"Never thought that little brat hammering iron back then would grow to this level."
Kong let out a sigh as he clashed directly against Hammer.
In his awakened Devil Fruit state, Hammer had completely become the embodiment of the Hammer-Hammer Fruit itself.
All kinds of hammer strikes and shockwaves exploded endlessly without stopping.
And he still retained combat instincts.
His Armament Haki was being released wildly without the slightest concern for exhaustion.
"Brat! As the future of the Marines, this won't do!"
"Armament: Void Destruction!"
Old man Kong took a deep breath as an even denser wave of Armament Haki erupted from him.
This time, it was even deeper and more concentrated.
A flowing layer of Haki instantly wrapped around Kong's palms.
It was the advanced application of Armament Haki, internal destruction.
"Hah!"
With a low shout from Kong, both fists blasted forward in succession.
While dispersing the hammer strikes, the attacks continued forward without losing momentum, smashing directly toward Hammer's true body, the hammer itself.
Even though he had gone mad, his combat instincts still remained.
Hammer instantly activated Absolute Space, attempting to neutralize Kong's attack.
But internal destruction Armament Haki transformed Haki into a liquid-like force that directly attacked the opponent internally.
Even Absolute Space couldn't properly defend against it.
Just as the attack was about to hit the hammer, a sudden change occurred.
Hammer's Conqueror's Haki, the Slacker King Haki, suddenly erupted.
At the same time, the area around the hammer began glowing.
It was Hammer-Hammer Fruit: Air Shaping.
Countless hammer strikes instantly wrapped around the outside of the Oath Hammer, forcibly reshaping another giant hammer around it.
It was the Air Hammer.
Now the Air Hammer and the Oath Hammer fused into one.
"It can do that too?!"
This bizarre operation completely shocked everyone watching.
The eyeballs practically flying out of their sockets were proof enough.
The fused twin-hammer Hammer didn't even dodge.
He allowed Kong's attack to land directly on the hammer's surface.
BOOM!
An explosion rang out instantly.
But the hammer remained completely unharmed.
Using even denser hammer strikes, Hammer forcibly neutralized the internal destruction effect of the Armament Haki.
"Well done, brat!"
"You've got some tricks!"
"Again!"
This instantly ignited Kong's fighting spirit.
He stepped through the air with Moonwalk and charged directly at Hammer.
Man and hammer clashed once more.
BOOM!
DUANG!
The air became filled with explosions and hammer strikes.
At that moment, Zephyr returned to the battlefield.
"Kong, fall back!"
"Let me handle this!"
A furious roar came from below.
Zephyr appeared wearing the Fist of Tekko, his entire body radiating dangerous intent.
Everyone's eyelids twitched upon seeing him.
Even Sengoku and Kong were startled.
"Holy hell, Zephyr!"
"You're serious?! You even brought out your exclusive weapon?"
"You trying to beat Hammer to death?!"
Zephyr kept a dark expression and said nothing.
He merely prepared himself to leap.
The next second, he shot upward and rushed directly in front of Hammer.
"Iron Borga Heavy Strike!"
"Destruction Blow!"
The Armament-coated Fist of Tekko suddenly activated its propulsion system.
The gigantic fist slammed directly into the hammer's surface.
Even the fused twin-hammer Hammer couldn't withstand this blow.
Under the terrifying power, he was blasted higher into the sky.
Seeing Zephyr join the battle, Kong could only awkwardly retreat to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
"Zephyr, take it easy!"
"That's your precious disciple plus adopted son!"
"If you beat him to death, nobody'll take care of you when you're old!"
To keep Zephyr from going overboard, Kong could only throw out a reminder like that.
"You damned brat!"
"I devoted everything to the Marines!"
"And you actually became confused about the Marines?!"
"Wasn't forging your favorite thing?!"
"What I'm wearing right now is your masterpiece!"
"So what the hell are you confused about?!"
"Tekko's Fist: Critical Strike!"
The angrier Zephyr became, the more terrifying he looked.
Like a living nuclear bomb.
Every punch he threw sent Hammer flying dozens of meters.
But those words truly struck Hammer at his core.
A faint glimmer suddenly appeared within his confused heart.
Even his movements slowed for a single second.
A sharp light flashed through Zephyr's eyes.
But his attacks didn't slow in the slightest.
Like a ferocious tiger, he unleashed relentless assaults.
"Hammer!"
"Tell me what you're confused about!"
"The Marines?! Justice?!"
"Or do you not want to be a Marine anymore?!"
The justice of the Marines...
Hammer: 'What is my justice? Why did I become a Marine?'
"You damned brat! Answer me!"
"Tekko's Fist Charge!"
"Iron Mountain Slam!"
Zephyr drew both fists inward and slammed Hammer away again with his hardened shoulder.
"Aren't you the great craftsman of the seas?!"
"Wasn't Hammer the guy who feared nothing as long as he held a hammer?!"
"Even Whitebeard and Roger couldn't make you retreat!"
"So what exactly are you retreating from now?!"
That's right.
Throughout his journey, even when facing the very peaks of the sea, Hammer had never truly backed down.
Even when acting cowardly, he still fought them head-on...
"Or are you saying there's no justice in your heart?"
"What is justice?!"
"It's nothing more than the direction you move forward in!"
"As long as you find that direction, who cares if you're a lazy bum?!"
'Justice...'
The justice of a slacker...'
'Uh...'
'That sounded pretty ridiculous.'
Might as well call it the justice of hammers instead...'
'Wait.'
'The justice of hammers???'
"Wake up, Hammer!"
"Follow the ideals in your heart!"
'Ideals?'
'Would recreating the legendary Huxia blades of his previous world in this world count?'
'Would becoming Logistics Chief and living a stable peaceful life count?'
"Brat, remember this!"
"If you live upon the seas, then move forward fearlessly!"
"Even if you want to become some carefree loafer, you still need to understand what your heart desires!"
"Now tell me, Hammer!"
"What is it that you truly want?!"
What did he want...
Hammer wanted absolute safety.
Absolute stability.
Absolute status to guarantee he could enjoy life.
At the same time,
He wanted to build a forging paradise that belonged solely to him!
"Tekko's Fist: Rocket!"
The propulsion system activated again.
The terrifying fist charged toward Hammer with blazing exhaust flames.
Just as the punch was about to send the hammer flying once more,
The hammer changed.
"That's enough, old man!"
"Armament! Hammer-Hammer!"
The hammer instantly transformed back into human form.
Hammer clenched his right fist.
He compressed Absolute Space directly onto his hand.
An irregular transparent spherical barrier instantly wrapped around his fist.
That exact same stance caused everyone's eyes to widen.
Edward Newgate.
Yes.
At this moment, Hammer looked exactly like Whitebeard.
"Atomic Collapse!"
The punch exploded outward.
The atmosphere shattered instantly.
The terrifying hammer strike directly cracked the air itself.
Through the development and extension of his ability, Hammer's hammer strikes had finally advanced another step forward.
Even space itself had become a medium for transmitting hammer strikes!
"I, Hammer, will absolutely become Logistics Chief!"
"And when that happens, everyone will have to protect me!"
"I'll create my own forging paradise!"
"A hall displaying every famous weapon I forge!"
"Even the Celestial Dragons will have to treat me as an honored guest!"
Amidst his roaring shouts,
The two fists collided.
And at that moment, the heavens and earth changed color!