First came the "Divine Axe Rhitta," followed by the gauntlets "Fist of Tekko."
With two legendary weapons unveiled in quick succession, even Sengoku and the others were green with envy.
Meanwhile, Zephyr finally reclaimed his gauntlet from Garp, black eyes and all, only after Garp gave up due to Zephyr's relentless nagging.
"Hahahaha! My gauntlet at last!"
"So stylish!"
Seeing Zephyr don the mechanical arms, Hammer felt a sudden pang of deja vu.
For a brief moment, the image of Zephyr with his mechanical crusher from the future flashed in his mind, before Hammer forcefully shattered that thought.
He muttered softly, "Teacher... your future won't be dark..."
His voice was so quiet, no one heard him.
With his new weapon in hand, Sakazuki set sail again in high spirits, returning to his battleground in the New World.
Garp headed back to East Blue to continue flattening his eighth mountain before teaming up with Hammer to hunt down Chinjao in West Blue.
As for Hammer? He was currently in the recruit training camp office.
"Huh? The anti-toxin mask doesn't work? That's impossible. I loaded it with activated charcoal and other filters. It should've helped, no?"
Zephyr had called Hammer in once more regarding Magellan, a trainee from the fourth batch.
Even after six months in the program, Magellan still couldn't train normally like the others.
"The toxic gas is one thing, but he's affected by it too. He spends over half the day in the bathroom. You wouldn't believe the scene…"
"In fact, I had to build him a separate toilet somewhere else."
Hammer: 'Right. I forgot this guy had explosive diarrhea issues."
What a pain. It's not like they could build a mobile toilet for him...
"Maybe I should call Borsalino and see if Punk Hazard has a full-body hazmat suit. Though it still won't solve the bathroom issue…"
The two of them locked eyes, but neither could come up with a better idea.
"Can you purify the air around him somehow?" Zephyr asked.
Hammer rolled his eyes. "Teacher, I'm a blacksmith, not a scientist. Where the hell would I get something that advanced?"
Suddenly, a lightbulb lit in his head. He slapped the desk and stood up.
The desk promptly collapsed.
Zephyr: 'My desk.'
"Even if we can't purify the air, we can isolate him, right?"
"I've got an idea. It'll take a lot of work, but we can use it later as punishment, too. Depends if you're willing."
Zephyr looked confused.
"Let me explain…" Hammer whispered his plan.
Zephyr: !!!
"HAHAHA! You're a real bastard, Hammet, a devil and a genius! Only you could come up with something this ruthless!"
"Let's do it! We start tonight!"
And so, without delay, Hammer made the call.
Construction would begin that very night.
That night, while the camp slept, around a hundred men gathered on the field.
"Is everyone here?" Zephyr asked, glancing at the group. Hammer stood beside him.
"Yup, all my boys. If they can fix a battleship, they can build a black room no problem."
"Good. Then let's get started."
Hammer turned to the workers. "Alright, everyone. Teacher Zephyr needs a favor."
"Dig a pit in the field, 3 meters deep, 30 meters wide and long!"
Everyone stared, puzzled.
Hammer explained patiently.
"We've got a cadet named Magellan, Paramecia-type, Venom-Venom Fruit. Because of his special powers, he can't train with the others."
"So we're building him an underground chamber. That way, he can train underneath the field with us. Oh, and we're adding a very secure toilet."
Everyone: 'There really are all kinds of weirdos on the sea'
Under Hammer's direction, the digging began.
He also brought out steel panels for support and defense, and tempered glass he'd specially made using knowledge from his previous life.
The process involved heating regular glass near its softening point, then rapidly cooling it to create compression stress on the surface and tension stress inside, greatly increasing its strength and thermal stability.
With his fire ability and enhancements, the glass's durability reached maximum levels.
The underground room was fitted with ventilation, a sealed toilet, a true black room.
It wouldn't be a one-time use either. Hammer planned to throw any slacking idiot in there for punishment.
A perfectly deadly solitary experience.
With a hundred men, the room was completed quickly.
Zephyr stomped on the glass, testing its durability.
"Not bad, Hammer. I'm using Soru on this glass and it doesn't even creak."
Zephyr inspected the glass, impressed.
"Of course," Hammer snorted. "Made by yours truly."
"The walls are steel-reinforced."
"There's ventilation inside, and toxic gas will be routed into a separate containment tank. Just make sure Magellan takes care of it himself. We don't want a poison leak."
Zephyr nodded, very pleased with the room.
The next day, Magellan entered his shiny new isolation chamber.
He was thrilled. A lifelong fan of dark, enclosed spaces, he instantly fell in love with it.
Zephyr, though twitching at the corners of his mouth, was still satisfied. He erected a sign in front of the training field that read:
"Training Camp Special Isolation Chamber"
With Magellan sorted out, Hammer returned to forging.
While working on a self-destruct device commissioned by the Five Elders, he was interrupted by frantic shouts:
"Vice Admiral Hammer! Vice Admiral Hammer!"
"Fleet Admiral Kong wants to see you immediately!"
Hammer sighed and put down his tools. "Now what…"
Fleet Admiral's Office
"Old man Kong, what is it now?"
"Can't I catch a break for once?"
"Yo, you guys are all here? What happened now?"
He pushed open the door like he owned the place.
"Sakazuki's gone too far this time..."
"We must recall him. Leaving him in the New World risks catastrophe, especially after that woman lost five children at once."
Inside, Kong, Sengoku, and Tsuru were discussing Sakazuki. Seems Dog Bro had gone off the rails again.
Their eyes locked onto Hammer with eerie intensity.
"You're famous again, Hammer…"
Hammer: "Huh? What now?"
Sengoku handed him a newspaper. Hammer was instantly stunned.
The front page showed Sakazuki and the Divine Axe Rhitta, standing over several familiar-looking corpses. Next to them, a big photo of Hammer himself.
{MARINE'S RISING STAR SAKAZUKI DECLARES: 'HAMMER'S DIVINE AXE WILL ERADICATE ALL EVIL!}
{FIVE BIG MOM PIRATES SLAIN, IS THE DIVINE AXE RHITTA'S MIGHT UNMATCHED?!}
{"MARINE'S LEGENDARY BLACKSMITH HUMILIATES THE WORLD: 'YOU'RE ALL TRASH, I ALONE AM THE HONORED BLACKSMITH!"}
"Big Mom pirates... five of them???"
Hammer's jaw dropped. He recognized them now, Charlotte Opera. Charlotte Counter. Charlotte Cadenza. Charlotte Cabaletta. Charlotte Gala.
The quintuplets who'd become the future Minister of Cream...
"MORGANS... I SWEAR I'LL TURN YOU INTO CHICKEN SOUP!!!"
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu