The three monsters were all individuals who owned up to their actions.
Faced with Zephyr's questioning, they straightforwardly admitted they had been successfully sneak-attacked by Hammer.
This left Zephyr speechless.
"Hmph! Seems like after eating your Devil Fruits, you all slacked off on physical training. I've warned you before—Devil Fruits are powerful, yes, but they're ultimately external aids. True strength comes from your own body. Only when your physique, Haki, and techniques are in harmony will you reach the pinnacle."
"Do you understand now? Having a Devil Fruit ability without a physique strong enough to match it is utterly useless!"
He was clearly frustrated, like a teacher angry at underperforming students. The three responded in their own way.
Dragon was fast asleep, snoring loudly.
Sakazuki frowned deeply.
Borsalino stared blankly at the sky.
"Damn you, Dragon! How dare you fall asleep!"
*BONK!*
"Huh? Is it lunch time already?"
"I—@#!@￥#!%..."
...
"Hammer, regarding your forging situation, Sengoku and the old man Kong have come up with a preliminary plan."
"From now on, anything you forge will be exclusively reclaimed by Headquarters. The compensation won't match what you could get outside, so prepare yourself for that."
"But of course, with loss comes gain. The headquarters' scientific research division has already started preparations. Any new weapons or equipment developed there, you'll have priority access and authority to use and allocate them."
"As for forging materials, Sengoku has specially approved a requisition permit. Here, with this, you can directly withdraw materials from the Navy's inventory without spending military credits or Beri."
After giving Dragon a thorough beating, Zephyr walked over to Hammer and spoke to him earnestly.
Hammer was momentarily stunned.
Until now, his forging had been solely to fulfill the needs of those around him—like Zephyr, Sakazuki, and the others.
All for the sake of building relationships.
After all, he was new to this dangerous pirate-infested world. Without someone to lean on, he wouldn't last.
But he had overlooked the significance of his own value.
Though his abilities weren't yet widely applicable, the top brass had already acknowledged and defined his importance.
Well, the exploitation hadn't stopped either, to be fair.
Still, Zephyr's words filled Hammer with joy.
"So I can take rare ores too?"
"Yes."
"And famous swords or treasure weapons?"
"Yes."
"Even Seastone?"
"Yes."
"What about Sengoku's goat or Garp's iron ball?"
"Yes... Wait, hell no!"
Zephyr nearly choked on his words.
"You brat! If Sengoku's goat could be taken, it would've been mine first. I've wanted to roast that thing for ages! As for Garp's iron ball, go ahead, if you're ready to be turned into a frying pan by his 'Fist of Love'!"
A terrifying image flashed in Hammer's mind
Some point in the future, some poor pointy-headed guy is getting his skull flattened by a booger-picking man.
'Yikes... absolutely horrifying!'
"Thank you, Teacher Zephyr. With this policy, I'll be even more motivated to forge!"
Zephyr looked at the excited Hammer, feeling a surge of warmth.
"Truthfully, we old-timers have been too harsh on you lately."
"Whether it's Sengoku, Tsuru, or even the old man Kong, Headquarters always comes first for them."
"Your abilities are remarkable, but compared to the Navy's needs, they're just a drop in the ocean. Don't blame them, if you must blame anyone, blame this old fool."
Hammer froze again.
Zephyr was currently in his prime, at the peak of his life.
But the loss of his family had cast a shadow over this iron-willed man, dimming even his fiery spirit.
How could Hammer possibly resent him?
Besides, when he first arrived at Marineford, a stranger in a strange land, just a nobody from another world.
Without Zephyr's protection, he would've been dragged off by that old bastard Sengoku to slave away in the weapons factory.
Hammer was well aware of everything Zephyr had done for him.
Sengoku: "...So I'm the villain here, huh?"
"Teacher Zephyr, don't say that. I could never blame any of you."
"If anything, I should be grateful you didn't toss me into the factory for 24-hour shifts."
"Marineford is my home now, and you're like family."
"Where I come from, we say: 'A teacher for a day is a father for life.' By that logic, you're my dad!"
"Dad! Please accept this bow from your son, Hammer!"
Hammer bent forward at a perfect 90-degree angle.
A faint smile of contentment appeared on Zephyr's face.
Hammer's words had struck a chord deep in the warrior's heart.
Even Dragon and the others felt Hammer radiate an almost heroic aura.
"How terrifying~ Hammer calling Zephyr 'dad' feels... off, somehow?"
The monkey adjusted his glasses, staring intently at Hammer.
His instincts screamed that this gesture was anything but innocent.
But he was overthinking it.
Hammer's bow came straight from the heart, with no ulterior motives.
"You damn monkey! I was being genuine! Take this, my ultimate treasure!"
Enraged at having the moment ruined, Hammer whipped out a cylindrical object, a rocket launcher.
The monkey's face stiffened as he immediately began to glow.
"Monkey! Don't you dare run! Eat my fireworks!"
"BOOM!"
Thick black smoke erupted from the launcher, engulfing the glowing Borsalino, along with Dragon and Sakazuki.
"...Isn't that a rocket launcher? Why is it spewing smoke?"
Zephyr was dumbfounded, staring into the black haze.
"Oh, this? A new creation. Also a failure. I tried modifying a rocket launcher, but the attribute activation was lackluster."
"See, this launcher's trait is 'Black Smoke.' The original ammunition doesn't work anymore, it just fires clouds of smoke. Blocks vision and stains people black. Pretty useless."
As he spoke, Hammer cheerfully continued releasing smoke.
Zephyr: "...So why the hell did you make it? Just to piss people off???"
"Cough cough... HURRICANE!"
With coughing came a sudden, powerful whirlwind that sucked all the smoke into the sky.
"Holy shit, Dragon! You're polluting the air!"
"You... cough... bastard... Hammer!"
"How terrifying~ Sakazuki, Dragon, you've turned into black men..."
Sakazuki: "..."
Dragon: "..."
"Hammer prepare to DIE!"
"GREAT ERUPTION!"
Sakazuki, now covered head-to-toe in soot, finally snapped.
"Yo! The Four Charcoal Brothers!"
Borsalino "..."
"YASAKANI NO MAGATAMA"
"A black man in a green cloak... tsk tsk."
Dragon: "..."
"DRAGON CLAW FIST!"
Hammer: "..."
"Who the hell won't shut up???"
The bouncing and hopping Gion quickly covered her mouth.