New World, G-5 Branch Rear Mountain, Eden Special Zone.
The morning sunlight pierced through the thin mist, illuminating this paradise that seemed completely isolated from the outside world.
There were no shouts from training grounds, no roaring machinery, only birdsong, the fragrance of flowers, and the gentle murmur of flowing water.
At the southeast corner of the zone stood a courtyard filled with Japanese Zen aesthetics.
At this moment, a man wearing a wine-red patterned shirt and a black top hat stood in a lush… vegetable field.
He had a pair of hawk-like, sharp golden eyes. Behind him, the Supreme Grade Sword Yoru leaned quietly against a cherry blossom tree by the field ridge, radiating a cold aura that kept strangers away.
Yet in the hands of this world's greatest swordsman was not the black blade that made the world tremble, but a… finely crafted stainless steel… small hoe.
"Exhale…"
Dracule Mihawk let out a soft breath, his gaze focused as if facing a peerless opponent.
The small hoe in his hand moved slightly.
Swish.
The motion was lightning-fast, yet as gentle as the wind.
A newly sprouted weed was uprooted completely, while the surrounding soil remained undisturbed, and the tender cabbage seedling beside it didn't even tremble.
"Precision, control, a mind like still water."
Mihawk nodded in satisfaction, picking up the weed with two fingers and flicking it away.
Like a concealed weapon, the weed shot forward with a thud, landing perfectly into a bamboo basket dozens of meters away, specifically for collecting weeds.
This was Mihawk's life as the Head of Security at G-5, though most of the time, he preferred to call himself a farmer pursuing perfection.
"Hawk-Eye! Good morning!"
At that moment, an energetic voice broke the tranquility of the courtyard.
Rehn's round figure appeared, dressed in a neat tailcoat, holding a silver tray while gliding over like he was performing light-foot martial arts (actually using electrostatic Renzotation).
"This is the Morning Dew Coffee freshly brewed by Sanji, as well as a premium organic fertilizer specially prepared for your vegetable field, made from Sea King bone powder and Sky Island cloud soil."
Rehn landed and respectfully placed the tray on the stone table by the field, then pointed at the faintly fishy-smelling fertilizer bag beside it.
"Leave it there."
Mihawk didn't even turn his head, continuing to examine another cabbage. "Has that noisy woman woken up?"
"You mean Perona?"
Rehn chuckled. "Not yet. Last night she stayed up late choosing which dress to wear today. When the orderly delivered breakfast earlier, her ghost guards were still hanging a 'Do Not Disturb' sign at the door."
"Hmph. Slothful."
Though Mihawk said this, there was little reproach in his tone.
After all, in this base ruled by Haiiroyo, laziness seemed to be politically correct.
"By the way, Hawk-Eye."
Rehn adjusted his monocle, his tone becoming slightly more serious.
"The radar at the port just detected a pirate ship with a bounty of 350 million. It seems to have gotten lost and is heading toward G-5's outer waters."
"350 million?"
Mihawk paused, frowning slightly. "Does something at that level even require reporting to me? What about the base's automatic cannons?"
"Well… the situation is like this."
Rehn awkwardly pointed toward the grand Temple of Sloth in the distance.
"Lord Renzo stayed up all night reading manga and has just fallen asleep. Potts is worried that the sound of cannon fire might cause vibrations that travel to his bedroom…"
"So?"
"So, Potts respectfully requests… whether you could use that kind of 'whoosh', silent and clean method, to… cut away the problem?"
Rehn gestured with a chopping motion.
Mihawk fell silent for two seconds.
He looked at his freshly tended vegetable field, then toward the direction of the unfortunate pirate ship that had yet to appear.
"How troublesome."
He sighed and set down the small hoe.
But he did not pick up the massive black blade Yoru.
Instead, he casually snapped off a thin, withered branch from the nearby cherry tree.
"This will do."
Holding the branch, Mihawk nodded at Rehn.
Then, in an instant, his figure vanished.
…...
Two minutes later.
Outer waters of the G-5 Branch.
"Hahaha! Men! Ahead lies the legendary G-5 Branch!"
"I've heard it's overflowing with wealth! As long as we sneak in quietly-"
Before the pirate captain could finish, a figure appeared without warning on the prow of their ship.
The man held a withered branch, his gaze indifferent as he looked at them like weeds about to be pulled.
"Y-you… who are you?!" the captain shouted, drawing his blade in fear.
Mihawk spoke calmly, "Your engine is too noisy. It disturbs the growth of vegetables… and someone's sleep."
"So, please disappear."
He lightly swung the branch in his hand.
Swish!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no violent sword energy.
The pirate captain only felt his vision blur.
The next second, the entire massive pirate ship, along with the hundreds of pirates aboard… even the sea beneath it, was silently, cleanly… cut in half.
The cut was smooth as a mirror.
The pirates didn't even realize they were dead before their consciousness fell into darkness.
The ship slowly slid apart and sank into the sea, barely making a splash.
Mihawk stood on a floating plank, tossing away the branch.
"Other than wasting a branch, it's acceptable."
After confirming the lack of noise, he vanished again, returning to water his cabbages.
…
Meanwhile, in another part of the Eden Special Zone, the Cloud Sound Pavilion.
This place had a completely different style from the Sword Zen Residence.
The entire villa was painted in a cute gothic mix of pink and black, surrounded by singing flowers transplanted by Uta.
"Kumashi! Don't steal my cake!"
A sharp voice came from the second-floor balcony.
Perona, dressed in a lace-trimmed Lolita dress and holding her signature wine-red parasol, floated in midair.
On the round table before her were all kinds of desserts, Sanji's daily job: lovely morning tea for the ladies.
"Waaah…"
A large stitched-up teddy bear covered its head in grievance.
"Even if you're a teddy bear, no means no! This is the Ghost-Ghost Strawberry Tart specially made for me by that curly-brow chef!"
Perona hugged the plate protectively and took a big bite.
"Mmm~~~! So delicious!"
Her eyes turned into stars. "This cream! This texture! Waaaah… what kind of moldy bread was I even eating back at Lord Moria's place?!"
"Life here is amazing!"
She spun midair as several white Negative Ghosts floated out of her body and danced around her happily.
"Even though that Admiral Renzo is always sleeping and boring, that fat butler looks creepy when he smiles, and that curly-brow is perverted…"
"But!"
She glanced at her priceless custom dress, the feast on the table, and the luxurious villa.
"There's endless pocket money! Endless desserts! And I don't even have to work!"
"This is basically… a princess's life!"
"Horohorohoro!"
Perona laughed her signature laugh.
"Perona-chan! Good morning!"
A lively voice called from downstairs.
Uta, wearing headphones and sporty stage clothes, came bouncing over.
"Morning, Uta!"
Perona floated down. "Going to sing for that lazy guy again?"
"Yep!"
Uta nodded seriously. "Lord Renzo said he's taking a three-hour nap today and needs a 'prelude.' I'm going to sing Wind Lullaby. After that, I get a bonus, and I can play on the top deck of that golden ship!"
"Hmph, what a spoiled admiral."
Perona pouted. "But… I'm coming too!"
"Huh? You too?"
"Of course!"
Perona raised her chin proudly. "That fat guy Rehn said he's reporting last month's finances today. As the acting financial supervisor (self-appointed after Nami left) need to keep an eye on things. What if he embezzles my dress fund?"
"Then let's go together!"
Uta grabbed Perona's hand.
…
Temple of Sloth, Central Infinite Pool.
This was the most core and most sacred place in all of G-5.
Renzo lay on a floating cloud couch in the middle of the water, covered with a familiar sea-beast fur blanket, an eye mask over his face.
Monet knelt beside him, using her Snow-Snow Fruit ability to create cool snowflakes, dispersing the midday heat.
"Lord Renzo."
Rehn's voice, lowered by eight tones, sounded from the shore.
"Hawk-Eye has already dealt with the 'noise.' The process was very quiet and took one minute and thirty seconds. He has now returned to watering his cabbages."
"Mm."
Renzo lazily responded, "That guy… really got into farming."
"And also, this month's financial report…"
Rehn was about to present a stack of documents.
"That's your job."
Renzo waved him off. "As long as there's enough money to spend, don't bother me."
"But…"
Rehn hesitated. "Miss Perona says she wants to audit…"
"That ghost girl?"
Renzo twitched slightly.
Ever since Nami left, this idle ghost princess had somehow taken an interest in G-5's treasury. Though she couldn't calculate accounts, she could use Negative Ghosts to make financial staff depressed, forcing them to "honestly" hand over money for her dresses.
"Let her do as she likes."
Renzo sighed. "There's too much gold anyway."
"Lord Renzo! I'm here!"
Uta's cheerful voice rang out.
"Shhh!"
Rehn instantly teleported over, making an exaggerated silencing gesture.
"Miss Uta! Quiet! Quiet! Lord Renzo has just entered light sleep!"
Uta stuck out her tongue and immediately softened her steps, walking with Perona to the poolside.
"Then… I'll begin."
Renzo turned over.
"Yes!"
Uta cleared her throat, and her gentle singing flowed like a breeze.
The song carried no aggression, only purity, serenity, and calm.
Combined with Monet's cooling snowflakes and the soft bubbling of deep-sea water around them,
Renzo's breathing gradually became steady and deep.
On the shore, Rehn stood guard like a gatekeeper.
Perona floated midair, holding a notebook, calculating how many limited-edition dolls to buy this month while listening to the song.
In the distance, Mihawk worked his vegetable field, swinging his small hoe, his figure focused and profound.
....
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