After retiring from the Navy, I became a doting husband.

However, at that very moment, a wisp of sand quietly appeared behind him, transforming into Crocodile's figure in the next second. Her eyes flashed with a sharp light as she raised her scorpion venom needle high and attacked Martin. No matter how powerful he was, he certainly couldn't withstand her deadly poison.

Swish!

A tiny poison needle shot out.

However, Crocodile underestimated Martin's Observation Haki. Faced with the sudden poison needle, Martin simply tilted his head slightly, and the needle quickly grazed past his ear.

what?

Crocodile was horrified.

However, she quickly adjusted her mindset and launched another fruit attack.

Desert Greatsword!

Swish!

A sand blade, sharp as a sword, shot out from the ground beside Martin, cleaving him in two at the waist.

Crocodile was overjoyed at the successful sneak attack.

Damn it, after being beaten up for so long, I finally got my revenge.

But in the next scene, when Martin, who had been pierced by the desert greatsword, showed no wounds, his body gradually became distorted and blurred.

Crocodile was stunned for a moment, then his heart skipped a beat: "It's an afterimage!"

Yes, Martin dodged with lightning speed long before he launched his sneak attack. The speed was so fast that Martin didn't even notice, which is why he created a brief afterimage.

Damn, I got all excited for nothing.

Crocodile's face instantly turned as black as coal dust.

This is ridiculous.

You've been having so much fun, now it's my turn!

Suddenly, a mocking voice came from behind Crocodile. Martin, in return, appeared behind him like a ghost.

As the words fell.

boom!

An overwhelming surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body, transforming into a tangible attack that struck Crocodile at close range.

Ah!

Crocodile felt his mind go blank, as if a mountain was pressing down on him, and he couldn't help but open his mouth and let out a miserable howl.

After all, Martin had already mastered Conqueror's Haki to its peak, and he was only targeting Crocodile with a relentless attack.

If he can withstand it, that would be truly bizarre.

finally.

With a thud.

Crocodile bent his knees, his hands and scorpion stinger pressed against the ground to support his trembling body, his clothes bursting open with a large hole.

Who knew what would happen next?

puff!

A sharp pain shot through his throat, and he spat out a jet of blood, instantly staining the ground red.

Ugh!

Achievement unlocked: Defeat the Seven Warlords of the Sea without using a Zanpakuto.

"Miss Crocodile? Are you convinced?"

Martin stood in front of him, looking down at him, and said indifferently.

"Miss? Is Crocodile really a woman?"

Bucky stared in astonishment at Crocodile's chest and couldn't help but exclaim, "What huge pectoral muscles!"

"No... is that a pectoral muscle?"

Chapter 187 Another Mother

Crocodile finally gave up resisting and lay down on the ground like a spineless shrimp.

The defeat is set.

What are you still struggling for?

"You win. I will keep my promise, never touch that thing again, and leave this country."

Although she was very unwilling, she had no choice but to bow down in the face of overwhelming power.

But deep down, he made a vow.

One day, she will take back everything she has lost here.

Martin smiled faintly upon hearing this: "Miss Crocodile, you've exposed yourself."

Crocodile shuddered, then covered his chest with both hands, his face flushed red.

I almost forgot, I am now a woman.

The streets were deserted by now, so he simply said, "Didn't you always want to get Hades? Why are you giving up after getting beaten up?"

Crocodile thought Martin was humiliating him as a victor, and he was furious. Just as he was about to speak...

Then Martin Verde said, "Actually, I don't really care about these so-called ancient weapons. I came here mainly to take Nico Robin and Joel away. As for teaching you a lesson, that's just something I did on the side."

As he spoke, Martin removed the hood of his cloak.

"It's you! I knew it was you!"

Crocodile thought Martin was a real dog.

Martin is now a top-tier figure, one of the Four Emperors, yet he's pretending to be weak while actually being strong.

If you had taken off your hood sooner, I wouldn't have gotten beaten up.

Is this really good?

Crocodile was so frustrated he wanted to die, and he said indignantly, "Martin, what exactly are you trying to say? If you want me to help you find a wife, you should have said so earlier!"

Seeing his expression, Martin's lips curled into a smile, and he said meaningfully again, "You came to this kingdom because you covet Hades. Now I'm giving you a chance. As long as you work for me, it's not impossible for you to have Hades, what do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Crocodile was immediately dumbfounded.

And this kind of operation?

next moment.

He quickly stared intently at Martin with a serious expression, his tone heavy: You're not joking, are you?

That's the ancient weapon Hades, said to possess terrifying power to destroy the world.

They have mastered this weapon.

What does it mean?

I doubt anyone could resist that temptation.

But now, he doubted that he had misheard. Martin was going to give him this weapon that could control the fate of the world, and the price was simply loyalty.

Furthermore, what Crocodile finds even more perplexing is what gives him the confidence to not worry that once he possesses Hades, he might turn against him.

Suddenly, Crocodile's gaze towards Martin changed. This guy was clearly very strong, but his mind wasn't quite right.

By the way... should we take this opportunity to try and persuade them to turn against us and do things our way?

After all, this guy has mental issues, but he's quite capable, which is a huge boost to his theft plan.

However, Crocodile was unaware that Martin had already begun his deceptive tactics, using the ancient weapon Pluton as bait to lure her in little by little.

And incidentally, I'll just have a craving for her body.

next moment.

Martin sneered, "Crocodile, do you think you can joke with me now?"

Uh!

It may sound harsh, but it's the truth.

Crocodile's face darkened at first, then he spoke again: "Although the offer is tempting, I'm not stupid. You have such great strength, yet you still want to recruit me, and the price is an Ancient Weapon. I have to be cautious and suspicious. Tell me your true purpose!"

As expected, to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, strength is one aspect, but intelligence is also extremely important.

Crocodile isn't so easily fooled.

However, that only applies to the natives of the pirate world, while he has a grasp of the future plot development and is very familiar with Crocodile's schemes and ambitions.

Of course, most importantly, he had the readily available blueprints for Hades as a major bargaining chip.

Crocodile captured Robin in order to decipher the Poneglyphs of Alabasta and find out the whereabouts of Pluton, one of the Ancient Weapons.

The last sentence is important: it's about acquiring, not actually owning.

Martin easily obtained the design blueprints by checking in through the system. Anyone who isn't an idiot can tell which is more important.

After thinking it over.

Martin stared intently at Crocodile, who was still lying on the ground, as if he could see right through him. He said with a half-smile, "Crocodile, if you want to dominate this world, why don't you set your sights on the Ancient Weapon Pluton and use it to realize your ambitions?"

"Then how can you confirm whether the Kingdom of Alabasta truly has Hades? Even if you have the blueprints for Hades, how much time would it take you?"

Crocodile's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, then he frowned: "What exactly are you trying to say? Or do you know something?"

In fact, Crocodile had been wary of Martin from the very beginning, because the other party seemed to know everything about him, even what his purpose was in coming to this kingdom.

But he didn't even know the other person's name.

In response to Crocodile's question, Martin pursed his lips, a smile on his face, and said mysteriously, "Actually, what I want to say is that you don't necessarily need to make things this complicated to obtain Hades."

Ok?

Crocodile didn't quite understand what was being said.

Martin chuckled and continued, "How about this, we make a deal: you work for me, and I'll let you obtain the ancient weapon Pluton. What do you say?"