https://strawhats.rpg-board.net/t810-for-the-love-of-smithing?nid=51#3592

Mashyuu awoke for the first time in Mock Town, without a hangover. That fact alone brought a smile to the mans face, plus he had found his bag of clothes and could walk around without his pirate gear on. Surely that would make the next few days easier for the man. He was going on a voyage to Skypiea with a rock star named Klinghoffer, a nice enough guy who Mashyuu had partied with only two nights ago, and went on an adventure with to find the mans guitar after their binder just yesterday. It was time to take a day to see the town without having any worries, Mashyuu wanted to just stroll around once before he left. Hell it was half the reason he came to Mock Town to begin with. Mashyuu sat up in bed and tossed his feet over the side of the mattress while yawning. Ughh, I woke up way to early for this... Oh well, early bird and the worm. He thought to himself, still too tired to speak even under his breath. Like every morning, the half naked Mashyuu stumbled to the bathroom, blue eyes barely open and hand in his tangled mat of black hair, pulling knots out of it as he gently kicked the door behind him shut.

Twenty minutes later, the man stepped out of the bathroom cleaned, and wide awake. He stepped into the middle of the room and flapped his wings hard, giving them a little workout and stretched just enough to crack his back. The toned body of Mashyuu was starting to develop a bit of muscle but not enough that he looked stronger than your average man, but his bruised arm was almost completely healed. A few moments later he was dressed in a pair of black and red pants, a white shirt with a black suit jacket over it and black shoes to match. His dagger was placed in his right sleeve in a hidden sheath that he could quickly eject the weapon from if needed. He placed his red glasses on the bridge of his nose and shoved his hands in his pockets then headed out of the inn and into town for the day...

Birds chirped loudly as they flew overhead in the morning sky. The gentle breeze provided just enough cool air to make Mashyuu's jacket needed but not uncomfortable and the only sound people made was that of those who got up early to start their days work. Mashyuu didn't walk more than an hour before the sound of hammer hitting steel caught his attention. His ears twitched to the sound of metal on metal. Ding! Ding!...Ding! Ding! Without realizing he was even doing it, Mashyuu walked closer to the sound of metal hitting metal, the tone like music to his ears. He stopped outside a large stone building with a sign that hung over a wooden door. Engraved on the sign was a hammer hitting an anvil, while a bit archaic in nature, Mashyuu recognized it as a blacksmith's shop. With a bit of a lackadaisical glance at his hip, that was missing his morning star (since he left it at the inn) Mashyuu decided to enter the shop and see if he could find a better one that might be sold on the cheap.

As Mashyuu pushed the door open and entered the building, a small bell over the door rang but the hammering continued from the back of the building. The front of the building was large, mostly empty aside from a counter and walls lined with cages of various sizes. Inside them were weapons and armors that had been crafted beautifully. Some gilded in gold and sliver, others with markings from various races and tribes, all holding one distinct feature, to show that the weapons were made by the same person, a hand engraved etching of a paw print. Something Mashyuu found quite comical if not a bit pleasant. Oddly, none of the items in the cages had a price on them, were they not for sale?

Just as Mashyuu started to turn towards the counter to shout for help, the sound of ringing metal stopped and the wooden ground shook with the weight of each great step whoever was working made. From a door behind the counter a massive half Ox, half man stepped out. He wore a brown leather apron and had soot and sweat covering his face and arms, not to mention all his fur. "Hey kid, whater ya doin in here? I'm closed up for the day, I got o ton o stuff tooo make toooday fer some pirates o'for they gooo set sail. Now I don't much care for pirates but money is money." The Ox man explained. Mashyuu glanced at a morning star that caught his eye, then back at the Ox man. "I don't know the first thing about smithing, but if you take an hour or so to teach me, I'd be happy to help. Free of charge." The Ox man thought for a moment and stroked his chin with hoof like hands. "Ya know, an apprentice can't hurt. I have toooo much to do and you can help by getting the simple stuff done for me." He followed up by lifting his thumb and nudging it towards the door. "Take that jacket off and come get to work." Mashyuu smiled and nodded happily, the chance to learn was never a bad thing. He shrugged off his jacket, locked the door behind him and headed to the back of the building.

"Go ahead and grab an apron then step over tooo the forge." The Ox man ordered with a gesture to a rack that held a few aprons. "Oh and no shirt, don't want it tooo light on fire." Mashyuu glanced over his shoulder at the rack while hanging his jacket up then shrugged and removed his shirt only to put the apron on. As he approached the forge, the Ox man explained what a Blacksmith actually was. "Blacksmith's are more than weapon makers, we have general knowledge of how tooo craft a wide variety of things. Some of us specialize in things but we can work anywhere sooo don't limit yourself tooo weapons and armor. But toooday that is what we are paid to do." Mashyuu punched his palm and grasped his fist while nodding up and down, excited to get to work and learn a skill he could use in any town that didn't involve stealing. Picking up his tools, the Ox man went on to explain how their job actually worked in a nutshell. "Blacksmiths work by heating pieces of wrought iron or steel until the metal becomes soft enough for shaping with hand tools, such as a hammer, anvil and chisel. Heating generally takes place in a forge fueled by propane, natural gas, coal, charcoal, coke or oil. Color is important for indicating the temperature and workability of the metal. As iron heats to higher temperatures, it first glows red, then orange, yellow, and finally white. The ideal heat for most forging is the bright yellow-orange color that indicates forging heat. Because they must be able to see the glowing color of the metal, some blacksmiths work in dim, low-light conditions, but most work in well-lit conditions. The key is to have consistent lighting, but not too bright. Direct sunlight obscures the colors. The techniques of smithing can be roughly divided into forging (sometimes called "sculpting"), welding, heat-treating, and finishing." Mashyuu was following along so far and continued to follow along while the Ox explained the four stages of smithing. He went on in great detail until he was sure Mashyuu understood and even though Mashyuu was shade blind, he figured if he saw any hint of yellow (since he couldn't see orange) he would be in the clear.

After a few more instructions on how to craft, the pair set out. Mashyuu was to make daggers while the Ox made a barrel of cutlasses. Using a pair of long metal tongs and a heat resistant glove, Mashyuu placed a brick of iron in the forge and watched as it heated, shifted in color and finally became a bright yellow that reflected in Mashyuu's eyes so brightly that he almost had to put his glasses back on. Quickly he pulled the iron from the forge and placed it on an anvil. Mashyuu pulled a hammer from a shelf and started to strike the iron until it flattened out to four inches long. Quickly he turned the length and slid the length along an angled edge of the anvil and struck again, repeating the process and over then again on the other side. Following this he placed the iron in a large cauldron of water to temper it and look it over to make sure that the angles were correct. Once he was sure all was correct he heated the iron again until it was yellow and this time worked the bottom half of the iron until he had made a two inch long but thin pole. The Ox already had cross guards made for the daggers. Mashyuu slid the guard into place then set to work making a wooden handle, using his own dagger's as an example. After an hour of carving and smoothing wood he slid the handle into place along the pole and secured it with a simple capped screw that had the Ox's symbol imprinted onto it, completing the first of many daggers.

"Hey not bad, a little rough around the edges but that will fix itself with practice. Go ahead and finish the quota, if you do a good job I'll give you something as a reward for all the help." Ox man complimented Mashyuu's handy work for doing such a fine job on his first try. The winged man couldn't help but smile ear to ear without showing any teeth. Mashyuu placed the dagger in a chest that was near by and picked up another piece of iron, working to finish the order....

The sun started to set outside when Mashyuu was putting the last dagger together when the Ox man grabbed Mashyuu's shoulder and stopped him. "Wait, you've gotten good at this. And I think you should put your own touch on the last dagger, this will go to the captain. A signature touch should reflect who you are and be unique. Take your time and figure out what you want out of your signature." He stated. Mashyuu thought long and hard then picked up a cross guard and super heated it like he had the iron. The winged man spread his wings as the iron heated and examined his wings carefully. Taking a fine chisel and hammer Mashyuu worked the guard until each side resembled two wings much like his own. While it looked a bit crude, again he knew that with practice his art work would become much better. After assembling the last dagger, and placing it in the chest, Mashyuu was about to leave but was stopped.

"Work isn't done yet. We still have to sharpen all these. Come." The Ox man walked Mashyuu towards a pair of benches and two grind stones that rotated by using petals. "So I've noticed you have a few of everything set up. It's not like you have an extra in case something breaks. You have work space for two but only you work here... What's up?" Mashyuu asked as he sat down, and pressed the petals to see what each one did, already understanding the concept. "Mmm.... I used to have an apprentice, he worked here with me. Obviously. The boy moved on to other ventures, taking his talent elsewhere to work for the marines. I've never believed in helping one side, everyone needs something made of metal at some point. But he insisted on helping the marines and only the marines." Mashyuu understood and said nothing more on the subject. "Thanks for teaching me this. It's been a lot of fun." Mashyuu mentioned as the pair finished sharpening the weapons.

Standing at the door, Mashyuu was saying goodbye to the Ox man when the large, Mink held up a hooved hand and ran back to get a long box, the top secured by a few metal clips and a handle for carrying in the center of the box. He presented the box to Mashyuu and opened it. Inside were a smith's hammer, pair of tongs and a whetstone for sharpening, along with a small hand chisel for an intricate design. "This is for you. You have real skill and with practice your name could become legend. I don't want you tooo stop practicing this skill." Mashyuu bowed low repeatedly and took the box. "T-Thank you so much. I won't let your faith in me be squandered." The Ox man smiled and left Mashyuu with these final words. "If you're ever in Mock Town, my forge is open to you. Good luck on your journey Mashyuu. Work more than metal when you smith, put your heart and soul into it, make sure you are happy with each item you make and always be open to learning more."

Mashyuu returned to the tavern and his room, sliding the box under his bed, a wide smile on his face and a new desire in his heart. He would make the greatest weapons and armor in the world. All he would need was the proper gear, dials from Sky Island.