Requirements

Tie Yi fell silent for a while.

"If I refuse Mr. Werther, how will you treat me? Kill me?" Tie Yi's gaze was calm, his tone utterly unruffled.

At his age, he had long ceased to care about life and death.

"Well, that's not good either. Let me think." To everyone's surprise, Werther actually began thinking, tilting his head back like a student stumped by a difficult homework problem.

After thinking for a while, Werther revealed his distinctive neurotic smile again.

"Old Mr. Tie Yi, if you refuse me, I won't kill you right away. I'll cut off your hands and feet, then take you with me to slaughter all your family. Once they're all dead, I'll kill you.

"Don't worry, I won't kill Six. She's Ferdinand's girlfriend. I'm counting on Ferdinand to help me find my next blacksmith. Maybe once she gets stronger, she can come seek revenge on me and kill me?

"What do you think of my proposal, Mr. Tie Yi?" Werther began spouting nonsense in a perfectly serious manner again.

He had entered the usual process: if intimidation did not work, kill; if killing did not make them submit, kill them all, then find another forging craftsman.

Tie Yi fell silent. If Werther had said this before, he might not have believed him. But after witnessing what had just happened, he believed that if he refused, Werther truly might do it.

"Let me consider it, alright?" After saying that, Tie Yi closed his eyes and sank into thought.

Werther did not disturb him, instead leisurely drinking wine.

About half an hour later, Tie Yi opened his eyes.

"I can agree to forge a pair of swords for you, but you must agree to one condition." Tie Yi stared at Werther with a burning gaze, as though he had recalled something that filled him with both extreme rage and extreme longing.

"Say it. If I can do it, I'll agree." Werther's eyes lit up, and he seemed rather excited.

"Help me kill someone. His name is Shiryu of the Rain, and he is currently imprisoned in Impel Down. If one day he truly gets out, help me kill him. That is my only request." When Tie Yi spoke Shiryu of the Rain's name, his eyes were filled with hatred, as if he wanted to devour the man alive.

"Oh? Shiryu of the Rain? He's quite strong. If it's within my power, I'll kill him. So I agree. And it probably won't be too long." Werther knew that before long, Luffy should storm Impel Down. Then Shiryu of the Rain would naturally be freed by Teach, and that would be the perfect chance to kill him.

This old man had finally chosen his descendants over his oath, abandoning the stubbornness he had clung to for his entire life.

It seemed that family bonds could sometimes truly change things that were difficult to change.

Tie Yi did not ask Werther to swear an oath or make any other promises. Instead, he opened the chest before him and examined the ore inside.

When he opened the chest, Tie Yi had already expected the materials inside not to be poor, but he had never imagined Werther would bring this.

Tie Yi picked up the red ore and began examining it carefully.

"You people actually managed to obtain this rare metal. It's truly unbelievable." As Tie Yi examined the ore, he could not help but sigh.

"Old Mr. Tie Yi, do you recognize this ore? What exactly is it? How is it for forging weapons?" Werther also wanted to know where this ore had come from. After all, it was the main material for his future pair of swords.

"This ore has no name, because it is simply too rare. According to my family's records, one of my ancestors once used this ore to forge a Supreme Grade Blades." Tie Yi was already getting excited. What craftsman did not wish to forge a weapon whose name would be remembered for generations?

"Hehehe, hehehe, that's excellent news. Ferdinand, you finally did something reliable. I'll reward you later." After saying that, Werther patted Ferdinand on the shoulder.

Ferdinand looked at the moody man before him and did not know what to say. He felt that aside from the Rabbit on his ship, Werther did not care much about anyone else, himself included.

"Old Mr. Tie Yi, I have another request. Could you melt down these two swords of mine, fuse them with this rare metal, and forge new swords?" After speaking, Werther drew his broken swords and showed them to Tie Yi.

When Tie Yi saw the two broken swords in Werther's hands, he said nothing, but he thought very little of their craftsmanship. In his eyes, they were completely apprentice-level work.

However, out of consideration for Werther's feelings, he accepted the two swords. The moment he touched them, his expression changed. Then he closed his eyes, as though sensing something.

"You... just how many people have you killed with these two swords? These can only be considered ordinary twin swords, yet they are already approaching the threshold of Cursed Swords. If these swords had not broken, they would have become Cursed Swords before long." Tie Yi's face was full of shock, as if he could not believe what he was seeing.

"Uh, how many people have I killed? Let me think." Werther began pondering seriously.

But before long, Werther gave up. There had been too many; he simply could not remember.

"I've forgotten the exact number. These twin swords had been with me for a long time, from when I first began practicing swordsmanship until some time ago.

"Sigh, if I hadn't been careless back then, the swords wouldn't have broken." As he said this, Werther recalled the scene when his swords had broken and could not help feeling somewhat saddened.

The others had already been thoroughly shocked by Werther's words, but seeing the sorrow on his face, they could not help wondering what sort of person he was, and what sort of experiences could have shaped such a personality.

"Fusion is possible, but if they are fused, they may become Cursed Swords." Tie Yi seemed interested in the idea of fusion as well, and asked for Werther's opinion.

"Cursed Swords? Hehehe, even Cursed Swords are forged through killing. What is there to fear? Just forge them. About how long will it take? You won't need years, will you?" Werther was still a little worried, because in his impression, forging divine weapons and precious blades always took a very long time.

Tie Yi looked at Werther in surprise and said something that made Werther blush a little.

"How could it take years? Forging is a craft and a skill. It's not as though the longer you forge a sword, the better it becomes. About one month will be enough." After saying that, Tie Yi glanced at Werther again, as though saying, What are young people these days even thinking?

"Good. Then I'll wait on the island for a month. If you need anything during that time, come find me anytime."

Tie Yi said nothing more, instead having someone dispose of the corpses in the room. Since those who had died were all pirates, no one would pursue the matter.

Tie Yi then picked up the chest containing the precious metals and headed toward his private forging room, with Werther and the others following nearby.

Upon arriving at the forging room, Tie Yi first asked Werther for the tips of his twin swords. Then he stared at the several pieces of rare ore and began researching them.

After studying them for a long time, he seemed to have formed a forging method in his mind.

When he came before the furnace, Tie Yi did not place coal or any other fuel inside. Instead, he took out a large box of transparent crystals, filled the furnace with them, and began the fire for forging.

Werther watched Tie Yi forge with great interest at first. But once those colorless crystals began burning, a wave of heat rushed at him. Ferdinand and Six behind him could no longer endure the high temperature and left the forging room.