"Rankyaku: Modified – Spiral Sever!"
Though Zephyr was filled with rage, he forcibly suppressed it out of concern for his disciple's safety.
Both of his legs moved in unison.
A massive blue slash shot into the air, flying straight toward the source of the earlier voice.
The powerful Rankyaku blew away the flames and smoke blocking the way.
Everyone turned their furious gazes toward the voice's origin.
There, a squirming figure covered in a dark aura was lying on the ground. Zephyr's Spiral Sever passed just five centimeters above his head, so close that the large man didn't dare move an inch.
"Damn you, Hammer! You're dead!"
"Wait, no! Save him first!"
Fleet Admiral Kong, almost drawing his sword in anger, managed to restrain himself and switch gears.
Though Sengoku was also furious, as the user of the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Model: Daibutsu, he possessed extremely sharp senses, both physically and mentally.
His mental fortitude allowed him to realize, the overwhelming anger everyone felt must have been caused by that ear-piercing noise earlier.
"Calm down! Focus on saving him first!"
Golden light exploded from Sengoku as he transformed into his Buddha form and led the charge.
He raised a hand and unleashed a shockwave infused with divine radiance!
"Die! Uh, wait, no! Flames, disperse!"
His words contradicted his actions. Though he shouted for the fire to scatter, his attack was anything but gentle.
His shockwave overpowered even Zephyr's Tempest Kick.
"HOLY SHIT! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"
Hammer panicked and hastily stashed the megaphone into his ring.
He stopped lying down, instead curling into a tight black ball, hugging his knees and coating himself completely in Armament Haki, afraid of being blown to pieces.
Sure enough, once the megaphone disappeared, the source of everyone's anger vanished instantly.
"It was that damn megaphone!"
Feeling the violent urges in his heart dissipate, Sengoku confirmed his suspicion.
But there was no time to investigate further.
Zephyr shouted and rushed into the blaze. Sengoku's previous attack had left the weapons factory barely standing.
"Soru: Modified – Jet Mode! Max output!"
Zephyr, also capable of using the advanced Rokushiki, shot into the fire like a human cannonball.
Watching his old comrade charge into the flames, Sengoku didn't hesitate either.
"Ten Thousand Buddhas' Judgment, LIFT!"
He raised his hands, and the shockwaves shifted direction, blasting upward. The steel beams on the verge of collapse were knocked aside, buying Zephyr time.
In the blink of an eye, Zephyr emerged again, smoke trailing from his body.
The fire had been too intense, even his lightning-fast dash had left him scorched.
"Hammer! Are you alive!?"
Dropping Hammer on the ground, Zephyr ignored his own burns and began smacking him furiously.
"Ow! Stop hitting me! I'm alive!"
Hammer, after taking several slaps (coated in Armament Haki, no less), finally shouted.
"Still breathing! He's alive!"
Marineford Central Hospital, Intensive Care Ward
A figure wrapped entirely in bandages lay on the bed, none other than Hammer, rescued from the blaze.
Across the room, former Admiral Zephyr sat shirtless, letting the medical staff treat his burns.
"You idiot. Not only did you blow up the weapons factory, you nearly killed yourself."
"What the hell were you thinking? How do you blow yourself up while forging weapons!?"
"Ugh, easy on the bandages, I'm getting old here!"
Zephyr scolded the mummy-like Hammer, frustration all over his face.
"Don't blame me… who knew combining extreme heat and cold with a neutral element would cause an atomic boom?"
"If I hadn't kept my habit of storing everything in my ring, I'd have lost even my damn underwear."
Hammer sighed, shaken by the experience.
"Tch. Ever heard of 'No zuo no die'? Serves you right." 1
"Now we're left with a blown-up weapons factory, and Old Kong's got a big headache over it."
At the mention of the destroyed factory, Hammer looked sheepish.
It was a huge place… now completely gone. The loss of materials alone was astronomical.
No way he could ever pay that back, not even if he sold himself.
Wait a sec… that gives him an idea. Heh heh…
"No worries, Teacher. I've got a plan. Just let me head over to Sabaody, and I'll make up for the losses."
Hearing that, Zephyr immediately guessed what Hammer was up to.
"Forget it. You're not selling off your inventions again!"
Before Zephyr could say more, a deep voice rang from the doorway.
It was Fleet Admiral Kong, with Sengoku and Tsuru following behind.
The three entered the room one by one.
"Forget the factory for now. More importantly, you, are you still in one piece?"
Old man Kong dragged a chair over and sat beside the bed, showing unexpected concern.
"Eh, nothing serious. Just got barbecued from head to toe. Even my body hair's gone."
"With my physique, I'll be up and moving in a few days."
Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, give me a full list of the factory losses later."
"I won't sell weapons, but I've got other things I can offer!"
Hammer's eyes gleamed brightly from within his bandages.
"Oh? So you've forged some items that aren't of military value?"
Sengoku pushed up his glasses, already working out the implications.
Hammer, realizing he was too tightly wrapped to nod, simply said:
"During this forging retreat, I learned a lot."
"First off, all my special-effect weapons from before, they've hit their limits."
"Take your sword, for example. The sword energy looks cool, but its damage output is fixed and actually weaker than a swordsman's true flying slash. It can't even cut steel like a master swordsman could."
"As for the Wind-Breaking Gauntlets and the Trident, same deal. They're fine against small fry, but useless against real threats."
"That's why I risked it all, trying to use rare minerals and infuse elemental power into the weapons, to break those limits."
"The result… well, kaboom."
"But I also forged other things this time. Like that megaphone, saved my life, didn't it?"
"Its ability: Taunt. Anyone who hears its sound will become irrationally angry at the user and attack them."
Sengoku nodded. That lined up perfectly with what he had sensed.
"And then, I made a bed…"
"No real combat function, but I guarantee, nobles, even Celestial Dragons, would kill to have one."
Hammer let out a creepy chuckle behind the bandages.
Good thing no one could see his face, or they'd definitely spit on him.
Because that expression was just too sleazy… even a certain monkey-faced Admiral couldn't compete.
Borsalino: "…So dazzling~"
1: Chinese internet meme. Meaning "one would not be in trouble had one not asked for it".
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 15 chapters ahead.
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