"Monkey bro, if you want me to make a weapon for you, just say the word. With the bond we have, how could I possibly say no?"
Hammer and Borsalino had always gotten along well; they'd been best buddies since their training camp days.
"Ohhh~? Should I believe that or not~?"
"Too bad my light powers can't be stored like magma. Otherwise, I'd definitely get you to make me a custom weapon."
"I really like Sakazuki's Divine Axe, though the design is a bit... crude. If it were me, I'd go for an elegant longsword."
Both Borsalino and Sakazuki had originally been swordsmen before their Devil Fruits led them to neglect their blade skills. Monkey still found the giant axe a bit too barbaric; swords were much more refined.
"Storing light, huh... that's a bit tricky... or is it?"
"Come on, let's take a walk. Maybe inspiration will strike. Don't forget, this is Punk Hazard after all."
Images of weapons swirled in Hammer's mind. Soon, he had a concept, though he wasn't sure it could actually be built.
Too unconventional. Too wild.
While Vegapunk's lab hummed along in full swing, Hammer didn't disturb him. Instead, he wandered around looking for materials and weapons.
Guided by Borsalino, the group entered the armory. And Hammer? He helped himself like it was a buffet.
He pointed at everything, praising it and claiming it, until even Borsalino started glowing.
"Whoa whoa, Monkey Bro, you going back on your word? Didn't you say I could take whatever I wanted?"
Hammer started sweating as Borsalino's glow intensified, condensed laser beam. He knew his body couldn't take that kind of hit.
"Heheheh~, Hammer-kun, I said take a little, not clear out the entire armory. Look at how much you grabbed!"
"Did I grab that much?"
"It's just a few guns, a few cannons, right?"
"A few guns?! A THOUSAND of our newly developed rapid-fire submachine guns?! We only made FIFTEEN HUNDRED total! You took two-thirds!"
"A few cannons?! You grabbed every caliber in sight! Tell me, how exactly are you fitting fixed artillery emplacements on your ship?! HMMM?! How big do you think the Warhammer is?!"
Hammer suddenly felt a bit guilty. Fixed emplacements might be a problem. But they just looked so powerful!
"Aw, Monkey Bro, don't be stingy!"
"Where's the guy who shared cake with me back in training camp? The world's gone cold..."
Borsalino's entire face started to sparkle, his fingers glowing gold with deadly lasers.
"WAIT WAIT WAIT! DON'T SHOOT!"
As the lasers shot toward him, Hammer danced like a ballet ninja, using Observation Haki to barely evade each blast.
"I'll trade! I'll trade stuff for it!"
Hearing the word trade, Borsalino immediately halted firing his lasers and put on his classic sleazy grin.
"What do you have~? I'm very curious~"
Hammer took out a large chunk of material in front of him.
"Here! Ice from the Jewel Ice Sheet. This stuff is insanely durable, even Garp couldn't smash through it."
"I hauled it all the way from the West Blue. Premium quality! Imagine, Monkey, a lounge chair made from this. No summer heat could bother you! Regular fire can't even melt it."
Lance, watching from the side, broke into a cold sweat.
'Using the very ice that's been driving him crazy as bargaining chips...This guy really is pure devious.'
"Hmm... It is quite hard. And the temperature is perfect for a lounge chair."
"But Warhammer~ If it's so great, why haven't you forged anything with it?"
If there was one Marine with a sharp mind, it wasn't Sengoku or even Kong. It was this sleazy monkey. Don't be fooled by the creep factor; his brain was razor-sharp.
"Ehehe... Nothing gets past you, huh? Yeah, I tried forging it, but the material won't bond with other metal."
"I'm out of ideas. Figured I'd try my luck here, see if Dr. Vegapunk has any solutions."
"But this piece? I saved it just for you! I know how much you love comfort. This ice was made for you!"
Seeing Borsalino's skeptical smile, Hammer explained frantically.
"Absolutely! We're brothers-in-arms! Would I lie to you?"
'Well... Persuasion isn't the same as a Lie. Probably.'
"Jewel Ice Sheet, also called the Unmelting Ice... Didn't expect you to get your hands on this."
A male voice interrupted them.
Turning around, they saw Shaka, dressed in black, slowly approaching. His gaze was locked on the chunk of Jewel Ice.
It was the first time Hammer had heard the term; he was intrigued.
"Ice that doesn't melt, also known as perpetual frost. Extremely rare in the world."
"Its molecular structure is incredibly stable, very hard to alter."
"I imagine Vice Admiral Hammer has already tried forging it?"
Hammer nodded stiffly.
'As expected from the Brain-Brain Fruit user. This guy's knowledge is insane.'
"Unmelting Ice is a treasure. Using it in scientific research is a brilliant idea."
"As for changing its structure, I do have an idea."
These words made Hammer beam with joy. This whole trip was just to unwind and find a way to deal with this ice.
"Since it's ice, fight ice with ice. Use extremely ultra-low temperature cold to disrupt its structure and merge it with other ice."
"That way, it keeps its hardness and shape, but can be 'transformed', though this might only be a partial solution. Finding cold strong enough to assimilate it is another matter."
Borsalino and Hammer both furrowed their brows.
They looked at each other and, in perfect sync, they shouted:
And then Hammer burst out laughing.
Why Kuzan and not the Winterborne?
Because while the blade emitted cold, it had its limits.
Only Kuzan, with his Logia-type Ice-Ice Fruit, could do the job right.
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu