Marineford's library was vast, its shelves holding countless books—a sacred place for officers and cadets to acquire knowledge and study tactics. But for Levi, it had only one irreplaceable advantage: it was extremely quiet. The innermost, window-side corner, where sunlight streamed through huge glass panes to become soft and warm, was his favorite. Outside the window was the azure harbor, and the spot was so rarely visited that it had become the perfect place for a nap. Levi had come to treat it as his second dormitory.
At this moment, he was curled up in a large leather armchair, his head tilted to one side, his breathing even and long. He had clearly entered a deep, energy-saving mode. A thick book titled "Overview of Grand Line Climatic Anomalies" lay open on his chest, serving less as reading material and more as the perfect disguise and pillow.
Just as he was sleeping, oblivious to the passage of time, a slow and steady sound of footsteps approached from afar.
Kuzan, the Vice Admiral who would later become Admiral Aokiji, was already known throughout Marineford for his aversion to trouble and his knack for finding comfortable napping spots. He had intended to find a document on ancient glacial periods today and had unknowingly wandered into this quietest of corners.
Then, he saw Levi.
Kuzan raised an eyebrow slightly. The new face was very young, wearing a captain's uniform that was incredibly wrinkled. He was deeply sunken into the chair in a completely defenseless posture, sleeping so soundly that he didn't react at all to Kuzan's approach. This pure, immersive idleness sparked a hint of genuine curiosity in the Vice Admiral.
He lightened his already quiet steps and walked to the bookshelf next to Levi, pretending to browse the titles, but his gaze occasionally flickered towards this unfamiliar colleague. He could feel that, centered around the young captain, the surrounding air seemed to become more stagnant, and a drowsy atmosphere permeated the area. Even the sunlight streaming through the window seemed to grow lazier. Kuzan's own philosophy of "lazy justice," often criticized by Sengoku, resonated subtly in this space. He was almost certain this was no ordinary captain.
After observing for a few minutes and seeing no sign of the other man waking, Kuzan stroked his chin and decided to strike up a conversation. He walked to the chair opposite Levi and sat down, his tall frame causing the leather to emit a slight groan.
Levi frowned in his sleep, seemingly disturbed by the sound, but merely smacked his lips, turned his head to the other side, and continued to sleep.
Kuzan waited for a moment, and seeing no response, he had no choice but to speak first, his voice carrying its characteristic lazy, magnetic quality. "Hmm… this is a nice spot you've found, colleague."
No response. Only the sound of even breathing.
Kuzan wasn't annoyed. He continued leisurely, "The sun is just right, and it's quiet… much more comfortable than the training ground, isn't it?"
Still no reaction, but the book on Levi's chest gently rose and fell with his breathing.
Kuzan found it even more interesting and raised his voice slightly. "Hey… if you keep sleeping, the red bean soup in the mess hall will be sold out."
"...Hmm...?"
Perhaps the keyword "mess hall" struck a chord deep in Levi's brain, for he finally reacted. A muffled sound escaped his throat, his long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and he very slowly, with great difficulty, opened his eyes just a slit. His confused, vacant gaze met Kuzan's, which held a hint of inquiry and a lazy smile.
It took Levi more than ten seconds to focus and clearly see the tall, curly-haired Vice Admiral with an eye mask pushed up on his head sitting in front of him. He mentally ran through the faces of Marineford's high-ranking officials and barely made a match—Vice Admiral Kuzan, the one famous for being lazy.
"...Vice Admiral?" Levi's voice was hoarse and thick with sleep. "...Something wrong?… Do you want to borrow… this book?… You can take it… I've finished it…" He assumed Kuzan was asking for the climate book on his chest.
Kuzan smiled and waved his hand. "It's not about the book. I just saw you sleeping so soundly and had to agree, this really is a good spot."
"...Oh…" Levi breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn't here to cause trouble, it was fine. He adjusted his posture, preparing to close his eyes again. "...Yes… it's very quiet… You… make yourself at home…"
Seeing that he was about to drift off again, Kuzan quickly interjected, "Hey—wait. You're the one Vice Admiral Tsuru brought back from the West Blue? Your name is… Levi, right?"
Levi's movements paused, his eyelids lifting a bit more as a hint of wariness entered his eyes. *Is he also here to ask me to do something troublesome?*
"Don't be so tense…" Kuzan leaned back, finding a more comfortable position. "I just heard a little about you. One sentence put all the Black Shark Pirates to sleep, and Orne's axe fell into the sea by itself?" There was no doubt in his tone, only curiosity and a hint of appreciation.
"...They were too noisy…" Levi mumbled, implicitly acknowledging it. He observed Kuzan, finding that the Vice Admiral didn't seem to have any intention of reprimanding him, so his tense nerves relaxed slightly.
"Being noisy enough to disturb sleep is indeed unforgivable," Kuzan nodded with deep understanding, as if he had found a kindred spirit. "However, your ability… is really convenient. You don't even need to lift a finger."
"...Lifting a finger… is too much trouble…" Levi complained in a low voice, his truest feelings on the matter.
"Yes, it's super troublesome," Kuzan fully agreed. "Things that can be solved without lifting a finger are the best way to solve them."
A strange silence fell between the two, but the atmosphere wasn't awkward; instead, there was a harmonious feeling of kindred spirits recognizing each other. The lazy aura in the library corner seemed to grow even thicker.
After a long while, Kuzan seemed to suddenly think of something. "I say… while this place isn't bad, the chair is still a bit hard. I know an even better place. The rooftop terrace is better ventilated, has a wider view, and no one bothers you. How about… we go try it together?"
Levi blinked, digesting the suggestion. *Take a nap… with a Vice Admiral?* The development was a bit unexpected. But the suggestion of a "better sleeping spot" held a fatal attraction. He slowly considered the pros and cons: being with Kuzan might prevent other, more troublesome people from bothering him, and he could also discover a new, high-quality napping spot…
"...Is it far?" he asked cautiously.
"Five minutes if you ride a bicycle," Kuzan grinned.
"...Bicycle… bumpy… troublesome…" Levi frowned.
"I can make it 'steadier'," Kuzan hinted meaningfully.
Levi thought about it, and ultimately, the desire for a "better sleeping spot" overcame the trouble of "moving."
"...Alright…" He slowly stood up, casually putting the book from his chest back on a nearby bookshelf, too lazy to care if it was the right place or not. "...Lead the way… Vice Admiral Kuzan…"
Kuzan also stood up, stretching his tall frame, seeming to be in a very good mood. "Just call me Kuzan. If you want to slack off… ahem, find a quiet place to rest in the future, you can find me."
Thus, under the stunned gaze of the library administrator, one of Marineford's laziest Vice Admirals and its newest, most stylishly lazy captain walked out of the library one after another, their footsteps equally slow, as if time itself had slowed for them.
In the following days, Kuzan did occasionally seek out Levi, sometimes to share a new flavor of ice cream, other times simply to share a newly discovered, auspicious spot suitable for napping. Their conversations were often concise, filled with phrases like "This is nice," "Mm," "A bit noisy," and "Alright," yet they formed an unspoken understanding. One was too lazy to ask, the other too lazy to speak, yet they strangely understood each other.
Marineford's high command soon discovered that their troublesome lazy captain seemed to have teamed up with the Vice Admiral famous for his own laziness. Upon learning this, Sengoku once again pressed his temples for a long time.
"As if one Kuzan wasn't enough…" he sighed in despair.
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Tsuru showed a meaningful smile. "Perhaps… this might actually make them easier to manage?"
At least, the probability of two lazy people causing trouble together might be slightly less than one lazy person wandering around alone. Of course, that was just her optimistic guess.