At this moment, the people of Mock Town weren't cheering for the revolutionaries, Ace, or the hot air balloon's ascent.
They were cheering for themselves.
Like the first car, the first airplane flight, the first rocket launch.
Each step was a significant human achievement.
This was only visible technology; invisible advancements in chemistry, materials science, and medicine were also improving lives and the world.
This hot air balloon was just a small step for Alistair.
The scene became electric. Once it rose over ten meters, no one doubted its ability to fly.
Everyone cheered wildly.
At ten meters, the ropes reached their limit; Ace stopped fueling the balloon.
The balloon hovered, swaying gently in the sea breeze.
Ace jumped down, smiling radiantly, saying to Alistair, "I wish Isuka could see this."
What they were doing was right, just, and great.
But that was only a general outline.
Without the Celestial Dragons, the World Government, and the exploitation by kingdoms and nobles, Alistair couldn't have rallied so many pirates and Marines with a few words.
But before now, it was all theoretical.
Until now.
Until this hot air balloon.
They truly understood that Alistair was changing the world.
Alistair had explained in his lecture that changes in productivity stemmed from invention and creation.
Some inventions were subtractive—reducing time to increase efficiency.
Others were additive—discovering new substances and materials to improve lives.
This hot air balloon was additive; new transportation was transformative, even in its nascent stage.
Tom's Sea Train was astonishingly advanced.
The Sea Train required advanced technology—laying tracks on the sea, solving corrosion, preventing barnacle attachment, addressing fuel, and protecting against Sea Kings.
He presented a complete plan, accepted by the judge without question, inspiring great hope among the citizens…
Didn't anyone suspect it was a scam?
Massive investments were lost due to a criminal's words in court, plunging Water 7 into further hardship.
Alistair could only say "amazing" about Tom.
Truly amazing!
But under the World Government, anyone threatening the Celestial Dragons faced death.
Like the medieval Church burning inventors.
The Celestial Dragon regime was a global tumor—cancer, terminal illness, and complications.
The first balloon used a steel frame; it could fly but couldn't carry much weight.
The second, using wooden strips, was lighter; Ace easily inflated it.
Excitement was less; people didn't understand why three balloons were needed.
Wasn't one enough?
The people murmured, but the pirate captives understood.
They defended Alistair and explained to the people, "This tests how long the balloons stay aloft after inflation, allowing us to calculate their range."
Hot air balloons lack propulsion, relying on wind. Calculating wind speed determines the range after a single inflation.
This range could make hot air balloons viable transportation in the Grand Line.
The steel, wood, and canvas balloons had different weights and load capacities, and different resistance to extreme weather…
All this required experimentation—a rigorous scientific approach.
Alistair, lacking the Straw Hats' luck, needed caution.
Fortunately, he was thoughtful; he didn't need to conduct experiments or record data.
Ace did the work; Robin recorded the data; he commanded.
Soon, all three balloons floated.
They needed to test gas cooling time, load capacity, and altitude.
Lafitte's help was needed for the last part.
Lafitte willingly assisted.
He, Van Augur, and Nico Robin had observed the assimilation of the four hundred pirates.
Like the "golden three chapters" in web novels; after the fifth day and the hot air balloon…
The pirates were calmer; their arguments with the residents involved explanation and boasting, not violence.
These pirates were different from five days ago.
Physical transformation was minor; the combination of training and ideology had changed them.
They had developed cohesion, loyalty, unity, and discipline!
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