"Can I not go?"
"No!"
Though Sengoku hadn't known Hammer for long, he was well aware of the man's tendencies.
"Right now, Headquarters has no spare forces to deploy to the North Blue. You're the only one with sufficient strength who's currently on leave."
"The mission isn't even that hard. I just need you to scout out Germa 66's current movements."
"According to Sakazuki's report, Germa 66 seems to be planning something big. We must find out what it is."
Sengoku's tone left no room for refusal.
"What about support? Don't tell me I'm going out there alone again. I am not taking another speedboat."
"Of course not. I'll assign you a captain-class warship and a hundred marines."
"After all, your goal isn't to attack Germa 66 directly."
"Also, someone from your class will be joining you."
Hammer: 'Knew it. These old men are the worst.'
But when he heard about a peer joining him, images of various faces flashed through his mind. He wondered who the lucky one would be.
"Fine...""What choice do I have? Rank always crushes the little guy..."
Sengoku laughed and scolded:
"You brat! You've got outstanding talent, even Zephyr praises you, but you've got the lazy soul of a salted fish!"
"This is just a simple reconnaissance mission. Quit complaining and do your job."
Hammer was in a foul mood after receiving the direct order.
Sailing was dangerous. Last time, he'd nearly been killed by some shield fruit-wielding maniac.
"Ugh..."
Sengoku laughed heartily as he watched Hammer leave in frustration.
"You were right, Tsuru. This kid needs discipline. He's strong but absurdly lazy."
"According to Zephyr, he's already got a grasp of Armament Haki and is very skilled in the Six Powers techniques."
Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded.
"Young people need tempering. But Hammer's too obsessed with blacksmithing, he definitely needs a good hammering himself."
"Still, you have to admit, the tools this kid makes are bizarre and ingenious. They always take you by surprise."
Sengoku agreed completely.
Even now, old man Kong still had that longsword hanging from his waist.
After leaving HQ, Hammer returned to his workshop to gather tools, then went home for a quick shower before heading to the port.
There, a mid-sized warship was already docked.
A familiar figure stood waiting for him.
"Yo, Hammer!"
Hammer turned toward the voice.
"Lance, huh. So you're the classmate Sengoku was talking about."
Indeed, it was Lance, the guy who once had a Doriki score of 300 on his first test.
"Hahaha, that's me."
"The others are already getting things ready, we're just waiting on you."
Hammer glanced at the busy marines on deck and couldn't help but be impressed.
"No wonder they're HQ troops. That efficiency, impressive."
"Alright, let's get going. The sooner we leave, the sooner we return. Ugh, I'd much rather be forging..."
Grumbling, Hammer boarded the ship.
"Everyone, I'm Hammer, Captain of HQ and the commanding officer for this mission. I hope we all get along."
It was Hammer's first time leading a military operation at sea, and though he tried to be serious, his speech came off a bit comical.
"Haha! Captain Hammer's getting shy!"
Surprisingly, Lance, usually the shy one, was having the time of his life.
The other soldiers burst out laughing.
"Hmph. Lieutenant Lance, you're awfully cheeky today."
"You're on navigation duty as punishment!"
Hammer snapped at Lance, then headed off to the officers' quarters.
On the way, he noticed the soldiers carrying flintlock rifles and had an idea.
Once in his quarters, he pulled out his blacksmith tools from his ring.
Then he headed to the armory and grabbed one of the flintlocks.
"This world is truly bizarre."
Technology in this world averaged around the age of flintlocks and sailing ships, yet there were submarines, trains, and even Germa 66's clone soldiers in the future.
And each island had wildly different levels of tech; some were like cavemen, while others were impossibly advanced.
The magnetic fields made inter-island communication nearly impossible, creating massive tech gaps, but even so, it was ridiculous.
Hammer examined the rifle in his hands. He planned to modify it using his abilities.
After all, traditional flintlock rifles had tons of problems: low power, highly flammable, unusable in water, and overall inconvenient.
*Duang*
That familiar hammering sound rang out as Hammer's right hand, which acted as a hammer, began striking.
Over time, he'd discovered that every item he crafted had fixed possible attributes.
For example, standard boots only ever had two potential effects: either light-footed movement or weight increase.
So once he understood the possible attributes of an item, he could mass-produce them.
But the key was triggering the critical crafting effect quickly and consistently.
The rhythmic clanging of hammer strikes filled the room as he worked.
Hammer's heart was completely calm.
He had entered a special state of mind.
A state he dubbed the "Sage Moment", an unparalleled state of focus where the strength and angle of each hammer strike was absolutely perfect.
[Ding... Critical Crafting Triggered][Flintlock rifle granted: Extended Magazine and Burst Fire capabilities.]
"Success"
Hammer excitedly picked up the reforged rifle.
The entire weapon felt smoother to the touch, and a long vertical magazine had appeared where the bullets were loaded.
It looked a bit like a carbine rifle.
Checking the magazine capacity, Hammer quickly fetched thirty bullets.
After loading them one by one, he stepped out of the break room and onto the deck.
"Hey, Hammer, what's with that weird-looking gun of yours?"
Lance spotted the rifle in his arms and couldn't help but be curious.
"I just reforged it. Watch this."
Hammer raised the gun and aimed at a flock of seagulls in the sky.
"Ratatatata!"
A rapid string of gunfire erupted.
Everyone stared in shock. What had they just witnessed?
The originally single-shot firearm had turned into a burst-fire weapon?
"Holy crap, Hammer, did you give it an attribute?"
"This gun??"
Lance was just as shocked, he knew what Hammer was capable of.
Hammer emptied the magazine completely, wearing a look of deep satisfaction.
"Yep. I used my ability to reforge this rifle, giving it rapid-fire and expanded magazine capabilities."
"Later, have all the guns brought to my room."
Upon hearing this, Lance and the other soldiers were thrilled and eagerly nodded.
"Hurry! Bring all firearms to Captain Hammer's quarters!"
"Oh, and Lance, change course. Head to Sabaody Archipelago first. We need to resupply."
"With increased ammo capacity, we're probably going to run low on bullets pretty fast."
Lance nodded in understanding and immediately gave orders to redirect the ship toward Sabaody.