A pure white shirt, flowing military uniform.
Wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a long sword at his waist.
Blown by the fan, Martin's clothes fluttered, and the two large characters "Justice" on his back were exceptionally striking.
At this moment, he wielded the iron hammer in his hand, concentrating on striking the iron anvil in front of him, hammering the red hot iron block on the anvil into the shape of a blade with a clanging sound.
Each hammer strike seemed broad and powerful, but in reality, Martin was cautious and meticulous, even suppressing his breathing to the lowest frequency, for fear of any mishap.
Bang!
Suddenly, a cannon shot from outside the forging room disturbed his concentration, and the heavy hammer in his hand lost its force, splitting the blade on the anvil in half.
Martin froze for a moment, then dropped the carving knife, retreated a few steps, and slumped back into the chair.
Well...
The challenge of forging an Excellent Quick Blade failed again!
"After transmigrating for five whole years, I'm still stuck in this pathetic state. I might as well retire."
Surveying the spacious and desolate Marine forging room, Martin couldn't help but sigh towards the sky, lost in thought.
About five years ago, he transmigrated to the world of Pirate King, becoming a dead-end Marine soldier.
The reason he said dead-end was because after his transmigration, his body was already thirty-five years old, and he knew nothing, merely a junior Knife Craftsman in the Marine Logistics Department, with the rank of corporal.
One must know that in the world of Pirate King, strength is respected, and combat power is king.
Ordinary Marine officers could smash stones with their bare hands, and there were many who could lift a thousand catties.
Those Marine Admirals could split mountains with their palms, cleave seas with their feet, and unleash various super powerful abilities; each of them was a superhuman, capable of single-handedly fighting a thousand soldiers.
When he first transmigrated, Martin thought he could activate a cheat like the transmigrators in novels, his combat power soaring, sweeping away all pirates, crushing opponents all the way, and writing his own legend.
But he had no cheat support, his talent was also very ordinary, and being old, cultivation was difficult.
Having sworn to become a strong person, he did not give up on becoming stronger because of this; besides his daily forging tasks, he practiced swordsmanship.
After five years of hard struggle, he was promoted to Ensign because of his excellent performance in forging swords.
This Ensign rank had nothing to do with his combat power.
Now he was already forty years old, and his rank was only Ensign. In his original world, he would have been laid off by his company at thirty-five, and no one would want him to work in a factory at forty.
In the Marine Logistics Department, he was considered semi-retired, mentoring new recruits and occasionally forging and repairing swords.
His forging skills were also stuck, unable to improve even a bit.
Alas!
He... was not the protagonist after all!
This was such a cruel reality.
No matter how hard he tried or struggled in this life, his strength could not advance even a bit, and his strong desire to become a powerful individual was also extinguished by reality.
Roar roar roar...
Not far away, the sea was turbulent, and strange winds howled.
A strange sound combining a beast's roar and thunder came from a distance, making the ground tremble.
Feeling the roaring in his ears and the slight tremor from the ground, Martin looked towards the sea.
He heard that recently, a sea monster had been rampaging in the East Blue, attacking many ships and even overturning Marine vessels. The Marine not only offered a reward of 10 million Berries but also dispatched a Commodore to hunt it down.
The cannon fire just now must have been from the warship chasing the sea monster.
In short, it had nothing to do with him, a logistics Ensign.
He collected himself.
Since things had come to this, making money was also a life choice; after all, he was getting old, and settling down and starting a family was the proper thing to do.
Martin had saved some money in recent years, and as a junior Marine officer, he naturally had social standing, so getting married was not a problem.
Although girls in this world did not demand dowries, cars, or houses, as a man, he believed he should earn more.
Should I go hunt pirates for money?
Forget it, you should know that it is Marine Calendar 1510 now.
It had been exactly twelve years since Pirate King Roger was executed.
There are still ten years until the Pirate King storyline begins, and it is the early stage of the Great Pirate Era.
Red Hair Shanks has not yet become one of the Four Emperors, and the protagonist Luffy is just a seven-year-old brat, who knows if he has eaten a Devil Fruit yet.
In the early Great Pirate Era, pirate forces expanded wildly, the sea was in chaos, and pirates were as numerous as cattle.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the three Admirals, who had not been in power for long, were somewhat overwhelmed, and many sea areas were occupied by pirates, leading to very chaotic maritime order.
The pirates were all extremely ferocious, plundering everywhere, killing without batting an eye, and the Marine in many places were routed; it was better for him with his meager strength not to go seeking death.
So, he should retire.
Martin took off his military uniform and went to his superior's office, handing over his uniform and resignation letter.
This caused his immediate superior to be utterly bewildered: "Why do you want to leave the Marine?"
Martin smiled faintly: "For love."
"For love?"
Watching Martin's departing back, his superior shook his head and did not try to keep him.
Although Martin was a junior Knife Craftsman and his knife forging skills were good, he was not scarce in the talent-rich Marine, so let him go.
Walking out of the Marine logistics base and onto the streets of Orange Town.
The sounds of wheels and shouts on the town streets were very noisy, bustling with people, a lively scene.
Martin went straight to the town center and bought a large bouquet of roses at the flower shop.
Then, holding the flowers, he quickly turned into a quiet street, stopped in front of a small building with a sign that read "Hundred Flowers Academy," straightened his neat suit, and then gently pushed open the partially ajar door.
"...There has always been a secret in Pirate King, and that is the Poneglyphs, which record the history of the Void Century... That is a mysterious history, everyone here must remember it..."
A graceful black-haired girl held a book, explaining a history lesson to the children in the academy, her voice incredibly soft.
"Teacher Rona, look, Uncle Martin is here!"
"Uncle Martin is even holding a bouquet of flowers, what's he going to do?"
"Wow... Everyone, look!"
The sharp-eyed children immediately started to clamor, as if they had discovered a new world.
"Go, go, go, call me brother, not uncle!"
Martin pouted, reminding these tactless little brats not to shout nonsense.
The moment the pretty black-haired girl saw Martin, two blushes appeared on her delicate face, making her incredibly shy.
"Cough cough, my dear Miss Rona, we have been dating for exactly one year, and I think I have fallen in love with you. Please marry me!"
"Also, I know you hate the Marine, so I have already retired from the Marine."
Martin took a few steps forward, knelt on one knee, offered the bouquet of roses, and at the same time, took out the ring box and presented it, feeling very nervous.
The surrounding children immediately cheered and applauded. Rona, with teary eyes and flushed cheeks, extended her slender hand and accepted the bouquet of roses, allowing Martin to place the engagement ring on her left middle finger.
The proposal succeeded!
Not bad, these past few years of transmigration, besides diligently improving his strength, he hadn't forgotten to woo girls, and with his past life's dating skills, he had managed to win the heart of a beloved girl in the town.
She was Rona.
Rona, only eighteen years old, was the town's teacher. She was not only learned and sensible, mature and steady, but also possessed an indescribable exotic charm and temperament.
After a long period of interaction and pursuit, Martin finally succeeded in winning her heart. To marry her, he simply resigned from the Marine.
Half a month later, in the afternoon, Martin and Rona held a grand wedding in the town hall, witnessed by neighbors and friends.
Martin invited some familiar neighbors and friends from the surrounding area.
He had lived in Orange Town for many years, and as a Marine officer, he had some connections, but according to Rona's request, the wedding was kept simple, and even his Marine colleagues were not invited.
"Hey, I heard Ensign Martin actually resigned to marry his wife, but this girl is really pretty."
"This bride is young and beautiful."
"I heard these two are 22 years apart in age!"
"Wow! Isn't this the legendary old ox..."
Martin heard someone whispering in the crowd, but said nothing, just gave an awkward smile.
Rona was young and beautiful, learned and sensible, charming in temperament, and had a good personality. He was indeed a bit out of her league, but who could blame him, a transmigrator, for having good dating skills?
Let others be jealous!
Next, he and the bride Rona embraced and kissed amidst the cheers and congratulations of the crowd, completing the sacred ceremony. The wedding ended after the banquet.
The wedding was simple and smooth.
.
Wedding night.
This was the sweet moment any couple anticipated.
Pink curtains were hung on the bed in the bridal chamber, and new bedding was laid on the bed. Incense candles burned, and a subtle fragrance wafted through the air.
Rona, dressed in a white wedding dress, sat by the bed, her heart incredibly nervous. Her slender hands played with the lace trim of her stockings, feeling a mix of apprehension and excitement.
A slightly tipsy Martin approached and lifted a corner of her veil.
Like a pipa half-hidden, he faintly glimpsed a vibrant, luscious red lip.
The red lips were full and bright, slightly upturned like a crescent moon, very beautiful.
As the veil was fully lifted, her pretty face was even more stunningly beautiful, and those sparkling eyes seemed to contain a whole world, making one's heart race uncontrollably.
Martin swallowed, in his previous life, he had seen many celebrity beauties, but none could compare to Rona.
He had truly found a gem!
Speaking of which...
After tonight, he would be a husband, and perhaps a father in the future. Completely giving up, returning to an ordinary life, perhaps the days of a wife, children, and a warm bed were more suitable for him.
"Rona, you are so beautiful!"
He praised her.
"Brother Martin, I always thought I would explore history alone, I really didn't expect to get married... until I met you!"
Rona's cheeks were slightly flushed, but she boldly extended a slender finger and beckoned to him.
Martin did not blow out the candles, just quietly admired her. A moment later, he stepped forward and reached out his hands...
.
The next day, the sun was high in the sky.
Martin opened his eyes, saw the bright sunlight outside the window, and realized he had overslept.
Just as he was about to get up, a strange red book suddenly appeared before his eyes.
He was feeling puzzled when a fair, smooth, long leg draped over his chest. Looking closely, it turned out to be his little wife beside him.
Tsk tsk tsk...
Her legs were so fair and long!
This eighteen-year-old body's flexibility was truly good.
It's just that her sleeping posture was a bit revealing...
Strange!
When he gently moved the long leg back to its original position, he found that Rona's long leg passed through the red book in front of him, as if the book was just a phantom projected onto his retina.
When he focused all his attention on the book, its pages automatically opened, and he saw several lines of red text, like knives and swords, written on the title page.
[Evaluation: Normal - Wedding Night Bonus]
[Obtained: Greatly increased favorability, greatly increased knife forging experience - Intermediate breakthrough possible]
[Zanpakuto Senbonzakura forging blueprint unlocked - Can be extracted]
Martin jolted upright from the bed, rubbed his eyes to confirm it wasn't an illusion, but truly mysterious text projected onto his retina.
He was both surprised and delighted: "My... my cheat finally arrived?!"