G-5 Branch, private rear beach.
The sunlight was perfect, the breeze gentle.
Two premium beach recliners were set side by side. On the small table beside them, chilled fruit juice still gave off thin wisps of cold vapor, and freshly cut fruit pieces sat neatly arranged, each pierced with an elegant silver fork.
Renzo lay motionless on one of the chairs, sunglasses on, as if he had completely fused with the sunlight, slipping into a state of sleep where body and mind both drifted away.
Beside him, Marine Admiral Borsalino imitated his pose, sprawled out with a comic book covering his face. From beneath it came a satisfied and muffled sigh.
"Aiyaaa… so scary, isn't it… The G-5 sunshine feels so much lazier than Marineford's…"
Ever since Sengoku had sent him to "support" Renzo, only for him to be forcibly kept behind, Kizaru had completely sunk into indulgence.
Here, there were no mountains of paperwork, no endless meetings, and none of the Gorosei's sudden summons.
Here, the daily routine consisted of eating… sleeping… and enjoying sunbathing.
Top-tier cuisine, a wonderfully comfortable environment, and a colleague whose strength was unfathomable, yet somehow even lazier than himself.
Kizaru realized: This was exactly the retirement life he had dreamed of.
purupru..puru
Just then, a sharp Den Den Mushi ring broke the silence.
Moving with exaggerated reluctance, Kizaru fished out a Den Den Mushi wearing a tiny Marine cap. The creature's face was twisted into an enraged glare, blowing its whiskers like it was about to explode.
"BOR-SA-LI-NOOOOO!!!"
The moment the call connected, Sengoku's iconic roar erupted like a volcanic explosion, so loud even Renzo, sleeping next to him, twitched his eyebrows.
"You bastard! How long are you planning to slack off in G-5?! Linlin and Kaido have just sunk an island in the New World! The whole world is watching! You're an Admiral, can't you get your ass back here and deal with your duties?!"
Faced with the Fleet Admiral's fury, Kizaru lazily scratched his ear, held the receiver farther away, and replied in his signature drawn-out, half-asleep tone:
"Yaa…Fleet Admiral… don't yell like that… You scared me, y'know~"
"You listen to me… my current situation… is extremely complicated and dangerous…"
"Dangerous?!"
Sengoku paused. "What danger? Don't tell me Renzo laid a hand on you?!"
"No, no…"
Kizaru slowly sat up, glanced at Renzo, still dead asleep, and then earnestly began spouting nonsense:
"You don't understand, Renzo is currently undergoing a very profound kind of training… called 'photosynthesis.'"
"I must remain by his side at all times, and use my 'light'… to provide him with the essential energy he needs. This is absolutely crucial… for the peace and stability of the world, y'know? We can't be careless… no, no…"
On the other end, Sengoku fell silent for three whole seconds.
He could feel his blood pressure skyrocketing at an unprecedented rate.
"Borsalino… I'll count to three. If you don't give me a real reason, "
"Ah… oh no! The sunlight here is waaay too strong… I think the signal… the signal is being interfered with… I can't… can't hear… you… kachak."
Kizaru calmly hung up the Den Den Mushi.
He switched it to silent mode and casually buried it in the sand.
After finishing his masterpiece, he let out a long, relieved sigh and lay back down, a lecherous yet blissfully relaxed smile spreading across his face.
"Now I can enjoy my afternoon tea properly~"
The world returned to peace.
However, neither of them knew that…
Just one sea away from the G-5 branch, in the Patnia Kingdom, a massacre utterly devoid of humanity was silently unfolding, standing in terrifying contrast to their tranquility.
…....
The Patnia Kingdom, an island renowned for its flowers and flourishing trade.
But at this moment, it was engulfed in black flames and despairing screams.
"Wahahahaha! Too weak! You're all just waaay too weak!"
Jesus Burgess, shirtless, his grotesquely built muscles bulging, ripped the enormous stone gates of the royal palace cleanly in half with brute force!
Laughing wildly, he grabbed a trembling guard and swung him like a flail, hurling him straight into a distant bell tower!
BOOOOM!!!
The sturdy bell tower crumbled in an instant.
At the harbor, flames shot toward the sky.
Van Augur stood calmly atop the highest mast. Every soft crack from his beloved rifle took down another soldier who tried to reach the signal station to light a rescue flare.
His Observation Haki blanketed the entire battlefield; no attempt at sending a plea for help could escape him.
"This is… fate."
He whispered coldly, pulling the trigger again.
On the streets, an even more horrifying scene played out.
Doc Q rode his equally sickly-looking horse, Stronger, listlessly wandering as if on a stroll.
Wherever he passed, whether soldiers or innocent civilians, faces suddenly turned purple. Black blood spilled from their mouths as they convulsed and collapsed, dying without a sound.
Invisible poison spread across the once-beautiful city like a plague.
And harvesting the resulting chaos was a man in an elegant formal suit, carrying a cane-sword.
Lafitte walked gracefully through the panicked crowd.
His eyes glowed with eerie red light, anyone who met his gaze instantly lost their mind, becoming puppets who turned their weapons on their own comrades, friends… even family.
He reveled in the tragedy he orchestrated, lips curving into a sick, delighted smile.
Inside the palace, at the final defensive line,
Shiryu casually wiped the blood from his cursed blade.
At his feet, the kingdom's finest royal knights lay dead.
"So boring…"
He puffed out a smoke ring, eyes cold.
"Not even enough for a warm-up."
Ever since their Captain, Marshall D. Teach, had been unexpectedly captured during the Marineford War and imprisoned in Impel Down's lowest floor, these unrestrained wolves had grown more savage than ever.
They needed a new base.
And they needed a blood-soaked massacre to declare to the world:
Even without Blackbeard, they were still apex predators of the sea.
"Your Majesty! It's no use! We can't get any calls through!"
"All communications are completely blocked!"
"The harbor is sealed off! None of our men can escape!"
On the throne, the elderly king of Patnia listened to report after report, each one more hopeless than the last. His face went pale as chalk.
He looked at the map.
The G-5 branch was so close, so close it felt like shouting loudly enough might reach it.
A Marine fortress in the New World!
Home of the Marine Admiral Haiiroyo.
Their… only hope.
"No matter the cost!"
Using the last of his strength, the old king roared:
"Even if you die, get word to G-5! Beg Admiral Haiiroyo for aid!!!"
But his roar was doomed to echo only within the borders of a sealed, doomed kingdom.
Because thousands of meters above Patnia, Lafitte had already woven a massive web, blocking every form of electromagnetic signal.
A flawless yet merciless "nation-extermination" operation was unfolding quietly… right under the noses of two Marine admirals.
And back on the beach,
Renzo, disturbed by Sengoku's earlier shouting, shifted slightly, turning over into a more comfortable position.
"Mmm… Sanji, another iced lemon tea…"
He mumbled the words in his sleep.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu