The armory had been the busiest place in all of Marineford these past few days.
Officers of every rank were desperately trying to get in, all hoping to get their hands on a good weapon.
"What are you all doing? Don't you have any duties? Crowding around the armory gate ! I'll have the guards throw you out if you don't move!"
Ever since Hammer was promoted to Vice Admiral, the former Rear Admiral Risk had quietly stepped back, even though Hammer was technically only the deputy head of the armory. In practice, he now handled all the duties of the head.
"Hey, soldier, Vice Admiral Hammer is calling you."
"Sir! You called for me??"
Hammer looked at the soldier in a guard uniform and couldn't help but twitch his lips.
What the hell did those bastards tell everyone yesterday?
Three days ago, a bunch of officers who were on good terms with Hammer made some shady, private agreements with him.
They all drank happily together.
"Don't worry, Hammer. With your skills, we'll make sure everyone hears about you. You'll be famous in no time!"
Hammer was so drunk he didn't take their words seriously.
And now… the armory was swarmed.
"Momonga, you bastard, and the rest of you too, get this crowd under control or I swear I'll make sure all your weapons shatter at the first swing!"
Hammer spotted some familiar faces at the back of the crowd and shouted angrily.
Among them were Momonga, Yamakaji, even the usually stoic Onigumo, and Doberman.
They all grinned awkwardly, but quickly stepped forward to help restore order after hearing the shout.
"If you need weapons, go apply through logistics! Don't block the armory!"
"Otherwise! See this?"
Hammer decided to make an example. He pulled out a long, silvery-white staff.
"This is a top-tier weapon. Anyone want to try it out?"
It was his... "Power Pole", the weird version.
Even the officers couldn't resist the sleek, silver weapon. It looked intimidating and cool.
Momonga was one of them.
"Whoa! Vice Admiral, you've been holding out on us! Is it too late for me to switch from swords to staffs?"
Momonga, a second-generation cadet of the elite training camp, was currently a Commodore. Most of his class were around Captain to Commander. With Onigumo being the sole Rear Admiral among them.
"Oh? Momonga, want to give it a try?"
"Yes! Let me try it!"
Hammer smiled and handed over the Power Pole.
Behind that smile was pure mischief. Anyone who knew Hammer well could tell, he was setting a trap.
Momonga was thrilled. He took the staff and began showing off.
And to be fair, he wasn't bad. Despite never using a staff before, he managed a decent performance. His display of stick moves even drew applause.
"Looks flashy, but does it hit hard?"
"Momonga, go test it on a rock!"
Hammer's words made Momonga nod; he agreed. A weapon's flair meant nothing if it couldn't kill enemies.
With a shout, he dashed toward a waist-high rock.
He put all his strength into the swing, and the Power Pole cut through the air.
The moment it struck the rock… the staff shattered.
It did no damage to the rock. Instead, the staff exploded into pieces, leaving only two bits in Momonga's hands.
Everyone was stunned.
Hammer immediately pulled a sheet of paper and an ink pad from his pocket. He rushed over to Momonga.
"Momonga! I let you try my weapon, and you broke it! Do you know how much time and resources I poured into that thing?"
"Now it's ruined! Pay up!"
"Let me calculate, fine iron, seastone, hmm…"
"Since we're fellow cadets, I'll be generous: just 1 billion Berries. Hand, please."
"Yes, press your fingerprint right there. Great. The broken pieces are yours. Just make sure to pay me the 1 billion, okay?"
Hammer acted swiftly. He grabbed the still-stunned Momonga and pressed his fingerprint onto the contract, then folded the paper and tucked it away.
He smiled sweetly at Momonga.
Momonga, still in shock, was speechless.
The spectators suddenly felt a chill down their spines.
"Hammer… why did that thing break so easily?"
Momonga was still confused as to why such a badass-looking staff broke so fast.
"Oh, that's just one of its features; it's made to break in one hit. The only thing it breaks is itself."
"...Why didn't you say that earlier…"
"If I told you, would you have used it? If you didn't use it, how would I trick you?"
"Hmm? Look here, Commodore Momonga, remember the 1 billion Berries you owe me. If not, I'll report you to Admiral Sengoku!"
Momonga looked at the red ink on his hand and the crimson fingerprint on the IOU, and completely broke down.
'Demon. Hammer is a demon.'
That was what everyone at the scene thought.
"Alright, show's over! Get back to work!"
"Don't interrupt the armory's operations, or your weapons might end up one!"
With Momonga as the cautionary tale, the crowd dispersed quickly.
Only Momonga and the others stayed behind.
"You're all here for weapons, right?"
Hammer turned and went back inside. When he came back out, he was carrying a bag of weapons.
"Here, Strawberry, two Tangdao saber."
"Momonga, one Tangdao sword."
"Onigumo, two Miaodao.Tch. Big guy like you copying Bogard's style?"
"Dalmatian, one pair of gauntlets. Not the Wind-Breaking ones, those aren't done yet. This one just boosts strength. Sakazuki used it back in the day. You can ask him."
"Doberman, one Tangdao."
"Yamakaji, one Tangdao."
Hammer handed out the weapons.
Everyone's eyes lit up with joy as they drew their new blades.
"What a blade... This sharpness rivals Konpira from Gion."
"No way. Konpira is sharper. Though these swords are excellent, they're still not quite in the 'Great Grade' class."
As their smith, Hammer knew the limits of the sword. Even he had to admit, the "21 Great Grade Blades" were on another level.
So far, only the Frostbane had come close.
"Alright, I gave you all what I promised."
"Good luck hunting pirates!"
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu