Star Sand Gold

"Master Qi, there are some very important guests who need you to come out and receive them personally." Black Hand Mound called loudly from outside the door, deliberately stressing the word "important." He prayed that the big shot would catch his meaning and not do anything foolish.

"Come in." A deep voice reached everyone's ears.

Black Hand Mound let out a relieved sigh. He put on a glove, shoved the door open with all his strength, then quickly pulled back his right hand and tossed the glove aside. His hand was already red and swollen, showing just how scorching the iron door was.

"Hiss... you can all go in now. I'm too weak—my little body really can't handle staying in there, so I'll take my leave first. Please excuse me." With that, he left while blowing on his hand.

Roy did not pay much attention to him and led the others inside. Compared to outside, the temperature within the furnace was dozens of times higher. Even Roy felt a trace of burning heat rise within him, let alone the others. In an instant, the crowded furnace was emptied, leaving only Roy and several Senior Executives. This level of flame was still bearable for them.

Roy narrowed his eyes and looked around, discovering that the center of the furnace seemed connected to the earth itself. Lava even erupted from time to time. "So it's Earth Core Flame. No wonder it's so hot. To use this kind of fire for forging—Black Hand Master really is no ordinary man."

"What do you want from me?" An old man standing beside the furnace asked. He was bare-chested and held a massive hammer in his hand.

"I hope Master can forge a scabbard worthy of the sword in my hand." As Roy spoke, he took out Kikuichimonji to show him.

"A scabbard?" Black Hand Master had initially looked displeased, as though Roy had insulted him. But the moment he saw Kikuichimonji in Roy's hand, his eyes turned green like those of a wolf that had gone seven days and nights without food.

"Let me see it!" Black Hand Master lunged at Roy.

Roy frowned. An invisible force appeared and stopped him outside its range. Roy had only used his Devil Fruit Ability to control the situation because he was afraid of injuring the old man.

Seeing this, Black Hand Master calmed down. Yet he did not care in the slightest how Roy had stopped him without lifting a hand. He simply stared fixedly at Kikuichimonji and asked, "The sword in your hand should be one of the legendary Great Grade Sword 21 Works, correct?"

"That's right. This is Kikuichimonji, one of the famous swords among the Great Grade Sword 21 Works. But hold on—you've forged a Great Grade Sword-level weapon before, haven't you? Why are you getting this excited?" Roy found it rather strange. Could this guy be a fraud too?

"What do you know?" The moment professional knowledge was involved, Black Hand Master became extremely agitated. Blowing his beard and glaring, he said, "There are naturally more than twenty-one Great Grade Swords rumored to exist in the world. The famous sword Water Moon, which I forged in my younger days, is also a weapon of this level. But the Great Grade Sword 21 Works are the pinnacle among weapons of this grade, miracles that can be called unsurpassable. Other than the supreme Supreme Grade Sword 12 Works, they are the true kings among blades."

"I didn't know there was such a distinction." Roy clicked his tongue in amazement. He was not particularly clear about these secrets either.

"Then... could you let this old man examine the famous sword Kikuichimonji in your hand?" Black Hand Master looked at Roy pitifully, like a little dog abandoned by its owner. It took Roy quite some effort to settle the stomach acid churning inside him.

"Fine, fine. Take it and have a look." Roy was not worried that Black Hand Qi would do anything crazy. If Black Hand Qi could pull off any tricks under the observation of Roy's Observation Haki, he would have long since become a super powerhouse renowned throughout the Grand Line.

"This blade, these patterns... it's simply a miracle of the world. How was it made?" Black Hand Master muttered, his eyes shining.

"Are you done yet? So, can you forge a scabbard to match it or not?" Roy asked impatiently.

"A scabbard? It seems Your Excellency must be an expert who practices Iai. Otherwise, you would not have such high requirements for a scabbard."

"Hm? That isn't your concern. Just tell me whether you can do it or not."

"Ahem, for the time being, I can't."

"Hm? Didn't you say you could even forge Great Grade Sword-level weapons? And now you're telling me you can't even make a scabbard? Are you sure you're not messing with me?" Roy's expression turned dangerous, as though he might start fighting at the slightest disagreement.

"If you merely wanted an ordinary scabbard, then naturally there would be no problem. But when an expert who practices Iai uses Drawing Sword Strike, powerful Sword Qi is produced in that instant. If the scabbard is not of sufficient quality, it will have a considerable impact."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Ordinary leather or wooden scabbards naturally won't do. It would be best to forge it from some extremely hard material, such as Sea Stone."

The corner of Roy's mouth twitched. Damn it, if I used a Sea Stone scabbard and accidentally touched myself with it, I could just declare the battle over right away, couldn't I?

"Pick something else."

"Mm, that's true. Sea Stone is incredibly precious. I suppose only the Navy has access to it. Aside from Sea Stone, the best material would be Star Sand Gold. It is a precious forging material that falls from the heavens, a treasure bestowed upon us craftsmen by heaven itself."

"Damn, isn't that just meteorite iron? Still, I have to admit, Star Sand Gold does sound pretty badass." Roy thought for a moment before asking, "Where can I get this Star Sand Gold?"

"Star Sand Gold is an extremely rare strategic resource, second only to Sea Stone. It is basically not circulated on the market, and it is difficult to find even on the Black Market. Only the Well of Stars Kingdom, known as Starfall Land, might have a few pieces that slipped through the net."

"What a pain. I just wanted to quietly forge a scabbard. Why does it have to be so troublesome? Sigh... but no matter what, thank you, Black Hand Master." Roy rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"Hehe, being able to forge a scabbard for such a legendary famous sword is the highest honor for a smith like me. So as long as you can find that Star Sand Gold as soon as possible, that will be the greatest thanks you can give me."

"By the way, Black Hand Master, before I find the Star Sand Gold, could you make me an ordinary scabbard to use for now? It's not really practical for me to keep carrying it like this every day."

"That will naturally be no problem. Come here tomorrow." Roy had not expected that Black Hand Master, who had been so difficult to deal with, would become like a completely different person after seeing Kikuichimonji. It seemed that a legendary famous sword was the ultimate temptation for both swordsmen and smiths.