The warship slowly sailed into Marineford's enormous military harbor.
Even Renzo couldn't help but show a flicker of interest, just a tiny bit, as he looked upon the grand sight before him.
The colossal fortress loomed over the bay, the Gate of Justice towered majestically, countless warships were neatly docked, and uniformed Marines bustled about like worker ants. The air itself seemed thick with discipline, strength, and above all… busyness.
That sense of busyness made Renzo instinctively frown and yawn.
"So noisy… so many people… just looking at them makes me tired…"
He muttered, shrinking his face into an invisible collar as if that could block out all worldly disturbances.
Vice Admiral Tsuru's arrangements, as always, were efficient and thorough.
An officer, who also looked somewhat sluggish, perhaps intentionally chosen by Tsuru to avoid "stimulating" Renzo, was already waiting nearby to escort him. The officer led Renzo along a quieter side path, away from the main busy streets, toward an officers' dormitory at the rear of headquarters.
"Mr. Renzo, your room is on the top floor. It has a great view, and it's very quiet."
The officer's tone was calm, his words unhurried, as though speaking too fast would consume unnecessary energy.
Renzo merely grunted an "mm," with no desire to ask even a single extra question.
They took the elevator up to the top floor. The corridor was empty and silent. The officer stopped before a sturdy-looking oak door and handed Renzo a key.
"This will be your room. Vice Admiral Tsuru instructed that you rest first. You can dine anytime at the officers' mess, or… if that feels troublesome, you can use the call bell inside your room. An attendant will deliver your meal."
"Room service…" Renzo's eyes briefly lit up; that was the only phrase he'd paid attention to.
He took the key and pushed the door open.
Then froze.
The room was even better than he'd imagined.
It was a standard single officer's suite, but clearly one that had been specially prepared. Spacious, neat, with top-quality furnishings.
What caught his attention most was the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, offering a panoramic view of the endless sea and the majestic harbor. Sunlight poured through unhindered, filling the entire room with golden warmth.
There wasn't the faintest trace of dampness or sea stench, only the clean, sun-dried scent of fresh air.
And at the center of the room, that bed, covered in spotless white sheets, soft and impossibly fluffy, drew his gaze like a magnet.
He shuffled forward in small, reverent steps, extending a cautious finger to poke at the mattress.
Soft, yet perfectly supportive, top-grade comfort, tailored to the human body.
Compared to his drafty seaside shack and his straw-stuffed "bed," this was paradise.
"Old Lady Tsuru… didn't lie…" he murmured to himself, a near-pure expression of satisfaction spreading across his face.
Too lazy to even check out the private bathroom or kitchenette not that he'd ever use them, he simply threw himself onto the bed like a sack of laundry.
"Mmph…"
His body sank into the supreme softness, every cell sighing in bliss. The last traces of fatigue from the voyage melted away.
'Warm, quiet, soft, safe.'
'Could there possibly be a better place to lie down?'
'No. Absolutely not.'
Renzo closed his eyes in utter contentment, ready to meet the dream god within seconds.
But… his stomach growled.
He hesitated for a mere tenth of a second. Should he test out the legendary "unlimited buffet" first, or sleep?
In the end, the lure of food and the added laziness of room service narrowly triumphed over sleep.
He groped for the call bell on the bedside and pressed it.
"Hey…" he muttered weakly into the intercom. "Food… steak… double portion… deliver to room… thanks…"
With that, as though he had completed a Herculean task, his arm flopped down, and he melted once more into the mattress's embrace, awaiting his offering.
Meanwhile, in the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters.
Sengoku rubbed his temples, staring at the mountain of paperwork on his desk, while the office goat chewed on a report it deemed "unimportant."
A knock came.
"Come in," Sengoku said without looking up.
Vice Admiral Tsuru entered, calm as ever.
"Ah, Tsuru, you're back from the West Blue? I heard you dealt with that Black Shark Pirate Group?" Sengoku perked up slightly.
"It wasn't me," Tsuru replied, sitting on the couch and pouring herself tea. "It was a rather… interesting young man."
"Oh?" Sengoku finally looked up, adjusting his glasses. "For you to call someone 'interesting', that's rare. Strong, I assume? Did you recruit him?"
"Strong… in a special way," Tsuru chose her words carefully. "Yes, I brought him back. He's staying in the officers' dormitory."
She handed over a vague report from Ensign Koby, supplementing it with her own account of what she'd seen in Maple Leaf Town.
"...Put the entire pirate crew to sleep with a single sentence? Marines near him also felt fatigued and lazy?"
Sengoku's brows furrowed deeper with each line he read. "What kind of strange ability is that? A new type of Devil Fruit?"
"I believe it's an unknown paramecia ability," Tsuru said slowly.
"Something tied to willpower and lethargy. Not direct combat, more like… an influence on the level of rules themselves."
She paused, then added the key detail: "And from what I've observed, the power perfectly matches his personality. That boy… is the laziest person I've ever met. He uses his ability purely to better 'avoid trouble' and 'stay lying down.'"
"Lazy? Avoid trouble?" Sengoku's headache worsened. "You brought a lazy bum into Marineford? Tsuru, you-"
"Exactly because of that, he's valuable and manageable," Tsuru interrupted, eyes sharp.
"Think about it, Sengoku. A power that can sap enemies of their will to fight or even act, without bloodshed. Imagine using it to end mass conflicts, rescue hostages, or neutralize troublesome ability users. He wouldn't even need to be on the front lines. Just being in the right place at the right time, 'feeling bothered' once, would be enough."
Sengoku drummed his fingers on the desk, deep in thought. She had a point. Such a strategic-level ability was rare and precious.
"But his character, how can a man that lazy follow orders, or fit into the Marines?"
"We don't need him to," Tsuru smiled faintly. "We just need to create an environment he'll never want to leave, a place so comfortable that he considers Marineford the perfect place to 'stay flat.' Then, when that comfort zone is threatened, he'll act on his own to 'deal with the problem.'"
Sengoku sighed heavily. "So your plan is to cage a strategic weapon with luxury food and a soft bed?"
"A very fitting description," Tsuru nodded. "And I have a feeling Kizaru will get along quite well with him."
Sengoku twitched at the thought. Kizaru was already the champion of laziness, and now there'd be someone lazier? The idea almost hurt.
"Does his ability have weaknesses?" Sengoku asked finally.
"Of course," Tsuru replied confidently. "From what I can tell, it's less effective against those with extremely strong willpower or intense passion. He also can't precisely control its range; it can affect allies and enemies alike. Most importantly…"
She gave a knowing smile. "As long as he doesn't consider you a 'bother,' or if you make things convenient for him, say, by bringing him food, his ability won't affect you at all. His laziness itself is both his greatest weakness and the best control mechanism."
Sengoku rubbed his temples again and sighed deeply. "Fine, Tsuru. He's your responsibility. Let's keep him under your command for now, title him 'Special Strategic Consultant.' High clearance, no assignments. Observe him for a while."
"Understood." Tsuru stood, ready to leave.
"Wait," Sengoku called after her. "That kid, what's he doing right now?"
Tsuru recalled Renzo diving onto the bed and mumbling weakly into the call bell. Her lips curved faintly.
"At this time… he's probably testing whether the Marine mess hall's steaks are truly unlimited."
"Or he's already asleep."
Sengoku: "…"
He looked at his towering pile of reports and suddenly felt a twinge of envy for the lazy newcomer.
Meanwhile, in Renzo's room,
He sat cross-legged on the carpet, too lazy to move a chair in front of a massive meal delivered by an attendant: double steak, grilled fish, spaghetti with meat sauce, and a huge glass of iced juice.
Naturally, he ate in his usual "efficient" style, the food neatly cut itself into pieces, the fork floated up, and each bite gently fed itself to him.
He ate until his cheeks glistened with oil, utterly satisfied.
"Mm… tastes good… better than wild fruit…"
Finishing the last bite of meat, he burped contentedly, rubbed his full belly, and slowly crawled back onto that heavenly bed.
Sunlight streamed through the window, wrapping him in warmth.
Outside, faint shouts of training Marines could be heard, but muffled through thick walls, turning into a kind of soothing white noise.
Safety, fullness, comfort, complete satisfaction.
Renzo let out a blissful sigh and buried himself in the soft pillow.
"Perfect…"
"From now on… I'll just stay here… forever…"
As consciousness faded into gentle darkness, his last thought was:
"Marineford… really is a good place…"
Thus began the legend of the Sleeping King of Marineford, born upon that soft, sunlit bed,
Completely unaware that rumors of "Vice Admiral Tsuru bringing back a mysterious sloth who can make people fall asleep" were already spreading quietly through the halls of Marine Headquarters…