The Warhammer had departed from Marineford Harbor and was sailing towards the Grand Line.
Once again, Hammer took on the role of a hands-off boss, disappearing into the forge alone.
The others, meanwhile, began their own training routines.
Gion, having lost to Hammer once again, transformed into a hardworking training maniac and was furiously practicing on the deck.
Tokikake trained alongside her.
Lance quietly stepped aside to watch them train.
It wasn't that Lance didn't want to train, it was just that the deck wasn't big enough for him to have a proper space.
"Shield-Shield! Composite Shield!"
"Cage-Cage! Spear Fang!"
Shirley and Hina continued training their abilities according to the regimen Hammer had designed for them.
To be honest, both of them had quite the talent for Devil Fruit development.
With Hammer's guidance, they quickly found a path that suited them.
As for Hammer...
Since he couldn't use custom skills, he was simply forging whatever he felt like.
Whatever came out, came out.
Before long, he'd created a bunch of bizarre and unique items with strange powers.
purupuru puru
"Hello? This is Lance. Oh, Musu?."
"Okay, I'll get Hammer on the line."
Suddenly, Lance took the Den Den Mushi and walked toward the forge.
"Hey, Hammer, Musu is calling."
Upon hearing that it was Musu, Hammer immediately stopped forging, opened the door, and took the Den Den Mushi.
"Musu? Has the package arrived? Any reaction?"
Before Musu could answer, someone beside him snatched the Den Den Mushi.
"Hmph, Hammer!"
Seeing the Den Den Mushi's face turn into a pink-haired loli, Hammer had a bad feeling.
"Uh... Princess Scarlett."
Thanks to the Iceheart Necklace, Hammer no longer felt the intense dread he once did when dealing with Scarlett.
This allowed him to relax quite a bit.
"I'm telling you, just because you gave me the necklace doesn't mean you can run away!"
"If you don't come to Dressrosa in person, I'll go to Navy HQ to find you!"
"You and I, this matter must be settled face to face!"
Click!
Before Hammer could respond, Scarlett hung up the phone.
Hammer instantly felt a headache coming on.
But after all, this was something he caused himself, and he'd have to face it sooner or later.
Meanwhile, in Dressrosa...
Scarlett angrily hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Her right hand subconsciously rested on the rapier at her waist.
Her left hand gently touched the Iceheart Pendant on her chest.
Though the possessive feelings she once had toward Hammer had faded, whenever she thought of him, she still felt something indescribable.
King Riku, who had initially been pleased, fell into silence at the sight.
He had thought the necklace's effect meant Dressrosa was safe.
But now... it didn't seem so certain.
Little did he know, this was the essence of Dressrosa, the island of love and passion.
Once someone enters your heart, you'll chase them no matter what.
That was exactly how Scarlett felt.
Even if her initial emotions were influenced by the rapier, Hammer had truly entered her heart.
There was no doubt about it.
Even if she was mad, she still wanted to confront Hammer in person.
On the other hand, Hammer felt the same. Even though the Iceheart Necklace neutralized the influence, when Scarlett appeared before him, he could still feel his heart race.
....
Several days later, Jaya Island
"Hey Hammer, we've arrived at Jaya Island. What now? Are we clearing out pirates here, or what?"
As the Warhammer approached Jaya, Lance started asking Hammer about their true goal.
"No need to worry about pirates."
"As for the objective..."
"Do you know about Sky Island?"
Everyone on the deck instantly stopped what they were doing and looked at Hammer.
"Sky Island? Isn't that just a legend?" Lance asked in confusion.
"Who told you that? It's real."
"This voyage's goal is Sky Island."
Hammer raised his head and looked toward the sky, as if his gaze pierced through the clouds to see the floating island above.
Everyone fell silent.
'Sky Island?'
'It's in the sky, right? So how do you get there?'
"You're all wondering how we'll get to Sky Island, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"Sigh, what were your training camp's classes even teaching you?"
"Ever heard of the Knock-Up Stream?"
Everyone shook their heads in unison.
Hammer: "..."
"A bunch of academic rejects."
A tictactoe appeared over everyone's heads.
"The Knock-Up Stream is said to be caused by a massive hole on the sea floor. When seawater rushes in, geothermal energy turns it into steam. As the steam pressure builds up, it eventually erupts violently, creating a massive vertical current."
"This phenomenon can last up to a minute and reach heights of over 7,000 meters, enough to send you straight to the legendary Sky Island!"
"Got it now, you flunkies?"
Hammer finished, secretly proud of himself.
He never paid attention to classes, he learned this from manga in his past life.
Now, he was finally using that knowledge to bully these honest fools.
Everyone fell silent again.
Lance scratched his head, trying to make sense of it.
"So... you mean we're going to ride this Knock-Up Stream, and it'll launch us, and the entire ship, into the sky???"
"Yo, Lance! Not bad! Quick thinker! That's why you're my first mate!"
Everyone turned pale.
'Launch the whole ship into the sky? That's terrifying!'
One wrong move and they'd all be dead.
Sensing everyone's anxiety, Hammer quickly reassured them:
"Hey, what are you all thinking? You know what my ship's name is?"
"The Warhammer!"
"This ship was built by me personally! A little ocean current won't break it apart!"
"Rest easy."
"These currents appear every few days. I'm guessing the next one is coming soon."
"Everyone, get ready. Once it hits, we're blasting off to Sky Island!"
Hearing Hammer's rallying speech, everyone still felt a bit uneasy...
But seeing how confident he was, they began to relax.
After all, they'd faced worse. What's a Knock-Up Stream?
"Alright then, move all the weapons and equipment into the cargo hold!"
"Don't let them get soaked!"
"Shirley, Hina, stay alert. If any pirates get close, take them out immediately!"
Now that they had a clear goal, Lance began organizing the crew.
Soon, the entire crew was moving in an orderly manner.
The deck was quickly cleared, leaving only Hammer, Gion, Tokikake, and a few others.
"Hey Hammer... you're serious about this, right?"
Gion, still uneasy, walked up to him.
"Of course I'm serious. I'd never risk my crew's lives as a joke."
"Have faith in the Warhammer!"