"Mmm... ugh... wah... ah... ow... help..."
A garbled, pained groaned slowly emerged from the ground.
Only then did Zephyr realize that Hammer was still stuck headfirst in the ground.
Without delay, Zephyr instantly used Soru, his figure blurring like a phantom as he appeared beside Hammer.
He grabbed one of Hammer's legs with his right hand, yanked hard, and pulled him out of the ground.
"Huff... huff..."
"I...I almost died there..."
Freed at last, Hammer gasped for breath, his face full of lingering fear.
Zephyr's eye twitched violently.
'This brat has great talent, an outstanding Devil Fruit ability, yet somehow, why is he so damn infuriating?!'
*Plop!*
Zephyr wordlessly tossed Hammer aside, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Then he began carefully examining Hammer.
"Do you even realize what you just did?"
That one sentence made the hair on Hammer's body stand on end.
'No way… did the old man figure it out?'
As that thought flashed through his mind, and recalling Zephyr's arm coated in Haki, Hammer decided it was best to come clean.
"I confess!"
"Teacher Zephyr, I reforged my boots for running, which granted it the trait 'Swift as the Wind', that's why I was able to run so fast!"
After blurting it out, Hammer crouched down, hugging his head in a classic "I'm guilty" pose.
Zephyr's mouth twitched.
'Reforged his boots?'
No wonder this kid could run so fast.
'Wait a minute, did this brat not even realize what just happened?'
"Not the damned boots!" he roared. "You accidentally performed Soru! One of the Marine Six Powers!"
Hammer lifted his head with a dumbfounded look, completely confused.
Soru?
Six Powers?
Hammer actually knew about the Navy's Six Powers:
Shave (Soru): By stomping the ground dozens of times in 0.36 seconds, you generate explosive recoil for ultra-high-speed movement, which looks like instant teleportation to the opponent.
Iron Body (Tekkai): hardens the users' muscles to the level of iron, an effect that seems to extend to their skin, greatly boosting their physical durability.
Paper Art (Kami-e): allows users to relax their body and make it take on the characteristics of a piece of paper; this grants the user extraordinary flexibility that allows them to avoid any attacks. The body being in this paper-like state also allows the user to float on the wind, as well as the ability to bend and contort their body.
Moonwalk (Geppo): allows users to push themselves off the air itself with superhumanly strong kicks, allowing them to travel through and remain in midair for an extended period of time.
Tempest Kick (Rankyaku): is a powerful projectile technique, in which the users start by kicking at very high speeds and strength, which results in a sharp compressed blade of windcan easily cut targets in half.
Finger Gun (Shigan): a technique in which the user uses their finger to pierce the target's flesh at a very high speed. The resulting wound is roughly the size of a bullet wound
But Zephyr was saying he had just used Soru?
That was impossible; he had never learned it, let alone used it!
"Teacher Zephyr, that's impossible, I've never trained in the Six Powers! How could I possibly use Soru?"
Looking at Hammer's stunned expression, Zephyr realized the kid was telling the truth.
Then how had he pulled off Shave just now?
Suddenly, Zephyr's gaze shifted to Hammer's boots.
"What attribute did your boots trigger?"
"Swift as the Wind boosts speed by 50%, and reduces body weight by 30%."
'Ah, that explains it...'
The moment Zephyr heard that, everything clicked.
The principle behind Shave was rapid ground-stomping.
These boots, after being reforged, boosted speed and reduced weight, perfect conditions for Soru.
Combine that with Hammer's solid physical abilities, and it wasn't impossible for him to pull it off by accident.
"Try it again. See if you can intentionally use it this time."
Zephyr gave instructions with a look of anticipation.
Hammer could only nod in response.
He quickly recalled the principle behind Soru.
Then, he planted his feet and began stomping in place.
*BOOM!*
The next second, Hammer's figure vanished with a sharp sonic boom.
"Ahhh!"
When he reappeared, he had smashed headfirst into a nearby horizontal bar.
He was now dangling from it, arms and legs flailing.
Zephyr burst out laughing, but decided to push things further.
"Hammer, take off your boots. Sakazuki, you're up."
Hammer wobbled off the bar, obeyed Zephyr's instructions, and took off his boots.
Sakazuki, who had been eagerly watching from the side, quickly stepped forward and took the boots.
"Sakazuki, put on those boots and try using Soru."
"In 0.36 seconds, stomp the ground at least 10 times. I believe you can do it."
Sakazuki nodded firmly, then swiftly put on the boots.
As soon as Sakazuki put on the boots, he immediately felt something different; his whole body felt light, agile, and incredibly exhilarated.
Under Zephyr's and the trainees' watchful eyes, Sakazuki let out a loud roar:
"Soru!"
With a sudden burst of strength in his legs, his figure flickered and left behind an afterimage.
Boom!
The next second, Sakazuki's body vanished.
"Hahaha! This feeling - Incredible!"
Everyone saw Sakazuki soaring through the air, suspended about ten meters off the ground, now plummeting back down in free fall.
"Ahahahahaha! Hammer, you little rascal, you never fail to surprise me! Your Devil Fruit ability is goddamn miraculous"
"Keeping you in this training camp was hands-down the smartest decision I've ever made!"
Zephyr laughed wildly, as if he'd just discovered a priceless treasure.
Hammer scratched his head awkwardly, a little embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Sakazuki was completely hooked on the feeling the boots gave him.
*Boom!Boom!*
Dust flew all over the training ground as Sakazuki darted around using Shave.
"I was the one who suggested this, Hammer-kun~ Where's my pair?"
Borsalino slithered over, his usual lazy drawl laced with envy.
But Zephyr overheard that comment as well.
"That's right! Borsalino has a point!"
"Hammer, make another pair for me right now!"
Hammer let out a frustrated sigh, They wanted him to crank out another miracle on the spot.
That first one took him nearly an hour to complete.
"Alright, alright, I got it, Teacher Zephyr, but I don't know how long it'll take, so don't rush me…"
"Relax. Just focus on hammering."
Zephyr was in an extremely good mood and told Hammer to get started immediately.
"Everyone else, keep running!"
And so, with the constant sound of Hammer's pounding ringing through the air, the trainees resumed their running drills.
At the same time, the familiar roar of the Gatling gun and Zephyr's furious shouting echoed across the field.