358
Nami and Usopp weren't the only ones either. While they found a devil fruit and a treasury of the dungeon, Anchor had found himself an old smithy that was left unused and yet in perfect condition.
A smithy that was far better than the portable one that he used, and carried it shrunken down in the Going Merry. And not only that, the smithy also had a bunch of weapons and other tools in them.
Most of them were either unfinished or heavily damaged, but for Anchor all of them were way too valuable.
While he found a smithy. Johnny, Yosaku, and Bartolomeo found a graveyard of sorts, filled with bones and skins of beasts and gruesome stuff. They even found a lab filled with preserved body parts and other things. All in all, they were left horrified by the experience.
Still, after looking over all of them, the first thought of most members were to burn them. But Law, Bepo, and even Chopper thought otherwise as they might get some medical information from them. And even Anchor agreed as one of the carcasses of the dead animals was an ancient Iron Rhino.
And that could be used for making weapons. Weapons similar to Luffy's Horn's Edge, which was made from normal Iron Rhino. Luffy had no plans on upgrading his old naginata, but in the future Anchor might be able to do it. So that was good to know.
Other than that, they were also able to get a lot of research-related info from the control room of the dungeon. Though, they could get way more if they put the main power box back in, but that might bring other problems, so they had to work with what they had.
The next day,
Within the dungeon's dimly lit confines, the resonant echoes of the smithy filled the air, enveloping the space with an atmosphere of industry and craft. The rhythmic clanging of a hammer striking metal reverberated through the chamber, a testament to the tireless dedication of the skilled blacksmith at work. Each blow, was precise and purposeful, as he worked.
Amidst the chorus of metal on metal, the crackling of a roaring fire lent warmth and illumination to the otherwise austere surroundings. Its flickering flames danced with fiery energy, casting dynamic shadows upon the walls adorned with the tools of the trade. The air bore the unmistakable scent of burning coals and heated metal, a potent blend that seemed to encapsulate the very essence of craftsmanship.
All around, the resonant symphony of the smithy —the hammer's melody, the crackle of the fire, and the man's fervent grunts— converged into a scene of dedication and artistry. It was none other than Popeye D. Anchor, who was hammering away at his work, getting used to the new smithy.
Running the old smithy back was tough, it took the previous whole day to do it. Yet it was worth it. The place was large, and Anchor could do many more things here rather than in his humble portable smithy.
The place was so large that he could even build armor for giants here. And with raw metals, some of them being very valuable were also another reason to work here. His humble smithy won't be able to process those finer materials. As he finished hammering, he set his hammer aside.
"So you want to make a weapon, huh?" Anchor smirking, looking up from his work, eyeing Sabo.
"Well… it was mostly Luffy's idea." Sabo said, politely, "Though, I would very much appreciate if you could make me a weapon."
Luffy who was at the side grinned, "Yup, it was my idea."
"One made of conductive metals, no less… hmm… this might be a challenge." His grin widened, "I like challenges…" He then looked at Luffy, getting a bit serious, "Captain… I think I might be ready. And I might need 'that' for making his weapon."
Luffy blinked a bit surprised, "Are you sure… how's your life return training going? Do you think you can control the side effects?"
Anchor nodded, "Yes… I should be able to. I had Tekkai down when I was in the Marines, so picking up Life Return wasn't that tough… though getting at its advanced usage was… I'm still not there yet. But if I'm going to make a weapon from scratch I'm willing to take the risk."
Sabo blinked, looking between Anchor and Luffy, not getting what they were talking about. So he asked. "What are you guys talking about…?"
"Devil fruit." Luffy replied, with seriousness, "The Munch Munch fruit to be exact… I have no issue giving you that fruit. But remember the particular weakness it gives."
Anchor nodded, "I know… but sometimes you have to take risky decisions. And if I'm going to make a weapon that will have my name on it… a weapon created by me. Then I'm going to try with all I have to make it as perfect as possible."
Luffy nodded and before Sabo could ask more about it, the young rubber man took out a fruit from his back pocket. Surprising both Sabo and Anchor. He grinned, "I knew you might do something… but get used to the fruit. How it works, before using it for your craft."
Anchor snorted with some amusement and respect, "You don't have to tell me that… It will give myself a few days to get used to the basic things the fruit can do. I only need its basic power anyway, so yeah… I will take my time." He then took the fruit from Luffy's hand and looked at Sabo, "I'm going to make you a weapon that's going to be legendary."
With that he bit into the fruit, his face immediately morphed into disgust, but he gulped it down. And right as he did, his jawline got more pronounced, not like Wapol, who had a metal kaw, but he looked much more similar to the cartoon Popeye with his overextended jaw.
He opened his mouth, and…
"Wait, are your teeth made of metal?" Luffy blinked, but it was gone. He looked at Sabo.
"Yeah, I also saw that… can you, like, turn it on and off?" Sabo asked.
Anchor grinned with full teeth as they changed from white to metallic, then back to white. "Yup, I have some kind of on-off function with my powers. Though… I do feel hungry… but not as much as I expected." He said, closing his eyes and concentrating.
He opened them and sighed, "It seems I can't turn off my hunger… not with life return or anything." He said, though he was thinking something.
Sabo looked at Luffy for an explanation.
"Its the Munch Munch fruit… it's said to give its user eternal hunger." Luffy said grimly, "Anchor tried to negate that weakness by learning to control his hunger hormones, but it seems that doesn't work…"
Right as he finshed, Anchor took out one of the broken swords that was in his collection and started munching on it.
Both Luffy and Sabo winced as Anchor started to take the whole sword in his mouth, before spitting out a fixed sword. He then looked over the Luffy and Sabo, while he appreciated his work, "Huh, wasn't that hard to do… and I also might have figured something out."
Anchor didn't explain further and took an iron ingot and started chewing on it, but rather than spitting something out. He continued his chewing, it went on for a whole minute before Luffy broke the silence.
"You are going to tell us, what you are doing?"
"Huh? Oh, I forgot… you see… I'm not hungry… when I munch on things… I don't need to eat… to feel satisfied." Anchor said as he munched between words. "I think good quality chewing gum will do the trick for my hunger part."
Luffy opened and closed his mouth. "You, my friend, are a genius." He admitted. He figured out a key counter to the weakness in just a few minutes. Granted, Wapol didn't have the brightest of mind, but still. "Shishishi… I expect nothing less from my smith! Now, let's start making weapons."
"Sure… thing… Captain…"
"Okay, first let's get Sanji to make you some chewing gum first." Luffy winced at the screeching noise as Anchor nodded, closing his mouth and chewing.