Although Hammer was angry after leaving Sabaody, he was ultimately helpless.
His plan to lie in wait had been disrupted, and he had no choice but to find a new location for his assessment.
Eventually, he set his sights on the North Blue.
Of the four seas- East, West, South, and North- the North Blue was the most chaotic.
It lacked the peace of the East Blue, the wealth of the West Blue, and the stability of the South Blue.
Instead, it was filled with mafia turf wars, crisscrossing underground network dealings, incessant wars between kingdoms, and the rampant pillaging of countless pirates.
Chaotic as it was, it was the perfect place for Hammer to complete his evaluation.
Having chosen his destination, Hammer pushed his engines to the max and charged toward the North Blue.
After several days, he finally sailed out of the Grand Line and into the North Blue.
The journey had utterly drained him.
The Grand Line's cursed weather had taken a serious toll on him.
Hammer silently swore: 'Never again, I'm done sailing, this is pure torture.'
Even though his ring was stocked with plenty of food, nothing could fix how mind-numbingly boring the voyage was. There was nothing to do but steer the ship, day after day.
Hammer was losing it.
Finally reaching the North Blue, he immediately found an island and made landfall.
The island's name: Hanayaka(Pretty) Island.
It was a free island.
On it, there were merchants, mafia, pirates- you name it.
But the moment Hammer stepped ashore, someone locked their eyes on him.
Why? Simple, he was wearing a Marine sailor uniform.
"Heh, no wonder this place is called chaotic. Looks like I arrived at a bad time."
Hammer gave a faint smile as he watched a gang of pirates approaching him.
How did he know they were pirates? Easy, the skull insignias on their clothes gave it away.
"Marine, this island doesn't welcome your kind."
The pirate leader stepped forward with a menacing tone, gripping a gleaming broadsword.
Hammer remained completely calm. He took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and asked a question that left the pirates stunned:
"Do you have a bounty?"
"What? A bounty? After I kill you, I'll have one! You're going to be our first step toward fame!"
Feeling insulted, the pirate leader swung his sword down at Hammer's head.
Hammer activated Tekkai (Iron Body), and the sword instantly shattered, leaving only the hilt.
Hammer brushed his hair aside with a look of mild annoyance.
"Um...Sorry, but I'm not interested in a bunch of bounty-less nobodies. And honestly, you don't even have a pirate flag? Calling yourselves pirates? You'd have a brighter future as blacksmiths."
With that, he turned and calmly walked into the town, leaving the stunned group of pirates swaying in the wind.
"Boss… was your sword made of cheap metal? How did it shatter in one hit?"
The pirate leader looked conflicted.
"N-No… that sword's been in my family for generations. According to my grandfather's father, it was once used to cut down pirates…"
Pirate underling: "...Why do I suddenly feel a chill down my neck?"
"Sigh… Pirates, huh? We don't even have real, proper weapons. What kind of pirates are we? Maybe we should just go home and farm…"
Little did Hammer know that, because of his offhand comment, this group of rookie pirates gave up on piracy and returned to farming.
Had Hammer known that his indifference, not even an intentional insult, had convinced these would-be pirates to abandon their dreams and return to farming, he might have just burst out laughing.
Passing by a clothing shop, Hammer glanced at his Marine uniform and instinctively clicked his tongue.
When he reappeared, he was wearing a new outfit: a black suit with leather boots, making him look sharp and capable.
"Now I won't get recognized just for wearing a uniform."
"Next step: find a pirate with a bounty, take him down, and bring him to the nearest Marine branch."
With his goal set, Hammer began searching the island.
Despite its rowdy mix of people, he soon realized this place was just a supply hub.
The pirates here were all small fry, coming only to restock, no big names.
With nothing worthwhile, Hammer once again set sail toward the next island.
But just as he stepped onto his speedboat, a massive pirate ship docked at the port.
A pirate flag with a skull wrapped in a giant blade caught Hammer's attention.
"Greatblade Pirates? A group that has dominated the North Blue for years. Captain Greatblade Orito has a bounty of 30 million Berries. His first mate, Tongue-Licker Mansi, has a bounty of 12 million."
"Well, well. A big fish has arrived."
Hammer shut off the engine and looked at the Greatblade Pirates with interest.
Their ship was covered in damage, clearly from a recent and brutal fight. The deck was riddled with holes, some of them looking scorched as if something had burned right through.
"Damn that Marine mad dog! He chased us all the way here. If not for the storm, we'd be dead by now!"
Captain Orito was furious. The rest of the pirates nodded, their faces showing a hint of fear.
It was clear they'd just faced something terrifying.
"Get food and water fast! The rest of you, fix the ship! Move it! If he catches up, we're finished!"
As a seasoned veteran pirate, Olito knew better than to linger.
In the very next second, a towering and muscular young man, three meters tall, appeared at the bow of the pirate ship.
"Sorry, pirates, but your careers end here."
Hammer's sudden appearance immediately pissed off the entire crew.
"Where the hell did this brat come from?! Who said you could board our ship?!"
"Get the hell off, you bastard!"
One pirate, a small-time thug named Karami who was closest to Hammer, cursed and slashed at him with a long blade.
"Tsk tsk… Can't you guys just behave?"
"Small Hammer- Forty!"
Hammer clenched his right fist, twisted his body, and threw a devastating punch.
A thunderous crash exploded through the air.
Karami was sent flying at a speed too fast for the eye to follow, crashing straight into the ship's cabin.
He was instantly dead.
The scene terrified every pirate on the ship, even Greatblade Orito's face showed a flash of fear.
"Damn it! What kind of monstrous strength is that?!"
He had just barely escaped the pursuit of one monster, and now he'd run into another one.
He hadn't realized the person in front of him was a Devil Fruit user, not that it mattered. Even without any abilities, Hammer was far beyond what Orito could handle.
"Are you a bounty hunter? I have money on my ship, 50 million Berries."
"I'll give it all to you. Just let us go, how about it?"
Orito was still trying to make a last-ditch negotiation.
"Of course not-hmm? What's that?"
Just as Hammer was about to cruelly refuse, a faint red glow lit up in the distance.
In the next instant, Hammer vanished from his spot.
Because what he saw… was a barrage of fireballs.
Right after Hammer disappeared, Orito was just about to breathe a sigh of relief, until he saw the entire sky filled with fireballs raining down toward them.
He didn't even finish cursing before the entire pirate ship was engulfed in flames.
"Which bastard is stealing my assessment target?!"
Hammer was furious and looked toward the source of the fireballs.
And sure enough, he saw a familiar face.
It was one of the Marines' three monstrous prodigies who had graduated early, Sakazuki, the future Akainu.
As the Greatblade Pirates were wiped out, not a single one survived.
Sakazuki's battleship slowly docked at the harbor.
Hammer stood at the port, glaring at Sakazuki standing proudly at the ship's bow.
"You bastard Sakazuki! That was MY prey!"
"Big Hammer- Eighty!"
With a sudden burst of Soru, Hammer appeared right in front of Sakazuki, both fists raised.
Sakazuki smirked as Hammer twisted mid-air, his entire body pivoting horizontally, both fists slamming into Sakazuki's chest.
A violent shockwave erupted, but Sakazuki's body instantly burst apart, scattering into molten magma.
"GODDAMN! That's hot!!"
The searing heat on his fists and Sakazuki's transformed state made one thing clear - the man was already well on his way to becoming Akainu.