Reforging

Cherry remained on the ground as Hina stormed off and Marlene followed after her. Arrieta told the maids to carry Cherry into the manor and to call the doctor just in case.

Injuries of this level were mostly superficial for Cherry. A few hours of vital energy circulation and she'll be good as new, not even leaving a scar.

In later body cultivation realms even automatic high speed regeneration is possible, but that's a long ways off.

Since they were calling a doctor, she'd need to put off a complete recovery, though. Can't have them thinking she's some kind of freak, or worse, suspecting something close to the truth of the matter.

By morning, she was right as rain. With the exception of a gnarly black eye, to make Hina squirm in guilt every time they saw each other.

...

Cherry spent the next few days scouring the island for any metals and minerals that may have been overlooked or just weren't for sale. She managed to acquire quite the haul, too.

Most of them were materials people would normally believe to be useless. However, with her devil fruit ability, even useless things could become a part of a greater whole.

Once she was satisfied, Cherry began to experiment, fusing metals and minerals in different ratios to find the ideal material for her first Blood Bound Weapon.

She wouldn't be making something new however, though she had considered it.

She realized that she was just too attached to this unnamed sword that old man Martin had made for her all those years ago.

So instead, she would reforge this would-be Meito into something more suitable. 'Reforge' might be the wrong word, however, as she wouldn't be using a forge to do it.

It took a week of hard work to find just the right fusion of materials. It would have taken much longer if not for her extensive experience as a weapon smith.

Once again her devil fruit showed it's utility.

Normally, a Blood Bound Weapon would need to be forged alongside a ritual to infuse it with the body cultivators vital energy and merge it with their body.

However, Cherry had been delighted to discover that she could directly fuse her vital energy into the sword after the fact.

The reforging began and would take another 3 days before completion. At the end, Cherry had successfully created her first Blood Bound Weapon.

The sword retained its original shape, but the blade had become a much brighter silver color with a pink hue along the edge.

If she had to guess, its current state was comparable to the lower end of the Great Grade Meito, though she couldn't be certain until she sees one for herself.

That was right now, though. In the future the sword will grow alongside Cherry and eventually surpass all swords in this world.

Now that Cherry had completed her goal, it was time to leave Red Delta.

Hina had already returned to the Grand Line, marine captains didn't get very long vacations after all.

Hina had pestered Cherry a few more times about joining the marines, but Cherry always stubbornly refused.

Cherry went to the mayor's manor to bid farewell to her new friends.

She shook hands with the mayor, gave a big hug to Arrieta (during which she took the chance to slip Cherry some photos), and when she came to Marlene they weren't really sure how to say goodbye.

Marlene had come to view Cherry with less blind idealization and Cherry had come to see Marlene as more than just a fun target to tease. Their relationship had taken a turn for the vague.

After a few moments of awkward staring Cherry said "Well, goodbye Marlene. It's been my pleasure to have met you and I hope we meet again some day, if fate sees fit."

As she turned to leave, Marlene leapt toward her and wrapped her in a hug. She gave Cherry a light kiss on the cheek.

"D-don't get the wrong idea! Hina didn't properly make it up to you after hitting you so hard, so I'm just c-cleaning up her mess, as a sister should!" Marlene stammered as she pulled away.

"Haha, alright then. I'll tell her to thank you if I meet her again." Cherry replied and walked towards the docks.

When Cherry arrived at the docks, she saw a lot of hustle and bustle going on.

After asking a few people, she found out that the marines were setting up a naval base to ensure the incident with the pirates didn't repeat itself.

Cherry didn't mind it and made her way to her little ship.

Along the way, Cherry happened to spot the marine captain overseeing the process.

Seeing he was a swordsman, Cherry got a little closer to inspect his sword. She wanted to see what kind of swords the World Government gave to its captains.

What she discovered, however, made her blood turn cold with hate and disgust.

She had never seen this sword before, nor did she know its wielder.

No, what she recognized was the craftsmanship. She knew exactly who made this sword, without any doubt in her mind.

It was a sword made by none other than her detestable former master, who had murdered her to steal her masterpiece and the credit for its making.

'So that old bastard was also born again in this world. So be it. I now know of you, but you do not know of me. Your days are numbered, I shan't rest until your body is dust and your soul is extinguished.' Cherry thought menacingly.

Her resolve to grow stronger and stand at the peak of this world became ever more unshakable.

She did not know it yet, but this powerful resolve would become a great boon to her in the future.

'I need to be more careful about my techniques, I can't tip off that old bastard. Hmm, perhaps I should pursue the martial arts of this world and modify them. He won't recognize them as long as he doesn't see it directly.' Cherry pondered.

'I believe the Chinjao family in the Kano Kingdom had an unusually powerful martial art. They won't part with it easily, so I need to find something they want even more than hoarding their techniques. Preferably something they can't just rob from me.' Cherry thought.

She would need to research the Chinjao family. Perhaps there was something she could learn.

...

It wasn't easy to find information on the Chinjao family.

Few were brave enough to sell it, and Cherry wasn't stupid enough to try and buy it in the Kingdom of Kano.

She did manage to learn something that she might just be able to leverage, however.

It was a dangerous gamble. Cherry wasn't sure if she could pull it off with her current self.

Ultimately, she decided to simply go all in. How could she avoid taking great risks if she wanted to kill that old bastard and reach the pinnacle?

She made her way to Kano Kingdom, determined to bet it all for a chance to take a great leap forward.

Once she arrived in Kano, Cherry made her way to the only point of contact she had with the Chinjao family. The auction house she had previously visited.

Cherry walked confidently through the front doors and saw the same receptionist that was working here the last time.

"Congratulations." The receptionist stated in a perfect 'customer service' voice.

"What?" Cherry was slightly confused by those words.

"On your pregnancy. I hope everything is well with the baby." She answered.

"Ah, I see." Cherry realized. "I wasn't really pregnant, I had hidden a treasure on my body. I found a private buyer for it."

The receptionist's practiced smile twitched slightly, to Cherry's amusement.

"I see, a shame we could not have sold the item for you." She stated flatly, clearly annoyed.

"Well, I've come with something much better this time. I hope you can assist me." Cherry replied.

The woman perked up noticeably at this. "Let's move to a private room."

She stood and allowed someone else to take over at the desk. Then she led Cherry to a room.

After closing the door and taking a seat she asked. "May I inquire about the item you've brought for us today? You are not 'with child' this time, would I be correct to assume the item is elsewhere?"

"I would like to speak with whomever is in charge of this establishment." Cherry said, taking a dignified poise.

The woman didn't miss a beat. "You are speaking to her. I gauged that whatever you have is not something simple, and thus decided to personally oversee this matter."

Cherry smiled with satisfaction. "I want to deal directly with the Chinjao family. What I have to offer is something they'll want no matter what."

The woman studied Cherry, her eyes seeming to pierce through all lies and nonsense.

Seeming to have found whatever she was looking for she spoke again. "I will notify the Chinjao family of your request. Things will not end well for you if this is a waste of their time. Wait here or flee with your life, decide before I return."