"Your disciple?"
"Yeah, he's impressive. Way more talented than me," Samol said with pride. "Ah, speak of the devil, there he is!"
Samol pointed toward a small boy approaching in the distance.
"What? You're saying that kid forged those knives?"
Hawk-Eye Mihawk raised an eyebrow. That child was barely a few years old! And yet, he'd crafted such incredible blades?
In this world, master swordsmen were admired and spoken of with reverence. But even the strongest swordsman needed one thing:
A sword.
And only blacksmiths could make or repair them.
In that sense, blacksmiths were the unsung backbone of every swordsman.
Which is why the stronger the swordsman, the more they valued an excellent smith.
"Hey, Ryuuzaki, someone's looking for you!" Samol called from afar.
Ryuuzaki had already noticed Mihawk. He was surprised, he hadn't expected Hawk-Eye to show up here.
Of course, Ryuuzaki was very interested in Mihawk.
He immediately checked Mihawk's talent stats:
Base Stamina: 99
Base Strength: 98
Base Physical Technique: 93
Swordsmanship (Fundamentals): 127
One-Sword Style: 122
Yeah… this guy was no joke.
As expected of the man known as the World's Greatest Swordsman.
Truth be told, the moment Ryuuzaki laid eyes on Mihawk, he had a sudden urge to ask him for swordsmanship training.
Unfortunately, he was currently undercover. That kind of thought had to be crushed immediately.
Putting on a pure, innocent expression, Ryuuzaki walked over to the forge.
"Uncle, are you here to buy kitchen knives?" he asked innocently.
Mihawk's brow twitched. Uncle? I'm not even thirty yet! And do I look like a chef?!
Still, Mihawk held back his inner rant.
"No. I want you to forge a small blade for me."
"A small blade?"
Ryuuzaki suddenly remembered, Mihawk had used that small crucifix dagger hanging from his neck to easily defeat Zoro in the original timeline.
"What kind of small blade do you want?" Ryuuzaki asked.
"About this long," Mihawk said, gesturing with his fingers.
"It doesn't need to be razor-sharp. I just want it to be sturdy."
Ryuuzaki formed a mental image based on the description.
"Understood. Give me seven days."
"No problem. I'll return in a week."
A Craftsman's Pride
Once Mihawk left, Ryuuzaki started pondering.
Forging a small blade was no big deal. With his current skill level, he could finish it in one day.
But if the client was the world's strongest swordsman… a weak weapon would be embarrassing.
Ryuuzaki had his pride. Even as a blacksmith, he was a perfectionist.
In fact, he wanted to make the blade special, something with unique properties.
'Mihawk travels the seas looking for strong opponents. What if I could forge a blade that resonates with sword auras? That would be amazing!'
The idea was bold. But how to make it real?
After all, this was a world where cursed blades existed. Ships had spirits. Even talking swords weren't unheard of.
During his apprenticeship under Samol, Ryuuzaki had heard all sorts of fantastical legends, some real, some rumors.
Swords with spirits. Blades that drank blood and hatred.
Or ones forged using living humans...
Ryuuzaki hadn't seen such weapons firsthand, but he believed they were possible.
"Let's give it a shot."
Swordsmithing with Soul
Of course, Ryuuzaki wasn't going to use people or summon evil spirits.
Instead, he came up with a unique idea:
Infuse the weapon with Sword Aura.
Every swordsman had a presence, what could be called spirit or aura.
For a brawler, this was called body force.
But for a swordsman? Their aura was… sharp.
And Ryuuzaki wasn't just a blacksmith. He was also a swordsman:
Swordsmanship (Fundamentals): LV56
Blacksmithing: LV62
That combination was rare.
Before locking himself in the forge, Ryuuzaki let Makino know:
"I'll be staying at the smithy for the next seven days straight."
Then he sealed the doors.
Only the rhythmic clang of hammering could be heard inside.
"Damn… the aura disperses. It won't enter the metal…"
After hours of experimenting, Ryuuzaki was exhausted. Trying to pour aura into the blade was draining, it constantly scattered.
Looking at the glowing red iron, Ryuuzaki clenched his teeth, then cut his arm, letting blood drip onto the metal.
He was using his own blood as a conduit.
This was something he'd only heard about in old tales. Samol had tried blood-forging before, without success.
But this time, something changed.
When Ryuuzaki projected his aura again, he noticed that some of it was drawn toward the blood.
That discovery thrilled him.
He began a repetitive cycle, heat the blade, hammer it, add blood, infuse aura.
Three days passed in this grueling process.
Outside the Forge
"Makino, here to deliver food again?"
"Yes," she said, glancing worriedly at the closed forge.
"Don't worry. That kid's got a strong body," said one of the villagers.
Makino simply set the food down and sighed.
She didn't know what was happening inside. All she could do was hope Ryuuzaki wasn't overexerting himself.
Truthfully, fatigue wasn't the issue. Blood loss was.
If not for the brutal physical training back at the CP training base, Ryuuzaki would've collapsed days ago.
A Blade Is Born
Seven days wasn't long, but by the end, Ryuuzaki looked deathly pale.
And yet, he was smiling.
He'd succeeded.
After countless hammer strikes, a sturdy and razor-sharp small blade was born.
He shaped the hilt and scabbard into the form of a cross, and left a small loop at the end, so the knife could be worn around the neck.
The Return of Mihawk
When Mihawk returned, Ryuuzaki presented the finished blade.
Mihawk unsheathed it and examined it closely.
"Exquisite craftsmanship," he praised.
He gave it a few swings, the blade sliced through the air with a crisp whoosh that pleased even the pickiest sword master.
"I'm very satisfied with this dagger. Tell me, kid, how many Berries do I owe you?"
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter