In the Fleet Admiral's Office, Sengoku, recalling Vice Admiral Tsuru's words, pondered for a moment and decided to test the new captain's abilities himself.
Marineford had recently achieved several victories against small and medium-sized pirate crews. While it was far from a cause for a massive celebration, Fleet Admiral Sengoku felt it was a sufficient excuse. A small-scale officer's banquet was scheduled to be held in one of the grand halls within the Marineford building. Most of those invited were Vice Admirals, a few outstanding Rear Admirals, and some key department heads.
Of course, a special invitation was personally delivered by Vice Admiral Tsuru to Captain Levi's dormitory.
Levi stared at the beautifully printed invitation, which exuded a faint, pleasant fragrance, and his brows furrowed into a deep scowl.
"A banquet?" His tone was filled with incredulous resistance. "Lots of people? Noise? And... socializing?"
Each word was a direct assault on his core desire for peace.
"Yes," Vice Admiral Tsuru said calmly. "The Fleet Admiral specifically invited you, considering it a welcome party for you."
"...Can I not go?" Levi attempted to struggle. "I feel... a bit dizzy... maybe I slept too much yesterday..."
"The special dessert section at the mess hall will have an unlimited supply of a rare cantaloupe pudding from the South Blue tonight. It's said to have a very special texture, melting in your mouth, sweet yet not cloying," Vice Admiral Tsuru mentioned, as if in passing. "Only those invited to the banquet can enjoy it."
Levi fell silent. For a full minute, an intense internal struggle raged within him. On one side was the deafening trouble of a social gathering; on the other, the infinitely tempting, rare pudding.
Ultimately, the craving for delicious food, and a faint apprehension towards Fleet Admiral Sengoku (the mess hall's biggest sponsor, after all), barely triumphed over his profound inertia.
"...What time does it start?" His voice carried the tragic determination of a warrior about to sever his own arm.
That evening, Levi reluctantly appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall. He was still wearing his wrinkled casual clothes, having found the act of locating his uniform too troublesome. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes darted about, making him completely out of place among the impeccably dressed, chatting Marine officers.
The moment he entered, an overwhelming scent of... society... a troublesome mix of food, alcohol, and too many people, assailed him, making him instinctively want to turn around and leave. But his gaze caught sight of the crystal-clear cantaloupe pudding piled high like a small, shimmering tower on a distant table, and he froze.
"Find a corner... eat the pudding, then leave..."
He set his primary objective, then, like a ghost, began to slowly shuffle along the wall towards the dessert area.
In the main seating area, Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, and several veteran Vice Admirals, including Kizaru, were gathered. Sengoku's gaze seemed casual, but it was actually fixed on Levi.
"Is that him?" Garp asked, picking his nose and pointing casually in Levi's direction. "He looks so listless! Even lazier than Kuzan!" (At this time, Aokiji had not yet become an Admiral, but his lazy style was already well-known.)
Tsuru took a small sip of her drink. "Just watch, Garp."
Sengoku gave a subtle look to a Rear Admiral known for his enthusiastic, cheerful, and talkative nature. The Rear Admiral understood, straightened his tie, picked up two glasses of wine, and with a brilliant (and to Levi, intensely annoying) smile, strode towards the young captain, who was about to descend upon the pudding.
"Hey! This must be Captain Levi!" The Rear Admiral's voice was loud. He went to slap Levi on the back but inexplicably slipped as he approached, causing his hand to miss entirely. "I'm Rear Admiral Strawberry! Welcome to Marineford! Come on, don't be shy, have a drink!"
Levi's hand, holding a plate, trembled, and the pudding he had just secured almost fell. He slowly turned his head, his lifeless eyes landing on the overly cheerful officer.
"...Thanks... I don't drink..." he refused curtly, just wanting the man to leave.
"Oh, come on, it's a banquet! You have to be happy! It's okay if you don't drink, let's just chat! I heard you're from the West Blue? What's it like there? And you made a great contribution apprehending the Black Shark Pirates! How did you do it?" Rear Admiral Strawberry seemed to ignore Levi's resistance, rattling off a string of questions at a dizzying pace.
Levi felt the very air around him become thick and noisy because of the Rear Admiral's presence. His strong thoughts of "so troublesome," "so noisy," and "please go away" began to unconsciously emanate from him.
Something peculiar happened.
Rear Admiral Strawberry, who had been speaking so animatedly, inexplicably slowed his speech. "...That... pirate... how did they just... fall asleep... I actually... um..." He let out a big yawn, his eyes starting to glaze over. "...Speaking of which... why do we always have to fight... peaceful coexistence... sounds so much better... ah ha—yawn..."
He shook his head, trying to stay awake, but a heavy wave of sleepiness washed over him. He struggled to find another topic but found thinking incredibly difficult, eventually only able to mumble vaguely, "...Uh... I seem to be a bit tired... You... enjoy yourself..."
With that, he walked unsteadily to a nearby chair, his eyes vacant, and plopped down, his head bobbing as he nearly fell asleep on the spot.
The area around Levi was instantly quiet again. He turned back, satisfied, and continued to focus on his pudding.
Sengoku, observing from afar, raised an eyebrow.
Garp almost flicked a booger in surprise. "Oh?! What's wrong with Strawberry? He usually never shuts up!"
Tsuru smiled faintly. "It seems even ordinary social interaction is too troublesome to be permitted near him."
At that moment, another Brigadier General, known for his persistence, stepped up. He learned from Strawberry's "lesson" and decided to skip the words, opting for direct "physical" harassment. Pretending to be drunk, he staggered towards Levi, shouting, "Yo! New face! Come have some fun!"
Just as his hand was about to touch Levi's shoulder, his foot suddenly slipped. He lunged forward in a comical posture, and the wine in his hand splashed precisely onto the trousers of a passing, expressionless Vice Admiral. The Vice Admiral's face instantly darkened, his icy gaze locking onto the Brigadier General, who sobered up instantly, cold sweat pouring down his back.
And Levi? He had simply taken a small step to the side, avoiding the splash zone without even fully raising his head, concentrating on eating his second pudding as if nothing had happened.
"Pfft ha ha ha!" Garp finally burst into laughter. "That's some bad luck! Picked the wrong person to mess with!"
Kizaru, holding a glass of red wine, had approached at some point. Watching the scene, he slowly spoke. "How scary~~~ Even getting close can lead to misfortune~~~ Rear Admiral Strawberry seems to be completely asleep now~~~"
The atmosphere in the banquet hall had grown decidedly strange. In the area within a ten-meter radius of Levi, things were noticeably more subdued. Officers either inexplicably felt tired and lost interest in conversation, or they would encounter small accidents when trying to approach him. Some had even gone off to nap like Strawberry.
Levi finally finished his third pudding, feeling content. His social energy was completely depleted; staying another second would be torture. He put down his plate, completely ignoring the strange atmosphere and the high-ranking officers observing him, and once again, like a ghost, slowly shuffled along the wall towards the exit. His mission was complete; it was time to go back to sleep.
After he left, the inexplicable drowsiness in the hall slowly began to dissipate, but many people's spirits had been thoroughly ruined. The banquet inevitably stalled and ended early.
Sengoku rubbed his temples, his feelings complex as he looked at the messy scene. "It seems the test results are very clear," Vice Admiral Tsuru concluded. "His passive field is effective even in non-combat environments, subtly reducing the vitality of those around him. Active attempts to bother him, on the other hand, attract more direct 'accidents'. He's a walking, talking banquet terminator."
Sengoku sighed. "However, it is indeed a... very special ability."
Kizaru swirled his wine glass, smiling. "As long as you leave him alone, he can make everyone around him 'too lazy' to move? How~~~ convenient an ability~~~"
Garp picked his other nostril. "Well, the pudding was delicious anyway! Hahaha!"
Seng-oku was already getting a headache, wondering if he should invite Levi to the next celebration. Meanwhile, the culprit had long since returned to his comfortable dormitory. Lying on his soft bed and reminiscing about the cantaloupe pudding, he felt that although the evening had been a bit troublesome, overall... it wasn't so bad.
As for the banquet? What was that? Was it as important as pudding?