Sig casually mentioned the events that had taken place at the Isshin Dojo in the East Blue, emphasizing his friendly relationship with Koushirou and the fact that they had exchanged swords as gifts.
However, he omitted the details about the chainsaw he had given—not to Koushirou, but to Kuina.
When the name "Shimotsuki Koushirou" left Sig's lips, the craftsman Alvin's pupils trembled uncontrollably.
"So, you do know about the Shimotsuki family of Wano Country."
Sig's expression turned serious.
He hadn't expected that meeting this craftsman would yield such unexpected gains.
Sig's guard was up, and he gripped his sword, ready for action.
Behind Alvin, a burly man silently appeared, his eyes filled with eagerness.
Morgan, now the user of the Calm-Calm Fruit, could eliminate all sounds he made without even activating his soundproof barrier.
Not only could Morgan sneak up behind Alvin for a backstab, but he could also fire a bazooka without making a sound.
As for the craftsman Alvin, he immediately... raised his hands, signaling that he had no intention of resisting.
"Mr. Sig, I..."
Alvin remained silent for a long time, his expression shifting multiple times.
Finally, he let out a deep sigh:
"Mr. Sig, may I take a look at this sword?"
Sig gestured with his eyes for Morgan to step back, then drew the sword Koushirou had given him.
Alvin examined it carefully, his eyes filled with a deep sense of nostalgia.
"It does resemble the craftsmanship of the Shimotsuki family..."
"Since Koushirou-sama, a descendant of Shimotsuki Kozaburo, was willing to give this sword to you, Mr. Sig, I won't hide anything anymore."
Alvin's eyes took on a faraway look as he spoke:
"Decades ago, a great turmoil occurred in Wano Country. We followed Kozaburo-sama of the Shimotsuki family and left Wano for the East Blue."
"The world was far vaster than I had imagined, and our group was greatly shaken..."
"When I first left Wano decades ago, I was young and unwilling to stay in the East Blue. So, I later entered the Grand Line..."
At this point, Sig frowned and interrupted:
"Wait, I remember the Shipping King said you were a craftsman from the West Blue? Even the hidden blade you crafted is said to have originated from the West Blue?"
"And the name 'Alvin' doesn't sound like it's from Wano Country."
Hearing this, Alvin chuckled.
"That's just a way to increase my value."
"After all, rarity increases worth. How could local products from the Grand Line compare to exotic goods from the four seas?"
"As for my real name... I haven't used it in many years."
Here, Alvin gave Sig a curious look:
"Wano Country has been isolated for many years, completely cut off from the outside world. Yet, Mr. Sig, you seem to know quite a bit about it..."
Sig remained silent, allowing Alvin to continue.
"In any case, after wandering the Grand Line for many years and seeing many different sights, I arrived at this island and made a living by crafting small items like hidden blades..."
Sig listened quietly as the old craftsman recounted his past, but his mind was already racing.
Back at the Isshin Dojo, he had heard Koushirou mention something similar.
Some of the people who left Wano Country hadn't stayed in the East Blue like Koushirou and the others but had instead entered the Grand Line. Among them were the craftsmen who could work with seastone, whom Sig had been searching for.
It seemed that the old craftsman Alvin before him was one of those who had fled Wano.
After about ten minutes, Sig patiently listened as the old craftsman finished his story.
Then, he finally spoke:
"I heard from Koushirou that among those who left the East Blue and entered the Grand Line, there were craftsmen who could work with seastone?"
Hearing this, Alvin was taken aback.
"Mr. Sig, didn't you figure out my identity and seek me out specifically?"
The two men stared at each other for a moment, and Sig was also momentarily stunned. He voiced his guess:
"Are you the seastone craftsman Koushirou mentioned?"
Alvin nodded silently. Seeing the growing intensity in Sig's eyes, he quickly added:
"Does Mr. Sig want to work with seastone?"
"When I was younger in Wano, I did participate in seastone processing. But the complete processing techniques and equipment only exist in Wano."
"Seastone is as hard as diamond and extremely difficult to polish. Outside of Wano, what I can do is very limited."
Sig looked at the old craftsman before him.
What he said was that he could do very little, not that he couldn't do anything at all.
"I want to forge a... seastone sword. Can you do it?"
Sig said directly.
"A seastone sword?"
The old craftsman's expression changed slightly, and he chuckled awkwardly:
"This... Mr. Sig, it would be best to go to Wano for that."
"I've heard that in the black market, seastone nails and bullets occasionally circulate. It seems Wano's seastone processing technology has far surpassed what it was decades ago."
"If Mr. Sig wants to forge a seastone sword, it's best to go to Wano."
"Without Wano's specialized equipment, it would take me a very long time to forge a usable seastone sword."
"That's fine. I'm willing to wait," Sig nodded.
Wano Country was far away in the New World, and it was also the territory of Kaido, one of the Four Emperors.
Going to Wano to find a craftsman and forge a seastone sword would be far more difficult than the opportunity before him.
"Don't worry about the seastone materials or money. I'll handle that."
"Alvin, first, create the items I mentioned earlier based on my sketches."
Sig said.
He still had a fair amount of money, but seastone materials were another issue.
Seastone was strictly controlled by the World Government, and even on this island, it wasn't easy to obtain.
Some powerful pirates who traded with the World Government or Kaido also had seastone. For example... the Warlords.
"Aside from Doflamingo, it seems Crocodile also has seastone..."
Sig pondered for a moment and came up with an idea.
After Alvin left, Sig handed over custom orders, including silencers, to the scientists and engineers on the island.
Aside from the silencers, the various biogas equipment was completed quite well.
After spending about another week on the island, Sig finally arrived at the port of Loguetown.
Everything was ready. Next, the goal was to head to Alabasta.
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