The promotion ceremony ended as nothing more than a farcical mess.
After Renzo casually announced, "Dismissed," he turned around and headed straight for the only thing that mattered to him, his private kitchen.
Behind him echoed Akainu's repressed, volcanic roar…
Kizaru's barely held-back laughter…
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's exhausted sigh...
And the confused yet reverent gazes of tens of thousands of Marines.
Renzo ignored all of it.
"Meeting's over. I'm going to eat."
His logic was simple, pure, and absolutely non-negotiable.
However, on the way to the kitchen, there were always some "inconveniences" that didn't know better than to stay away.
A blazing red figure carrying an aura of scorching heat appeared in front of him, almost like a teleporting flame, blocking the path.
It was Akainu.
His chest heaved violently. His stern face was twisted by pure rage. Flames that could melt steel burned inside his eyes.
"Renzo!"
Akainu's voice was frighteningly low, each word squeezed out between clenched teeth.
"The things you said just now were a blatant provocation against Marine authority!"
"I don't care what the Five Elders or the Fleet Admiral think, but to me, the word Justice cannot tolerate the slightest stain! A lazy parasite like you does not deserve the title of 'Admiral'!"
Renzo stopped walking and lazily lifted his eyelids.
He looked at the living volcano erupting in front of him with visible impatience.
"You're standing in the way of my kitchen."
He stated it as calmly as saying, "The weather's nice today."
"Move."
This attitude, treating him as if he didn't even exist, completely ignited Akainu's rage.
"It seems that without beating some sense into you, you'll never understand the position you're standing in!"
With a furious roar, his right arm turned into magma, the temperature so high that the air twisted and the stone beneath him crackled and blackened.
"Great Eruption!!"
Without any hesitation, the giant magma fist, containing pure fury and destructive will, thundered toward Renzo.
This punch had zero restraint. Akainu wanted nothing more than to incinerate this "disgrace of the Marines" until nothing remained.
But Renzo's response to this world-melting blow was so simple it was absurd.
He didn't even consider dodging.
He merely frowned slightly.
"Don't interrupt my meal."
[Reverse Sloth: Turn my trouble into your trouble]
Just before Akainu's magma fist touched Renzo's coat, it suddenly… stopped.
Not blocked.
Not slowed.
It simply hit an invisible rule-wall, absolute and immovable.
Then something even more unbelievable happened.
"Ugh-!"
A dull groan, not from Renzo, but from Akainu himself.
He stumbled backward, yanking his fist away and staring in disbelief at his own arm.
On his magma-covered forearm was… a clear, inverted dent.
A punch mark, as if he had struck himself with full force.
Agonizing pain and burning heat exploded from inside his own fist.
It genuinely felt as if every bit of power he just unleashed had landed squarely on his own body.
"W–What… what is this?!"
Akainu stared at his fist, then at Renzo, completely unharmed, not even a ruffled sleeve. His mind, for the first time, was unable to process what he was seeing.
Renzo yawned, clearly disinterested.
"I said move."
His tone carried a bit of actual annoyance now.
"If you attack again, it'll hurt worse. I'm too lazy to explain; explanations are troublesome."
These indifferent words landed in Akainu's ears like the most vicious mockery imaginable.
He refused to accept it.
Armament Haki surged over him, and he turned into a blazing meteor, charging at Renzo again.
"A parasite like you, today I'll clean up the Marines by taking you out myself!"
This time, he didn't punch; he turned himself into a massive flow of magma, trying to swallow Renzo completely.
Renzo sighed at the incoming inferno.
"It seems I really do need to make you 'calm down'… or I'll never get to eat."
He raised a single finger.
Slothful Aura
A faint gray ripple expanded outward from him.
The moment the magma touched the ripple, its raging movement slowed to a crawl. The molten heat cooled rapidly, hardening and solidifying.
Akainu's body emerged from the freezing magma, but he was trapped inside his own ability, like an insect sealed in amber.
The "Reverse Sloth" rule was activated again.
Every ounce of power he released turned back on him, burning, crushing, tormenting him from within.
The harder he struggled, the worse the pain became.
"Y–You…"
Akainu forced out a word, eyes filled with humiliation and fury.
Just then, a golden flash appeared.
Kizaru materialized between them, waving a folding fan.
"Well now~ Sakazuki~~ you should calm down a little~"
Kizaru stepped between them with his typical lazy cheerfulness.
"The ceremony just ended, and you're already fighting here. If Sengoku finds out, he'll make you write a report~ And that's waaay more troublesome than a mission, don't you think~?"
He glanced at Akainu, pale from self-inflicted damage, and then at Renzo, who had already walked around them in boredom.
In his mind, he clicked his tongue.
This "Reverse Sloth" ability… was a nightmare for any offensive fighter.
Akainu stared daggers at Renzo's retreating back, but under Kizaru's persuasion, he finally withdrew his ability.
He clutched his painful chest, said nothing, and stormed off.
...
By the time Renzo finally strolled into the kitchen, Sanji and Potts were anxiously waiting outside.
"You okay? That commotion earlier…" Sanji handed him an iced juice, looking him over.
"I'm fine."
Renzo downed the drink in one go.
"Just did a little 'exercise' before eating. Now I'm hungrier."
Inside the kitchen, on the cooking counter, under a glass cover, sat a beautifully crafted dessert: Molten Chocolate Heart Cake.
"This one… is mine, right?" Renzo asked.
"Of course," Sanji said with a grin, taking a plate.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku personally had it delivered. Even included a top-level special ingredient permit card. Looks like he's more afraid than you are of you missing your dessert."
Renzo nodded in satisfaction, sinking into his soft, personal chair.
Potts whispered, "Admiral Renzo… the G-5 branch ship is ready. We can depart anytime."
Renzo cut a slice of the cake. Warm chocolate oozed out, filling the room with sweetness.
He ate one bite and closed his eyes in bliss.
"No rush."
He spoke with his mouth full.
"I'll finish this cake, take a nap… then think about leaving."
"After all, going on a mission is important. I need enough energy."
Sanji and Potts exchanged helpless smiles.
Some battles were tough…
But dealing with Renzo's laziness was far tougher.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu