G-5 branch's jurisdictional waters.
The Endless Sheep cut silently through the ever-present ring of toxic clouds surrounding Punk Hazard, ghost-like and soundless.
A faint gray membrane, so thin it was almost invisible, coated the surface of the ship.
The corrosive poison gas, upon touching this membrane, behaved as though it had run into the toughest barrier… or rather, as though it was simply too lazy to react. It split apart obediently, sliding away to both sides.
"Ugh… this smell is awful."
Half his head popped out from under a blanket on the Cloud Cluster No.1, Renzo wrinkling his nose in complaint.
Even with the poison blocked outside, that faint mix of sulfur and chemical waste still managed to seep in a little, stubbornly ruining the quality of his sleep.
"We've passed the outer contamination zone," Ain reported from the bow.
Back straight, posture impeccable, she held a freshly analyzed nautical chart in hand, efficient as always.
"According to intel, the central region of the island is safe. It still retains its original jungle terrain."
"Original jungle?"
Sanji, who was checking his cookware, twitched like a hunting dog. Under his golden fringe, his eyes immediately lit up.
"That means rare ingredients! Maybe glowing mushrooms… or vines that drip natural syrup!"
The chef's soul in him was already blazing.
Meanwhile, Potts clutched a medical kit with both hands, nervously looking around as if a monster might crawl out of the poison clouds any moment.
When the Endless Sheep finally pierced through the last layer of mist and a lush, vibrant green island appeared, even Ain showed a hint of surprise.
Completely unlike the "dead zone" marked on the charts, the Punk Hazard before them was overflowing with life, nothing like a former chemical weapons test site.
"It seems the so-called 'accident report' was a lie from the beginning," Ain said sharply.
"Who cares?" Renzo yawned, slowly floating down from the cloud sofa.
"Let's just drag out that Caesar guy, clean up the mess, and go home for dinner. Sanji, I smell grilled meat."
"That's your 'Pre-Landing Energy Boost Sandwich.' Double-layer grilled meat and cheese."
Sanji emerged from the galley with a plate, the sandwich so packed it made one hungry just looking at it.
....
Meanwhile, Punk Hazard Central Research Facility, Main Control Room
"Alert! Alert! Unidentified vessel entering Sector C waters!"
The blaring alarms and flashing red lights threw the entire control room into chaos.
"It's the Marine! And the sail emblem is… a sheep? A sleeping sheep?!"
The monitor operator shrieked in confusion.
"A sheep?!"
Caesar Clown shot up from his throne, his panicked expression mixing absurdly with his exaggerated makeup.
"It's the that Admiral! That monster! Dofflamingo warned me he'd appear at G-5, but why is he here?!"
Doflamingo's words still rang in his ears:
"Give up all attempts to probe Haiiroyo. Classify him as an uncontrollable, top-tier calamity."
And now, that "calamity" had landed on his doorstep.
"Monet!" Caesar screeched at the calm secretary beside him. "Do something! Anything! Stall them! I need time to hide the children and the research data!"
"Understood, Master."
Monet bowed gracefully, seaweed-green hair cascading down.
Her body dissolved into a swirl of snowflakes and slipped through the wall without a sound.
"And you useless lot!"
Caesar pointed at the half-human half-centaur guards.
"Go! Seal the main gate! Tell them this is a Marine restricted zone! Anyone who steps in, kill them!"
"Yes, Caesar-sama!"
The Endless Sheep pulled ashore.
Renzo and his three companions descended the ramp. Soft grass cushioned their steps; the air was rich with plant fragrance.
"Nice air," Renzo commented, a rare compliment. "Much better than G-5's rusty smell."
They soon stood before the research facility's main gate, an enormous slab of alloy towering several stories high, sealed tight, marked with bones and a poison emblem.
Above it, dozens of centaur-guards readied rocket launchers and spears.
"Halt! This is a Marine Research Restricted Zone!" the captain shouted.
"By Vice Admiral Vergo's orders, no one is allowed near! Leave now, or we will use force!"
Ain stepped forward and presented identification.
"We are here under orders from Marine Headquarters. Open the gate."
"Headquarters? We only take orders from Vice Admiral Vergo!"
the centaur snapped.
"Get lost before we fire Punk Hazard's special toxin rounds!"
Ain's hand moved to her sword. Sanji exhaled a smoke ring, eyes dangerous.
But Renzo just found all the shouting… noisy.
He looked up at the enormous metal gate… then at the loud guards… and sighed.
"A gate is just a gate. Why make it complicated?"
He walked to the door, placed his hand on the cold alloy, and spoke like chatting with an old friend:
"You've been standing here every single day. Must be tiring, right?"
"Opening and closing all the time… annoying, isn't it?"
Above him, the centaurs stared, bewildered.
Renzo continued gently: "So stop forcing yourself. Take a break."
The instant he finished, a horrible metal-fatigue groan echoed from inside the gate.
Before everyone's stunned eyes, the sturdy alloy began to age rapidly.
Coating peeled away.
Metal rusted.
Gears loosened.
Hinges sagged like exhausted muscles.
Finally-
BOOOOM!!
The entire massive gate collapsed inward like an old man whose knees had given out, crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust.
The centaurs were frozen in shock, rocket launchers slack in their hands.
Their prized, near-indestructible gate had just… been talked into quitting.
"Alright. The path's clear."
Renzo dusted imaginary dirt from his hands and nodded.
"Let's go."
At that exact moment-
The temperature plummeted.
Snow began to fall… then instantly surged into a roaring blizzard, burying the jungle in white.
"Oh? Artificial snowfall? Or a Devil Fruit user?"
Sanji shielded his basket of ingredients.
Renzo had just stepped inside the warmth of the entrance when the sudden "air-conditioning blast" hit him, making him shiver.
He hated the cold.
Cold made sleeping uncomfortable.
Annoyance surged.
He didn't bother to search for the culprit.
Standing in the storm, he simply issued a decree to the sky:
"Snow, too lazy to fall."
"Wind, too lazy to blow."
"Cold, too lazy to be cold."
The blizzard stopped instantly.
Snowflakes froze in midair… then drifted upward instead of down.
The frigid air warmed back to mild spring weather in seconds.
Far away, hidden in the snow clouds, Monet trembled violently.
Her beloved Snow-Snow Fruit… wasn't obeying.
The snow didn't listen.
Her body felt sluggish.
Even maintaining elemental form took effort.
"Good. Now it's warm. And quiet."
Renzo nodded, adjusting his admiral's coat, and strolled inside the corridor like an old man taking a slow after-meal walk.
"Let's go see who thinks it's fun to make trouble."
Behind him, Ain, Sanji, and Potts followed…
While in the distant control room, Caesar stared at the monitors, utterly broken.
"A mo… monster!! A MONSTER!!!"
His scream echoed through the frozen control room
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu