"Wise choice. So, what's the plan?"
Li Ke didn't hide his approval. In the manga, this world might have looked adventurous and almost whimsical, but here in reality, things were a hell of a lot grimmer.
Human nature was predictable: once people saw one person walk back from the grave, they'd immediately demand the same for their own lost loved ones. It was a mess waiting to happen. And the World Government? There was no way those old bastards would let a power like resurrection go unchecked. If word got out, the Navy would descend on this island in a heartbeat.
Even if the villagers here kept their mouths shut out of loyalty, Belle-mere was a known face in the surrounding towns. Her sudden reappearance would be a spark in a powder keg. Li Ke could just vanish, but Nami and Nojiko would be the ones left to burn.
"We'll leave," Nojiko said. The pain of leaving her home was clear in her eyes, but she was a realist. "We'll move to a different village—somewhere far away where no one knows our faces."
It was the only logical move. Leaving their friends and the orchard behind was a bitter pill, but staying was suicide.
"You're planning to keep sailing, aren't you?" Nojiko looked at Li Ke, her gaze steady. "We'll just go with you. Whether it's the Grand Line or some distant kingdom, it doesn't matter. We just need a fresh start."
She glanced out at the tangerine trees one last time. It hurt like hell to walk away from everything they'd built, but life was about survival, and survival meant moving forward. Besides, she wasn't about to let Nami go off with a guy like Li Ke alone; she needed to be there to make sure her sister didn't get chewed up and spit out.
"That's fine by me," Li Ke shrugged. "Only problem is, I don't actually have a destination."
He wasn't kidding. He had already achieved his primary goals in this world: he had a solid training routine, and he had three beauties to help him "accumulate energy" through their nightly sessions. As far as he was concerned, he could park the ship anywhere and be happy.
As for the legendary beauties like the Pirate Empress, Rebecca, or Tashigi? He was a realist too. With his current strength and lack of influence, trying to "collect" them right now was a one-way ticket to getting slaughtered.
Going after Rebecca meant a head-on collision with Doflamingo—he didn't have the strength for that, and his teammates were nowhere near that level.
The Pirate Empress? The fastest way into her good graces was declaring war on the Celestial Dragons, and the other option was a direct assault on Amazon Lily. Both were basically suicide at his current stage.
As for Tashigi, Momousagi, or Hina? Those three Marines would never "normally" join his harem. Even if he did manage to collect them later, they'd almost certainly be fast-tracked for "basement reserve" duty.
In short, none of them were within his reach right now, and even if he did manage to grab one, he couldn't hold onto them. There was no point in looking for trouble.
"You're really no fun, you know that?" Nami sighed, looking at him with disbelief. "Are you really telling me you have zero interest in the One Piece? It's the ultimate treasure!"
Nami was still fuming over her stolen savings and was desperately looking for a massive payday to balance the books.
"The One Piece is a bore as far as I'm concerned," Li Ke replied with total sincerity. "Honestly, if I were to really head out and play pirate, I'd probably spend my time raiding for beautiful slaves and tricking naive girls who have 'dreams of the sea.' I'd be a wanted man in a heartbeat."
He was being dead serious. Given his current situation, the fact that he still maintained a semi-functioning moral compass was a miracle. Raiding for "prizes" was standard procedure for him now, and deceiving wide-eyed dreamers was the most basic of basics. He was a man driven by a very specific type of biological hardware, after all.
"The worst part is that I can't even argue with that," Nojiko muttered, propping her chin in her hand as she shot him a dry look.
But before the four of them could continue their debate, a shout erupted from the village.
"A Marine ship! A Marine ship is coming!"
Hmm?
Li Ke's mind immediately jumped to Captain Nezumi from the original story. The guy was a revolting excuse for a Marine who viewed Arlong as a business partner and money as his only god. Expecting a rat like him to just leave Cocoyasi Village alone was pure fantasy.
Li Ke stood up and started walking toward the door.
He didn't give a damn about being labeled a pirate. He had no love for the World Government, but he wasn't about to play "chosen one" and overthrow them for the locals either. This world had to walk its own path; he was just passing through. Still, if he had to pick up a bounty on the way out, so be it.
"Let's go take a look," he said. "If it's Captain Nezumi..."
Nami stood up beside him, her expression turning grim. She knew all too well about the backroom deals between that rat and Arlong.
But as the three women followed Li Ke out to the Cocoyasi port, they quickly realized things weren't playing out as expected.
Captain Nezumi was there, sure, but he wasn't exactly in charge. He looked more like a background extra compared to the man standing on the pier.
"Yo, kid! We meet again. Any interest in joining the Marines?"
Even from a distance, Li Ke could hear Garp's unmistakably booming voice. But as Li Ke approached him, Garp couldn't help but scan the area behind the boy, searching for someone else.
"The man you're looking for is gone," Li Ke replied, crossing his arms and meeting Garp's gaze without an ounce of intimidation. "As for the Marines, forget it. I'm planning on finding a way to become a noble so I can legally marry as many wives as I want."
Garp scratched his head and laughed, finding Li Ke's bluntness entertaining. He hadn't really expected to catch Roger anyway; if the Pirate King were that easy to track down, it wouldn't be much of a game. His invitation to Li Ke was tactical: anyone personally escorted by Roger was bound to be a powerhouse. Recruiting him would bolster the Marines and give Roger a massive middle finger at the same time.
A classic two-birds-one-stone move.
But his real headache was Roger himself. The man was a walking contagion for the "Great Pirate Era." Luffy was already obsessed with pirates; if he actually met the Pirate King, it would be game over for Garp's dreams of a Marine grandson. Ace was already giving him migraines; if Luffy followed suit, he'd probably die of a stroke.
He scratched his head again and looked at Li Ke. "Fine, fine. So, do you have any idea where that bastard went?"
Li Ke looked into Garp's eyes. In the later parts of the manga, Garp's power scaling was a subject of endless debate—some put him at Pirate King level, others at standard Admiral tier. Li Ke didn't know the exact answer, but he knew one thing for sure: he couldn't afford to mess with this old man.
So, he played it straight. "No clue. But I'd guess he went to find his family."
Garp groaned and buried his face in his hands. There was no way Roger hadn't realized Ace was his son—the face and the name were dead giveaways. Truthfully, the secret had only stayed buried because of Garp's influence and Sengoku's tacit approval. Having the Pirate King's son join the Marines would have been a lethal blow to the legend of the One Piece.
But reality had a cruel sense of humor. Not only had Ace become a pirate...
He'd gone and joined the Whitebeard Pirates.
That was a nightmare scenario. Whitebeard was the only man currently capable of claiming the title of the next Pirate King—the only pure pirate left who didn't bother with ruling a nation.
An organization like Whitebeard's was a massive headache for the authorities. No establishment would ever tolerate a high-powered group of "drifting outlaws" roaming the seas unchecked.
Furthermore, because Whitebeard didn't actually govern a sovereign nation, the World Government viewed him as the most "dealable" target—a pirate crew without a home was, on paper, easier to exterminate than an empire.
"This is going to be a giant pain in the ass..."
Garp scratched his head in frustration. If Roger and Whitebeard were meeting up, something big was bound to go down. And in this world, "something big" usually meant a disaster for global stability. But how do you stop a father and mother from going to see their son? You don't.
Garp shifted his focus. He looked at the villagers and saw the way they glared at Captain Nezumi—eyes full of raw terror and deep-seated hatred. He couldn't ignore it.
"When I was pulling in, I noticed a brand new 'harbor' carved into the side of the island," Garp said, looking at Li Ke. "You happen to know anything about that?"
He was genuinely curious. From the residue of the strike, it was clearly the work of Advanced Conqueror's Haki. But who in this backwater blue could possibly be worth Roger unleashing Divine Departure on?
Li Ke glanced at Captain Nezumi—who really did look like a human-sized rodent—and decided to play his cards.
"Yeah," Li Ke said casually. "The gentleman traveling with us was pretty powerful. He heard that the local Fishman pirates were in bed with the local Marines to squeeze the life out of the civilians. He didn't like that, so he erased the pirates from the map. He also mentioned that if we didn't want the Marines to label us as pirates too, we'd better keep our mouths shut about who did it."
"What!?"
Nezumi's face went pale with terror. He scrambled over to Garp's side, his voice trembling.
"Vice Admiral Garp! This man is clearly slandering me! Me, collude with Arlong? Impossible! He has no evidence! None!!"
A slimy careerist like Nezumi knew exactly how dangerous Garp was. Other Vice Admirals might turn a blind eye to local "corruption"—after all, East Blue was considered a retirement home for senior officers, and most were content as long as the pirate kill-counts looked good on paper.
They didn't care if a Captain was cozying up to local gangs or sea-creatures; they prioritized "stability" over total justice. But Garp wasn't like the others.
Not even Sengoku could do much about the state of the world. The ocean was simply too vast, and with kingdoms scattered like stars, the idea of the World Government stationing ground troops in every nation was a fantasy.
Their "rule" was really just about controlling the seas—by any means necessary, so long as things remained under their thumb. In fact, strictly speaking, Arlong was a former member of the Sun Pirates and an associate of a Warlord; technically, the Marines weren't even supposed to touch him.
Through his observations, Li Ke had realized the World Government wasn't as grand as it seemed. In reality, they were just high-level thugs running a protection racket. The only difference between them and pirates was that they were stronger and had better "manners" when dealing with kings. As long as you paid your Heavenly Tribute, they'd even send the Navy to help you crush a rebellion—exactly how colonizers treated Africa.
"I see... If it were anyone else saying that..."
Garp didn't finish the thought. He just looked at his right-hand man.
"Go handle this. Don't leave any loose ends."
Garp wasn't one for paperwork or red tape, so he left it to his aide.
"Understood."
Bogard gave a thin smile. His Observation Haki had already given him all the confirmation he needed; now it was just a matter of auditing the books. With Garp making the call, no one would dare back this rat up. Nezumi was just a pawn, and his luck had finally run out.
"Vice Admiral Garp! Vice Admiral!" Nezumi shrieked in terror, but it was useless. Bogard's men dragged him away.
"Alright, that's that settled. Now, kid—are you sure you won't join the Marines? You get to sail the seas freely without anyone breathing down your neck!"
Garp tried one last pitch. It was a perk the manga rarely dwelled on, but in this reality, taking a ship out without proper permits or credentials was an automatic "Pirate" label. Theoretically, only those sanctioned by the World Government could sail between nations legally.
"I'll pass. I'll just apply for a merchant or sailing license," Li Ke replied, shaking his head.
Joining the Marines was a hard no. Sure, they had Rokushiki, but he already possessed high-level Life Return. He didn't need the Navy's "help" to reach the top.
"Fine, fine... suit yourself. But the offer still stands. If you accidentally end up with a bounty on your head and it's nothing too heinous, give me a shout on this Den Den Mushi. I'll see what I can do."
Garp turned to leave, but not before tossing a transponder snail to Li Ke.
Li Ke caught it, momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected a heavyweight like Garp to put this much stock in him.
As for Garp... his mind was elsewhere.
This kid has to be the link to Roger coming back from the dead. Does he have some kind of resurrection power?
Garp's gut told him Li Ke was the key. He had no hard evidence and no logical reason to suspect him, but his instincts were screaming. Besides, it was the same old rule: anyone Roger kept close was never a nobody. Handing over a Den Den Mushi was a low-risk move—if it paid off, he hit the jackpot; if not, he lost nothing but a snail.
Without bothering to explain himself, Garp simply waved a hand and walked back toward his ship.
Once the Marines were out of earshot, Li Ke turned to the woman beside him, his face full of genuine shock.
"I can't believe they didn't spot you..."
He stared at Robin, bewildered. She had been standing right next to him the entire time. With nothing more than a slight change in her styling and a different outfit, she had successfully ghosted right under the noses of both Garp and Nezumi. No one had even suspected she was the "Demon Child."
Li Ke had been spinning those stories partly to distract Garp, but it turned out the old man hadn't even given her a second glance.
"Do you think collecting a bounty is that easy?" Robin asked, looking at him with an amused, slightly exasperated expression. "I'm not actively recruiting a crew, I've ditched my signature look, and I didn't use my powers once. Why on earth did you think they'd just recognize me on sight?"
"I was just surprised, that's all."
Li Ke looked away, realizing he'd been overthinking things based on his meta-knowledge.
"We aren't dealing with CP9 agents here," Robin noted dryly. "The world is full of pirates living under the radar. As long as you don't keep making waves or flashing unique abilities, most people couldn't care less who you are. Hell, there are plenty of pirates who end up being 'granted amnesty' by kings and nobles anyway."
If she had chosen to stay in the shadows and abandon her research into the ancient texts and the Void Century, the World Government wouldn't have bothered with her. If she'd found some backwater village, settled down as a wife, and never used her Hana Hana no Mi powers or her skills as a historian, she would have been indistinguishable from any other country girl.
The World Government's intelligence agencies are formidable, but they aren't so bloated that they can afford to station hundreds of agents in every random kingdom. Living a quiet, peaceful life wouldn't have been that difficult.
But she is hunted precisely because she wants to study the ancient script; she wants to know the truth of the Void Century. She purposefully puts her talent and her abilities on display so that powerful pirates will seek her out—using them as shields and tools to find the Poneglyphs that an archaeologist alone could never reach.
It's a dangerous game, but it's the only way for her to find the Rio Poneglyph.
In that sense, it wasn't so much that Crocodile found her—it was she who found Crocodile.
For everyone else who had ever sought her out, the motive was always the same: they wanted her head, or they wanted her bounty. Only one person had ever come for her with a different agenda entirely.
That was Li Ke.
The bastard was only after her body—and yet, she found herself unable to refuse him.
"But Li Ke," Robin said, her expression turning deadly serious as she looked at him. "I have to let you know where things stand."
"Go ahead," Li Ke replied, meeting her gaze. He already had a feeling where this was going.
"You now have other women who can provide you with the energy you need. I'm not ready to give up my power yet, nor do I plan on resurrecting my mother right now. So, if you decide to give up on sailing and settle down, I'm leaving. I need Crocodile's influence to pursue history—because that is more important to me than my own life, or even my mother's. But if you choose to keep sailing, you need to understand that we will be facing Crocodile, the World Government, and the Marines."
Robin wasn't sure what he would pick. The World Government was an titan, and Crocodile was a monster in his own right. From a purely rational standpoint, she knew cutting her loose was the smartest move he could make.
But Li Ke just rubbed his chin and asked a series of questions that were completely unexpected, yet perfectly "Li Ke."
"If I stay at sea, will you let me finish inside you at least three times a day? And you won't back out of group sessions or helping me scout for other beautiful girls?"
"..."
"No? Well, we can negotiate the specifics."
"...Fine."
"Great. How well-done do you want your Sand-Croc?"
Li Ke stood tall, puffing out his chest with newfound resolve.
And just like that, Li Ke set sail.