Chapter 11: Blacksmithing

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"Oh, I see!" Ryuusaki thought for a moment and then said, "That's easy to solve! I'll work half the day at the blacksmith shop and spend the other half helping you at the tavern."

"Hmm, that could work, but I don't have a tavern yet!" Makino reminded him.

That's true; Makino was still a young girl and hadn't started running a tavern yet.

"But Ryuusaki, you're still too young. You should wait a few years before learning to forge metal," Makino said.

"No, Maki-nee! Even though I'm small, I'm actually very strong!" Ryuusaki replied confidently.

"Yeah, right, you're just bluffing."

"You don't believe me?"

"Nope!"

Seeing that Makino didn't believe him, Ryuusaki moved beside her, bent down, wrapped one arm around her waist, and scooped her legs up with the other arm, lifting her into a princess carry.

"Ah—put me down!" Makino exclaimed.

"No way! Since you don't believe me, I have to prove it to you," Ryuusaki said as he carried her inside, running around the house with her in his arms.

"Okay, okay, I believe you! Put me down now," Makino said, feeling a mix of embarrassment and exasperation. What was even happening? If a handsome prince had carried her like this, that would have been fine, but to be spun around by a boy shorter than her? It was just too ridiculous.

The two of them horsed around in the house for quite a while before finally taking a break.

The next day, Ryuusaki got up early to help Makino move some supplies. After that, he grabbed a fishing rod and headed to the beach.

His goal, of course, wasn't really to catch fish—he didn't even bring any bait. He just wanted to unlock the **Fishing** talent!

Sure enough, as soon as he cast the line, the **Fishing** talent was unlocked!

**Talent: Fishing (24)**

Next, Ryuusaki visited a carpenter's house in the village to try his hand at woodworking, and then he stopped by the local doctor's home to dabble in medicine.

Finally, he made his way to the old blacksmith, Samuel. Picking up a heavy hammer, he struck the red-hot iron a few times, successfully unlocking the **Blacksmith** talent as well.

**Talents:**

- Chef (36)

- Tailor (12)

- Fishing (24)

- Carpenter (33)

- Blacksmith (21)

- Doctor (16)

When he added them up, the total life skills talent points came to 142—not bad at all.

Ryuusaki decided to allocate all of these points to his blacksmithing talent. Just as he was doing so, the old blacksmith Samuel came at him, swinging a stick.

"Wait, Master! I'm here to learn blacksmithing! Why are you hitting me?" Ryuusaki cried out.

"Brat! Who said you could just start banging away without my permission?" Samuel huffed. But hearing that this little rascal actually wanted to learn blacksmithing, his anger subsided by half.

Truth be told, Samuel was quite pleased that someone wanted to learn his trade. He had spent his entire life as a blacksmith and had hoped to pass on his skills. But his son and grandson weren't interested in the craft, thinking that blacksmithing had no future and wouldn't help them find a wife!

Samuel had been somewhat depressed about it. He even tried to recruit an apprentice in the village, but after several months, no one wanted to learn.

Perhaps in the Grand Line or in places where pirates were more common, blacksmithing would be more sought after. After all, whether forging or repairing weapons, a blacksmith's skills were essential.

However, in Windmill Village—a very safe place—there's hardly any pirate activity. After all, who in their right mind would dare to cause trouble in the hometown of Marine hero Garp? Because of the lack of pirates and even Marines, blacksmithing isn't a particularly lucrative trade here.

Samuel, the village blacksmith, had largely transitioned from forging weapons to crafting kitchen knives.

"Kid, I'm happy you want to learn blacksmithing, but you're too young. This is a tough job, so come back in a few years," Samuel advised.

"What? In a few years? By then, you might be dead! What if you kick the bucket before I can learn anything?" Ryuusaki shot back.

"You brat! Watch your mouth!" Samuel glared at him.

But rude as Ryuusaki's words were, they weren't entirely wrong. Samuel was well aware that, at his age, he wasn't exactly in the prime of his life.

"Alright, kid, you can start as an apprentice tomorrow!"

"Why wait until tomorrow? I can start today!"

"Fine, fine, today it is," Samuel chuckled, his mouth twisting into a wide grin. At last, someone was willing to inherit his craft, and the boy was so eager and hardworking.

In truth, Samuel's talent wasn't particularly high.

His **Blacksmith** talent was (45), which was decent but not exceptional. However, his skill level was high—**Blacksmith: LV89**.

Talent represents potential, but Samuel had spent his entire life as a blacksmith, so naturally, his level had risen over the years.

In the middle of the workshop was a large furnace, with a bellows nearby. Samuel patiently explained the basics of blacksmithing to Ryuusaki.

Given Ryuusaki's exceptionally high life skills talent—a total of 142—he picked things up quickly. Samuel only needed to explain something once for Ryuusaki to grasp it.

Samuel was delighted to have found such a promising apprentice in his twilight years.

By the end of the day, Ryuusaki had learned a lot and gained valuable insights. Under Samuel's guidance, he not only mastered the basics of blacksmithing but also gained knowledge about different metals and ores—essential knowledge for any skilled blacksmith.

That evening, after returning home, Ryuusaki had dinner with Makino. During their conversation, he learned that Garp had left the village suddenly due to some urgent matter.

This news excited Ryuusaki.

He had been hesitant to approach Ace because of Garp's presence in the village. But now that Garp was gone, it was the perfect opportunity to visit.

From what Ryuusaki knew, Ace should be around one year old now.

Late at night, when everyone was asleep, Ryuusaki quietly checked on Makino. He gently nudged her to see if she was awake, but she was sound asleep, which put his mind at ease.

In the dim moonlight, he could clearly see Makino's peaceful face.

A cool breeze blew in.

Ryuusaki glanced at the window and noticed that it hadn't been closed properly.

"She might catch a cold like this," he thought to himself, carefully closing the window and tucking Makino's hand back under the warm covers.

"It's time!" Ryuusaki muttered, rubbing his chin. Taking advantage of the night, he silently left the house.

Of course, Ryuusaki's departure was aided by the powers of the Door-Door Fruit, allowing him to travel through a different dimension.

With **Air Door** and **Shuku Chi Door**, he could cover ten steps in the outside world with just one step in the alternate space.

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