Blood is a main course for Mosquito Girl.
And women tend to have a preference for dessert.
There's even a joke to describe it:
"A woman has a second stomach for dessert."
Given that Mosquito Girl's main course—blood—is actually stored and absorbed by her blood sac,
it could be said that both of her current "stomachs" are filled with dessert.
Her current state was quite peculiar; on one hand, her life level had indeed stepped into the threshold of Dragon Level, but on the other, she appeared slightly tipsy.
She lacked any of the oppressive Aura of a Dragon Level Monster.
"Keep track of the time yourself, and how long your current combat power can last."
After saying that, Aokiji left the villa in the uninhabited zone.
He left behind a dazed Mosquito Girl, rubbing her cheeks and stomach.
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Aokiji pushed open the ajar door.
This apartment wasn't very large, but compared to the place Saitama used to live and the uninhabited zone apartment he was supposed to live in, it was much better, at least having separate rooms.
At the moment, two figures were busy inside the apartment.
Saitama was placing plates of hot pot ingredients on the dining table and turning on the power to preheat the pot.
Mysterious Mask was helping him pack; there weren't many personal items like clothes, mostly manga or newly bought furniture.
Hearing the door open, Saitama looked back:
"Hot pot is ready, and I even bought beef!"
"I brought some beef too."
Aokiji lifted the bag in his hand, containing beef that still had frost on it.
It came from a bull that had turned into a Monster at a slaughterhouse.
This was even rarer than top-grade beef, and the taste was unparalleled.
"Mr. Aokiji." Mysterious Mask's helmet was placed to the side, and he habitually lowered his head to greet him.
He was a bit hesitant about whether to put the helmet back on.
Could anyone really have an appetite after seeing this face of his?
Naturally, Aokiji didn't feel any disgust toward his appearance.
Just from the messages Saitama had sent, Aokiji had already guessed his identity.
The future Rank 1 A-Class Hero, Sweet Mask.
He chose to wear a helmet and become a hero because of his ugly appearance.
To avoid exposure, after participating in the hero test, he even snuck into the Association to steal and destroy his own records.
While performing hero work, he strictly refused to disclose his information and never showed his true face to the public.
This mysterious way of doing things actually piqued the public's curiosity about him.
His current hero name, "Mysterious Mask," came from this.
Aokiji vaguely remembered a panel from the original work.
Before becoming a hero, Mask lived on the streets by picking through trash.
For someone who had endured countless instances of bullying due to his looks and the instinctive loathing of his own kind, he could still firmly choose justice and hold onto a hero's heart.
It was truly rare.
The same experience happening to anyone else would be a standard villain origin story.
"Mask, stop packing," Saitama called him over.
Aokiji washed the Monster beef he brought, sliced it into thin rolls, and brought it to the table.
"Let's eat, let's eat. Make sure this beef I brought is fully cooked before eating it."
Plates of meat rolls were dropped into the hot pot.
Mask sat to the side, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Should he speak up now, or wait until they finished eating?
"Saitama told me roughly about your situation," Aokiji said as he mixed his own dipping sauce.
"Unfortunately, my Psychic Power is very special; it can't be developed through learning."
If it were basic telekinesis, even an ordinary person without talent might be able to bend a spoon through long-term effort.
In the original work, the members of the Blizzard Group had demonstrated this once, working together to perform a telekinetic binding technique.
But Devil Fruit abilities were a different conceptual system; it was impossible to obtain them through Cultivation.
Mask's hand, which had just picked up chopsticks, couldn't help but tighten.
His asymmetrical eyes twitched, and after his mouth moved a few times, he said in a low voice:
"I see... Sorry for bothering you both."
After saying that, he stood up and prepared to leave.
He didn't even plan to stay for the hot pot anymore.
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave." Aokiji popped a piece of meat into his mouth. "Psychic Power won't work, but there are other methods."
"Really?!"
Mask suddenly looked up at him, hope surfacing once again.
He leaned on the table somewhat agitatedly, his upper body unconsciously leaning forward.
"Please tell me! I'll do anything!"
"Eat first. Even if I tell you now, you won't be able to do it."
Aokiji opened a bottle of soda and poured a glass for each of them.
In the past, his actions had more or less been driven by a purpose.
But this time, Aokiji simply wanted to provide Mask with some help.
Consider it a return for the emotional value that the line "You're so handsome" had once brought him.
"But let's get this straight first: the method I can provide now only treats the symptoms, not the cause."
"After you master it through Cultivation, you'll be able to finely control your physical transformation, but it requires continuous consumption of stamina to maintain."
The method Aokiji spoke of was naturally the Secret Technique of the Six Powers—Life Return.
As for whether Mask could learn this physical Secret Technique from the world of Pirates, Aokiji wasn't worried at all.
People in this world were all more or less touched by the "The Power of Belief."
Puri-Puri Prisoner's various Angel forms, Tanktop Master's Tanktop Magic theory, and even Metal Bat's Aura could all be considered manifestations of "The Power of Belief."
Aside from these Monsters that far exceeded common sense,
other heroes had displayed similar abilities.
For example, the A-Class Death Gatling.
His method of attack was the Gatling gun strapped to his arm.
Logically, the strength of his attacks should be determined purely by the power of the firearm in his hand.
However, as long as he shouted the name of a Move, the attack power of the Gatling gun in his hand would inexplicably increase.
It had a humorous "I reckon if I shout a bit, the attack should get stronger" vibe to it.
So, even if Mask couldn't master the original version of Life Return,
as long as his conviction was firm, there was a high probability he could develop an ability with a similar effect.
The human body is quite marvelous, isn't it?
But helping was one thing.
Aokiji didn't have much time to spend on instruction.
He was still thinking about searching for the third Dragon Level executive while
trying to see if he could achieve the Awakening of the Azure Dragon fruit and develop Kaido's Oni-Dragon Form.
These were all Cultivations that required time and energy.
At a time like this,
a lost Disciple should seek the guidance of a Grandmaster Senior!
"I choose you, Bang!"
He already had over a hundred Disciples anyway; guiding and supervising one more wouldn't hurt.
The theory of the Six Powers wasn't complicated; it just had a high threshold.
If your physical fitness wasn't up to par, no matter how good your technique was, you couldn't use it.
Take "Shave" for example; it involved kicking the ground dozens of times in an instant to build up power. How could an ordinary person do that?
He would throw Mask to Bang to train for a while first to build up his foundation.
Afterward, Aokiji would only need to give him a few pointers, and he could figure it out himself.
Aokiji roughly explained his thoughts to Mask.
Mask naturally wouldn't refuse and nodded repeatedly in gratitude.
As long as there was hope, it was enough!
Mask was incredibly glad he had made the decision to seek help from a hero.
This excitement even surpassed the time he first put on his helmet to execute justice and received kindness and praise from others for the first time.
"A physical Secret Technique, huh? Just like a game." Saitama had a look of great interest on his face.
"Seems fun. Aokiji, can I learn it too?"
"You just stick to your daily exercise, running, and fighting Monsters. Whatever you do, don't waste your time on learning."
Aokiji flatly rejected Saitama, whose stats were already maxed out without needing mechanics