After the graduation ceremony, Hammer, now proudly promoted to Captain, was granted his own quarters.
It wasn't large, but Hammer was very satisfied.At last, he had a place to call home in this vast ocean.
Right now, he and Shirley were in the middle of a big cleanup.
Don't ask why Shirley was living with Hammer.Let's just say no amount of reasoning could dissuade her once she'd made up her mind.
But before they could even begin cleaning, an old acquaintance showed up.
"Dragon. Shouldn't you be chasing the Roger Pirates with Vice Admiral Garp? What brings you here?"
Hammer gave Dragon, who was holding a green cloak, an exasperated look.
"Aw, don't be like that, my friend."
"Come now, my friend!" Dragon grinned, holding up his tattered cloak. "That bastard Gaban sliced my favorite cloak in half. Think you could fix it?"
The saying "no one visits the temple for nothing" never rang more true.Dragon had perfected the art of showing up only when he needed something.
"Tch, of course you only come to me when you need something."
Hammer took the cloak, clearly irritated.
"Hehe, your speech yesterday was pretty impressive."
"Teacher Zephyr was really pleased. Even my old man tried to snatch you for his unit, but got beaten up by Zephyr instead."
Dragon had been right behind Garp when it happened, watching as the two old men brawled like kids, neither backing down.
Hearing this, Hammer could only shrug helplessly.He was only a captain; whatever HQ decided, he'd go along with it.
What else could he do?
"Leave the cloak with me. Come back tomorrow and it'll be ready."
Dragon beamed with delight and left.
But not long after, he returned, this time carrying a bunch of food and alcohol.
"Hey, my friend, consider this a belated celebration! Let's have a feast!"
Seeing Dragon come fully stocked, Hammer didn't argue.He called Shirley over to help move the food into the house and got to work preparing the meal.
"Oh? Dragon, what are you doing here?"
"Hammer, come out and help carry this stuff!"
Just as the three of them were about to start cooking, two more figures suddenly appeared.
It was Zephyr and Tsuru.
Zephyr had his arms full of various supplies, plenty of food and drinks among them.
"Teacher Zephyr, Vice Admiral Tsuru? What brings you here?"
Zephyr rolled his eyes.
"Well, since we heard you got a new place, we figured you might starve to death, so we brought some food and supplies."
"Looks like someone doesn't need me anymore, guess I'll be going."
Hammer rushed over to take the things from Zephyr, speaking quickly:
"Of course not, Teacher Zephyr! Please, come in!"
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Tsuru had already walked over to Shirley and was gently patting her head.
"Shirley, why do you insist on living with him?"
"Wouldn't you rather come with me?"
"Big Brother Hammer is a good person. I feel safe with him."
He had talked with her about this before-Shirley was only 14, just a minor.He also felt it wasn't ideal for her to stay with him, but ever since he rescued her, she refused to trust anyone else.
There wasn't much he could do about it.
Seeing Shirley's firm stance, Vice Admiral Tsuru didn't press the issue further.She just gave Hammer another sharp glare.
And with that, the dinner party grew from three to five.
Zephyr and Tsuru certainly weren't going to cook.Dragon couldn't cook to save his life.
So the job fell to Hammer.
Good thing he'd lived alone in his past life and had learned how to cook. Otherwise, he'd be completely stuck.
Once the food was ready, since the house wasn't fully cleaned yet, they simply moved the table outside to the yard to eat.
This was a perk of Hammer's assigned house, a small, standalone villa.A special request granted by Vice Admiral Tsuru to ensure Shirley had a comfortable place to stay.
Hammer was deeply touched when he found out.
"Gotta say, Hammer, your cooking's pretty impressive. You'd make a killing as a chef."
Zephyr chewed on a piece of meat, looking genuinely impressed.
Even Tsuru couldn't help but give Hammer a second glance.
"Didn't expect a blacksmith to be this good in the kitchen too."
Just then, more guests arrived.
"Hammer! Hammer, hoh? You guys are already eating?"
The newcomer had a burly frame and a snow-white beard—it was none other than Fleet Admiral Kong.
In one hand, he carried a broken sword. On the other hand, a soundly sleeping Garp.
Trailing behind him was an extremely annoyed Sengoku.
"Huh? Zephyr? Tsuru? What are you two doing here?"
Fleet Admiral Kong looked confused at the sight of them eating and drinking together.
"Old man Kong, since you're here, sit down and eat! Hammer, go whip up a couple more dishes!"
"Sengoku, don't just stand there, grab a chair and sit!"
Zephyr acted like the host of the house, barking out orders like it was his place.
'Wait, isn't this my house?!'
But how can he argue when the other guy's fists are bigger? Might makes right.
With a resigned sigh, Hammer got up to cook some more.
"Ah, it's all because of this damn Garp. He broke my sword, so I came to Hammer to get it fixed."
"As for Sengoku, well… we were both busy beating up Garp."
Dragon looked helplessly at his old man, who was still snoring away despite the black eye on his face.
'No wonder he disappeared first thing in the morning, he was out stirring up trouble again.'
"Damn, Hammer, your cooking's actually really good!"
"Are all blacksmiths secretly culinary masters too?"
Fleet Admiral Kong took a bite and immediately exclaimed in surprise.
Even Sengoku was stunned. He had to admit, the stir-fry tasted amazing.
"This is fantastic! Zephyr, let Hammer come aboard my ship!"
Just then, a shadow flicked by, and a piece of meat disappeared. Garp, who had just been sleeping, sat up with a big hunk of meat in his mouth.
Zephyr's face darkened, and so did his fist.
"Piss off, Garp! Hammer is staying in the training camp, and that's final!"
"Come on, Zephyr. Can you really stand to see such a good talent go to waste?"
Classic Garp, just finished provoking the Fleet Admiral and an Admiral, now he was back at it with Zephyr.
But this time, a new contender stepped in.
"Zephyr, since Garp can't have him, how about letting me take Hammer?""I guarantee I'll help him grow into greatness!"
Sengoku's eyes were practically sparkling as he looked toward Hammer at the stove.
Zephyr's temper exploded.
"Oh, so now all of you are gunning for my student, huh? You think just because I'm retired, I can't throw hands anymore?!"
With that, he lunged, one hand yanking Sengoku's beard, the other grabbing Garp's head.
But Garp and Sengoku weren't going to take that lying down. They fought back immediately.
The three were soon in a chaotic, tangled brawl.
When Hammer returned carrying dishes, he froze at the sight.
The three pillars of the Marines were now twisted together in an absurd, contorted mess.
In that moment, Hammer felt like he was watching Kung Fu Hustle.