"Whoa, so this is the legendary 'Biological Treasure Trove', Punk Hazard?"
"Quite the spectacle."
Hammer's eyes lit up as he entered the research base. The high-tech lobby looked grand and impressive.
"Indeed, this is Punk Hazard's main scientific research facility. Gentlemen, this way please. Dr. Vegapunk has been waiting in the weapons hall."
Vice Admiral Edward spoke with a calm face, clearly unfazed. He was already used to seeing such things regularly.
Hammer still wore a mild smile, but his mind was already racing.
'Vegapunk… Punk Hazard…'
In his past life, he'd blown up his forge in excitement over this damned part of the storyline.
Thinking about it left him a little regretful. His current life wasn't bad, but there was still a lingering frustration.
Oh well, since he was already here, he might as well make the best of it. This time, he had to score some advanced tech weapons, or the trip would be a waste!
Having made up his mind, Hammer's steps grew lighter.
Before long, under Vice Admiral Edward's guidance, the trio arrived at an enormous room.
It was filled to the brim with all sorts of weapons, every kind imaginable.
Hammer and the others were dumbfounded.
'An assault rifle? Cute.'
'A rocket launcher? Wait, quad-barrelled?'
'A mortar? Can you even put that on a ship???'
'A flamethrower? Hmm… this one's pretty similar to Judge's tech.'
'Grenade launcher? Damn, that's legit.'
'Wait, what the hell is that? A Barrett? No… the caliber is even bigger!'
All kinds of firearms dazzled Hammer's eyes.
He was practically seeing hearts.
Same with Lance, the ship's sniper. For him, guns were life.
"Relax. These are all outdated models. Nothing to get too excited about."
A calm voice suddenly spoke from behind the trio.
A tall man in black, wearing a helmet labeled "01," stood behind them.
Seeing him, Hammer's thoughts stirred.
'Shaka…'
'So he already developed clones this early on?'
'Looks like Vegapunk had been wary of the World Government from the very beginning…'
"I am Dr. Vegapunk, Shaka. It's a pleasure to welcome you to Punk Hazard."
Shaka's gaze landed on Hammer, scanning him up and down.
"So, you're Rear Admiral Hammer? I've heard your forging can imbue objects with special properties."
"I'm curious, does that come from your Devil Fruit power?"
Hammer steadied his mind.
"Hello, Dr. Vegapunk. Yes, the imbuing ability comes from my Devil Fruit."
"I've used it to create a number of special items."
He casually pulled a long sword out from his ring, his longsword.
Shaka's visor instantly lit up with two beams of light. His voice sounded a bit excited.
"A spatial-type item? Your ability seems quite impressive."
"Even I haven't made much progress in space research yet!"
Hammer grinned.
'Buddy, even if you have the Brain-Brain Fruit and knowledge beyond anyone else…
"This power of mine isn't something science can explain. It's system-granted, one of a kind! Jealous? You should be!'
The Brain-Brain Fruit (Paramecia) gives its user limitless brain capacity. The more data they absorb, the bigger their head becomes. Vegapunk, already a natural-born genius, became the owner of the largest brain in the world.
But the Shaka standing here was just a clone of Vegapunk.
Hammer understood, after all, they were just regular Marine folk. Vegapunk wouldn't come to meet a rear admiral personally, no matter how unique his power might be.
"You flatter me, Doctor. You're the smartest man on the seas. I came here today actually hoping to ask for your help."
"Oh? Help with what? Go ahead."
Shaka returned to his usual composed demeanor, waiting for Hammer's question.
"First, I'd like to requisition some weapons. Don't worry, I brought an authorization letter from Admiral Sengoku."
"Second, I'm looking for a type of metal that can handle extreme elemental properties. I've forged a longsword with ice elemental power, and regular scabbards simply can't contain it. Not even ice made by the Logia Ice-Ice Fruit can coexist with it."
Shaka's visor flashed again.
"An ice-elemental longsword? Forged from Cryolite Ore?"
"Yes. And my ability enhanced the ice power further."
"Hm… sounds like only that metal would work."
"That metal?"
Hammer's eyes flickered with curiosity.
"All the weapons are here; take whatever guns you like. They're just outdated models anyway."
"As for the metal, follow me."
Shaka turned and headed toward another lab.
Hammer shot a look at Lance and Shirley.
The two instantly gave him an "OK" hand signal in sync.
Take everything! Not even one bullet gets left behind!
"To suppress elemental power, the best material is memory metal, though it's incredibly rare."
"Even I don't have much of it in stock."
'Memory metal?'
Hammer's mind suddenly conjured an image of a man: Vinsmoke Judge.
'Isn't that metal his specialty tech?'
"I heard you've met Vinsmoke Judge. Then you probably know something about memory metal, right?"
"We only met on assignment," Hammer replied casually.
Shaka didn't even turn around as he began explaining.
"Memory metal is a special material. My research is still in the early stages, but it has fusion and regeneration properties. Even if damaged, it can restore itself after a period of time."
"That longsword of yours with ice power—if you made a scabbard out of memory metal, it should be able to fully contain the freezing energy without breaking."
'Memory metal…'
Hammer already knew of it. Whether it was Germa's raid suits or the later-debuted Seraphim, all used memory metal.
'Coming to Punk Hazard was totally worth it…'
'Even in its early form, memory metal was powerful. And more importantly, it was metal.'
A spark flashed in Hammer's eyes.
If it's metal, then it can be forged. And if it can be forged, he, Hammer, can turn it into a masterpiece!
"This chunk should be enough for a scabbard. As for the forging, you're the blacksmith, no need for me to intervene."
Hammer gleefully took the large chunk of metal, then casually asked a question that even surprised Vegapunk.
"Doctor, do you have any ideas for future weapon development?"
"I'm still thinking. In the end, whether it's biological or scientific research, it all gets turned into weapons anyway, doesn't it?"
"Doctor, are you familiar with laser beams?"
"Lasers? Yes. But turning them into weapons is very difficult."
"Not difficult at all! I've got excellent research directions and skilled personnel!"
Hammer grinned slyly.
'Sorry, Monkey Bro, but it's time for you to shine.'
'That way, my warship can get equipped with laser weapons sooner rather than later!'
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu