Viper's eyes narrowed as his plans were interrupted, a flash of anger crossing his face.
Through the swirling dust, Hammer glared coldly at him, his voice icy as he spoke.
"The man who's going to kill you."
Without waiting for the dust to clear, Hammer, relying on his Observation Haki, charged forward, swinging his hammer without hesitation.
Fuming with rage, Hammer struck decisively. The air hammer swung in a wide arc, smashing straight at Viper.
The sheer force made it look like he was trying to nail Viper into the earth like a nail.
In that instant, Viper was completely suppressed by Hammer, unable to fight back at all.
This series of events left King Riku and his people utterly stunned.
Just a moment ago, they were in mortal danger, and in the next instant, Hammer had descended like a divine saviour.
Scarlett, in particular, stood frozen with her rapier in hand, stunned and speechless.
She had called out Hammer's name countless times in her heart, hoping he would come.
But now that her wish had actually come true, she found it almost unbelievable.
She murmured his name under her breath, the light in her eyes burning brighter and brighter.
The moment Hammer entered the battlefield, every top fighter present felt it.
Sakazuki swung Rhitta, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.
"So you came after all. Looks like you and Dressrosa really are hiding secrets."
Captain John was puzzled by what Sakazuki meant, but he was still in the middle of a fight and didn't dare be distracted.
Sakazuki's power was terrifying, especially with the divine axe in hand. Even Captain John, a great pirate of the seas, found himself at a loss.
His weapons were inferior; even brushing against Sakazuki's axe would shatter his own swords.
His attacks lacked stopping power; his sword slashes were strong, but they were useless when the opponent could turn into magma and become intangible.
For now, Captain John could only fight on, more stifled and frustrated than ever.
He, the mighty captain, wasn't performing half as well as his officers.
Meanwhile, Onigumo and Tyrant were locked in a fierce duel, but Onigumo's Haki and weapons couldn't break through Tyrant's scale armor.
Tyrant couldn't match Onigumo's speed either, so they were stuck in a grueling stalemate.
The only one with an advantage was Scorpion.
Though Doberman was no weakling, facing Scorpion, who had far more assassination experience and a Devil Fruit ability, he was already starting to take cuts.
"Heheheh... Hey there, Navy boy. You can't keep up with my speed."
"I ate the Paramecia Swift-Swift Fruit. I can multiply my speed several times at will."
"You can't even see me coming!"
Scorpion unleashed her power again, flashing like lightning to Doberman's right side, two daggers gripped in her hands.
A spray of blood appeared, Doberman winced in pain and staggered back.
A cross-shaped wound instantly opened on his right cheek.
He used Soru to boost his speed, but even that was feeble against the speed of the other party.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't catch up to Scorpion's movements.
All he could do was defend and fall deeper into disadvantage.
"Let me show you the arsenal of Hammer the Blacksmith!"
"Omnidirectional Hammer Strike!"
A furious roar echoed as Hammer, gripping his air hammer, suddenly retracted his ability.
He had realized that Viper's slippery nature made him nearly impossible to pin down.
Somehow, the man could soften his body like a snake, slithering away from every attack.
Spreading his arms wide, Hammer unleashed a symphony of hammering sounds.
Viper immediately sensed the air around him shift. The next second, countless hammer blows came crashing at him from every direction.
With no way to dodge, Viper had to rely on Armament Haki to tank the blows.
Hammer instantly seized the chance, summoning a long spear into his hands.
"You slippery bastard, DIE!"
He hurled the spear with all his might.
Mid-flight, the spear transformed.
A disposable weapon, Blazing Spear!
Once activated, the entire shaft ignited, burning at temperatures over a thousand degrees.
One of Hammer's newest creations.
Pinned down by the barrage, Viper couldn't dodge; he could only watch helplessly as the blazing spear hurtled toward him.
The spear drilled straight through Viper's right flank, instantly, a torrent of flame erupted.
Engulfed in searing heat, Viper shrieked in agony, helpless as hammer blows continued to batter him. He softened his body and forced his way through the flames using Armament Haki.
"I was waiting for you!"
The moment he burst from the blazing trap, Hammer was already standing there coldly, waiting.
A massive Hammer gripped tightly in his hand.
"Time to spiral skyward!"
Hammer swung, and a spiral column of flame burst from the ground.
It blasted Viper straight into the sky.
It was the same hammer that once burned the Warhammer ship.
But unlike before, this flame brimmed with explosive vitality.
The surging inferno slammed into Viper so forcefully that it felt less like burning, more like being smashed by fire itself.
Watching Viper flail helplessly in Hammer's grasp, King Riku and his men were completely dumbfounded.
This was the gap in strength?
The enemy that had made them feel so powerless was nothing in Hammer's hands.
Scarlett, meanwhile, just looked delighted and proud as she watched Hammer unleash his fury.
"See that?! That's my future husband's power!"
"Go Hammer! Beat the crap out of him!"
Who knew if Hammer heard her? Either way, he kept moving.
The air hammer reappeared, and so did a whole pile of nails.
With his awakened power fully unleashed, Hammer multitasked, not only did he manifest the Air Hammer, but he also conjured a whole barrage of nails from Shape Hammer.
"This ends now, slimy bastard!"
"Hammer Nail Strike!"
A simple name, but the attack was devastating.
Channeling all his strength, Hammer swung the colossal hammer down onto the nails, launching them like bullets toward the airborne Viper.
Viper's eyes went wide with horror, but there was nothing he could do.
His final words were cut short as the nails pierced through his body, leaving a dozen bloody holes.
His pale, emaciated frame went limp, his eyes glazing over.
Viper, one of Captain John's three top officers, DEAD.
"You bastard! Viper!!"
Seeing his subordinate fall, Captain John roared in fury.
With a violent slash, he forced Sakazuki back—then immediately lunged toward Hammer, his face twisted with venomous hatred.
"He never told us where he hid his treasure!"
"My money! My riches!"
"Damn you, Marine! DIE!"
'So… his rage wasn't over his subordinate's death, but over the lost treasure?
'What kind of captain was this?!'
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu