"Am I really that scary? That bastard actually fainted..."
"Lance, did you get anything out of your side?"
Hammer looked at the unconscious mafioso in front of him with clear irritation, though there was nothing he could do about it.
"Yeah, we did. Their family's base is the Florin Estate outside the city."
"Florin Linda, that's who we're looking for."
Now that they had their target, they wasted no time. Grabbing the other mafioso as a guide, they headed straight for the Florin Estate.
The group headed straight for the Estate. Before long, they arrived at its gates.
The Estate looked quite grand, surrounded by high walls and dense trees. The gates were tightly shut, exuding an air of secrecy.
Hammer stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a while, it slowly opened. A butler-like man peeked out cautiously.
"We're here to see Florence Linda," Hammer said.
The butler looked them over, and when he noticed the unconscious mafioso being carried, his expression darkened.
"Please wait a moment." With that, he closed the door.
Not long after, a group of armed men rushed out and surrounded Hammer and the others.
Hammer wasn't fazed in the slightest. He stepped forward and said loudly, "We're only here to talk business with Florence Linda. We're not looking for trouble."
The man leading the group sneered, "Talk business? Dragging my people here and calling it business?"
Hammer sighed inwardly and casually waved his hand, clearly ready to fight.
Behind him, Lance and the others were already cracking their knuckles. Even little Hina was eager for action.
Just as the two sides were about to clash, a deep voice called out, "Let them in." The gate opened again, and a tall, imposing middle-aged man stepped out. It was Florence Linda. Hammer looked him up and down, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. The man radiated a strong presence, not a pushover.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of hosting the famed Marine Vice Admiral Hammer, the legendary blacksmith, Master Ornn, in my humble estate?"
As expected of a mafia boss, he recognized Hammer instantly.
Then again, Hammer's reputation had spread like wildfire.
Thanks to Admiral Sengoku's deliberate PR campaign, headlines like "Marine Prodigy," "Master Blacksmith," and "Creator of Legendary Blades" were plastered everywhere.
Even Hammer himself had no idea how famous he'd become.
He stood there stunned as Florence Linda finished speaking. "Am I really that well-known?" he murmured.
His little fangirl, Hina, piped up instantly, "Super famous! Vice Admiral Hammer, don't you read the newspaper?"
"Yup! You're on practically every front page these days!"
Hammer's jaw dropped.
'How did I not know this?!'
Unbeknownst to him, this was Sengoku's plan all along. He'd specifically told Morgans not to send newspapers to Hammer.
A blatant threat, but Morgans didn't care. Hammer had made him tons of money; he wasn't about to let that stop.
"Hahaha, it seems Vice Admiral Hammer truly had no idea."
"Someone, fetch today's World Economic Newspaper."
Soon, a fresh newspaper was handed to Hammer.
He looked at it and instantly wanted to die from secondhand embarrassment.
[Marine Prodigy Hammer: The Undisputed Master Blacksmith!]
[Does the Winterborne Rival the 12 Supreme Grade Swords?]
[How Should Pirates Respond to This Rising Marine Star?]
Nearly half the paper was about him.
Hammer was so embarrassed he could've curled his toes through the floorboards.
"Sengoku, damn old man"
He took out a notebook, gave Sengoku another star rating, and scribbled: 'Uses me as clickbait, no regard for my dignity!'
"Hahaha, Then, Vice Admiral Hammer, now can you tell me why you've come to my little Manor?"
Hammer folded the paper and got straight to the point.
"Yule Town. Ring any bells?"
At the mention of Yule Town, Florence Linda glanced past Hammer to Lance and smiled in realization.
"Very well. I'll issue orders immediately. No one will bother Yule Town again."
Florence Linda's easygoing attitude surprised Hammer. He had been prepared to flex a little to get what he wanted.
"With the renowned Master Ornn here in person, I know better than to push my luck."
Smiling men often give off the vibe of sly foxes or schemers, and that's exactly the impression Florence Linda gave Hammer now.
"Let's hear it, what's the price? I doubt you're just being nice."
Hammer crossed his arms and looked coldly at Florence Linda.
"Hahaha, as expected of a clever man. Truth is, I've long admired your work, Master Ornn."
"Getting the chance to meet you, of course, I want a slice of the pie."
"I heard you've worked with Hydra Society before. I run a few auction houses in the West Blue myself. Any chance we can cooperate?"
Just as Hammer suspected.
"Doing business, huh? I like it. But what kind of offer are we talking about?"
"You should know, every item forged by yours truly is a masterpiece."
Hammer loved making money. And the higher-ups had said, as long as what he sold wasn't clearly a weapon, he could sell anything he liked.
"Master Ornn, I'm not greedy. I only want 10% of the profits; the rest is yours."
"Psh, even Hydra only takes 10%, and you're asking that on our first deal?"
Hammer scoffed. Even 1% was money, he had to haggle.
Hammer had only been testing him, and was stunned when the guy immediately agreed. 'What the hell, man? Aren't you supposed to haggle?'
In that moment, despite having lived two lives, Hammer felt like he was only good for swinging a hammer. Nothing else.
And so, the agreement was struck. The Florence Family would take 8% in fees and become Hammer's third auction partner.
Hammer didn't have time to wait for the auction, so he left two items behind for them to sell.
The money from the auction would be wired to his account immediately.
Florence Linda agreed without hesitation.
Before Hammer left, he even gifted him a fine brocade box as a token of their partnership.
Hammer, naturally, took it without a second thought. Free stuff, why not?
As the group left, a sly grin crept across Florence Linda's face.
"Master, was it really necessary to concede so much for a mere Vice Admiral?" the butler asked, confused.
"You don't understand. He's no ordinary Vice Admiral; he's someone from Marine HQ, not like the useless ones here in the Blues. "A rising star. Future pillar of the Marines. I've also heard through underground channels, he made it to Mary Geoise."
"A Marine who reached Mary Geoise, do you understand what that means?"
"Just some money. The Florence Family has plenty of that."
The butler suddenly understood his master's intent.
Pulling strings with big names… With this, the Florence Family would gain the upper hand in their rivalries with other families…
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu