Plans

"Treinta Fleurs!" Robin struck without warning, and slender arms sprouted from Li Ziming's body.

Li Ziming did not seem frightened. Instead, he reached out and caught one of the arms growing from him. "So smooth." He looked thoroughly pleased with himself.

Robin withdrew her power at once. Blushing, she glared at him. "Pervert!"

"Pervert!" Vivi gave Li Ziming the same cold look, as though she were staring at human garbage.

"A graceful lady is bound to have admirers. Everyone appreciates beauty. That makes me a pervert?" Li Ziming looked at the two women with amusement.

"'A graceful lady is bound to have admirers'?" Robin repeated his words. As an archaeologist, she instinctively sensed something ancient in them.

"Twisted logic!" Vivi was not impressed.

"Now I really want to visit your homeland," Robin told Li Ziming. "It must be a country with a long history." Her curiosity had reached its peak.

"Is that true? How come I've never heard those lines before?" Vivi looked at him skeptically.

"Maybe I'm the only one of my people left in this world. And I can't even go home anymore." Li Ziming was still smiling, but Robin and Vivi both saw the sorrow behind it. Perhaps they recognized it in themselves: Robin had lost her homeland when she was very young, while Vivi's country was being torn apart by war.

Both women instinctively reached for Li Ziming's hand to comfort him. Their hands met halfway.

Vivi immediately blushed and snatched her hand back. Robin glanced at her with interest, then looked at Li Ziming.

"Well?" Li Ziming put on a smug expression. "Not bad acting, was it? And the story?"

"Acting? Story?" Vivi stared at him in disbelief. Then, furious, she said, "You're a bastard!" She shoved the door open and stormed out.

Wait, did I forget something? Vivi hesitated outside the door, but the moment Li Ziming's smug, punchable face came to mind, she lost all desire to go back.

"Do you like that princess?" Robin asked curiously.

"I wouldn't say I like her. Maybe I admire her? Attractive people tend to draw each other's attention." Li Ziming sighed. "Besides, a girl looks her best when she smiles."

"Smiles?" A trace of loneliness crossed Robin's face. "Maybe I've forgotten how to smile."

"Have you?" Li Ziming edged toward her with a mischievous look, set his hands on her waist, and began to tickle her.

"Ha! You!" Robin fought back, of course, but she was sitting on a barstool. It was not very stable, and as she struggled, the stool tipped over, sending her falling with it.

Li Ziming was not about to pass up such a perfect chance to hold her. He caught Robin in his arms. "Careful, Miss Robin."

Robin blushed briefly, then recovered and pulled free of his hands. "I wouldn't have fallen if not for a certain someone."

"Yes, yes, it was all my fault." Li Ziming admitted it readily. After taking such liberties, he was not about to deny it and make her angry. He could not guarantee a flustered woman would not leave a mark on his face.

"You!" Robin had heard his apology, but for some reason it only annoyed her more. "Hey, don't you want to help that princess?"

"Oh?" Li Ziming looked at Robin in surprise. "Is our beautiful archaeologist planning to betray Sand Crocodile too?"

"..." Robin merely rolled her eyes and said nothing.

"How do you want me to help?" Li Ziming shrugged. "I'm not going to throw my life away."

"You can't beat Crocodile?" Robin asked in surprise.

"Come on. You saw me take down one marine rear admiral. You don't really think that makes me invincible, do you? Remember, no Logia user is weak." Li Ziming sighed. "I've learned Haki, but..." He held out his right hand. A metallic sheen covered it only as far as his wrist. "This is all I can manage, and only on one hand. Beating a Logia user with Haki at this level is practically impossible."

"So you're just going to wait? If Alabasta is destroyed, that princess will be heartbroken." Robin studied him closely, trying to work out what he intended to do.

"Then I'm curious how you plan to help Vivi," Li Ziming said. "Surely you don't think she can expose Sand Crocodile's plot on her own just by learning his identity."

"True. Maybe I'm just tired of working under Crocodile. And dying like this wouldn't be so bad." Robin spoke sadly. "I should never have been born." As she spoke, she laid her head on the table and began to cry. Li Ziming watched her with pity in his eyes. Before long, she went quiet.

Li Ziming went over and found that she had fallen asleep. He gently picked her up, laid her on his bed, tucked the blanket around her, and went back out.

Back at the bar, Li Ziming gazed around his shop and sank into thought. He knew Sand Crocodile's weakness. If he revealed it, plenty of people would surely try to kill Sand Crocodile for the glory of defeating a Shichibukai. But Sand Crocodile would come after him for it. What Li Ziming had to decide was whether it was worth risking his life for Vivi.

"What a headache." Li Ziming looked toward the shelves, intending to mix himself a drink. But he had no patience for careful mixing. He grabbed a bottle of absinthe and a bottle of gin and drank straight from them, alternating swigs.

"Damn it!" Li Ziming slammed a bottle onto the counter. "I never thought coming to this world would make me a coward. This is the world of pirates, where anything goes! And since when have I ever been afraid of dying?" His eyes turned bloodshot. Something was clearly wrong with his state of mind.

"First, I need to get word of what's happening here out." Li Ziming began working through his options. The alcohol had not dulled his mind; it had set his blood boiling. "Most importantly, I need to draw in the marines or the World Government. Those people would never tolerate anyone setting their sights on the Ancient Weapons. Then there's the trouble inside the country. But Baroque Works' Mr. 2 and his Mane Mane no Mi won't be easy to deal with..." He kept thinking. "Maybe I can make him admit it himself. Or have Vivi talk to the Rebel Army. Its leader should be her childhood friend. Otherwise, I could convince the people that this is all Sand Crocodile's plot. People are easy to sway, but I'll have to think carefully about how to do it."

Li Ziming could no longer say why he was helping so recklessly. He had only flirted with a girl. Perhaps the freedom of this world had gotten to him, and its foolish, hot-blooded spirit had rubbed off on him too. He shook his head and began putting together a detailed plan.