"Hahahahaha! Brat, it's not about having many moves, having useful ones is enough!"
"Come then! Let me witness the spirit of the strongest young Marine generation!"
"Divine Departure!"
Black-red lightning erupted once more as the terrifying slash shot violently toward the Warhammer.
This time, the Conqueror's Haki coating was even more ferocious.
The cloud sea churned violently wherever the slash passed, and even the atmosphere itself was split apart.
The terrifying pressure instantly made everyone aboard the Warhammer feel as though they had fallen into an abyss.
Hammer's expression gradually calmed.
The panic from before vanished completely.
He silently and seriously stared at the incoming attack.
"I become the hammer!"
"Oath Hammer!"
A low roar echoed out.
Hammer instantly transformed into a black-and-silver hammer.
As the Oath Hammer appeared, Absolute Space activated.
Hammer strikes instantly erupted, solidifying both Hammer and the space before him.
"Hammer Domain!!"
"So what if it's Conqueror's coating?!"
"Let's see whether I can hammer you or not!"
Hammer had gone all in.
Originally, he had developed this awakened move so he could slack off more comfortably.
But who said turning into a hammer meant he couldn't hit people?!
Who said a hammer couldn't smash things without someone swinging it?!
Didn't Thor's hammer have a mind of its own?!
All his abilities instantly converted into hammer strikes.
Absolute Space became filled entirely with hammering shockwaves.
His Armament Haki exploded outward at full power.
Rather than coating himself with it, he completely vaporized it into an aura surrounding his body.
Someone once said: Battles between gods are clashes between domains.
At this moment, Hammer had transformed that concept into his own ability.
Using the Hammer-Hammer Fruit as the medium and hammer strikes as the foundation,
He completely wrapped himself within it.
There were no fancy techniques involved.
Only overwhelming force creating miracles!
Didn't matter who the opponent was.
Didn't matter what move they used.
Just turn into a hammer and smash straight into it!
Faced with the terrifying Divine Departure, Hammer revealed an unyielding fighting spirit for the first time.
The silver-black hammer carrying countless hammer shockwaves collided head-on with the black-red slash.
Instantly, the cloud sea exploded into chaos.
A massive vortex appeared below them.
Hammer had already unleashed his Slacker King aura beforehand.
Now, the two Conqueror's Haki forces clashed directly.
The atmosphere itself froze.
Even at ten thousand meters above sea level, the clouds above them shattered apart.
Both crews stared in shock at the scene unfolding before them.
The Marines were completely stunned by the strength Hammer displayed.
Even Lance and Shirley, who had followed Hammer for so long, were witnessing his full power for the first time.
Full Haki release.
Full Devil Fruit release.
Even transforming into a hammer...
Uh...
Why did it specifically have to be a hammer?
Sigh... it kinda ruined the atmosphere.
.....
Meanwhile, on Roger's side.
Aside from Roger himself, everyone else was equally shocked by Hammer's strength.
'A Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral actually possessed this level of power?'
'He was directly resisting Captain Roger's Divine Departure?'
The one most deeply shaken by this was undoubtedly Kozuki Oden.
After all, he had personally experienced Divine Departure before.
That overwhelming feeling of absolute helplessness remained unforgettable even now.
Yet this young Marine before him possessed the courage to face it head-on?
No wonder Roger admired him...
"M-Monster!!!"
"Shanks, did you see that?! That Marine actually resisted Captain Roger's ultimate attack head-on!"
"And more importantly, he turned into a hammer!"
"A HUMAN TURNED INTO A HAMMER! MONSTER!!!!"
A heartbreaking scream mixed with sobbing rang out.
Everyone immediately understood.
Buggy had lost his mind again.
"Oi, Buggy! That's just a Devil Fruit ability!"
"Aren't you also capable of turning into a pile of body parts?! How do you even have the nerve to call someone else weird?!"
Shanks glared at Buggy speechlessly, convinced the guy was hopeless.
But very quickly, his attention returned to Hammer.
"But he really is insanely strong... He doesn't even look that old, yet he can directly contend against Captain Roger?"
Everyone nodded repeatedly.
There were definitely people on the seas capable of fighting Roger.
But someone as young as Hammer?
Those were exceedingly rare.
If they absolutely had to name someone, maybe Kaido counted as one.
A few of the Marine monsters qualified too,
But none had reached Hammer's current level.
"Brat! Continue growing stronger!"
"Although letting you keep growing will definitely become a huge problem for future pirates, "
"The road ahead needs obstacles."
"Otherwise, wouldn't life be too boring?!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Roger's wild laughter echoed once more.
At the same time, his terrifying Conqueror's Haki exploded outward again.
Boosted by the Haki amplification, Divine Departure's power increased once more.
"OH COME ON! You crooked-mustache bastard! That's cheating!"
"The slash you already fired can get stronger AGAIN?!"
"You're even worse than that bastard Whitebeard! Why hasn't Garp bitten you to death already?!"
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
After the furious cursing came a miserable scream.
'Crooked mustache??'
Even after using every ability he possessed, Hammer was still struggling immensely against Roger, who was close to his prime.
Not to mention an attack that received a second amplification.
Divine Departure gradually tore apart Hammer's domain with terrifying force.
No matter how much Haki and ability power Hammer poured into it, it made no difference.
Once a fully formed domain developed even a single crack,
Its collapse became inevitable.
"DAMN IIIIIT!!!"
In the end, Divine Departure still struck Hammer directly.
Although the attack's power had been weakened through the domain's constant grinding,
It was still a slash from one of the world's greatest Conqueror's Haki swordsmen.
"Hardening! Cloud Armor!"
"Tekkai!!!"
To avoid serious injury, Hammer activated every defensive ability he had.
BOOM!
"AAAAHHHH!!!"
WHOOSH!
Another miserable scream echoed out.
There was no blood.
No shredded flesh.
Only a hammer blasted flying through the sky.
It shot directly southward, looking as though it would fly to the edge of the heavens.
"OH SHIT! HAMMER!"
"Hahahahaha! Fly away!"
Amid the shocked cries of both sides, Hammer was sent flying once again.
"Gaban! Turn the ship around! We're off to explore the mysteries of the world!"
"As for them... they probably won't have time to bother with us anymore!"
Roger laughed loudly while leading his crew back toward the original Skypiea.
Just as he said, at this moment, the Marines aboard the Warhammer, led by Lance, had already gone into full action.
Wind Dials.
Impact Dials.
Anything useful was brought out.
Everything was being used to increase the Warhammer's speed.
They needed to catch up to their commander flying southward.
Hammer's clash with the Roger Pirates ended once again, with Hammer being blasted away.
High in the sky, Hammer had already reverted back into human form.
A slash wound now marked his chest.
Although not deep, it still hurt badly enough to make him bare his teeth in pain.
The direct Haki impact had completely robbed him of mobility.
He could only continue flying passively.
Even Hammer himself hadn't expected he would fly this long, or this far!
Last time, Whitebeard had smashed him into the ocean depths.
This time, Roger had launched him into the sky.
What next?
Was he seriously going to experience both heaven and sea now??
This was genuinely life-threatening!