"Supreme Grade blade!"
The crowd awaiting the announcement was stunned. As soon as they heard the quality of the sword, their eyes widened, jaws dropped, and faces filled with disbelief.
Some even thought they had misheard.
Boom!
"HAHAHAHA!" A man from the crowd—Spike—suddenly burst into loud laughter and ran off. He had to deliver the good news.
"No way! Zeke actually forged a Supreme Grade blade?!"
"This has to be fake! Hit me, quick—see if I'm dreaming!"
Smack!
"Damn! You actually hit me?!"
How could anyone possibly forge a Supreme Grade blade?!
---
"Master Enri, is this true? Someone really forged a Supreme Grade blade???" Someone still in disbelief shouted out the question.
Enri completely understood their shock and calmly affirmed, "It's true. After judgment by the ten of us old geezers, we confirmed it—Peck Zeke has indeed forged a Supreme-quality Grade blade."
Having said that, he turned to leave. Witnessing a miracle like this deserved a fine drink. That treasured vintage he'd been saving? Time to break it out and enjoy. Even if the sword wasn't forged by him or his disciple, it was still born of Forge Star Island.
After today, Forge Star Island's fame would reach new heights. It was destined to become a holy land for blacksmiths.
The ten elders all left one after another, while everyone else's eyes burned as they stared at Zeke—and more importantly, at the sword resting quietly on the stage.
It all felt like a dream!
---
"Master Zeke, I'll pay thirty million Berry! Would you consider parting with it?" a pirate shouted boldly.
Thirty million Berry?! That's basically robbery!
Someone recognized him and cried out, "That's the Bloodthirsty Swordmaster with an 80 million Berry bounty! I can't believe he's here!"
As soon as the name dropped, the crowd instinctively backed away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
But the commotion caught the attention of Frederick. He glanced at the pirate, then quietly slipped away into the crowd and regrouped with his companion.
"Sorry," Zeke said confidently, "this sword is already reserved."
With the Sword Demon by his side, he wasn't afraid—not even of an 80-million-Berry pirate. That guy was trash compared to his current backing.
Like lighting a lamp in a latrine—just asking for trouble.
---
"Oh? Then tell me who reserved it. Let's see if they have the right to keep it," the pirate scoffed, clearly treating the sword as if it were already his.
Weiss didn't respond. He had noticed two people slowly approaching the pirate from behind—both were Marines, one in plain clothes.
"I think I know who reserved the sword~" Frederick's voice rang out behind the pirate.
The pirate's hairs stood on end. A chilling sense of danger flooded his senses. He tried to turn—but it was too late.
Two Marine Rear-Admirals swiftly pinned his arms, slapping on a pair of sea stone handcuffs.
Was the pirate just too weak?
Not exactly. The surrounding crowd had backed away, giving him a false sense of dominance. But his full attention had been on the Supreme Grade blade, letting the Rear-Admirals close in unnoticed.
He wouldn't have stood much of a chance even in a fair fight—let alone at close range.
Even the Rear-Admirals were surprised by how easy it was.
---
"Cowardly Marines! Shameless ambush! No honor at all!" the pirate roared, struggling—but he couldn't break free.
"Don't bother," Frederick said casually. "I really know who reserved that sword. In fact, I made money off the deal. If you want proof, look at the man standing next to Zeke. Familiar, isn't he?"
He was overjoyed—not only for capturing a pirate but for placing the right bet and making a fortune.
The pirate turned and finally got a good look at Weiss. His struggling stopped. His face froze.
He'd just tried to snatch a Supreme Grade blade from that man?
Thinking back to the terrifying killing intent Weiss exuded, a shiver ran down his spine.
Forget it. Walking into Marine custody suddenly didn't seem so bad.
---
Some in the crowd, seeing the pirate taken away, thought they might resume bidding—but were quickly silenced by Zeke's next words:
"I'm honored by everyone's interest, but this sword already has an owner. My apologies."
With that, Zeke didn't wait for further questions. He picked up the sword and handed it to Weiss.
"Sword Demon, sir, I've fulfilled the task. The sword is yours."
"It's already exceeded my expectations. I only hoped for something on the Grade blade level."
Weiss took the sword without ceremony, flicked it in a graceful flourish. The blade hummed softly, as if it, too, was pleased with its new master.
"A fine sword!"
There was no point in lingering. This wasn't the place to test it. The two left the competition grounds, the crowd parting to make way.
After all, one was the newly crowned champion of Forge Star Island, the man who forged a Supreme Grade blade. The other was the infamous Sword Demon, known across the seas. No one dared stand in their way.
No one was foolish enough to try and snatch a sword from Weiss.
Theo and Jack trailed behind like loyal dogs.
---
At Fedray's home, Spike was already there, bubbling with excitement as he told the tale of Zeke forging a Supreme Grade blade.
Overjoyed, Fedray grabbed a bottle of wine and began drinking.
Halfway through, tears began to fall.
His disciple had truly grown. Zeke had surpassed him. He alone knew how long the young man had prepared for this moment.
This might be the only Supreme Grade blade Zeke would ever forge in his life.
Bang! Bang!
The door burst open. Zeke entered and dropped to his knees.
"Master, I did it!"
"Good! Good! Good!"
Fedray lifted him up, repeating the word like a chant.
Weiss stepped forward and presented the sword.
Fedray took it with both hands, inspecting it closely. With a light swing, a wave of sword energy slashed out, leaving a clean mark on the wall.
Clearly, Fedray wasn't just a blacksmith—he was a swordmaster too.
Anyone tied to the Koushirou family lineage wouldn't just be a hammer swinger.
"A fine sword! A fine sword! A fine sword!"
After examining it, Fedray handed it back to Weiss.
"Brat, I'm entrusting this sword to you. Take good care of it. Don't let it break like your last two."
"Though honestly, those two were junk to begin with."
"Don't worry, old man. I'll take good care of it. I've grown a lot since then!" Weiss promised. If he still managed to break a sword now, it would mean his Armament Haki still wasn't up to par.
---
"By the way," Spike suddenly asked, "what do you plan to name it, Sword Demon?"
Weiss fell into thought, eyes settling on the blade. Its black surface was dotted with star-like specks, like it could drag someone into a cosmic abyss.
"Star Abyss. I'll call it Star Abyss."
Spike's eyes widened.
Star Abyss?!
Isn't that like pulling Forge Star Island into the abyss?!
So he does want to destroy the island!
Terrifying!