Randuin's Omen, high armor, high health, anti-crit, you could say it's the perfect defensive item to counter Hawkeye.
Ignis had tested it out. In this world, armor could block physical damage, Haki, swords, guns, cannons, the whole shebang, all mitigated by armor.
Magic Resistance, on the other hand, could block elemental and supernatural attacks. Natural Logia fruits, Mythical Zoan fruits, anything with elemental or supernatural power, Magic Resistance could weaken it.
Plus, armor toughened the body, while Magic Resistance steeled the mind. With high Magic Resistance, many mind-control Devil Fruits wouldn't be as effective. High Magic Resistance could shut down Perona's Hollow-Hollow Fruit and Sugar's Hobby-Hobby Fruit, for example.
Early on in One Piece, there weren't a ton of Natural Logia or weird Paramecia Devil Fruit powers flying around, so what was the most important thing right now?
Stacking armor!
Ignis tapped the Randuin's Omen recipe on the virtual screen, and the item's components and build path flashed in his brain.
Randuin's Omen: Warden's Mail + Giant's Belt
Yup, Randuin's wasn't cheap. Good thing he saved up some cash. He'd need to forge the components too.
Warden's Mail: Cloth Armor x2
Giant's Belt: Ruby Crystal x2
The build path was kinda like he remembered. Most likely, the final gold cost would be close to the in-game cost back in his old life.
The recipe was a one-time purchase, so even though it stung to buy it, Ignis wasn't too worried.
He had 2200 gold left.
Cloth Armor: Cloth x3, Leather x2
Ruby Crystal: Crystal x4, Magic Dust x1
Ouch, the materials in the System Shop were pricey! But no choice, he'd bought the recipe, gotta craft it!
He bought 6 Cloth, 4 Leather, 8 Crystal, and 2 bottles of Magic Dust.
A pile of stuff materialized in Ignis' hands. He set up his anvil, and started getting ready to forge.
The Nami Trio started chattering away.
"Seriously, is the Vice-Captain actually a blacksmith?"
"This is the first time I've ever seen him smithing anything."
"I always thought those two hammers of his were weapons, I've only ever seen him use 'em to whack people."
"Huh? Blacksmith hammers are for whacking people?"
"No, but can the Vice-Captain actually smith?"
"I'm betting 200 Berries he's just faking it. He loves playing the cool guy."
"I'll match that 200! I saw him standing at the ship's prow the other night, back to the wind, looking all dramatic!"
The clang, clang, clang was starting to get on Ignis' nerves.
"Eat your food! Can't even shut your traps with a mouthful!"
Gin had already gone back on his ship, and Luffy was still pestering Sanji to join his crew.
"I refuse!"
"I refuse your refusal!"
The rubber-brained idiot always had some crazy way of thinking.
"Lemme tell ya, my crewmates are super strong!" Luffy pointed a finger at the table where Ignis and the others were sitting.
Ignis didn't really want to call himself Luffy's crewmate, but he nodded to Sanji anyway.
Sanji, however, didn't return the nod. He was too busy focusing all his attention and passion on Nami, who was still eating.
Ignis, being a modern guy from his previous life, had a lot more social etiquette drilled into him than most of the natives in this pirate world. So, he was pretty polite, and Sanji treated him a bit better than the others on the crew. But, the presence of a woman made Sanji forget all manners towards men.
"Woah, look at that guy, he's spinning over here like a top!" Usopp was still cracking jokes.
The result was Sanji bringing Nami even more free desserts, while Usopp could only watch.
Nami just had to give a half-hearted hug, and she got her meal comped! Sanji's eyes were already turning into hearts.
Not very Sigma of you, Sanji! You fell right into that woman's trap!
"Woah, what about our desserts? You pervy cook, I'm gonna report you for gender discrimination!"
"Didn't I bring you coarse tea already? You ate your fill, now show some damn gratitude!"
What kinda place had he warped into?
Watching Usopp and Sanji bicker, Ignis was starting to lose it.
Just let me smith in peace, would ya? Time's a-wasting!
He set up the anvil, and placed the Cloth and Leather on it.
Clang!
A clear, ringing sound echoed out. It wasn't super loud, but everyone's eyes snapped to the source.
Cloth Armor: 15 Armor
Clang!
Ignis was hammering the materials with a special rhythm.
Ruby Crystal: 150 Health
Clang!
The rhythmic clang of the hammer made the diners forget their meals, and Sanji and Usopp forgot their fight, all eyes on Ignis.
Warden's Mail: 40 Armor, Reduces damage from attacks
Clang!
Every eye in the place was glued to him. Even the chefs ran out of the kitchen. The sound seemed to have a magic to it, just listening to it gave people a sense of security.
Giant's Belt: 350 Health
Clang!
For the final strike, Ignis focused all his attention on the anvil.
Ding!
The last strike was especially soft, snapping everyone's attention back.
Whoa, no surprise, this is Valoran gear, the entrance is so stylish.
A massive shield, covered in a deep blue metallic sheen, appeared on the anvil stand. The Demacian Lightshield family crest was emblazoned on the shield, dignified and beautiful.
Randuin's Omen
350 Health 75 Armor
Humility: Active: Slows nearby enemies.
Simple, yet incredibly powerful.
A sacred relic from Demacia's Lightshield family had appeared in the world of pirates.
The Usopp Trio were used to this kinda thing. Ignis spent every day on the ship banging away at that big anvil with the handle, but he hardly ever actually made anything.
"You see, the Vice-Captain says he's a blacksmith, but really, he's a musician, always clanging and banging on the ship."
But seeing Ignis actually forge a shield? That surprised them.
"Hey, looks like the Vice-Captain wasn't just putting on an act," Nami said, her eyes drawn to the shield, the intricate patterns catching her attention.
Usopp: "Has he ever made anything before?"
Zoro: "Don't think so."
Nami: "So, he really knows how to smith?"
Zoro: "Nah."
Usopp: "Only Luffy believes he's a blacksmith."
Nami: "Isn't Luffy the type to believe anything you tell him?"
"Anyone wanna go check if it's real or fake?" Usopp looked at Nami. They were all friends, but the Vice-Captain sometimes treated Nami a little nicer.
Ignis, not hearing the Trio gossiping about him, was still examining the shield. Just then, the sly Nami came over.
"Vice-Captain, can I see that? It's so pretty."
Ignis weighed the shield in his hand, then tossed it to Nami.
Nami froze.
It looks so heavy, am I gonna get crushed?!
"Hey, don't just throw it! Eh?"
The Randuin's Omen was in her hands, but it didn't feel heavy at all. It felt surprisingly light and easy to handle.
She swung the shield around a bit, then examined the patterns closely, before handing it back to Ignis.
Nami went back to the table, and the Trio started whispering again.
Usopp: "So? Real or fake?"
Nami: "Fake. That shield's lighter than a feather, feels like it's made of paper."
Zoro: "So, this is the Vice-Captain's new magic trick?"
The three of them nodded, agreeing on that conclusion.
The diners snapped out of their daze, still savoring the memory of the ringing sounds.
Sanji took a deep drag from his cigarette, shaking off his stupor.
Just then, Gin, supporting a shaky man in armor, returned to the restaurant.
The plot's finally here.
Ignis patted the shield in his hand, feeling a surge of confidence.