"Just hoping for... a Supreme Grade Sword?"
Upon hearing Caesar's request, Hitetsu was momentarily stunned.
The tone of his voice made it sound as if he were asking to buy a cabbage.
"What? Can't you do it?"
"Well... I'm afraid it might be a bit difficult."
Hitetsu nodded with some hesitation: "The art of forging is quite demanding. At my age, crafting a Skillful Grade Blade wouldn't be too hard, but..."
"Then please do your best."
Caesar shook his head slightly: "I can forge a Skillful Grade Blade myself, but a blade of that caliber wouldn't give me an advantage in battles against top-tier fighters. At best, it would just be usable."
He had collected many professional tools and received numerous skill rewards, with forging being one of them.
Similarly, he had skills in house building, shipbuilding, and more. However, for some reason, he rarely achieved top-tier mastery in any of these fields.
Perhaps, as Hitetsu had said, compared to those who specialized in a single craft, Caesar's mind was too scattered, lacking that bit of conviction.
For example, Caesar enjoyed cooking, so his culinary skills were one of the few that reached the top level. In comparison, his other skills were only at a sub-top level.
Hearing Caesar's words, Hitetsu nodded: "In that case, I can give it my best effort. However, you might need to put in some extra thought regarding the materials."
"Is that a problem?"
"What problem?"
Hitetsu laughed heartily: "I'm not so old that I can't lift a forging hammer! If it's for you, I can certainly try."
"Oh?"
Caesar crossed his legs, somewhat intrigued: "Really? Do I have that much face with you?"
"Of course. Although the current shogun is Kaidou's daughter, everyone knows who truly saved this country from starvation."Hitetsu lowered his head slightly, his tone carrying a mix of complexity, emotion, and a hint of guilt: 'You might not know this, but this village was on the brink of collapse.'" People were starving to death every few days, and even Tama could hardly get a full meal..."
"This is a feat that even the Kozuki Clan couldn't achieve. So, regardless of moral stances or your intentions, if it's for you, I'm willing to give it my all!"
Caesar looked at him in surprise: "That's... truly appreciated."
To be honest, he had already prepared to reveal his identity and threaten the old man if necessary.
The old man had gone into hiding here, and while it might seem a bit cowardly, he was certainly someone who understood the bigger picture.
"Tell me, what materials do you need?"
"Tungsten Steel... do you have any?"
"Tungsten Steel..."
Caesar chuckled. This material was essentially just a rod, but its hardness wasn't far from that of a Supreme Grade Sword.
If the quality isn't enough, make up for it with hardness, huh?
Without dwelling on it, Caesar waved his hand, and a small mountain of metal blocks, each made of different elements, appeared.
"Almost all non-radioactive metals in the world are here, including various alloys. They're all marked."
Hitetsu was startled by Caesar's display but assumed it was the power of a Devil Fruit. He continued, "Any specific design requirements?"
Caesar thought for a moment: "A bit longer, perhaps. Regular Sharp Blades feel a bit short."
"Please wait a moment."
Hitetsu found a rod over a meter long and handed it to Caesar: "Is this length suitable?"
Caesar took the rod, adjusted his grip slightly, and gave it a light swing.
"Not bad, just right."
"I understand."
Hitetsu's gaze fell on the place where Caesar was holding, and he nodded: "It seems that your fighting style is a bit wild."
Caesar nodded, acknowledging that this was indeed the case.
In his sparring sessions so far, both King and Kaidou were six to seven meters tall, and even the shortest, Yamato, was around two and a half meters. Therefore, his fighting habits naturally leaned towards being broad and unrestrained.
"How long will it take to finish?"
"At most, half a month."
"Alright, I'll come find you in half a month."
Caesar nodded, flipping a gold coin onto the pile of metal with a flick of his hand: "Don't worry about materials. If you're missing anything, just let me know."
With that, Caesar left the room.
Outside, Tama was waiting obediently under the shade of a tree. When she saw Caesar, a bright smile spread across her face, and she ran up to him.
"Is Caesar-sama leaving?"
"Yes, I've troubled you, Tama."
Caesar smiled warmly, gently patting the girl's hair. It felt thin and slightly dry, likely due to long-term malnutrition.
"How have you been recently? Have those pirates been bullying anyone? Are you able to eat enough?"
"Yes! I can eat my fill at every meal now! And those who used to bully others were all sent flying by a dinosaur sister!"
"Dinosaur sister, huh…"
Caesar chuckled. It seemed Ulti was doing a good job. He could already imagine her cursing the job while beating up pirates.
"Caesar-sama!"
"Hmm?"
"Can I also join the Beasts... no, the Nation-Protecting Fleet?"
"Oh? Why is that?"
"I want to be like Caesar-sama and make sure everyone can eat their fill!"
"It's still too early for you, Tama. How about in a few years? When you become a strong and beautiful woman like a general, you'll be able to help me."
"A strong and beautiful woman…"
Tama's eyes sparkled: "Then it's a promise, Caesar-sama!"
"Yes, it's a promise."
Caesar crouched down, and Snow Stride appeared in his hand out of thin air: "Consider this Snow Stride as my investment in your future. When you're able to wield it, come find me anytime."
"Mm-hmm!"
Tama was visibly excited, and even after Caesar left the village, she stood at the entrance, waving from afar.
Caesar was in a great mood. Children in this world were so easy to fool—no wonder Luffy was always shouting about becoming the Pirate King.
Thinking about it now, Shanks really was something, fooling even children.
Returning to the Flower Capital, Caesar happened to run into Ulti, who was leading a patrol. He casually tossed her a small bag.
Ulti instinctively caught it: "What are you up to now? What's this?"
Caesar smiled: "I received some feedback from the people, and they say you're doing a good job. This is your reward."
"Huh? A reward? Who do you think you are, you jerk?"
Ulti weighed the heavy bag in her hand: "Do I need your reward? What could you possibly give me?"
"Gold."
"I might have spoken a bit too loudly earlier. I hope I didn't scare you, Caesar?"
Upon hearing it was gold, Ulti's hands-on-hips pose instantly turned into a hand-over-heart gesture, and she looked at Caesar with concern.
"You really are quick to change your expression…" Caesar was speechless.
During this time, he had also figured out the girl's temperament—she was the type who responded better to softness than to force. She had a somewhat tsundere personality but was very pragmatic, far smarter than she appeared.
For example, the Devil Fruits that she and her brother possessed were stolen by her from Kaidou when she was just a child.
Although it wasn't entirely without Kaidou's tacit permission, the fact that she understood the law of the jungle at such a young age and managed to protect her brother while growing up in a place like the Beasts Pirate Crew made Caesar quite impressed.
Dealing with a little girl like her was simple—just praise her more and offer her some benefits.
"Please pay extra attention to the area around Kuri Village. I've commissioned someone to forge a sword."
"A sword?"
Ulti glanced at the Third Generation Ghost Cutter hanging at Caesar's waist. "So, you're a swordsman?"
"Not really. It's just a weapon."
"If you use a sword, doesn't that make you a swordsman? Are you an idiot?"
"I still prefer the attitude you had earlier."
Caesar sighed. "Anyway, I'll trouble you to pay extra attention to it."
"Hmph, who cares about you!"
Ulti snorted lightly and turned to leave.
After taking two steps, she suddenly turned back and called out to Caesar. "Hey, what's wrong with your eyes?"
"I'm training to foresee the future."
"That's so stupid!"
"Please don't mock me for that…"
The two parted ways. Ulti headed straight for Kuri, while Caesar returned to the Shogun's residence, continuing to ponder how to further refine his Haki.
Today's outing made Caesar realize something. Due to his bat-like abilities, he could instinctively construct a mental map of his surroundings based on external sound waves.
For combat, this ability could greatly enhance his perception. However, such heightened perception couldn't effectively stimulate his instinctive intuition, which instead became an obstacle in his Observation Haki training. Yet, he couldn't just block his ears.
Therefore, he needed to further stimulate this intuition.
Additionally, in his earlier thoughts, the combat method of compressing and frictioning Armament Haki was far more difficult than external release, and it required continuous practice through actual combat.
This level of combat wasn't something just anyone could provide. Neither Kaidou nor King would have the spare time to spar with him every day.
Fortunately, Caesar had a wife with the strength of a top commander…
"Yamato, come train with me!"
"Alright!"
Hearing Caesar's call, Yamato picked up her Spiked Club and eagerly followed him out.
Seeing that Caesar still had his eyes covered, Yamato expressed some concern. "Are you sure this training method is okay? You've been using Observation Haki all day, right?"
The total amount of Haki is limited, and overusing it could even risk death.
Moreover, even with Observation Haki, fighting blindfolded when both parties possess it is essentially asking for a beating.
Because while you can predict your opponent, your opponent can also predict you.
And without the aid of vision, your predictions of the enemy's movements would be slightly slower.
"It's fine, come on!" Caesar confidently beckoned.
The next moment, with a loud boom, he was sent flying by Yamato's club.
"See? It's no good!"
Looking at Caesar, who was now embedded in a rock, Yamato's eyes were filled with worry.
Caesar silently pulled himself out of the rock and dusted himself off.
"Again!"
Boom—
Caesar's figure was sent flying once more.
Currently, he was at a stage where he could predict the flow of energy but couldn't make timely judgments or prepare defenses.
Fortunately, during this period, his physical strength had grown rapidly, and the enhancement from his Oni Race bloodline meant that Yamato's Spiked Club, now coated with flowing Armament Haki, only felt like a light tap to him.
This was also the point Caesar cared about the most.
In this vast sea, what was the most important thing for those top-tier fighters?
If one had to say, it would probably be the margin for error!
It wasn't just about pure strength, power, or physicality alone.
Rather, it was the comprehensive ability to withstand the consequences of mistakes.
For example, if Garp were to take a slash from Shiryu and be beaten down in a group fight, he might not be able to get back up. The same slash would likely have the same result if it landed on Whitebeard or Shanks.
But if it were Kaidou or Big Mom, those two super tanks, they'd probably spit on the wound to stop the bleeding immediately, pick up their weapons, and continue fighting for days and nights.
Now, Caesar's physical strength had far surpassed what the Vampire Fruit could enhance. It was more likely due to his innate talent as a Conqueror and the effects of his Oni Race bloodline.
Activating the Lunarian transformation could further amplify his strength.
Two months ago, Yamato's two strikes could have knocked the bile out of him, but now, they felt like nothing more than a tickle to Caesar.
The only thing that concerned Caesar was that his rate of growth was beginning to slow down.
The same training with the same intensity no longer brought the rapid progress it once did. Each day's improvement was gradually diminishing.
He estimated that once he reached the level of the Four Emperors, his progress would almost completely plateau.
He condensed Armament Haki into his right hand, compressing and flowing it.
His fist collided with the Spiked Club in mid-air, and a shockwave was unleashed by Caesar.
Yamato was pushed back two steps by the sudden impact, looking at Caesar with surprise.
"Huh? What was that just now?"
"Compressed Armament Haki."
A slight smile tugged at the corner of Caesar's lips. "A little trick I've been working on recently. It involves gathering all the Armament Haki in my body into my fist, compressing and flowing it, then releasing it in the form of Internal Destruction to create a certain impact…"
That's right, this move was based on the principle of Garp's Fist Bone Impact.
However, Caesar could only manage a rudimentary version for now. To refine it further, he would need more practice.
The training method was simple: follow Garp's example of smashing warships.
Yes, it was all about brute force!
But it wasn't just mindless force. This move had two key points.
First, it required concentrating all the strength and Haki in the body into the fist in an instant, demanding intense focus.
Second, it involved releasing the flowing Armament Haki impact, which required precise control over Armament Haki.
It was precisely because of the high intensity of concentration and explosion that its power was quite formidable.
In that case, the Effort King's all-out Haki strike, which shattered one of the Evil King's stone hands, could be considered somewhat reasonable.
Hearing this, Yamato's eyes lit up. "That's amazing! Caesar, teach me!"
Caesar's lips curled into a smirk. "Oh? What's in it for me?"
Yamato thought for a moment, her face suddenly turning red as she leaned in close to Caesar's ear and whispered something.
"Ahem…"
Caesar suppressed a laugh and cleared his throat. "Well, since you're so sincere, I'll teach you!"
"Haha, I knew you were the best, Caesar!"
Yamato laughed heartily, picked up Caesar, and planted a kiss on his cheek, leaving a bright red lip mark.
As a general, she was expected to maintain a dignified demeanor, so Yamato was forced by her maids to put on makeup every day, making her look more feminine than before.
Although Caesar personally still preferred her sleeveless kimono attire, when it came to his own wife, that was a different story.
At Caesar's strong insistence, Yamato could now only wear long-sleeved kimonos—sleeveless ones were out of the question!
With her impressive figure, wearing sleeveless would be a huge disadvantage...
"First, you need to focus your strength and Haki to the utmost..."
Yamato threw a punch: "Like this?"
"No, too loose. Start generating power from your legs! Like this!"
"Oh—and then?"
"Then like this, and then like this..."
"Huh? Is touching my leg a necessary step?"
"Mhm..."
"We're outside right now, isn't this inappropriate, Caesar..."
"Don't talk, keep your head down!"
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