Chapter 39: The Forging Masters
Sengoku glanced at the names on the list, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Tenguyama Hitetsu and Shimotsuki Kozaburo. You really know how to pick them."
Chiba grinned. "Hehe, Grandpa Sengoku, I just need these two. Can you make it happen?"
Sengoku gave a reluctant sigh. "Do I have a choice? Fine. Go back and wait. Within three months, I'll have them here for you."
"Three months? That's too long. I need them here in half a month," Chiba replied, his gaze firm.
Sengoku hesitated, then nodded. "Alright, within half a month. But don't expect anything else."
With that settled, Chiba dedicated himself to studying the forging techniques of a hundred blacksmiths, enlisting a master blacksmith at Marine Headquarters to guide him.
…
Ten days later, at Marine Headquarters' forging facility…
Clang! Clang! The rhythmic sounds of hammers filled the air as Marine blacksmith apprentices forged weapon parts.
Chiba stood among them, bare-chested, wielding a massive hammer as he worked on a whip's design.
He had promised Peacock a weapon to replace her lost whip. His inspiration was the "Chilian Sword" from a legend of the Qin Dynasty—a weapon that could change length and hardness. Coiled around the waist, it could extend or retract, transforming from a whip-like weapon to a traditional sword, depending on the wielder's intent.
Chiba visualized a similar design, allowing the whip to act like a snake for ranged attacks while also functioning as a retractable sword for close combat. He was certain that Peacock would appreciate such a versatile weapon.
As he brought down the hammer one last time, a notification sounded in his mind.
[You have deeply analyzed the forging experiences of a hundred blacksmiths and learned techniques from Marine's top smiths. Your comprehension is exceptional, and your theoretical understanding has reached the master level. Your forging skills are now at the master level.]
A flood of knowledge solidified in Chiba's mind, transforming into his own system of forging expertise. His hammering grew precise and fluid, as though the hammer was simply an extension of his own arm.
Lost in his work, Chiba completed the parts of the new whip in a single focused session. After the final assembly, he poured his energy into it, then cracked the whip—a snake-like extension over ten meters long that cleaved through a steel column effortlessly.
With another surge of energy, the whip coiled and transformed into a Western-style sword. He thrust it into a thick iron plate, piercing it cleanly. Inspecting the whip, he found not a single scratch on its surface.
Satisfied, Chiba sheathed the weapon. Around him, the blacksmiths of Marine Headquarters burst into applause.
"Amazing craftsmanship, Lord Chiba! In no time, you've gone from an apprentice to a master capable of forging a weapon on par with the Great Grade Swords!"
"I'd say Lord Chiba is the most talented blacksmith we've ever seen!"
As the Marines voiced their praise, an old, raspy voice cut through the crowd. "A master blacksmith? Him?"
Everyone turned to see an elderly man standing behind them, dressed in eccentric attire—a mask with a long, red nose, white wings on his back, and wielding a massive blade. His whole presence was strange, radiating an almost surreal energy.
"Who are you, old man, to look down on Lord Chiba's work?" a Marine challenged.
The old man sneered. "This 'weapon'—is it a whip, or a sword? It's nothing but junk."
The Marines bristled, some ready to defend Chiba's honor. Just then, another voice chimed in, deep and gravelly.
"Why get worked up? If it's junk, someone ought to say so."
Turning, they saw yet another old man—a rough-looking figure with upward-pointing eyebrows and a high ponytail, dressed in a floral robe and puffing on a pipe as he surveyed Chiba's work.
Chiba's smile widened. Sengoku had moved faster than expected. Within ten days, he had managed to bring Tenguyama Hitetsu and Shimotsuki Kozaburo to Marine Headquarters.
Both men were legendary blacksmiths. Tenguyama Hitetsu, from the Kozuki line, was known for crafting "demon swords," and his ancestors had forged two of the world's greatest blades: the First Generation Kitetsu, one of the Supreme Grade Swords, and the Second Generation Kitetsu, ranked among the Great Grade Swords. Hitetsu himself had forged the Third Generation Kitetsu and another renowned blade, Ame no Habakiri, which ranked among the Great Grade Swords.
Standing beside him was Shimotsuki Kozaburo, an equally famous blacksmith responsible for forging the legendary Wado Ichimonji and Enma, both of which were also Great Grade Swords.
With these two in front of him, Chiba's confidence grew. Mastering their techniques would allow him to create unparalleled weapons—perhaps even at the level of the Supreme Grade Swords.
---
𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:
• 𝘽𝙤𝙜𝙙𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙪
• 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮
• 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝
• 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲
𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!
👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧