Chapter 181 — Dry Dock Walls Rise
S.C. 1512 — Mid-Morning
Hidden Island — Shipyard Zone
The air smelled of fresh timber and sea salt when Ren arrived at the shipyard the next morning.
The crane towered above the site like a mechanical guardian, its long arm still glinting with dew. Workers—refugees and villagers alike—were already gathering, stretching their sore arms and backs.
Today's goal was even more ambitious:
Build the first dry dock walls.
Massive walls of stone, Aegis Timber, and reinforced alloy plates…
Large enough to accommodate a ship three times the size of a Foosha fishing boat.
Zemo barked once, tail swishing as he ran excitedly between workers' legs.
Ren took a deep breath.
"Let's begin."
1. The Ground Trench
The marked rectangle stretched nearly forty meters long.
Leo and Bram had already organized the workforce.
"We'll dig the base trench first," Bram said, cracking his knuckles. "Walls won't stand if the ground isn't stable."
Ren nodded.
"Kiro, mark every ten meters with chalk. We need perfect alignment."
Kiro dashed forward, measuring and marking while Ren used telekinesis to sense the density of the soil.
He closed his eyes.
"…Soft on the west side. Harder on the north. We'll reinforce west first."
Bram shouted orders.
Shovels hit the earth.
Soil flew.
Sweat dripped.
Ren knelt down, placing tiny vibration detectors along the edges. Each one was handmade—simple, but effective.
Within an hour, the trench took shape, deep and wide enough to hold the massive Aegis Timber wall pillars.
Ren checked the measurements once more.
"Good. Bring the foundation plates."
2. Laying the Base Plates
Ren's subordinates carried the heavy alloy plates—half Aegis Timber, half structural steel alloy—designed to anchor the walls against water pressure.
They lowered each plate carefully into the trench.
"Hold—slow," Ren warned.
He steadied the plates with telekinesis, ensuring each one aligned perfectly with the next.
Leo wiped his forehead. "Boss, if you weren't here, we'd spend two days fixing alignment errors…"
Bram grinned. "Two? More like three."
Ren didn't respond. His focus was on every vibration, every millimeter.
When the final plate settled—
CLANK.
Kiro tapped it.
"Solid."
The base was complete.
3. Raising the Aegis Timber Wall Frames
The workers watched as Ren pointed to the crane.
"Lift the first wall beam."
Bram pulled the lever.
Steam hissed.
The pulley turned.
Slowly, a giant Aegis Timber pillar—nearly five meters long—rose into the sky.
Gasps spread across the workers.
"That thing's heavier than a house!"
"How is this even possible…?"
The crane swung the beam perfectly into position over the trench.
Ren stabilized it with a thin thread of telekinesis.
"Lower."
The pillar slid into the foundation slot—
THUD.
Perfect.
They repeated this process again and again:
Lift.
Rotate.
Lower.
Lock.
By noon, the entire left wall frame stood tall, a row of Aegis Timber columns reinforced by alloy bindings.
It already felt like the skeleton of a shipyard giant.
4. Reinforced Stone Layering
Next came the stone.
Refugees carried large blocks of quarried island rock, guided by Kiro's measurements.
They placed the first stone layer between the timber columns.
Ren applied mortar mixture specially enhanced with crushed alloy dust.
It dried twice as strong as normal lime mortar.
Workers tapped the stones into place with mallets.
"Boss, this wall looks like it belongs in a kingdom fortress!" one refugee exclaimed.
Another nodded. "This dock… no pirate will break this."
Ren didn't comment, but there was a faint satisfaction in his eyes.
He had plans for more than pirates.
5. The Right Wall Rises
By late afternoon, the right wall began rising too.
Leo directed the crane movements.
Bram hammered support braces.
Kiro ran between groups ensuring measurements were exact.
Ren walked along the emerging walls, using telekinesis to sense internal gaps, loose stones, or soft mortar. He corrected imperfections instantly.
Zemo supervised proudly, barking whenever someone seemed to slack—even though half the time it was just Zemo misunderstanding.
Makino arrived near sunset to deliver food again.
When she saw the walls…
She nearly dropped the basket.
"Ren… This is… enormous."
Ren looked at her calmly.
"We need ships. Good ones. Strong ones."
Makino stepped closer to the Aegis Timber beam, placing a hand on the smooth, polished surface.
"This doesn't look like something from the East Blue… This looks like something from a storybook."
Ren didn't reply.
But a tiny smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
6. Sunset — A New Beginning
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon:
Both dry dock walls stood
Tall
Solid
Powerful
With cranes, stonework, and Aegis Timber forming a fortress-like structure.
The shipyard looked… real now.
Not a plan.
Not a sketch.
A true construction zone ready for ships larger than any in Foosha or Goa.
Workers sat on the ground, exhausted but proud.
Leo muttered, "Boss… we're building a harbor."
Bram nodded. "A proper one."
Kiro smiled softly. "A new home."
Ren looked across the structure, letting the quiet satisfaction settle.
No cheering.
No speeches.
No grand declaration.
Just progress.
And tomorrow—
They'd build the dry dock gates.
End of Chapter 181