On the way to the interior buildings of Oni Island.
"Have those refined alloys been packed up?"
Moses asked Bear Cub.
Nodding while rubbing his ears, Bear Cub yawned and grinned:
"Yeah, all packed. They're all stored in my belly."
Moses smiled and entered the Beasts Main Camp through the mouth of the rocky skull. Ascending the stairs and passing rows of vermilion torii gates, he arrived at a room on the third floor.
Without knocking, Moses slid the door open and walked in.
Crossing the living room, he reached the bedroom door and kicked it open with a loud "Boom!"
The next second, a tall figure abruptly sat up from the bed, staring blankly at Moses—and the three-meter-long greatsword he was dragging behind him.
"You'd better give me a reasonable explanation, or you won't be walking out of this room on your own two feet."
King's face darkened, but Moses grinned. "I came to show you something."
With that, Moses gripped the hilt with both hands and charged at King. As he closed in, he swung the massive blade with a sharp whistle of wind, bringing it down in a straight slash.
Mid-swing, the blade ignited with a burst of orange-red flames, illuminating King's face.
Startled, King drew his own sword from the bedside and countered with a horizontal slash.
The two greatswords collided violently.
Clang!
A piercing metallic clang reverberated as sparks flew, some landing on King's bed.
Moses' arm muscles bulged as he pressed down with his blade, while veins throbbed on King's forehead. With a sudden surge of strength, King forced his sword upward, sending Moses staggering back from the impact.
The next instant, Moses swung his flaming sword again.
King rose and countered.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Blade flashes erupted repeatedly in King's room.
Amid the shower of sparks, the two clashed at high speed within the confined space.
Terrifying crashes echoed throughout the entire third floor.
Moses' sword moved so fast it left afterimages, enveloping King in a storm of flames.
But the fire was useless against King—flames erupted from the back of his head, spreading onto his own blade.
Two blazing swords, driven by unstoppable momentum, clashed relentlessly in King's oversized bedroom.
Once King got serious, Moses' strength clearly fell short. He was forced back step by step under the relentless slashes.
A smirk tugged at Moses' lips.
Armament Haki spread from his forearms onto his blade. With the enhancement, his offensive power instantly rose a notch.
For a time, the two fought to a standstill.
King was shocked—Moses' sudden use of Armament Haki caught him off guard.
"This brat..."
After several rapid exchanges, King noticed his beloved blade's edge was chipped and curled. His eye twitched uncontrollably as he, too, coated his sword in Armament Haki.
Their power levels realigned.
Every one of King's swings carried overwhelming force.
Moses, relying on his skill, redirected the momentum and channeled his entire body's strength, holding his ground against King.
Ten minutes later.
Suddenly, a furious roar erupted at the doorway.
"What the hell are you two doing?!"
A figure exuding terrifying presence stood at the entrance, glaring at King and Moses. The overwhelming pressure of Conqueror's Haki bore down on them.
At the sight of the newcomer, both Moses and King froze mid-swing. Simultaneously, they withdrew their auras and distanced themselves from each other.
King looked at Kaido in his pajamas, a hint of awkwardness flashing in his eyes as he hurriedly explained, "Sorry for disturbing your rest, Mr. Kaido.
This brat kicked open my door without any explanation and attacked me first."
Kaido glared at Moses with extreme displeasure.
He had been in a good mood today and drank a bit too much. Just as he had fallen asleep at night, these two idiots had to wake him up.
"Give me an explanation, or you'll be spending some time in the dungeon outside."
Moses didn't back down at all. He tossed the long blade in his hand to Kaido, who caught it but looked puzzled.
"What's this? You want me to beat you up?"
Moses shook his head and began explaining.
"It's a newly forged blade—the finest Good Skillful Blade, made for King. I worked on it all night and wanted to show him. But when I got here, I found him sleeping like a log, which pissed me off. So I kicked the door open and demonstrated it for him. When swung, the blade generates flames from friction with the air."
King stared blankly at Moses, while Kaido raised an eyebrow and examined the blade closely. The polished surface, fine grain, and sharp edge clearly marked it as a high-quality sword.
A grin spread across Kaido's face as he burst into laughter. "Wororororo! Not bad, not bad at all. The quality's even better than my Spiked Club. Kid, forge me a new Spiked Club in the next couple of days—one with spikes, thick, hard, and top-notch."
Laughing, he tossed the blade back to King and turned to leave.
The earlier threat of punishment was long forgotten.
King caught the blade and inspected it. Unlike his own sword, this one showed no signs of wear. His eyes lit up with delight, and he cleared his throat.
"I'll let it slide this time. I like the blade—you did well. Remember to forge a suitable weapon for Mr. Kaido tomorrow. It's late; you can go now."
But after a dozen seconds, when Moses still hadn't moved, King frowned in displeasure. "Something else?"
"Yeah, there is."
"I've run out of iron ore. Increase the Sake Iron Ore supply for me tomorrow. Kaido's weapon will require more material—let's start with ten times today's standard."
"What?" King's eyes widened in disbelief. "You used up all that iron ore just to forge this one blade?"
"You think I'm an idiot?"
Moses looked at him as if he were a fool. After a few seconds, he said flatly,
"You think a Great Grade Blade is easy to forge?"
"You think failed attempts don't consume materials?"
"What are you even thinking?"
King's brow furrowed as he zeroed in on the key point. "Great Grade Blade?"
He raised the long blade in his hand. "You mean this? Isn't this a Good Skillful Blade? You think I'm stupid?"
"That's why it's a failed product of a Great Grade Blade forging attempt," Moses lied without blinking.
Instantly, King felt the blade in his hand lose its appeal.
Then, Moses added calmly,
"Once I successfully forge a Great Grade Blade in the future, this one—which has a solid foundation—can be reforged."
Hearing this, King's eyes flickered with surprise. He blinked and said, "Fine, I understand. I'll make sure you have enough materials tomorrow."
As for whether the material consumption was excessive, King didn't particularly care—as long as the final product was worth it.
Even the finest forging materials are useless if they can't be made into excellent weapons. They're just some materials, and with the family's vast resources, a little waste isn't a concern.
Having obtained what he wanted, Moses smiled. It wasn't in vain that he had come here to stir up trouble late at night. With a wave of his hand, he turned and left.
After Moses departed, King looked at the mess in his room, utterly speechless. He then left as well, heading to an unoccupied room next door to sleep.
When Moses reached the second floor with Bear Cub on their way to his room, he suddenly paused and glanced back, catching a glimpse of a fleeting figure with white hair.
Bear Cub tilted its head toward Moses and asked curiously,
"It's that woman Yamato. Bear can smell her scent. She's following behind us."
Moses nodded subtly. "It's fine. Let's go back."
At the door of his room, Moses pulled it open and entered. He and Bear Cub each took a bathroom to wash up before lying down on the bed.
A few minutes later,
A sound came from the outer door, and soon after, the bedroom door opened.
Yamato, her head wrapped in bandages, tiptoed in.
Under the moonlight, Moses' dark eyes stared at her with an amused expression. Yamato forced a dry laugh.
"I came to get my clothes."
She pointed to her dress hanging on the balcony.
Moses rolled his eyes.
"You came to get them in the middle of the night? Couldn't you get out of bed during the day because Kaido beat you up?"
His tone was indifferent.
Yamato averted her gaze, looking guilty, and stammered incoherently.
Moses noticed her short-sleeved pajamas typical of this country and the shackles on her wrists. Surprise flickered in his eyes as he sat up and patted the edge of the bed.
"Why are you still wearing those shackles?"
Anger flashed in Yamato's eyes as she stomped over and plopped onto the bed, fuming.
"I already told him I won't be Oden anymore and asked him to remove the shackles, but that Ox-Horned Gorilla refused! He said he'd only take them off after I helped him exploit the people of Wano."
"I disagreed, so we fought, and he beat me up badly."
"Moses, will you help me set sail?"
She leaned in earnestly, her gaze intense. "I want to leave this place. I want to go to sea, grow stronger, and come back to defeat him—to drive him out of here."
Moses wasn't the least bit surprised by her words. He asked,
"Do you know navigation? Can you sail a ship? You're a Devil Fruit user—you can't swim now. How do you plan to set sail?"
"The weather in the New World is unpredictable. One wrong move, and your ship is wrecked. Besides, you don't even have a boat. How are you going to leave?"
Each of Moses' words made Yamato's expression grow more uneasy. By the end, she looked utterly lost.
"Then... does that mean I can never set sail in my life?"
Moses glanced at her. "Let me be blunt. I'll be leaving this place soon. If you want, I can take you with me. But you have to keep it a secret for now."
Yamato froze, disbelief written across her face.
"You're leaving? How? When? I'll go with you."
Moses chuckled. "I still have some things to take care of. I'll let you know before I go. Just wait for now."
"Mm-hmm, I understand. I'll wait patiently. Just don't forget to take me when you leave."
Yamato's face lit up with excitement, and as soon as she finished speaking, she spread her arms and lunged forward. Moses twitched at the corner of his eye, leaning back while extending his right foot to block her face.
With a look of exasperation, he said, "Even if your Devil Fruit is a dog, you don't have to act like one and pounce on people randomly, do you?"
Yamato steadied herself by holding onto Moses' leg, then rubbed the back of her head with her left hand and chuckled sheepishly, "Hehe, I was just too excited. I can't wait for the days when we set sail. And my Devil Fruit ability isn't just any dog—it's the Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Okuchi no Makami form."
After explaining, Yamato fixed her gaze on Moses, her eyes filled with seriousness. "Moses, we're friends, right?"
Raising an eyebrow, Moses wasn't sure why she was asking but replied, "That's for you to decide. If you consider me your friend, then I am. If not, then we aren't."
Hearing this, Yamato looked momentarily confused before hurriedly saying, "Then it's settled—we're best friends from now on."
"Like you have any other friends to begin with?" Moses quipped casually.
At this, Yamato's expression dimmed, her demeanor turning somewhat dejected. "You're right… I've never really had any friends before."
Scratching his head, Moses gave an awkward chuckle. "Well, now you do."
Instantly reinvigorated, the big dog girl beamed at him with a sweet smile. "Hehehe, you're right! Now I have my very first friend."
"Moses, you're so strong—you'll definitely set sail someday, right?" Yamato's eyes sparkled as she asked eagerly, "Where will you go after we leave Wano? Can I come with you? Being with you will probably make me even stronger."
Moses replied, "We'll see when the time comes. You might change your mind by then."
Yamato quickly shook her head, her face anxious as she waved her hands. "No, no! We're friends, and I really enjoy being with you."
Just then, Bear Cub let out a yawn and mumbled, "Moses, let's sleep. Bear is so tired…"
Moses chuckled and shook his head before turning to Yamato. "You should head back now—it's late. Just wait for my notice when the time comes."
Reluctantly, Yamato nodded, climbed off the bed, and kept glancing back every few steps before finally leaving Moses' place in high spirits.
As soon as Yamato was gone, Moses noticed Bear Cub already snoring beside him. He gave the cub a nudge, but it slept like a log, only shifting slightly and smacking its lips.
"Lazy bear," Moses teased with a laugh.
Unable to sleep, Moses opened his holographic panel and stared at the Merit Points displayed on the screen. After a moment of thought, he mentally invested 10,000 Merit Points into the "Light Orb."
The surface of the orb shimmered with a hazy vortex, and moments later, a speck of light flew out from within. The next instant, Moses opened his eyes to find a glowing "Light Orb" hovering before him.
He reached out and touched it.
In his hand appeared a golden card of unknown material, adorned with intricate golden patterns that outlined the silhouette of a mysterious woman. At the same time, the card's effects manifested in his mind.
[B+ Grade Item: Lucky Card]
[Item Effect: Crush to use. Within one minute after consumption, the user's luck is greatly enhanced, with significant corrections applied to all probability-based phenomena.]
[Item Evaluation: Lady Luck is smiling!]
Moses stared blankly at the palm-sized card in his hand. "What the hell is one minute gonna do?"
Resigned, he tucked the card into the pocket of the pants lying by his bedside. The lottery's item display panel didn't offer storage services.
"Time to sleep!"
Moses closed his eyes and drifted off, still feeling a bit exasperated.
...
The next day.
Oni Island's coastline.
In the shallow sea, a hundred meters deep.
His breathing rhythm synchronized with the ocean currents as he punched a massive boulder on the seabed with relentless force.
His fists hardened with the Iron Body technique, tempering his knuckles with each strike. Every punch drew the surrounding seawater to his fists, coating them in a thin film of water.
Every twenty minutes,
Moses would surface for air.
Each time he emerged, he'd bring up a large fish.
On the shore, Bear Cub was busy lighting a fire to roast the catch.
Morning training complete.
The sun rose, generously spreading its warmth.
Moses joined Bear Cub on the shore for breakfast.
After eating,
Moses and Bear Cub began sparring—or rather, it was more of a one-sided beating.
"No pain, no gain—only through suffering can one become the top bear." The thick-skinned, resilient Bear Cub yelped as Moses pummeled him.
But Bear Cub was tenacious.
Though chubby, under the enhancement of his Breathing Technique, he moved with surprising agility.
Under Moses' guidance, he soon began trading blows, showing remarkable improvement.
After lunch by the shore, Moses and Bear Cub headed to the weapons forge.
Seeing the neatly arranged Sake Iron Ore and other raw materials in the smithy, Moses grinned and called Bear Cub to get to work.
The alloy stockpiled from yesterday was retrieved by Bear Cub, and Moses began heating it in the furnace.
Chunks of alloy were melted into a semi-solid state, and Moses started forging.
As time passed,
They worked late into the night,
Until a nearly four-meter-long spiked club, its head as thick as a human skull, was polished to perfection by Moses.
Due to the materials, the shaft was straight, pitch-black, and gleaming.
The surface was studded with wolf-tooth-like spikes.
At the base of the club was a set of integrated vertical iron rings,
Providing a better grip.
The crafting was complete.
The weapon's traits were durability and weight.
The spiked club weighed nearly a ton.
Forging something like this was exhausting.
Moses examined his creation—not entirely satisfied, but it was still a top-tier Good Skillful Blade-grade weapon.
Even with Armament Haki infused throughout the forging process, the spirit and the weapon's body hadn't p
erfectly merged.
"Is it the materials?"
Moses stroked his chin in thought. Due to some missing components, the alloy Bear Cub had refined remained at C+ grade, not reaching B-grade quality.
But theoretically, even C+ grade alloy had a chance to forge a B- grade Great Grade Blade.
Puzzled, he scratched his head and tossed the spiked club into a corner of the smithy. No way was he delivering it today—
Otherwise, they'd just dump more work on him.
(End of Chapter)