"Enough, all of you!"
"Act your age! You're still behaving like fresh recruits from back in the day."
"The food's here, are you going to eat or not?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru called out helplessly.
Fleet Admiral Kong, meanwhile, watched the three of them with amusement.
When it came to the Marines' three hardheaded troublemakers, only Tsuru could truly rein them in.
Even Kong didn't always have that kind of authority.
"Hmph! Only out of respect for Tsuru, I won't bother with you two anymore. Now let go of me, I want to eat!"
Zephyr was the first to speak, his tone dripping with arrogance.
Garp and Sengoku were stunned, but the thought of food quickly made them relent.
The three of them swiftly took their seats and dug in.
"Seems like I didn't make enough. I'll go cook some more."
Seeing the way they devoured the food like a storm, Hammer tactfully returned to the kitchen.
This time, Dragon followed him in.
For some reason, Garp stared at him the whole time after sitting down, giving him an eerie, uncomfortable feeling.
"Zephyr, what plans do you have for Hammer?"
Kong took a sip of sherry and asked casually.
Zephyr fell silent for a moment before answering.
"I plan to have Hammer assist with training. You know his crafted equipment can greatly aid in mastering the Six Powers."
Kong nodded. He was well aware of Hammer's forging skills —shoes that reduced weight, clothes or footwear that increased it—all invaluable for training.
"But you can't ignore Hammer's combat abilities. With his Devil Fruit powers, he's also an exceptional fighter."
"I even got my hands on Morgans' battle report from that incident."
"Beyond his tools, Hammer's mastery of his Devil Fruit and personal strength is outstanding."
"He even used a shockwave ability similar to mine."
Sengoku pushed up his glasses, his strategist's mind operating at full capacity.
"Mm, Sengoku's right. I've looked into that Batu guy. According to reports from our officers patrolling the Grand Line, he's pushed the Shield-Shield Fruit to its limits, his defense and rebound all kinds of abilities."
"In the first half of the Grand Line, he's definitely among the strongest. The fact that Hammer defeated him says a lot about his power."
Zephyr was silent for a moment. He knew Kong and Sengoku were speaking the truth.
Garp had just opened his mouth when both Zephyr and Sengoku shouted him down in unison.
"You're all overthinking this," Tsuru elegantly took a bite of meat, joining the discussion with her usual calm logic. "Hammer is still young, he hasn't even come close to his peak."
"Besides, his own wishes matter too."
Hearing her words, Zephyr's expression relaxed, and he suddenly burst into laughter.
Kong, Sengoku, and Garp were left bewildered; only Tsuru seemed to understand, shaking her head with a faint smile.
"Do you know what Hammer told me earlier?"
The three shook their heads.
"He said he wants to stay at HQ, focus on his blacksmithing, and create special weapons to support every Marine fighting on the front lines!"
"HAHAHAHA! Now let's see how you two try to steal him from me!"
Zephyr's loud laugh left Sengoku and Garp fuming.
Who would've thought that the one who helped Zephyr beat them… was Hammer himself?
"Hmm? What's going on? Zephyr-sensei, why are you laughing so much?"
Just then, Hammer returned with dishes in hand, followed by Dragon. He looked confused at Zephyr's laughter and the gloomy faces of Sengoku and Garp.
"Oh, nothing. I just won against these two idiots for once."
Hammer, curious, set down the food and grabbed a chair.
"Hammer, the battle report mentioned you brought out several weapons with unique abilities?"
Tsuru gave him a deep, thoughtful look.
Hammer nodded and took out several items from a ring on his finger.
"This is the Wind-Breaking Gauntlet, it creates air currents that form shockwaves when I punch."
"This is the Power pole… uh, it's broken, but I can probably fix it. It can extend and contract at will."
"The Longsword of Sword Aura, you've already seen that one."
"And this ring right here is my proudest creation. It holds a five-cubic-meter storage space!"
Hammer held up his right hand with pride, showing the plain but elegant ring.
Zephyr picked up the gauntlet and examined it. Suddenly, his face darkened.
"Oh really, kid? You left me with nothing but weighted boots and training clothes, but all the good stuff you kept for yourself?!"
Sensing Zephyr's rising anger, Hammer shivered and gave an awkward grin.
"Zephyr-sensei… those are my survival tools…"
Zephyr promptly shoved the gauntlet into his coat with a mutter,"I'm confiscating this! Go to my office later, fill out a form, and get reimbursed from logistics!"
The other three old men watched his actions silently.
Then, with lightning-fast reflexes, Kong snatched up the longsword.
Sengoku and Garp exchanged glances before turning their ravenous gazes toward Hammer.
"Uh… Could you two not look at me like that? It's terrifying!"
Completely ignoring his plea, they flanked him on both sides.
"Come on, spill it. Got any more?"
"Zephyr and Kong already got theirs, it's not fair if we're left out! Don't worry, we'll pay a fair price!"
Hammer looked like he was on the verge of tears as he reluctantly pulled out one last pair of gauntlets from his ring.
Sengoku and Garp immediately cranked up their Observation Haki to the max, scrutinizing him like hawks.
"Seriously? Is this how you two use Observation Haki?"
Tsuru sighed as she watched them go all out.
But her comment sparked something in Zephyr.
"Tsuru, you're still the sharpest one here! Next time this brat talks to me, I'll use Observation Haki on him too!"
He threw a threatening glare at Hammer, who was now speechless.
"Damn it, Garp! Hand them over!"
Sengoku and Garp instantly started fighting over the last pair of gauntlets.
"Ha! Sucks to be you two, I got mine first!"
Zephyr smirked as he slipped on the gauntlets, flexing his fingers mockingly.
This, of course, only enraged Sengoku and Garp further. In unison, they lunged at him.
"Hey! What were they called again? Oh right, Wind-Breakers!"
Zephyr didn't back down. With his right fist clad in the gauntlet, he launched a punch.
A violent gust of wind exploded out of nowhere.
"Not good! Protect the table!"
Fleet Admiral Kong made a snap decision, grabbing a massive wooden board and placing it in front of the dining table.
The wind from Zephyr's punch was far more intense than anything Iron Hammer had ever unleashed.
Even Garp and Sengoku were forced to halt in their tracks, crossing their arms in front of them to block the impact.
But Zephyr wasn't done. Seeing how powerful the gauntlets were, he grinned wildly.
Amid Kong's furious shout, Zephyr launched his left fist.
The winds from both gauntlets converged, compressing the air into a projectile.
An air shockwave was formed!
Garp and Sengoku were the first to take the hit, they were blown away instantly.
Next was Kong. His wooden shield shattered under the force, splinters flying everywhere.
The entire table was swept up in the blast.
Hammer barely had time to grab Shirley and activate Tekkai Kai, his ultimate defense.
Dragon and Tsuru braced themselves as well.
The howling winds tore through Hammer's brand-new house.