Chapter 42: The War of Words

“Hahaha!” Major Hammer threw back his head and laughed, unleashing all the pent-up emotions he’d been holding back:
“If you’d just taken the money and kept your mouth shut, I could have let it go!”
“But I never imagined you’d be so greedy—this is nothing short of courting death!”
The smile on Hammer's face twisted from satisfaction into something grotesque:
“Don’t worry, I’ve already found a pirate to take the blame!”
“How about this headline: ‘Rogue Town Pirates Incite Riot—Colonel Smoker Dies Due to Negligence’?”
“Hahaha... At that point, I’ll personally kill that pirate to avenge you, Colonel Smoker!”
Nami, however, looked at him oddly and said,
“Are you insane?”
“You’d dare kill a Marine headquarters colonel? You think the Navy won’t see through it?”
“Haha!” Hammer’s laughter grew even more sinister. “So what if they do?”
“By then, I’ll have moved all my assets and walked away clean!”
“Truly, man dies for wealth, and birds for food...”
A cold voice sounded in Hammer’s ear:
“At a time like this, you’re still thinking about moving assets before escaping?”
“Hm?”
Hammer sensed something amiss.
Suddenly, a great sword shimmering with brilliant golden light swept toward him.
Hammer was, after all, an elite officer from the Navy headquarters training camp. The years spent in Rogue Town had not dulled his edge; instead, the anger and frustration had only honed his strength.
He reacted instantly, arms instinctively raised to shield his face as his feet pushed off the floor, leaping backward—
But it was useless.
The sword’s blade struck Hammer, slicing deep gashes into his forearms.
Hammer staggered back several steps, only regaining his footing to finally see who had attacked him.
His expression shifted instantly to shock and terror:
The “Smoker” he’d shot down moments ago was already standing, clad in ornate armor that seemed to have appeared from nowhere, holding a massive sword.
How could he have shot him, only for the man to end up better equipped?
“This can’t be!”
Hammer said in disbelief, “I hit you with a Sea Prism Stone bullet!”
“You did, and it hurt,”
Garen replied with a wry smile, traces of pain still lingering on his face.
He’d been in his normal flesh-and-blood state moments ago and had felt the sting of the shot;
But at almost the same instant, his digitized mode had automatically triggered in response to the external injury.
“You...”
Hammer’s eyes narrowed, finally realizing something was wrong:
“You’re not Smoker at all!”
“Haha...”
Garen couldn’t help but show a mocking smile.
“I never said I was!”
“Thank you for your generosity, Major Hammer!”
“Damn you!”

Hammer trembled with rage, his teeth nearly shattering from the force of his clenched jaw.
He reached beneath the conference table, retrieving the long blade he’d prepared in advance: “Prepare to die!”
“Shave!”
Though not particularly gifted, Hammer was a Marine headquarters officer and had mastered the basics of the Six Powers.
His feet exploded with power, propelling him in a gust of wind right up to Garen, slashing his blade at Garen’s taunting face.
Garen’s expression remained unchanged, even gaining confidence:
After seeing Karp’s “Shave,” Hammer’s movement—which Garen’s dynamic vision could track—was far from intimidating.
Garen didn’t even bother to dodge, standing still as Hammer’s blade descended.
The blade struck Garen squarely in the forehead, embedding itself, then kept pressing downward with immense force—
It looked as though a gruesome act was about to unfold.
Even though Nami had already witnessed Garen get shot and fall only to emerge unscathed, she couldn’t help but cover her mouth and gasp at the horror, worried for Garen.
But Hammer, gripping his blade, realized something was off—he’d buried his blade in Garen’s skull, yet not a drop of blood had spilled!
Too late.
A spectral figure suddenly materialized out of transparency and struck Hammer in the back.
Caught off guard, Hammer was sent flying several meters, smashing through the conference room wall.
Bricks and debris flew everywhere, leaving Hammer’s meticulous appearance in ruins.
Yet before long, Hammer rose steadily from the rubble;
Though wounded in the arms and back, his breath was steady and his gaze sharper than ever.
People in this world are all astonishingly resilient, and those who specialize in physical combat are practically immortal.
“Such trouble...”
Garen sighed softly:
“Looks like this is going to be a war of attrition.”
Hammer was an elite from the headquarters training camp, seasoned by years of battle. Though only a major, his mastery of martial arts was not inferior to Colonel Smoker, who relied too heavily on his Devil Fruit powers.
Garen claimed to be on par with Karp, but even his feat of rapidly defeating Smoker was achieved by exploiting a weakness.
Had Smoker been on guard against Garen’s tricks, his sheer physical strength would have been more than enough to withstand Garen’s attacks, even at level four.
“You brat!”
Hammer had seen through Garen’s true strength:
“With your level, you dare try to fool me?!”
Garen said nothing, simply charged at Hammer, sword raised.
Hammer, in a fury, gripped his blade tight and swung at the cunning opponent before him.
At first, Garen could occasionally gain the upper hand thanks to his “guaranteed hit” trait...
But once Hammer realized something was wrong, he began to parry Garen’s sword strikes head-on.
With his absolute advantage in raw strength, Hammer had no fear of blocking Garen’s attacks, and often managed to counter with a slash as Garen’s momentum waned.
Garen quickly experienced the frustration of being thoroughly suppressed by a high-level martial artist:
His Judgment Spin was too slow to catch Hammer, his guaranteed-hit normal attacks were blocked by brute force, and his only real threat was the enigmatic “Monkey King’s Deception.”
But that stealth skill had a cooldown of over ten seconds, and its low frequency and damage forced Garen to endure a war of attrition with Hammer.
After a fierce exchange, most of Garen’s health was depleted.
“Wait!”
Garen blocked Hammer’s strike with his sword, retreated several steps, and finally spoke in a deep voice:
“You’re a Marine major with a respectable rank—why have you sunk so low?”
Hammer scrutinized Garen, inwardly surprised:
He himself was showing signs of fatigue, bleeding from several wounds, barely maintaining his advantage through sheer strength;
Yet his opponent, clearly less powerful, remained energetic and undiminished after the fierce battle.

Intimidated by this bizarre phenomenon, Hammer dared not act rashly, so he played along with Garen’s pause, taking the opportunity to recover and strategize.
“Respectable rank? Sunk so low?”
Hammer matched Garen for banter:
“Do you know how long I’ve held this major’s rank?”
Hammer pointed at his graying temples, complaining bitterly:
“Ten years! Ten whole years!”
“Not only have I never been promoted, but I was sent to this backwater, Rogue Town, to guard the gate!”
“All because I lack a Devil Fruit power and don’t have an admiral for a mentor?!”
“You...”
Garen continued in a solemn tone:
“You were promoted for your ‘excellent record,’ trusted by headquarters, and yet you’ve been corrupt and unjust, betraying what’s right! Don’t you feel any guilt?”
“Promotion?”
Hammer sneered, utterly disdainful:
“Young man, are you truly so naïve, or just pretending?”
“Promote me to lieutenant colonel and then transfer me to the instructor camp at the West Sea branch? Everyone knows the instructor camp is a retirement post!”
“Such a transparent demotion, and they think I’ll fall for it?!”
Hammer grew increasingly agitated, clearly moved:
“Headquarters ignores me like this!”
“What’s wrong with me making some money here, saving up for my old age?”
“......”
Garen was silent for a moment, then, with righteous indignation, rebuked:
“And you still dare justify yourself!”
“Do you feel you live up to the ‘Justice’ on your back?”
“Hahaha!”
Hammer laughed wildly and unrestrained:
“You’re still too young! Too naïve!”
“Justice?”
The muscles of Hammer’s face twisted and contorted with emotion as he spat disdainfully:
“Justice, fairness, law...
When you get down to it, it’s just a prettier way to steal.”
Hammer waved his blade in agitation, furious:
“I was chosen for headquarters training at sixteen, graduated at eighteen, and fought in every country along the Grand Line—
I...”
Before he could finish, Garen’s sword again swept forward.
Wielding the Sword of Justice, Garen’s expression was upright and resolute:
“Sorry!”
“Health’s back up. Let’s chat next time.”