The Princess's ordeal lasted the entire night. By the time Li Ke was finally satisfied, Vivi understood why being his woman was considered "equivalent" to fighting Crocodile himself.
To put it simply—it took over ten hours just to wear him out.
"If it weren't for that flame, I'd be dead, wouldn't I?" Vivi thought as she looked at the man holding her. Though his face showed signs of exhaustion, there was no doubt she had suffered more.
The mystical Dragon Fire was searingly painful yet strangely soothing; it repaired her body and restored her stamina. But she didn't know whether to be grateful for it. Because that flame restored her "purity" every single time, it forced her to endure the initial pain of the act over and over again.
Worse yet, the fire couldn't heal mental exhaustion. It left her with a love-hate relationship with the power. It was the only reason she had survived the "storm" that was Li Ke without her heart giving out from the sheer intensity, yet it also meant there was no escape.
Gazing at the sleeping Li Ke, her emotions were a tangled mess. She never knew that "this" could be so painful, so pleasurable, and yet so... comforting. She had to admit, lying in his arms after being utterly consumed, she felt a sense of security she had never known before—though she couldn't tell if that security was real.
She eventually dragged herself up, pulled on some of Li Ke's clothes, and stepped out onto the deck for some fresh air. Immediately, she ran into the one woman she didn't want to see, surrounded by a flurry of sprouted hands tightening ropes across the deck.
She knew instantly who was at work: Nico Robin. The "Devil Child." The woman who, alongside Crocodile, had brought chaos to Vivi's kingdom.
Robin noticed the hostility in Vivi's gaze and looked back with a hint of surprise. In her experience, Li Ke wasn't the type to let a woman leave the bed quite so easily. However, she quickly brushed the thought aside and offered a playful smile.
"There's no need for such hateful looks," Robin said smoothly. "We'll likely be looking after each other from now on. You've felt it too, haven't you? That exquisite, agonizing sensation. In the future, we'll be sisters-in-arms, fighting under the same 'gun'."
Robin had delivered the dirty joke with a playful tilt of her head, but it was the cold, hard truth. Even if the three of them combined their stamina, they still wouldn't stand a chance against Li Ke. Under normal circumstances, competing with him was a lost cause. Even though Li Ke's flames drained his own energy, a woman facing him alone was still staring down a terrifying ordeal—half an hour, or even an hour, of continuous, unrelenting peaks.
While it was an experience most women could only dream of and one they would never forget, it wasn't something they could endure indefinitely.
The sensation was undeniably divine, yet it carried the constant, looming fear that their hearts might stop in the next second. It was a double-edged sword; facing Li Ke was the ultimate pleasure, but it was also a staggering physical burden.
"Sisters?"
Vivi started to snap back, but the words died in her throat. She wanted to mock Robin, but she realized the older woman was right. On her own, she truly couldn't handle him. Without Li Ke's mystical healing to patch her back together, he would literally be the death of her.
"What else would you call it?" Robin chuckled, seeing the resignation in Vivi's eyes.
It was a frustrating reality. For a man like Li Ke, their stamina was simply insufficient. Most humans reached their limit after an hour or two; without the restorative power of Li Ke's flames, a single night was the most they could hope to survive. Such "work," after all, was incredibly draining.
"Fine..." Vivi sighed, shifting the subject. "But why did you really betray Crocodile? You of all people should know how powerful he is. Are you just planning to stab Li Ke in the back when the time is right, too?"
Vivi couldn't wrap her head around it. From what she had seen of Robin in Baroque Works, the woman was cold and ruthless. To Robin, betraying a comrade was as natural as breathing. "Cruel" and "calculating" were understatements. Vivi truly couldn't fathom why someone like that would turn on a Shichibukai.
"Sometimes, it's better not to overthink things. There are parts of this world a sheltered princess like you simply wouldn't understand."
Robin let out a soft sigh. To her, Alabasta's situation wasn't actually that complex. If the Royal Family had simply bowed their heads to the World Government, an Admiral would have arrived instantly. The sheer might of the Government could have crushed Crocodile and the rebellion overnight.
The problem was that Vivi's family was too kind. They refused to exploit their own people, which meant they lacked the "tribute" or military funds needed to buy the Marines' protection. Combined with the World Government's subtle suppression of the Nefertari line, it was only natural that the country had fallen into chaos.
It was exactly this weakness that Crocodile had sniffed out, leading him to entrench himself in Alabasta like a parasite.
"Is that so?" Vivi muttered, twirling a strand of her hair nervously. She wasn't about to take Robin's word for it. Robin's reputation was abysmal—every ship she had ever sailed on had met a tragic end. A track record like that was nothing short of terrifying.
"Believe me or not, it makes no difference," Robin said with a light chuckle, her eyes drifting toward the cabin. "All you need to do is watch how things unfold."
At that moment, Li Ke emerged from the cabin with a wide yawn. He glanced toward the kitchen where Nami and Nojiko were busy preparing breakfast, took a deep breath, and grabbed the thick ropes Robin had prepared. Under Vivi's bewildered gaze, he dove headfirst into the ocean.
"What is he...?"
"Training," Robin explained simply. "Our man's hunger for power and women never fades. You don't need to worry about the future of Alabasta—he couldn't care less about boring political squabbles. To him, true authority and profit are found only in his own strength."
Robin knew the truth: Li Ke was a traveler from another world. He wouldn't stay in Alabasta forever. Besides, in a world that contained places like Amazon Lily, she'd sooner believe he would conquer an island of warrior women than bother ruling a desert kingdom.
"I see..." Vivi murmured, biting her lip as she watched Li Ke power through the waves.
Li Ke, meanwhile, was oblivious to the conversation on deck. He was focused entirely on pushing his body to its absolute limit. His Blood Secret Arts were constantly refining his blood, while his Life Return (Seimei Kikan) technique worked overtime, converting every stored nutrient into fresh vitality to further empower his essence.
It was dangerous work, but through constant practice, he had learned to maintain the cycle even during intense exercise. The only downside was the massive increase in his metabolism; his appetite had skyrocketed, and so had his... "waste" production.
Thank god this is the One Piece world, he thought, tearing into a massive hunk of "Manga Meat." The food here is packed with nutrients. Otherwise, I'd spend half my life just sitting at a dinner table or in the bathroom.
As he ate, his manners began to resemble Luffy's—pure, primal gluttony. It was a conscious choice. He had discovered that in this world, emptying his mind and focusing solely on the task at hand—much like the rubber-man did—wasn't just liberating; it actually boosted the efficiency of his training.
He wondered if it was a law of this specific universe or just the power of total focus. Either way, during the voyage to Alabasta, his life was reduced to four simple things:
Eating, training, his women, and sleep.
He purged all complex thoughts. When he grew weary of training, he would simply take the women back to the cabin. Aside from Nami, who still needed time to recover, the other three were subjected to a daily cycle of "Heaven and Hell." Under the influence of Li Ke's brutally simple lifestyle, even their own outlooks were beginning to grow much more... uncomplicated.
During the entire voyage, they did nothing but resupply. They didn't even encounter a single pirate ship—a reminder of just how vast the Grand Line truly is. Even the scale of the Calm Belt was, frankly, staggering.
When they finally made landfall in Alabasta, they were greeted by a welcoming committee from Baroque Works, sent specifically to intercept them.
It was only when Li Ke saw the colorful gallery of freaks standing on the pier that it finally clicked.
"Ah, we're here."
Scratching his head, Li Ke pulled up his system interface. To his surprise, his Energy Points had already surged past the 10,000-point mark. On second thought, it wasn't that shocking. None of the three women on board provided fewer than 100 points per session. Even though he was built for endurance, he still "discharged" five or six times a day. After all, it was all part of his training regimen.
However...
"Hey! You're the brat, right?"
A man clutching a katana glared at Li Ke, his face twisted in annoyance. He was clearly fed up with being ordered to gather here for an ambush. As ranked members of Baroque Works, their time was worth hundreds of thousands of Berries a minute; they usually spent their days hunting pirates with multi-million Berry bounties. Being called away to deal with a complete unknown—someone who wasn't even a pirate—infuriated him.
"You're the reason the Boss rounded us all up, aren't you?"
Li Ke ignored the man, his eyes scanning the crowd of Baroque Works agents waiting at the harbor. It was a mix of men and women: a couple of decent-looking women, one little girl, and the rest were just a bunch of bizarre-looking oddities.
Li Ke had little interest in these "experts," despite their minor fame in the original story. In his eyes, aside from the wax-man (Mr. 3), the Daz Bonez (Mr. 1), and the most "broken" one—the little girl with the paint bucket—the rest of these small-fries weren't even worth mentioning.
But those two hadn't shown up. Only the little girl who used hypnotic paints was present. As for the rest? He doubted any of them could survive a single flying slash.
After all, he had swept them with his Observation Haki three or four times now, and not a single person had even flinched.
Confirmed: mere fodder.
"Killing a kid is a bit much, isn't it? And those two... they're only 'average' beautiful, I suppose. One has the Spike-Spike Fruit, and the other has the Weight-Weight Fruit. Classic examples of wasted potential," Li Ke mused, rubbing his chin as he sized up the agents who were looking at him like he was a dead man.
"If the Spike-Spike woman puts thorns in the 'wrong places,' even with my recovery, there might be some... mental trauma. And the weight-manipulator would be impossible in the 'top' position. But, if I can find some Seastone handcuffs..."
If he recalled correctly, Crocodile had a Seastone cage or something similar tucked away in his base.
He couldn't help but turn back toward Robin.
"Hey, Robin. Does Crocodile keep any Seastone handcuffs around?"
Robin nodded. "He does. He spent a small fortune acquiring them. Why? Are you planning to 'recruit' Miss Valentine and Miss Doublefinger? Thinking of keeping them in a basement somewhere?"
Looking at her former colleagues, Robin had a pretty good idea of what he was thinking.
"They are villainous enemies, after all... but I suppose it depends on them," Li Ke replied with a nod, making no effort to hide his intentions.
Robin let out a soft laugh. Most people who joined Baroque Works were self-serving cowards who valued their own lives above all else. As long as Li Ke offered them enough money—and posed a large enough threat to their lives—it would be easy enough to get them to lie down and spread their legs for him.
"Well, they're smart women. You probably won't need the basement."
"Good to know."
Li Ke stretched his limbs, preparing to knock out the little girl with the paints first. Of everyone present, she was the only real threat. Unlike Luffy or Zoro, he wasn't the type to go easy just because his opponent was a child. He was perfectly fine with using "cruel" methods—like kicking up a cloud of blinding dust or throwing a jar of caterpillars at her.
Or, he could just knock her unconscious.
As Li Ke warmed up, the man with the katana grew livid. He had been shouting for quite some time, but it was clear Li Ke hadn't heard a single word.
"Hey! I'm talking to you, you bastard!"
Li Ke finally noticed him and gave a slightly apologetic wave.
"Sorry, sorry. It's just that I—"
As he spoke, flames erupted around him. He drew a standard sailor's cutlass in a blur of motion.
"—Don't really have the patience to listen to a bunch of ugly-looking fodder!"
The air screamed as it was torn apart. Under Li Ke's control, the searing Dragon Fire took shape, riding the wake of a massive Flying Slash. It streaked through the air like a falling meteor, leaving a trail of blinding light in its path.
In an instant, the Dragon Fire roared, engulfing nearly everyone on the pier. Aside from the two women and the little girl, everyone was caught in the strike zone.
Everything in Li Ke's path was cleaved in two. The loud-mouthed agent from a moment ago was instantly reduced to a charred corpse, his body sliced clean in half. Whether they were bird-men or whatever other bizarre freaks Crocodile had sent, they all perished in that single strike.
"How terrifying..."
Robin watched the scene in genuine shock. She knew Li Ke's strength was growing at an explosive rate, but seeing him wipe out an entire squad while precisely sparing only his three targets was a level of control she hadn't expected.
The heat from the strike had warped the very ground beneath them. Amidst the shimmering air and the smell of ozone, Li Ke looked at the two women and the little girl sprawled on the ground in terror, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips.
Tactically, the move was simple: he had used the vacuum wave of a Flying Slash to carry his Dragon Fire at terminal velocity. The results were spectacular. The Dragon Fire granted by Alexstrasza was undeniably potent, though the physical toll was steep. Every time he unleashed it, it felt like a burst of high-intensity anaerobic exercise, leaving his lungs burning and his body craving air.
Just as he was about to approach the two women—who looked mature enough to understand exactly what "mercy" would cost them—something caught his eye in the smoldering ash. It was a hilt, slightly warped from the heat, attached to a blade that showed only minor signs of melting.
"A blade that can withstand a dragon's breath?" Li Ke muttered, genuinely impressed.
As he reached down to claim the weapon, one of the survivors—the woman with the bold, wavy hair—finally found her voice.
"That... that is Kashu," she stammered. "One of the Fifty Skillful Grade Swords."
Li Ke turned his gaze toward her, then glanced at the other woman sitting beside her. She was still frozen in shock, the ground beneath her already showing signs of a "damp" patch from her sheer terror.
"I see... no wonder you survived my flames. But surely you didn't think that would be enough to escape my hand?"
Zala, the Spike-Spike Fruit user also known as Miss Doublefinger, felt cold sweat bead on her forehead. She realized the situation was far from simple.
"No, of course not. I am willing to pay, or... provide whatever you require in exchange for my life."
She surrendered quickly. She hadn't even been able to see Li Ke's previous strike. If he attacked again, she knew she would be unable to defend herself. Faced with the immediate threat of death, she chose to yield.
"Then you will work for me from now on," Li Ke stated coldly. "I will provide the funds for your expenses, but your loyalty belongs solely to me. Is that understood?"
Zala's eyes widened in surprise. She instinctively started to mention the power behind her. "But, we are members of Baroque Works—"
In an instant, Li Ke's blade was at her throat. The cold steel focused her mind immediately.
"There won't be a Baroque Works for much longer. Do you understand?"
Li Ke then reached out and caught the hand of the young girl attempting to mark him with paint. Miss Goldenweek's Colors Trap was a dangerous ability; once touched by the paint, the target would be forced to react based on the color used. Unsure of his own immunity to such hypnosis, Li Ke cast a stern, intimidating glance at the girl.
She immediately became still and obedient.
"Yes," Zala whispered, sensing the overwhelming danger. She had no choice but to nod.
Suddenly, Li Ke swung his blade, Kashu, toward Zala's back!
"I'm going to die!" she thought, paralyzed by fear. However, the sound that followed was the screech of metal clashing against metal.
Li Ke looked with annoyance at the dark-skinned man who had intercepted the strike.
"Even if she is a new recruit... interfering with my property is quite bold."
Li Ke stared at Daz Bonez, the Dice-Dice Fruit user and Crocodile's top assassin. Through his Observation Haki, the weaknesses of the steel-bodied man were perfectly visible.