New World, Sea Area G-Gas-04.
This was a hellish route that even pirates of the New World spoke of with fear.
The sky was forever lead-gray. Enormous "magnetic tornadoes" rose like pillars reaching the heavens, linking sea and sky.
The seawater was no longer blue, but a strange rust color, mixed with volcanic ash and minerals.
The air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur, and… the crackling sound of static electricity.
BOOM!!!
A pitch-black lightning bolt as thick as a water barrel suddenly split from the clouds and smashed into the sea less than fifty meters in front of a small, completely black reconnaissance boat!
The terrifying flash instantly turned the rust-colored sea a ghastly white. The waves it raised towered dozens of meters high, like the claws of a giant beast, viciously slamming toward the lone vessel!
"Hard port!!"
"Thirty degrees into the wind!!"
A crisp, calm, and commanding shout came from the cockpit.
Nami stood at the helm. Her orange hair whipped wildly in the fierce wind, yet there was not a trace of panic on her face, only a kind of almost pathological excitement.
Her lively eyes shone brighter than the lightning itself as she stared at the hellish sea ahead.
BOOM!
The reconnaissance boat drifted across the sea at an unbelievable angle, barely skimming the surface as it narrowly avoided the direct impact of the massive wave.
The hull tilted violently, nearly capsizing!
"Hold it steady!!"
Just as the boat was about to flip, a round, heavy figure dropped with a thud onto the rising side of the ship like a thousand-pound stone.
It was Rehn.
At that moment, his enormous weight functioned perfectly as ballast, forcing the tilting vessel back down.
SPLASH!
The wave brushed past the hull, drenching Rehn like a drowned rat.
"Phew…"
Nami let out a long breath and quickly steadied the helm.
"Not bad, fatty! Nice reaction speed!"
"…."
Rehn wiped the seawater and a still-flopping electric eel that had been slapped onto his face by the wave.
On his chubby face appeared a professional smile that looked more painful than crying.
"Mi… Miss Nami."
He spoke shakily.
"A-are you sure… we absolutely had to take this shortcut?"
"Of course!"
Nami licked her lips excitedly.
"You don't understand, Rehn! This is the romance of sailing!"
"Look at this magnetic field! These storms! These black lightning bolts!"
She spread her arms as if embracing the disaster.
"Gran Tesoro must be right in the center of this storm! Only a place like this could hide the unique magnetic field of that mountain of gold!"
"But…"
Rehn looked at the sea chart covered with dense skull marks and felt his stomach begin to ache again.
"But… this is terribly inefficient! And… too noisy!"
"Inefficient? Noisy?"
Nami turned and stared at him like he was an idiot.
"You think this is a walk in the backyard of G-5? This is the New World! The edge of Kaido's territory!"
"We're treasure hunting! Treasure hunting, you understand?!"
Nami knocked excitedly on the helm.
"You need that heart-pounding, life-on-the-line feeling! That's what makes an adventure worth three ships of gold!"
"…."
Rehn fell silent, "Forget it."
He sighed and accepted his fate.
Lord Renzo had said to handle it however he liked.
Then letting the professional navigator handle it in her professional way… could also count as a form of "efficiency."
Although Rehn would have preferred to simply turn into lightning and teleport them there, he sadly realized… he had no coordinates.
He still needed Nami, the human compass.
"Miss Nami."
Rehn instantly switched back into all-purpose butler mode.
Despite the violently rocking cabin, his round body stood steady with unbelievable dexterity.
"Since the voyage is so difficult, you must have consumed a great deal of energy."
With a quick motion, he pulled something from a G-5 temperature-controlled storage box,
A plate of steaming, fragrant Sea King steak.
"This is A-grade Sea King tenderloin, personally marinated by Sanji and granted by Lord Renzo."
"It was slow-roasted on a G-5 special volcanic stone slab."
Rehn's face was filled with a flattering smile.
"Please… replenish your strength."
"Whoa!"
Nami's eyes lit up. She immediately grabbed a piece of meat larger than her face and bit into it.
"Mmm… delicious!!" she said through a full mouth.
"Not bad, fatty! You've got cooking skills too?!"
"This is merely a basic skill required of Lord Renzo's chief steward."
Rehn adjusted his glasses modestly.
"After all, to properly serve Lord Renzo, one must master: cooking, cleaning, security, financial management, massage, psychological counseling… and when necessary, removing all 'trash' for him."
"…."
Nami chewed her meat while looking at him like he was a monster.
"What kind of monsters does G-5 recruit? A Marine Admiral's butler has to know all that?"
"No."
Rehn's expression suddenly became holy and fanatical.
"It's not that G-5 demands this."
"It is Lord Renzo who guides me!"
"The only meaning of our existence as subordinates… is to allow Lord Renzo to be even lazier, more comfortable, and more efficient!"
"Ohhhh, Lord Renzo! Your humble servant is riding the waves under your glorious guidance!"
"Stop stop stop!!"
Nami felt her scalp go numb from his sudden outburst.
"Enough! I'll eat, okay?! Don't start preaching your 'Renzo Gospel' while I'm steering! It's annoying!"
"Yes, Miss Nami!"
Rehn snapped to attention, then returned to his gentle smile.
"Then… would you like dessert afterward? A G-5 exclusive: 'Mermaid Garden' coral mousse."
"…Yes."
Nami's voice softened considerably after eating his food.
In this hellish magnetic storm zone, a small reconnaissance boat drifted through the chaos with a strangely harmonious scene aboard.
An orange-haired genius navigator excitedly controlled the storm as if dancing on a knife's edge, her mouth stuffed with top-tier meat and desserts.
Behind her stood a round, unfathomably powerful fat man providing five-star logistical service with perfect dedication.
Occasionally, he served as ballast, a breakwater, and when Nami started dozing off, he even used electrotherapy to keep her awake.
BOOM!
Another bolt of black magnetic lightning struck, this time aimed at the stern!
"Fatty!!" Nami screamed.
"Got it."
Rehn sighed. His large right hand was already coated in pitch-black Armament Haki.
"Honestly… can't a man prepare afternoon tea in peace…"
He punched forward.
"Armament: Thunder God: Mini Version!"
BOOM!!
The black lightning was punched apart in midair by an even darker, harder fist.
The scattered electric arcs were perfectly absorbed by Rehn's electromagnetic field.
"Burp…"
Rehn let out an electric burp, a wisp of smoke rising from his body.
"Miss Nami, earlier you said… you wanted sparkling cocoa milk, right?"
"…."
Nami was numb.
Watching this fat man casually smash natural disasters while still worrying about an afternoon tea menu…
She realized something deeply.
'Among Renzo's subordinates…'
'Not a single normal person exists.'
'Including myself. Why do I think this is exciting?!'
Three days later.
The reconnaissance boat finally passed safely through the chaotic magnetic storm zone.
When the first ray of normal sunlight shone onto the deck, both Nami and Rehn sighed in relief.
"Finally out…"
Nami collapsed beside the helm. She hadn't slept for three days and nights, surviving only on Sanji's cooking and Rehn's electrotherapy.
"You worked hard, Miss Nami."
Rehn wiped his sweat. Though his stamina was nearly limitless thanks to electricity, the mental strain had been exhausting.
"Don't thank me yet."
Nami suddenly stood up and ran to the bow, sniffing the air intensely.
Her orange eyes suddenly lit up.
"Rehn!!"
She pointed excitedly toward a seemingly empty horizon.
"Do you smell it?!"
"Smell what?"
Rehn looked confused.
"The air… is quite fresh. No sulfur smell. That's nice."
"No!"
A wild grin appeared on Nami's face, the classic expression of the Cat Burglar discovering treasure.
"It's the smell of gold!!"
"I can smell it!!"
"Lots and lots of gold!!"
She grabbed a telescope and looked toward the horizon.
At the far end of the sea, beneath a sunset-reddened sky, something appeared that belonged neither to heaven nor to the ocean, like a mirage…
A golden radiance slowly emerged.
A gigantic ship made entirely of pure gold, larger than an island, more magnificent than the G-5 base itself.
Gran Tesoro.
"Heh…"
Rehn saw it too.
He slowly walked to Nami's side, then transformed into a golden bolt of lightning.
The two vanished instantly.
.....
G-5 Base.
Renzo lay on his newly custom-made Sea King Leather CC No.1, enjoying gentle feeding service from Miss Monet.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Inside the grand fortress symbolizing justice and order, the atmosphere in the highest conference room was nearly frozen with tension.
Around the massive circular table sat the top leadership of the Marines.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Buddha sat at the head seat, his face dark with rage.
Marine hero Garp the Fist sat casually in the corner, stuffing donuts into his mouth with loud crunching sounds.
Chief Staff Officer Tsuru sat with her eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to everything.
Below them sat the Marines' greatest combat power, the Three Admirals, each with their own posture.
Akainu sat upright with arms crossed, his volcanic face full of impatience and killing intent.
Aokiji leaned sideways with an eye mask on, apparently asleep, perfectly imitating someone's lazy style.
Kizaru sat with legs crossed, carefully trimming his fingernails.
Besides them were elite Vice Admirals such as Momousagi and Chaton, sitting stiffly.
And at the center of the huge table was something extremely out of place,
A golden, specially-made Den Den Mushi.
At the moment, it was snoring loudly.
"Snore… snore…"
It even had a small G-5 silk handkerchief covering it like a blanket.
This was how the fourth Marine Admiral, Haiiroyo, was attending the meeting.
....
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu