increasingly clear.
The ship hovered beneath a cliff, near a partially collapsed cave entrance.
Noah tapped the ground, and the rocks obstructing the cave were instantly moved aside, revealing a metal door behind the rubble.
"There's really a ruin here?" Robin was visibly astonished.
Noah revealed a surprising piece of knowledge, shocking the crew. "The Sky Islanders and Shandians are actually descendants of ancient moon dwellers."
Robin quickly connected the dots. "No wonder the legends on Bikka Island speak of an Endless Continent, and we found blueprints of the Ark Maxim."
"Let's go inside. There aren't any living beings here." Noah used his electromagnetic powers to push open the long-sealed metal door.
One by one, they stepped inside.
Through the beam of their searchlights, they traversed a metal corridor that eventually opened into a vast hall.
Inside the hall, a large number of small robots were arranged in rows.
Noah raised his hands, gathering a massive charge. "One million volts—discharge!"
As the electricity surged through the surrounding equipment, the hall's lights flickered to life, and the small robots' eyes began to glow, their systems reawakening after years of dormancy.
Zzzt…
Beep beep beep…
The crew tightened their grips on their weapons, ready to confront any potential threats.
After about ten minutes, Noah ceased his discharge. He wasn't a Thunder Fruit user, so he could only partially reactivate about one-third of the area.
As the electricity ceased, the small robots around them slowly stirred, reactivated from their dormant state by the new power flow.
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