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

A clear, bell-like voice rang out: "Mr. Martin, this is Lieutenant Tashigi reporting for duty!"

“Nice to meet you, Lieutenant Tashigi. I am no longer a Marine, so you don’t need to be so formal.”

Martin gave a curt reminder, while also marveling at Tashigi's rapid promotion, which was much faster than he had anticipated.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Martin, for your help. Thank you for saving me."

Tashigi politely bowed to thank her benefactor.

"Mr. Martin, would you be free to have dinner and drinks together tonight?"

"I want to thank you properly."

With her face flushed, Tashigi looked at Martin with her big, blinking eyes and clenched fists, seemingly very nervous.

Why does this feel like a melodramatic plot where someone repays a life-saving debt with their body?

Do you know what it means when you ask a man out for dinner and drinks alone?

Hey!

Being handsome is a crime, really.

"No need, it was just a small favor. Tashigi, you owe me so much, don't forget to prepare some jade for me."

After politely declining, Martin turned to leave, but to his surprise, the adorable girl continued to block his way, determined not to give up until she got what she wanted.

Tashigi pouted, "Please give me a chance to repay you."

Martin looked into the girl's resolute eyes and simply smiled.

"Tashigi, you want to repay me? Fine... then offer yourself to me now!"

Tashigi's beautiful eyes widened, and an emoji immediately appeared on her pretty face: "What?!"

Under Lieutenant Tashigi's incredulous gaze, Martin swaggered out of the naval dojo with his hands in his pockets.

I was just kidding you, why are you looking so serious?

He wanted to use his nonchalant and frivolous behavior to dissuade the other party from having any ideas.

There are too many melodramatic stories where a hero saves a damsel in distress and something else happens. He's a married man, so he needs to be careful about boundaries. It's best to avoid things like him going out for drinks with someone in private.

Although this girl is really cute and adorable.

Besides, this girl isn't curvy at all, with a small A cup size, and she wants to ask me out for drinks?

Ridiculous!

Chapter 28 Top-Grade Swift Blade

After news of the failed joint attack on Orange Town by the three pirate crews spread, the surrounding waters became much calmer, and pirates were almost nowhere to be seen.

Pirates aren't stupid; they know the Marines in Orange Town are fierce, so they all stay as far away as possible.

Orange Town has also welcomed back the long-awaited peace and bustle.

Martin, the unsung hero behind the scenes, was completely unaware of the situation. He spent his days enjoying his love with Robin and forging knives, living a peaceful and tranquil life.

In the workshop, the furnace was filled with the finest coke. With the fire at full power, the tamahagane was melted into reddish-brown molten iron in the furnace and slowly flowed into the mold.

The melting time of Tamahagane was much longer than originally expected. This is a characteristic of Tamahagane. Swords forged from Tamahagane are exceptionally hard, and only the heat generated by a large amount of high-quality coke can melt Tamahagane.

ding ding ding...

The sound of hammering rang out, and with continuous hammering, a blade gradually took shape. As it was forged and quenched, the blade body gradually took shape.

Martin was so focused that he didn't even notice the sweat dripping down his face.

After an unknown amount of time, the sun set and night fell, plunging the surroundings into darkness, with only the flickering firelight from the forge illuminating the area.

Pfft!

The clanging stopped, and with the quenching complete and the handle installed, a brand new knife was successfully forged.

The blade of this knife is like a mirror, with faint traces of hammering patterns that create a wave-like shape.

Ding!

Martin flicked the blade with his finger, hearing a sound like splashing water, and frowned slightly.

The blade did not meet my expectations and remained within the category of fast blades.

Perhaps my intermediate-level swordsmithing skills are not yet up to the requirements for forging a good, sharp sword; I'm just a little short.

I estimate I'll have to wait until my forging skill level reaches the advanced level before considering forging a good, sharp sword.

After all, the fine and fast swords have entered the ranks of famous swords, each one claiming to be unique, requiring even more unique forging techniques to be forged.

Martin took the newly forged longsword and went out, intending to go to Kim's shop to sell the fine knives he had forged this week.

Kim has been doing quite well lately. I heard she's already preparing to open another store. She seems very busy, as she didn't even come over on the day she finished her business.

It was already nightfall, but the town showed no signs of darkness. The town market was brightly lit and bustling with activity, and many people had gathered there.

At the market, Martin saw many horse-drawn carriages pulling furniture back and forth, and many men and women carrying packages and their families walking on the streets, seemingly new immigrants.

"Uncle Roba, there have been quite a few unfamiliar faces lately. What's going on?"

Martin asked the vendors in the market.

Uncle Roba stroked his beard: "Recently, a lot of people have moved into the town. I heard it's because the towns around Orange Town are controlled by pirates, and many people have no choice but to flee here. After all, we have a naval base here, and we just won a great victory."

Martin nodded.

Orange Town and several surrounding towns were also harassed by pirates to varying degrees, but only Orange Town completely defeated the pirates, so people were willing to settle here.

This is also a good thing for Orange Town, as population growth means more development and opportunities.

"Welcome! Please come in and have a look at our treasure weapon shop."

When Martin arrived at Kim's shop, he discovered that it had been transformed into a "treasure and weapon shop," with a completely new storefront and flower baskets at the entrance.

Martin was quite familiar with the name of Treasure Weapon Shop, as it was a well-known chain of weapon stores with many branches in the East Sea. Treasure Weapon Shop could be found in almost any town of a slightly larger size, and now Orange Town had the same privilege.

Kim was standing at the door soliciting customers when she saw Martin arrive and immediately cheered, "Mr. Martin, welcome to the Jewel Shop! Isn't my shop magnificent enough?"

"Oh, Kim, did you sell the shop?"

“Sold? Of course not. This is a joint venture. Now, Kim is not only the assistant manager of the Treasure Weapon Shop, but also a partner in this shop.”

"Come in, come in and have a look!"

Martin entered the Jewelry and Arms Shop at Kim's enthusiastic invitation.

The store's interior has also been renovated; the glass cabinets, wallpaper, and floors are all new, creating a dazzling display and an overall high-end atmosphere.

The shop has various firearms on the left, various armors on the right, and swords and knives in the middle.

Firearms are controlled materials, and few weapon shops can sell them, but Zhenbao Weapon Shop has quite a few, which shows how powerful its backing is.

“Jessica, this is Martin, the famous local knifemaker I mentioned to you. He made those exquisite knives.”

Kim introduced the woman behind the counter to a blonde woman who was wearing a tight yellow uniform. The blonde woman was quite voluptuous and had a pretty face, but a prominent scar on her right cheek marred her facial features.

"Hello, Mr. Martin, I've heard of you before. My name is Jessica, the general manager of the Jewel Weapon Shop, and currently the manager of the Orange Town store."

The woman named Jessica nodded slightly to Martin in greeting.

Amazing figure!

Martin silently commented.

Despite her physical imperfections, her figure is undeniably stunning, and her presence is remarkable. A woman who can rise to the position of general affairs manager must possess extraordinary abilities.

"Mr. Martin, have you come to our Treasure Pavilion to sell swords?"

Jessica saw Martin carrying a cloth bag and guessed his purpose: "Our new store has opened and business is pretty good, but recently swords and knives have not been selling so well, so a fine sword can only fetch about 25 Berries."

Martin sighed slightly: "25 Berries? I didn't expect the price to be so low."

Jessica shrugged: "Recently, the demand for swords has dropped sharply, and they're not fetching much prices anymore. Besides, our Treasure Weapon Shop has no shortage of swordsmiths who can forge high-quality, fast swords."

This is typical merchant haggling. It's true that the demand for swords has decreased, but the price of a high-quality, fast sword is not that low.

If I were to actually sell it to you, then I would be the one who's number 25.

He had thought Kim would help him, but the guy looked helpless.

Clearly, the fat man wasn't in charge here; the woman in front of him was.

Martin smiled and said, "Actually, I'm not in a hurry to sell these knives. Take a look at this knife for me."

He handed over the sharp knife he had just forged.

Jessica smiled casually as she took the knife and slowly pulled the blade out of its leather sheath. Just as the blade was halfway through, her pupils contracted, and she pulled the entire knife out, bringing it closer for a closer look.

The more you look at it, the bigger your eyes get.

"A top-grade swift knife!"

After seeing the patterns on the knife clearly, Jessica couldn't help but blurt out.

This is actually an extremely sharp and powerful knife!

At this moment, the way she looked at Martin had completely changed, as if she were re-examining him and making a professional assessment, and her gaze became increasingly ambiguous.

A top-tier fast knife?

Kim stared wide-eyed, as if looking at a monster: "You forged a top-grade swift sword so quickly?"

Martin's forging skills are improving so rapidly that he might be able to forge a fine, sharp knife someday. It seems that his skills are improving faster as he gets older, giving him the air of a late bloomer.

"Hey, you don't need to stare at me like that."

Seeing the strange looks in the eyes of the two people opposite him, Martin tapped the table with his finger.

What are you looking at?

I feel like you guys want to eat me up!

Chapter 29 The Elegant Joel

A top-quality, fast knife.