The Nation of Steel, Scrap Street's Mechanic

"Clang."

The heavy Seastone shackles were tossed onto the deck, emitting a dull thud.

Ace flexed his wrists. His body, which had felt sluggish under the suppression of the Seastone, let out a series of crisp bone-cracking sounds the moment the restraints were removed. A surge of vitality, far more potent than before, raced through his muscle fibers and flooded his entire body.

"That's it for today's special training."

Ace picked up the dark red trench coat draped over a wooden barrel and threw it over his shoulders, glancing at his crewmates who were sprawled across the deck, gasping for air. "We're docking soon. Everyone, tidy up."

Sabo untied his leg weights, took a deep breath, stood up, and smoothed out his slightly wrinkled tailcoat.

Carina and Leona were sprawled on the deck, too exhausted to maintain any semblance of composure. Leona, in particular, despite her formidable physique, felt as though even lifting a finger was a struggle after spending hours swinging a heavy bone-cleaving blade under extreme load. Yet, as she felt the increasingly dense power within her muscles, a spark of intense excitement flickered in her eyes.

"Finally over. I thought I was going to die on this deck..."

Buggy lay on the ground in a sprawl, inhaling deep gulps of fresh air.

"The port of the Iron Kingdom is just ahead."

Carina managed to prop herself up, glancing at the Log Pose on her wrist and pointing toward the massive island shrouded in thick black smoke and the roar of machinery.

From a distance, the entire island resembled a colossal steel fortress. Countless chimneys reaching into the clouds spewed industrial exhaust, while massive gears and mechanical cranes turned slowly along the harbor, exuding an aura of rugged, cold, heavy industry.

"Let's go. We'll head ashore to relax."

Ace looked at this nation filled with the scent of gunpowder, his tone calm. "We've been training non-stop lately, and the nerves are stretched too thin. Let's head into town to experience the local customs, and while we're at it, buy the Black Steel needed to reinforce the ship. She took some damage passing through Reverse Mountain."

Hearing they could go ashore to relax, Buggy was instantly revived, springing up from the deck like a carp. "To the town for drinks! This Great One is going to order the most expensive booze in the most luxurious tavern!"

Half an hour later, the Eclipse arrived at the outskirts of the Iron Kingdom. Using Ace's Observation Haki, they found a suitable, hidden harbor surrounded by steep cliffs, meaning they wouldn't need to leave anyone behind to guard the ship.

The five of them walked together through the bustling streets of the Iron Kingdom.

The buildings here were mostly constructed from hard rock and rough steel. Everywhere on the streets, one could see mercenaries carrying firearms with hurried expressions, as well as mechanical crawler vehicles hauling heavy ore. The air was thick with the smell of machine oil, coal, and a faint hint of gunpowder.

"What a stifling place," Carina murmured, frowning slightly as she watched the hurried passersby on both sides of the street.

"It's a war-torn nation; this atmosphere is normal."

Buggy assumed his senior-veteran persona, pointing things out with an air of aged wisdom. "Back in the second half of the Grand Line, I've been to places even more chaotic than this. In a place like this, the truly top-tier materials are never displayed in the storefronts."

"Since you're such an expert, I'll leave the task of finding the Black Steel to you," Ace replied calmly.

"Leave it to this Great One!"

Buggy waved his hand triumphantly. "Let's go to the lowest, most chaotic Scrap Street in this place! The best stuff is always in those lawless zones!"

Guided by Buggy, the group passed through the outer streets and gradually ventured deep into the heart of the city.

The surrounding buildings became increasingly low and dilapidated, and the smell of machine oil in the air grew even more pungent. Both sides of the street were piled high with discarded mechanical parts, rusted cannon barrels, and various metal wrecks that were impossible to identify.

This was the underground Scrap Street of the Iron Kingdom, a gathering place for craftsmen, black-market merchants, and scavengers.

As the group walked along the oil-stained street, a violent explosion and the deafening sound of metal tearing suddenly erupted ahead.

"BOOM."

A steam-powered iron vehicle mounted with multi-barreled cannons was sent flying from the street corner like a kicked tin can, crashing heavily into a pile of scrap metal dozens of meters away and instantly erupting in billowing black smoke.

Immediately after, several soldiers in warlord uniforms scrambled out of the alley, their faces filled with terror.

"A monster! That guy is a lunatic! Hurry back and report to the Admiral!"

The soldiers screamed as they fled into the distance.

Ace stopped in his tracks, his gaze piercing through the swirling smoke and dust to look deep into the alley.

Sabo and Leona also sensed something, their eyes instinctively turning toward the same direction.

Standing in front of a mechanical shop that had been reduced to a mess was an exceptionally tall man.

He had messy, silver-gray short hair and a pair of oil-stained wind goggles pushed up onto his forehead. His build was a head taller than Ace, resembling a moving iron tower. He wore rough, heavy-duty work pants, his scarred muscles exposed, and he was casually chewing on a thick screw.

Most striking of all was his exaggerated right arm.

It was not a flesh-and-blood limb, but one tightly encased in a heavy mechanical exoskeleton that radiated the violent aesthetic of heavy industry. High-pressure steam hissed from the gaps in the exoskeleton, and the hydraulic tubes emitted a low rumble as his muscles contracted.

In his hand, he dragged a terrifyingly large Hydraulic Power Hammer. Judging by the construction of the hammerhead, it had clearly been forcibly modified from the main gun barrel of a decommissioned warship.

"Just this much trash, and you dare come to requisition my shop?"

The silver-haired man spat, the screw in his mouth shifting between his teeth. He dragged the heavy Hydraulic War Hammer, not even glancing at the wailing warlord soldiers on the ground, and instead picked up a crushed mechanical clockwork toy with a pained expression, his brows furrowed tightly.

"A bunch of scum who only know how to destroy; you don't understand the first thing about real machinery."

He scratched his silver-gray hair in annoyance and turned around, preparing to walk back into his dilapidated repair shop.

"Interesting."

At the mouth of the alley, Ace stood still, watching the man who perfectly fused extreme industrial violence with mechanical exoskeletons.

The Hydraulic Power Hammer modified from a warship's main gun and that steam-venting mechanical arm displayed a form of combat entirely different from the traditional pirates he had encountered.

Ace took a step forward, treading over the metal debris, and walked to the entrance of the repair shop.

Hearing the footsteps, the silver-haired man paused.

He turned his head, his sharp eyes, hidden in the shadow of his goggles, scanning the black-haired youth who looked like he wasn't to be trifled with.

Two auras belonging to powerhouses collided silently above Scrap Street.

"We are here to buy Premium Black Steel."

Ace did not beat around the bush. His gaze fell upon the Hydraulic War Hammer in the other man's hand, his tone steady yet carrying a weight that could not be ignored. "Nice hammer. What is your name? What do you do?"

The silver-haired man narrowed his eyes slightly.

He could sense that the man before him was completely different from the trashy warlords from earlier; this was a composed aura truly tempered in mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

He spat out the screw in his mouth and wiped his cheek casually with the back of a hand stained with machine oil.

"Jeno."

The man's voice was low and raspy, possessing a texture like grinding metal. He slammed the heavy Hydraulic Power Hammer onto the ground with a thud, causing the surrounding scrap metal to tremble.

"A mechanic."