The transformation of the Ark: Maxim was vast and complex.
It took a full two days to complete.
When the work was finally finished, the Ark: Maxim had been reborn entirely—no longer merely a flying vessel, but a super battleship capable of traversing the vacuum of space and roaming freely across the universe.
After the successful overhaul, Xiao instructed Conis to continue expanding the Iron Wings Legion without pause.
Then, together with his companions—and Enel's former subordinates who had undergone steel-wing transformation—he boarded the Ark: Maxim and set course for the moon.
The group included:
Five Angel PriestsOne Great Divine SoldierForty-nine Divine Soldiers
Yes.
Although Sky Island had long circulated the saying "God commands four priests," there was, in truth, a fifth priest—
The Ball Priest, who was actually a pair of twin sisters.
At this moment, the Ark: Maxim tore through space at astonishing speed—far faster than even Xiao had anticipated.
In less than three days, they reached their destination.
The Moon.
BOOM!!!
The moment the group stepped onto the lunar surface, an earth-shattering explosion erupted without warning.
The Ark: Maxim—freshly arrived—was violently blasted backward!
Fortunately, by now its structure had been fully replaced with Cyberlinite, a material comparable to Marvel's Vibranium—capable of absorbing and dispersing enormous energy.
As a result, the ark suffered no serious damage.
"Deal with those space vermin," Lafayette said coolly, adjusting his hat.
"Let them taste the might of the Blue Star Pirates."
At his command, the four priests immediately led their forces into action.
Although the space pirates possessed interstellar navigation technology, their individual combat strength was far inferior to that of Blue Star natives.
Even in terms of technology, there was no overwhelming gap between the two sides.
The space pirates wielded laser weapons, yes—but their physical quality was poor, barely different from ordinary humans.
Even with advanced equipment, they struggled to land accurate hits.
Moreover, Sky Island's most terrifying advantage lay elsewhere—
Heart Net.
Observation Haki.
Whether priests or divine soldiers, all had mastered it to some degree.
Against such opponents, the space pirates stood no chance.
In less than fifteen minutes, the priests returned—escorting a group of captured space pirates back to the Ark.
Their appearance was… peculiar.
At first glance, they resembled members of the Mink Tribe, yet were clearly different.
The Mink Tribe looked like animals walking upright.
These space pirates, on the other hand, looked like humans with animal heads.
Aside from their heads, the rest of their bodies were nearly identical to humans—and even their hair was sparse.
Most of them didn't resemble mammals at all, but instead bore features of insects or marine creatures.
It was an unsettling sight.
However, Xiao's real prize lay elsewhere.
The space pirate ship itself.
Technology capable of interstellar travel—甚至跨越超时空航行—
That was what he truly desired.
Yet when Xiao hurried over to inspect the vessel, he froze.
Because the ship used by the space pirates…
Was a sailing ship.
If Enel's Ark was steampunk—
Then these space pirates were even more steampunk.
Fortunately, appearances were deceiving.
Although the ship retained a traditional sailboat design, its technological level as a spacecraft was anything but primitive.
It was equipped with:
Advanced gravity systemsHigh-grade enginesBlack-tech-level energy cores
After extracting the memories of the captured pirates, Xiao finally obtained a complete understanding of the vessel.
And what he learned left him stunned.
The ship's power source came from those seemingly decorative sails.
Their true name was—
Solar Sails.
This technology had been invented tens—perhaps hundreds—of thousands of years ago by a legendary figure known as the "Mother of Stars," Marty Ringer.
The operating principle was astonishingly elegant.
By harvesting omnipresent starlight and converting it through specialized processes, the sails amplified energy dozens of times over—providing a continuous and stable power supply to the entire spacecraft.
With solar sail technology, Marty Ringer achieved warp navigation, accomplishing feats of flight hundreds of times faster than light.
It was an epoch-making breakthrough in cosmic exploration.
Interestingly, compared to the term warp navigation, astronauts preferred to call the resulting passageways—
The "Underworld Galaxy."
Not only because vast, ocean-like creatures dwelled within those mysterious depths—
But also because of the extraordinary performance of solar sails themselves.
In truth, solar sails were far more than energy collectors.
They integrated gravity regulation, radiation shielding, and ecological protection into a single system.
Once deployed, an invisible stand-field barrier automatically formed around the ship.
As a result, even traditional multi-mast sailing ships could traverse violent cosmic radiation zones without suffering the slightest damage.
Space travel became as effortless as swimming through the ocean.
Of course, Xiao suspected that these wildly unscientific astronauts simply chose such romantic terminology on a whim.
Yet—
That still wasn't the most shocking part.
According to cosmic historical records, someone had once successfully escaped the gravitational pull of a black hole—
By exploiting the titanic stellar energy released during a supernova explosion.
Faced with such a claim, Xiao could only stare in silence.
This could no longer be called science.
It was pure science fiction.
The idea of fleeing a black hole in a sailing ship was utterly beyond imagination.
…
…
After developing solar sail technology, Marty Ringer did not hoard it as a secret.
Instead, she chose to share it openly.
That decision earned her immense support.
By joining forces with several major capital factions, she co-founded the Martylinger Interstellar Empire—
And ascended the throne as its supreme empress.
Under her leadership, a brilliant era of cosmic navigation began.
She led fearless fleets to conquer one mysterious planet after another, amassing immeasurable wealth.
Like wildfire, her achievements ignited countless dreams of space exploration.
Thus, tens of thousands of warriors threw themselves into the vast starry sea—
All hoping to uncover treasures hidden among the stars.
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