"Have you made up your mind?"
"Mm... Over these past few years, because my old man was around, I never voiced my thoughts. But recently, after leading a few solo missions at sea, I've come to see the darkness in this world… the kind of darkness the Marines simply cannot resolve."
"So, what do you plan to do?"
"I'm still figuring that out... Sigh..."
The two men stood silently on the deck, wind and rain battering their figures as they contemplated in the storm.
"Dragon, I know you've got your own plans. As long as you stay true to your convictions, that's enough. Overthinking the rest is useless."
Hammer gave Dragon a firm slap on the shoulder, then turned and flew back to his own warship.
Dragon remained alone, still standing in the rain.
"My convictions, huh..."
"My dear friend, my conviction is to see a world where there are no more distinctions between high and low. A world where the Celestial Dragons no longer reign supreme..."
"The Celestial Dragons..."
Muttering to himself, Dragon stared at the silhouette of Hammer flying away using geppo, a flash of resolve lighting up in his eyes.
"Old Man Sengoku, Dragon, and I are almost there. Where are you guys? Oh, I see you now."
"Huh? How'd I see you? Don't be stupid, I've got my glasses on. Yeah, the same ones I gave Monkey. Alright, we're heading over now."
Hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Hammer stepped onto the deck and signaled to Dragon on the other ship.
In the next instant, the two of them vanished, flying straight toward Sengoku's ship.
"Hey, Kuzan? What're you doing here?"
"Haha! I applied for early graduation! With a lineup this big, how could I not show up?"
Hammer: '...Damn it, another early graduate. So annoying.'
"Fine, whatever. By the way, do you have the Winterborne?"
"Oh, it's in the kitchen. I'll grab it for you later!"
Hammer: '...Wait, what? The kitchen?'
Seeing Hammer's utterly baffled expression, Kuzan flashed a big grin and explained, an explanation that nearly sent Hammer into orbit.
"Winterborne's freezing power is insane! The head chef heard about it and borrowed it to freeze meat and fish. Gotta say, the sashimi tastes way better now!"
Hammer: '..You're kidding me...'
Hammer's face twisted into a visible grimace. Dragon, sharp as ever, slipped away before things exploded.
Leaving Kuzan, still smug and clueless.
"YOU IDIOT! THAT'S A LEGENDARY SWORD! A MASTERPIECE BEYOND GREAT-GRADE BLADE! AND YOU LET THEM USE IT TO FREEZE MEAT?!"
"TAKE THIS! HADOUKEN!"
Twin pitch-black fists rocketed upward, slamming into Kuzan's gut.
Kuzan's face turned pale with terror. He knew what Armament Haki was like, he'd been beaten senseless before by Instructor Zephyr's black fists.
But the pain he expected never came.
Hammer had expertly controlled the Haki, just enough to make contact. The real damage came from the raw impact of the punch.
A wave-force punch launched Kuzan straight into the sky.
"WAAAHHH! SO HIIIIIGH! I'M GONNA FALL INTO THE SEA!"
Soaring through the stormy skies, Kuzan panicked for a moment but recovered quickly, stepping into Geppo to stabilize.
After landing safely, he looked resentfully at Hammer.
But Hammer ignored him, leaving behind a single line:
"Bring Winterborne to me. NOW."
And with that, he headed toward the operations room.
"According to our intel, Roger and Shiki have already made contact."
Sengoku was in the middle of analyzing the battle scenario. When he saw Hammer and Dragon arrive, a flash of red light passed through his eyes.
A light full of burning fighting spirit.
"Hammer, Dragon, good. You're here."
"Our plan is simple: Wait until Roger and Shiki engage, then strike Shiki's fleet with overwhelming force."
"We'll cripple them in one blow!"
Good lord, Hammer thought. This plan was classic "sit back and profit while others fight"—a total third-party ambush tactic.
He started clapping. "Not bad, old man Sengoku. A textbook sneak move!"
Good lord, Hammer thought. This plan was classic "sit back and profit while others fight", a total third-party ambush tactic. He started clapping.
"Not bad, old man Sengoku. A textbook sneak move!"
"Shut up, Hammer. Then tell me, how do we fight this many pirates in this weather, huh?"
Red-faced and fuming, Sengoku spat the words at him.
But Hammer didn't care in the slightest, responding with zero hesitation:
"Old man, are you stupid? No matter how many small fry you wipe out, as long as Shiki lives, he can rebuild a fleet in no time. Unless you take him out, nothing else matters."
Sengoku froze at that brutal truth.
Hammer was right. The Flying Pirates were a pain because Shiki, powered by the Float-Float Fruit, was ridiculously mobile and hard to pin down.
"BWAHAHAHA! Sengoku, you just got smacked down by Hammer! That's hilarious!"
Garp burst into laughter mid-donut, driving Sengoku nearly to the edge.
"You idiot, Garp! Hammer, even if you're right, do you really think it's realistic to take down Shiki on the open sea?"
Sengoku tossed the question back at Hammer, who had no response this time.
Shiki wasn't just strong. He was smart. The moment things turned against him, he'd vanish into the sky.
"How about forming an assassination squad? Sneak in little by little, find the right moment, and take him out?"
Sengoku: '...This guy's brain must be broken.'
"You think Golden Lion's Observation Haki is just for show?? Everyone here, except you newbies, has fought him before. I swear, if I even get close, that dog-nose of his will sniff me out instantly!"
Hammer was stumped. Sengoku was right, one whiff and Golden Lion would probably turn the tables and catch them all in one net.
A reverse ambush. The "big fish net" plan would be for them instead.
"Alright, shut it, Hammer. Listening to you could literally kill someone."
"All units, prepare for battle! Once Roger and Golden Lion start fighting, we move in fast and annihilate the pirate fleet!"
Orders given, everyone got to work.
Hammer, meanwhile, waited for Kuzan to return with the Ice-Blue Sword.
"Hammer, here's Winterborne."
Hammer smiled slightly as he looked at the icy-blue blade.
Taking it casually, he flew straight back to his ship and dove into the forge.
"Lance, stay with the main force. Wherever they go, we go. Whoever they fight, we fight. But, don't expose our full firepower."
"Old man Sengoku has sharp eyes. If he sees it... heheh."
Lance immediately got the message.
"Everyone, switch weapons! Only use standard cannons and flintlocks! No advanced firearms, NOT A SINGLE ONE!"
After serving under Hammer for so long, Lance had mastered his philosophy:
Play dumb. Stay sneaky. Be shameless. Never show your cards.
Truly, a disciple in every way.
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu