The evenings on Warmwave Island always carried a drowsy warmth that made people want to nap.
Renzo was soaking in the hot spring, with only half his head above the water, lazily poking the peel of a freshly chilled volcano orange in his hand.
He had just finished a call with Kizaru and returned to the hot spring, leaving the seastone ropes for Potts to deal with.
"Commodore, the ropes are all tied tight!"
Potts ran over wiping the sweat from his forehead, still carrying an empty bucket. "I moved the two under the shade, so they don't get too much sun..."
He almost said, "so they don't get sunburned, it'd be hard to explain," but swallowed the words.
After all, Garon and Lia were both pirates with bounties over a hundred million. Saying they might "get spoiled by the sun" didn't sound right.
Renzo gave a lazy "mm," set the volcano orange on a stone platform beside him, and the water droplets that splashed barely made a sound as they slid quietly into the hot spring.
The Domain of Absolute Sloth was still running silently, so much so that even the water drops were "too lazy" to make a splash, and not even a grain of sand dared drift into the pool.
Under a nearby palm's shade, Garon and Lia were tied back-to-back to a tree with seastone ropes.
Garon was still panting, steam rising from his steel armor as the heat slowly dissipated, exposing skin reddened from the sun, his armor hadn't completely blocked the heat earlier.
Lia's eyes were closed, her face pale; only her fingers moved now and then to prove she was still conscious.
"You think... Kizaru will really come?"
Garon's voice was hoarse and bitter.
He'd seen Kizaru's poster in the New World and in the News Coo, an admiral with impossible speed. If they were really handed to him and sent to Impel Down, there'd be no chance of escape.
Lia opened her eyes slightly and glanced at Renzo in the spring, her tone cold. "He'll come. That lazy bum has no reason to lie to us; he finds even small talk troublesome, let alone making up lies."
She saw through Renzo better than Garon did.
Renzo's powers might be strange, but his "fear of hassle" was genuine.
If Kizaru didn't come, Renzo would have to guard them himself, and that clearly didn't fit with someone whose life goals were "sleeping and eating sweets."
Garon wanted to say more, but the smell of grilled meat wafted through the air, rich and savory, blending with the faint mossy scent of the spring, making his stomach growl.
He turned his head instinctively and saw Sanji crouched at a makeshift stove, holding a skewer with neatly cut deep-sea fish cubes slowly roasting over the fire.
The fish skin had turned golden, sizzling with dripping oil that sparked little flames, releasing that irresistible aroma.
Every now and then, Sanji brushed a layer of sauce made from volcano orange jam, its sweet-and-sour flavor perfectly cutting through the fish's ocean scent.
"Damn it…" Garon swallowed hard. He realized he hadn't eaten a single bite since landing on the island.
But remembering he was a prisoner, someone who didn't even have the right to eat, he could only glare at Renzo soaking in the spring. "That lazy bastard can still relax and eat barbecue!"
Lia said nothing. She didn't even have the strength to be angry anymore.
Her Shadow Blade Fruit powers hadn't recovered yet, and the seastone's suppression made her whole body weak. She could only let her stomach growl and pretend she couldn't smell the food.
In the spring, Renzo caught the same aroma.
He rose lazily from the water, draping a robe over his shoulders. The droplets rolled off the fabric without soaking it; his domain made the water "too lazy" to seep through, so they just rolled into the grass nearby.
"Barbecue ready yet?"
Renzo walked toward the stove, eyes locked on the skewers with a faint look of expectation.
Sanji rolled his eyes but still brushed another layer of glaze on the meat. "What's the rush? Two more minutes or it'll still be raw. If you're hungry, there are hot spring moss cookies right there; snack on those."
Renzo looked at the plate beside the stove. Several green cookies, edges slightly crisped and dusted with sugar powder.
He took one and bit into it. It was crunchy, fragrant with spring moss, and lightly sweet, enough to take the edge off hunger.
"Not bad," he commented, rare praise, and grabbed another.
"When Kizaru gets here, let him try some too."
Sanji blinked, then laughed. "You're still thinking about him? I thought you only cared about getting him here to take the prisoners."
"Oh, he'll take them," Renzo said between bites. "But if he comes, he might bring that matcha lava cake from HQ's cafeteria. He said it's made with special South Sea matcha, tastes even better than Big Mom's."
What Renzo was looking forward to about Kizaru's arrival wasn't the "help," but the dessert.
To him, handling problems was just the process. Eating sweets was the goal.
A while later, Potts came running over with a small Den Den Mushi in hand, face slightly tense. "Commodore, the Den Den Mushi's ringing, it's Admiral Kizaru!"
Renzo's eyes lit up as he took it quickly.
The moment he held it to his ear, Kizaru's lazy drawl came through:
"Yooo~ Commodore Renzo~ I'm almost at Warmwave Island~"
"Then hurry up," Renzo replied. "The barbecue's almost done. If you're late, there won't be any left."
"Oh, come on~" Kizaru's tone had a hint of mock complaint. "I'm still up in the sky~ Just passed a little island in East Blue, saw a dessert shop there. Want me to bring you some macarons? Strawberry flavor~"
"Macarons are too sweet, makes me sick. If there's matcha lava cake, bring one. If not, forget it."
"Got it~ got it~" Kizaru chuckled. "I remember you don't like things too sweet~ Oh, and Sanji-san there? I've been craving his hot spring egg chawanmushi~"
Hearing his name, Sanji leaned toward the snail and shouted, "Don't worry! Saved some for you already! Come too late and it'll get cold!"
"On my way, on my way~" Kizaru said before hanging up.
Renzo pocketed the Den Den Mushi, finished his cookie, and glanced at Garon and Lia under the tree.
Both were staring in disbelief.
Two Marines, one waiting to escort pirates, the other discussing desserts, completely shattered their idea of what Marines were supposed to be.
"You two can stop staring," Renzo called out. "Behave, and Sanji might leave you some meat. Keep yapping, and you can starve until Kizaru arrives."
Garon opened his mouth, but his stomach growled loudly, echoing through the quiet evening.
His face flushed red, and he shut up. He really was starving, and if he could just get a bite of that barbecue, he'd take it, even as a prisoner.
Lia said nothing, only nodding slightly. She knew better than Garon that resistance was pointless. At least if they behaved, they'd get to eat.
Sanji plated the grilled fish and handed one skewer to Renzo. "Here, careful, it's hot."
Then he gave another to Potts, and finally walked toward the shade where the two pirates sat.
"Here," he said, offering them each a piece. His tone lacked the earlier hostility. "You wasted my ingredients, but leaving you hungry would be worse."
The two pirates froze for a moment, then took the skewers.
The meat was still steaming; the first bite melted in their mouths, crispy outside, tender inside, the tangy jam blending perfectly with the fish's savoriness.
They didn't speak, just ate hungrily, even ignoring the bones. It was the first hot meal they'd had since arriving on the island.
Renzo leaned against the stone platform, eating his own skewer while gazing at the horizon.
The sun was setting, the evening glow deepening, when suddenly, a golden beam shot across the sky at incredible speed, stopping over the bay in an instant.
Kizaru had arrived.
Particles of light gathered midair, and his figure slowly appeared, dressed in his signature yellow-and-white striped suit, fan in hand, that familiar half-smile on his face.
"Yooo~ I'm late, aren't I~? The barbecue's not cold yet, I hope~"
Renzo looked up, slightly impatient. "One minute later, and Potts would've eaten it all."
Kizaru chuckled, unconcerned. His gaze swept over the tied-up Garon and Lia, then to the steaming hot spring, and his eyes lit up.
"This hot spring looks so comfy~ How about... we talk about the prisoner thing tomorrow~?"
Renzo didn't even argue; he'd already predicted this. Instead, he pointed to the plate near the stove. "The chawanmushi's over there. Eat it before it gets cold."
Kizaru immediately folded his fan and strode toward the food, not even glancing at the prisoners again.
After all, what were prisoners compared to dessert?
Garon and Lia watched in silent despair.
They were really going to be handed over to these two "slacker Marines"? If word got out, pirates across the New World would die laughing.
The sea breeze carried the aroma of grilled fish and the sulfur scent of the hot spring.
Kizaru's laughter, Sanji's grumbling, and Potts' footsteps all blended into one strange yet peaceful scene.
Two pirates tied under a palm tree.
Two high-ranking Marines eating barbecue and soaking in a hot spring.
Completely forgetting their mission.
That was the daily life of the Slackers' Alliance.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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