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

Zhelu roared, his right arm swelled to the thickness of a telephone pole, and he struck the opponent's chest with another palm strike.

Caught off guard, Martin was struck in the chest and staggered back several steps, each step causing the soil and rocks beneath his feet to crack and create craters.

The two parted ways again.

Pooh!

Spitting out a mouthful of bright red blood, Martin grinned: "This is what a battle should be like, this is what it should be like to be satisfied, this is the kind of battle I've been waiting for."

He had a black palm print on his chest, with wisps of domineering aura wrapped around it, and several bleeding, black wounds on his body.

The opponent's domineering aura was so strong that it barely managed to break through his skin, causing substantial damage to his body.

However, this also tests his maximum defensive strength.

Zheluo wasn't doing well either; his chest was caved in, and his flesh was writhing wildly, trying to heal his wounds, but the severity of his injuries prevented him from healing quickly.

If it weren't for the fact that Devil Fruit users are much stronger than ordinary humans, that punch would have been enough to kill him.

He had only just figured out that Martin wasn't a Devil Fruit user, but rather a pure martial arts expert with astonishing strength and defense, possessing defensive capabilities far exceeding those of Iron Body.

His full-force attack only managed to scratch the opponent's skin.

"You little brat, are you trying to force me to use a Devil Fruit?"

Zhelu's veins bulged all over his body, the power of the Devil Fruit within him surged, his body suddenly grew taller, and his entire body turned bluish-black, with muscles constantly writhing on his body.

Its physical body transformed into a half-human, half-scorpion form, its arms became heavy crab claws, and a scorpion stinger appeared on its back.

boom!

He took a step, the earth cracked, and he charged towards Martin.

Good timing!

Martin raised his fists to meet the attack head-on.

Bang bang bang, bang bang bang!

Both men resorted to hand-to-hand combat, going head-to-head. Dodging was meaningless for two people with abnormally strong physiques. Every punch and every move was meant to be fatal; that was the true essence of hand-to-hand combat. A dodge would only result in losing the initiative.

As the fists continued to fall, both men were covered in blood.

In the desolate wilderness, where no one was around, they engaged in a fierce battle, like two primal beasts meeting on a narrow path, with the brave one emerging victorious.

Bang bang bang, thud thud thud...

As the two strong bodies collided and clashed repeatedly, scorched craters appeared one after another in the surrounding soil, and trees continued to fall and even catch fire.

Martin had already unleashed his full power, his physical strength surging forth like a tidal wave, without holding back anything.

To be honest, the opponent's physical strength was stronger than he had imagined, but his iron block defense was superior to the opponent's, so he did not suffer any disadvantage in a head-on confrontation. As a result, the two sides remained in a stalemate, and he even had a slight advantage.

This is a battle we cannot escape, nor can we lose; otherwise, death is the only outcome!

We must fight to the death.

Yes, you might even awaken Armament Haki by risking your life!

When the two separated again, Martin's entire body was covered in powerful wounds. These wounds were not deep, but they were black and infected with venom.

Zheluo had two holes, each the size of a bowl, in his lower abdomen and throat. The holes were filled with churning flesh and blood, constantly emitting bluish smoke, and they just wouldn't heal.

This was caused by Martin's iron fist.

He was surprised by this, as his half-human, half-scorpion state gave him a scorpion-like armor with a steel shell, making him impervious to bullets, blades, and even cannonballs.

The scorpion armor was pierced by the opponent's iron fist.

This is something that ordinary humans simply cannot do.

Hey!

Is this a vice admiral-level Devil Fruit user?

This is fucking tough!

This guy is a Poison Scorpion Devil Fruit user; his defense and offense are inhumanly strong. No wonder he's the strongest in CP9.

Martin's rant.

As a Devil Fruit user, the opponent possesses immense strength, exceptional defense, and astonishing regenerative abilities. Ordinary injuries are instantly negated; only a full-force punch can inflict serious damage on this guy.

Although Zerro was panting heavily, he couldn't help but grin as he watched Martin's injuries worsen: "It's truly astonishing that you can fight me with a mortal body."

"No wonder you were able to marry Joel... Who exactly are you?"

Zhelu asked in surprise.

As the strongest member of CP9, he naturally didn't believe that Martin was an unknown figure.

Martin chuckled and said, "Me? Let me tell you, I am a swordsman. The fight I just had with you was purely to test the melee combat power of this body."

"Are you fucking kidding me!"

Zheluo's eyes widened as he roared, "Kid, you're worthy of my full power! I'll use my complete Devil Fruit form to utterly crush you, and then devour you!"

As he spoke, the muscles on his body began to deform and swell again. In the blink of an eye, Zheluo's face became deformed and twisted, several eyes appeared on his forehead, and two enormous black iron pincers extended from his back. His tail also became thicker and longer.

"Tremble, fear, die, ha ha ha ha ha..."

Zero roared, looking arrogantly at Martin, his scorpion-like compound eyes filled with a cruel, evil light.

He found Martin smiling broadly and nonchalantly.

"What are you laughing at? I'm five times stronger than before. Crushing you is as easy as crushing an insect!" Zhe Luo made an angry clenching gesture, and his huge scorpion pincers closed.

"I'm laughing? I'm laughing because you're too weak..."

Having said that, Martin slowly reached out, drew the Senbonzakura sword that had been hanging at his waist, and uttered the initial release incantation:

"Scatter, Senbonzakura!"

The blade transformed into countless pink petals, enveloping Zero and launching an incredibly dense attack, completely enveloping him.

Martin noticed that the number of petals was several times greater than before.

Is this a result of improved physical fitness?

Zhelu immediately felt an endless stinging pain, and his body and neck were instantly riddled with holes.

He coughed up blood, unable to support the enormous scorpion's body, and could only kneel down.

"A Devil Fruit user!"

"You... what kind of Devil Fruit is that?"

The giant scorpion's face was filled with ferocity and disbelief.

He had never seen such a strange Devil Fruit ability before; it seemed to be a Paramecia type, but it was more like a Logia type.

If he had known the other party had a Logia-type Devil Fruit, why would he have bothered fighting at all!

Martin didn't answer, but looked at the strongest man in CP9: "I didn't expect you to have developed your Devil Fruit to the limit, it's almost awakened."

"I admit you are very strong, stronger than those vice admirals."

"Too bad you ran into me!"

Facing imminent death, Zhelu said viciously, "As long as... as long as I die, that lord on Enies Lobby will definitely find out, and he will send an even more powerful expert to kill you! Just wait, wash your neck clean and wait."

"So verbose!"

With a thought, Martin easily sliced ​​open the other's head with countless flower petals.

"I've been working so hard, and I still haven't awakened Armament Haki. It's truly fate!"

"I should just marry a wife who knows Armament Haki..."

He found Zheluo's coat, covered his naked body, and, enduring the pain, swaggered towards his belated wives.

Chapter 98 Lucci's Squad

Lucci, Kakoo, Kalifa, and Brullo waited at the port of Orange Town for their seniors to return.

They had just graduated from their hometown and were only joining the mission to experience the daily life of CP9; most of the time they just needed to follow along.

This mission is very special. All five senior members of CP9 have been mobilized. It is said that they are here to eliminate a veteran CP9 member who is believed to have defected from CP9.

For ordinary missions, they would have the opportunity to observe in person, but this mission is special, and they can only stay at the port and wait for orders.

"It's been too long. Wasn't the legendary Thorn Princess seriously injured? Senior Zhe Luo and the others haven't returned yet, which is a bit unusual."

Rocky looked into the silent darkness and said in a deep voice.

Just a short while ago, Zheluo received a distress signal and immediately set off to provide assistance.

Normally, these interns shouldn't be worried about whether their seniors' actions were successful, but the fact that their seniors hadn't been heard from since made Lucci realize that something was wrong.

Brulow said, "There shouldn't be any problems. This operation is one of the training operations, so there shouldn't be any danger. Princess Thorn is already seriously injured, and her man, the Bladesmith, was just a retired naval warrant officer before. He's not a threat at all."

Kalifa nodded: "Yes, I think so too. Princess Thorn has been severely injured, so the mission is not difficult at all."

Lucci shook his head: "Something's not right. If the mission is this simple, why would Senior Black Princess send a distress signal... I sensed a fighting spirit, and the fighting spirit originated in the center of the town square."

He looked towards the center of the town; the fighting spirit and sounds that had just come from there made him feel uneasy.

Kaku suddenly exclaimed, "Someone's coming!"

Four figures appeared in the pitch-black night, heading towards the port.

"It's that swordsmith, and Princess Thorn!!!"

"Did the mission fail?"

Although it was dark, Lucci recognized the person from a distance.

The others prepared to step forward and investigate.

"Oh? Lucci, Kalifa, Brullo, Kaku?"

Martin's Observation Haki swept over the astonishing sight, his expression unchanged, but a cold glint appeared in his eyes.

These CP9 members haven't fully matured yet; they all look to be only around ten years old. They're all quite fair-skinned and delicate, especially Kalifa, who is so pure and adorable.

Should we kill them all?