Ash and Pikachu were joined by Franky and Zoro as Ash gave Zoro a katana from his person. Zoro held two katanas, one longer than the other. "So, this is your sword?" wondered Zoro.

"Yeah, and I have used it to gather fruit and skin meat to stay fed," Ash mentioned.

"Hey, we all need to eat," Franky nodded. "Still, that sword isn't anything I see Zoro holding." Ash and Pikachu blinked before pointing to Zoro.

"What do you mean?" voiced Ash. "He's holding it right now!" Pikachu laughed to the tease.

"Good one," Zoro sighed. "Still, this blade needs to be sharpened. Luckily for you, I know who can do the job. It may include a fee, but he's helped me forge this sword." Ash realized it was the sword Zoro used to measure Ash's sword.

"You think Ipponmatsu will sharpen that small sword?" asked Franky.

"He's the one I turn to, even though finding him is pretty frustrating," Zoro admitted. "Let's get going. He'll want to see the blade himself." He left while Franky, Ash and Pikachu stood still.

"Five ryo Berries says we're going to be there before he does," Franky wagered. Ash and Pikachu nodded, believing the bet.

Forged Swords & Tough Friends

Arriving at a new flat, Franky, Ash and Pikachu entered to see a balding raven-haired man with his hair looking like black wings protruding from the back of his head. He wore a blue robe and the tip of his nose from bright red. "Franky, I wasn't expecting you," he welcomed "Did one of your tools break?"

"Nah, all my tools are in tiptop shape," Franky dismissed. "Actually, we're here for him." Seeing Ash, the other raven-haired looked puzzled.

"Why would you bring a kid here?"

"But, he's not just any kid, Ipponmatsu... he's the Summoner." Looking, Ipponmatsu saw Pikachu and realized the occasion.

"My god… so the boy is the infamous Summoner. I heard that he has creatures that he can call forth. It's an honor to finally meet you." Ash smiled to the compliment. "Still, why would the Summoner come into my shop?" Ash brought out his sword.

"I had the monk Zoro tell me to see you about my katana," Ash spoke up as he unsheathed his sword.

"It does seem strange for the Summoner to hold a katana," Ipponmatsu pondered as he took the blade.

"He did tell us that he also trained as a ninja," Franky added. Ipponmatsu's eyes widened.

"What!?" he gawked. "Ninja!?" Seeing the size of the katana, Ipponmatsu started to picture the possibility. "Oh, this is a kodachi. It makes sense since kodachi swords are shorter than katanas for quicker draws. However, looking at this… I'm starting to believe it hasn't been sharpened since its' original forge. Summoner, was this kodachi given to you?"

"Yeah, by my sensei's brother," Ash confirmed.

"I see…" concerned Ipponmatsu as Zoro entered. Seeing the group, he became frustrated.

"Dammit!" he snapped. "I hate it when I'm given wrong directions!" Ipponmatsu and Franky shook their heads.

"If you stuck with us, you wouldn't have found yourself on another land," Franky mulled. Zoro groaned to the rebuttal.

"Even Pikachu would've got you here quicker than we did," Ash muttered.

"Not another word from any of you," Zoro grunted as he turned to Ipponmatsu. "So, you saw the sword?" Ipponmatsu nodded.

"However, this sword will have a hard time cutting through paper," he judged. "Let alone human skin. I would need about ten Ryo Berries to sharpen this blade. Otherwise, I could sell you a different sword for about 25 Ryo Berries." Ash and Pikachu mulled to the cost of each transaction.

"I know you don't have that much money," Franky realized.

"What about teaching me how to forge one?" wondered Ash. Ipponmatsu thought about the new offer.

"I think I can help out," he volunteered. "This way." They reached the back where they saw all sorts of tools and heated areas.

"You know, I never bothered to know what it takes to forge a sword," Zoro admitted.

"I'm with you on that," Franky joined. "Though, it's not swords… just other tools." Ash came over to a box full of charcoal.

"Do you use this to head the blades?" he asked.

"Almost all of my blades are forged in fire," Ipponmatsu claimed. "Let's get this warmed up." Ash came over to the pile of charcoal.

"Pikachu, let's start with a Thunderbolt," he suggested. Agreeing, Pikachu used Thunderbolt to set the charcoal on fire. To the side was a wooden pump.

"Alright, now we use this fan to keep it burning," Ipponmatsu instructed. Ash grabbed the handle and repeatedly pulled and pushed the long wood pole, the fire growing to burn the charcoal. Zoro dug into his robe and pulled out an ore and a large fang.

"Here, I kept these around for future uses," he offered as he tossed them. Ash caught the ore while Ipponmatsu caught the fang and gasped.

"This!" he realized. "It's a dragon fang!" Ash gasped to the item.

"A dragon fang?" he repeated.

"Yes, one from the mountains," Ipponmatsu awed. "But what is one doing in your possession!?" Zoro itched his head.

"I was looking for a new place to drink in Grand Jipang when I somehow found and fought a dragon," he shrugged. Ash, Franky and Pikachu palmed their pained faces to another moment of Zoro's ability to be lost. "I defeated it before I took the fang and a horn."

"Quit bragging about one dragon!" snapped Ipponmatsu. Zoro sighed before tossing the ore to Ipponmatsu who tossed it to Ash. He tossed the ore into the fire, heating it to a bright orange before he used clamps to pull it out before placing it on a hard plate. Ipponmatsu held a long hammer before smashing at the heated ore. After a few smashes, Ipponmatsu picked the hammer up. "Now, back to the fire." Ash complied and reinserted the ore back into the fire. He continued to pump air to heat the fire and the ore before they repeated the process. The ore was flattened. "Now, dip the ore into the water." Ash complied, dunking the hot ore before it cooled down. "Let's get it back on the chopping block to shape it. Ash put the ore on the block before Ipponmatsu presented a smaller hammer. Ash broke the ore to pieces before collecting them into a pile.

"I never knew there were so many steps into making a blade," Zoro awed.

"Agreed," Ash believed. Once gathered, Ipponmatsu poured clay mud onto it.

"Let's continue to heat it," he instructed. Ash put the mud-covered ore into the fire with Zoro helping with the rod to heat the flame.

"What's going on?" asked Ash.

"You look like you need some help," Zoro briefed. Ash smiled. After a period of time, Ash pulled out the ore covered in a white glow. Hammer in hand, Ash chiseled on the ore, creating a hole in the shape of the fang. He inserted the fang before applying more of the clay mud. Back to the fire and more heat.

"It's going to take a lot of fire to put the sword together," Franky assessed. After that, Ipponmatsu had Ash scoop water.

"Franky, when Ash spurts water onto the ore, hammer it," he instructed.

"Got it!" accepted Franky as he got the hammer. Ash splashed some water on the ore before Franky slammed the hammer. After that, the ore folded before it was folded and melded together. More fire was implemented, more hammering was done. The ore seemed to be sharpened to a curved sword. The tip of the sword looked like the fang that was used.

"That still looks small," Zoro nagged.

"It's not your sword," Franky reminded. "It's Ash's." Ipponmatsu studied the blade.

"I can sense a power with the blade," he awed. "Fine work, Summoner. Let's get your old kodachi and remove the hilt." He drilled a hole into the blade as Ash removed a rod from his old sword, the blade falling out. Franky lifted the blade and grinned.

"I'm thinking I can give this blade a second life," he pondered. Everyone else looked to Franky, curious to the idea.

"What could you possibly do with a sword that can't cut anything?" wondered Zoro.

"Who says it needs to cut anything?" he retorted. "Gimme a couple of days and you'll see." Ash and Pikachu seemed eager to see what Franky had in mind. "Still, why keep the hilt? Why not get a new one?"

"Easy, it as my temple's emblem," Ash spoke. Everyone saw the emblem on the bottom of the blade where they realized the meaning.

"Your home ever since your parents were killed," Zoro nodded. "It's your way of honoring them." Ash nodded before they headed outside where straw dummies stood. "Alright, let's see this new blade in action." Ash nodded as he held the sheath of his new sword. When he grabbed the hilt, a sensation rippled through Ash. He sensed it.

'Just by touching the hilt, the blade is emitting a significant amount of power,' he thought. 'I have a feeling that this blade will be destructive.' He unsheathed the new blade, an energy radiating from the steel. He approached the dummy and lined himself. He cocked his arms back before slashing down. The blade sliced right through the dummy, but it looked like a miss at first. Suddenly, the slice occurred before the dummy's split body fell to the ground.

"Nice!" nodded Zoro before a large branch fell on top of the severed dummy. Everyone gawked and looked up, finding the branch had a huge slice off the tree.

"He just sliced the dummy clean, and a branch off of that tree?" gulped Franky.

"The dragon fang is one of ancient power," Ipponmatsu gulped. "Zoro, what was the dragon that you killed?" Zoro shrugged to the question.

"Orange-red dragon, several horns, wings that were massive…" he listed. "It still meant nothing." Ipponmatsu's face drooped.

"That dragon has been alive for centuries!" he warned. "And you were able to kill it?"

"What's the big deal?" questioned Zoro. Everyone else dropped the subject before Ash looked to the blade, a dragon's eye looked to have imprinted itself on the sword.

"Dragon Blade," he named. Ipponmatsu smiled at the sight as Ash sheathed the sword. At the Pinwheel, everyone awed the new blade as Ash ate some sushi.

"So, this is your new ninja sword," Usopp realized. "And you have the fang of an ancient dragon inside?"

"I know, right?" he replied with his mouth partially full.

"The fact that it can cut things without actually touching it is scary," Luffy gulped. "A sword like that shouldn't be in your hands." Onami didn't think it's a big deal.

"The Summoner with a sword seems unnecessary," she shrugged. "It would be easier if he stayed with summoning and not be a swordsman, let alone a ninja."

"I don't see it that way," Ocarrot disagreed. "What if Ash uses up his summoning magic, and he still needs to finish the job? It's better for youteia to be prepared for nothing than not be prepared for anything youteia don't expect." Onami had a second thought to the claim.

"I mean, I get it," she understood. "It just feels unnatural." Sanji took the Dragon Blade and started to pull it out of the sheath.

"Damn, a blade like this can fillet a lot of meat that come to my restaurant," he awed. "I wonder… could he give me a chance to see how strong the blade is?" Omao took the Dragon Blade from Sanji.

"I'm sure Franky can make you a sharper knife if you want a new one," she smiled. Sanji saluted Omao with a huge grin.

"Of course, Omao!" he cheered. Onami came to Ash while Omao returned the Dragon Blade.

"Ash, I was wanting to ask this," she started. "Is it possible for me to keep Pikachu for the night?" The offer made Pikachu giddy.

("Can I, Ash?") squeaked Pikachu. Hearing his first summoned, Ash smiled.

"Sure," he answered. Pikachu happily leaped into Onami's arms.

"I think we can head on home and put your new sword away," Robin suggested. Ash nodded before they said bye to their friends and left for the flat. "I know that you're responsible with swords, Ash… Still, I don't want you to cut yourself recklessly."

"I won't, Mom," Ash promised. As they returned to the flat, Pikachu was in a new home where he and Onami bathed. Pikachu was a bit startled seeing the voluptuous young woman's figure. He patted the breasts, causing the body part to squeeze under his pressure. Humored, Onami giggled.

"Are you surprised with my figure, Pikachu?" she teased. Pikachu seemed hesitant in responding. "I don't blame you. Maybe this is something Ash might react to as well," Pikachu squeaked in thinking Ash would struggle at a young figure like Onami. "Then again, Ocarrot did sleep with Ash… and you know how developed she is. Maybe you two don't like large breasts." Pikachu shook his head, denying the claim. "Oh, so the size doesn't matter. I'm glad that's the case. Of course, my sister would also admire you."

("You have a sister?") wondered Pikachu.

"Yeah, she's more or less an older adopted sister. I can bet she'll want to check up on me soon enough. She might like you as well." Pikachu's eyes lit up, hoping to meet the sister. Ash may have a new blade as the weeks to the festive party counted down.

TO BE CONTINUED...