"Ryuuzaki, you little rascal, come out here right now!"
"Huh?" Ryuuzaki poked his head out the window, looking confused. "Who's calling me?"
"It's me!"
A middle-aged woman stood outside, one hand on her hip and the other waving a kitchen knife.
"Ryuuzaki! Look what you did!"
"Eh? Are you talking about the sharp knife? Yep, that's mine. I proudly take responsibility for that one."
"You idiot!"
"What's the matter?" Ryuuzaki tilted his head in confusion.
"It's too sharp!"
Now Ryuuzaki was really puzzled. "Isn't a sharp knife a good thing? It makes slicing meat and veggies easier, right?"
"It cut the whole chopping board in half, you blockhead!"
Apparently, the knife was too good. The woman had tried using one of Ryuuzaki's new kitchen knives, and with one swing, she'd sliced straight through the board, and the table underneath it.
"Uh… whoops." Ryuuzaki scratched his head awkwardly.
"Bwahahaha!" Old man Samol burst out laughing from his forge.
"Samol, what are you laughing at? Look at the kind of disciple you've raised!"
Samol's blacksmith shop was the only one in the village, so naturally all the kitchenware came from there.
Because Ryuuzaki's knives were ridiculously sharp, a bunch of housewives from the village came to complain.
It was absurd. They were slicing veggies, but ended up slicing through the cutting boards, and even the tables underneath.
Ryuuzaki was at a loss.
The truth was, he'd picked blacksmithing because he eventually wanted to forge his own high-grade sword, something legendary, rather than waste time hunting for one of the rare Supreme Grade Blades.
So for him, a sharper weapon was always better.
Making dull knives? That wasn't going to improve his skill at all.
Still… yeah, this was kinda awkward.
Enter the Merchant
Before long, a middle-aged man named Kajak caught wind of the commotion.
He was a small-time merchant who imported and exported everything from fabrics to medicine to furniture. Sometimes he'd buy the village's products to sell elsewhere too.
When he heard his wife complaining about Ryuuzaki's knife, he got curious and decided to try one out for himself.
He picked up a kitchen knife and aimed it at a bundle of firewood, normally something you'd need an axe to split.
Swish,
The knife sliced the bundle clean in two.
"Hisss, !" Kajak sucked in a breath. Holy crap. Is this really just a kitchen knife?
He instantly smelled opportunity.
Kajak went straight to Ryuuzaki and placed an order for 1,000 kitchen knives, and specified, "The sharper, the better."
Business? Ryuuzaki was thrilled. Not only would he make money, but with such a large order, it was a great excuse to grind his blacksmithing skill.
Three Months Later…
Spring arrived.
Ryuuzaki delivered the full order of 1,000 ultra-sharp knives to Kajak, right on time.
Each one was razor-sharp and crafted with meticulous care. He had been working overtime for months to finish them.
His Blacksmithing Level had risen from LV44 to LV62.
Of course, leveling up got harder the higher you went.
Luckily, Ryuuzaki had the Talent Reset System, and his life-skill talents were already very high. As long as he kept at it, upgrading wouldn't be a problem.
Meanwhile, Somewhere in the East Blue…
The East Blue, known as the weakest sea, had ironically produced legends like Gol D. Roger. But generally, pirates here were pretty weak.
Out at sea, a lone man sat cross-legged on a floating plank.
He was in his early twenties, with piercing eyes that remained calm no matter how rough the waves were.
Suddenly, he spotted two pirate ships in the distance firing cannons at each other, before boarding each other for hand-to-hand combat.
The man narrowed his eyes, drew his sword, and unleashed a colossal slash, visible to the naked eye.
SWOOSH,
The slash split both ships in half.
"Boring," he muttered, sheathing his blade.
This man was Dracule Mihawk, nicknamed "Hawk-Eye."
He was still young, wandering the seas in search of worthy opponents and refining his swordsmanship.
Even the weakest sea, East Blue, wasn't excluded from his search.
But truthfully, Mihawk had grown aimless. He sailed around, sometimes ignoring pirates, sometimes slashing them on a whim.
A New Discovery
After drifting for half a day, Mihawk spotted land.
This was shortly after Gol D. Roger's execution, the seas were still in chaos.
As soon as Mihawk docked, he saw pirates raiding a restaurant near the port.
"Damn it! I'll fight you bastards!"
The restaurant owner was wielding two kitchen knives, swinging them desperately at the pirates.
Mihawk scanned the area, looking for any real warriors. Disappointed again.
"Sigh… no masters here either."
But then, he paused, eyes narrowing.
Mihawk had exceptional perception, vision, hearing, and especially weapon sensitivity.
He locked onto the restaurant owner's kitchen knives with keen interest.
The man was no match for the pirates, of course.
But when his knife clashed with a pirate's sword, something shocking happened, the pirate's sword chipped, while the kitchen knife remained completely undamaged.
"Well, well… how interesting."
A smirk played across Mihawk's lips as he approached.
Despite their bravado, the pirates were still criminals, hardened from living by the blade.
One pirate raised his sword, ready to decapitate the chef.
Then, slash!
A sword wave flew in from afar. The pirate was cleaved in two.
The rest panicked, dropped the loot, and ran for their lives.
"Hey. That kitchen knife, where did you get it?"
"Uh… m-me? I b-bought it…"
"Where?"
"From a tool shop in a nearby town," the restaurant owner stammered and pointed in a direction.
"Thanks."
Back to Foosha Village
Following the trail, Mihawk eventually arrived in the Goa Kingdom, and then to Foosha Village.
He stood in front of Samol's forge.
The old blacksmith was still lounging on his chair out front, enjoying his retirement.
"Excuse me."
"Hm?" Samol opened one eye, eyeing the unfamiliar visitor curiously.
"This knife here. Was it made here?"
"Oh, that one? Yup, made right here." The old man nodded.
"I'm Mihawk. I'd like to commission a small blade."
"Hahaha…"
"What's so funny?"
"No, no, don't misunderstand," Samol said with a chuckle. "Yes, that knife was made here, but not by me. It was forged by my disciple."
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter