"Ugh~"
After who knows how long, Bear Cub lay sprawled on the mine tunnel floor, belly round and distended.
"Ying!"
His pitiful little eyes looked up at Moses, clearly signaling he couldn't eat another bite.
Moses found this fascinating.
"Really can't eat anymore?"
Bear Cub nodded his head, then reached his right paw into his mouth and began pulling out irregular black iron ingots one by one.
「Appraisal」
[F-grade Alloy (Low Purity)]: Mixed iron ingots compressed and purified inside a biological organism through special abilities.
"How did you do this?"
Moses' eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected Bear Cub to produce these alloy ingots already.
Sticking out his tongue exhaustedly, Bear Cub began making excited noises while gesturing animatedly.
Moses stroked his chin, nodding occasionally. "So you crushed all the ore in your stomach, then mixed and compressed them together according to your thoughts?"
Bear Cub nodded vigorously, blinking at Moses expectantly. "Ying?"
"No mistake, this is perfect. Keep doing it this way. But can you reproduce this type of alloy consistently in the future?"
Bear Cub tilted his head in thought, then after a couple seconds confidently chirped "Ying!"
Seeing this, Moses felt relieved. It seemed this was a renewable resource, not a one-time deal.
Pointing at the alloy, Moses asked, "Can you eat these ingots again for secondary purification?"
Bear Cub made a confused "Ying?" sound, seemingly not understanding.
Moses explained, "The quality of this alloy isn't high enough. Can you refine it to a higher grade?"
This time Bear Cub understood.
Taking several deep Breaths, he swallowed the pile of alloy again and began chewing. Through gaps in his teeth, they could be seen being ground into extremely fine particles before being swallowed once more.
Soon, Bear Cub seemed to sense the right moment and began pulling out black alloy ingots from his stomach again - though this time the quantity was noticeably smaller.
「Appraisal」
[E-grade Alloy (High Purity)]: Mixed iron ingots compressed and purified inside a biological organism through special abilities.
Moses' eyes lit up.
Greed getting the better of him, he asked, "Can the quality be improved further?"
Bear Cub immediately understood this time.
He shook his head vigorously while making protesting noises, gesturing to explain.
After watching for a while, Moses understood - the issue was the iron ore quality here was too low, just ordinary iron ore, making it impossible to refine higher quality alloys.
Patting Bear Cub's head, Moses thought to himself:
'Perhaps it's also related to Bear Cub's strength and Devil Fruit development level. After all, neither his combat rating nor his Devil Fruit grade are particularly high.'
「Appraisal」
[Comprehensive Evaluation: E- (A miraculous Panda whose appearance outshines his combat abilities!)]
A smile tugged at Moses' lips. Though nearly three years old and measuring almost 1.6 meters long with a round, plump body, Bear Cub was still essentially a child.
And due to the Munch-Munch Fruit's influence, his species classification had undergone some changes.
In this world, a creature's lifespan often correlated with its size.
Moses was completely convinced that with Bear Cub's ability from the Munch-Munch Fruit, if he kept eating, there was no telling how long he might live.
Add to that the mastery of the "Effortless Breathing Technique," which had also enhanced his digestive functions.
As for what the future held, Moses couldn't say for sure.
After a short break, Bear Cub felt ready again and went back to devouring the iron ore.
After three more near-vomiting experiences, Bear Cub finally refined a pile of at least three cubic meters of Grade-E alloy.
Patting Bear Cub's head, Moses said, "Alright, that's enough for today. Let's head back."
"Swallow these alloy blocks for now. We'll take them out when we get home."
Bear Cub's eyes widened slightly.
How many times had he swallowed and regurgitated things today?
Ears drooping, Bear Cub obediently wrapped his arms around the alloy blocks, opened his mouth unnaturally wide, and took a huge bite.
One gulp wasn't enough—he had to split it into three to finish it all.
"Whoa~" Moses said, impressed. "Looks like you could be my personal storage warehouse in the future, huh?"
Bear Cub shuddered.
He stared at Moses in horror, whimpering, "Y-ying?"
Moses chuckled awkwardly, realizing how devilish his idea sounded.
"Just kidding."
Bear Cub finally relaxed.
But the mention of a storage warehouse made Moses think of those Devil Fruits.
Eyes narrowing slightly, he mused to himself, Maybe I should try my luck when the opportunity arises.
Best case, I get one. Worst case, I eliminate the user and wait for the fruit to respawn?
Ah, never mind. I'll see when the time comes. No point in harming anyone without reason.
Moses liked to think his moral compass was decent enough.
Leading Bear Cub out of the mine, he noticed the sky outside had begun to darken.
Moses inwardly cursed.
I didn't say I'd be out this long. Doctorine's probably worried.
Hopping onto Bear Cub's back, he urged, "Let's hurry home."
Bear Cub let out a low growl.
With his pigeon-toed gait and wiggling rear, he dashed down the path toward home at full speed.
They raced like the wind—though Bear Cub wasn't the most agile, crashing into trees a few times.
Fortunately, Moses was quick on his feet, dodging just in time.
They made it back just before nightfall.
The moment they stepped inside, Kureha's voice rang out.
"Where have you been all day?"
"Disappearing from morning till night—do you think turning a year older means you've grown wings?"
From the kitchen, Kureha emerged, took one look at Moses and Bear Cub covered in grime, and her eye twitched.
"Did you two go coal mining? Or get blown up by black powder?"
Massaging her temples, she sighed. "Go wash up. Then you'd better explain yourselves properly."
"Okay, got it."
Moses replied meekly.
It was worth noting that their home relied on a fireplace for warmth, so bathing was convenient.
Bear Cub first went to the corner to regurgitate and neatly stack the alloy blocks.
Moses then led him into the bathroom, where they scrubbed each other's backs—a quick and efficient process.
Moses toweled himself dry, while Bear Cub simply used his self-digestion ability to effortlessly dry his fur.
At the dinner table, Kureha glanced at the gleaming black alloy blocks in the corner.
"So you two spent the whole day making all this alloy?"
"Yep."
"What are you planning to do with all that alloy?"
"Are you opening a blacksmith shop?"
"Or... feeding it to Bear Cub?" Moses thought for a moment but decided against it, not wanting to scare Bear Cub. "I've picked up a new skill recently."
"Forging."
"I plan to craft our weapons myself from now on. Bear Cub's ability to refine ore is practically heaven-sent."
"At this rate, I might even handcraft all our future lab equipment for you."
Kureha replied, "Then work hard. I'll be waiting for that day."
Moses grinned and nodded, devouring the meal Kureha had prepared while Bear Cub did the same.
Neither showed any sign of being full.
Whether it was the change in flavor or their stomachs emptying again, they couldn't tell.
After a long, exhausting day, Moses and Bear Cub washed the dishes and turned in early.
...
The next morning.
After breakfast,
Moses and Bear Cub headed out early once more.
They arrived at the nearest Drum Mountain to the east.
Five hundred meters above ground,
inside a cave in the cliffside,
Moses and Bear Cub appeared.
The space they stood in was a ten-meter-long, ten-meter-wide, and ten-meter-high cavern—
a hundred square meters in total.
It had been painstakingly hollowed out by Bear Cub over the past few months.
Standing at the cave's entrance, a two-meter-wide opening,
they could see most of Drum Island.
This spot faced away from civilization, offering maximum secrecy and security.
Bear Cub retrieved the stored alloy blocks from its belly and stacked them in a corner.
Following ventilation principles, Bear Cub had also gnawed out a half-meter-wide ventilation shaft near the inner ceiling, extending upward a hundred meters until it broke through the rock ten meters to the right of the entrance.
This created an air current throughout the cave.
Near the ventilation shaft, a simple furnace had been carved out—
modeled after those in blacksmith shops.
Inside, high-temperature coal burned fiercely,
heating several alloy ingots to a glowing red.
On the forging table beside it sat an anvil—
one meter long, half a meter wide, and 0.3 meters tall.
Next to it was a large vat filled with clear, icy spring water sourced by Bear Cub from its homeland, the Purple Bamboo Forest.
A forging hammer, tongs, and all necessary tools were already prepared.
Bear Cub curled up nearby, dozing quietly.
Moses, clad in professional blacksmith attire, used the tongs to pull out a fist-sized alloy ingot from the furnace and placed it on the anvil.
His breathing steadied, and his entire being grew tranquil.
Gripping the hammer in his right hand, he raised it—then struck.
CLANG—!
Sparks erupted as the alloy dented under the blow.
From the very first strike, an uncanny familiarity surged through Moses. He swung the hammer with relentless force.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
With a specialized rhythm and technique, Moses entered a state of Unity of Heaven and Man. Augmented by Observation Haki, he sensed the alloy's aura—its internal veins and grain.
Each hammer blow followed those veins,
compressing its structure further.
He shaped the alloy into a long strip, folded it, and hammered it again—repeating the process tirelessly. The interplay of force kept the alloy at the perfect temperature.
Since it was already a type of mixed alloy, no additional materials were needed.
Through continuous hammering, Moses analyzed the properties of this alloy.
Its hardness and toughness were both excellent, making it suitable for crafting weapons.
This time, Moses employed the folding and forging technique. Since there was only one type of material, no sawtooth patterns would appear—instead, there were only fine, ring-like grain patterns.
As he repeatedly folded and hammered the metal, reorganizing its internal structure, Moses could clearly sense the changes in the metal's Breath.
The reconstruction and connection of its internal pathways caused a faint spiritual energy to quietly gather.
As time passed, a dagger in the shape of a short sword took form. Moses carefully shaped the curvature of the blade.
After completing all these steps, he used iron tongs to grip the dagger and plunged it into a water tank.
"Quenching."
Hiss!!!!
A violent plume of white steam erupted.
The dagger rapidly cooled, and at that moment, Moses sensed its spiritual energy suddenly becoming complete.
A unique aura emerged.
Moses lifted the dagger to examine it. Its lines were smooth and flowing, with delicate ring-like patterns adorning its silvery-white surface.
"Just a few more steps—might as well finish them all."
"Tempering."
The quenched dagger was placed back into the furnace for moderate reheating.
Once this step was done—
"Polishing."
Moses took out a whetstone and began sharpening the blade. With each scrape, the edge grew smoother and sharper, gleaming with a deep, chilling light.
For the final step, he attached the hilt—a bamboo handle refined by Bear Cub—and a matching bamboo sheath.
Once everything was complete, an exquisitely crafted short sword-style dagger emerged.
Total length: 33 cm. Width: 3 cm. Thickness: 0.3 cm.
Everything had come together seamlessly.
"Appraisal."
[D-grade Dagger (Swift Blade): A freshly forged Swift Blade dagger with astonishing hardness.]
Moses sheathed the dagger.
"As expected, the quality of a Swift Blade is D-grade."
[Detected an item with legendary traits.]
"I knew it—famed blades can be used to refine Merit Points."
A faint smile curled at the corner of Moses' lips as he toyed with the dagger in his hand. With its sheath on, it looked like nothing more than a simple green bamboo stick—utterly unremarkable.
"Let's call it 'Bamboo Tube'—a dagger hidden within bamboo. Hmm, but for this first one, I won't extract Merit Points."
He tucked Bamboo Tube into the back of his waistband, then stood and stretched leisurely, glancing at the sky outside.
"Hah, focusing too much makes it easy to lose track of time. It's already afternoon—time to head home."
"Bear Cub, let's go."
Beside him, Bear Cub opened its mouth slightly, eyes brimming with joy.
Moses added more coal to the furnace, sealing the fire while leaving just a tiny gap to keep it from extinguishing too quickly.
He removed his work clothes and changed back into what he had worn when he arrived.
Together, they descended the mountain along a narrow path.
Breathing in the crisp air, the two strolled through the snowy forest.
Moses was in an excellent mood.
Glancing at Bear Cub beside him, a smile tugged at his lips.
Extending his Observation Haki outward, Moses sensed their surroundings—until, at one moment, his heart stirred.
"Come on, let's hunt something tasty."
"Ying?" Bear Cub's eyes lit up, immediately letting out a cheerful series of "ying ying ying~" sounds.
Before long, Moses spotted a snow-white yak, a local specialty known as the Snow Yak, and immediately charged toward it. Bear Cub followed closely behind, equally excited.
As he approached, Moses gripped a scalpel in each hand. Despite the Snow Yak's fierce resistance, he severed its carotid artery within seconds.
He then retreated to avoid the yak's death throes. Moments later, the massive yak, nearly three meters in length, was successfully hunted.
*[Obtained F+ Grade Soul Crystal 1]
A grain-sized Soul Crystal appeared and was promptly collected by Moses.