"Damn it! Everyone, retreat! Return to the Moby Dick!"
After taking a slash, Rakuyo felt like he was dying from the pain.
It was unbearable.
Grinding his teeth, he issued the order for a full retreat.
Just those few words exhausted all of his remaining strength.
Hammer: Yeah, I can relate. That kind of pain is absolutely brutal.
At this point, Vista's mind had already been corrupted by the Demonic Blade.
No, more accurately, the blade's Demonization attribute had begun taking effect, turning Vista into a monster whose heart knew only slaughter.
However, Vista was a veteran pirate who had survived countless battles and was one of Whitebeard's trusted division commanders.
His willpower was far beyond that of ordinary people.
Through sheer determination, he continued resisting the will of the Demonic Blade Muramasa.
Only after watching Rakuyo and the crew successfully leave the shoreline did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
And in that very instant, his will was completely devoured by Muramasa.
"ROAR!"
A pillar of crimson light erupted from his body.
The residents of Ridgerichled Island all turned toward the coast.
Meanwhile, at G-5.
"So you're saying you forged a cursed blade?"
"No. Something even more terrifying than a cursed blade?"
After hearing Hammer's explanation, Vice Admiral Morris felt utterly miserable.
'Was this even a sword anymore?'
'It sounded more like a horrifying monster.'
"So right now, immediately, notify the entire marine."
"We have to locate that blade as soon as possible."
"Otherwise the consequences will be severe."
RING! RING! RING!
RING! RING! RING!
Hammer blinked.
He hadn't even finished speaking.
Why was the alarm sounding?
"What happened?"
"Why is the alarm going off?"
"Report to Base Commander Morris!"
"An emergency has occurred on Ridgerichled Island!"
Morris's expression darkened.
An extremely bad feeling rose within him.
Not just him.
Everyone present felt the same thing.
"A bloodthirsty demon suddenly appeared on Ridgerichled Island!"
"One man and one sword slaughtered everyone on the island!"
"The culprit is Whitebeard Pirate Division Commander Vista!"
Hammer's face instantly turned pale.
"Damn it... that fast?"
"And it's someone from the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"Vista... even a swordsman like him got corrupted?"
At that moment, everyone finally realized the true danger posed by Muramasa.
That was Vista.
A famous pirate serving under Whitebeard.
And he had been corrupted just like that.
"Hmph. The Whitebeard Pirates, huh?"
"When Whitebeard finds out one of his sons has turned into a murderous monster, even that old man won't be able to sit still."
Sakazuki's comment made Hammer pause.
"Hey... that's actually a pretty good point."
Sure, it felt a little like dragging the Whitebeard Pirates into the mess.
But they were pirates.
If they got dragged in, then so be it.
Besides, having Whitebeard suppress Muramasa would buy Hammer time to formulate a better solution.
"By the way, Hammer."
"You're a blacksmith."
"How did you fail to recognize the forging materials immediately?"
Sakazuki suddenly looked at him suspiciously.
The moment he brought that up, Hammer's entire expression became ugly.
His face alternated between green and purple before he finally spoke.
"At first, I only found a black stone sitting in the corner of the armory."
"After I smashed it open, there was a glowing red ore inside."
"You have to understand, Cinnabar is poisonous, but it's also an incredibly versatile material."
"If handled correctly, the toxins can be neutralized."
"They can even be converted into weapons."
"But who would've guessed this thing had layers upon layers hidden inside?"
"After removing the outer black rock, there was Lead Steel hidden inside the cinnabar."
"It's ridiculous."
"Where the hell did you people even find something like that?"
Hammer was genuinely speechless.
Even as a master blacksmith, he couldn't have guessed that the thing was built like a nested puzzle.
If he had known from the start what would happen, he would have kicked it straight into the ocean.
Now the situation had become a complete disaster.
But the moment Hammer finished complaining,
Everyone in the room simultaneously turned to look at Sakazuki.
The normally calm "Dog Bro" immediately looked awkward.
"Uh..."
"Didn't you tell me to keep an eye out for strange and unusual rocks?"
"So whenever I found something weird-looking..."
"I hauled it back."
"And piled it in the armory..."
Hammer's eyes widened dramatically.
He stared at Sakazuki.
"Wait."
"Dog Bro."
"I told you to find rare ores."
"Not toxic materials!"
"Couldn't you at least test them with your magma?"
"Here's an idea."
"Next time you find something weird, please wash it in magma first."
"If it doesn't melt into slag, then bring it back, okay?"
So after all this,
The root cause of his current misery was actually himself?
Wonderful.
Just wonderful.
"Forget it."
"It's too late to argue now."
"Sakazuki, you're coming with me."
"We're setting sail for Ridgerichled Island."
"Hammer, you'll stay at G-5."
"Coordinate with Headquarters and remain in command here."
Vice Admiral Morris made the decision.
Hammer was still injured.
Sending him out to sea wasn't practical.
Besides, he wasn't part of G-5's command structure.
Since the incident occurred within G-5's jurisdiction, Morris, as the base commander, had to handle it personally.
"Fine."
"I'll contact Headquarters immediately."
"Sigh..."
"I just hope old man Kong and old man Sengoku go easy on me..."
The thought of being chewed out by both veterans at the same time made Hammer sigh helplessly.
While G-5 sprang into action,
Rakuyo finally returned to the Moby Dick.
"Pops! Pops!"
"Something terrible happened!"
"Something happened to Vista!"
Being carried aboard on a stretcher, Rakuyo started shouting before he was even on deck.
Those two sentences used up the last of his strength.
The moment he finished speaking, he passed out.
"Whoa?"
"Rakuyo, what happened to you?"
"Why are you being carried on a stretcher?"
"Marco! Marco!"
"Hurry over here!"
"Rakuyo's seriously injured!"
Seeing Rakuyo covered in blood, the crew immediately panicked and called for the ship's doctor.
A crowd quickly carried him onto the deck.
Marco rushed over.
Blue flames instantly ignited in his hands.
Marco, the user of the Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Zoan Model: Phoenix, possessed extraordinary regenerative powers.
The blue flames immediately covered the wound on Rakuyo's chest.
But it didn't take long for Marco to realize something was wrong.
Normally, his Flames of Regeneration could heal wounds rapidly.
Yet Rakuyo's injury was healing incredibly slowly.
It was as if some unseen force was resisting his powers.
This was the first time Marco had ever encountered such a phenomenon.
"Marco, how is he?"
"Rakuyo, you brat."
"You're not dead yet, are you?"
A booming voice suddenly sounded from behind the crowd.
The towering Whitebeard himself had arrived on deck.