Levi's sleep was not peaceful.
His dreams were a chaotic mix of crackling flames, deafening laughter, and a persistent voice nagging in his ear, "So troublesome, so troublesome"—a voice that sounded suspiciously like his own.
When he was finally woken by the overly bright sunlight and a chorus of… well… extremely regular snores, it took a full ten minutes for his brain to come back online.
*Who am I?*
*Where am I?*
*Why is it so noisy outside… Oh, wait, did I do that?*
Memories slowly trickled back. He recalled the world-shattering (for him) conflict from yesterday, and how he had quieted the entire world with just a few weary words.
"Troublesome…" he mumbled, turning over, trying to block his ears with straw to shut out the symphony of overlapping snores from just outside his window.
*Are those pirates still not awake?*
Whatever. What did it matter to him?
He just felt hungry now, the kind of gnawing emptiness where his stomach felt stuck to his spine.
He habitually spread his palm, lazily thinking, "Fruit… bring me the sweetest one…"
The poor tree outside the window swayed, and a plump wild fruit detached from its branch. It gracefully curved around several motionless pirates on the ground, rolled precisely over the threshold, and stopped at his fingertips.
Levi munched on the fruit, listening to the gradually increasing, deliberately hushed whispers from outside, and felt an immense wave of irritation.
"Why... has no one moved these 'noise sources' yet..."
He thought gloomily, "It's seriously affecting my sleep quality…"
Just then, a more uniform, powerful sound of footsteps approached from a distance, mixed with the crisp clanging of metal. A serious aura, completely out of place with the town's usual leisurely atmosphere, permeated the air.
"The Marines are here!" someone gasped in a low voice outside, their tone a mix of relief and awe.
Levi froze.
It was getting even noisier. Can't a person just lie down in peace?
He heard a young, formal male voice speak up outside: "I am Ensign Koby of Marine Branch 73! What happened here? Who subdued all these pirates?"
Town Chief Old John's voice was filled with excitement and lingering fear: "It was the Black Shark Pirates! Trandle, with a bounty of 10 million! They suddenly attacked us yesterday… and then, then as you can see, they all fell asleep! It was Levi! The young man who lives by the sea did it!"
"Levi?" Ensign Koby's voice was full of doubt. "Who is he? Is he a town guard? What method did he use? Sleeping gas?"
"No… not exactly…" Old John's tone became a bit strange. "He just… said a few words… and then they all… collapsed."
A peculiar silence fell outside.
Levi could almost picture the expressions of disbelief on the faces of the Marine Ensign and his soldiers.
"Said a few words?" Koby's voice rose an octave, full of incredulity. "Old John, harboring a fugitive is a serious crime! Please tell me the truth!"
"I am telling the truth! Every word of it!" Old John grew anxious. "He lives in that little hut! Go ask him yourself!"
Levi's heart sank.
Questions? Explanations? Socializing? The troublesome trio.
His annoyance instantly soared to its peak, and a strong, almost tangible thought of "I don't want to deal with anyone" emanated from him.
Outside the hut, Ensign Koby frowned. He was a righteous Marine who firmly believed in discipline and strength, and he found such a fairytale-like explanation completely unacceptable.
He decided to personally meet this so-called "hero."
He adjusted his Marine cap and strode towards the dilapidated wooden hut.
Just as he was three steps away from the wooden door, he suddenly lost his footing.
"Ensign, watch out!" a soldier behind him exclaimed.
Koby stumbled, barely managing to regain his balance, avoiding embarrassment in front of his subordinates. He looked down; the ground was clean, not even a pebble.
"Strange…" he mumbled, then stepped forward again.
This time, just as he raised his hand to knock, a sudden, indescribable wave of fatigue washed over him. It was as if he had just finished three consecutive days of long-distance training, and his eyelids were so heavy he almost needed toothpicks to prop them open.
"Haa—ah—" He couldn't help but let out a huge yawn, tears welling in his eyes.
"Ensign? Are you alright?" the soldier asked with concern.
"N-nothing…" Koby shook his head, forcing himself to be alert, but his mind grew even more puzzled.
He took a deep breath and knocked firmly on the door. "Excuse me, is Mr. Levi in? I am Marine Ensign Koby, and I'd like to understand what happened yesterday."
There was no movement inside.
Koby waited, then knocked again: "Mr. Levi?"
Still no response.
Koby grew a bit impatient. He signaled his soldiers to be on guard, and then tried to push the door open himself.
The wooden door creaked open a crack.
In that instant, Koby felt his mind sink into a large, sticky, warm ball of cotton candy. All the questions he had prepared, the skeptical remarks, the investigation procedures… all became blurred, distant, and… troublesome.
Only one thought swirled and magnified in his mind:
*'Investigation… so troublesome…'*
*'Interrogation… so tiring…'*
*'How about… we just forget it… the pirates are caught anyway…'*
He maintained his posture of pushing the door, his eyes glazing over as he stood motionless on the spot.
The soldiers outside exchanged glances, unsure what was wrong with their Ensign.
A sergeant, sensing something was amiss, stepped forward: "Ensign? Are we…"
His words also trailed off.
A similar "laziness" spread like a contagion. The soldiers nearest the door successively began to yawn, their eyes glazed over, some even leaning on their comrades, almost falling asleep standing up.
"It's cursed!" The soldiers farther back dared not approach, looking in horror at the open door crack, as if a sleep demon that devoured human energy lived inside.
Old John muttered softly from the side: "See, I told you… that young man is really strange…"
Eventually, the Marines, dragging a dazed and constantly yawning Ensign Koby, practically fled this "ominous place" with the pirates tied up like dumplings. They couldn't even complete the most basic on-site investigation.
Before leaving, Ensign Koby, in a daze, used his last shred of professional instinct to mumble indistinctly to Old John: "Report… I'll write the report… just say… a mysterious individual… assisted… in the capture… recommend… observation…"
He really couldn't think of a better explanation.
The town returned to peace, and Levi's ears were finally quiet.
He rolled over contentedly and continued to munch on his fruit.
However, he underestimated the Marines' bureaucracy and the meticulousness of certain individuals.
Ensign Koby's vague, contradictory report, which nevertheless clearly indicated the existence of a "mysterious powerful individual," after several transfers, eventually landed on the desk of Vice Admiral Tsuru of Headquarters, who happened to be inspecting the West Blue.
Who is Vice Admiral Tsuru? She is the pinnacle of Marine wisdom, the Great Staff Officer, a master of discerning the hearts of people.
A report containing elements like "a single sentence put an entire pirate crew to sleep," "investigating officers inexplicably fatigued upon approach," and "villagers being vague" immediately piqued her interest.
This didn't sound like any known Devil Fruit ability, nor did it seem like a simple display of force.
"An interesting ability…" Vice Admiral Tsuru said, tapping her finger lightly on the desk as she read the report. "It seems related to 'will' and 'state'… capable of making people lose their fighting spirit and fall into idleness?"
She almost immediately realized the immense strategic value of this ability—for resolving hostage crises without bloodshed, demoralizing enemy forces, or even for interrogation.
A few days later, a medium-sized Marine warship with clear Headquarters markings quietly docked at Maple Leaf Town's small harbor.
Vice Admiral Tsuru did not make a grand entrance; she only brought a few attendants and, guided by a trembling Old John, proceeded to the small hut by the sea.