The late morning sun warmed Kozaburo's forge as they returned from the sparring match. Xiao Yan noted how the old smith's eyes still held pride from watching his son Koushirou's display of swordsmanship.
"My son has maintained the true path of the blade," Kozaburo remarked, arranging his tools with practiced precision. "Though that Red-Hair brings interesting elements to traditional forms."
"Father was holding back," Kuina stated from the doorway, her training sword still at her side. Her grandfather's forge had always been a second home to her, a place where steel sang its own kind of poetry.
"As was Shanks," Xiao Yan noted, recalling the careful control of Haki he'd observed. The spiritual bead in his dantian hummed softly as he processed the morning's insights.
Taro, who had somehow managed to arrive before them despite leaving the match last, practically bounced with excitement. "The new materials are ready! And did you see how the air seemed to ripple when they clashed? How does steel even do that?"
"Steel doesn't," Kozaburo corrected, beginning to sort the new metals. "Power does, when properly channeled." His eyes met Xiao Yan's briefly, carrying unspoken understanding.
Xiaojin perched in its usual spot near the forge, its flames shifting through subtle colors as it examined the various metals. The phoenix had shown increasing interest in their work, particularly when different materials responded uniquely to heat.
"Can I stay and watch today, Grandfather?" Kuina asked, her eyes following Kozaburo's methodical preparations. Despite her dedication to the sword, she'd inherited some of the family's fascination with crafting.
"As long as you don't neglect your afternoon training," he replied. "The blade comes first."
"Speaking of blades," Zoro's voice came from outside, where he stood hesitating at the threshold, "that invisible force the pirate captain used..."
"Haki," Xiao Yan supplied, noting the boy's intense interest. Within his dantian, the spiritual bead pulsed gently, as if responding to unasked questions about power and potential.
They began their work, the forge's heat building slowly as Kozaburo explained the properties of different metals. Xiao Yan listened while his mind continued analyzing the morning's observations - the way Haki had flowed, how it reinforced both body and blade, the patterns it created in the air itself.
"Metal responds to more than just heat," Kozaburo taught, demonstrating a particularly delicate technique. "It responds to intent, to understanding, to-"
"To the smith's spirit!" Taro interrupted eagerly, then quickly ducked his head at Kozaburo's look. "...sorry, Master."
"The boy's not entirely wrong," Kozaburo admitted, a rare smile touching his lips. "Though perhaps he could learn to express his insights with less volume."
Throughout the afternoon, others dropped by the forge. Shanks came to admire the new materials, sharing sake and stories with Kozaburo. Koushirou briefly collected his daughter for afternoon training, exchanging quiet words with his father about techniques both martial and metallurgical.
Xiao Yan absorbed it all, seeing how different types of power - physical, spiritual, traditional - flowed through this family's legacy. The patterns suggested possibilities, ways of combining knowledge that might yield unexpected results.
"You see something in our methods," Kozaburo said quietly during a break, while Taro enthusiastically explained basic forging concepts to a politely baffled Zoro. "Something that connects to your own understanding."
"Different paths," Xiao Yan replied carefully, "sometimes reveal similar truths."
The old smith nodded, his eyes carrying the wisdom of generations. In his own way, he too sought to understand how power could flow through metal, how spirit could merge with steel.
As afternoon deepened toward evening, Xiao Yan's thoughts turned toward future projects - the furnace he would need to build, the medicines he might prepare. The morning's display of Haki had added new dimensions to his plans.
After all, sometimes the truest strength came from understanding how different powers could work together, like metals carefully folded into a perfect blade.
Though judging by the crash from outside, someone should probably check what new structure had caught Xiao Gui's architectural interest...