"Yo, my dear friend, how long are you planning to keep zoning out?"
A refreshing breeze swept by. Hammer's flying body gradually steadied before being caught.
That cheerful voice instantly gave Hammer a strong sense of security.
"Dragon, you guys took your sweet time. I almost bit the bullet."
"Were we late?"
Dragon curled his lips into an exaggerated grin.
"I saw everything. A last-minute breakthrough, Observation Haki awakening. Tsk tsk, Rear Admiral Hammer, quite the talent~."
Hammer: "…"
"Seriously, where'd you get that annoying tone from? The monkey? You're asking to be punched, you know that?"
"Oh, I know."
Hammer: "…"
"My old man has beaten me up more times than I can count. Hell, that's how I unlocked Armament Haki."
Dragon shrugged it off, lifting his right hand as a sheen of black Haki coated his fist.
Hammer: "…"
'As expected, the whole family is abnormal. Getting beat up just makes them stronger…'
'Monkey D. Luffy is like that. And so is his damn father'
While the two of them were chatting…
Garp and World had already started throwing down.
Their fierce clash had the surrounding soldiers watching with trembling hearts.
"Moa moa, Hundredfold Punch!"
"Galaxy Impact"
Garp's Haki was undeniably at the peak of the sea's powerhouses.
World clearly couldn't match him one-on-one, but with the broken power of the Moa Moa Fruit multiplying his abilities, he wasn't at a great disadvantage either.
The two brawny men were happily going at it, fists and kicks flying.
"Hey, Dragon, aren't you going to help?"
"Help? If I even try getting involved, I'll get pounded into a manhole cover by that old man. believe me"
Hammer was about to argue, but when he looked up and saw Garp's red face and bulging neck as he laughed and brawled, he swallowed his words.
"…Fine...I guess I'll just enjoy the show, too."
"By the way, where's that old fogey Sengoku? Still not here?"
Dragon shook his head.
"Should be soon. Once my old man heard you ran into World, he actually got serious for once. Very rare."
"Oh? Seriously?"
That genuinely shocked Hammer. In his mind, Garp was always the Marines' chaotic gremlin. For him to show concern and get serious was slightly unsettling and something to brag about.
"Yeah, it's true. When he heard you were in danger, he immediately said, 'Hammer can't die! Where would I find a new toy then?' So we rushed over full speed."
Hammer: "..."
"I knew it!!!"
"Hey, your ship's here too. That must be World's pirate ship behind it."
"Uncle Bogard, should we take them out?"
Dragon rubbed his hands together, battle intent flaring in his eyes.
He couldn't join the boss fight, but taking down some officers was fair game, right?
Bogard, the hat-wearing man, narrowed his eyes. A cold glint flashed as his right hand moved instinctively to his sword hilt.
"No problem!"
"All units, prepare for battle! First priority: secure Rear Admiral Hammer's ship. Then wipe out the World Pirates!"
"OHHH!!!"
With Bogard's command, the Doghead warship charged forward, brimming with fighting spirit.
"Damn it, Garp!"
"Big Brother Byojack! Turn the ship!"
Watching the Garp's warship draw closer, World's face showed a rare flash of panic.
Garp seized the moment and threw a punch straight into World's face, a cannon punch right to the jaw.
"DISTRACTED DURING OUR FIGHT? BWAAHAHA! YOU INSULTING ME, PUNK?!"
"YOU DAMN MAD DOG! NO WONDER ROGER COUND'T STAND YOU!"
Even with Armament Haki covering his face, World couldn't take Garp's punch. Blood spurted from his nose instantly.
"Hmph! Now you've forced me to bite, no, wait, beat you down until you every bone in your body is broken."
"Take this!"
"KEEP YAPPING, I'LL KNOCK YOUR TEETH OUT!"
The brawl reignited with renewed fury.
Meanwhile, the lower deck of World's pirate ship was in chaos.
First Mate Byojack's face was grim.
"Nightin! Give them the meds, start with Sebastian!"
"If Garp's crew gets close, we're in for a bloody battle!"
"Only Sebastian can get us out alive!"
Nightin, previously knocked out by Hammer, had regained consciousness, though the blow had damaged her internal organs.
Still, she was the ship's doctor and highly skilled with medicine.
With a cocktail of herbal suppressants, she temporarily stabilized her condition and rushed to treat the Wotan Sebastian.
Watching the frantic crew, Byojack looked up at World battling in the sky, a troubled look on his face.
The steel behemoth's speed was far beyond Hammer's small warship.
It quickly joined up with Lance's group.
"Lance, what's our battle damage?"
Hammer urgently ran up to Lance to ask.
"Shirley is gravely injured. Over thirty soldiers are heavily wounded. The rest have minor injuries. Thankfully, no casualties."
"Our firepower gave us the edge, but the heavily injured were all hit by two enemy officers."
Hammer sighed in relief.
These soldiers had followed him for a long time. He couldn't bear to lose them.
He silently resolved to better refine his unit once they returned to base.
"Shirley's heavily injured… That damn fishman, hmp… Tch!"
"Lance, move the ship to avoid the conflict zone. Leave the rest to me."
Ignoring his battered body, Hammer boarded Garp's ship, leaving Lance with a resolute silhouette.
Lance nodded heavily and resumed directing the crew.
"You sure you're in any condition to fight?"
Dragon looked doubtfully at the battered Hammer.
"Don't worry, I'm not fighting the World. Just some small fries, I can manage."
"Besides, with you guys here, how could I possibly die?"
He gripped his trident and stood proudly on the deck.
"Fine, suit yourself. But don't you dare steal my targets."
Dragon crossed his arms casually.
"That fishman giant is mine. The rest, take your pick."
Hammer locked eyes on the blue figure aboard the pirate ship.
Last time he didn't get a satisfying jolt out of that fish… This time, he'd fry him good!
The Doghead Patch and the pirate ship were drawing closer.
"Cannons ready!"
"FIRE!"
Both sides gave the same command. Gunfire and cannon blasts erupted.
"Hahahaha! I'm going in!"
"Tornadoes!"
Dragon let out a hearty laugh. Clapping his hands together, four attack bursts from the air, surrounding the pirate ship.
"Air Cube! Shield!"
Of course, Devil Fruit users never played fair, especially Paramecia types.
Gairam, Paramecia: Cube Cube Fruit.
Dozens of cubes appeared out of thin air, blocking the tornadoes.
"Oh! A Devil Fruit user? Then you're mine!"
The wind howled.
The battle between ships had officially begun!
....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 15 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu