They stayed on Skypiea for an entire month.
During that month, Hammer never once left his forge.
The sounds of duang, duang had never stopped since the very first day.
Meanwhile, Lance and the others had completely fallen in love with Angel Island.
The 500 Marines had even become close friends with the island residents.
"Hey, Lance, Hammer hasn't come out for a whole month. Is he really okay?"
On Angel Island's beach, Gion and the others were comfortably relaxing on reclining chairs made from Island Clouds.
Hearing Gion's question, Lance, Shirley, and Hina exchanged glances before all three burst into laughter.
"Small issue. Hammer often spends an entire month forging once he gets started. This is totally normal. No need to worry."
As Lance spoke, he casually took a sip of his drink, looking completely at ease.
"Brother Lance! Brother Lance! Let's spar again!"
"Yesterday we already defeated your Second Squad!"
Suddenly, a group of patrol soldiers ran up to Lance and the others.
Seeing them, Lance grinned widely.
"Sure! Let me tell you, I'm insanely skilled with Slash Dials and Wind Dials now!"
Shirley and the others beside him nodded repeatedly.
During this past month, Lance had constantly tried to get Slash Dials, Impact Dials, and similar items.
But since those belonged to Angel Island's defensive forces, Gan Fall naturally refused to hand them over easily.
In the end, after Lance's relentless persistence, the two sides reached an agreement, they would exchange combat experience through sparring matches.
Thanks to that, Lance had finally managed to acquire a certain number of Slash Dials.
The first time he used one, he was utterly stunned.
Such a tiny shell could actually unleash surprisingly powerful slashes.
Shirley and the others had also grown deeply fond of these magical shells.
Over the past month, both sides had sparred countless times. With Lance and the others intentionally holding back, the fights remained evenly matched and enjoyable.
Soon, the four-officer group led by Lance, along with guest member Hina, began sparring once again with several Skypiea patrol members.
Clang clang clang clang!
Just as both sides were fighting enthusiastically, a rapid alarm bell suddenly rang out.
The patrol soldiers instantly turned pale.
"Oh no! Forget the sparring!"
"The Shandians are here!"
Lance: '???'
'Shandians? What the hell is that?'
"Hey, brother, what's going on?"
"Sorry, little brother Lance. We'll continue sparring later, we're going to war!"
As he spoke, the patrol soldiers immediately rushed toward one side of Angel Island.
The Wind Dials beneath their feet erupted with tremendous force.
"What's happening?"
"Should we go take a look?"
Tokikake, still unsatisfied from the interrupted fight, couldn't help but ask.
Lance thought silently for a moment before nodding.
If he heard correctly just now, they said they were going to fight?
Could such a peaceful Angel Island really be facing invaders?
"Move out. Gather Squads One through Ten. We're going to see what's happening."
The Warhammer squads were organized into groups of ten, each carefully balanced with both swordsmen and gunners.
There were fifty such squads in total, corresponding to the 500 soldiers aboard the Warhammer.
Very quickly, one hundred soldiers assembled and followed Lance toward the direction the patrol squad had gone.
At the same time, Inside the Warhammer's forge.
"It worked! Hahahaha! It worked!"
"This is absolutely a divine-tier equipment set that'll let me smack Doggie around, kick Monkey to the curb, and hang Chicken up for a beating!"
"What Logia type? Bullshit! They're all trash!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
.
.
God's Island , Upper Yard
Originally, it had once been part of Jaya Island in the Blue Sea. Four hundred years ago, it had been blasted into the White Sea by a gigantic Knock-Up Stream.
Skypieaers, who had never seen true land before, regarded it as sacred ground and occupied Upper Yard, renaming it "God's Island."
"Gan Fall! Get out of Upper Yard!"
"Damn Skypieans! Get out of Upper Yard!"
A group of warriors dressed in grass garments glared viciously at the Angel Island patrol forces while gripping their weapons tightly.
They were the native inhabitants of Upper Yard, the Shandians.
There were roughly fifty of them.
On the patrol side, there were slightly fewer, just over thirty men led by God Gan Fall, currently confronting them.
"Impossible, Joshua! This is the land of God!"
"You will never set foot here!"
The two sides couldn't negotiate at all and immediately clashed in battle.
By the time Lance and his group arrived, both sides had already suffered injuries.
Gan Fall was incredibly powerful, and combined with his mount Pierre, he fought ferociously.
But the Shandian leader was equally savage.
The muscular man with bandages wrapped around his head wielded a long spear while using Wind Dial propulsion beneath his feet, looking like a demon god descending upon the battlefield.
"Whoa, this is a full-scale war?"
"Lance, should we step in?"
Lance nodded.
"Everyone, suppress them as much as possible. Don't seriously hurt anyone."
"Move out!"
At Lance's command, one hundred Marines instantly charged into the battlefield.
The Angel Island patrol soldiers were overjoyed upon seeing the familiar figures joining the fight.
Meanwhile, the Shandians suddenly felt overwhelming pressure.
With the Marines entering the battle, the outcome quickly became obvious.
The Shandian leader Joshua let out an unwilling roar:
"Who are you people?! Why are you stopping me?!"
"You damned bastards!"
Just as Lance was about to answer,
A terrifying air current suddenly erupted from Angel Island's harbor.
Even at an altitude of ten thousand meters, the blast still surged even higher into the sky.
"What's going on?"
"What happened at Angel Island?"
Gan Fall and the patrol soldiers instantly fell into panic.
Meanwhile, Lance and the others suddenly looked extremely grim.
Over a hundred people stared at one another.
At the same moment, the exact same thought appeared in all their minds.
Their boss, Hammer, had finally emerged from seclusion.
Sure enough, as the air current rose,
A burst of manic laughter echoed through the skies.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
"This is it! This is it!"
"Iron Cloud! Cloud Battle Armor!"
Accompanied by crazed laughter, a dazzling white beam shot straight into the heavens.
With her exceptional eyesight, Shirley instantly saw that Hammer himself was at the center of the white light.
At this moment, Hammer was wrapped in a mass of white clouds.
A suit of white cloud armor covered his body, while layers upon layers of clouds swirled around him.
"What is that?"
That question appeared in everyone's minds.
"Hahahahaha! Hm?"
"Lance? Why are they over there?"
"Whatever, let's go take a look!"
Flying high in the sky, Hammer suddenly sensed Lance and the others' presence near the edge of Angel Island, along with several unfamiliar auras.
Driven by curiosity, Hammer waved both hands.
The cloud armor around him instantly transformed, and before long, a pair of enormous wings appeared on his back.
With a single flap of those wings, Hammer shot toward Lance and the others at incredible speed.
The sheer velocity produced booming sonic explosions throughout the sky.