"Hehe, so he's Hammer…"
Hammer: ???
Redfield's gaze shifted from Winterborne to Hammer, who stood in formation.
That piercing gaze sent a shiver down Hammer's spine.
"A Devil Fruit ability...? Truly fascinating..."
A crimson glint flickered in Redfield's eyes.
With his powerful Observation Haki, he could read minds.
"Hey, hey, you red-coated old geezer, peeping into people's minds is pretty damn rude, you know?"
Annoyed, Hammer activated his own Observation Haki. Although it was nowhere near Redfield's, it still provided some resistance. Not to mention, Redfield was currently at his weakest and was even restrained by seastone cuffs.
"Heh heh... Not bad, kid. I'll remember you."
With that, Redfield fell silent.
Hammer was speechless.
'Seriously? Old Man Kong was the one who beat you. Why the hell are you remembering me?!'
'Even if you break out of Impel Down someday, by then, I'll already be the Marines' Logistics Chief. I'll just hole up in HQ, let's see if you can waltz in and take a swing at me!'
Kong shot him a sharp glare.
"Sengoku, how's the preparation I asked for?"
Sengoku nodded.
"Everything is set. The press conference will be held tomorrow."
Satisfied, Kong nodded and turned to Garp.
"Garp, you're in charge of guarding Redfield for now. After tomorrow's press conference, escort him to Impel Down."
Garp: 'So I missed all the action, and now I'm a prison guard? Tch.'
But since the order came from Kong himself, Garp had no choice but to accept.
After settling Redfield's situation, Kong, battered and bruised, walked over to Hammer.
"Hammer, this time we owe it all to you. Without that sword, I might not have taken him down."
Kong handed Winterborne back to Hammer, who casually accepted it.
"Hmph, you were just lucky."
"Anything else? If not, I'm heading back to my forge."
"Oh, and Admiral Sengoku! Don't forget your promise, you owe me fewer patrols over two sea regions!"
Looking at Hammer's cocky attitude, Sengoku ground his teeth in frustration, while Vice Admiral Tsuru just shook her head helplessly.
The other officers didn't dare breathe too loudly, watching this unfold.
"Hahaha, don't get cocky just yet. You're attending the press conference tomorrow."
Hammer: ???
"Why the hell do I need to go?"
Kong gave him a mysterious smile and said something that instantly made Hammer freeze.
"When I was fighting Redfield, I noticed a seagull flying above us, a seagull with a backpack."
"You think that bastard Morgans won't expose the Winterborne? Even if you don't show up, Morgans will dig you out anyway."
"So, Hammer, would you rather show up publicly tomorrow… or let Morgans spin his own wild version of the story?"
The world suddenly felt dark to Hammer.
'Are you kidding me?! Two of the strongest men on the seas, and you let a damn seagull record everything?!'
'And it had to be that loudmouth Morgans!'
Seeing Hammer spiral into despair, Sengoku suddenly felt much better and added:
"Fleet Admiral Kong is right. I contacted Morgans already. If I hadn't used the World Government's name to keep him quiet, your face would be everywhere by now."
Hammer: 'OH MY GOD. I'M SCREWED.'
'My life is over!'
...
Dazed and hollow, the press conference went ahead as scheduled.
Faced with a sea of reporters, Hammer was completely out of it, even getting pushed onto the stage by Sengoku.
He stood there, expression pale and blank, completely offline.
In the world of One Piece, what's the most advanced industry?
News, without a doubt.
By afternoon, news of the morning press conference had already spread globally.
{"FLEET ADMIRAL DEFEATS LEGENDARY PIRATE PATRICK REDFIELD"}
{"RISING MARINE BLACKSMITH REAR ADMIRAL CREATES WINTERBORNE, A NEW SUPREME GRADE BLADE?"}
{"RUMOR HAS IT THAT THE HIDDEN CREATOR OF THE INVISIBILITY HAT AND X-RAY GLASSES, ORN, IS ACTUALLY HAMMER?!?"}
{"IS THE MARINE'S BOLD EXPOSURE OF NEW BLOOD PART OF A BIGGER SCHEME?"}
All at once, the whole world was talking about Hammer.
And Hammer, who only wanted to quietly retire, went into full-blown social death.
He locked himself up on the Warhammer ship, refusing all visitors.
New World, Oro Jackson
"Vice Captain Rayleigh! Look at the news!"
"Red Count Patrick Redfield lost! And that marine guy who causes disasters is in the news too!"
Recovered from his lightning strike, Buggy held a newspaper and shouted in shock.
Rayleigh snatched the paper, reading with a serious look.
"That kid… a blacksmithing genius, huh?"
"Rayleigh! Let me see! Whoa! This marine brat forged a Supreme Grade blade? For real?!"
Unlike Rayleigh's seriousness, Roger remained carefree as ever.
"Roger! You bastard, give me back the paper!"
Golden Lion's Base
"Captain! Redfield lost!"
"Huh? That old monster lost? How pathetic!"
"And Captain, the Navy dropped a huge bombshell. A Rear Admiral forged a Supreme Grade sword! And he's made all kinds of weird inventions too!"
"What?! Give me that!"
Reading the newspaper, Golden Lion Shiki's face grew darker and darker… until he tore it to shreds.
"So, the disaster-attracting ship we ran into during the siege on Roger… was probably that bastard Hammer's doing?!"
"Well done, Marines. Bravo. Hammer, huh? I'll remember that name!"
Holy Land Mary Geoise
"Dontari, have you found what I asked for yet?"
"Honorable Saint Rosward, I was just about to report to you."
"Oh? News about that craftsman, Orn?"
"Yes. Today's news mentioned a Marine forging expert named Hammer. He crafted a sword on par with the Supreme Grade blades."
"And what does that have to do with Orn? Hmm? Dontari, are you thinking I've been too lenient with you?"
Wiping sweat from his brow, Dontari quickly responded:
"Never, my lord. According to Morgans, there's strong evidence suggesting Orn and Hammer are the same person. He likely concealed his identity during his visit to the Hydra Society."
Rosward's expression lit up. He shouted at once:
"Then what are you waiting for?! Men, prepare for departure! We're going to Marineford!"
"Yes, Saint Rosward."
.....
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