William Turner couldn't really be considered a good teacher… or a teacher at all.
He simply grabbed some metal, began melting, shaping, and hammering it with complete focus, without giving any instruction during the process. But for Puss, that didn't matter—he intended to learn more through observation than through any real explanation from Will.
Though it seemed simple, the process was quite complex, and the hours passed quickly as Will moved through each stage.
During this time, Puss sat on a tall workbench, watching Will's every move with sharp focus.
Every hammer strike, every shift in posture—he felt the temperature with his body and judged the skill with his eyes.
Slowly, under skilled hands, a blade was born from flame and hammer.
Though not yet finished—still rough, missing several steps—under Puss's sharp gaze, he knew that if Will kept going like this, this work might turn out to be one of his best, compared to what Puss had seen in the forge before.
Will held the sword as it glowed bright orange from the forge. Slowly, the color shifted to a deep cherry red, the exact hue he had been waiting for.
Holding his breath, he guided the blade into the oil barrel at a controlled angle. Smoke hissed and billowed—white and black plumes twisting into the air—filling the forge with the sharp scent of scorched oil and singed wood.
As the blade hissed and smoked behind him, Will stepped to the side, pulled a few pins on a machine, and reconnected them in different spots. The bellows, which strengthened the flames—powered by a donkey walking in circles on an animal-powered carousel—slowed down, reducing the heat.
'Ingenious…' Puss thought as he looked at the mechanism, which allowed Will to forge alone without anyone assisting with the bellows.
Since the beginning of the forging, the donkey had already been working under Will's encouragement, providing flames strong enough for the forge.
Returning to the cooled blade, Will pulled it from the oil with tongs and placed it back into the furnace to reheat it.
After that, he pulled it from the fire once more, brought it to a corner, and left it to cool in the open air.
Then he stood still, staring at the blade with a distant look in his eyes.
Puss took his eyes off the blade and turned them toward the young man, then understood everything.
It wasn't that he was a bad teacher—he had simply gotten lost in thought and hadn't said a word while being absorbed in the familiar process of forging.
"Are you alright?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
The voice snapped Will out of his thoughts, and he looked to the side, where a cat on a workbench was staring at him with a curious gaze.
"Yeah… I'm alright… it's just that a lot has happened lately, and I'm still… you know, processing it all..." he said, a little dazed, rubbing the back of his neck with a complicated expression.
"I see. You're very good at forging—are you sure you want to leave this behind and become a pirate?" Puss asked, staring at him.
"Oh… about that, I'm sure. Forging was just a means to an end… or rather, my only option at the time, and I won't be nostalgic over it." He shook his head with certainty.
'So it wasn't natural talent… a little, sure, but mostly hard work and focus, trying to reach Elizabeth with what he had, even if a blacksmith would never be enough to reach her in status… truly a love-struck fool,' Puss thought with some confusion, and started to regret having set up a meeting with Elizabeth.
He and she had only planned to have fun, and their personalities didn't match all that well—so aside from the fun, they had no intention of anything more.
'I'll talk to her about it later. After all, the feelings are Will's, and she has her own that don't necessarily match his.' Feeling a bit of a headache coming on, he sighed and set the thought aside.
"Well, since you've made your decision, I won't say anything else. Let's get back to what you were teaching me," Puss said seriously.
His words fully woke Will up, who looked at him with surprise, realizing that he'd only forged while lost in thought and hadn't taught Puss anything.
"Err… sorry about that. Was there any part you were unsure about? Don't worry—I'll forge another and explain the steps as I go," he asked, embarrassed by what he'd done.
"Well, just a few points. What's that oil you use to cool the blade?"
He began with the first question.
"That's linseed oil—an oil made from flax seeds. If you use water directly, the sword cools too fast and becomes brittle. Oil, in general, allows for more controlled cooling. And among oils, linseed oil is the best… and also the most expensive. I usually only use it for my best projects—like the commodore's sword—because of how costly it is."
Will explained, and the cat nodded in understanding.
Puss had already learned a bit about forging before, and he did know that oils were used to control temperature, but usually it was animal oil, which was cheaper.
"And the animal-powered carousel connected to the bellows? Interesting design."
He asked. There weren't many questions about forging itself—he had learned a lot just by observing—so he asked about the things he was still unsure of.
"That? Well, my master doesn't really help me much, to be honest..." Will said, shrugging and glancing at the man sleeping like a pig in a chair in the corner, surrounded by bottles. "And since I'm just a blacksmith's apprentice in everyone's eyes, let's just say I can't find an apprentice of my own to help me, so I had to come up with something. That's where Neddy came in to help," Will explained with a small smile.
"Neddy?" Puss looked at him, confused.
"Yeah, that's the donkey's name," Will replied, amused.
"Ohh… I see." A look of understanding crossed Puss's face, and he looked at the donkey still circling the carousel.
Taking his eyes off the donkey and turning back to Will, he grew serious again.
"Alright, you must be tired—it's been about eight hours since you started forging. I'd like you to show me how you make armor tomorrow."
Seeing the tired look on the young man's face, Puss began by relieving him with his first words, but by the end, Will froze a little.
"Ugh… well..." Will seemed a little uncomfortable.
Puss, who was about to jump off the bench, stopped and looked at him with uncertainty.
"What's the problem?" he asked.
"Your request… is a bit tough. I only learned how to make blades and a few simpler things. My master never taught me much beyond the basics of blade-making, and once I started bringing money into the workshop, he began drinking heavily and stopped working altogether. A lot of what I know I had to figure out on my own. But armor… that's a whole different field, and no one ever taught me. Besides, in Port Royal, armor isn't really used much," Will explained, and Puss understood.
It was true—he remembered not seeing much armor on the soldiers, at most a breastplate on the higher ranks.
"Seems like your focus is entirely on blades, then. Maybe that focus helped you reach such a high level of mastery. Since that's the case, it doesn't matter—just teach me what you know, and I'll help you with swordsmanship." Puss, having understood the situation, shrugged and accepted it.
"Alright." Will nodded and massaged his shoulder, his face exhausted.
"Go rest. I'm heading out—I've got places to be. I'll sleep somewhere else, don't worry about me." Puss, seeing that, didn't linger. He jumped softly from the bench to the floor and walked to the door.
Will just nodded and left for his room.
Stopping before exiting, Puss turned to Tornado, who was watching him go.
"Buddy, tomorrow morning we're going for a ride to clear our heads. For now, rest," he said with a small smile, and saw that Tornado's eyes lit up.
It had been a while since he'd gone for a joyful ride, so he was excited by the promise.
Smiling, Puss turned and left.
Leaving the workshop, as the door closed behind him, he glanced back and silently apologized in his heart to Will.
Turning around, he ran, jumped onto a crate, used it to launch himself upward, swung from a sign hanging by a chain, and used the momentum to propel himself higher.
With agility, he landed on a rooftop and continued running silently like a shadow toward the Governor's mansion.
That night… he would probably level up.