There was a gentle breeze and the sun was shining brightly.
In the sun, the airship sparkled. Outside the metal armor, several soldiers hung traction ropes, carried oxygen tanks on their backs, and used shovels and steel brushes to clear the ice accumulation on it. The clouds were passing by under their feet, and everywhere they looked was a sea of clouds, undulating and layered, as beautiful as a fairyland.
On the ground, ordinary people could only see the shadows of huge ships floating above the clouds. The unknown fear made them panic, but the news that followed told them what joy is!
The navy has an independent establishment and airship combat force!
This is a new unit whose reputation has quickly spread across the sea in just one week.
In 1517, the sea was constantly rough. After the existence of Sky Island was confirmed, the Navy established an airboat unit to cooperate with the newly established G10 branch to patrol the sea and fight against crime!
Prior to this, whether it was a warship, a merchant caravan or a pirate ship, sailing along the Grand Route would be greatly disturbed by the climate. Unpredictable weather was the biggest disaster. Accidents often occurred on ships going out to sea. Even naval warships had accidents. With records of shipwrecks and casualties, transportation can be said to be very inconvenient.
So much so that on the Grand Line, except for the waters near the Navy's "G" series branch base, every household must beware of pirate intrusions at all times. Because even if an accident occurs, the navy cannot arrive in time.
But it’s different with the airship force!
They don't take the sea route, but the air route!
Advancing above the clouds, completely ignoring the storm on the sea surface, you can quickly provide support and treat the sea area as nothing!
Such an incredible way of movement frightened the pirates. In the past, they only had to be wary of the navy coming from the sea. If the distance was far, even a small sailboat would have a chance to escape. But now the navy travels directly from the air and is more concealed. Even if they find the enemy, the sailing speed cannot be compared to flying!
Corresponding to the fear and anxiety of the pirates, is the peace of mind of the civilians.
In this world, the security of the sea is not maintained by the kings of various countries, but by the navies all over the sea! Ordinary people are more willing to believe in the navy!
With the airboat force, the faster the navy sends troops to clear out pirates, the safer they will be.
Therefore, the appearance of the airship force not only brings witness and deterrence at the technological level, but also the dawn of hope and rebirth!
However, the current problem is that the airship force is still in the experimental stage and the number is far from enough.
This made the pirates feel relieved and the civilians became more and more anxious. At the same time, it also ushered in a new wave of enthusiasm for joining the navy...
"Get on the airship and fight the pirates!"
Marineford could hear the recruits shouting slogans like this every day during training.
…
Above the clouds, on the central flagship of the airship force, a researcher in a white coat pushed the door in after reporting, came to the control room, and said to Ron.
"Lieutenant General Ron! The stratospheric flight test has been completed and it is time to descend!"
At this time, Ron was standing behind the windshield, looking at the magnificent sea of clouds in front of him, with a calm expression.
"Understood… "
He nodded, and then said to the rest of the people in the control room: "Notify everyone to be prepared. The descent will begin in three minutes, and the altitude will drop to 5,000 meters! After reaching the set height, the maintenance personnel will immediately conduct inspections and repairs, and the medical team will be on standby at any time!"
"yes!"
After the soldier received the order, someone immediately picked up the phone and announced Ron's order.
Upon seeing this, the researcher quickly ran to an empty seat, took out an oxygen mask and put it on.
The oxygen internal circulation system inside the airship composed of empty island shellfish such as empty shellfish and blowing shellfish allows them to not worry about insufficient oxygen even at the height of the stratosphere, but the impact of altitude changes is not limited to oxygen concentration. From 18,000 meters to 5,000 meters, as a frail scientific researcher, he could not resist as hard as this group of soldiers who had been honed by lightning stimulation equipment and carefully selected.
"Notice, all fleets pay attention, the altitude drops to 5,000 meters!"
"Notice, all fleets pay attention, the altitude drops to 5,000 meters!"
The command was repeated three times in a row, and a few minutes later, the main body of the leading airship tilted forward and slowly sank into the sea of clouds. The airships behind him followed its movements, like a group of dolphins swimming in the sea, drawing graceful arcs in the air. The rolling clouds are like stirred sea water, turbulent and magnificent, and the scene is breathtaking!
"Height... 17,000 meters, 16,000 meters,... 10,000 meters... 8,000 meters, 7,000 meters, 6,000 meters... "
"5000 meters! Reach the predetermined height and move forward parallel!"
"5000 meters! Reach the predetermined height and move forward parallel!"
Buzz...crunch...! !
As the altitude dropped, there was a rhythmic mechanical vibration from the airship, as if the airship they relied on for a living was about to collapse at any time. It wasn't until the altitude dropped to 8,000 meters that it began to decelerate at a constant speed, and the vibration gradually weakened steadily. When the altitude stopped at 5,000 meters, the soldiers in the control room breathed a sigh of relief and slumped down in their seats.
Without experience, no one can guarantee that an airship will not disintegrate in the stratosphere. The joy of surviving and the unexpected stability of the airship relaxed their tense nerves, and their muscles were slumped, like a salted fish.
"Good-for-nothing! How did you pass the psychological test?!"
But it’s one thing to know, but it doesn’t look good when shown.
Ron glared at them, then picked up his desperate white coat and walked out of the control room.
In response, the control room was speechless.
Hey hey!
You old man can fly and is not afraid of heights, but we can't! ! !
But no one dared to complain to Ron. As he said, they were selected into the airship force after passing the psychological test. Now this scene is really indecent...
After a while, the soldier who had regained his breath smiled bitterly and picked up the phone, notifying everyone to check and report any problems immediately.
Maintenance personnel were ordered to start inspection immediately to determine the status of the airship.
On the airship, they are the most prestigious group of people, second only to Commander Ron!
After all, at an altitude of 10,000 meters, the only thing everyone can rely on is the airship. You can lack food, clothing, and doctors, but you must have enough repairmen!
A top repairman can even eat the same exquisite food as Ron. This is not a privilege brought by Ron's status, but the sincere dedication of the soldiers!
Back in the office, the white coat took a few breaths, suppressed the desire to vomit, and then began to report. He knew that Ron was not a data person, so he reported the results directly.
"The results of the 18,000-meter stratospheric navigation test are not optimistic. Changes in air pressure have caused many abnormalities in the airship structure to be repaired. At the same time, the failure rate of the plasma cannon has also increased by 3 percentage points. However, there is no problem in tropospheric navigation, and all aspects of data are forecast. It is within the estimated range, so the tentative safe altitude is still 5,000, with an upper limit of 13,000.”
"I understand. Is there anything else that hasn't been tested yet?"
Ron lit a cigar and puffed away.
The soldiers who had followed Ron to sea before were really living in dire straits at this time. Not only was the weekly drink supply canceled on the airship, but even cigarettes were banned.
The safety of the airship is of paramount importance. A spark may cause a fire, leaving no one alive in the entire airship!
The only place where you can smoke is Ron's office, because it's called an office, but it's actually just a square iron box.
Unless the iron box melts completely, no matter how noisy it is inside, it won't affect the outside at all.
Then the problem comes...
Who dares to break into Ron's office
Just for smoking
It's not easy to die on an empty boat... Just jump off, there's no need to seek abuse.
"Currently, only the upper limit of firepower test is left. We have checked the data of the plasma cannon and there is no problem, and have conducted several test firings. However, the subsequent impact of actual operation on the airship requires cumulative verification over time. It can be gradually improved in actual combat. There is no need to do it deliberately... "
The white coat responded quickly.
Yes, test!
This airship unit was not left to Ron to trade with the air islands. The main task was to cooperate with the G10 branch in actual combat and patrol the sea areas.
As a security consultant, Kulik is in charge of a batch of modified transport airships with increased cargo capacity, which are the main force in transporting materials up and down. What their airship force needs is to conduct various tests and collect data to lay the foundation for subsequent improvements.
"I understand. Notify the aviation team and rush to the G10 branch at full speed."
"clear!"