It wasn't that Robin couldn't handle it; she had survived far worse than Li Ke's demands. But if she had to choose, she'd rather be getting hers, too. Giving him a blowjob did absolutely nothing for her—it was pure, one-sided service, a chore disguised as an act of intimacy. If they were going to go at it, she'd much rather use her "other" mouth. At least that way, she could actually get off instead of just watching him enjoy himself.
But that was simply the reality of life. For women in this world—and especially considering the hell both she and Nami had crawled through—being a cold-blooded realist wasn't a choice; it was common sense.
"See? Case closed," Li Ke grunted. Since she wasn't down for that, there wasn't much more to say. His "appetite" was too massive for half-measures anyway.
Robin could sprout clones, but her actual physical threshold was pathetic. Even with clones sharing the load, she still had the mental stamina of one person. Until she learned how to stay composed and take a hit, her fruit's potential was a waste.
But for now, she just wasn't there yet. One little spark of stimulation and her whole body would start twitching, her legs clamping shut involuntarily... Robin's body was definitely more "responsive" than Nami's, but that was just the advantage of being older.
She was a twenty-eight-year-old "big sister," after all. Ten years on Nami made a world of difference. With a little grooming and some skincare, she'd lose that tanned look and turn into the fair-skinned beauty she was meant to be—even more flavorful than she was now.
Li Ke liked the way she looked now—the whole "tan older sister" vibe—but there was no doubt that the "other" style of Robin would be even more mouth-watering.
It didn't matter, though. If she kept developing the Flower-Flower Fruit, she could eventually pull off something like a total transformation anyway. In the original story, Robin clearly didn't give a damn about her own power level. If she had, the Flower-Flower Fruit would have been absolutely broken.
Can you imagine if someone like Zoro or Sanji had that fruit? It wouldn't just be a power boost; it would have made that whole "Nika" business look like a joke.
Thinking about this, Li Ke couldn't help but speak up.
"Looks like you need to hurry up and power up too."
"Hah?"
Robin didn't quite get it, but her gut told her that whenever Li Ke talked about her "getting stronger," it wasn't for anything good—or rather, it was only "good" for Li Ke's own benefit.
"Yeah, because your stamina is clearly shit, and your mastery of the Flower-Flower Fruit is lacking, so..."
The second he said it, Robin knew exactly what he was getting at. She immediately crossed her arms over her chest in a big 'X' sign.
"Don't even start with your depraved ideas! I am not developing some 'weird' techniques just for a bastard like you!"
Her face flushed. She knew she was being a hypocrite—she was the one who had started coming up with "creative" uses for her fruit to satisfy him in the first place. Denying it now felt like trying to cover her ears while the bell was ringing.
Worse yet, she already had a few more... creative ideas popping into her head.
"Fine, suit yourself."
Li Ke handed a bottle of water and a towel to Nami. He'd been harsh a moment ago, but he didn't mind showing her a bit of "care" now that the deed was done.
As Nami silently cleaned herself up and sat there in a daze, Roger finally made his way back. The Buggy Pirates had already quietly slipped away.
"Not gonna stay and chat with your old subordinate a bit longer?"
Li Ke looked at Roger with curiosity. He was genuinely dying to know what the hell Roger and Buggy had talked about.
"Eh, wasn't much to say... the kid has gone soft. He's so out of practice that his Haki is a joke, and then he goes on about how 'having Shanks is enough'... I know we disbanded, but I still hoped he'd make something of himself. So, I sent him off to Rayleigh. That old man should still be kicking somewhere."
Roger looked fed up. He'd realized Buggy had completely lost his fighting spirit. The kid had so much potential, yet now he didn't have an ounce of ambition.
Back in the day, Buggy would at least train to get his hands on treasure, but he'd turned weird ever since he ate that Devil Fruit. Plus, he had dumped all his dreams of becoming the Pirate King onto Shanks.
Roger didn't want to judge another man's dream, but with Buggy's current pathetic state, he was going to get slaughtered in the future. Sending him to Rayleigh was the only way to get him whipped back into shape.
That way, even if he couldn't catch up to Shanks, he'd at least be able to handle those so-called "Warlords" without any trouble. It was a form of protection. Roger knew that his reappearance—even if that bastard Garp tried to cover it up—would be a massive middle finger to the World Government. They'd be out for blood.
"Anyway, we're parting ways at the next island, kid. If we don't, things are gonna get real ugly for you."
Roger had no intention of letting Li Ke or Buggy go down with him. He was a dead man walking, after all.
"Fair enough..."
Li Ke nodded. He understood Roger's point. If he wanted to sail the seas without being hunted 24/7, he needed to distance himself from the Pirate King. Roger needed to stay far away from him for a long while.
"Speaking of which, kid... you interested in learning my Haki techniques?"
Roger looked at Li Ke with total seriousness. To anyone else in this world, an offer like that was impossible to refuse.
But Li Ke just shook his head, just as seriously.
He had way too many abilities already. When it came to skills similar to Haki, he had plenty to choose from. For starters, the powers from the world of Arad were undeniably superior to anything in this world.
Right now, he was just laying the foundation. He had a crystal-clear understanding of his own path: relentless physical conditioning and mastering the basics. As for stuff like Haki? As long as he kept refining Life Return, he'd unlock it eventually anyway.
But as for spending years obsessing over the "finesse" of Haki?
Sorry, but Arad's techniques were objectively high-tier, more efficient, and yielded a much better return on investment. Even the swordsmanship from Rias Gremory's family was a better fit for him than the sword styles of this world.
It wasn't that Li Ke looked down on One Piece. In terms of pure fame, Arad couldn't even touch One Piece's boots. But the path of Arad led straight into the domain of gods.
Li Ke's natural talent might not be off the charts, but under Seria's protection, reaching "Awakening" would be a breeze, and he was already eyeing "Second Awakening."
The Admirals of this world had a destructive output roughly equivalent to a First Awakening—maybe approaching Second Awakening at best. The humans here might have an edge in sheer stamina and recovery, but compared to the freaks and monsters of Arad… or more accurately, the monsters of the Age of Gods… they were dreaming if they thought they were on the same level.
In Li Ke's mind, the world of Arad was effectively in its Divine Age. Between the Apostles walking the earth and the Adventurers who could rip them apart with their bare hands, they were all basically "Gods."
Whether it was cutting through space with a sword, manipulating time, or controlling the very blood in an enemy's veins—in Arad, those kinds of feats were just "business as usual."
To put it bluntly, Li Ke had only scratched the surface of the "techniques" in this pirate world, but he had already gotten a distinct feeling about them.
They were crude, violent, and brainless.
Calling them "techniques" was a stretch; it was more like their sheer willpower and physical bulk were doing all the heavy lifting. If your body and will were up to snuff, you'd naturally grasp eighty percent of these skills anyway. If they weren't, trying to learn them was a waste of time. Once you had the raw power, the effects would follow whether you "studied" them or not.
Putting effort into mastering that kind of garbage was pointless.
In the world of Arad, even something like a Blood Secret Technique required intricate finesse and sophisticated control. It wasn't just about "hitting things harder."
And honestly... does anyone in the One Piece world actually get stronger by grinding in private? If you aren't out there picking fights, do you even level up?
"True. This stuff isn't really meant to be 'taught' anyway..."
Roger nodded. His philosophy aligned with Li Ke's: skills were things you picked up in the heat of a brawl. Spending time "studying" them was for idiots. If your hard stats weren't there, the moves were useless.
Becoming a master swordsman wasn't about endlessly drilling forms; it was about "hearing" the breath of all things. That wasn't something you could achieve through closed-door training—unless you were some kind of freakish prodigy. Those who obsessed over technique without fighting were usually just show-offs with no bite.
Li Ke focusing on his physical stats was, in fact, the most optimal path. Besides, in such a short timeframe, you couldn't train much of anything else.
However, there was one exception. If Li Ke saw that move, unlocking Haki later on would be a walk in the park.
"Well, if that's the case, I don't have much to teach you... but kid, there's one move I think you absolutely need to see."
A grin spread across Roger's face.
"It's a bit rude to throw it out there without an opponent, though. I was originally going to use it to say hello to Buggy, but thankfully I didn't... So let's hurry up. I'll use that Arlong guy to show you how it's done."
Li Ke was intrigued. "Which move?"
"Heh... I'm pretty damn confident in this one. It's called..."
Roger's smile turned a bit wicked, full of dark humor.
"Divine Departure."