The Marine Headquarters' library was massive, countless volumes lined its towering shelves, a sacred haven for officers and cadets who sought knowledge and studied tactics.
But to Renzo, it had only one irreplaceable virtue, it was extremely quiet.
Especially that far corner by the window, where sunlight softened through the glass and poured in a warm, golden hue. Outside lay a calm view of the blue harbor. Few people ever came there. It was, in short, the perfect place for a nap.
Renzo had practically made it his second dorm room.
Right now, he was curled up in a wide leather armchair, head tilted to one side, breathing slow and steady, clearly in deep "power-saving mode."
A thick book, A Comprehensive Study of Climate Anomalies in the Grand Line, lay open on his chest, more a disguise and pillow than reading material.
While Renzo slept, a slow, steady set of footsteps approached.
Kuzan, the future Admiral Aokiji, was, at this point, still a vice admiral. He was also famous at Headquarters for disliking trouble and constantly seeking comfortable nap spots.
Today, while searching for literature about the ancient Ice Age, he'd unknowingly wandered to this quietest of corners, and there he saw Renzo.
Kuzan raised an eyebrow.
The young man in the wrinkled captain's uniform was completely defenseless, sunk deep into the chair, sleeping soundly, so soundly that even Kuzan's approach didn't stir him.
That pure, unguarded laziness stirred Kuzan's curiosity.
He softened his steps though they were never heavy to begin with and stood near the bookshelf beside Renzo, pretending to browse, while occasionally glancing his way.
He could feel it, the air around the young officer seemed to slow down, filled with a faint drowsiness that made his own eyelids heavy. Even the sunlight itself seemed lazier here.
Kuzan's own "lazy justice," so often scolded by Sengoku, seemed to hum in resonance.
He was almost certain this guy wasn't an ordinary captain.
After watching for a few minutes and seeing no sign of waking, Kuzan stroked his chin and decided to start a conversation.
He sat in the chair opposite Renzo, his tall frame made the seat creak softly.
Renzo furrowed his brow in his sleep, mildly disturbed, but simply turned his head to the other side and kept snoozing.
Kuzan waited a bit, then spoke in his slow, mellow tone.
"Hmm… not a bad spot you've found here, huh, comrade?"
No answer, only steady breathing.
Kuzan didn't mind. "Good sunlight, quiet air… way better than the training grounds, right?"
Still no response, though the book on Renzo's chest rose and fell gently.
Kuzan's curiosity deepened. He raised his voice slightly.
"Hey… if you keep sleeping, the cafeteria's red bean soup's gonna be sold out, you know."
"…Hmm…?"
The word cafeteria must have struck something deep within Renzo's brain.
A vague sound escaped his throat. His long eyelashes trembled. Slowly, painfully slowly, he pried open a sliver of an eye.
His dazed gaze met Kuzan's mildly amused, lazy smile.
It took Renzo a good ten seconds to focus and realize the man sitting across from him was a tall, curly-haired vice admiral with his sleep mask pushed up on his head.
After mentally scanning through the faces of high-ranking officers, Renzo finally matched him, Vice Admiral Kuzan, the one famous for riding a bike and sleeping anywhere.
"…Vice Admiral?" Renzo's voice was hoarse, thick with sleep. "...Do you… need something? …Want this book? …Take it… I'm done reading…"
He thought Kuzan had come to borrow the book on his chest.
Kuzan chuckled and waved a hand. "Not about the book. Just saw you sleeping soundly. This really is a good spot."
"…Oh…" Renzo relaxed. As long as the guy wasn't here to give him work, that was fine.
He adjusted his posture, ready to close his eyes again. "…Yeah… it's quiet… do as you please…"
Just as he was about to drift off again, Kuzan spoke up, "Hey-wait. You're that kid Vice Admiral Tsuru brought back from the West Blue, right? Renzo?"
Renzo's movement paused. His eyelids lifted a little higher, a trace of wariness in his eyes.
"…Yeah… what about it?" Was this going to turn into more trouble?
"Relax…"
Kuzan leaned back comfortably, getting cozy in his seat.
"I just heard about you. The one who made the entire Black Shark Pirates fall asleep with one sentence, and made Owen's axe drop into the sea by itself?"
There was no accusation in his tone, only curiosity, and maybe a hint of admiration.
"…They were too noisy…" Renzo muttered, tacitly confirming it.
Seeing no sign that Kuzan was about to scold or assign him work, he eased a little.
"Yeah, can't blame you," Kuzan nodded solemnly, as if speaking to a kindred spirit. "Noisy people deserve it. Sleep's important."
"...Moving around… is troublesome…" Renzo added quietly, a heartfelt complaint.
"Totally agree," Kuzan replied with conviction. "The best fight is the one you don't have to move for."
A brief silence fell between them, not awkward, but strangely harmonious, like two people speaking the same language without words.
The lazy aura in the library corner thickened noticeably.
After a while, Kuzan suddenly said, "You know, this place's nice, but those chairs aren't great for long naps. I know a better one, rooftop terrace, open air, good breeze, no people. Wanna try it out together?"
Renzo blinked slowly, processing the offer.
Take a nap… with a vice admiral?
That was unexpected. But the phrase "better nap spot" was incredibly tempting.
He thought slowly about the pros and cons: sticking with Kuzan might mean fewer annoying people would bother him, after all, who'd dare interrupt a napping vice admiral? Plus, he'd discover a new prime sleeping location...
"…Far?" he asked cautiously.
"Five minutes by bike," Kuzan grinned.
"…Bike… bumpy… troublesome…" Renzo frowned.
"I can make it 'smooth,'" Kuzan hinted.
Renzo hesitated… then, finally, his desire for a better sleeping spot won over his reluctance to move.
"…Alright…" He stood up lazily, placing the book back on the shelf, probably the wrong one, but who cared?
"…Lead the way… Vice Admiral Kuzan…"
"Just Kuzan," the man said with a smile. "And hey, if you ever want to, uh, 'avoid trouble' or find a quiet place to rest, come find me."
And so, under the stunned gaze of the librarian, one of Marine HQ's laziest vice admirals and its newest, most artfully lazy captain walked out of the library together, slow, unhurried, as though time itself had decided to match their pace.
Sunlight fell through the window onto their empty chairs, and a faint, drowsy air seemed to linger behind.
In the days that followed, Kuzan indeed came by from time to time, sometimes to share a new flavor of ice cream, Renzo discovered Kuzan's taste in frozen desserts was excellent, sometimes just to introduce a new "perfect napping spot."
Their conversations were brief and minimal, filled with phrases like "Nice place," "Mm," "A bit noisy," and "Not bad."
Yet somehow, they always understood each other perfectly.
One too lazy to ask, the other too lazy to explain, but they got along just fine.
Soon, the higher-ups noticed that the troublesome "lazy captain" had teamed up with the equally lazy vice admiral.
Upon hearing this, Sengoku pressed his fingers to his temples again and sighed deeply.
"One Kuzan wasn't enough…?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru, however, smiled knowingly.
"Perhaps this makes him easier to manage."
After all, two lazy men together might cause fewer problems than one lazy man wandering alone.
…Or so she hoped.