Gal was still stuck in the crack of a rock.
The iron hook had dug into the stone with enough force to spark, but right now, he couldn't care about the pain; his mind was full of thoughts about "how to smash that ancient machine."
Even if he couldn't survive, he'd drag everyone on the island down with him. How else could he explain this to Donquixote Doflamingo?
"Don't think you've won!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice shrill like a cat being stepped on, "Once the energy source inside that machine is activated, the whole island will explode! None of you will escape!"
Sanji, squatting nearby while picking up the crushed hot spring egg shells, looked up at him with wide eyes: "Explode? My moss sauce isn't remade yet! If you dare blow up the island, I'll throw you to the fish first!"
Renzo, however, didn't respond. He crouched in front of the metal device, his fingertip poking the greenish light in the crack, like petting his own cat's chin, his expression full of disdain, thinking, This thing is really troublesome.
It wasn't until Gal suddenly pulled a round stun grenade from his pocket that Renzo slowly raised his eyes.
"If I can't have it, no one else will!"
Gal threw all his strength into tossing the grenade at the device, veins bulging on his arms.
"Explode! Blow this damn island to pieces!"
Potts cowered, hugging the pottery shard, while Sanji panicked, lifting his foot to kick the bomb away. But halfway through, the grenade floated slowly in place as if frozen in time, then "plopped" onto the ground.
It didn't explode; the fuse lazily refused to ignite. The shell cracked loosely, revealing rusted components inside, looking like an old antique that had long since gone on strike.
Gal stared, eyes wide, muttering to himself: "Impossible… this is the latest black-market model. How can it be useless…"
"Good that it's useless."
Renzo stood up, brushing the dust off his pants.
"Blowing up an island is too troublesome. Cleaning up the debris is even worse. You're so unprofessional, even at causing trouble."
He glanced toward the bay. The three speedboats Gal had brought floated there, the two guards aboard cautiously peeking out, clearly wanting to help but afraid of being affected by abilities; they stood frozen like wooden stakes.
"Keeping them around is even more troublesome."
Renzo muttered, and without waiting for Sanji and Potts to react, he slowly activated his [Sloth's Declaration] toward the backup soldiers sprawled on the sand, Gal stuck in the rock, and the guards on the boats.
This time, the command was different; there was no "don't move" or "float away," just a casual. "Stay in the water. Too lazy to breathe."
The first to respond were the soldiers on the sand.
They had been lying like puddles of mud, but now, like puppets whose souls had been drawn out, they slowly got up, eyes empty, and walked toward the sea.
Their steps didn't pause even when the water touched their knees; they didn't bother about wetting their pants. They yawned halfway, as if thinking, Walking is easier than swimming.
Gal's mind went blank. He suddenly realized his own body wouldn't obey him either.
His hand stuck in the rock refused to pull free, but an invisible force dragged him, hook and all, toward the sea. The sand scraped painfully against his arm, yet he had no strength to resist, helplessly watching himself get closer to the water.
"No! I don't want to go in! I can't swim!"
He screamed, tears mixed with sand, "Lord Doflamingo! Save me!"
But shouting did nothing. The moment his feet touched the water, his body sank like lead. Even lifting his arms to swim felt too troublesome, leaving him to gulp seawater that made him roll his eyes.
The two guards on the boat fared worse. They tried to jump overboard to escape, but the moment they reached the edge, their bodies felt weak, "too lazy to hold the railing," and they splashed straight into the sea.
They didn't even struggle, sinking straight down like two heavy stones.
Sanji, squatting nearby, twitched involuntarily, touching his arm: "Your ability… can be used like this too?"
"Otherwise, we'd have to bring them back for reinforcements?"
Renzo glanced at him, tone matter-of-fact. "Next time a bunch comes, I'll have to waste words on them. Even more troublesome."
Potts hugged the shard, pale, but said nothing. He already knew his Commodore looked lazy, but when something was troublesome, he was more ruthless than anyone. "Solve it all at once" was his style.
At that moment, the metal device suddenly hummed. A faint green spirit of nature drifted out.
It looked like a glowing little jellyfish, floating lazily toward the sea, waving its glowing tendrils at the black-market members still flailing in the water.
The next second, a moderate wave rose on the surface, pushing Gal and the others a few meters into the deep sea. The three speedboats "decided they were too lazy to float," sinking, and all spare paddles and buckets fell into the water with clatters; there wasn't a single plank left to grab.
Gal's head surfaced one last time, still shouting for "Lord Doflamingo," but the wave swallowed him completely. Only a few bubbles remained, which quickly "decided they were too lazy" to appear.
Sanji watched in disbelief: "Is this… an island spirit? …And it's helping finish them off?"
"Probably thought they were noisy."
Renzo stretched lazily. The spirit floated to his side, brushing his wrist with its glowing body, warmth making him squint.
"Stop moving around, it's making me dizzy. Go back to sleep. Don't cause trouble again."
The spirit seemed to understand, circling him once before drifting back into the metal device. The crack clicked shut; the green glow dimmed instantly, as if the "clearing" had never happened.
Potts whispered: "Commodore… will they… really drown?"
"Otherwise?" Renzo walked back lazily.
"Let them swim back? Too troublesome."
Sanji followed, suddenly laughing: "You lazy bastard, your methods are ruthless. But fine, at least they won't come back to cause trouble, and I can finally cook in peace."
He pulled a perfectly intact hot spring egg from his pocket.
Amid the earlier chaos, he hadn't noticed, it was still warm, shell uncracked, as if someone had been protecting it.
"Whoa, this spirit knows its stuff."
Sanji shook the egg, eyes shining. "Perfect. Tonight, we'll make hot spring egg fried rice, and cook a rich soup with the moss! Renzo, go grab some firewood, don't just lie there."
"Too troublesome to fetch firewood."
Renzo didn't even think, refusing, heading toward a warm rock. "Have Potts do it, he's young and strong."
Potts was about to nod, but Sanji glared: "If he collects wood, who's washing the ingredients?"
Renzo paused, rubbing his stomach, remembering the smell of the hot spring egg fried rice. Running over was indeed too troublesome.
He lazily called toward the forest: "Wood, come here yourself. Just enough for the soup, keep it tidy so I don't have to sort it."
Sanji and Potts hadn't reacted when rustling came from the forest.
Several thick sticks rolled out of the bushes, slowly moving down the slope, some "considerately" avoiding rocks to not break.
Soon, thinner sticks followed, arranged neatly by the stove, looking as if someone had deliberately placed them.
Even more absurd, the last stick rolled over with two bright red wild fruits dangling, landing right at Renzo's feet.
Whether the wood "brought them along" or the spirit added them was unknown.
Sanji nearly dropped the hot spring egg: "Your ability… can make wood deliver itself?"
"What else?"
Renzo bent down, picked up the fruits, wiped, and bit, sweet enough to make him squint.
"Too troublesome to run over and grab. Better if they come themselves."
Potts touched the top of the pile, amazed: "They're all dry! Not a wet one! Commodore, your ability is too convenient!"
"Eh, only useful for this much."
Renzo munched the fruits, walked to the stove, and naturally sat on a clean rock. "Hurry up and cook, I'm hungry."
Sanji looked at the neatly stacked wood, then at Renzo lying on the rock waiting for food, feeling his worldview shift.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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