The vast and endless sea, its blue surface reflecting the sunlight, shimmered brilliantly.
The aircraft carrying Gale and his companions glided through the air, following a descending parabolic trajectory.
Two parachutes deployed from the top of the cabin and beside the wings. Their compressed packs quickly opened to help the aircraft make a water landing.
This was an emergency landing; the aircraft had been damaged by the shockwave from the first nuclear explosion.
Although Gale had reinforced the fuselage using the power of the War Hammer Titan, some of the complex internal structures had still been damaged, forcing them to make an emergency landing in the nearby waters.
Inside the cockpit, Kenny struggled to pull the control stick.
To be honest, his flight experience was not extensive; he had been chosen as the pilot for this mission solely because of his exceptional physique and talent.
Compared to ordinary humans, the Ackerman bloodline was like a race of superhumans. Even with fewer flight hours, he could still easily outperform older pilots with far more experience.
He wanted more than anything to witness the exact moment the weapon exploded, which was why he had volunteered to pilot the aircraft.
Using his keen senses, he adjusted the aircraft to achieve a smooth landing.
The massive fuselage skimmed across the sea, sending white spray up on both sides. As the aircraft glided, a straight line formed across the surface of the water, startling the fish swimming below.
The aircraft finally came to a complete stop, with the parachutes covering the cabin as it floated on the water.
Gale and Hange worked together to turn the manual valve on the cabin door, then forced it open and quickly cut away the parachute lines.
The two stood by the door, looking up at the sky.
Even from dozens of kilometers away from Marley's capital, they could still see the overwhelming black smoke and flames.
Kenny and Hannes also stepped out of the cabin. The four of them stood in silence, staring into the distance.
"I'll build the boat," Gale broke the silence after briefly being consumed by his thoughts. "This aircraft is finished. We'll leave it here. We'll stick to our original plan and head for Isfar's border port."
The aircraft's original range had never been enough to return to Paradis Island.
By the time they reached the capital, they only had seven hours of fuel remaining.
"Wait a moment." Hange patted the aircraft's fuselage. "Let's remove the engine first. Otherwise, it'll go to waste."
"Agreed." Gale nodded at the suggestion.
He created a few tools, and together with Hange, climbed onto the aircraft, removed the engine cover, and extracted the expensive engine.
Then, inside the cabin, Gale transformed into his complete War Hammer Titan form, encasing himself in a hardened shell and creating a small fishing boat about eight meters long on the sea, larger than the aircraft itself.
Gale and Hange cut up the parachutes and turned them into adjustable sails, which they attached to the mast.
It was an entirely silver-white vessel, resembling a stone boat, yet it possessed every feature a proper ship should have, and sailing across the open sea posed no problem.
Gale had not merely created a "stone bowl" capable of floating on the sea; he had even crafted the rudder and the anchor.
He had an excellent understanding of naval architecture; the more knowledge one possessed, the more things the War Hammer Titan could create.
However, due to the inherent properties of hardened materials, he could not produce certain objects that required specific hardness, density, and weight. Fortunately, ships were not among them.
The four of them carried the aircraft's engine and the remaining Iceburst Stone fuel onto the boat.
The task of steering the vessel was entrusted to Hange, who had extensive sailing experience.
Gale felt utterly exhausted after building it.
Constructing a single eight-meter rock would not have been particularly taxing, but he had built an entire sailboat; the structure of the sail ribs and the centerboard alone was highly complex.
Most War Hammer Titan inheritors, after extensive training, could build a few large crossbows, which was already considered exceptionally talented.
Someone like him, capable of constructing an entire ship from scratch, was probably the first in history.
Precisely manipulating hardened materials was incredibly physically demanding.
War Hammer Titans normally fought by creating crude spikes and wielding their hammers. Had Gale not undergone two years of "hellish training" in the nuclear industrial zone, he probably would have collapsed from exhaustion before the ship had even been completed.
Hange and Hannes remained on deck, adjusting the sails so the wind would carry them where they wanted to go.
The four of them worked in shifts; the first watch belonged to Hannes and Hange. Kenny, who had spent more than thirty hours flying as the pilot, and Gale, exhausted from building the ship, went to rest inside the cabin.
Inside the boat were beds—hard "stone beds." In August, the lack of blankets and sheets did not matter; the weather was warm, and sleeping on the stone beds was actually cooler, though somewhat uncomfortable.
They had brought some emergency rations from the aircraft.
Whenever they wanted a snack, they simply fished in the sea.
They needed neither nets nor fishing rods. Once they found a school of fish, Gale could sit on the deck, transform into his "complete form," and quickly create a hardened-material "sieve" to trap the fish.
Then, using leverage, the powerful Kenny Ackerman would lift the sieve out of the water.
They often caught an entire school of fish at once. Hange selected the edible and tasty ones and released the rest.
There was no other choice; dead fish spoiled very quickly during the summer.
Gale had built a fish tank inside the cabin to keep all the fish they caught alive, catching one or two more whenever necessary.
They obtained fresh water through distillation, while their fuel came from the remaining Iceburst Stone charges from the aircraft.
They used the bag of Iceburst Stones sparingly, only to produce drinking water and use the leftover heat to grill fish, their final source of fuel.
Throughout their journey, they were completely cut off from the outside world, knowing nothing about the situation following the nuclear explosion.
When they had departed by air, the coast of Paradis Island had been filled with Allied ships. Without their aircraft, returning to the island was impossible; if the Allied forces had not withdrawn, their naval guns would have blown them to pieces.
Fortunately, they had another destination: Isfar's border port.
Their original plan had been to fly toward that port after dropping the nuclear bomb, make a stop near the coastline close to the mainland, and then travel overland to the port area to contact Erwin by telegram.
Now they were simply traveling by sea, but their destination remained the same.
The four of them spent thirteen peaceful days crossing the sea before finally arriving near the port and encountering the armored warship belonging to Paradis Island.
"Hey! Over here!" Hange shouted excitedly as she stood on the deck, waving her arms.
Smoke rose from the deck; they had gathered driftwood and used it to produce thick black smoke.
Several men boarded the boat, and the crew informed them that six days after the nuclear bomb had been dropped, the international coalition had broadcast a declaration of surrender over a public telegraph channel.