Three Days Later
Marineford Headquarters – Special Hospital Ward
After three days of deep sleep, Hammer finally woke up.
The moment he opened his eyes, his mind entered a contemplative state.
The emergence of the Winterborne allowed him to truly understand what a weapon spirit is, and from that moment, he officially set foot on the path of a Master Smith in this world.
Physical forging was only the first step; the tempering of the soul, filled with emotion, was the true essence of forging a legendary weapon.
The reason the previous Frostbane couldn't unleash a proper slash was that it lacked a crucial component, a spirit.
How could a weapon aspire to greatness without a spirit?
This realization brought a moment of clarity to Hammer's mind, and his thoughts began to spark with inspiration.
"You're awake, Hammer."
The moment he woke up, the nurse had already informed the higher-ups.
The first to push open the door was none other than Zephyr.
"Teacher Zephyr, I heard you're the one who blew up my Absolute Space?"
Seeing Zephyr, Hammer smiled, though it was a smile with hidden sharpness.
"Uh… it was an accident, just an accident. I was just worried about you, after all!"
"You little rascal, you cause a huge commotion the moment you return, and I haven't even scolded you yet, now you're blaming me?"
Hammer listened to Zephyr's grumbling with an unchanged smile.
"My warship was shattered into pieces by you, and all my weapons on board went with it. There were some valuable Germa tech items among them."
"My dear teacher, how do you plan to compensate me???"
Zephyr instantly began sweating, the worst-case scenario had come to pass.
If it were just a standard warship, it wouldn't be a big deal. The real issue was all the weapons and firearms onboard.
That load could've given a standard warship firepower rivaling that of the Steel Behemoth class.
"I'll answer for Zephyr."
Another deep voice echoed as a man with an eye-catching afro walked in. It was none other than Admiral Sengoku.
"This time, Hammer, you were the key figure in taking down World, and you also forged a blade that surpasses even the Twenty-One Great Grade Blades."
"After discussion among myself, Tsuru, and Fleet Admiral Kong, we've decided that the headquarters will assign you a Vice Admiral-class warship, the Steel Behemoth."
"You'll get a crew of 500, handpicked by you. For ammunition and weaponry, aside from the standard issue, you can personally requisition additional items from Vegapunk on Punk Hazard."
'Whoa, now that's a big win.'
Hammer's grin stretched almost to his temples.
He had been eyeing the Steel Behemoth class for a long time, a true terror on the seas, far beyond the capabilities of his previous standard warship.
And expanding the crew? That meant promotion, didn't it?
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
"As for your military rank, it won't be raised this time. Becoming a Vice Admiral requires long-term merit, and you're still far from that. However, your officers can be promoted."
"The warship is an extra reward for your performance and not counted toward your service record."
Sengoku could see from Hammer's smile that he had something up his sleeve, but unfortunately for him, it wasn't going to happen.
"I'm satisfied, really."
"Oh, right, where's the Winterborne?"
At the mention of the sword, both Zephyr and Sengoku struggled to suppress their laughter.
"…Why are you two laughing?"
That only made them laugh harder.
"HAHAHAHA, that sword…"
"Kuzan's currently locked in a battle of wills with it."
The sword had originally been left in Zephyr's custody. Since the third training camp hadn't started yet, the academy building was relatively quiet, and with Zephyr guarding it, there'd be no problem.
But after Kuzan's attempt to create a scabbard for it with his ice was shattered, and then mocked by the sword, he took it personally.
He took the sword from Zephyr and began an ongoing standoff with it.
As an ice-human, how could Kuzan lose to a sword made of ice?
He's been constantly crafting new scabbards and containers out of ice, trying to contain the sword.
But the Winterborne, being sentient, refuses to be constrained.
As soon as he makes one, the sword destroys it. Thus began an endless loop: man vs. sword.
"Sigh… this Kuzan. He's approaching it the wrong way."
"Even I, the creator, can't fully unleash its power right now."
"After all, I'm not a swordsman, I lack that pure yearning for the sword path."
Hammer's words earned solemn nods from Sengoku and Zephyr.
Both of them were physical combat masters and fully understood what he meant. Take Zephyr, for example, he'd earned the title "Black Arm" using nothing but his fists and mastery of Armament Haki.
To conquer that kind of sword, you needed to be a true swordsman.
It wasn't enough to just have a Logia-type Ice Fruit.
"Oh yeah, Sengoku, what happened to that bastard World?"
"Did he get sunk?"
Just thinking about how World ruined his entire mission made Hammer seethe.
"He wasn't sunk, if he died and the Mo-Mo Fruit reappeared in the wild, it would be a huge risk."
"I've already assigned that bastard Borsalino to escort the World Pirates to Impel Down."
"There, we'll maintain his frozen state and make sure he never resurfaces."
Hammer: "…"
'You've got to be kidding me. You're just creating trouble for the future, you should've just sunk him.'
'Not to mention, with the Frostbane and cryolite involved, even if they're tossed into a warm current, they won't melt easily, let alone in the ocean depths.'
'If Luffy ever makes it to Impel Down again, the whole thing might fall apart.'
'No way. I need to find a way to visit Impel Down and move him.'
"All right, get some rest. We'll talk again once you're better."
"Let's go, Sengoku."
The Next Day
Hammer was discharged from the hospital. Instead of retrieving the Ice Azure Sword from Kuzan, he went straight to the harbor to see his Steel Behemoth.
"Hammer, how's it feel? This beast is your new ride!"
Before a majestic warship stood Lance, Shirley, and Hammer, all visibly excited.
Shirley had fully recovered after a few days of rest, thanks to her excellent constitution.
But Hammer quietly made a mental note: when he visits Impel Down, that damn fish-man who hurt her has to die.
"Yeah, this thing is impressive. But after everything we've been through, I've realized something: just having powerful weapons isn't enough."
"Our ride needs to be strong too!"
"Lance, come with me to Logistics. We're going to grab some materials. I'm going to reforge this beast in the next few days."
"Shirley, regroup our original team and visit Vice Admiral Tsuru. Finalize the other 400 crew members. Then sail the ship to the dock, we'll meet there."
Hammer rubbed his hands together and grinned. In his mind, the full plan for upgrading the Steel Behemoth was already taking shape.
....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 15 chapters ahead.
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