Iron Spear of Zhangba is Forged

As Kuro's body, twisted in agony, finally went limp and collapsed into the dust, the intense heat that had been swirling around Ronan, boiling his Blood Essence, receded like an ebbing tide.

[Deathmatch Mode End. Current multiplier restored to normal.]

A mechanical prompt sounded in his mind. Ronan let out a long, unsatisfied sigh.

The breath condensed into a white ribbon in the cool morning air, lingering for a long time.

This sense of emptiness, falling back to normal from a peak state, made him clench his fist.

He immediately checked his status panel.

As expected, the situation he anticipated had occurred.

His Strength, Speed, and Physique remained unchanged, still stuck at 12 points.

"Has the rate of improvement slowed down?" Ronan mused inwardly.

As his physical qualities improved, simply relying on battles of this intensity would no longer bring about explosive growth like in the early stages.

It was just like leveling up in a game; the further you progressed, the more astronomical the experience required.

However, a satisfied smile still curved Ronan's lips.

His gaze fell upon the new line of text that had appeared in his skill bar:

[Observation Haki: Novice (7/100)]

"Even though my stats didn't increase, this is Observation Haki..."

Ronan looked at the unconscious Kuro, a hint of regret surfacing in his heart:

"It's a shame this guy's body is too fragile and he couldn't last longer. If he could have sparred for another half hour, I might have been able to push it to level 10 or higher."

If Kuro were awake to hear this, he would probably be so enraged he'd cough up another two taels of blood.

At that moment, the door to the second-floor terrace of the villa was pushed open. Nami and Usopp emerged, supporting a pale but determined Kaya.

Nami glanced at Kuro, who lay in the ruined flower bed, his condition unknown.

Although she had been mentally prepared, seeing the Pirate with a bounty of sixteen million lying there like a dead dog still made her gasp involuntarily.

Her gaze towards Ronan and the others held a hint of scrutiny before shifting back to her signature confident smile:

"You took care of him? Good job!"

Zoro, who was sitting on the ground cleaning the Wado Ichimonji, looked up at Nami's words and snorted, "Easy for you to say. I almost got sliced to pieces by that lunatic."

Luffy, showing no signs of fatigue from the battle, curiously squatted beside Kuro, poked his face with a finger, and then turned to ask Kaya:

"Hey, what are we going to do with this bad guy with glasses?"

Kaya looked at the butler who had served her for three years and whom she had once considered family. A complex sadness flashed in her eyes, but it ultimately hardened into resolve:

"Tie him up and hand him over to the Navy. He killed my parents and tried to take this home... The law will judge him."

Just as the atmosphere began to ease, Usopp, standing nearby, suddenly seemed to recall something terrifying. His legs began to tremble, and his face turned ashen as he shouted:

"Wait... wait! It's not over yet! When I was upstairs taking care of Kaya earlier, I heard this Kuro say..."

"He said he has a subordinate force called the Black Cat Pirates! According to the plan, they're going to attack our village tomorrow morning!"

"What?!" Nami exclaimed. "An entire pirate crew?"

Usopp clutched his head in terror. "It's over, it's over! Kuro might be down, but his subordinates definitely don't know! If they rush into the village, everyone will be killed!"

Just as Usopp was sinking into despair, a long arm suddenly wrapped around his neck.

Luffy's grinning face leaned in, his tone as casual as if discussing where to go for a picnic tomorrow: "Leave it to us!"

"Huh?" Usopp blinked in surprise.

Luffy grinned, revealing a mouthful of pearly white teeth. "Since we ate your meal, we'll just beat them all up!"

Ronan also stepped forward, patting Usopp's shoulder, his eyes as calm as still water:

"Perfect timing. I didn't get my fill from that last fight. I'll take these remaining 'experience points'."

Looking at the group of monsters before him, Usopp's fear gradually gave way to gratitude, and he finally nodded vigorously:

"Th-thank you so much!"

That evening, to thank Ronan and the others for saving her life, and also to prepare for the upcoming battle, Kaya brought out the best ingredients from her home.

The spacious dining room of the villa was brightly lit.

The long dining table was laden with roast chicken, ham, fruits, and exquisite soup.

Luffy once again displayed his seemingly bottomless appetite, using both hands to sweep the food off the table like a whirlwind.

Zoro held a bottle of aged wine, drinking with a look of utter satisfaction.

Ronan's eating manners were refined, but his speed was incredibly fast.

National Martial Arts training emphasizes "dietary supplements"; Blood Essence depletion requires a large amount of energy to replenish.

He chewed on high-calorie meat while reviewing the battle with Kuro in his mind, deducing possible scenarios for tomorrow.

This night, the villa was filled with laughter and joy, temporarily dispelling the dark clouds before the great battle.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

The East Blue morning carried a hint of damp coolness, and the sea breeze rustled through the treetops.

In the villa's spacious backyard lawn, three figures had already begun their new day of training.

Ronan was still holding a standard桩功, his breathing long and deep, blending with the surrounding environment.

Beside him, Luffy and Zoro were also practicing the Horse Stance.

After several days of Ronan's guidance, their postures were no longer as loose as before. Although they hadn't mastered the use of "劲" yet, their stable lower body foundation was already showing initial results.

"Hoo--hiss--"

Their synchronized breathing was exceptionally clear in the quiet morning.

"Hey! You guys! Stop training!"

Usopp, carrying a huge backpack, ran over, panting, breaking the tranquility. "The Black Cat Pirates could land at any moment, we need to set up traps!"

Ronan slowly finished his stance, exhaled a breath of stale air, and opened his eyes, which shone with sharp brilliance.

"Let's go," Ronan stood up and looked at Luffy and Zoro. "Warm-up is over, it's time to get my weapon."

Syrup Village, Blacksmith's Shop.

When Ronan pushed open the simple wooden door again, the honest blacksmith uncle was sitting in front of an object wrapped in a long cloth, his expression somewhat tired, but his eyes held a craftsman's pride.

"Young man, you're here."

The blacksmith uncle stood up and pointed to the long object on the table. "The thing you wanted is ready."

"I worked on it all night, melting in the best iron ore from my home."

Ronan walked forward and pulled off the coarse cloth.

Hummm--

A chill swept over them.

What met everyone's eyes was a meter-long iron spear, entirely black, exuding a cold metallic sheen!

The spear was one zhang and eight cun long (about 3.6 meters), as thick as a child's arm. Its surface was not smooth as a mirror but retained the fine hammer marks left from forging.

This rough texture actually increased the grip friction, making it less likely to slip.

The spearhead was rhombic, long, and sharp, gleaming coldly, exuding a fierce aura of slaughter.

Although it wasn't made of any mystical iron or precious metal, just ordinary steel cast as one piece, and would quickly rust if not maintained properly in the rain.

But in this moment, the sense of weight and wildness it displayed was enough to make any enemy tremble in fear.