"Sashi buri da ne (Long time no see)~, Sakazuki"
Hammer retracted his fists, grinning mischievously as he looked at the lava scattered all over the deck.
Hammer retracted his fists, grinning at the scattered puddles of magma. The once-pristine bow of the ship was now pockmarked with craters thanks to his rampage.
The lava slowly reformed, and Sakazuki emerged again, wearing a helpless expression.
"Hammer, you really had to pull a stunt like that the moment you arrived, huh? Look at what you've done to my warship..."
Hammer shrugged, looking completely shameless.
"You're one to talk. Because of you, I lost my assessment target."
Sakazuki blinked. Assessment? Target?
But being sharp, he quickly pieced it together.
"So the training camp's started evaluations already? Your mission must be to hunt down pirates at sea."
"Your target was the Greatblade Pirates?"
Hammer nodded, then looked even more frustrated.
"I dragged myself all the way from Sabaody to the North Blue, finally found a pirate crew worth my time, and right as I was about to crush them, then *BOOM!* You turned them into barbecue!"
"Sigh... there goes my precious performance record."
As he spoke, Hammer even wiped at his eyes like he was crying for real.
Sakazuki didn't buy it for a second.
"They were just a low-level pirate crew. There are countless crews like them in the North Blue. I've already killed dozens myself."
"But you… I'm glad you picked the North Blue for your assessment. Hammer, I guess you despise pirates as much as I do, huh?"
Hammer shot him a sidelong glance. He couldn't exactly admit he'd picked the North Blue because it was lawless, with higher bounties and easier targets.
His silence only made Sakazuki assumed he agreed.
Sakazuki clapped him on the shoulder and ordered the warship to set sail for another patrol area.
"Hey, you, get my speedboat up here."
Hammer casually waved at a marine soldier to haul his ride aboard. Then he and Sakazuki went into the ship's rest cabin.
"By the way, Sakazuki, did you eat a Devil Fruit?"
Sakazuki handed him a bottle of sherry and nodded.
"Not long after I got to the North Blue, I came across it while wiping out a mafia group. It's the Magma-Magma Fruit, logia type. Suits me well."
At the mention of Devil Fruits, a rare smile appeared on Sakazuki's usually rigid face.
Though to be fair… it was more creepy than pleasant.
"You guys have all the luck, huh? Borsalino ate the Glint-Glint Fruit, and you ate the Magma-Magma Fruit, both of which are logia. Meanwhile, I'm stuck with a lousy Paramecia. Life's so unfair..."
Hammer bit the cap off his bottle and took a swig of the sherry.
"Ugh... this stuff is terrible. I don't know why Teacher Zephyr likes this kind of drink. Got all of us drinking it too."
Sherry wasn't bad, per se, just an acquired taste
But since Zephyr drank it religiously, his students had all picked up the habit.
"According to Teacher Zephyr, this is what real men drink."
Sakazuki finished his bottle and slowly let out a sigh, then asked Hammer a question.
"So, what's your plan? Gonna keep sailing solo, or want to patrol with me?"
Hammer drained his drink and let out a boozy burp.
"Of course I'm going solo. If I go with you, the pirates will be burned to ash before I can even lift a finger. How the hell am I supposed to pass my assessment?"
"Teacher Zephyr only gave us a month. It's already been a few days."
"I'll mooch this one meal off you, then I'm setting off."
Sakazuki didn't object; in fact, he agreed with Hammer's decision.
He knew Hammer's strength. Tagging along with Sakazuki would waste his potential.
"Oh, right, just now, that Greatblade Orito guy said you chased him like a mad dog."
"Now that you've got the magma fruit and turned all red… Since Borsalino is called Yellow Monkey(Kizaru), how about I give you a nickname too: Red Dog (Akainu)!"
Hammer left Sakazuki and sped off in his motorboat, heading in the opposite direction of the warship.
"Ugh, didn't they say the seas were crawling with pirates?"
"Such lies. I've been driving for an hour and haven't seen a single pirate ship."
Hammer grumbled in frustration.
But in the next moment, he understood why.
It was the year 1490, just a few years after the God Valley Incident.
Roger was still out roaming the seas, and the Great Pirate Era hadn't even begun yet. No wonder the seas felt empty; there weren't that many pirates.
The realization only made him slump further.
What could he do? Just keep searching.
Thankfully, he had enough supplies. Otherwise, he really would've gone crazy.
Eventually, Hammer shifted his focus to underground organizations and mafia groups.
If there were no pirates, then maybe the darker corners of society would hold better prospects.
Who knows? He might find a high-bounty target.
After all, pirates aren't the only ones with bounties in this world.
With a new objective, Hammer no longer felt lost. He set course for a wealthy kingdom in the North Blue.
The Kingdom of Stanford.
A member nation of the World Government.
But the royal family of this kingdom strongly supported the Mafia and underground forces within the country.
Because they could provide a substantial amount of gray income for the monarchy.
As soon as Hammer set foot in this kingdom, he could immediately sense the pervasive aura of corruption.
"Hah... A kingdom where the underworld thrives, as expected..."
"I hope I can find what I'm looking for here."
Hammer took a deep breath as he stared at the town ahead, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
To locate his targets more efficiently, he headed straight for a crowded tavern, the kind of place where information flowed as freely as alcohol.
"Boss, one bottle of sherry."
Hammer casually walked up to the bar and ordered a drink.
But the bartender gave him a disgusted look and said indifferently, "We don't serve that cheap stuff here…"
Hammer froze mid-motion as he was about to pull out his money.
"A bar that doesn't have a real man's drink? Seriously..."
He grumbled helplessly.
His comment made a few people around glance over curiously.
"Then just give me a cocktail or something."
He pulled out his wallet, took out some cash, and nonchalantly ordered a drink.
The bartender accepted the money and started mixing the cocktail. As he worked, he leaned over and asked Hammer a question.
"You look like an outsider. What brings you to a place ?"
Hammer grinned. 'He's getting straight to the point, good.'
"I'm a bounty hunter. Just arrived in the North Blue. Looking to buy some..... intel."
The bartender's expression changed slightly. He nodded and handed over the finished drink.
Hammer took a sip of the cocktail, then followed the bartender into the back room.
Unlike the bustling front, the back room was dimly lit.
A middle-aged man in black clothing was already there, staring at Hammer.
"What kind of intel are you looking for?"
"Bounty targets, ones with a decent price on their heads."
"What do you call decent?"
"Let's say... starting from 50 million."
The man nodded, then left the room.
When he returned, he was carrying a stack of papers.
"55 million Berries bounty: The Butcher Hendry. Info costs 1 million Berries."
"75 million Berries bounty: Bone Collector Langwen. Info costs 2 million Berries."
"76 million Berries bounty: Lone Wolf Morris. Info costs 2.5 million Berries."
"Which one do you want?"
Hammer fell silent, thinking hard.
He only needed to pick two targets, get their coordinates and background, and he'd finish his assignment.
But the hefty price tag, at least of millions of Berries, left him a little stuck.
He didn't have that kind of money...