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Thanks to the support of the foundation-building elixir, Hitoru Tenguyama and Kozaburo Shimotsuki persevered through seventeen days and nights of relentless forging. It was an achievement neither had reached before.
Chiba could feel it clearly—the energy of the black dragon within the dragon horn had fully condensed into the form of a blade. The same held true for Kozaburo's knife; the sword embryo was now complete.
Exhausted, the two masters finally took a brief respite. But their work was far from over. Another ten days of refinement awaited them.
At noon on the eleventh day, as the sun reached its peak, the two masters ceremoniously unveiled the blades. Suddenly, the sky above Marineford was transformed—a vision appeared, a massive, ethereal black dragon rising from the forge, shooting straight into the heavens.
The dragon's spectral form stretched over a hundred meters, and its presence sent an icy chill through the air. Marines nearby stared at the sky, mouths agape, as fear and awe took hold.
In the marshal's office, Sengoku watched the display, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "What a demon sword," he mused. "It may not quite reach the level of a supreme blade, but it's close—an extraordinary feat by any measure."
In the forge, Tiangushan Feiche held his creation, the demon sword, in his hands. The blade was as black as night, adorned with dragon-scale patterns and serrated edges perfect for cutting—it was a weapon made for killing. The demon sword absorbed Feiche's strength instantly, causing the blade to glow with a deep, ominous black.
Feiche's face grew pale, his body withering under the sword's demand, yet he laughed wildly. "Look, Kozaburo! My creation, barely a step from supreme! Hahaha!"
Shimotsuki, awestruck but concerned, shouted back, "Feiche, let go of the sword! Do you want it to drain you dry?"
But Feiche seemed almost entranced, shouting back, "I won, Kozaburo! I won!"
"Like hell you did!" Kozaburo retorted, lifting his own blade, radiant and pure white. In the sunlight, it gleamed like a clear autumn pool, and with one swing, he unleashed a force that split the black dragon's phantom in half.
The two swords hummed, resonating with power. Suddenly, they broke free from their masters' hands, clashing in mid-air as if each held a grudge against the other.
Both swords flew higher, their power attracting the attention of a Marine who attempted to seize them mid-flight using Moonwalk. However, the aura surrounding the blades repelled him instantly, leaving him wounded and defeated.
Watching the swords drift further from view, Chiba sprang into action. Using his Lightning Dragon technique, he shot through the air, casting Armament Haki to subdue the two blades. Their resistance was immense—enough to overpower even a quasi-Admiral—but Chiba's strength had reached Admiral level. With his mighty Haki, he locked down the swords, slowly bringing them under control.
As Chiba channeled his energy into the blades, he felt a profound connection with their internal structures. At that moment, a voice echoed in his mind.
[Through your in-depth understanding of the forging process by masters Tenguyama Hitoru and Shimotsuki Kozaburo, along with a careful analysis of their theories and techniques, you have unlocked a new forging method: Spiritual Artifact Blood Refining.]
[Spiritual Artifact Blood Refining: This technique binds the material's spirit to the weapon, increasing its power and granting it a life of its own. Using one's own blood and spirit as a medium, the weapon's essence can be controlled and enhanced at will.]
The knowledge flowed into Chiba, merging seamlessly with his existing skills, elevating him to a new level of mastery. His month of dedication had yielded remarkable rewards.
Landing back on the ground, Chiba returned the swords to their creators. "Senior Feiche, I apologize for any offense in my earlier words. They were only meant to inspire, and you have more than proven yourself today. The blade you have forged may not be a supreme blade, but it is undeniably close."
He turned to Kozaburo. "The same goes for your creation, Senior Shimotsuki. Witnessing the birth of these two peerless swords is an honor."
Both men, though exhausted, stood with pride. Feiche, regaining his composure, looked at his blade thoughtfully. "Then, let it be called Black Dragon."
"The Black Dragon demon sword, one of the Great Twenty-Three Sharp Blades—an excellent name," Chiba said. He then turned to Shimotsuki. "And for yours, Senior?"
Shimotsuki, with his pipe in hand, muttered, "Let's call it… Zhanlong."
Chiba's smile faltered slightly as Feiche scowled. "Zhanlong? So you think your sword can defeat mine? Let's settle this right now!"
Chiba quickly intervened. "Actually, Senior Shimotsuki, I noticed your blade gleams like white jade, with a subtle, falling white light when swung. How about the name 'Luobai'?"
Shimotsuki shrugged nonchalantly, exhaling a puff of smoke. "Call it what you want. You only got us to make these because of that name."
Chiba grinned, a spark of challenge in his eyes. "Senior Shimotsuki, your blade may be remarkable, but I believe I can forge one even finer."
At this, Kozaburo paused mid-drag, coughing as he shot Chiba a sidelong glance. "You're skilled, boy, but don't get arrogant."
"You think you could forge a supreme blade yourself?"
"And if I could," Chiba replied with a smirk, "would the two of you stay by my side to witness it?"
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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