Nojiko's intentions were as clear as day: she was planning to use herself as a shield to swap places with her sister.
Li Ke sat there, idly playing with the exquisite "gifts" she had just presented to him, and gave his response.
"Sorry, but while you're certainly a high-quality offer, the deal I have with your sister is a lot deeper than that. Whether she wants to tell you the details is up to her."
Nojiko's brow furrowed. She had assumed it was a simple trade for her sister's freedom and body; she hadn't considered for a second that Nami might have struck a much more complex bargain with this man.
The realization that things weren't going according to her script made her panic. She grabbed Li Ke's hand, forcing him to stop his play.
"What do you mean? Are you trying to jack up the price?"
Her expression was grim, but Li Ke just smirked. He gave one of her "strawberry tips" a sharp flick, sending a jolt through the capable, tomboyish woman that made her shudder involuntarily.
"Not at all. I just think if I don't let you get the facts straight first, you'll both end up regretting it later. I'd rather you two figure it out between yourselves first—it saves me a lot of hassle in the long run."
Li Ke looked at Nojiko steadily. He didn't want any loose ends or hidden resentments. Nami was a high-value asset, a "growth stock" for his collection, and he knew that mishandling these things was how you turned a loyal harem into a nest of traitors. He chose the honest route.
"If you ask Nami, she'll tell you. It's not exactly a secret she can keep forever anyway."
There was no way to hide the resurrection of Belle-mere. Whether Nami planned to move her to another village or keep her here, the news of their mother coming back from the dead was impossible—and pointless—to keep from Nojiko. Nami would have eventually come clean even if Nojiko hadn't noticed anything was off.
Li Ke was playing a game he had already won from the start.
Hearing this, Nojiko immediately shoved Li Ke's hand away from her chest and turned her back to him without ceremony. All Li Ke could see now was the silhouette of her side, the view of those slightly scrawny but beautiful "peaks" cut off.
"And here I was, thinking you might actually be a decent man."
She scrambled to pull her shirt back on. Li Ke could only watch as the fabric snapped tight against her curves, the material bouncing as she adjusted herself, hiding the "true face of the mountain" once more.
But truthfully, the sight of her frantically covering up was far more enticing than if she had just stood there naked.
"Say whatever you want," Li Ke said, his voice flat and indifferent. "The fact remains: my terms are something neither you nor your sister can refuse."
"What exactly are these terms?"
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me. Better you hear it from Nami."
"You're a boring man!"
Nojiko let out a sharp huff and turned on her heel, heading straight for the village center. Nami was still there, drinking and laughing with Genzo and the other elders who had watched them grow up, finally letting out all that pent-up trauma.
But it was time to end the party.
Li Ke watched the unconscious sway of Nojiko's hips as she walked away before turning back to his own studies and training.
He quickly realized that awakening Observation Haki had significantly boosted his cultivation. Specifically, the "internal vision" aspect had become effortless. He could 'see' every micro-tear and internal injury in his body with crystal clarity, making it much easier to focus his Life Return to repair the damage.
"Damn, this stuff really is useful."
Li Ke closed his eyes and flexed his palm. However, he felt like his version of Observation Haki was different from the one described in the anime.
In the show, most people's Haki just let them sense approaching threats. But his? He could see colors, hear sounds, and if he really focused, he could peer right through someone's skin into their internal structure.
This kind of Haki...
Acting on a hunch, Li Ke picked up an iron butter knife from the table and focused his Haki on a nearby iron canister.
Under the scrutiny of his Observation, the canister began to pulse with light and emit a faint, humming sound. An instinctual feeling told him exactly where the structural weaknesses were.
The "sounds" were chaotic at first. He focused harder, detecting a faint, lingering "will" within the object. His Haki surged forward, instantly crushing that trace of will. In that split second, he 'saw' the exact point the sound was screaming at him.
There!
Li Ke lunged forward with the butter knife. The flimsy utensil pierced the iron canister as if it were soft butter. But when he pulled it out and tried to stab the canister again with the exact same amount of physical strength, the knife didn't even leave a scratch.
"Is this the so-called 'Power to Cut Steel' in this world? Why does it feel like... some skill I picked up in 7 Days to Die? It feels like it relies way too much on the specific physics of this world."
Li Ke frowned. He could sense the weakness because the canister was "talking" to him. His will had overpowered the object's, forcing its flaws into the light. He had a nagging feeling that if his Observation Haki grew any stronger, he'd be able to have a full-blown "conversation" with the thing.
"Is this the Breath of All Things? Or literally talking to the world? When Roger said I was like him, was he referring to this specific type of Haki?"
Li Ke scratched his head, annoyed. Roger was a world-class cryptid—every word that came out of the bastard's mouth was layered with riddles and hidden meanings.
"Man, this resurrection power is incredible, but it's a pain in the ass to manage."
He flexed his palm, feeling genuinely frustrated with his ability. He'd brought four people back since arriving in this world, and not one of them actually wanted to stay alive. Even Ace's mother—who had the strongest obsession—was already planning to drop dead again the moment she saw her son. No one had any attachment to life.
He supposed anyone who managed to etch their name into history wouldn't be a coward afraid of death, but this level of "enlightenment" was exhausting. If he resurrected a woman like Azula, she'd spend every waking second plotting how to extend her life indefinitely. But these people? They were all about "inheriting the will." Once the torch was passed, they didn't give a damn if they were breathing or not.
"Sometimes, dealing with villains is just easier."
Shaking off the stray thoughts, Li Ke went back to training his Blood Secret Technique. He practiced circulating his blood energy while simultaneously manifesting flames, all while debating what his ultimate combat style should actually look like.
While he was focused on his grind, Nojiko had finally tracked down Nami.
"Sorry, Gen-san, but the party's over."
Nojiko looked at the villagers slumped over in various states of drunken exhaustion and sighed. Arlong was gone and life finally had a future, but these people wouldn't be fit for work for at least three or four days. There was so much to do—the orange prices had to be renegotiated with the merchants, and a dozen other headaches needed solving.
"Right you are, Nojiko! How is our 'friend' doing?"
Genzo, who was as close to a father as they had, looked at Nojiko with a sense of pride and melancholy. Those little girls had grown into beautiful women. If it hadn't been for Arlong, Nojiko and Nami would probably be even more radiant.
"He's fine, I guess."
Thinking back to Li Ke's attitude—letting her touch him and feeling her up only to drop the bombshell that Nami had a secret deal afterward—Nojiko felt a fresh wave of irritation. He was an absolute scumbag.
"Make sure you... treat him right..."
Genzo slurred the words before finally succumbing to the alcohol and collapsing. Nojiko sighed, draped a coat over him, and hoisted the "drunken" Nami over her shoulder to carry her home.
But as they reached the edge of the tangerine orchard, Nojiko spoke up.
"You're awake, aren't you, Nami?"
As her sister, she knew Nami too well. Nami was never the type to let herself get truly wasted, not even at a victory feast for defeating Arlong.
Nami didn't say a word at first. She was too busy noticing the faint, distinct scent of Li Ke clinging to Nojiko's skin.
"Just say it. What else are you trading him?" Nojiko's voice was sharp. "Because if you don't tell me, I'm going back to that man and telling him that whatever you promised, I'll pay double the price."
Nami let out a long sigh and slid down from Nojiko's shoulder.
"Couldn't you just pretend you didn't notice anything?" she muttered, slumping down onto the grass.
"You're my sister."
Nami shook her head. They weren't blood-related; they were just two war orphans bonded by tragedy.
"Fine. I was going to have to tell you anyway." Nami looked up, already predicting exactly what was about to happen. "He can resurrect Belle-mere. If I stay with him for ten years, he'll give her ten years of life."
Nojiko's immediate instinct was that Nami had lost her mind—or had been played by a master con artist.
But looking into Nami's steady, unwavering eyes, she began to think. She thought about everything they had lost, everything they had suffered, and everything that was now possible. Finally, under Nami's weary gaze, she spoke.
"In that case... if I join in, does that mean Belle-mere gets another ten years?"
"It doesn't work like that!"
"Well," Nojiko said, looking at Nami with absolute seriousness, "we are technically sisters. To a man like him, shouldn't a 'set' like us be worth a premium?"
"And you've already given up so much. As your big sister, it's only natural for me to shoulder some of the load. Before, I didn't have the talent to help; I could only sit by and watch you struggle. But now that there's actually something I can do, I'm going to do it."
Nojiko wasn't entirely sure if Li Ke actually possessed that kind of power. Deep down, she didn't think her body was worth ten years of anyone's life, but if Nami believed it, she would too. Even if it turned out to be a scam, at least they'd be in it together. No more letting Nami suffer alone.
"I knew it would end up like this..."
Tears welled in Nami's eyes. She had known that the moment she told Nojiko, things would spiral this way. That man—Li Ke—was terrifying. From the very beginning, he had positioned himself where failure was impossible. He never had to force them; he just waited for the perfect moment to offer terms they couldn't refuse. Every choice they made felt like their own, yet it led exactly where he wanted.
"No, just me..."
Nami looked at her sister's face, her heart torn. Part of her desperately wanted Li Ke to accept Nojiko's offer for the sake of their mother, but another part hated the idea of Nojiko throwing her life away for a harem-chasing bastard.
"Belle-mere would want to see her grandkids, wouldn't she?" Nojiko said softly, staring calmly at her sister. "She might not be our birth mother, but she'd want to see us happy. Besides, isn't there something romantic about two sisters falling for the hero who saved their village?"
Nami could only sigh. She wanted Nojiko to have a real life, to live for herself.
"So, come on. Let's go face our 'fate.' After all..." Nojiko pulled Nami up and looked toward the house. "That man probably calculated all of this from the start, didn't he?"
By the time the sisters reached the door to his room, Li Ke had finished his cultivation and was ready to call it a night.
When he looked up to see Nami and Nojiko walking in hand-in-hand, and heard the door lock behind them without a single word of explanation, he knew exactly what was happening.
"So, if I offer you my body and ten years of my youth, can I exchange it for more of Bellemere's lifespan? After all, Nami already gave you an extra Arlong!"
Nojiko stated her condition directly, without any hesitation.
"Even though it wouldn't hurt me to agree, I refuse."
Li Ke yawned lazily.
"I can only offer you the same price as Nami."
In other words… there was still room to negotiate?
Nojiko nodded, then wrapped her arms around her younger sister Nami and gave Li Ke a charming smile.
"If we're willing to do it together? If you want, the two of us can serve you at the same time."
Her bold words made Nami's mouth fall open in shock. Before she could even protest, her older sister had already pulled her shirt up, exposing Nami's large, soft breasts that still had plenty of room to grow and develop further.
After stripping Nami's top off, Nojiko's own hands moved without pause. One hand pressed against the waistband of her own denim shorts while the other lifted the hem of her short-sleeved shirt.
"I can give myself to you right now, too."
"..."
Li Ke paused for a moment, carefully considering. Nojiko's physical condition was clearly much better than Nami's. Perhaps it was because she was older and more mature. After a brief thought, he spoke.
"Then it depends on how well you perform."
Nojiko's face lit up with a bright, slightly shy smile. Even though embarrassment colored her cheeks, she took Nami's hand and led her sister toward Li Ke.
As she walked, Nojiko clumsily pulled off her own top, fully revealing her much fuller and heavier breasts. They swayed and jiggled noticeably with every step. Her other hand reached down to unbutton her denim shorts, the zipper sliding down with a soft rasp.
Li Ke watched intently. With each movement, Nojiko's sun-kissed, wheat-colored skin trembled enticingly. Her ample breasts bounced and quivered gently, drawing his eyes like magnets. Despite the tattoo on her body, paired with her vibrant blue hair, she looked incredibly bold and alluring. Her figure was toned and beautiful — smooth, firm lines with a flat, taut stomach that showed no excess fat from years of hard labor.
Unable to resist, Li Ke reached out and cupped one of her heavy breasts, his palm sinking into the soft, warm flesh. His hand then slid downward, tracing the valley between her tits, brushing over her cute, delicate belly button, before coming to rest on her smooth, tight lower abdomen.
By now, the zipper of Nojiko's denim shorts was completely open. Li Ke hooked a single finger into the waistband of her white cotton panties and slowly dragged them down along with the shorts.
The fabric slid down her hips, revealing a neatly trimmed patch of blue pubic hair that matched the color of her head. The curls were surprisingly well-groomed — tidy, clean, and carefully maintained, framing her most intimate area beautifully.
"You actually take care of this place," Li Ke chuckled softly.
He pulled her shorts and panties all the way down her legs. Nojiko smiled, then bent forward at the waist, bringing her lips close to his. At the same time, she boldly slipped her hand into Li Ke's pants without pulling them down first. Her fingers clumsily groped and stroked his thick cock through his underwear. Under her inexperienced touch, his length quickly began to swell and harden, pulsing with growing heat.
Li Ke gently bit down on Nojiko's lower lip. The faint, sweet taste of orange wine still lingered in her mouth. His hands were far from idle — they roamed down to her firm, rounded ass. Years of physical labor had given her buttocks a wonderful elasticity. He squeezed and kneaded the supple flesh before lightly spanking her, enjoying the way her cheeks bounced under his palm.
At that moment, he felt another pair of hands working open his pants. His already rock-hard cock sprang free into the cool air. Nojiko's touch was still awkward and inexperienced, so when a second, more familiar pair of hands joined in, Li Ke immediately recognized them as Nami's.
Without any hesitation, Nami took over control of his throbbing cock from her sister. She dropped to her knees in front of Li Ke, lowered her head, and guided the thick, swollen head straight between her soft lips. She still didn't know how to use her breasts yet, so she simply held the heavy shaft with one hand and stuffed as much of it as she could into her warm, wet mouth.
Li Ke's heartbeat quickened noticeably. His hand on Nojiko's breast squeezed much harder, his fingers digging into the soft meat. When Nojiko finally pulled her lips away from his to breathe, clear red marks from his rough grip were already blooming across the pale skin of her large, heaving breasts.
"You're really quite rough, aren't you?" Nojiko teased, her voice slightly breathless.
Li Ke's gaze dropped to her chest, now glistening with a fine layer of sweat that made her breasts look like perfectly seared, juicy meat ready to be devoured. He reached out and firmly pinched one of her stiff, sensitive nipples — the softest-looking part, yet surprisingly firm and resilient to the touch.
"But isn't that exactly what you like?" he replied.
With that, Li Ke yanked Nojiko's shorts completely off her legs. He gripped her under the armpits and effortlessly lifted her entire body up. One of his hands stroked slowly down her smooth back while the other reached from behind to touch her pussy. Unlike Nami's, which was tightly closed and smooth like a plump steamed bun, Nojiko's virgin entrance — though also tightly sealed — formed a delicate, curved slit, resembling the elegant shape of a clamshell.
Li Ke's mouth wasn't idle either. He latched onto the most tender, sensitive part of her breast, biting down hard before grinding his teeth against the swollen nipple, sucking and chewing as if he wanted to devour her completely.
"Geez…" Nojiko gasped sharply, sucking in a deep breath.
She wasn't sure if what she was feeling was pain or something else entirely, but…
It felt surprisingly good.