Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
First Marine Headquarters Elite Training Camp Recruitment Office.
Marine soldier: "Name?"
"Hammer."
Marine soldier: "I asked for your name, not your nickname"
"It is Hammer."
Marine soldier: "…"
Marine soldier: "Age?"
"18."
Marine soldier: "!?? 18 years old?!"
"Mm-hmm."
The marine soldier looked up at the three-meter-tall Iron Hammer, unconsciously wiping the sweat off his forehead.
*What are kids eating these days? Grass-fed steroids? 18 and already 3 meters tall...*
Marine soldier: "Letter of recommendation?"
Hammer rummaged through his pocket and handed over a crumpled piece of paper.
Marine soldier: "From Rear Admiral Phil Jackson of Sabaody… Hmm, alright. Head to the training grounds for assembly."
Hammer: "Assembly? I just came to Marineford to register and open a blacksmith shop. Why do I need to assemble?"
Marine soldier: "Huh??? You're not here for the training camp? This is the sign-up office for the first Marine Elite Training Camp!"
Oh crap.
I messed up.
Hammer — just as his name suggests — was a blacksmith.
Well, maybe a little better than your average blacksmith—he was a government-employed blacksmith.
Officially, a Marine Blacksmith, responsible for forging standard-issue swords, guns, and cannons for the Marines.
Of course, this Hammer wasn't your average blacksmith.
Because he had just transmigrated.
In his previous life on Earth, Hammer was an elite blacksmith.
One day, while rewatching One Piece and working in his forge, he saw the clunky, ugly machines on Egghead Island and couldn't help but sneer: "What garbage. Each one's uglier than the last. An insult to craftsmanship."
The next second-BOOM!
His forge exploded.
Man and hammer were both sent flying.
When he woke up again, he was in the plaza at Marineford.
Thankfully, the body he transmigrated into also belonged to a blacksmith, and it was even wearing a Marine uniform — a small comfort.
He followed the group and arrived at the plaza, which led to this awkward situation.
"What's all the noise about?"
"Don't you know today is an important day?"
While the two of them were staring at each other, a deep voice came from behind.
Short purple hair, glasses, rugged face, muscular build, and a "Justice" cape on his back.
Well, that confirmed it; this was none other than Zephyr, the former admiral and current head of the Marine Elite Training Camp.
"Admiral Zephyr!" The marine immediately saluted and explained Hammer's situation.
Zephyr couldn't help sizing up the three-meter-tall hulk in front of him.
Close-cropped hair, towering height, solid muscles...hmm, a promising recruit.
"Since you're already here, why not join the training camp?"
Iron Hammer forced a bitter smile.
He had just wanted to quietly work as a logistics blacksmith at Marineford, earn some Berries, marry a wife, and stay far away from war.
Who would've thought he'd run straight into a big boss?
Damn it… this is a disaster plot. I could cry.
"Hello, Admiral Zephyr. I'm just a blacksmith. Even though the base commander sent me here, I know my limits. I think it's best if I just stay at headquarters as a blacksmith."
Zephyr didn't just take his word for it — he carefully read the recommendation letter from Major General Phil Jackson of Sabaody.
"Oh? Your idea of 'ordinary' is someone with Herculean strength, who exercises by dragging warships around, and has eaten a Devil Fruit?"
Hammer was on the verge of mental collapse!
What the hell, that wasn't me, that was the previous Iron Hammer!
I just want to quietly coast through life!
[Ding! Detected large emotional fluctuations from host. System awakening.]
[Ding! Detected excessive negative energy. System unbinding.]
!?!!??
What the heck, my system dad arrived… and now it's bailing on me?!
A stampede of 10,000 mental "WTF" alpacas trampled through Hammer's mind.
[Ding! System has unbound. Out of humanitarian concern, a parting gift has been issued to the host. Please accept.Wishing you a pleasant journey! Mwah~]
Hammer was completely speechless.
He had embarrassed the whole transmigrator army, as if the bad starting plot wasn't enough, now even his system had ditched him.
The system left behind only two things:
A system panel, allowing Hammer to view his own stats.
A talent called Critical Crafting Strike.
As the name suggests, when he hammers metal, his efficiency is doubled, and when an item is finished, there's a chance to trigger a critical success, granting the item a special attribute.
When a critical success happens, the system panel gives him a notification.
The talent was pretty great… but absolutely useless in the current situation.
"Alright, Hammer, was it? You're in. Get over there on the plaza!"
Zephyr's commanding voice rang out like a hammer blow, making Hammer's ears buzz.
There was no way out with a bitter face, Hammer walked into the plaza.
By now, the plaza was already packed with elite Marine recruits.
Even among the crowd, Hammer immediately recognized a few people.
First was the fierce-looking Sakazuki, the future Akainu.
Then the sly-faced Borsalino, the future Kizaru.
Oh boy… the pressure's on.
As Hammer entered the plaza, everyone's gaze locked onto him.
Three meters tall, built like a tank — impossible not to notice.
"Hey, buddy! I'm Lance, from the West Blue. You're huge! Which branch are you from?"
A similarly brawny but only two-meter-tall guy ran up to him.
Lance? Never heard of him.
But out of politeness, Hammer replied.
"Iron Hammer. From Sabaody."
After that, Hammer fell silent, he was busy looking at his own status panel.
Name: [Iron Hammer]Age: [18]Devil Fruit: [Paramecia, Hammer-Hammer Fruit, Development Level 30%]Power Level: [2000]Haki: [Not awakened]
Nice and simple.
He hadn't expected his original body to be a Devil Fruit user; no wonder they recommended him for the training camp.
He began familiarizing himself with the Fruit's ability.
The Hammer-Hammer Fruit allowed him to deliver hammering effects with any part of his body.
Barehanded forging!
In his past life, he would've been a perfect scam-busting influencer.
Who cared whether it was a blade or a stick? Just hammer it to pieces.
But in the One Piece world… that wasn't quite enough.
Yup, fighting's definitely not my thing. Playing it safe as a blacksmith is the real way to go.