New World.
"The Navy… actually slaughtered our family! Unforgivable!"
"Peropero~"
On a ship shaped like a custard tart, a long-tongued pirate bared his teeth, Charlotte Perospero, eldest son of the Big Mom Pirates. Behind him loomed two more figures: Charlotte Daifuku and Charlotte Oven.
Ahead of their tart ship loomed a Marine battleship.
Sakazuki, his right arm glowing red, gripped Divine Axe Rhitta. As he stared at the Big Mom pirates before him, a flicker of bloodlust and excitement crossed his eyes.
"Pirates deserve only death."
"Those five weaklings weren't even worth sharpening my axe on."
The sheer disdain in his voice ignited the Charlotte siblings' fury.
"You're dead!"
"Kill him!"
The battle erupted instantly.
.....
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters
"Old man Kong, tell me where Morgans is! I'm going to pluck that damn bird and turn him into soup!"
This wasn't the first time the News Coo had screwed Hammer over. He was the one who scammed others, not the other way around!
"Calm down, Hammer," Sengoku quickly soothed him. "Morgans is a slippery bastard. Nobody knows his whereabouts."
"Damn that featherbrained hack! How many times now? Does he think I'm some pushover?!" Hammer slammed his fist on the table.
Meanwhile, Kong and Tsuru simply smiled at his outburst.
Hammer's eye twitched. "What's with those grins?!"
"Hammer, this is the fame you deserve! Why are you so upset?"
"It also serves as good publicity for the Marines." Kong chuckled. "I'd love if that bird reported more stories like this."
The casual remark made Hammer's veins bulge.
"Of course you're not worried, you're all insanely strong!"
"But me? I'm just a humble blacksmith! My Haki's crap, my Devil Fruit's half-baked, and my combat skills are so-so, all I do is hit metal!"
"If some New World psycho kidnaps me, you'll be crying over your lost 'treasure'!"
Kong: '...This brat makes cowardice sound heroic.'
Sengoku: 'Good thing Zephyr's not here. He'd be livid.'
Tsuru: 'Why does every high-ranking officer in the Navy have a screw loose?'
But thinking it through… they realized Hammer wasn't wrong.
He was a blacksmith, not just any, but a legendary one. A living treasure. He needed protection.
At that moment, a Marine rushed in with a report.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Vice Admiral Garp reports he's ready to hunt Chinjao. He asks if Vice Admiral Hammer wants to join him.
"Garp's making his move? Where is he?" Hammer's eyes lit up with vengeful glee. 'Finally. payback time!'
"En route to Marineford. Should arrive in about half a day."
Hammer turned to leave, only to be stopped by Kong.
"Hold it, Hammer!"
Kong smiled slyly, and Hammer instantly got suspicious.
He knew this old man was about to pull a fast one.
Hammer's face went serious.
"Hammer, since Garp is handling Chinjao, any 'reclaimed' treasure from Jewel Ice Sheet belongs to HQ, right?"
Sengoku and Tsuru nodded in unison.
Of course. Kong had fully embraced his inner Scrooge, and the others were enabling him.
But unfortunately for them, their opponent was none other than the Navy's richest, greediest officer, and fellow money-grubber, Hammer.
"Sure, no problem," Hammer smirked. "As long as Garp can break the Jewel Ice Mountain without using my gear, I'll hand it all over to HQ without complaint."
'That ice isn't so easy to crack.'
Garp's fists were legendary, but breaking that glacier required piercing force, something only a cone-headed impact or Hammer's custom gear could achieve.
Kong grew suspicious. Hammer was being way too cooperative.
He quickly replayed everything Hammer had ever said about the Jewel Ice Sheet
"You're that confident Garp can't break it?"Kong asked.
Hammer simply gave him a mocking smirk.
That smile alone made Kong deeply uneasy.
After exchanging glances with Sengoku and Tsuru, Kong fell silent, then sighed.
"…Alright. HQ gets 70%."
Negotiations had begun. Hammer jumped right in.
"50%. Kong, without my tools, Garp doesn't stand a chance."
"65%! Giving you all that money is wasteful. HQ needs more resources!"
"55%! I'll use that money to buy rare metals and forge more divine weapons. You guys want better gear, right?"
"60%! That's final!"
"Deal!"
Kong was fuming, face red, breath ragged. Sengoku's eye was twitching.
Sengoku looked at Hammer and quietly despaired. 'One day I'll be the Fleet Admiral too… and I'll have to deal with this greedy goblin all the time…'
'And this is Hammer before he becomes the Head of Logistics… What then? What kind of nightmare awaits me?!'
"Alright, gentlemen, I'll leave you to it," Hammer said, standing up. "I'm off to watch Garp smash that drill-headed Chinjao!"
"Gahahaha! It's gonna be a good show!"
With a sinister laugh, he stormed out, leaving the three old-timers speechless.
Kong exhaled hard and muttered, "Sengoku… you'd better be careful from now on. I've got a feeling that brat's gonna dock your retirement pay one day."
"I don't care much, I'll be off to Mary Geoise in a few years anyway. But you? You'll be stuck here a long time…"
"Oh, and by the way, a letter came from Mary Geoise… about the auction. You know what that means."
Sengoku: 'Damn it my future looks bleak.'
Tsuru, ever the strategist, nodded at Kong's words. "Sengoku, if things get bad, maybe… buy him a gift?"
"Y'know, to soften his impression of you a little."
"After all, he's already marked you with three stars…"
Sengoku broke into a cold sweat, subconsciously adjusting his glasses, already calculating what gift to buy.
No choice.
If he wanted future financial freedom, he'd have to suck up to that damned Hammer.
Even if it meant emptying his wallet!
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu