The terrifying energy explosion kicked up massive clouds of smoke, and even the surrounding buildings were coated in a layer of dust.
"Did we get him?"
Lance dispersed the lightning around him and stared intently at the center of the explosion.
But Zephyr and the other veteran Marines still looked serious.
Which meant Hammer's berserk state hadn't ended yet.
"Don't let your guard down."
"Awakened Devil Fruit users experience a massive increase in stamina alongside their fruit abilities."
"While it's not as exaggerated as Zoan-types, the boost is still significant."
"Especially for someone like Hammer, who directly transforms himself into a hammer."
"I'd estimate the hardness of the hammer he becomes has already reached an unimaginable level."
Sengoku adjusted his glasses as he explained some theories about Devil Fruits.
And the truth was exactly as he said.
The improvements brought by Devil Fruit awakenings were enormous.
And they were closely related to the user.
As long as the developed ability directly affected the user's own body, it could indirectly strengthen their physical durability.
There was no need to even mention Zoan-types.
They literally transformed between human and beast forms, making the enhancement the most obvious.
Next were people like Hammer, who directly applied their ability onto themselves.
That would absolutely elevate the toughness of their body to another level entirely.
BOOM!
The instant Sengoku finished speaking, changes appeared at the center of the explosion.
Crimson light suddenly erupted.
The flames boiled violently like wild horses breaking free of their reins.
"Damn it, Heavy Hammer Flame?"
"This level of power and range…"
"Sengoku!"
"Use your shockwaves to contain the flames in this area!"
"They can't be allowed to spread!"
"Lance, you're the fastest!"
"Go sound the alarm!"
The moment Zephyr saw the flames begin surging, he immediately realized things were bad.
Sengoku nodded.
The golden Buddha instantly rose into the air.
"Buddha Shockwave!"
"Buddha Bell!"
He clasped his palms together, then suddenly leaped upward.
Both palms thrust forward simultaneously.
Golden shockwaves instantly formed into the shape of a massive bell, trapping Hammer inside.
No matter how violently the flames rose, they couldn't break through the shockwave barrier.
"Hoh, haven't seen that move in a long time."
"Good thing you remembered it, Zephyr."
"I always thought Sengoku only knew how to smack people around with shockwaves."
Old man Kong scratched his head while looking at Sengoku showing off his power, casually saying something that nearly caused Sengoku to die on the spot.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Old man Kong, stop talking already."
"If Sengoku gets too emotional and the Buddha Bell breaks, this entire district is finished."
Zephyr burst into laughter.
He knew Sengoku's abilities extremely well.
After all, he had experienced this once himself back in the day.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, my hearing is perfectly fine!"
"Dammit, Zephyr! Stop laughing and think of a solution!"
"Maintaining this ability nonstop is exhausting!"
Sengoku was furious.
He was the one doing all the work while those two old men were chatting leisurely below.
'This lazy bums'
After cursing, he turned and glared viciously at Hammer, who had transformed into a hammer.
"Dammit, Hammer!"
"This is all your fault!"
"What the hell are you going berserk for?!"
"If you don't properly forge my exclusive weapon, you're finished!"
Under normal circumstances, those angry words wouldn't have mattered at all.
But now?
Hammer's confusion and eventual berserk state had originally been triggered by his conflict regarding forging and justice.
Of course, this also had something to do with the nature of this world itself.
If this had been Hammer's previous world, at worst he would've just emo'd for a while.
But where was this place?
This was the world of One Piece, where negative emotions could become powerful enough to blow systems apart.
The words "forge weapons" once again stimulated the unstable mass of negativity within Hammer's mind.
And just like that, his berserk state became even more complete.
BOOM!
DUANG!
Countless hammer strikes exploded forth amidst the swirling flames.
DUANG!
The hammer strikes slammed into the Buddha Bell, causing violent tremors.
Shockwaves clashed against shockwaves.
And poor Sengoku suffered the most because of it.
What had originally been a defensive battle instantly became a war of endurance.
The collision between both abilities rang out across the skies of Marineford like deafening bell chimes.
At this point, Lance didn't even need to sound the alarm anymore.
These bell sounds worked even better than an alarm.
They instantly jolted countless Marines awake from their sleep.
One by one, they pushed open windows and doors to look into the sky.
And the moment they looked.
They saw aspectacle.
Golden Buddha vs Giant Hammer!
But this time, the people below finally realized where the problem lay.
Old man Kong and Zephyr exchanged glances.
"You figured it out?"
"Mm. More or less."
Then both nodded.
Suddenly Zephyr cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted toward the sky:
"Hammer! Wake up and forge weapons already!"
Hammer: "!!??"
BOOM!
In the next instant, Hammer's attack frequency increased even more.
Sengoku nearly lost control on the spot.
Good thing he reacted fast enough, otherwise Hammer would've made his Buddha Bell vibrate into pieces.
Panicking slightly, he immediately increased the output of his shockwaves while shouting downward: "Zephyr, you bastard!"
"What are you trying to do?!"
"Oh, nothing."
"Just testing our theory."
After that little experiment, Zephyr understood something clearly.
'Hammer had definitely become lost regarding the path he wanted to walk.'
'Otherwise he wouldn't react so violently to the words "forge weapons."'
'But what exactly had caused him to become confused about his own life?'
That part Zephyr still couldn't understand.
Instead, the Shirley and Hina standing behind him seemed to realize something.
The two girls simultaneously shouted toward the sky: "Marines!"
The instant Hammer heard it, he went even crazier.
Sengoku became even more depressed, but now he more or less understood Hammer's situation too.
"Dammit, Hammer!"
"What conflict is there between being a Marine and forging weapons?!"
"You stupid brat!"
Sengoku, who had dedicated his entire life to the Marines, completely failed to understand why Hammer would become confused about being a Marine.
In his anger, the power of his shockwaves suddenly increased dramatically.
No matter how violently Hammer exploded with power, he still couldn't cross even a single step beyond the barrier.
"So that's it…"
"Being a Marine and forging weapons… that's the reason Hammer fell into confusion?"
Zephyr suddenly fell silent.
He simply couldn't understand.
'Why would Hammer become conflicted about those two things?'
'One was his identity.'
'The other was his pursuit.'
'It made no sense.'
The more Zephyr thought about it, the angrier he became.
He suddenly turned around and ran straight toward the training camp.
"Zephyr, where are you going?"
Old man Kong tried to stop him.
But Zephyr moved too quickly and with far too much momentum.
There was no stopping him.
"Forget it."
"We can't let Hammer continue like this."
"Sengoku!"
"Drop your Buddha Bell for one second!"
"I'm going in!"
Old man Kong's body became wrapped entirely in Armament Haki, making him look like a black iron tower.
"Got it!"
The two moved with incredible speed.
Within a single breath, the Buddha Bell disappeared for one second before immediately reforming.
And during that one second, old man Kong had already rushed directly in front of the hammer and swung his pitch-black fist downward.
"Hammer!"
"Wake up!"
DUANG!
The only response he received, was a massive hammer strike.