In the blink of an eye, half a year passed.
The seas remained as turbulent as ever, but for Hammer, these six months had been exceptionally comfortable.
First and foremost, the Marine Green Bit Branch, designated G-88, was officially completed.
Hammer frequently used his flight ability to travel back and forth between Green Bit and Marineford. Whenever construction materials arrived even a little late, another window or door in Sengoku's office would mysteriously be destroyed.
The old man had gotten so stressed that he now had to visit the hospital for psychological treatment after work.
In Sengoku's own words: "I'm a Great Buddha who relies on wisdom to make a living, but that bastard Hammer has scared me into developing neurasthenia!"
Now, at the slightest disturbance, Sengoku would immediately transform into the Great Buddha and start with a shockwave.
Of course, Sengoku wasn't the type to suffer losses quietly.
After carefully calculating the completion date of his exclusive weapon, he simply took a month off and stationed himself at Green Bit to personally supervise Hammer.
After countless hardships, his exclusive weapon was finally born.
Originally, Hammer had intended to give Sengoku a little surprise, or perhaps an accident.
After all, what was more fitting than a jump scare around a corner?
But after seeing Sengoku's Buddha form constantly radiating irregular shockwaves, Hammer ultimately chose self-preservation.
After all, having personally experienced those shockwaves, he knew how unpleasant it felt.
Your mouth would go numb, refuse to close properly, and drool would flow uncontrollably.
In the end, Sengoku's exclusive weapon was successfully completed.
At Sengoku's insistence, Hammer forged him a pair of gauntlets.
The right gauntlet was crimson-gold, named Laughing Buddha.
A compassionate Buddha was engraved upon it.
When striking, it unleashed the wrath of Vajra.
The left gauntlet was blue-gold, named Seeing Ghosts.
A ferocious Asura was engraved upon it.
When striking, it brought forth the descent of a Rakshasa.
The two gauntlets possessed similar yet different abilities.
Through Hammer's custom forging, they were granted the powers of manifestation and shockwave mutation amplification.
Of course, both gauntlets came with fixed manifestation templates.
Hammer gave Sengoku absolutely no choice in the matter.
Laughing Buddha allowed Sengoku to truly become a Buddha, rather than simply turning into a glowing golden fool through his Devil Fruit.
As the saying goes, a Buddha smiles only once.
This time Sengoku truly achieved that.
After activating Laughing Buddha, he could manifest three Buddhist weapons:
Vajra Pestle, Dharma Drum, Nine-Ringed Khakkhara.
If Laughing Buddha was created specifically for Sengoku's Devil Fruit...
Then Seeing Ghosts existed purely for combat.
Asuras were regarded as evil war gods, fierce and battle-hungry.
Thus, Seeing Ghosts possessed only one ability:
Asura Body Activated, Punch Everything.
Shockwaves were compressed into both fists, instantly turning Sengoku into a blue punching machine.
And because he had finally received the exclusive weapon he had dreamed of, Sengoku gave Hammer a green light on virtually everything.
That was what allowed G-88 to be completed so quickly.
.....
G-88 Branch
A steel fortress.
Constructed entirely from metal.
It occupied nearly half of Green Bit.
The base was divided into two sections:
The Central District and The Forging District.
The Central District served as the living quarters for the Marines.
The Forging District was located behind it, in the heart of Green Bit.
This arrangement made it convenient for the Tontattas to work there and for Hammer to conduct his forging.
At the same time, Hammer officially began training a forging division.
He specially transferred 200 blacksmiths from throughout the Marines.
Additionally, 300 Tontatta tribe members joined the effort.
Chief Gancho complained endlessly about this arrangement.
Yet every time he saw his people eating the finest food and wielding increasingly sophisticated weapons and equipment, the old chief reluctantly accepted it.
At present: Marine personnel stationed: 1,000 Base Commander: Hammer
Stationed officers: Rear Admiral Momonga, Rear Admiral Lance, Commodore Shirley
That's right.
Momonga had actually come to serve under Hammer.
Hammer clearly remembered the day Momonga reported for duty.
Covered in bandages, leaning on crutches, bruised and swollen, he had arrived at G-88 while happily hopping through the air using Moonwalk on one leg.
Everyone had been dumbfounded.
The first thing he said upon seeing Hammer was:
"Captain Hammer! From now on, I'm following you! Do you have any idea how many beatings I took just to get here?"
Only afterward did Hammer learn the truth.
Many people had been closely watching the completion of G-88.
After all, Hammer was now the Minister of Logistics and a master blacksmith.
Serving under him was an extremely desirable position.
Not to mention salary increases.
Anyone assigned to Hammer's command was practically guaranteed a raise.
Furthermore, the weapons and equipment of Hammer's division were the finest in the entire Marine.
Some idiot had also leaked his relationship with Vegapunk.
As a result, countless officers wanted to transfer under him.
Momonga had literally fought every officer of his generation for the opportunity.
In the end, he won.
Pururururu..
"Hello? G-88 Branch, Momonga speaking!"
"Oh! Admiral Sengoku! Hello, hello!"
"What? It's that serious?"
"Yes! Understood! I'll notify Vice Admiral Hammer immediately!"
Click.
After hanging up, Momonga's face was filled with shock.
The call had delivered news that would shake the world.
"Hammer! Hammer!"
"Something huge has happened!"
Momonga ran while shouting.
Nearby Marines all turned to look.
Ever since arriving at G-88, Momonga had undergone a complete transformation.
From country bumpkin to gentleman.
He wore a beautifully tailored Marine Rear Admiral uniform.
At his waist hung an exquisitely crafted sword.
Hammer had personally forged it for him.
After all, Momonga had practically risked his life to get assigned here.
And after arriving, he ended up handling more than half of G-88's administrative affairs.
Hammer was a commander who cared for his subordinates.
So he had rewarded Momonga with a magnificent sword.
Forged entirely from high-purity iron.
Embedded with Seastone.
Momonga absolutely adored it.
His motivation only grew stronger.
"Momonga! Why are you screaming like a lunatic?"
"Hammer's forge is in the back!"
"What are you yelling for in the Central District?"
A shield suddenly flew toward him.
It came from Shirley, who was wholeheartedly focused on training her Sea Cow.
Momonga dodged the incoming shield with a quick sidestep and anxiously replied:
"Shirley, something major happened!"
"It's the Roger Pirates!"
At the mention of the Roger Pirates, Shirley's expression immediately changed.
The crew had been causing trouble nonstop lately.
Not long ago, they had even clashed with Big Mom.
"Go find Hammer in the forging district."
"Lately, Headquarters has been sending more and more orders."
"Because of that, Hammer's been in a terrible mood."
"I haven't even gone near the forging district for days."
Mentioning Headquarters' orders brought up another matter entirely.
Because of it, Hammer had held a meeting with Kong and Sengoku that lasted a full three hours.
In the end, he agreed to take the job...
For one-fifth of the Marine's military budget.