"Alright, then bring it on."
Though Hammer was covered in grime, none of the nine present dared underestimate him.
After all, they'd experienced this same scene exactly one year ago.
"Nearly a year of brutal training was all for this moment!"
"Ittō-ryū: Twilight Slash!"
Gion, wielding the golden sword Konpira, launched the first attack.
One of the 21 Great Grade Swords shone with unmatched sharpness at that moment.
Twilight Slash, a flying sword strike, represented Gion's mastery as a true swordmaster.
"One of the 21 Great Grade Swords… I wonder if my Frostbane can surpass it."
The Eight-Faced Hanjian, Frostbane, was Hammer's most prized creation to date.
And now, it was in his hands.
Its gleaming blade and majestic form drew the eyes of six of the nine instantly.
Aside from Shirley, Tokikake, and Dalmatia, who didn't wield swords, the remaining six were all sword users.
Their eyes were involuntarily drawn to the masterpiece.
"What a fine sword..."
"A true pearl thrown before swine."
Even Tokikake noticed its uniqueness, but the second part of his remark earned him a bunch of "#" marks on Hammer's forehead.
The other six nodded in agreement.
"You damn Tokikae! Last time you shot your mouth off and got me beaten senseless by those three idiots!"
"You're first! Soru!"
With old grudges piling onto new ones, Hammer targeted Tokikake to start.
Using Soru Hammer instantly appeared in front of Tokikake.
"What the hell! I was just being honest!"
"Oh, daring to use that on me?"
Even though Hammer had changed his view of Tekkai, that didn't mean its nature had changed.
"Freeze him solid! Frostbane!"
With a sweeping slash, Frostbane unleashed an intense cold that burst forth instantly.
Tokikake, who had just accelerated his blood flow for Tekkai, was instantly frozen like a popsicle.
The chilling frost, accompanied by the sound of ice forming, instantly turned Tokikake into a human ice sculpture.
Even his stunned expression was frozen mid-reaction.
"Such intense freezing power... Can a sword really do that?"
As the most skilled swordsman present, Gion was stunned.
"Ittō-ryū: Starfall!"
After seeing Tokikake frozen right at the start, Gion dared not hold back.
After the flying slash came a rapid barrage of thrusts.
Hammer used Seimei Kikan to dodge.
Sherry, the most in-sync with Gion, saw her attack and immediately unleashed her own crackling electricity, sparked across her white fur.
"Great, just what I needed, first it was Fire Punch, now Lightning Punch? Did I wander into the wrong anime or what?!"
Electricity flashed by. Hammer didn't dare be careless, dodging again with Soru. The others' attacks followed closely.
Dalmatian, in his half-beast spotted dog form, left afterimages as he unleashed a flurry of Shingan.
Momonga, Yamanakaji, and Doberman attacked with three swords.
Strawberry and Spider each wielded two, a total of four blades between them.
The scene quickly descended into chaos.
Yet Hammer remained calm. He fluidly used the Six Styles while Frostbane danced through the air, scattering frost and snow.
"Ittō-ryū: Hound's Rush!"
Dalmatian and Doberman seized an opening and launched a fierce assault.
"In your dreams! Eat this Chest-Shattering Hammer!"
Cornered, Hammer smashed his left fist into his chest. A shockwave erupted, blasting all eight attackers back.
Hammer nodded in approval at their growth.
Their teamwork had improved, too, while some pinned him down, and others decisive blows.
Forced into defense, he had no choice but to use his Devil Fruit powers to push them back.
"Since that's how you want to play… try this on for size."
Hammer grinned slyly, and his ring flashed.
A rocket launcher materialized in an instant.
The moment the others saw it, a recent memory popped into their minds.
"Oh no! The black smoke!"
Shirley shouted and bolted at full speed toward Hammer.
The others were equally alarmed and launched attacks of their own.
But just as they charged at Hammer, the expected smoke didn't appear.
"Who said I had to use it once I took it out?"
With a sinister grin, Hammer swung Frostbane in a wide arc, unleashing a freezing blast toward all eight attackers.
"Damn! Ittō-ryū: Twilight Slash!"
"Nitō-ryū: Cross Slash!"
The eight all struck with full power. Blades, fists, and piercing clashed with Frostbane's freezing power in a brilliant display, halting the freezing power.
But was that Hammer's true plan?
The frost was only step one.
After releasing it, Hammer plunged Frostbane into the ground.
He then shifted and charged power into his right fist, a terrifying force built up.
His heavy fist burst forth, breaking the sound barrier.
The blow was too fast to be seen, crashing into the eighth before they could react.
A sonic boom, a shockwave that only appears when you exceed a certain speed.
This was part of Hammer's evolved Devil Fruit power.
Then, a long-absent panel appeared:
Devil Fruit: [Paramecia: Hammer-Hammer Fruit, Development Level: 70%]
Armament Haki (Unlocked): [35%, Hardening]
Observation Haki (Locked): [Awakening Level: 80%]
Conqueror's Haki: [0! Nope. Keep dreaming, you deadbeat.]
Abilities: [Six Styles (Mastered), Six Styles Variant Techniques (Learned)]
The supersonic hammer blow sent all eight flying.
"Shingan: Modified, Breakpoint Hammer!"
Hammer extended his index finger, cloaked in Armament Haki, and jabbed the airborne enemies rapidly.
Eight muffled thuds rang out.
Who said hammer strikes had to be brute force?
They could also be precise. As long as the power was sufficient, even a fingertip could break through defenses.
Breakpoint Hammer, Hammer's custom variant of Shingan. It compressed the hammer force into his fingertip using Armament Haki, releasing it all at once.
Using the finger as a focus point, it caused an explosive, spreading shock. The damage was massive.
Already stunned from the first hit, the eight were now struck from both sides and fell hard to the ground.
"Time to end this! Hammering of the Soul!"
Hammer delivered a final blow. A soul hammer struck their minds, instantly knocking them out of the fight.
"As your senior, let me teach you something: in real combat, there's no such thing as fairness."
"No one's going to fight you with honor."
"Tricks, cheap shots, and schemes are all part of the game. Am I right...
Having taken down all nine, Hammer turned to Zephyr with a wicked grin.
Zephyr's face had turned black as the bottom of a pot.
"Get lost! Don't sound so righteous about fighting dirty!"
"Hehehe… all's fair in war!"