"Ugh, such thick books."
The knowledge related to navigation was far more extensive than Bellamy had imagined. The next day, the Portgas Trading Company delivered a whole cartload of books. He spent half the day sorting through them, identifying the ones a captain absolutely needed to learn, and then his head started to ache.
Sailing a ship wasn't just about making it move. At the very least, you had to know how to read the wind, right? After all, sailboats relied on wind power. You had to know where the shipping lanes were. Where were the reefs? Where were the shallows? How deep was the ship's draft? Which ports were shallow-water ports that couldn't be entered? These were the most basic skills a captain needed.
"So, how exactly did Luffy manage to sail a ship?" Bellamy muttered, staring at the massive tome in his hands, his lip twitching constantly. Just reading this book would take at least a week. Memorizing it all would take months.
"No way, I'm not suffering alone." If the captain was diligently studying, how could his beloved subordinates stand idly by? So, Bellamy held a study session, forcing his crew to start reading.
"You all need to read at least ten pages a day, you bastards!" This requirement was already very low, but Ross and Drake were both reluctant readers. The two ladies, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind. The two guys' reactions to receiving the books were practically identical to his own.
Furrowed brows, darting eyes, followed by spacing out, spacing out, spacing out, and continued spacing out. They just couldn't focus. But they had to learn. How else would they sail? How else would they set out to sea? Were they going to be like Luffy, setting sail in a tiny barrel?
Don't be ridiculous. A single large wave would have them all feeding the fish. And so, the arduous days began.
One month later.
Midday, in the front courtyard of the martial arts hall. Mia stood before a fish basket, curiously poking at something inside. Today, Bellamy had given everyone a day off to rest. They'd all had a tough month, given how strict his demands were.
The ladies had gone into town for half the day, returning with a pile of random things. This fish basket was something Mia had brought back from the harbor district. No one knew what was inside that had captivated her so.
Lunchtime was approaching, but judging by her actions, she didn't seem to have any intention of cooking.
"Hey, Mia, I'm hungry," Bellamy called out, urging her along.
"Alright, alright," she replied, her tone incredibly perfunctory.
What was inside that made her so curious that she didn't even want to cook? Bellamy walked over and squatted down beside the basket.
"This is...?" Isn't this a mantis shrimp? These things were actually quite rare. At least in the North Blue, this was the first time he'd seen one. "Huh? This color, these hammer-like fists… Isn't this a Peacock Mantis Shrimp?"
"Captain, you know this pretty little shrimp?" Mia asked. "Tell me about their habits. Can they be kept alive?" It seemed Mia was quite fond of this creature.
And rightfully so. The Peacock Mantis Shrimp was vibrantly colored, incredibly beautiful, especially underwater, where it looked like a moving rainbow. However, despite its unique appearance, this little creature was one of the few bullies in the sea that could "walk sideways" (meaning: be extremely arrogant/aggressive).
Bellamy remembered that, in his previous life, aquariums generally didn't keep mantis shrimp. Because mantis shrimp would kill and eat any creature that wasn't dozens of times larger than themselves. Yes, they were that ruthless. This little thing's combat power, relative to its size, was off the charts.
"Of course, it can be kept alive, but you'll need a thick tank, or it'll break it."
A thick tank? Break it? Mia casually picked up a Peacock Mantis Shrimp, measuring it with her fingers. This little thing was only about a dozen centimeters long. How could it possibly break a tank?
Seeing her actions, Bellamy couldn't help but frown. "Don't put your fingers near it."
But his warning came a little too late. The little shrimp's fist moved, a blur flashed, and Mia immediately cried out in pain.
"My finger!"
Bellamy quickly grabbed her hand and examined it. Luckily, it was only swollen; the bones weren't broken. "Don't underestimate this thing. Its fists can easily create supercavitation bubbles in the water."
To explain supercavitation simply, it was a phenomenon where the speed of acceleration was so extreme that the friction generated tremendous heat, vaporizing the water before it even had time to react. This created a bubble in the space. And this forcibly created bubble would collapse in the next instant, emitting a bright flash of light and releasing a huge amount of energy.
How much energy? According to what Bellamy knew, the temperature inside the bubble at the moment of collapse could reach thousands of degrees.
Even Bellamy, activating First Gear and entering his super-spring mode, couldn't achieve that level of acceleration. So, he wouldn't have been surprised if Mia's finger bones had been broken. Because the Peacock Mantis Shrimp was that awesome. In his previous life, it was known as the creature with the fastest punch in the world.
"Wait a minute." The thought of "fastest in the world" suddenly sparked an idea in his mind. Peacock Mantis Shrimp… supercavitation…
Hyperbolic paraboloid!
"Hyperbolic paraboloid structure!" These five words popped into his mind.
The reason the Peacock Mantis Shrimp was so formidable was precisely because of its hyperbolic paraboloid structure.
What is a hyperbolic paraboloid structure? To put it simply, it's like a saddle. A saddle is the most typical example of a hyperbolic paraboloid structure.
Other examples include recurve bows and the Sydney Opera House. All are classic examples of hyperbolic paraboloid structures. Hyperbolic paraboloid structures contained immense elastic force. The principle was to use the least amount of material and contact area to create the most stable structure. When subjected to force, the hyperbolic paraboloid contracts, stores energy, releases it, and bursts out instantly.
It was a classic structure that almost perfectly matched the Spring-Spring Man.
If he could transform the muscles and bones in his arms into a hyperbolic paraboloid structure, could he possess the power to easily generate supercavitation bubbles?
Lost in his excitement, Bellamy suddenly grabbed a mantis shrimp and disappeared like he'd gone mad.