Ronan knew full well that the kid had gone off again to brag to his childhood sweetheart, Kaya.
That said, he'd already found out where the blacksmith was. Getting an iron spear made shouldn't be too difficult.
However, the very next second, a cruel and awkward truth hit him square in the face.
He had no money.
After transmigrating here, he didn't have a single beli to his name.
A true case of a hero brought low by poverty.
Ronan sighed, turned toward Nami, and put on a gentle smile—one that very clearly had an ulterior motive.
"Miss Nami…"
Nami immediately turned her head, eyes sharp.
"What is it? I'll say this upfront—I'm not lending you any money!"
Her merciless words instantly shattered the warmth on Ronan's face, making the corner of his mouth twitch hard.
"But," Nami suddenly changed her tone, a familiar, shrewd smile spreading across her face—the unmistakable grin of a money lover, "if you really want to borrow some, my interest rates are very high, you know."
Looking at the beli signs practically sparkling in Nami's eyes, Ronan let out a helpless sigh.
"No problem. I'll borrow."
Nami's eyes lit up instantly. "How much?"
"I want to forge an iron spear. Any idea how much that would cost?"
"Forging an iron spear?"
Nami's interest skyrocketed. In her mind, streams of beli were already rolling in.
She immediately stood up and grabbed Ronan's arm.
"Then let's go together! I'll help you check the price—can't let the blacksmith rip you off!"
Luffy and Zoro stood up as well.
"I wanna go see too!" Luffy shouted excitedly.
"Let's all go, then," Zoro said calmly.
The four of them left the restaurant together and headed toward the blacksmith's shop.
Sure enough, they hadn't gone far when a simple, soot-filled forge came into view.
Inside were iron shovels, rakes, and other farming tools scattered about. In the center burned a blazing furnace.
A man in his thirties or forties, dressed in coarse cloth and looking more like an honest farmer than a craftsman, was hard at work.
Ignoring the farming tools around him, Ronan stepped inside and looked at the man.
"Boss, can you make an iron spear?"
The blacksmith raised his head, surprise on his face as he looked at the unfamiliar young people.
"An iron spear? I've only ever made farm tools—shovels, hoes, that sort of thing. I've never forged a weapon."
Ronan's eyes lit up. He glanced at the solid, fully iron-forged pickaxe beside the man.
He knew this blacksmith was capable of casting iron tools as a single piece.
"It's very simple, boss."
Ronan asked for a sheet of paper and quickly sketched out the design of the spear.
"Just take the same process you use to make a pickaxe, but apply it to a long iron shaft and cast a sharp spearhead on it."
Pointing at the drawing, Ronan precisely stated the specifications.
"The shaft should be about as thick as a child's arm. Total length, including the spearhead—one zhang and eight cun."
A proper Zhangba Great Spear.
The blacksmith studied the drawing carefully. After a moment's thought, he nodded.
"I can make that."
Ronan's heart leapt. "Boss, how much will it cost?"
The blacksmith held up five fingers.
"Five thousand beli."
Ronan let out a breath of relief. For a custom-made weapon, this was practically a bargain.
"Five thousand beli? That's not expensive at all."
The blacksmith chuckled. "Of course not. It's mostly because your spear's long, thick, and heavy that it costs a bit more."
Ronan immediately turned to Nami, wearing a blatantly ingratiating smile.
"Nami, time to pay."
Nami looked utterly pained. Extremely reluctantly, she pulled out five thousand beli and practically slammed it onto the counter.
"Here! Five thousand beli!"
Even though five thousand wasn't a huge amount to her, watching money leave her hands was still agony.
She shot Ronan a fierce glare and warned him,
"Ronan! You'd better pay me back fast! Otherwise, my interest is going to keep going up!"
Ronan met her gaze calmly, confidence and warmth in his eyes.
"Don't worry. I can handle this much."
The blacksmith took the money and nodded.
"Come back tomorrow morning to pick it up."
After that, guided by the three kids from Usopp's group, Ronan and the others followed a mountain path up to the grandest estate in the village.
Staring at the imposing European-style mansion before them, Luffy couldn't help but gasp.
"Whoa! It's huge!"
The three kids eyed the gate cautiously and whispered,
"If the captain disappears around this time, he's definitely here."
Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "What's Usopp doing here?"
One of the kids—his bangs covering his eyes—answered without hesitation.
"To lie."
Nami frowned immediately. "That's not okay! Lying is wrong!"
Another kid puffed out his chest and shot back,
"Of course it's okay! It's something really great!"
Even the usually quiet Zoro looked puzzled.
"What do you mean by that?"
The kids began explaining all at once.
"The young lady who lives in this mansion—Lady Kaya—is very frail."
"And after her parents died of illness a year ago, she's been really depressed."
"No matter how much money you have, isn't that still terribly sad?"
"So the captain uses his best tall tales to make her laugh!"
"Captain's lying skills are first-rate!"
Ronan watched quietly, understanding dawning in his heart.
He knew Usopp's lies weren't malicious—they came from kindness and a meddlesome sense of compassion.
He didn't spoil anything for Luffy and the others, simply letting things unfold.
Listening to the kids' earnest explanation, Luffy's eyes filled with respect.
"Then isn't he amazing?"
The kids nodded in unison.
"Yeah!"
"I like how the captain always sticks his nose into things."
"I like how he's a natural leader."
"I like how he loves to lie."
One by one, the three kids declared what they admired about Usopp.
Nami looked genuinely moved as well. She bent down slightly and asked with concern,
"Then has the young lady's health gotten any better?"
The kids answered proudly,
"A lot better!"
Hearing that, Luffy clapped his hands excitedly.
"That's great! If she's better now, let's go ask her if she can give us a ship!"
Ronan and Zoro looked toward the front of the mansion, where two large, grim-faced guards stood watch.
The kids sighed.
"Just getting inside is hard. Those guards are really strong."
At that moment, Luffy suddenly sprang up like a monkey, whoosh, landing on top of the mansion's iron fence.
"Luffy?" Zoro said, confused.
Luffy turned back with a grin. "I'll go ask!"
As he spoke, he grabbed the top of the iron fence with both hands and stretched his body backward hard.
Zoro's eyes widened in shock. "Don't tell me you're—"
The kids screamed in horror. "His arms stretched?!!"
Luffy pressed his body flat against the ground like a tightly wound rubber band, just about to launch himself—
When Ronan, Zoro, and Nami instinctively grabbed onto his elastic body at the same time!
"BOOM—!"
A thunderous blast echoed as the enormous stored elastic force erupted in an instant!