As the dust settled, the once passionate and energetic training ground lay in ruins.
Sword slashes and craters covered the area.
The one responsible stood there with a smile, facing six elite marines who were now battered and bruised.
Heavy breaths escaped from their mouths.
The pain and shock had left them numb, and their eyes were full of confusion as they looked at Hammer.
"Those...weren't flying slashes...but sword aura beams...Sister Tsuru mentioned them..."
Gion, having grown up at Headquarters, recognized the phenomenon. The legend of Hammer wasn't unfamiliar to her.
She had heard Hammer's name more than once from Vice Admiral Tsuru.
Onigumo's expression darkened. Losing without any resistance was a hard pill to swallow.
Zephyr walked over to Hammer, applauding.
"Nice job, Hammer. So… are you gonna help fix up my training ground too?"
Hammer's smile instantly dropped.
"Teacher Zephyr! You dragged me away from forging just to be your training dummy, and now you want me to fix this?!"
Hammer was completely speechless.
"Pfft. I just told you to knock them down, not wreck my whole field! And now you're the one complaining? Hmph! So—are you fixing it or not?"
Zephyr grumbled, raising his fist, which was now wrapped in black Armament Haki.
This was his go-to move for handling Hammer; it always worked.
But this time, something unexpected happened.
Hammer scoffed, then raised his own right fist and clenched it. An invisible force began to spread.
A faint, dark-purple aura wrapped around Hammer's fist.
Zephyr's eyes widened.
The revelation sent shockwaves through every conscious observer.
Unconvinced, Zephyr bumped his Haki-coated fist against Hammer's.
A crisp sound rang out, the unmistakable clash of two Haki-infused blows.
"Holy crap! You brat! When did you learn Armament Haki!?"
Zephyr was both shocked and thrilled.
"A few days ago. Hmph, Zephyr-sensei, don't think you can scare me with that anymore, I've got it now too!"
Hammer instantly felt like he stood taller.
But arrogance often brings pain.
Sure enough, Zephyr's expression darkened.
"Brat. Don't think having Armament Haki means you can act smug in front of me."
"You think I got the nickname 'Black Arm' for nothing?!"
Zephyr's large Haki-covered hand grabbed Hammer's fist.
Even with his own Haki, Hammer's power was like a fragile baby next to Zephyr's.
It was crushed instantly.
"I was wrong! I yield, Teacher Zephyr, mercy!"
Hammer quickly begged for mercy; he had lived two lives and knew when to stay humble.
He had known from the start that his freshly awakened Haki was no match for Zephyr's.
But he'd shown off on purpose, to surprise Zephyr and hopefully avoid getting dragged into things again.
He had stuff to do, okay?
Seeing Hammer give in, Zephyr relaxed and let go.
"Good kid. You awakened Armament Haki without me needing to guide you, I was actually waiting for you to come to me."
"Looks like you really do have the potential for great things."
"When did it awaken?"
Hammer noticed the joy in Zephyr's eyes and felt a warm sense of pride.
He rubbed his sore wrist and explained:
"Yesterday, while I was forging. I was super focused, and all of a sudden, I felt something inside me break open. Then my hand was covered in Armament Haki. It's still weak, but I can use it now."
He raised his right hand again, and the dark-purple Haki appeared once more.
Zephyr nodded approvingly.
As someone who built his name on Armament Haki, he was thrilled to see his student awaken it, especially since Hammer was only 19.
With mastery of the Six Powers and Armament Haki, he was definitely qualified for the rank of commodore.
"Very good. Your current strength rivals the Commodores in HQ. But don't get too proud, awakening Armament Haki is just the first step down the path of the strong. And it's a rough road."
"Tch. My goal isn't to chase down pirates. I want to be the Chief of Logistics at HQ. And when I get there, Zephyr-sensei, even you'll have to report to me!"
"You little punk! You're 19, already mastered the Six Powers and Armament Haki, and this is your goal? Not admiral, not fleet admiral - but logistics chief?!"
Hearing this exchange,
All the trainees felt like they'd just taken a direct hit to the soul.
A 19-year-old who'd mastered both Rokushiki and Armament Haki stood before them.
These recruits had always considered themselves geniuses; why else would they be selected for this elite training program?
This was no ordinary camp
Anyone who graduated from this camp was an exceptional talent and would earn a solid position at HQ.
Even Tokikake and Gion stared wide-eyed.
They'd lived their whole lives in HQ, priding themselves on their talents, but now, a real genius, or no, a real monster, was standing right in front of them.
The gap between them and Hammer was too overwhelming.
"Old man! Don't push it! If you smack me in the face again, I'm hitting back!"
"You little brat! Go ahead and try it if you've got the guts!"
"You asked for it! Armament Haki, Shockwave Punch!"
As the others stood frozen in disbelief, Hammer had finally lost his temper, after Zephyr repeatedly smacked his head and face.
And so, he declared war on Zephyr-sensei!
Activating his Hammer-Hammer Fruit power, a shockwave infused with Armament Haki blasted from Hammer's right fist.
Seeing the overwhelming force of the shockwave, Zephyr's eyes lit up. Instead of dodging, he stepped into it.
"Today, I'll teach you a proper lesson!"
His fist wrapped in deep black Haki, Zephyr struck forward, smashing the shockwave apart with a single punch.
Hammer's legs suddenly tensed, and with a powerful stomp, he dented the ground beneath him.
In the next second, he launched himself at Zephyr like a cannonball.
Using the Soru technique of the Six Powers, he instantly appeared above Zephyr.
Clasping both fists together, he channeled all his strength into a devastating overhead strike.
"Big Hammer, Eighty!"
Zephyr struck again with one punch.
The two Haki-infused attacks collided mid-air, intertwining and crackling with force. Though Hammer's Armament Haki had only recently awakened, it still carried the fearsome traits of the technique. Combined with his raw physical power, and fruit ability, he actually managed to clash evenly with Zephyr's single punch, for a moment.