Crying is the final struggle of life.
When grief tears the throat apart, when tears of blood dry out the eyes, what remains is only silence, a silence heavier than death itself, one that can crush a soul into dust.
Rehn didn't know how long he had been crying.
Maybe an hour.
Maybe a single moment.
In this alley shrouded in death and despair, time had long since lost its meaning.
He simply held Lily, held his small, cold sister who would never smile at him again, never tug at his sleeve and call him big brother.
The world turned gray.
The joy and excitement everyone felt earlier, when Admiral Haiiroyo descended like a god and saved them all, now twisted into the sharpest, most venomous mockery.
'A savior?'
'Yes… he saved everyone.'
Except the one person who was Rehn's entire world.
'Why?'
'Why Lily?'
She was so good, so obedient, hiding exactly where I told her to…'
Why…'
Endless "whys" crawled inside his mind like venomous insects, gnawing at his sanity, dragging him into an abyss named collapse.
Ever since his parents died, his life existed only for his sister.
To protect her.
To care for her.
To see her smile.
That was the entire meaning of his existence.
And now, that meaning was gone.
'What was the point of living?'
'Maybe it was better… to just stay here with her… quietly…'
"…Getting yourself this messed up is going to make the paperwork and cleanup a huge hassle."
"So… stop it."
Just before the darkness swallowed him whole, his mind suddenly replayed the scene he had witnessed earlier at the port.
He merely stretched out a hand, spoke in a tone that sounded like he was complaining, and Miss Ain's fatal wounds simply vanished into thin air.
As if he wasn't healing her wounds…
but ordering them:
"You're too troublesome to exist, so just disappear."
And the wounds obeyed and disappeared.
A thought so absurd, so insane even Rehn knew it was ridiculous, suddenly sprouted from the deepest part of his soul.
'Could he… revive the dead?'
'No. Impossible.'
'It defies the truth of the world.'
'Even gods cannot break that rule.'
'The dead cannot return.'
'But…'
'But the power that man displayed had already surpassed the realm of "human"!'
'It wasn't a Devil Fruit ability.'
'It was… a miracle.'
'A rule spoken into existence.'
'He could make wounds "too lazy" to exist.'
'He could make death itself "too lazy" to descend.'
'Then…'
'Could he make Lily… "too lazy" to stay dead?'
Once the thought took hold, it burned through Rehn like wildfire.
He knew it was impossible.
He knew it was a delusion born from despair.
He knew approaching the admiral with a corpse would likely earn him cold rejection, or worse, they'd think he was insane.
But-
It was his last hope.
Would he cling to that fragile strand of hope… or sink into this endless sea of despair with Lily in his arms?
The answer was obvious.
"Lily… brother's taking you… brother's taking you to find him…"
Rehn trembled as he used his tattered coat to wrap his sister's body gently, tenderly, as though she were only sleeping and he must keep her warm.
He forced himself to stand.
His legs were numb from kneeling, weak from grief, but he stood straight, as if carrying the weight of the world.
Holding his sister… step by step… he walked out of the alley that had swallowed all his happiness.
Then he began to run.
Pushing his body beyond its limits, he sprinted toward the port like a man possessed.
…
At the same time, Patnia Port.
Cleanup operations were in full swing.
Marines from G-5 had arrived and were restraining the unconscious Blackbeard pirates with seastone chains, preparing to load them onto ships.
Medics tended to the injured civilians, tracking casualties.
At the center of this busy, somber scene was an island of complete peace.
Suspended half a meter above, was a sofa floating gently.
On it, Renzo lay sprawled out under a soft blanket, eyes closed as if already asleep.
Everyone in G-5 knew this was their Admiral's "mobile throne."
Wherever he went, if conditions allowed, the floating sofa went too.
Ain and Monet stood beside it, their expressions complicated.
Ain was fully healed and had changed into a clean spare uniform.
She stared at the man on the sofa, the man who seemed indifferent to everything around him, and her blue eyes carried emotions she couldn't name:
Relief at surviving.
Gratitude.
Awe at godlike power.
And a faint… unnoticed reliance.
After hesitating, she accepted a steaming cup of cocoa from a nearby marine and stepped forward cautiously.
"Um… Admiral Renzo…"
She spoke softly, afraid to disturb him.
"You… you used so much energy. Would you like… something to replenish it?"
Renzo's eyelid twitched.
He lazily cracked one eye open, glanced at the cocoa-
"Troublesome."
One word.
Then he shut his eye again.
Ain froze, face flushing.
"But…"
"Ain," Renzo murmured without opening his eyes, voice thick with sleep, "filing battle reports, assessing damage, calming civilians, every one of those requires energy."
"Drinking, going to the bathroom, and then doing work… that whole process is too troublesome."
"…."
Ain was speechless.
His laziness wasn't just a habit.
It was a philosophy, a closed-loop logic that justified itself perfectly.
Monet laughed softly and took the cup from Ain.
"The admiral means he just wants to rest. Ain, you've been through a lot too, go take a break."
Ain nodded, disappointed.
But then.
"Ain."
"Yes! I'm here!"
She snapped to attention instantly.
"…Don't make yourself that messy next time."
Ain blinked.
"Writing a death report is far more troublesome than writing a merit report," Renzo said, still lazy as ever.
"So don't increase my workload. Stay alive. Understood?"
Warmth surged through Ain's chest.
For someone so expressionless and lazy, this was the most sincere care he could show.
Her eyes stung faintly.
She saluted hard.
"Yes, I promise!"
Renzo made a barely audible "mm" and seemed to fall asleep again.
But the peace shattered as frantic footsteps drew near.
"Stop! Restricted area!"
"Move! I have to see the Admiral!"
"Restrain him!"
A battered, bloodstained figure barreled through the marines like a mad bull.
Renzo opened his eyes, irritated.
Ain and Monet tensed.
Rehn stumbled forward, hugging something wrapped in a torn coat.
He fell to his knees with a heavy thud.
"Admiral Renzo!!"
His young face was twisted with despair far too deep for someone his age.
To him, the man on the sofa wasn't a mere Admiral, he was a drowning man's final ray of light.
Trembling, Rehn opened the coat.
Inside was the peaceful face of the little girl.
"Admiral Renzo… Savior…"
His voice was hoarse, broken, every word scraped out like blood from his soul.
"Please… please look at my sister…"
"She's just… she's just tired… she fell asleep…"
He was incoherent, sobbing uncontrollably.
Then, gathering the last strength in his life, he raised his head-
"Please… command her…"
"Command her… not to sleep anymore… please…"
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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