The steel mill was readily available; One Piece's civilization required certain things.
Like the steel mill.
These mills originally produced iron for muskets. Muskets had transitioned from bronze to iron, but iron couldn't withstand gunpowder's heat; a single shot would deform the barrel, a second shot causing explosions. Steel was necessary.
This might have been obsolete World Government technology, or technology acquired from Celestial Dragons by merchants, but it existed.
The steel bars from the blast furnace were useless; they could only make knives, which were pointless in naval battles.
Even for gun barrels, you'd need a powerful drill.
Only a high-speed, evenly rotating drill could create suitable barrels—quenching might also be necessary.
But these steel bars were inadequate.
Alistair needed thinner bars, but very long ones. They poured molten steel into a 30-meter-long bar—thin but long. This was possible; processing large trees required such long, thin saw blades. But these were steel bars, not saw blades, making it unusual.
And a 30-meter-long bar… what was he doing?
Using this bar as the center, large canvases were cut and sewn onto it.
This was the first hot air balloon.
A second, faster balloon was constructed from wooden strips.
The third was frameless—purely canvas.
This was scientific experimentation.
Purely about spending money.
Alistair had plenty of money, having earned more from selling the pirate ships. His purchases totaled 200 million Berries; he still had around 200 million Berries left.
With cash and savings, procuring supplies was easy.
The merchants in Mock Town, aided by Alistair's ships, became Grand Line distributors. They were previously offline distributors but could now replace their superiors.
Their status had greatly improved; they no longer needed to wait for distributors.
The merchants acted quickly, organizing their staff for procurement. They weren't short of manpower; the main issue was sea safety, but this wasn't a problem now—Alistair had cleared Mock Town; the route to the mid-Grand Line would be safe.
The merchants didn't wait for nightfall, setting sail immediately—they had cannons and muskets, ensuring self-defense.
They carried Alistair's procurement list, eager to obtain more goods, engage in price wars, and impress Alistair.
This effortless gain was addictive—using power for personal gain.
But Alistair understood that the pirate world's lawlessness stemmed from those who abused their power.
The World Government neglected education, research, and medicine, except for military matters—worse than any rogue nation. Lack of education led to many joining pirates. Even a small investment in education would have prevented people like Zoro and Mihawk from becoming pirates.
He used his power cautiously.
His judgment was correct. The Shandora Union, professional salvagers, were victims of the World Government's "either Marine or pirate" policy. They didn't rob merchant ships and were law-abiding, yet were targeted by the Marines, receiving undeserved bounties.
These professional salvagers and skilled carpenters quickly built three hot air balloons.
Before inflation, they looked unimpressive, lacking grandeur and occupying a large area, disappointing Lafitte, Van Augur, and Nico Robin.
They had high expectations, but Alistair's work seemed underwhelming.
The three hot air balloons were Alistair's focus; parachutes, hang gliders, and paragliders were secondary products. Their small size meant they received less attention, surprising Alistair.
"Lafitte, test the paraglider at a few hundred meters." Alistair handed Lafitte a paraglider—a basic model, not yet packable, but providing cushioning.
Testing the hot air balloons and paraglider simultaneously was impractical; Lafitte's flight ability was more useful.
Lafitte, slightly disappointed, strapped it on, spread his wings, and flew upward.
He quickly discovered the paraglider's joy…
"Haha!" Though accustomed to flight, this was his first time effortlessly flying by pulling the glider's ends.
This was a marvelous experience.
Having experienced this, he instantly loved it. Though the hot air balloons weren't airborne, he envisioned soldiers descending from the sky.
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