As the Heavy Sword Big Mom Pirates were eliminated by the Marine, the Big Mom Pirates near Orange Town disappeared, and no suspected Big Mom Pirates were seen on the streets anymore.
For the next few days, Orange Town remained relatively calm, with bustling streets and heavy traffic, and the town regained its former vitality.
After dinner, at dusk, Martin and Robin strolled hand in hand along the mountain path outside the town, with him embracing his delicate wife's slender waist, enjoying the cool breeze, and discussing history together.
...In ancient China, there was a dynasty called the Qin Dynasty. This great Qin Dynasty rose through powerful institutions and military might, then swept across the six states, eventually unifying the world. Ying Zheng, who unified the country, was known as the First Emperor of Qin...
Darling, you've told the story of the First Emperor of Qin from ancient China twice already. I can recite it by heart now.
Oh, then let's talk about the story of Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che. The First Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han were both unparalleled in their achievements.
You've also told the story of Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che. I want to hear the stories of the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. After Emperor Yang of Sui, you've already talked about Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, and Yang Guifei. You need to continue...
Ah, if you hadn't reminded me, I almost forgot. Do you want me to continue? Come on, give me a kiss! A strong one...
You're annoying... Hands off?
The two of them flirted and showed affection all the way, spreading so much public display of affection that even the wild dogs in the ravine found them annoying and walked around them, rolling their eyes.
This is how Martin and Robin interact. It's impossible to win over a smart and intellectual beauty like Nico Robin by pursuing her in the way one would a typical girl.
Robin has studied history since childhood and loves history. Although young, she takes a mature and intellectual approach, and she has a strong thirst for knowledge, especially historical knowledge, which plays right into Martin's hands.
Actually, the historical knowledge from the nine-year compulsory education was enough to satisfy Robin, not to mention that he was not only an audience member of 'Baijia Jiangtang' but also a keyboard warrior in a famous history forum.
Robin didn't care whether these ancient Chinese history stories were true or false; she always had the expression of a little fan girl, completely engrossed, whenever she listened to history stories from another world.
Wasn't that just a piece of cake?
Wife, do you believe I'm from another planet?
Martin asked, pinching his delicate wife's cheek.
Robin looked into her husband's eyes and nodded seriously: "I believe you!"
She suddenly added, "Darling, you know I love to pursue history. If one day I want to leave here to find the truth of history, would you come with me?"
Martin fell silent, looking into his delicate wife's bright eyes, about to answer, when a woman approached from the opposite direction. This woman, quite inconsiderately, cleared her throat, interrupting the two of them.
The two turned to look and saw it was their neighbor, Mrs. Yoru. She was wearing a black dress, appearing Elegant and composed, and carried a woven basket filled with various flowers.
"Hello, I'm planning to open a flower shop soon. If you have time, don't forget to visit."
Mrs. Yoru smiled and exchanged a few polite words with Martin.
She said seriously, "Mr. Martin, it's getting dark soon, so please be careful. I heard that some Big Mom Pirates have infiltrated our town."
Martin nodded: "I'll definitely be careful. Mrs. Yoru, please also be safe. If you find any Big Mom Pirates, just shout loudly, I should be able to hear you."
Mrs. Yoru gave an awkward laugh, feeling utterly speechless in her heart.
These newlyweds had no public morality; they would shout several times every night, not only disturbing her sleep but also making her very uncomfortable.
After a few pleasantries, she realized she was a bit redundant and simply slipped away.
"Mrs. Yoru is strange. Such a beautiful woman, yet so few people pursue her."
Martin felt a bit odd.
"Darling, if you fancy Mrs. Yoru, I won't be angry."
Robin immediately shook her husband's arm: "You're allowed to marry again."
Martin rolled his eyes and ignored his wife. Was she implying he had too much energy and wanted to push him onto someone else?
Her heart was truly big!
But looking at Mrs. Yoru's graceful back, he couldn't help but quip, "If the pretty widow is willing to marry, the shaded path will be stained with white dew day and night."
The two walked along the main road into the town, preparing to go home when they noticed a group of Marine soldiers gathered in front of a small house at a crossroads on another street.
Each of them held swords, their expressions quite serious, looking unapproachable.
The bodies carried out of the house were loaded onto a carriage, the stretchers covered with poor-quality linen to conceal the gruesome state of the corpses.
"Rona, you go back first."
Martin told his delicate wife to go back first, while he continued to observe.
Robin nodded obediently, without asking further questions, and turned to leave the scene.
"What happened?"
Martin stepped forward to investigate closely, and an unexpected sight appeared in his view.
Clang!
A Marine soldier lost his footing and accidentally stepped into empty space, causing the stretcher in his hand to fall, and a bloody corpse slid off the stretcher.
The body was unidentifiable, but based on the figure and clothing, Martin realized it was a woman.
However, the corpse's face was contorted, there was a gruesome knife wound on her chest, covered in bloodstains, and her eyes were missing, leaving only two red hollows, as if maliciously gouged out.
Her lower body was a mess.
It was clear that the woman had been violated before her death.
"What are you looking at? No one is allowed to look here."
"Hey, I'm talking to you!"
Saying this, a fierce and strong Marine soldier walked forward, full of menace.
Martin didn't know him, probably a Marine soldier temporarily transferred from another sea area.
"I'm a resident nearby. What happened here?"
As Martin asked the question, he directly pulled out a 10,000 berry banknote.
Seeing this, the fierce and strong soldier immediately became much more amiable, and in a low voice, without a change in expression, he said, "Sir... last night, house number seventeen and twenty-five on this street were attacked by an unknown assailant. Multiple people died, and no one was left alive."
"Oh? That serious? Any clues?"
Seeing that the other party didn't continue, Martin handed over another banknote: "Tell me the details."
The soldier's face was wreathed in smiles, and he said one word: "No problem, but you can't spread this around. Our superior suspects that some Big Mom Pirates are hiding around the town, and these murders were committed by them..."
.
A moment later, Martin, frowning, entered Baihua Street where he lived.
Baihua Street was one of the wealthier streets in Orange Town, less than a hundred meters from the street where the murders occurred.
Both murders were very strange, because residents in the nearby streets didn't notice their neighbors being killed at night.
Logically, with several residences so close together, any disturbance would wake the neighbors, yet there was no commotion whatsoever.
This was very abnormal.
Most residents of Baihua Street were merchants and producers, with relatively wealthy family backgrounds.
In the eyes of the Big Mom Pirates, these people would certainly be the richest targets.
The Big Mom Pirates hiding near the town might have just been testing the waters with this attack, and their next target should be Baihua Street.
It was expected that soon after the Marine cleared out those Big Mom Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates would start burning, killing, and looting in Orange Town. It wasn't just about plundering wealth; it was practically a slap in the face to the Marine.
Martin naturally wouldn't sit idly by; he already had a plan in mind.
.
A cold moon hung in the sky, and the night was bleak.
The sound of a blade cutting through the air came from the workshop courtyard.
"Practicing swordsmanship is the way to go."
Martin, who was swinging his blade, knew exactly what he needed to do.
Forging was his profession, but swordsmanship was his hobby.
After gaining his cheat, his dream of becoming a strong person had been reignited.
After finishing his warm-up, Martin took a deep breath, his blood qi activated, his lower abdomen gradually became hot, and his blood qi slowly began to boil.
He spread his hands into a stance and began to practice the Iron-Cutting Swordsmanship.
Since his honeymoon, he had practiced swordsmanship and Iron Body repeatedly every day, never slacking off in his training.
Now, his own blood qi had also been refined to its peak, both smooth and stable, but he always felt a lack of upward momentum, unable to break through to a higher realm.
That was Haki!
Clearly, he was stuck at the threshold of comprehending Haki, and there was no one to teach him Haki techniques, indicating that he couldn't break through directly with his existing strength.
"Haki in this world is passed down. I'm not one of those abnormal people in Luffy's main group who can comprehend Haki on their own."
"If I could marry a wife who knows Haki, that would solve it."
Martin looked at the unfamiliar starry sky, lost in thought.
Haki, that was a strong person's pass.
Hmm?
Why was there a smell of blood in the air?
Martin, with his keen senses, immediately became alert. He looked towards the dark courtyard outside and his expression changed: "Oh no."
"There's killing intent!"