Chapter 146 — Flames, Metal, and New Possibilities
S.C. 1511 — Early March
Hidden Island — Forge Room
The forge crackled with heat. The air shimmered above the furnace, glowing deep orange. The newly installed wind-power line hummed softly, feeding energy into the bellows system Ren built last month.
Ren stood over the metal table, sleeves rolled up.
Kiro, sweating from carrying coal, wiped his forehead and said:
"You always pick the hottest work on the hottest day."
Ren didn't look up.
He was focused on the three metal ingots laid out before him.
KEA Alloy
Poly-KEA Blend
Experimental HEA Composite
Each one labeled carefully in charcoal.
Zemo sat a safe distance away, tail twitching from the heat, occasionally letting out a small bark—half encouragement, half complaint.
Ren lifted the tongs.
"Let's begin."
The First Batch — Poly-KEA Blend
The metal slid into the furnace with a dull clunk.
Kiro pumped the bellows—smooth, controlled, practiced.
"Temperature at eight hundred," Ren murmured, watching the color shift inside the furnace. "Keep it steady."
Kiro nodded, hands steady.
After a minute, Ren pulled out the molten blend and poured it into a small mold.
The liquid metal cooled unevenly.
Crack.
A thin fracture ran across the surface.
Kiro grimaced. "That doesn't look good."
Ren tapped the fracture lightly.
"Poly-KEA is too brittle when heated too quickly. The polymer part destabilizes."
"So we ditch it?"
"No," Ren said calmly. "We adjust."
He wrote notes:
Heat slower
Add stabilizer
Mix longer in molten state
Then he placed the ingot aside.
Zemo sniffed it, then sneezed.
"Agreed," Ren said. "This version isn't usable yet."
Second Batch — HEA Composite
This one required precision.
Copper.
Tin.
Trace cobalt.
KEA dust.
A pinch of zinc.
Ren measured everything precisely, his mind automatically running density and melting point calculations before he could even consciously think them.
He mixed the metals in the crucible.
The color shifted—darker than KEA, lighter than plain iron.
Kiro leaned over Ren's shoulder.
"Looks stronger."
"Looks isn't enough," Ren said.
He grabbed a hammer.
Test #1 — Flex
Clang.
The metal bent a little before returning to shape.
Ren nodded. "Good."
Test #2 — Edge Holding
He sharpened one side and cut through a wooden plank.
Clean cut.
Almost too clean.
Kiro's eyes widened. "Whoa."
Ren smiled faintly.
"It's strong… but we need to test impact."
Test #3 — Impact
Ren set a thick stone slab on the ground.
He raised the HEA piece and smashed it downward.
CRACK!
The stone cracked.
The metal didn't.
Kiro shouted, "That's it! That's the one!"
Zemo barked loudly in agreement.
Ren ran his thumb across the edge.
"…It's promising. Not perfect. But promising."
He wrote more notes:
HEA Composite = Good mid-strength alloy
Shock resistance high
Edge durability improved
Lighter than KEA
Interruption — Foosha Life Always Finds Him
Just as Ren set up the next mold—
"RENNNNN!!"
Ren flinched from the volume.
Luffy came running down the cave tunnel, nearly slipping on a damp patch.
"Ren! Ren! REN! Look!"
He shoved something small into Ren's hands.
A seashell.
Ren blinked. "Luffy… this is just a shell."
"No! It sounds like the sea! Listen!!"
He held it to Ren's ear.
Zemo rolled his eyes.
Kiro sighed.
Ren smiled—genuine despite the interruption.
"…Yes, Luffy. I hear it."
Luffy grinned proudly and ran off again.
Kiro laughed. "He came all the way here… for a shell."
"He wanted to share it," Ren said simply.
Then he returned to the metal table, mind back in focus almost instantly.
Third Batch — KEA Reforging Test
Ren placed a small KEA chunk in the furnace.
This was the metal he trusted most.
The metal that held up even during his earliest experiments.
He reheated it to test its reaction with new techniques.
After melting, Ren mixed in a tiny quantity of HEA dust—just to test.
The mixture shimmered with a strange blue tint.
"That's new," Kiro whispered.
Ren poured it into the mold.
Once cooled, he picked it up.
Heavy.
Dense.
Perfectly smooth.
He lifted his hammer and struck it.
THUD.
No dent.
He struck harder.
THUD.
Still nothing.
He struck with all his strength.
The hammer bounced.
Zemo's ears shot straight up.
Ren's eyes gleamed.
"…Interesting."
He wrote:
KEA+HEA hybrid is extremely shock resistant
Very dense
Potential for armor core?
Evening Wind — Closing the Forge
The furnace dimmed.
The metal cooled.
The day's results lay in neat rows:
Cracked Poly-KEA
Good HEA Composite
Exceptional KEA-HEA Hybrid
Kiro stretched his sore arms.
"I'm exhausted."
Ren packed the samples carefully.
"Then rest. Tomorrow, we test these against cutting, heat, and bending."
Kiro grinned.
Zemo wagged his tail.
The forge door opened to the night air.
Foosha's distant lanterns glowed softly.
Ren paused.
Three new metals.
Three new paths.
For the B.A.E.
For weapons.
For construction.
For the future.
He closed the door quietly behind him.
End of Chapter 146