"Hammer! Time to eat! How many days have you been in there now?"
"Are you trying to starve yourself to death?"
Outside the door, Lance looked helpless. No matter how hard he knocked or shouted, the only response was the deafening sound of metal being struck.
"He still won't come out?"
Lance suddenly turned around and saw Zephyr, who had silently appeared behind him, smiling faintly.
"Instructor Zephyr... yeah, ever since the press conference, he's locked himself in there."
Zephyr nodded slightly and walked up to the forge room's door.
"Damn brat, open up! Or I'm breaking in!"
"...Fine! I'm coming in myself!"
Since Hammer ignored him, Zephyr covered his whole body with Armament Haki and reached out with a powerful force to push the door open.
The moment he did, Zephyr braced himself. after all, he'd been launched into the sky by a hammer once before. He wasn't about to let that happen again.
But to his surprise, everything went smoothly; the door opened easily.
Inside, Hammer stood with lifeless eyes, right hand raising and lowering his hammer mechanically, like a robot.
Muttering to himself: 'It's over... it's all over...'"
Zephyr and Lance were stunned at the sight.
"What are you standing there for? Take him to the hospital!"
"But, sir, what kind of hospital?"
"A psychiatric ward! Can't you see he's out of his mind?"
"Uh... Does Marineford even have one of those...?"
"Probably not. Doesn't matter, just get him to a hospital!"
And so, Zephyr grabbed Hammer and dragged him off.
After a series of examinations, the doctor looked seriously at the report and then at Hammer, before speaking gravely to Zephyr:
"Chief Instructor Zephyr, based on the current diagnosis, Rear Admiral Hammer..."
Seeing the doctor's serious face, Zephyr's heart leaped into his throat, worried that something was wrong.
"What's wrong with him? Is it serious?"
"There's nothing physically wrong with him. He's just... mentally exhausted."
Zephyr was dumbfounded.
"If he's fine, then why is he ?"
"He may have subconsciously hypnotized himself to avoid facing reality."
"Hypnosis? So, how do we snap him out of it?"
"Pain? Shock? That usually works."
The next second, Zephyr's fists were coated in Haki. He marched over to Hammer, who sat in a chair.
Both fists are in position.
The sheer force of Black Arm Zephyr's punch sent Hamemr, along with the chair and part of the wall, flying straight out of the hospital.
Lance and the doctor were both stunned.
With a heavy crash, Hammer hit the ground outside. Marines turned their heads and, upon recognizing him, showed both admiration and curiosity.
"WHO THE HELL HIT ME?! AND WITH HAKI?!"
"Ow, damn it, you hit my face!"
Hammer lay on the ground, clutching his face and groaning.
Zephyr flashed in front of him, smiling cheerfully. "You awake now?"
Hammer saw Zephyr and knew exactly why he got smacked.
"Yeah, I'm awake! You really didn't hold back, huh? My poor face..."
"If I held back, would you have woken up? Hypnosis, huh? You learned that, too?"
"Hehe, just a newly developed Devil Fruit Technique, Hypno Smash. Want to try it, Teacher?"
Zephyr quickly shook his head. But then he noticed two figures rushing toward them.
"Hmm? Gion, Shirley? What are you doing here?"
"Teacher Zephyr, it's bad! Someone from Mary Geoise is here! A Celestial Dragon is demanding to see Hammer! Fleet Admiral Kong and Admiral Sengoku are stalling. Sister Tsuru told us to find Hammer and get him out to sea, NOW!"
'A Celestial Dragon?' Zephyr's brow furrowed deeply.
"WHAT?! A CELESTIAL DRAGON?! OH NO, IT'S OVER! TEACHER, SAVE ME! I STILL HAVE SO MUCH TO DO IN THE NAVY! I DON'T WANNA GET DRAGGED AWAY BY A CELESTIAL DRAGON!"
In the world of One Piece, the most dangerous thing isn't the sea; pirates, at most, will just kill you.
The most dangerous threat is definitely the Celestial Dragons. They aren't people, they're monsters.
"No! Lance, hurry! I need to set sail, anywhere is fine! Just get me out!"
"No need, Rear Admiral Hammer. You'd better come with me to meet Saint Rosward."
A cold voice interrupted. A white-cloaked man wearing a spotted dog mask appeared before them, eyes gleaming behind the mask.
"CP0... even you've been mobilized?"
"But I'm afraid this is Marineford. Even CP0 has no authority to act recklessly here."
Zephyr stepped in front of Hammer, standing tall with fists starting to darken.
"Hmph, former Admiral Black Arm Zephyr..."
"So you don't intend to cooperate?"
Neither side backed down, and Zephyr's fists were already coated in Haki.
Then Hammer suddenly twitched at the name Rosward, and images of the Hydra Society in Sabaody came to mind. Realization dawned on him.
"Teacher, I'll go with him!"
Zephyr turned to him in disbelief, only to see a sly grin on Hammer's face.
"Don't worry, I've got this."
'Rosward? The guy who bought my bed? If it's him, this will be easy.'
'Might even be a good opportunity to connect with the Celestial Dragons, it could help in the future.'
"Are you sure? Hammer, that's..."
Zephyr still looked conflicted, but Hammer cut him off with a wave.
"CP0, was it? Lead the way. Let's meet your master."
Fleet Admiral's Office
"Saint Rosward, Rear Admiral Hammer has already set sail. If you need anything, just let me know, I'll handle it for you," Sengoku spoke sternly, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of irritation and urgency as he faced the Celestial Dragon seated before him.
"Yes, Saint Rosward. Sengoku is the only Admiral at headquarters. If you need protection, he'll ensure your safety."
Rosward looked disdainfully at Sengoku's afro.
"Why would I want some old geezer following me around? I want to see Orn, no, Hammer."
"Ugh, Dontari's efficiency is so poor. How hard is it to find one guy?!"
Hearing this, Kong and Sengoku felt a sense of doom.
Just then, the doors to the Fleet Admiral's office opened. Two figures entered.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Admiral Sengoku, I'm here."
"Oh, and you must be the esteemed Saint Rosward. I'm Hammer. Also known as Orn."
Hammer wore a broad smile, one that was full of cunning.
Rosward eyed him up and down, then exchanged a glance with Dontari behind him.
Dontari nodded, putting Rosward at ease.
"Master Orn, you were hard to find."
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu