Total chaos.
That was the only way to describe the scene.
Zephyr's wind-breaker punch completely shattered the wooden board in Fleet Admiral Kong's hands.
Splinters flew everywhere, burying the entire table full of food.
Fortunately, Hammer and the others reacted quickly, otherwise, they would've been part of the mess too.
Garp and Sengoku, however, weren't so lucky. They took the punch head-on, and now their clothes were reduced to tatters.
They looked utterly ridiculous.
But the most unfortunate of all was Fleet Admiral Kong, who got an unplanned makeover.
He was completely covered in wood shavings, from his hair, beard, and even his pristine white coat now resembled a porcupine's back.
"You three bastards!!"
Kong's thunderous roar sent shivers down the spines of the Marines' three biggest troublemakers.
...
Time passed uneventfully for a while.
During this period, Hammer had buried himself in his workshop, fully immersed in his blacksmithing.
First, he repaired the damaged items for Dragon and Kong, then threw himself entirely into forging.
He only emerged from the forge, covered in soot, when Zephyr sent someone to fetch him.
"Teacher Zephyr, I didn't expect you to skip your break. The first batch just graduated, and you're already starting training for the second?"
Arriving at the training grounds, Hammer found Zephyr in his usual strict demeanor.
But the moment Zephyr spotted him, he lowered his baton and barked at the new recruits:
"Attention! At ease!"
In an instant, the hundred soldiers snapped to attention, then slowly relaxed.
Covered in grime, Hammer looked over the group of elite cadets and asked Zephyr,"Any interesting newcomers in this batch?"
As he spoke, he glanced at the formation.
With one look, he spotted several familiar faces:
Future Elite Vice Admirals like Onigumo, Doberman, Momonga, Yamakaji, Strawberry, and Dalmatian.
He also spotted a graceful figure: the younger sister of Vice Admiral Tsuru, Momousagi Gion, one of the future admiral candidates.
Next to her stood a very odd-looking man, whose greasy appearance instantly gave him away, another future admiral candidate, Chaton Tokikake.
And of course, standing among them was a Mink tribe girl, Shirley, who had gotten in thanks to her connection with Hammer.
"HAHAHA! Oh yes, and quite a few prodigies too! Maybe not on the level of those three monsters, but some have talent that could rival yours!"
"Here, let me introduce you all. This is the top graduate from the last batch - Headquarters Captain, Hammer!"
All eyes turned to Hammer.
His soot-covered appearance drew dismissive glances from many.
But a few gifted ones had serious expressions; they could sense it.
An undeniable aura of strength radiated from him.
"Don't just stand there, Hammer! Say something!"
Annoyed by Hammer's dumbfounded expression, Zephyr shoved him to the front of the platform.
Hammer stumbled forward, gave his teacher a bitter glare, then looked at the recruits below.
"Uh… I'm Hammer. I'm nineteen years old."
"..."
"..."
"That's it?"
Zephyr looked like he was about to have an aneurysm.
'This brat gave a whole speech at graduation! Where did all those words go?!'
The recruits were stunned for a second, then erupted into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"This guy's hilarious! Where'd Teacher Zephyr find this clown?"
"He's covered in soot, and what's his name? Hammer? Hahaha!"
The entire training ground was filled with laughter.
Even Gion and the others couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Zephyr's face went pitch black with rage. He glared at Hammer.
"You idiot, Hammer! Look what you've done!"
"Shut them up. Or else, you know what'll happen!"
Hearing his teacher's very familiar threat, Hammer scratched his head, then jumped down from the stage.
He showed a slightly twisted smile to the still-laughing recruits.
Gion was the first to notice something was off.
She saw the three-meter-tall Hammer's right hand flash, and a long weapon, like a trident, appeared.
"Watch out!!"
Her cry rang out.
But the recruits at the front were still laughing, completely unaware of the danger looming.
Hammer spun his trident, a weapon he forged himself in the shape of the Sea King's Trident.
Its special ability: Chain Lightning.
He thrust the weapon forward. A brilliant white light burst from it.
The frontmost cadet was hit directly.
*CRACK!*
"AAARGH!"
A sharp crack of lightning rang out, followed by a scream.
The lightning struck the nearest recruit dead-on, sending him convulsing to the ground, his body charred black like a mummy fresh out of a furnace.
The laughter stopped cold.
All eyes turned toward Hammer, who now had a sinister grin.
And in the next second, he vanished.
This scene unfolded before everyone's eyes.
In that instant, even Gion felt a chill run down her spine.
"What's wrong? Weren't you all laughing just a second ago?"
"Take this!"
Hammer's voice and figure reappeared, his trident striking toward another cadet in a flash.
*CRACK!*
"GYAAAH—!!"
Another bolt of lightning. Another charred mummy collapsed to the ground.
"Six Powers: Soru..."
Momonga and the others instantly grew serious. Just from Hammer's speed, they could tell he was using one of the Marines' Six Powers, Soru.
A skill they hadn't even begun to learn.
Zephyr watched the whole thing, thoroughly satisfied. With a chuckle, he called out:
"Alright, Hammer! I'll give you five minutes. Knock them all down! If you don't, I'm taking half of everything you've forged lately!"
Hammer was speechless.
'First, he uses me as a training dummy for the new recruits, and now he's eyeing my treasures?!'
'Tch... you greedy old man.'
"Well, too bad, Teacher Zephyr. This time, you're not getting a single thing I made."
As the words left his mouth, Hammer's expression turned serious. His trident moved faster, whipping up clouds of dust with every swing.
"Everyone, be careful!" shouted Shirley. "That's Big Brother Hammer's newest weapon, the sea kings trident! It can discharge electricity, just like the Mink Tribe's innate ability!"
"And he's the Hammer-Hammer Fruit user! His combat skills are on par with the three monsters that graduated early!"
No one knew Hammer better than Xue Li. In an instant, she exposed all his secrets.
"Shirley... really? Selling me out like that?"
Hammer sighed helplessly.
Then in the next second, he leapt straight into the crowd and landed right in front of her.
His trident swept sideways in a wide arc.
But Shirley ducked and avoided the strike. In a flash, she darted forward like a rabbit, closing the distance and throwing a punch straight at Hammer's face.
Seeing her form and stance, both Hammer and Zephyr nodded in approval.
Under Tsuru's care, Shirley had undergone drastic growth.
Tsuru's Wash-Wash Fruit powers had cleansed the trauma from Shirley's heart, allowing her to start anew.
And under her training, Shirley had begun awakening her innate Mink abilities, mastering electro discharge in just weeks.
Calling her a genius wouldn't be an exaggeration.