"Hammer, I knew you hadn't forgotten this old man!"
"Hurry up and tell me, what kind of exclusive weapon are you preparing for me?"
Sengoku's face was practically covered with the words: I want my exclusive weapon!
I need my exclusive weapon!
The sight left Hammer and the others sweating bullets.
Even Lance was included.
Sengoku was simply too excited.
Honestly, calling him obsessed wouldn't even be an exaggeration.
"Relax, relax, old man Sengoku."
"I do indeed have some new ideas for your exclusive weapon, and I also obtained quite a few good things from Skypiea."
"I'm planning to combine the two and experiment a little."
"But I can't guarantee when it'll be completed. You'll still have to wait a while."
"And recently, I'm also planning to head back out to sea."
"That's the second matter I wanted to discuss."
Sengoku also realized he had lost his composure a little.
He quickly sat back down and coughed a few times before returning to a serious expression.
"Go ahead then."
"What exactly are you planning to do by going back out to sea?"
"I'm planning to become the Head of Logistics."
"To accomplish that, I plan to accumulate some military merit out at sea first."
'Oh?'
The moment the old trio heard this, they immediately became interested.
It was like the sun rising from the west.
'Hammer was actually volunteering for missions now.'
'Truly rare.'
"No, what kind of looks are those from the three of you?"
"Is it really that strange for me to take on missions?"
"I'm telling you, I plan to recruit at least three Warlords of the Sea to demonstrate my value."
"Then I'll apply for the position of Logistics Chief!"
"Hmph! Even if the Five Elders personally came, they still couldn't stop me from becoming Logistics Chief!"
"Warlords of the Sea?"
"Hammer, it's good that you have ambition, but that won't be easy."
"You should know the World Government's standards for the Seven Warlords."
"Ordinary pirates wouldn't even catch their attention."
Kong couldn't help pouring cold water over Hammer's enthusiasm.
Currently there was only one Warlord.
Although Hammer had been the one who recruited him.
Still, finding suitable candidates was extremely difficult.
"Tch, what's so hard about it?"
"I already have one candidate in mind."
The moment those words came out, everyone present, including Lance, froze again.
"Who?"
Hammer grinned.
"Dracule Mihawk."
"Known as Hawk-Eyes."
The moment Lance heard that name, a certain song instantly echoed through his mind.
As for the old trio, they silently nodded.
They were all very familiar with Dracule Mihawk.
In fact, his current situation had largely been orchestrated by Kong himself.
Despite his young age, Mihawk already possessed terrifying swordsmanship.
According to reports from Marine officers who had fought him, his growth rate was astonishing.
He had now completely mastered both forms of Haki.
And his swordsmanship had become frighteningly absurd.
Moreover, after the incident involving Hammer, he had openly declared himself a "Marine Hunter."
However, after enduring prolonged Marine pursuit, even someone as powerful as him had begun to feel strained.
He hadn't appeared on the seas for quite some time.
No one knew where he was hiding now.
"He hasn't been active on the seas for a while."
"Hammer, don't tell me you know where he is?"
"You know, his strength truly is impressive."
"And after all this time wandering the seas, he's already earned a considerable reputation."
"Mihawk is completely obsessed with swordsmanship."
"As long as his opponent is a swordsman, he absolutely has to exchange a few blows with them."
"And because music always starts playing whenever he draws his blade…"
"These days people on the seas don't even call him Hawk-Eyes Mihawk anymore."
"They call him the Little Prince of Torn Nights, Mihawk."
'The Little Prince of Torn Nights?'
The moment Hammer heard that nickname, he completely lost it.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Whoever gave him that nickname absolutely nailed it!"
Old man Kong helplessly pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke a name that instantly wiped the smile off Hammer's face.
"Big News Morgans."
"That damned birdman!"
"I knew it was him!"
"Where is he, old man Kong?!"
"Give me his coordinates and I swear I'll pluck every single feather off his body!"
Hammer's hatred toward Morgans wasn't something new.
That damned bird was constantly writing news articles about him!
"Enough. Don't waste your energy."
"That birdman's whereabouts are extremely unpredictable."
"Mihawk counts as one. Approved."
"Any other candidates?"
Hammer didn't hesitate.
He immediately gave another name.
"West Blue. Gecko Moria."
'Moria?'
Even Lance had heard that name before.
From Hammer himself, in fact.
A pirate from West Blue with considerable strength and a decent level of notoriety.
But in terms of fame, he still fell somewhat short of the standards required for a Royal Warlord.
"Hammer, this Moria is indeed on the Warlord candidate list…"
"But his personality is extremely unpleasant."
"And we've never made contact with him before."
"Are you confident?"
Moria.
Origin: West Blue.
Strength: Fairly strong.
Devil Fruit: Paramecia-type Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
That was basically all the information they had on him.
Pitifully little.
Hammer nodded.
"I'll go make contact."
"If possible, I'll recruit him directly."
"If he refuses…"
"Heh heh…"
"At the end of the day, he's just a pirate, isn't he?"
Hearing the coldness hidden within Hammer's laugh, the old trio nodded.
They had no objections to Hammer's thinking.
After all, they were merely pirates.
If one didn't work out, they could simply replace him with another.
"Actually…"
"I also wanted to invite Chinjao, leader of the Happo Navy."
The sudden sentence left everyone present speechless.
'Invite Chinjao to become a Warlord?'
'Did Hammer already forgot what he and Garp had done to the poor man?'
Sure, Chinjao's strength and fame met the standards.
But Hammer had literally emptied out generations of the man's accumulated wealth.
And under those circumstances, you still expected him to agree to become a Warlord?
As if.
"Forget about Chinjao."
"Mihawk and Moria are fine."
"Any more candidates?"
Hammer fell silent.
The old trio didn't rush him, giving him ample time to think.
"Not for now."
"There simply aren't that many pirates suitable for the role at the moment."
"I'll go contact Mihawk and Moria first."
"As for the rest, we can take our time."
"The World Government never said we had to settle everything immediately anyway."
Hearing Hammer's words, old man Kong nodded.
Indeed, just as Hammer said, the World Government had provided a relatively generous timeframe regarding the Seven Warlords matter.
There was no need to rush.
Taking it slowly was perfectly acceptable.
"Then that settles it?"
"Lance continues following me."
"I'll resupply and head back out to sea."
"Oh right."
"Where's that brat Kuzan these days?"
"I still haven't delivered the exclusive weapon I finished for him."
"I should go find him first."
The moment the word "exclusive" was mentioned again, Sengoku's face immediately darkened.
They were both exclusive weapons.
So why still wasn't his finished yet?!
He had clearly already provided the materials!
"He's still carrying out suppression missions on the Grand Line."
"As for his exact location, contact him yourself."
"Alright then."
"That's it for now. I'm leaving."
With that said, Hammer brought Lance along and swaggered straight out.