Inside the forge, a heavy silence fell.
A man and a woman stood facing each other, locked in a prolonged, awkward gaze. This standoff lasted for a full thirty seconds.
"So, what now? Is Vice Admiral Gion going to report my special ability, have the World Government take me away, and let me end up as a slave to the Celestial Dragons?"
Sean's voice had suddenly grown calm—so calm it was almost frightening.
The tone was cold.
A swordsmith capable of forging blades that rivaled Great Grade or even Supreme Grade swords, while granting them special abilities... what would happen once the World Government found out?
Being taken away was a certainty. The Five Elders would never allow someone with such power to remain freely within the Marines. If Sean could mass-produce such weapons and drastically increase the Marine's strength, he might eventually become uncontrollable. To the World Government, that was an unacceptable risk.
Of course, that outcome was the "merciful" one.
There was another possibility. For the Celestial Dragons, who lived to collect rare treasures and flaunt them to one another, Sean's existence would be far more enticing than any other slave—perhaps even more coveted than a Devil Fruit.
While Sean wasn't necessarily afraid of them, such a turn of events would be an immense hassle and would completely derail his original plans.
Gion was stunned by his question. "No, I didn't intend to..."
"It's not a matter of what you intend," Sean interrupted. "The moment you report this, that is exactly how it will end."
Gion grit her teeth, her expression hardening as she made a decision. "I... I will keep this a secret. If anyone asks, I'll brush it off as a Devil Fruit ability."
This was likely the first time she had ever made such a choice. After all, deciding to withhold information of this magnitude was effectively the same as concealing a crime, something strictly forbidden within the Marine hierarchy.
Sean let out a soft sigh of relief. However, a new worry quickly surfaced.
He had taken a vast amount of materials from Sengoku, and the blades he forged—aside from his own—were meant to be turned in. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, but now... if these swords were handed over and more users successfully achieved Shikai for their Zanpakutō, how could he possibly keep his secret?
Sean didn't believe that everyone would be as discreet as Gion.
'System, is there a solution for this?'
[Ding... Blades forged by the host have a certain probability of becoming Asauchi only after reaching a specific threshold.]
[Ding... The host can determine if a blade has become an Asauchi by injecting Reiryoku into it.]
'Huh? There's actually a way to tell?'
Ignoring Gion, who was still feeling conflicted, Sean walked to the corner of the room and pulled a sword from the pile. Following the system's instructions, he injected his Reiryoku into the blade.
No reaction.
Still nothing.
Sean tried seventeen of the eighteen swords. Not a single one reacted. Finally, he picked up the last one—the blade he had forged a few days ago that had barely hit the Great Grade rank thanks to a 48x yield multiplier.
He injected his Reiryoku.
'Sss...'
Suddenly, Sean felt his Reiryoku being devoured by the blade.
'So... this one is also an Asauchi?'
Regardless, as long as the method worked, he didn't have to worry anymore.
"Did you... forge all of these?" Gion asked, having crept up behind him, her eyes wide with shock.
"Yeah."
"If I'm seeing this correctly, the lowest grade among these is a Skillful Grade Sword. You're actually piling them here like they're trash?"
"Hey, I decide how to handle the swords I make. Why are you getting worked up?" Sean replied irritably, seeing Gion's puffed-up cheeks.
"So, do all of these possess special abilities?"
"What are you thinking? Aside from the one in my hand, the rest are just junk!"
'Junk...'
Seventeen Skillful Grade Swords, and he called them junk?
Then again, compared to a Great Grade sword with special abilities, calling these "junk" wasn't entirely wrong. Gion found herself momentarily questioning her own perception of value.
"Wait, what about that one?" Gion noticed the blade resting on the forging table, and her expression changed instantly.
"Don't even think about it! This one is mine!" Sean used Shunpo to instantly vanish and reappear in front of the table, shielding the sword like a protective beast guarding its cub.
"Fine, I don't want that sword," Gion countered. "But if you want me to keep your secret, you have to grant me one request."
"What request?" Sean asked, his lip twitching. He knew this woman was about to cause trouble.
"Reforge my Kinkunro. It was a gift from Tsuru-nee, and if possible..."
"I get what you're saying, but I can't guarantee the result. Even for me, forging a Great Grade sword requires luck. If the result is poor, your Kinkunro could even drop to a Skillful Grade Sword. Are you okay with that?"
"But conversely, it could potentially become even stronger than Sode no Shirayuki, right?"
"Technically, yes. I'm just telling you there's a risk!"
"It's fine. I trust you!"
'You trust me...' Sean thought. 'I don't even trust myself! Why the hell do you trust me?'
He had literally just warned her about the risk. What if he reforged Kinkunro and hit a 0.01x multiplier? Forget being a Skillful Grade Sword; it would probably be absolute garbage compared to an ordinary blade.
'Do you even understand the stakes, woman?!'
However, Gion gave him no time for further explanation.
"It's a deal then! I'll be waiting for the good news!"
She placed Kinkunro on the forging table and vanished in a flash, leaving Sean standing there, bewildered.
'Whatever. I'll just do my best.'
'Right... I'll spend a few days "padding" my luck first. Once I hit a few low multipliers in a row, then I'll tackle Kinkunro...'
He hadn't expected his experience playing gacha games in his previous life to be useful after reincarnating. Truly, a strange world.
'''
Over the next five days, Sean didn't see a single multiplier higher than 10x. On the fifth day, he even hit a 0.07x.
It turned a decent sword into a fragile piece of metal that snapped at the slightest touch. Sean was speechless.
However, in the three years since he started, including this time, he had only encountered such a low multiplier twice.
Now that he had experienced such a streak of misfortune, he figured it was finally time to tackle the Kinkunro.
With that in mind, Sean had Gion summoned.
After all, the Kinkunro was a Great Grade blade. If he truly messed this up and Gion suspected him of hoarding the original while handing her back a piece of junk, how on earth would he explain that?
If Gion were to ask, "How exactly did the materials for the Kinkunro turn into a fragile powder that crumbles at a touch?" he would never be able to clear his name.
It was better to just have her watch.
Besides, there was nothing in his forging process that couldn't be seen. The true secrets, after all, never lay in the process itself.
Gion was quite interested in Sean's forging methods and arrived with great enthusiasm. She wanted to witness the birth of her brand-new Kinkunro with her own eyes.
Once they entered, the doors to the forge were closed. A man and a woman, alone together...
While there were no sparks of passion flying between them just yet, the fire in the forging furnace was certainly blazing.
'''
Time slipped away.
As the sun began to set, Sengoku sat in the Fleet Admiral's office.
"All of these were forged by Sean?"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
Sengoku looked at the twenty-odd blades Antonio had brought in, feeling a surge of excitement. While none of them had reached the Great Grade level, every single one was a Skillful Grade Sword, and a few were perilously close to breaking into the higher tier.
There were only fifty blades of this caliber in the entire world. Much like Devil Fruits, these weapons were priceless treasures that simply couldn't be bought, regardless of the cost. On the high seas, countless swordsmen would risk their lives just to get their hands on a single Skillful Grade Sword.
One should never underestimate a Skillful Grade Sword or dismiss it as trash. To those who didn't possess a Supreme Grade or Great Grade blade, a Skillful Grade Sword was an absolute treasure.
"Well done. Where is Sean?"
"In the forge. He and Vice Admiral Gion went in early this morning and haven't come out since."
"Gion? What are they doing? I'll go take a look..."
"Fleet Admiral, the forge door has been locked from the inside..."
A man and a woman, alone, with the door locked.
Sengoku's mind began to race. Could it be that the two of them were...?
No, no, that was impossible. The age gap was far too large.
But then again... looking at Gion, one couldn't tell she was in her thirties. Whenever she was with Sean, they looked more like an older sister and younger brother. In that light, perhaps it 'was' possible?
Furthermore, Gion was a powerful swordswoman. If she were to fall for someone, a man like Sean, who could forge legendary blades... that seemed like a very plausible match.
'No, I need to go talk to Tsuru about this!'
Inside the forge, the two occupants were completely oblivious to the drama playing out in Sengoku's head.
Sean was working with absolute intensity. Gion watched him from the side, her cheeks flushing a soft red.
Now, don't misunderstand... it was mostly because the forge was incredibly hot.
Of course, that explanation would have been perfectly sufficient if Gion hadn't whispered to herself:
'This little guy... he actually looks quite handsome when he's focusing on his work.'
As she murmured those words, audible only to herself, a small smile played on her lips.
And right then, Sean shouted:
"Finished!!"