That afternoon, the sun was just right, and the sea breeze was gentle.
Levi was engaged in the most important daily project of his life—a nap.
He lay on the straw mat, his posture serene, his breathing even, just a hair's breadth away from his ideal state of "sleeping until the end of time."
However, this tranquility was rudely shattered.
First, a faint clamor drifted from the distant port, like fragments of noise scattered by the wind.
Levi frowned in his sleep, unconsciously muttering, "...Noisy..."
The noise seemed to genuinely lessen a bit under his subconscious influence, but it didn't completely disappear.
Immediately after, the clamor suddenly amplified, sharpening into distinct screams, cries, the crash of splintering wood, and the arrogant, wild laughter of aggressors.
The sharp clang of swords and the roar of gunshots, like cold needle tips, pierced the warm afternoon air of the small town, completely tearing through Levi's fragile sleep barrier.
"Tsk!"
Levi rolled over with extreme impatience, stuffing his ears with straw, desperately trying to shut out the "trouble."
His passive ability also seemed to be working; when the chaotic sounds reached the vicinity of his hut, they became somewhat blurred and distorted, as if filtered through a thick curtain of water.
But this did not change the fundamental, infuriating fact that the noise existed.
"Endless... So troublesome..." His resentment was building, a cold, simmering irritation.
Soon, chaotic footsteps approached his secluded dwelling.
Several ferocious pirates, their faces alight with the cruel excitement of plunder, kicked open the door of an unoccupied hut next door, ransacked it, and then turned their greedy eyes to Levi's even more dilapidated-looking home.
"Boss! There's another one here!"
"Search it! See if there's anything valuable or edible! Damn it, this miserable place!"
A short pirate swaggered forward, raising his foot to kick the door open.
Just as his boot was about to make contact, he somehow slipped, as if he had stepped on an impossibly smooth, invisible banana peel (though there were no bananas nearby).
"Ouch, what the hell!" he shrieked, losing his balance and flailing backward, crashing right into an accomplice who was holding a torch.
The two immediately tumbled into a heap, the torch flying from their grasp, narrowly grazing their clothes and igniting a small patch of weeds, causing them to frantically beat at the flames.
"Damn it! What are you doing!"
"The... the ground is too slippery!"
Inside the hut, Levi's frown deepened into a scowl.
"It's noisy even by the door... Can't they be quiet..."
His thoughts were now laced with intense annoyance.
The two pirates, having just scrambled to their feet, were about to kick the door again when they suddenly felt an irresistible, heavy wave of sleepiness wash over their brains simultaneously.
Their eyelids became as heavy as lead, and the knives in their hands felt like they weighed a ton.
"Ugh... ha-ah..." The short pirate let out a huge, tear-inducing yawn. "Stra... strange... why suddenly... so sleepy..."
"Me... me too..." The other pirate swayed twice, then slowly slid down against the wall, and within seconds, he was snoring loudly.
The short pirate struggled for a few moments but ultimately couldn't resist the bizarre drowsiness. His head tilted, and he collapsed beside his companion, falling into a deep slumber.
The world finally quieted down a bit.
Levi smacked his lips, seemingly satisfied with the result, adjusted his posture, and tried to re-enter his interrupted dream.
However, the Black Shark Pirates' plunder continued, and it grew worse.
Captain "Black Shark" Trandle, a burly man with a scarred face and a bounty of 10 million Berries, was a notorious villain in the West Blue.
He was directing his subordinates to load stolen valuables and food onto small boats, occasionally letting out triumphant, wild laughter.
The townspeople's cries and resistance only excited him more.
In the chaos, a torch thrown by a pirate, or a misfired gun igniting supplies, caused flames to quickly shoot up, setting fire to a shed storing fishing nets near Levi's hut.
Blown by the sea breeze, the fire began to spread, and thick smoke billowed into the sky.
The crackling of flames, the shouts of people fighting the fire, the unrestrained laughter of the pirates... all these sounds intertwined, forming an even more violent wave of noise that fiercely assaulted Levi's small wooden house.
Even worse, as the fire grew, several flaming pieces of wood were flung by the explosive air current, and one of them, without fail, smashed into the already dilapidated roof of Levi's small wooden house!
The small measure of peace Levi had just reclaimed was completely crushed by the continuous, escalating noise and the sudden vibration.
The roof was smashed open, and sparks and wood chips rustled down. Although all falling objects mysteriously avoided his body under the influence of his passive ability, the plumes of thick smoke that drifted in and the towering flames visible through the hole made it impossible for him to ignore any longer.
His house... was broken?
It was on fire?
It was so noisy... he couldn't sleep at all?
These realizations were the final straws, crushing the fragile peace Levi had built from countless moments of "laziness."
Anger?
No, it was not a fiery rage.
Instead, it was an extreme irritation, an unbearable impatience, a feeling of collapse as if being pushed to the limit by countless flies buzzing incessantly in his ears.
It was a profound resentment after his sacred domain of "lying flat" had been repeatedly invaded and trampled upon.
Fixing the house... so troublesome!
Fighting the fire... so troublesome!
Choking on smoke... so troublesome!
Not being able to sleep... was the most, most, most... unbearable trouble of all!
The source of all this trouble was the noisy, fighting, destructive group outside.
He had to... make it all... stop! Immediately! Now!
Levi suddenly sat up!
This was the largest and most energy-consuming movement he had made since he transmigrated.
His hair was a mess from sleep and static, his eyes holding no sharp killing intent, only a heavy resentment and the profound displeasure of someone whose rest had been unforgivably disturbed.
He didn't even bother to put on shoes, stepping onto the ground barefoot.
He pushed open the creaking wooden door and walked outside.
The sun was obscured by thick smoke, the air hot and choking. In the distance were cries and wild laughter; nearby were two pirates leaning against the wall, snoring loudly, and the encroaching flames.
Levi's gaze swept across the chaotic town, finally settling on the loudest, most central group of pirates, especially the burly Trandle, who was laughing the loudest and was clearly their leader.
His voice was not loud, yet it carried a lazy, undeniable quality that seemed to penetrate the soul, echoing clearly across the noisy battlefield:
"...So noisy."
"Can you all... be quiet?"
"Or... why don't you all... take a nap..."
"Don't disturb my... sleep... it's really... troublesome..."
This was not a command, but more of a complaint—a powerful demand born of extreme annoyance, a wish for the world to operate according to his will.
[Declaration of the Lazy Person · Group Edition]: Activate!
An invisible ripple, centered on Levi, quietly spread out like water waves.
Black Shark Trandle, who was laughing wildly while holding a treasure chest, suddenly had his laughter caught in his throat.
An inexplicable, incredibly heavy drowsiness instantly seized him.
He felt the treasure chest in his hand become incredibly heavy, as if it were filled with lead. The shouts of fighting and the sounds of burning around him seemed to be pushed away, becoming blurred and indistinct.
He vigorously shook his head, trying to dispel this strange feeling, but found his thoughts had also become sluggish, like rusty gears.
"Wh-what's going on?" He looked at his subordinates around him.
He saw that all the ferocious pirates, who had been so menacing moments before, had slowed their movements to a crawl.
Those raising their knives to chop had their arms suspended in mid-air, as if they had forgotten what they were doing.
Those firing their guns found their trigger fingers powerless.
Those plundering valuables, in the midst of their actions, saw their movements turn to slow motion, and then one after another, they began to yawn, their eyes glazing over.
"Boss... I... I'm suddenly so sleepy..."
"I can't... My eyes... I can't keep them open..."
"Fighting... it's so troublesome... why fight anyway..."
"I want to... go home and sleep..."
Thud! Thud!
Like wheat being cut down, pirates collapsed in swathes, dropping their weapons without realizing it, almost instantly falling into deep sleep. Their snores rose and fell, forming an absurd chorus against the lingering sounds of battle.
Even Captain Trandle only lasted a few more seconds.
He felt his legs were filled with lead, his eyelids so heavy he would need a crowbar to pry them open. His proud strength and ferocity seemed utterly ridiculous and powerless under the pervasive erosion of the concept of "laziness."
"You... what did you do..." He stared with difficulty at the simply dressed, bleary-eyed young man standing at the door of the broken house, his gaze filled with horror and disbelief.
What kind of strange ability was this?!
His answer was another impatient, deeply sleepy look from Levi, and an even clearer command from his mind:
"...You too... sleep."
Thump!
"Black Shark" Trandle, with a bounty of 10 million Berries in the West Blue, collapsed with a crash as if all his bones had been removed, his head tilting as he completely lost consciousness amidst the snoring of his subordinates.
Almost simultaneously with all the pirates falling, the town's chaos seemed to have been muted.
Only the crackling of the flames and the gasping sobs of the terrified townspeople remained.
Levi looked at the "sources of trouble" lying scattered on the ground and, with satisfaction—or rather, a feeling of finally being less annoyed—he yawned.
"Finally... it's quiet..."
He rubbed his eyes, completely disregarding the complex gazes of the surviving townspeople, which were a mixture of fear, surprise, and gratitude.
He only had one thought now.
Go back, and catch up on sleep.
As for fighting the fire? Cleaning up the mess? Explaining what happened?
That's far too troublesome.
He turned around and slowly walked back to his small wooden house, carefully avoiding the dust falling from the hole in the roof, and collapsed back onto his straw mat.
Almost the instant his head touched the "pillow," his even breathing resumed.
Outside, the pirates lay scattered on the ground, gradually being tied up by townspeople and town guards who had arrived after hearing the commotion.
In the distance on the sea, a Marine patrol ship, flying a seagull flag, seemed to have been attracted by the thick smoke from the town and the previous commotion, and was slowly approaching.
None of this concerned Levi in the slightest.
He just wanted to sleep.
Even the biggest trouble could wait until he woke up—if he even remembered it then.