One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 249 Losing means certain death.

"Why are you asking this? Do you want to join the Navy?"

How to become stronger is a long topic that cannot be explained by Roman in just a few words.

"Just tell me." Sioka's tone was urgent, and her eyes revealed a deep envy for Roman.

She envied her own strength.

Whether you say it or not, the meaning conveyed by that look is very clear.

"My strength is something I've developed through training and battles. Of course, I've also received guidance from many people. If you want to become stronger, you can find a good teacher or join the Navy, but I can't guarantee the results. There's no shortcut in this world, especially when it comes to becoming stronger." Roman quietly added in his mind, excluding those who are cheat-like.

"Should I choose to join the Navy?" Sioka asked again eagerly.

Emmm...

Roman remained silent for a few seconds.

How should I put it!

The requirements for joining the Navy are indeed not high; you just need to be physically fit.

But that's also the standard for joining the army.

It's alright for men, but not many women can actually reach the passing grade.

Otherwise, the male-to-female ratio in the navy wouldn't be so skewed.

It wasn't that she looked down on Ōka, but given Ōka's current state, even if she joined the Navy, she would probably die very quickly.

She has no political value and will not receive special protection.

Moreover, her physical condition was not good enough.

Sioka was slender and graceful, possessing a good temperament, but this slender figure did not bring her any advantage in her naval life.

"You might still be better suited to your current job," Roman said, carefully choosing his words.

"Do you also think that someone like me can only rely on others to live? But who doesn't want to live well by their own efforts!" Sioka suddenly became agitated.

She longs for recognition.

"Please calm down. I have no prejudice against people from the entertainment district. In fact, one of my direct subordinates also comes from the entertainment district, but she is exceptionally good at fighting. She beat up 102 customers during her work. This is something that ordinary people really can't learn!" Roman tried to calm Sioka down with a humorous tone.

"Won't her boss fire her?" Sioka was clearly surprised.

"Hehe, her boss had it even worse, he was beaten 102 times." But now she's scared of being beaten by herself, Roman silently added in his mind.

Sioux: "..."

"Is there no other way?" Sioka looked extremely frustrated.

Although Roman wanted to comfort her, she held back.

Given the current maritime situation and Xioka's own conditions, sending her into the navy would be no different than sending her to her death sooner.

Such a thing is of no value, and Roman is unwilling to do it.

She thought Šioka was going to back down, but the next second, she saw Šioka's determined eyes: "I want to try. If I hadn't met you and seen your strength, I might have been content to spend my life in the Pleasure District. But your existence has shown me another possibility. Even if the result is not good, I want to try."

This is the true sentiment of Xioka.

Many children dream of becoming heroes when they are young.

The same applies to Sioka.

They admired the heroes in the stories who could turn the world upside down with a flick of their wrist.

However, reality is cruel.

The turmoil of the Great Pirate Era caused the number of pirates to double continuously.

Her town suffered wave after wave of purges.

When she was twenty, she lost her house, her parents, and all her possessions.

In towns, the economic downturn has made it impossible to find work.

She can't even guarantee her own livelihood.

However, due to her outstanding appearance, she was later able to work in the entertainment district.

Initially, Theoka did not intend to treat it as a long-term job.

At this moment, her resolve was firm.

This kind of ingratiating, prostitution-based business was not what she liked, and although her income was substantial, she desperately wanted to quit and leave.

However, at that time she was already the cash cow of that brothel, and the owner obviously didn't want her to leave.

So how do we do it?

Coercion? Threat? Overture? Bribery?

No, none of those.

The boss simply showed Sioka the lives of the people in the towns ravaged by pirates.

They have almost lost everything.

However, the annual celestial gold continues to weigh heavily on ordinary people.

In order to pay these taxes, theft and robbery have become the main methods.

Of course, the cost was also very high.

They would either be thrown in jail or beaten up by the angry owner.

This kind of life is much worse than life on Pleasure Street. If you leave my shop, you'll soon end up like them because you have no way to protect yourself.

These were the boss's exact words at the time.

This also made Sioux fearful.

She suddenly felt that life on Pleasure Street wasn't so bad after all.

She can eat delicious food, sleep in a comfortable bed, wear beautiful clothes, and be favored by other men.

She actually lives quite well here.

In that instant, Theoka suddenly accepted her current life.

Yes, maybe it's not that good, but it can't be worse than them, can it?

Therefore, Sioux began to accept all the rules of the Pleasure Street.

She did a great job, which made her increasingly famous and turned her into the boss's star attraction.

Yes, that might not be bad either, that would be good.

However, after meeting Roman, she wavered again.

She looked like just a child, but her body possessed such astonishing strength that she could easily defeat such a beast-like monster.

Although she was terrified, Sioka felt her heart was boiling with excitement.

If I were that powerful, no, if I had her courage, would I...?

Are you really aware of this?

As Sioka reminisced about the past, Roman's voice interrupted her.

"I have."

Even if it might lead to death?

"I was mentally prepared."

Well, judging from her eyes, she definitely has a lot of drive.

But this alone won't do.

Because her choice could very well be the very thing that led to her death.

However, this is her choice, so...

"Are you interested in participating in a program? If it succeeds, I can't guarantee anything else, but I can help you find a good mentor in the Navy based on your achievements."

"Really?" Sioka was very excited.

But before she could even feel excited for three seconds, Roman walked over, put his hand on her shoulder, and said in a very cold voice, "Really, but you have to be prepared to risk your life, because you might end up dead without a trace."