"Scarlet! What nonsense are you spouting?!"
King Riku, who had just arrived, hadn't even stepped into the room before he heard his daughter's outrageous declaration. His mustache practically bristled with fury.
But Scarlet completely ignored him. The young girl's eyes were entirely locked onto Hammer.
If before she admired him out of respect and curiosity…
Now, it was ambition.
And it was all because of the rapier's attributes, which instantly caused the princess to "imprint" on Hammer.
And the most terrifying part?
Hammer couldn't bring himself to refuse.
That was the rapier's power at work.
"Lethality" wasn't just about attacks or damage.
Every word, every action carried its own lethal weight.
Hammer wanted to cry.
He just forged a sword! How did he end up in this mess?!
"I meant what I said! Master Hammer will be my future husband, and the prince consort of Dressrosa!"
Her small face was filled with determination.
King Riku, who had been about to scold her, suddenly hesitated.
He could feel something, a powerful pressure radiating outward from Scarlet.
Centered on her, an invisible force began to spread.
"That's the Conqueror's Haki…!"
Hammer's eyes widened in shock.
King Riku's expression froze in disbelief as he stared at his daughter.
"Conqueror's Haki? The will of a king?"
"How is this possible?!"
Then Hammer suddenly remembered one of the rapier's attributes: Leadership MAX.
'Was that referring to kingly aura?'
'Damn. Just how overpowered was this sword?!'
'But… why did it also come with two ridiculously cursed effects?!'
"King Riku, I think I should return to the Marines. HQ can't function without me!"
Hammer forced himself to look away from Scarlet.
King Riku was still stunned by the display of Haki.
"No! You can't leave, Hammer! You promised to stay in Dressrosa!"
Scarlet panicked. She didn't even call him "Master" anymore; it was just "Hammer" now. The bond had been forged, whether due to the sword or not; it was now a fact.
"Farewell, King Riku!"
Hammer was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He launched himself into the air like a rocket.
Using Geppo to propel upward, he soared into the sky, hoping the cool air would clear his head.
"Hey! Lance? Yeah, it's me, I'm not dead!"
"No time to explain, get to Green Bit and pick me up! What? I said Don't ask! Just get here ASAP!"
Flying toward Green Bit, Hammer didn't dare stay in Dressrosa another second.
Especially when facing Scarlet, that strange, irresistible urge to obey her commands terrified him to the core.
Yep. He was definitely broken.
It was all Whitebeard and Morgans' fault! If Whitebeard hadn't injured him, and Morgans hadn't driven him mad…
He never would've forged that damned sword!
This entire situation? Their fault!
The Warhammer ship had just entered the area when Hammer came flying toward it from the sky.
After several days apart, the ship was in shambles, scarred with cracks, bullet holes, and slash marks everywhere.
"What the heck?! Lance, what did you do to my ship?! What happened to the Warhammer?!"
Hammer could barely breathe from the shock.
It was utterly wrecked.
"Hammer… You're alive… Thank the heavens!"
Before he could continue complaining, Lance pulled him into a massive bear hug.
Hammer's words caught in his throat.
All around him, his soldiers stared with red, tearful eyes.
Shirley was already sobbing.
"Come on, guys! I'm your commander! I'm not dying that easily!"
"I'm not that fragile, okay? Hahaha!"
But that only made it worse.
The soldiers surged toward him, completely surrounding him.
"The Vice Admiral's alive! Hahaha!"
"I knew he wouldn't die that easily! Whoever said he was dead, get out here! I promise I won't kill you, I'll just beat you up!"
"We've got to celebrate! Big time!"
Feeling the raw emotion in the air, Hammer got a little choked up himself.
"Hahaha! Where's the head chef? Bring out every last ingredient! We're having a feast!"
Amidst the laughter and cheers, the Warhammer crew began an impromptu celebration party for their not-so-dead commander.
Hammer guzzled down wine as Lance and Shirley briefed him on their recent actions.
"So let me get this straight… You've been sailing the New World, looking for me… and destroying any pirates you met on the way?"
At first, their heavy firepower let them dominate enemies at range.
But eventually, their ammo ran out.
Even so, the Warhammer crew never backed down.
With Lance and Shirley leading, especially Shirley's Shield-Shield Fruit powers, they fought tooth and nail.
They even clashed with pirates worth hundreds of millions in bounty.
But with Borsalino around, those enemies didn't stand a chance.
Eventually, Borsalino was summoned to Punk Hazard and had to leave, forcing the crew to continue alone.
That was when most of the damage to the Warhammer happened.
"You guys really worked hard… And Borsalino too. I owe him a personal thanks."
"Man, I didn't have it easy either. Whitebeard's seaquake flung me all the way to Dressrosa. If King Riku hadn't helped, I would've died for real."
Hammer took another swig of liquor, only for a certain pink-haired girl to flash in his mind.
He quickly shook his head to get rid of the image.
"Once everyone sobers up, we're sailing back. That old man Sengoku… I'm impressed for once. I underestimated him, hahaha!"
"And Teacher Zephyr, too. That gauntlet really suits him."
Hammer felt deeply moved.
As the only admiral left at HQ, Sengoku would've had a hard time slipping away…
Let alone just to seek revenge.
As for Zephyr? He had already retired, yet still stormed the front lines.
Tsk tsk… Truly, Hammer was blessed.
Meanwhile, Dressrosa – Royal Palace
"Scarlet! What are you doing?! Put that sword down!"
King Riku watched his daughter train with the rapier in the garden, utterly speechless. The queen behind him looked just as helpless.
"No! I have to practice! When I turn 15, I'll become Queen of Dressrosa and march to Navy HQ myself to bring Hammer back!"
"Hammer will definitely be the Prince of Dressrosa, my husband!"
Conqueror's Haki exploded again, stronger and more resolute than ever.
Its intensity was unbelievable, especially from an eight-year-old girl.
It was all… because of Hammer.
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu