The Calm Belt, as the name suggests, is a sea region without a single breeze or ocean current. The entire surface of the sea is unnervingly still. Most pirate ships rely on wind as their primary source of propulsion, and entering the Calm Belt essentially means being cut off from that source, leaving them stranded.
To make things worse, the Calm Belt is also the habitat of massive Sea Kings. These monstrous creatures flank both sides of the Grand Line, making the area extremely dangerous.
Duang!
Duang!
The absolute stillness of the place can instill fear, but on Hammer's warship, there was no need to worry. The rhythmic hammering of metal kept the 100-plus crew alert and sharp.
"Captain Lance, I've now fully familiarized myself with the rapid-fire guns, flamethrowers, and heavy machine guns."
"Hmm… very good."
Lance looked at the uniformed Shirley in front of him, a trace of admiration flashing in his eyes.
No wonder she ranked so high in the second batch of trainees; her ability to grasp things so quickly was rare.
In just a few hours at sea, she had already mastered every weapon on board.
A little monster, truly.
Duang!
"I wonder what equipment the Rear Admiral is crafting this time?"
Shirley's words made Lance nod slightly; he, too, was curious. After all, Hammer was a legendary name across headquarters now.
The famed "Frostbane" was legendary among the marines.
"I don't know… Hmm? What's that?"
Lance was about to respond when a black dot appeared in his field of vision.
The next second, shock spread across his face.
"A ship? A pirate ship?"
Shirley's expression also shifted. In a flash of white light, she shot up to the lookout post.
Thanks to her keen eyesight, she immediately got a clear view of what was approaching.
"Alert! Pirates!"
"An unknown sea beast is towing that pirate ship forward!"
Shirley's crisp warning rang through the entire warship. Even Hammer heard it from the deck and dropped everything he was doing, rushing out.
"Shirley! Use this to get a better look! Which direction is the pirate ship headed? Can you see the Jolly Roger clearly?"
A pair of glasses flew from Hammer's hand up to the lookout, it was the same vision-enhancing pair he had given to Borsalino way earlier.
Shirley quickly caught and put them on. Her vision instantly became sharper.
"A skull wearing a pointed hat… It's the World Pirates! That's 'World Destroyer' Byrnndi World!"
"They're moving fast, at this rate, they'll collide with us soon!"
As a second-batch trainee, Zephyr had introduced them to the most dangerous pirate crews currently active, World's crew was among them.
Hearing this, Hammer's face darkened immediately.
"Damn it! Why the hell are they in the Calm Belt?!"
"No, wait… World Pirates… fish giant… crap!"
"Lance! Turn the ship! Break out of the Calm Belt! Head straight toward the Red Line!!"
Lance was shocked. If they went that way, they'd enter the New World directly.
"Are you serious, Hammer? If we break out now, we'll be in the New World!"
"I know that! Give me the Den Den Mushi!"
"Got it!"
"Brrr… brrr…"
"You damn old man Sengoku! Pick up!"
Hammer was fuming.
"Click!"
"Hello? Admiral Sengoku, where are you?!"
As soon as the line connected, Hammer's anxious voice exploded.
"Hammer? I'm en route to the New World. What happened?"
"What happened?! I ran into World in the Calm Belt, that's what!"
Sengoku was instantly stunned.
"That's impossible!"
"World should've already submerged toward Fishman Island, how could he-"
"Damn it! We've been played!" That bastard!"
Sengoku's mind raced. Their intel had either been leaked or something went terribly wrong.
But now wasn't the time to lament.
"Hammer! Get out of the Calm Belt right now!"
"Do I need you to tell me that?! I'm already running for the New World! How long until you reach it?"
Hammer was panicking. As someone who had transmigrated into this world, he knew better than anyone how dangerous and insane the World was.
This was a guy crazy enough to take on the Celestial Dragons, he wouldn't care if Hammer was a marine or anyone else.
"I'm almost at the Red Line now. It'll take me 2 to 3 more hours to cross."
Sengoku was equally worried. He had been the one responsible for tracking World and knew exactly what kind of threat this man posed.
"But I've already notified Garp. He's moving in on the New World's outer sea, too."
"My plan was to trap World at the New World's entry point and finish him there."
Finally, a bit of good news, but not nearly enough.
"Old man, all I can do now is run for my life. If that lunatic chases me like a rabid dog, I hope you and Garp can get there fast, otherwise, you'll just be picking up corpses!"
"Click!"
Hammer slammed the phone down, a flash of regret crossing his face.
He regretted it. He hated it. Why did he have to set sail at this exact moment?!
That was The World Destroyer! The user of the Momo Momo no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allowed him to amplify any attribute, speed, strength, size, weight, of anything he touched up to 100 times.
Not to mention, World himself was terrifyingly powerful… Ugh!
"Lance! Alert everyone to arm up!"
"Distribute the rapid-fire guns! And these long swords!"
"Oh, and these too! Hand them all out! Give them to whoever can use them! One rule, everyone, fully gear up now!"
Hammer began unloading weapon after weapon from his ring like beans spilling from a bag.
5 Auraw Swords
3 Windbreaker Gauntlets
2 Tridents
2 Power Pole
5 Rapid-Fire Guns
1 Smoke Blaster
And one each of specially forged Miaodao.
This was everything he had.
He himself strapped on gauntlets, sheathed the Frostbane at his waist, donned a hat, boots, and carried a trident on his back.
In an instant, he was fully geared up, his appearance, admittedly, looked a bit comical.
But no one questioned his strength.
Every piece of his gear had unique attributes.
Hammer was now a walking war machine.
Shirley and Lance armed themselves as well. She picked up the other trident, and he grabbed an Aura Sword and a rapid-fire gun.
"Move it! You heard the Rear Admiral! Sword users, grab swords! Brawlers, take gauntlets! The rest, take whatever you can!"
"Heavy machine guns! Rocket launchers! All in position!"
Orders flew, and the hundred marines sprang into action.
Meanwhile, on World's pirate ship in the distance, Byrnndi World stared menacingly at the marine warship now in view.
"Damn marines! Even in the Calm Belt I can't avoid them!"
"Sebastian! Charge at them! I'll send their wreckage to Sengoku and Garp as a gift!"
Under World's roar, the giant fish-man hauling the ship surged forward at even greater speed, dragging the pirate ship straight toward the marines.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 15 chapters ahead.
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