The sunlight in Marineford was as warm as ever, streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows and bathing Levi in a perfect warmth. He was like a salted fish, comfortably sunning its back on a pristine beach. He had just finished enjoying a perfectly cut, grilled fish fillet brought by his personal orderly and was now in that pleasant, drowsy state brought on by food digestion, just a thought away from his next deep slumber.
However, this perfect tranquility was broken by a steady, rhythmic knocking.
*Thump, thump, thump.*
The sound wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable, penetrative quality, precisely piercing Levi's passive Domain of Sloth. His brows instantly furrowed, as if someone had drawn an ugly ink stain across his perfectly lazy canvas.
"...Who is it...?" he mumbled weakly, not even bothering to open his eyelids. "Delivery? Didn't they just come...? Must be the wrong door... So troublesome..." He tried to use a strong thought of "ignoring" to make the other party retreat in the face of difficulty.
The knocking outside paused, then a slightly aged but full-bodied voice, tinged with a steely resolve, sounded. "Captain Levi, I am an orderly sent by Fleet Admiral Sengoku. The Fleet Admiral has ordered you to proceed to his office immediately."
*Fleet Admiral? Sengoku?*
Levi's brain sluggishly processed the words. That old man who managed the cafeteria... and also Marineford? A very ominous premonition, like icy seawater, instantly extinguished the warmth on his body. Sengoku looking for him could only mean trouble. One hundred percent trouble. Huge, soul-crushing trouble.
His annoyance surged exponentially, and his strong thoughts of resistance almost materialized, making the orderly outside the door inexplicably feel a pang of unease and fatigue, almost dropping the official document in his hand.
"...I'm sick..." Levi tried one last, desperate struggle, his voice so weak it sounded like he would breathe his last at any second. "A bad cold... dizzy... weak all over... I need to rest... please tell the Fleet Admiral for me..."
The orderly outside was clearly experienced and immune to this particular excuse. "The Fleet Admiral said that if you claim to be sick, an elite team of doctors from the Marineford medical unit will arrive in your room within five minutes with a full set of equipment to conduct a 'comprehensive and detailed' examination."
Levi fell silent. He could almost picture a group of doctors in white coats surrounding him, various instruments humming... Just thinking about it was suffocatingly troublesome.
Ultimately, the fear of the trouble of "being fully examined" outweighed the fear of the trouble of "going to see Sengoku." It took him a full five minutes to complete the high-energy actions of wriggling out of bed, slowly putting on his wrinkled military jacket (still unbuttoned), and inching to the door at a snail's pace.
He pulled open the door, his eyes dead as he looked at the old orderly, who, despite trying to maintain a serious expression, already showed a hint of weariness in his eyes.
"...Lead the way..." His voice was filled with utter despair. "Try to... take a route with fewer people... and in the shade..."
When Levi floated into the Fleet Admiral's office like a wandering spirit, he found that Sengoku wasn't the only one there. Vice Admiral Tsuru was sitting on the sofa, leisurely sipping tea. Sprawled on another sofa was a robust, gray-haired old man loudly munching on rice crackers—Vice Admiral Garp. And then there was Vice Admiral Kizaru, in his yellow-and-white striped suit, legs crossed, with an expression like he was watching a show.
The concentration of "trouble" in this room was alarmingly high. Levi instinctively wanted to take a step back.
"Captain Levi," Sengoku pushed up his glasses, trying to make his tone sound amiable, with little success. "You're here. Are you getting used to life at Marineford?"
"...Mm..." Levi uttered a vague sound, his gaze already searching the office for a place to lean or collapse. There was none. He had to stand, and his legs were already protesting this unnecessary energy expenditure.
"Good that you're getting used to it." Sengoku cleared his throat and got straight to the point. "I called you here because I have an important mission for you."
Levi's pupils instantly constricted. *Mission?!* The word was taboo, the ultimate trouble to be avoided at all costs. He almost blurted out "I refuse," but his remaining rationality (and his fondness for the cafeteria) made him swallow the words, his gaze turning even more hollow and resistant.
Sengoku seemed not to notice. "According to reliable intelligence, the 'Giant Axe Pirate Crew' captain, 'Mountain Splitter' Orne, with a bounty of 188,000,000 Berries, is currently lurking near Whole Cake Island in the first half of the Grand Line."
"This man is cruel, possesses astonishing strength, and has destroyed multiple Marine warships. You are hereby ordered to accompany Vice Admiral Ghoumil and his fleet to subjugate this scoundrel! In this operation, you will serve as a 'Special Tactical Advisor'!"
Out of the long string of words, Levi only registered a few keywords: "accompany the fleet," "go to subjugate," "Special Tactical Advisor." Go to sea? Fight? Be an advisor? Each word was like a heavy hammer striking his fragile nerves.
"...I... can't..." Levi finally found his voice, dry and weak. "I get seasick... I'm very weak... I'll only be a hindrance... and... being an advisor... is too much trouble..."
"Oh~ young man, don't be so quick to refuse~" Kizaru drawled. "I hear the cream strawberry cake on Whole Cake Island is exquisite~ You could try it after the mission~"
Levi's ears twitched but then quickly drooped again. Take such a big risk for an uncertain cake? Not worth it.
Garp laughed heartily, slapping his thigh. "Hahaha! What are you afraid of, kid! Following old Ghoumil, it'll be super steady! Just consider it a breath of fresh air!"
*Fresh air?* Levi thought. *I only want air conditioning.*
Vice Admiral Tsuru put down her teacup, her voice calm but hitting the nail on the head. "This operation counts as a double S-rank mission merit. Merit can be exchanged for unlimited tasting rights to the 'secret menu' of the Marineford officer's mess, including but not limited to air-freighted wagyu beef, deep-sea king crab, and... limited edition desserts made when a famous chef from the East Blue occasionally makes a guest appearance."
Levi's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. *Secret menu? Unlimited? Limited edition desserts?*
He remained silent for a full three minutes, while the others waited. Garp's crunching of rice crackers sounded particularly loud.
Finally, as if all his strength had been drained, Levi's shoulders slumped. With a voice bordering on a whimper, he painstakingly uttered two words: "...I'll go..."
But he immediately added, a last trace of stubbornness in his eyes, "...But... I want to bring an orderly... to help me get food and make my bed... and... if the enemy looks too troublesome... I reserve the right to directly make them 'sleep'..."
Sengoku and Tsuru exchanged a knowing glance. "Alright," Sengoku readily agreed. "An orderly will be arranged. Specific tactics will be handled by Vice Admiral Ghoumil; you just provide 'support' as you see fit."
"Ah..." Levi let out a long, drawn-out sigh, feeling utterly drained. "When do we depart?"
"In one hour, at Port 7, Vice Admiral Ghoumil's flagship, The Rock," Sengoku said.
"...One hour?!" Levi was thunderstruck. "That fast?! I haven't even mentally prepared... or packed..."
"The quartermaster will prepare your luggage," Vice Admiral Tsuru smiled. "As for mental preparation, there's plenty of time on the way."
Levi turned around with a look of utter despair, like a soulless zombie, and slowly shuffled out of the office.
After he left, Garp burst into even louder laughter. "Puhahaha! That kid is too interesting! Even more fun than Kuzan!"
Kizaru pouted. "What a terrifying assignment~ I hope old Ghoumil's heart is strong enough~"
Sengoku rubbed his forehead. "I hope this test... doesn't go too wrong."
Tsuru calmly picked up her teacup. "Don't worry. For his dorm and the cafeteria, he'll 'try his best'."
Meanwhile, Levi was moving towards the port at a snail's pace, his heart filled with endless resentment.
"Giant Axe Pirate Crew... even the name sounds annoying..."
"Mountain Splitter Orne? Must be a muscular idiot... the most troublesome kind..."
"Whole Cake Island... cake... I hope it's really delicious... otherwise, this will be a huge loss..."
He was already contemplating whether to just make that Orne fellow "sleep" as soon as he saw him, then quickly take a small boat back. The Sleeping King's first compulsory business trip thus began amidst this endless resentment.