Ronan knew the kid was off to brag to his childhood friend, Kaya. However, now that he knew where the blacksmith was, he figured forging an iron spear shouldn't be too difficult.
Then, a cold, awkward reality hit him. He had no money. Since transmigrating, he hadn't possessed a single cent. It was the classic case of a hero being brought low by a lack of funds.
Ronan sighed and turned to Nami, putting on a gentle, purposeful smile. "Miss Nami..."
Nami turned instantly, her gaze sharp as a razor. "What? Let me state for the record: I am not lending you any money!"
Nami's cold rejection shattered Ronan's gentle expression, causing his lip to twitch.
"However," Nami continued, her smile shifting into the shrewd, calculating grin of a true miser, "if you really want to borrow some, my interest rates are very high!"
Ronan looked at the Berry symbols practically flashing in Nami's eyes and sighed helplessly. "Fine, I'll borrow it."
Nami's eyes lit up. "How much?"
"I need to forge an iron spear," Ronan said. "I'm not sure how much it will cost."
"Forging a spear?" Nami's interest piqued—she could already see the Berries rolling in from the interest. She stood up and pulled Ronan along. "Then let's go together! I'll help you check the price so the blacksmith doesn't cheat you!"
Luffy and Zoro stood up as well. Luffy shouted excitedly, "I want to see too!"
Zoro added simply, "We might as well all go."
The four of them left the restaurant and headed toward the blacksmith's. Before long, a modest, soot-stained shop appeared. Piles of shovels and rakes were scattered about, with a roaring forge at the center. A man in his late thirties, looking more like an honest farmer in rough clothes, was busy working.
Ronan ignored the farm tools and walked straight in. "Boss, can you make an iron spear?"
The owner looked up, surprised by the group of young strangers. "A spear? I've only ever made shovels and pickaxes. I've never forged a weapon."
Ronan's eyes brightened as he looked at an all-iron pickaxe nearby. He knew this smith had the skill to cast iron tools as a single solid piece.
"It's simple, Boss!" Ronan had the owner find a piece of paper and quickly sketched a design. "Just use the same process you use for your pickaxes, but on a long iron pole, and cast a sharp point at the end!"
Ronan pointed at the drawing and specified the exact dimensions:
"The shaft should be as thick as a child's arm, and including the spearhead, it must be exactly eight feet and eight inches long!"
This was the precise specification for a Zhangba Great Spear.
The blacksmith studied Ronan's sketch carefully. After a moment of thought, he nodded. "I see. I can forge this."
Ronan was delighted. "How much, Boss?"
The man held up five fingers. "Five thousand Berries!"
Ronan breathed a sigh of relief. For a custom-made weapon, this was an incredibly honest price. "Five thousand Berries? That's not expensive at all."
The blacksmith chuckled. "Of course. It's only this much because the spear is quite long and requires a heavy, thick build. That's why it costs a bit more than usual."
Ronan immediately turned to Nami with a "pleading" smile. "Nami, pay the man."
Nami's face twisted in physical pain. With extreme reluctance, she fished out five thousand Berries from her pocket and slammed them onto the counter as if her heart were breaking. "Here! Five thousand Berries! Take it!"
Though five thousand Berries wasn't a fortune to her, watching money leave her hand always hurt. She glared at Ronan, warning him: "Ronan! you'd better pay me back fast! Otherwise, my interest rates are going to skyrocket!"
Ronan gave her a confident, gentle look. "Don't worry. I can afford to pay back this much."
The blacksmith took the money and nodded. "Young man, you can come pick it up tomorrow morning."
Shortly after, led by Usopp's three young "subordinates," Ronan and the others followed a mountain path to the highest point of the village—the gate of a magnificent mansion.
Looking at the grand European-style villa, Luffy couldn't help but marvel, "Whoa! It's huge!"
The three children looked at the gate warily and whispered, "If the Captain disappears at this time of day, he's definitely in there."
"What's Usopp doing in there?" Luffy asked, puzzled.
"He's here to lie!" the child with hair covering his eyes answered bluntly.
Nami frowned and looked at the child. "That's not right! Lying is wrong!"
Another child immediately puffed out his chest in protest. "No, it's not wrong! It's a great thing!"
Even the usually silent Zoro looked confused. "And why is that?" he asked.
The children began explaining all at once: "Miss Kaya, who lives in this mansion, is very frail and sickly. Ever since her parents passed away a year ago, she's been depressed." "No matter how much money you have, is there anything sadder than that?" "So the Captain uses his talent for telling tall tales to make her laugh!" "The Captain's lying skills are top-tier!"
Ronan listened, understanding the situation perfectly. He knew Usopp's lies weren't malicious but were a form of kindhearted meddling. He didn't spoil the story for the others, choosing to watch events unfold naturally.
Luffy's eyes filled with respect as he listened to the children. "Then isn't he amazing?"
The children nodded in unison. "Yeah! I love the Captain's meddlesome nature." "I love his leadership." "I love his bragging."
Nami's expression softened as she leaned down, her voice full of concern. "So, has the young lady's health improved?"
"Much better!" the children answered proudly.
Luffy clapped his hands excitedly. "Great! Since she's feeling better, let's go ask if she can give us a ship!"
Ronan and Zoro looked toward the mansion's entrance, where two burly, unfriendly-looking guards stood watch. The children sighed. "It's hard just to get inside. There are tough guards at the door."
At that moment, Luffy hopped onto the villa's iron fence like a monkey.
"Luffy?" Zoro asked, confused.
Luffy looked back with a grin. "I'm just going in to ask!" With that, he grabbed the top of the iron fence with both hands and stretched his body backward with immense force.
Zoro's eyes widened in shock. "Are you going to—"
The children screamed in terror, "His arms are stretching?!"
Luffy pressed his body close to the ground like a taut rubber band. Just as he was about to launch—Ronan, Zoro, and Nami instinctively lunged forward and grabbed onto his elastic body!
BOOM!
With a massive sound, the accumulated elastic force exploded!