After half a day's voyage, Weiss and his group finally arrived at Forge Star Island. As expected of an island in a pirate-infested sea—it was strange in all the right ways.
Forge Star Island wasn't particularly large, perhaps the size of two provincial capitals in a small country. At its center stood an active volcano, always billowing thick smoke from its peak, though its summit remained barren.
Oddly enough, while the volcano had never erupted violently, it was constantly "erupting" in another way.
Three streams of molten lava flowed year-round from the crater, like rivers, snaking their way toward the sea. Over time, these flows had caused the island to expand continuously. The lava flowed through special channels that bubbled and hissed with faint wisps of blue smoke.
Naturally, no one lived near the lava. Instead, rows of forges stood along its path—but even the closest forge was at least a hundred meters away from the lava.
Yet, the closer one got to the fan-shaped center formed by two of the lava rivers, the more people there were. This was where life thrived.
Thanks to the Punk, a well-known ship leading the way, the Chris didn't even need to queue for docking. Though Weiss would've been waved through regardless, he still appreciated Zeke's gesture.
...
Zeke even left crew members to guard the Chris, allowing everyone aboard to disembark and rest freely.
Despite the island's molten makeup, the fan-shaped central zone was lush with greenery. This wasn't like Canopy Island, where people could chop down trees at will. Due to scarcity, strict laws now punished illegal logging harshly.
Weiss stretched as he stepped off the ship, joined by the others.
Joanne immediately spotted a red flower nearby—one she'd never seen before. Without hesitation, she walked up, picked it, and was about to pop it into her mouth.
It was a bad habit of hers: she liked tasting anything that looked edible and unfamiliar. Weiss had stopped her countless times on the ship, but it never seemed to stick.
Now that she was off the ship...
"Hey, hey! Karina, grab that airhead before she poisons herself again!" Weiss slapped his forehead in exasperation.
He could already picture her one day serving a table full of bizarre, deadly dishes.
"I just want a little taste! Just a little one, that's all!" Joanne adjusted her glasses, trying to resist Karina's grip.
But how could she possibly overpower Karina? She was soon pulled back, her chubby cheeks puffed out in protest.
"Karina, you'll be in charge of keeping an eye on her. We'll meet back on the ship once we've got some leads."
"You three—same goes for you!"
Weiss had already briefed them back on the ship: once ashore, they were to split up and gather intel. This was their first targeted information search since entering the Grand Line.
After assigning tasks, the group dispersed.
Evening fell quickly. They had met the Punk ship around midday, and after an afternoon of sailing, it was nearly dusk by the time they landed.
Weiss wandered the streets, but came up empty-handed.
At one point, he passed an alley where a woman escorted a burly man out, tossing Weiss a sultry wink as she did.
He bolted without a second thought.
Back aboard the Chris, the others had returned ahead of him. But after sharing information, it was clear they hadn't learned anything useful.
Nobody on the island seemed to know of a blacksmith named Fedray. None of the renowned smiths went by that name either.
It didn't make sense. Anyone recommended by Koushirou should have some reputation, especially on a forge-famous island like this.
To be recognized by the Great Blade family, a smith should at least be capable of crafting Great Blades.
Just as lions don't mix with sheep, true smiths stood apart.
Although they hadn't found Fedray, they did catch wind of something else: the strongest contender in the upcoming competition had arrived on the island.
That bit of news eased Weiss's worries. If they couldn't find Fedray, maybe they could approach the champion to forge for them instead.
There was no rush, so Weiss called it a day and had everyone rest.
Besides, it's not like there was much to do on a lava-filled island at night.
Unless someone fancied lifting weights...
After dinner, Joanne reluctantly returned to the ship's quarters, still longing for all the strange things she hadn't tasted yet.
---
The next morning, Weiss slept in until past nine, stretching lazily as he finally got up. Joanne, however, had already prepared breakfast.
Jack and the others were on the deck training—it was part of their daily routine, rain or shine.
Seeing the sluggish Weiss, Theodore took a deep breath.
"Can we really get stronger like this?"
"That story the captain told—about someone becoming the world's strongest by doing a hundred push-ups and sit-ups every day—how come no one's ever heard of that guy?"
"Yo! Morning!" Weiss greeted them casually and strolled into the kitchen without a care.
Why should he bother training? He didn't need it. His role came after breakfast anyway.
Once he finished eating, Weiss was the first to disembark again, with Joanne hurrying after him.
"Why are you tagging along? Let Karina take you shopping or something," Weiss said, glancing over.
"I feel like if I follow you, I'll find more interesting ingredients," Joanne replied after a pause. Not because the island was full of metal shops—definitely not that.
When it came to anything outside cooking, Joanne was a little... slow. She always took a moment to answer, no matter how simple the question.
Karina had asked her once why she replied so quickly on the ship. Joanne had given an oddly sincere answer: "Because I was scared, so I focused really hard—that's why I answered fast."
See? That whole airhead act? Totally fake. She just didn't want to talk to people, but felt bad ignoring them. So she paused instead.
"You really need to stop tasting every random thing. What if it's poisonous? You wouldn't even know how to treat yourself—you'd die without ever knowing why."
Weiss's tone was stern—more warning than advice. He didn't want his chef dropping dead because of some weird curiosity.
"You're a cook, not a poison tester!"
He waited for a reply, but none came. Turning around, he groaned and facepalmed.
What a walking disaster...
Joanne had picked up a piece of rock at a nearby stall, gently rubbed it with her finger, and—of course—put it in her mouth. The stall owner stared in complete shock.
"You said you only taste things that look edible! That's a rock! A rock!"
Weiss quickly dragged her away. Joanne, now familiar with the flavor of the stone, didn't resist.
From that moment on, Weiss kept his Observation Haki trained on her constantly. He couldn't risk her pulling any more ridiculous stunts.
Thanks to the three lava rivers, the air was a bit dry—but the greenery kept it tolerably cool. Like a desert oasis, perhaps.
The streets bustled with hawkers shouting over one another. No one was selling to locals.
After all, every islander could forge metal. If you had to buy tools here, you'd be laughed off the island.
That also meant most locals were broad-shouldered and brawny.
The woman Weiss saw yesterday in the alley? She was considered especially attractive.
Weiss visited several of the island's larger forge shops, asking around—but again, no leads. No one had heard of a smith named Fedray.
They just assumed he was looking for custom weapons and kept pushing their in-house blacksmiths at him.
Then Weiss overheard a nearby conversation. His eyes lit up. He brushed off the eager shopkeepers and slipped away.
"Sir! Our forge has the island's best smiths! We'll give you a 10% discount! No? Fine—20%! Still no? 30%! That's our final offer!"
"Come back!"
Without even turning around, Weiss grabbed Joanne and disappeared into the crowd.
---
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