The air at the harbor grew thick, almost tangible, the moment Renzo said, "Let's give it a try."
Everyone's gaze locked onto his right hand as it slowly stretched forward, pale and slender.
That same hand had, not long ago, erased Burgess's limbs in a way that defied all common sense.
And now, it was about to reach toward an even more forbidden domain, one that even gods would not lightly touch:
Death.
Renzo's expression remained as lazy as ever, but those who knew him, like Kizaru and Ain, could see something else beneath the half-lidded eyes:
A heaviness unlike anything before.
His hand hovered above the fatal wound in little Lily's chest, only an inch away.
There was no explosive energy, no dazzling light show.
Only a faint, nearly invisible wisp of gray mist, like dawn fog, slipped from Renzo's palm and gently coated the girl's cold, tiny body.
"Death is the ultimate 'stillness,' the simplest resting place for all things."
Renzo whispered inwardly, both stating a truth and persuading the essence of Sloth fused within him.
"Letting her stay 'still' like this is truly the least troublesome choice."
"But…"
His eyes suddenly sharpened.
"Something already 'still'… is causing me, a being of 'motion,' to feel troubled."
"That contradiction, is an even greater annoyance."
"So…"
"Get up… and MOVE!!!"
BOOM!!!
An invisible pressure, so heavy it seemed to twist space, burst out of Renzo's body!
If his previous power forced all "motion" into "stillness"…
Then now, he was doing the opposite:
Using absolute control over Sloth to force ultimate stillness back into motion.
A process completely contradictory to his very nature.
Like ordering a river at full flow to halt, reverse, and climb back to its mountain source.
Its difficulty and cost dwarfed everything he had done before, by millions of times.
"Bzzzz"
The gray mist trembling over Lily's body churned violently, as if locked in a concept-level battle no mortal could ever comprehend.
For the first time, sweat beaded on Renzo's forehead.
Then the second bead.
The third…
Sweat trickled down his temples, wetting his lashes.
His face paled rapidly.
"This… this is…"
Kizaru's usual lazy expression vanished, replaced entirely by shock.
He didn't understand what Renzo was doing, but he could see it.
In the world of Observation Haki, Renzo was like a titan trying to hold up a collapsing world with his bare hands.
He was fighting not an enemy, not energy, but a rule woven into the world's very foundation.
Time passed.
Everyone held their breath.
Even the air seemed frozen.
Rehn's bloodshot eyes stayed glued to his little sister's face, afraid to miss even the slightest change.
One minute…
Five minutes…
Ten minutes…
Renzo's body began to tremble.
His immaculate gray-striped suit clung darkly to his back, soaked with sweat.
Droplets fell from his chin, splashing into tiny circles on the ground.
His breath turned rough and heavy.
"Admiral…" Ain's heart twisted painfully.
Her fists were clenched so tightly her nails dug into her palms.
She had never seen Renzo so drained, so vulnerable.
Then, just as everyone's nerves stretched to breaking, a change finally happened.
Rehn's eyes went wide-
The bullet wound on Lily's chest, bloodless but ghastly, began… slowly… impossibly… to knit.
Like a snail crawling, the torn flesh wriggled… regenerated.
Her face, white as paper from blood loss, began to show the faintest trace of color.
Like the first warmth of spring sun melting winter's frost.
"She… she moved… She moved!!"
Rehn's whole body shook violently.
He clamped a hand over his mouth, terrified of disturbing the fragile miracle unfolding before him.
Tears streamed again, but now they were hot with hope.
'It worked.'
'The Admiral's power actually worked.'
Renzo felt the response and gritted his teeth.
"Not enough…!"
He squeezed every drop of Sloth's essence inside him, forcing it against its nature, flooding it into the girl's body.
"Pick it back up, the state of being alive!"
"I won't allow you… to stay this damn lazy!!!"
BZZZ!!!
The gray glow enveloping her body brightened to its limit.
And after what felt like an eternity,
Maybe a century,
The light finally faded.
"Hah… hah… hah…"
Renzo yanked his hand back.
His knees buckled, and he staggered backward.
The world spun.
His consciousness dimmed.
A wave of exhaustion, like his very soul had been drained, overwhelmed him.
He collapsed.
"Admiral Renzo!"
Ain and Monet rushed forward, catching him on both sides and lowering him onto the soft floating sofa.
"Admiral! What's wrong?!"
Ain's voice broke as she looked at his pale, bloodless face, his drenched hair and clothes.
"Trouble…" he murmured weakly, unable to lift even a finger.
He closed his eyes, gasping for air.
But no one looked at him anymore.
Because their attention had been seized by the scene before them, something worthy of history.
Before Rehn, the little girl, Lily, her chest wound was gone, without even a scar.
Her cheeks held a healthy blush.
And most important of all,
Her small chest was…rising.
Falling.
Weak, but steady.
She was breathing.
"Mm…"
In the absolute silence, her eyelashes fluttered.
And she slowly opened her clear, doe-like eyes.
Confused, she looked around,
then her gaze landed on the familiar face before her, twisted by tears into an unrecognizable mess.
"Bro…ther?"
Her tiny voice was hoarse, dreamy.
"…?"
"Why… are you crying?"
BOOM!!!
Rehn's last thread of sanity snapped.
"Lily… Lily… my Lily…"
He couldn't answer.
He could only call her name over and over, voice trembling with disbelief.
He reached toward her face but hesitated,
afraid the miracle would shatter if he touched it.
"Brother?"
Lily grabbed his finger gently.
Warm.
Soft.
Real.
"WAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"
Rehn broke completely, hugging his sister with all his strength, burying his face in her tiny shoulder, sobbing like a man reborn.
This cry wasn't despair.
It wasn't grief.
It was the ecstasy of regaining something lost,
the release of escaping hell, the gratitude of witnessing a miracle.
"Thank you… thank you… THANK YOU, ADMIRAL RENZO!!!"
Still holding his sister, he slammed his forehead into the ground toward Renzo's direction, again and again,
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
No one stopped him.
Not even Kizaru.
All quietly watched the crying siblings, the kneeling young man, and the half-conscious admiral collapsed on the sofa.
In everyone's hearts, one thought rose at the same time:
Today, they truly witnessed… a miracle.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu